Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Long drove to the fourth team, and when he arrived at his elder brother's house, he saw that thin admission notice.

Holding his acceptance letter, Li Qiang paced back and forth excitedly; it was truly hard-won.

Before Li Long could ask any questions, his older brother Li Jianguo told him, "This morning, Director Wu called me and told me to go and pick up the notice as soon as possible. When I got there, he told me about the notice."

"He said that after we went to find him, he immediately contacted the admissions office of the autonomous prefecture. The admissions office said that the admission notice had already arrived, but it had been taken away by someone."

He immediately said, "Isn't this nonsense? Those admission notices belong to students from our county. How could we let someone else take them?"
They said things were complicated.

Then, Director Wu went to investigate himself. Through step-by-step inquiries with the people in the admissions office, it was finally determined that the notification letter had been taken by the head of the Armed Forces Department.

Director Wu went to find the Minister of Armed Forces. According to him, Qiangqiang's notification letter was originally under the glass on the Minister of Armed Forces' desk, and he got it back.

Is it really that simple?
Li Long was somewhat surprised and asked, "Did Director Wu say why? Is the Armed Forces Minister trying to suppress Qiangqiang's notification letter?"

Li Jianguo shook his head and said, "Director Wu told me that the notice has been returned, so we shouldn't pursue this further."

"You know my temper. This can't be left like this. They've been holding us back for so many days. How can we just abandon them so easily?"

“I had a good relationship with Director Wu at the time, so I asked him directly what was going on. Director Wu said that he hadn’t investigated the specifics, but he guessed that someone might have their eye on the military academy spot and was planning to use the admission notice to make a fuss.”

However, they're also worried that the school might have connections, and if this impersonation is discovered, it could lead to serious consequences. So, they're hesitant, probably gambling on whether you can find the information. If you can, then the matter is dropped; if not, they might do something else.

At this point, Li Jianguo looked at Li Qiang, who was holding the admission notice and studying something with his sister Li Juan, and continued, "Let's leave this matter aside for now. To be honest, what good would it do to get involved?"
Even if we found out who they were, what could we do? They haven't done anything yet, just caused a delay. Thankfully, we got it back. Now, let's get ready for Qiangqiang to start school.”

Li Long knew that his elder brother didn't really think that way, but he had no choice but to succumb to reality.

As he said, even if we find out the whole story, or even if we basically understand what happened, what can we do? If it weren't for the powerful local authorities, given his personality, he would definitely have gotten his revenge.

After all, getting Qiangqiang into school smoothly as soon as possible is the most important thing right now. Actually, Li Qiang has been under a lot of pressure lately. Logically speaking, military and police academies are in the first batch of admissions, so he should be among the first to receive his admission notice.

When Li Qiang last organized a gathering of classmates at his home, some classmates had already asked about this matter. At that time, no one paid much attention. However, later, television stations kept broadcasting news about "congratulating so-and-so on being admitted to so-and-so university." This put increasing pressure on Li Qiang.

After all, his classmates from top universities, regular universities, and even junior colleges had all left, but he, a student at a military academy, was still there. What if he didn't get an admission notice in the end? Wouldn't all those words he had said and all those boasts he had made become a joke?

Fortunately, they have now received the notification letter, which relieves Li Qiang of some pressure and removes a burden from his shoulders.

The eldest brother's family, constrained by reality, couldn't retaliate against the person who had almost ruined Qiangqiang's future. However, Li Long had no intention of letting it go. So, while Li Jianguo's family was busy with the siblings' schooling, Li Long drove to Beiting City.

Li Long first went to find Chen Hongjun. Chen Hongjun's purchasing station in the city had now become a trading company. His purchasing station mainly dealt in similar items to Li Long's purchasing station in the county, primarily buying fritillaria bulbs and dried wild mushrooms.

Jia Tianlong and Zhao Hui knew Chen Hongjun longer than they knew Li Long, and Li Long had pointed out that Chen Hongjun's company mainly sold agricultural supplies. So far, things are going well.

When Li Long arrived at the company gate, there were several people selling things in the courtyard. Chen Hongjun wasn't there; two workers were operating equipment. They paused for a moment when they saw Li Long drive in, then one of them smiled and quickly went inside; clearly, he recognized Li Long.

