Li Xiangqian was away, so Li Long had been unable to deliver the cattle offal. He hauled it back to the Big Courtyard the way he had come and left it for Sister Yang to deal with.
There would be more later anyway.
Li Long did not stop to rest. He was still eager to ask Harimu and the others exactly how and where the tiger had been killed. He wanted to know whether he might be able to retrieve its bones.
After all, tiger bones were more useful than a tiger hide.
Of course, he thought the chances of recovering them were slim. Although the hide looked fresh, there were so many carnivores in the mountains. They might have feared the tiger when it still had its skin, but once it had been skinned, wouldn't it be nothing more than food?
Li Long drove the tractor chugging into the mountains. With something on his mind, even the cold seemed less biting.
Li Long drove straight to Harimu's Winter Camp.
Harimu's wife came out of the Winter Camp and told Li Long in halting speech that Harimu had gone to Talihaal's Winter Camp for the Winter Slaughter.
Li Long drove on, searching for suitable routes through the mountains as best he could, heading for Talihaal's Winter Camp.
Harimu's and Jade Mountain River's Winter Camps were relatively accessible by tractor, but Talihaal's was farther away. It was easy enough to reach on horseback, but not by tractor.
Li Long wound this way and that. By the time he reached Talihaal's Winter Camp, the cattle had already been slaughtered, and the meat was nearly cooked.
Everyone was happy to see Li Long. He took out the ammunition and handed it to Jade Mountain River, who had come closest to him, asking him