On June 20, as the fritillaria season ended, Li Long took a truck to Aili's Forestry Team outpost in the Southern Mountain.
To his surprise, the place was already undergoing changes. At the courtyard entrance outside Aili's office, the old Forestry Team sign had been taken down and replaced with a new one reading "Ma County Southern Mountain Forestry Work Station."
Hearing the vehicle, Aili came out of the courtyard. He smiled when he saw Li Long getting out and came over to greet him. "Adasi, how are you?"
"Good, good. Everything's changed here? When did that happen?" Li Long asked.
"Ah, just a few days ago." There was some reluctance in Aili's voice, along with a little helplessness.
"I saw some people moving out," Li Long said. "What's that about?"
"Nothing much. Orders from above. The forest rangers can't all live here together anymore. This place... will pretty much just be the office area from now on. Oh, and the Forestry Police Station is being set up here too."
"What about the forest rangers?" Li Long asked. "They can't be getting rid of them, can they?"
"Of course not, but they won't live and eat together like they do now. They'll build their own houses at the various mountain passes, with subsidies from the Forestry Bureau. In the future, they'll try to recruit forest rangers from the people already living there. They can live there with their families or on their own."
Li Long nodded to show he understood.
That was how it worked in later years. Forest rangers had their jobs, and some pastoralists took on the role directly, protecting the forests while grazing their livestock.
Of course, every place had its own rules. In some places, Forestry Work Stations were set up right at important mountain passes