By the time Li Long parked the car, turned off the engine, and got out, Chen Hongjun had already come out of the house. He smiled, shook hands with Li Long, and greeted him before pulling Li Long into the house.

To Li Long's surprise, Chen Hongjun's purchasing station also had a room similar to his reception room. The person who had come in earlier was currently cutting a watermelon.

Chen Hongjun laughed and said, "How about it? Look at my house, its function is similar to yours, right? I designed it based on yours. I think it's quite nice to have a room like this in the company. It's good for entertaining guests and discussing business."

Li Long sat down, took the watermelon Chen Hongjun handed him, and said while eating, "Not bad, not bad. Your business seems to be doing quite well. Are those people outside here to sell dried wild mushrooms?"

Chen Hongjun took a slice of watermelon himself and said while eating, "During this period, most people are selling dried wild mushrooms, but some are also selling Codonopsis pilosula. Some people, in order to make money, start digging for Codonopsis pilosula early, and even dig it out when they are digging for Fritillaria cirrhosa."

It's a bit wasteful of medicinal herbs, but since they've brought them, we have to accept them, even if the quality rating is lower and the price is cheaper.

Li Long nodded, ate two slices of watermelon, and after wiping his hands and mouth with a piece of paper from the table, he said to Chen Hongjun, "I came here to ask you for a favor."

Chen Hongjun threw the melon rinds in his hand into the trash can in the corner and said, "Just tell me what's on your mind."

Li Long then told Chen Hongjun about Qiangqiang's college admission notice. Among his friends, Chen Hongjun was the most reliable and dependable, and it shouldn't be a problem to have Chen Hongjun help him inquire about this matter in Beiting City.

Li Long knew Director Qian and Director Wei in Beiting City, but firstly, due to their status and secondly, Li Long didn't want to get too involved or inquire about them privately, so he didn't think about contacting them.

After hearing what Li Long said, Chen Hongjun's expression turned serious. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I really didn't expect that something like this could happen in our area. Aren't they afraid of being investigated?"

Li Long said, "They were probably afraid of being investigated, so they ultimately didn't get it done. But I still feel uneasy. I think they definitely had this idea, and they might already be preparing to carry it out."

If my older brother hadn't known the director of admissions and investigated this matter, someone else might very well have fallen for their scheme. So, I thought, we have to make them suffer a setback; we can't let them get away with it so easily.”

Chen Hongjun nodded and said, "Indeed, this matter is extremely serious. After hearing what you said, I feel that there may be some details in the matter that we are not aware of."

If you're talking about the Minister of Armed Forces, then it can only be the Minister of Armed Forces of Beiting City, because our autonomous prefecture-level military unit is the Military Sub-district, and the Military Sub-district is headed by a commander, not a minister.

However, it's unlikely that the head of the armed forces department of Beiting City would interfere in the affairs of the autonomous prefecture's admissions office. I think it's either a personal relationship, or there's something else going on.

Li Long nodded and said, "Look, I came to you because I wanted to see what else was involved and who else was involved. So I thought you could help me find out. If you can find out the actual details, that would be best; if not, I'll think of other ways."

Chen Hongjun immediately said, "Don't worry, I know some people. I'll find someone to inquire about it. I should be able to find out some information in three days at most."

I'll call you then, and we'll see how to handle this. Given our relationship, I'll definitely do my best."

After finishing their business, Li Long and Chen Hongjun chatted about some business matters. This year, the purchase volume of fritillaria bulbs has declined again; the combined purchases of dried fritillaria bulbs by Li Long's side and Gu Boyuan's side did not exceed 5 tons.

It can only be said that the regulatory authorities are increasing their oversight, which has led to a relative decline in illegal acquisitions. Li Long's situation is somewhat better; he has an import/export business, which is his main source of income.

While fritillaria and dried mushrooms have become secondary businesses, Chen Hongjun's trading company, due to its larger scale, still primarily focuses on acquiring mountain products.

Chen Hongjun's thoughts differed from Li Long's; he felt things were fine as they were. A steady tens of thousands of yuan in net profit each year was quite good in this day and age.

Moreover, while the amount of money he earns isn't huge, it's not enough to make anyone envious, but he has a wide network of connections, reaching all sorts of people. That's why he was confident he could help Li Long find out the specifics of the matter.

At noon, Chen Hongjun treated Li Long to a meal outside.

