After leaving Sister Yang's house and parting with Gu Xiaoxia at the intersection, Li Long drove the tractor to the oil depot, filled up, took two cans of fuel along, and headed into the mountains.
The sun was strong, but the breeze as he drove kept the heat from becoming oppressive. He headed west, then turned onto the southbound road to Qingshui Hezi just before reaching the Ma River. There were occasional travelers on the road, and he could clearly see that more people were riding bicycles now.
After crossing the Qingshui River, it felt a little cooler. Now and then, he spotted wild animals in the bushes beside the road. They did not run, but watched wide-eyed with curiosity as the tractor roared past.
With no jumping mice running alongside the tractor in daylight, Li Long felt a little bored. Still, he was glad they did not do that during the day, or they would have gone extinct long ago.
Less than a kilometer from the mountain pass, Li Long saw a man standing in the middle of the road, carrying one bag in his hand and another on his back. The one on his back was a sack, its contents making irregular shapes. Li Long guessed it held supplies. The bag in his hand was very familiar to Li Long.
It most likely held fritillaria.
Li Long stopped the tractor a dozen meters in front of the man. Without shutting off the engine, he asked:
"Why are you blocking the road?"
"Selling fritillaria. I went over to your cabin, but you weren't there, so I had to carry this stuff out. Wore me right out!" The man kicked the bag of fritillaria. "Buying?"
"You're already out of the mountains. Why not just sell it in the county seat?"