After helping Li Long hitch up the cart and load the male wild boar and the bear, Jade Mountain River rode away.
That was how straightforward the man was. Li Long smiled, then turned back to put out the stove, clean the two rooms, and take down the slightly dried bear gallbladder. He packed it into his shoulder bag, locked the door, and led the cart out of the mountains.
Although Number 76 was pulling more than three hundred kilograms, his steps were light. He seemed to know that this trip was coming to an end, that he was leaving the cold mountains and returning to his warm stall at home.
Being a horse was exhausting. He could not even get any peace in the dead of winter.
By the time they left the Mountain Pass, the sun had risen. There was a faint hint of warmth, but it was not enough to dispel the chill in the air. Li Long pulled his coat tighter, then finally jumped down and walked alongside the cart for a while.
Cooking smoke rose slowly from the homes in Qingshui River Township. Some people were collecting manure beside the road, while others were dumping rubbish into the roadside ditch-mostly coal ash from their stoves.
Li Long walked alongside the cart for a stretch, then climbed back on after passing through Qingshui River Township and leisurely headed toward the County Seat.
It was already noon when he reached the County Seat. He drove the cart to the Big Courtyard.
The gate was locked. Gu Xiaoxia was probably having lunch at Sister Yang's, but Li Long had no intention of going over. Sister Yang was careful with her resources and usually cooked no extra food, to avoid waste. If he showed up unannounced for a meal,