Li Long drove back to the county, and after Chen Hongjun went to the company to explain some things, he went home.

Since he couldn't discuss this matter through the company, he called a few friends at home. Of course, he didn't directly mention this kind of thing, but broke down what Li Long said into several parts and inquired about them one by one.

For example, ask a friend in the Armed Forces Department's supply unit if anyone there has a child who is going to university; then ask another friend if the admissions office has any similar services, such as how to distribute the admission notices forwarded in the group to the county, and whether there is any possibility of tampering with them.

When his wife came home that evening, Chen Hongjun told her about it. He was also reminding himself and his wife, because their child was about to take the college entrance exam, and they needed to be vigilant in case something like this happened to them.

Chen Hongjun's wife was also shocked when she heard about this; she had never heard of such a thing before. She knew that Chen Hongjun was going to help Li Long investigate, and she just reminded him to be careful to keep it a secret so as not to get himself involved.

The investigation was swift, and the results were available within a day.

First, there's the armed forces department. The minister's eldest son is taking the college entrance exam, but he didn't do very well this year. Apparently, based on his score, he could get into a bachelor's degree program within Xinjiang or a junior college outside Xinjiang. They're currently trying to pull strings and find someone to help him get a better result.

Chen Hongjun's friend also said that the minister had told others more than once that he wanted his son to take the entrance exam for a military academy.

Then I also found out from the admissions office that although the admission notices were transferred from the autonomous region's admissions office to the autonomous prefecture's admissions office, and then to the various counties and cities.

However, if someone makes a request while the student is at the autonomous prefecture's admissions office, the admission notice could still be taken away.

Of course, having strong connections is definitely not an option; after all, rules are rules, and personal relationships are personal relationships. Even in something as important as the college entrance examination, people still cheat.

Logically, having investigated to this point, Chen Hongjun could have basically confessed to Li Long. However, Chen Hongjun knew that Li Long wouldn't stop there. Since he had said he wanted revenge on the instigator, there would inevitably be follow-up.

So Chen Hongjun asked around to find out if the minister had done anything wrong. What he found out was that the minister had quite a few weaknesses that could be used against him, especially in the area of ​​conscription.

At this time, many people want to send their children to the army for training, especially after graduating from junior high or high school. If they can't find a good job, they might be able to join the army and become volunteer soldiers.

There were many applicants for military service, but only a limited number of slots, which were controlled by the minister. It's said that this minister received considerable bribes because of this recruitment process. Furthermore, since each batch of recruits went to different units, parents of new recruits could offer gifts to secure a more desirable place for their child.

According to the person Chen Hongjun inquired about, this kind of thing is actually considered an unspoken rule in the industry, but it certainly can't be made public.

Chen Hongjun understood the principle behind this, just like how some things don't weigh much on a scale, but once they are weighed, they can't be contained.

Then he learned that the armed forces department also had its own businesses, and the money received from these businesses did not go directly into the collective property account; its destination was worth investigating. Chen Hongjun did not inquire about the specific destination, but with these points, he felt that this armed forces minister should be taught a lesson.

When Chen Hongjun called Li Long, Li Long was at the purchasing station, checking the data of the goods that had been delivered with Liu Gaolou.

When he heard Sun Jiaqiang run over and say it was Boss Chen on the phone, he quickly told Liu Gaolou and then went to answer the phone. After Chen Hongjun finished explaining the situation, Li Long said he knew what to do.

Chen Hongjun then instructed him, "When doing these things, it's best to find some anonymous channels so you don't get yourself into trouble."

He said to Li Long, "Li Long, you and I are different. I have a small business and I'm quite content with it. My goals are small, so I won't attract attention."

"You've got a lot going on there; you're a representative, a public figure. It's best not to get involved in certain things openly. After all, you're involved with a lot of companies and people. If someone knows you're the target and wants to get rid of you, they have many ways to do so."

Li Long said he understood. After thanking Chen Hongjun, he hung up the phone.

This time, Liu Gaolou's main items were still luxury cars, leather goods, antelope horns, and copper ingots. He also brought Li Long some news: Kazakhstan had exchanged the ruble for its new currency, the tenge, but the tenge immediately began to depreciate after its issuance. Clearly, ordinary people did not accept the newly issued currency, indicating that the domestic economic policy was not trending positively.

