The horse-drawn cart passed those people and arrived in County Town.
Li Qingxia suddenly said:
"Why couldn't those people just earn an honest living? There's so much good stuff in those mountains. Dig a little and you can make plenty of money... why insist on stealing and killing people for their goods?"
"Because that money's easy, because the spoils aren't divided fairly, because human greed can never be satisfied. Some people work hard to earn more, while others look for crooked ways..."
Li Long was simply speaking his mind. When he finished, he suddenly laughed:
"Dad, didn't you ever run into that sort of thing when you were doing business in your younger days?"
"Back then... yes, but nobody got killed. When someone held a gun on you, one of those break-action, single-shot guns, you had to hand over your money... but it depended on the person, too. Five paces away from me, and I wasn't afraid. Those things weren't accurate at a distance... a grown man my size wasn't just for show..."
Li Long listened to Dad boasting as he drove the cart to the Purchasing Station first.
Chen Hongjun was chatting with a colleague in the shade outside the Purchasing Station. Seeing Li Long drive up, he smiled, took a couple of steps forward, and asked:
"Well, Comrade Li, back from the mountains? What good things have you brought?"
"Someone robbed my place in the mountains, and I caught him in the act. He ruined everything in my cabin, so I took some of their things to cover the damage." Li Long explained everything clearly. "Deer antlers, fritillaria, and codonopsis. The codonopsis might not be much good, though, so I'm not selling that. Mainly the antlers and these things, which should be fritillaria."
After explaining, he introduced his