Since Chen Hongjun was introducing buyers to Li Long, Li Long naturally had to play host. He booked a table at Tuanfeng Tower early and ordered a few dishes in advance, leaving the rest until he knew his guests' tastes.
With reform and opening up, land allocation, and the Household Responsibility System, ordinary people's lives had improved somewhat, and they could occasionally afford to eat out. The State-Run Canteen was gradually reforming too, introducing new dishes, and quite a few people came here for a good meal.
Li Long waited by the private room's door. As the end of the workday approached, Chen Hongjun arrived with two men.
Li Long welcomed them into the room, and Chen Hongjun pointed to the two men as he introduced them:
"Comrade Li Long, let me introduce you. These two are both big businessmen who often come to Northern Xinjiang to buy goods. But since we have state-run buyers here in Ma County, they spend more time in other areas.
"This is Boss Jia Tianlong. He specializes in medicinal herbs. He buys all the fritillaria, codonopsis, and other things you could dig up next year. This is Boss Zhao Hui. He specializes in hides, though he also buys things like deer antler ornaments."
Jia Tianlong was around thirty-five and about five foot seven, with two patches of red on his cheeks. He was well proportioned, wore a well-fitting suit, and carried a black briefcase under his arm. Although Li Long had yet to hear him speak, he felt the man was probably from around Ganzhou or Suzhou.
Zhao Hui was slightly shorter and looked younger. His gold-rimmed glasses gave him something of a scholarly air. His hair was parted to one side, he carried no bag, and he wore a smile. A scholarly businessman?