Li Long himself knew that, based on historical trends, 1993 was the worst year for Kazakhstan's economy since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Starting that year, Najib Razak implemented some tough economic policies, and after the economy bottomed out, it began to slowly recover.

However, the issuance of the tenge, or rather the devaluation of the tenge, continued, so it wasn't until the late 1990s that the tenge was exchanged for new currency again.

Since Liu Shanmin was still within Lao Na's sight, Li Long took the opportunity to give Liu Gaolou some of his suggestions.

For example, Liu Gaolou could purchase some light industrial machinery here and then sell it over there. Kazakhstan currently faces a severe shortage of light industrial products, especially consumer goods.

The gap between buying finished products from us and the demand is huge. Moreover, their light industry technology is weak. Some of our old machines that are being phased out can be dismantled and sold to them. After some repairs, they can be directly processed there without any problem.

Liu Gaolou thought this was a good idea, and it would help solidify Liu Shanmin's position with Lao Na. Then he humbly asked Li Long for advice on which equipment to buy.

What Li Long meant to him was: "Buy whatever you need. Complete sets of garment manufacturing equipment, cement processing equipment, and simple sugar refining equipment."

In fact, by 1993, the equipment at Shicheng Bayi Sugar Factory was already somewhat outdated. Although it still held the title of one of the six major beet sugar producers in the country, it had actually begun its decline at this point.

Li Long was thinking about whether he should give some advice to Section Chief Hu so that they could also upgrade their equipment. The history of Shicheng Bayi Sugar Factory came to an end in 2000.

Li Long hadn't had enough of exporting white sugar yet. He felt that Kazakhstan would still need a large amount of imported white sugar by 2000. If the Bayi Sugar Factory really stopped production by then, where would he find such a large source of supply?
Of course, Section Chief Hu might not listen to this, or even if he did, he might not have the authority to make any changes.

Small boats are easy to turn around. For a large enterprise like Shicheng Bayi Sugar Factory, upgrading and replacing equipment is not something that can be decided on a whim. The situation is complex, and Li Long may not know the details.

Of course, whether from the perspective of a collaborator or from the perspective of a friend, Li Long felt it was necessary to remind them.

Every time Liu Gaolou brought in so many supplies, the employees at the purchasing station would be busy. Of course, being busy had its benefits; Li Long was never stingy with overtime pay and bonuses afterward.

Of the cars Liu Gaolou brought on this trip, four were Land Cruisers. These were brought at Li Long's request, because Li Long had also discovered that these off-road vehicles were very popular in Xinjiang, selling quickly and generating timely payments.

However, Kazakhstan is only so big, and the number of land cruisers it can import is also limited. So, he told Li Long that although the land cruisers they had collected had been inspected and were in good condition, they were a bit old, and some were second-hand imports from small countries or Europe.

Li Long didn't care much about the sourcing channels, as long as the car could be driven normally. He would simply provide the year and mileage, and then offer the seller a reasonable price.

As for what Liu Gaolou wanted, it was still a barter system: canned goods, sugar, and clothes—things that Li Long had plenty of in his warehouse.

Therefore, Liu Gaolou's truck could be unloaded and reloaded on the spot. The transaction was that simple. The two parties had been cooperating for a long time and had enough trust. Even when loading the truck, Liu Gaolou only did a simple inspection and then went to the meeting room to rest. Li Long said to Liu Gaolou in the meeting room, half-jokingly, "Old Liu, you have to take it easy. Your health is your own responsibility. Sometimes, excessive enjoyment is just overdrawing your life."

The girls in Kazakhstan are nice, they taste great, but it's a long-term relationship, so don't give in too quickly.

Liu Gaolou, his face flushed, said urgently, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just exhausted. I led this convoy of over thirty vehicles all the way here, and even rested for a night along the way."

Given the current situation, don't I have to be extra careful? I'm doing all this for you, and you're still mocking me like this? It's completely unreasonable.

As he spoke, he reached out his hand to Li Long.

Li Long asked him what he was doing.

He said, "Get me two more bottles of that wine you gave me last time. I drank it, it was pretty good."

Li Long asked in confusion, "Didn't I give you all the medicinal herbs? Can't you brew them yourself?"

Liu Gaolou waved his hand and said, "I always feel that what I brew isn't as potent as what you give me. Hurry up, don't waste time. I haven't had any today; I heard you can't skip a meal."

