Li Long remembered that before he died, coal prices here had kept fluctuating, but they had generally stayed below five or six hundred yuan. Most of the time, cheap coal cost a little over three hundred, and expensive coal a little over five hundred. It had gone over six hundred on a few occasions, only to drop again afterward.
After all, at least three coal mines in the mountains south of Ma County had remained in operation. If digging coal himself had not seemed like such a bother, Li Long had even considered taking the horse-drawn cart straight to the mine Harimu had told him about and digging it himself.
It would not actually be that much trouble. The coal was practically exposed on the surface. He could rig up some detonators and explosives, drill a hole, stuff them inside, and blast down a huge section.
It would just take a little extra work. If he had people to help later and could buy a tractor, it was not out of the question.
The driver did not drive straight to Old Ma's Place. He slowed down and followed Li Long.
Later, seeing how slowly Li Long was going, he simply had him put his bicycle on top of the truck and tie it down with rope, then get into the passenger seat, and drove him to the production team.
When they reached Old Ma's Place, the roar of the engine alerted Li Anguo and the others, who ran outside to look.
The driver was surprised, though. When they passed the Preschool Class earlier, the children had not come chasing after the truck. That was something that both gave him a headache and made him feel proud. He often encountered it in other villages.
After all, motor vehicles were genuinely rare