Li Long pointed at him and sighed, saying, "You, you."

Despite saying this, he still turned and left the reception room, then went to the courtyard and got two bottles of wine for Liu Gaolou. One was deer wine, and the other was tiger wine. The tiger wine, though in a smaller bottle, was more precious. Of course, he wouldn't tell Liu Gaolou the truth.

When they brought the liquor back to the purchasing station, Liu Gaolou was standing at the door chatting with Liang Shuangcheng. Seeing Li Long approaching with the bottle, his eyes lit up as if he'd found a treasure, and he rushed forward and snatched it from him.

Li Long said to him, "Since you took my things, I'll tell you something too. Go back and tell your second uncle that there are a lot of transactions between Kazakhstan and Russia. Ask him to inquire and see if he can get some fresh tiger bones, preferably a whole tiger head. Also, get some tiger stuff over there too."

Liu Gaolou asked, "Huh?"

Li Long pointed to the wine bottle but didn't say anything.

Liu Gaolou immediately realized what was happening. He stuffed the two bottles of wine into his pocket and slapped his forehead: "Hey, how could I forget about this?"

I should have told my second uncle a long time ago to get this from over there; it's much easier than here, and there are no laws protecting it. Besides, people over there don't really believe in this stuff, so it should be much cheaper to make it.”

Having figured this out, Liu Gaolou confidently said to Li Long, "You tell me, how much do you want?"

Li Long smiled and said, "The more the better."

"Don't worry," Liu Gaolou said. "You can rest assured that we can definitely get them over. Right now, the Russians to the north are in dire need of supplies, just like Kazakhstan across the border. They can bring out anything they have to exchange for them."

"If our country weren't restricted, I'd get you guns, cannons, even missiles. Of course, that's what my second uncle said. As for the tiger bones, that's even easier; there are plenty of hunters over there. Not just bones, I could get you the hide too."

Li Long waved his hand and said, "Forget about the leather and stuff, those might not even get in. Besides, that stuff is useless to us ordinary folks, I just want the bones. And that whip, just remember to keep that in mind. It would be best to make it a complete skeleton, without any modifications."

He actually knew from videos of people hauling ginseng from the mountains that the Russians had a lot of good stuff. As for ginseng, there was some in the Outer Khingan Mountains, but not many people knew its value. Whether it could be transported across the Ural Mountains was another matter.

So Li Long didn't ask for too much. This stuff isn't particularly expensive now; you can get it from some of the smarter pharmacies in China. He's already gotten it through Jia Tianlong several times, and he does it every year. After all, he has elderly people at home, and the more of this kind of thing, the better.

After finishing their business, Liu Gaolou was feeling sleepy and prepared to rest. Li Long didn't try to stop him; they were already quite familiar with each other, so there was no need for formalities.

Liu Gaolou was sent to get tiger bones. Li Long was the type to take things one step at a time, whether he could get them or not. If he could, great; if not, he had his own stock.

With things mostly settled here, he instructed Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng to load canned goods onto the convoy brought by Liu Gaolou, while he returned to the courtyard to make a phone call.

Li Long's call was to Chen Dajun. It was during working hours, so Chen Dajun answered the phone quickly.

Li Long reported Liu Gaolou's account of the economic situation on the other side to Chen Dajun. Liu Gaolou's direct relay of Liu Shanmin's words was quite detailed, including price increases and exchange rates.

Chen Dajun listened very carefully to these specific details, and Li Long could even hear him scribbling down notes with his pen.

After Li Long finished speaking, Chen Dajun told him, "This intelligence is very important. It is of great significance for us to determine how to conduct economic and trade exchanges with the other party."

Then Li Long said, "Leader Chen, can I ask you for a favor?"

Chen Dajun said, "Just tell me, as long as it's within the scope of policy, I'll definitely help."

Hearing the other party's arrogant tone, Li Long told him about Li Qiang. He had previously thought long and hard about how he wanted to get revenge on that minister, and there were two possible avenues.

Or, as Chen Hongjun suggested, write an anonymous letter to the minister's superior unit, such as the military sub-district, to report him. However, Chen Hongjun also said that some things are unspoken rules, and even if you report it, it's hard to say whether it will be dealt with.

Another approach, as Li Long had considered, was to use his own connections, and Chen Dajun was one of those connections. Actually, he also had connections with Secretary Zhang, but Secretary Zhang had called Li Long recently to inform him that he had been transferred to a prefecture-level city in the autonomous region.

Although he holds a substantive position here, he's not part of the autonomous region's organizational structure and can't directly manage the other party. Of course, he might still have connections, but Li Long felt it would be more direct to let Chen Dajun handle it.

Moreover, Li Long had provided Chen Dajun with a lot of information over the past two years. He felt that he was on the moral high ground in this matter, and if Chen Dajun was qualified, he would take action.

Sure enough, after listening to Li Long's words, Chen Dajun pondered for only two seconds before saying, "I will investigate this matter through my connections in the military. If the situation is true, I will give you an explanation."

After hanging up the phone, Li Long felt the matter was settled. Through their two years of communication, Li Long had discovered that Chen Dajun, unless he made no promises, would almost always follow through on them.

Of course, it's hard to say how well this matter can be resolved at this point. However, Li Long believes that Chen Dajun's intervention will definitely be much more effective than him writing a report himself. He looks forward to the possible outcome.

On August 26th, Li Juan and her brother Li Qiang traveled to Yanjing with their luggage. Li Jianguo drove them to the train station. Li Long also came along and helped the siblings buy sleeper tickets.

At this time, the express train to Yanjing, which many people jokingly call "the turning point (70)," is departing. This is the starting station and that is the terminal station. It is quite nice to ride all the way to the end.

Li Juan had been making the trip for three years and was already used to it. She expertly led Li Qiang, carrying their luggage, onto the train. Li Jianguo and Li Long bought platform tickets, saw them off, and then stood on the platform watching the train slowly pull away.

With his daughter and son both going to study far away, Li Jianguo felt a huge emptiness in his heart; it was impossible for him not to be moved at all.

After the two left the train station, Li Long said he would take Li Jianguo to buy some things. He habitually went to Yu Sufu's stall. Yu Sufu was very happy to see Li Long. After shaking hands and greeting him, Yu Sufu took out a bag of fabric.

Li Jianguo wasn't very interested in these jade artifacts, so he picked out some dried fruits instead.

My mother, Du Chunfang, loves raisins. She eats them very carefully; after I buy them for her, she'll put them away and only occasionally grab a handful to savor one by one. So Li Jianguo decided to buy her more.

As for his father, he wasn't interested in these things, so we won't discuss him. His wife, Liang Yuemei, liked all kinds of dried fruits, especially sweet and sour preserved fruits. Li Jianguo also bought some apricot kernels and dried white apricots from southern Xinjiang, a whole bunch of different kinds.

Li Long had also chosen his materials. He took all the jade pieces Yu Sufu had brought him, and also picked up two pairs of jade bracelets from the stall. He felt the materials were quite good, but the carving was a bit rough. He could have someone polish them a bit more; they would still be fine pieces.

After Li Long paid for the jade and the jade bracelet, Li Jianguo pointed to the dried fruit and asked Yu Sufu how much it cost and how to settle the bill. Yu Sufu waved his hand and said, "Li Long bought so much from me, so I'll give you the dried fruit."

Li Jianguo didn't stand on ceremony and carried the dried fruit back to the car with Li Long.

"Big brother, Mingming and Haohao should learn from Juan and Qiangqiang from now on," Li Long said after getting into the car. "These eldest sister and brother have shown us the way, so the younger siblings can follow them and move forward properly. The power of role models is boundless."

Upon hearing this, Li Jianguo, who had been feeling somewhat sad, smiled. He turned to Li Long and said, "Mingming and Haohao are both smart kids, and their future prospects will definitely be better than Juan and Qiangqiang's."

Li Long shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily true. Juan and Qiangqiang have experienced hardship; when they were little, they went through times when they didn't have enough to eat."

My two kids have been pampered since birth, spoiled by everyone, and haven't suffered much hardship since they were little. They seem to be doing okay in school now, but who knows how they'll fare when the competition gets fiercer in middle and high school. Their resilience can't compare to Juan's and Qiangqiang's.

Li Jianguo knew that Li Long was telling the truth and wasn't just trying to comfort him. However, he also said, "What's the big deal? You have a large and successful family now; even if you didn't work, you could support them both."

Moreover, our family has a good upbringing, so Hao Hao is unlikely to go astray. Even if he doesn't get into a good university, he should be able to find a normal job, right?
This child, only after growing up, realized that when it comes to a bright future, it's hard to say whether staying with parents is better or worse.

Li Long was reminded of an ancient poem by his elder brother Li Jianguo, which expressed the hope that his son would not be mentally challenged or stupid.

I think most parents in the world think this way.

On August 29th, Li Qiang and Li Juan called from Yanjing to say that they had arrived.

Li Juan's school is in the city, while Li Qiang's school is in a nearby district. So Li Juan plans to put her luggage away and then send her younger brother to school to register.

Although he was traveling with his older sister, this was the first time Li Qiang had ever been away from adults for such a long distance, so he still needed to be careful. He could relax once he arrived at school.

Although the admission notice said to only bring essential clothes and not bedding, the Li family still prepared quite a few things for Li Qiang, including some local specialties from northern Xinjiang.

His family also prepared three thousand yuan as a reserve fund for him, because military academies are different from regular schools. However, it's still important to be prepared.

Because she was escorting new students to register at the university, Li Juan was allowed to enter the campus this time. However, after registering with the cadet team, Li Juan had to leave.

Before leaving, she reminded Li Qiang that if he needed to contact his family, he should let them know as soon as possible. Military academy students could go out on assignments, and he could find a place to make phone calls while away. Of course, writing letters was the most common method. Li Qiang agreed to all of these things.

Everything seemed so orderly at the military academy.

Li Qiang arrived relatively late; most of the other trainees had already arrived. Squad Leader Liu led the group in introducing themselves to each other.

During the class meeting that evening, everyone was asked to put the local specialties they had brought on the table and taste them together. Li Qiang found this quite novel.

Thus began my military academy career.

On September 2nd, Chen Dajun called Li Long.

He told Li Long, "The matter has been investigated and the facts are basically true. They have dealt with this matter seriously. The minister has been transferred from his post and will face further investigation and serious consequences."

Please rest assured, this matter will be dealt with absolutely without leniency. Stealing a place in a military academy is an extremely serious offense. Although he didn't complete the task, simply removing the acceptance letter confirms his intentions.

Li Long was quite pleased with what Chen Dajun said. The fact that the military was taking this matter so seriously suggested that it was likely an isolated incident, at least in the northern border region.

After hanging up the phone, Li Long initially wanted to immediately inform his older brother of the news, but then thought better of it. This kind of thing shouldn't be blown out of proportion; it was enough to know that the perpetrators had been punished.

To his surprise, his elder brother Li Jianguo drove to the purchasing station a day later and talked to him about the matter.

Li Jianguo said, "This morning, Director Wu from the county's admissions office told me that the head of the armed forces department in the city was under investigation. Then he asked me if this had anything to do with us. I said definitely not, how could we have that kind of power?"

Then Director Wu said, "It's possible he's being investigated for something else. Apparently, this minister is also involved in bribery related to conscription. Xiao Long, did you orchestrate this?"

Li Long hadn't originally planned to tell his older brother, but since his brother had already guessed, he nodded frankly and said yes. "I'm just so angry. If we hadn't encountered this kind of thing, it would have been fine, but now that we have, tell me, not only can I not swallow this anger, but you definitely can't swallow it either, right?"

Li Jianguo nodded heavily, then sighed and said, "I really didn't expect you to actually manage to do this. That's a minister, you know. The gap between us and him is so huge."

Li Long chuckled and said, "Don't underestimate your brother. I've been in business for so many years, I have some connections. Besides, it's just that this person did something he shouldn't have. If it were someone else, they have nothing to fear. Even if I have a lot of influence, it's unlikely I could bring him down out of thin air, right?"
This person has only himself to blame.

Li Jianguo nodded repeatedly and said, "He deserved it."

After Li Long explained the matter, Li Jianguo felt much better. After all, the frustration of being bullied and unable to fight back had dissipated, leaving only a sense of relief.

PS:

Someone asked what bitter beans look like, so here's a picture.

This is bitter bean, and the little white flowers below are *Gnaphalium affine*.

A fox was pulling on the drip irrigation tape in the cornfield because it wanted water. It's become a spirit!

A gray wolf from the Tianshan Mountains photographed by a netizen (End of this chapter)