After Li Long and the others left, during a break in slaughtering sheep outside the Winter Camp, Talihaal's grandmother Sana washed her hands, then went over and moved the wooden cabinet and chest she had her eye on together.
As she moved them, she called Talihaal over and told him to put both items beside her horse so they could be strapped onto its back and taken away when they left.
Nasen and Sasiken had already carried two small square tables into the Winter Camp. Jade Mountain River's son Ye'erjiang had also stacked two little tables, one upright and one upside down, and carried them inside. Li Long had told them to do this before he left.
There were more than just tables. Harimu had also handed out school supplies to them.
The children who had come along had actually been helping rub salt into the hides earlier. Now, seeing their new study tables, they were truly delighted.
The remaining cabinet and chest were taken by two other older women, one each.
They were somewhat unhappy that Sana had claimed both a cabinet and a chest, but there was nothing they could do.
While Li Long was there, Sana had been the first to boldly state what she wanted, offering all the sheep she had brought in exchange for that cabinet and chest.
They did not have as much say as Sana. The men generally decided how to sell the family sheep, while the women had come to help.
The men at home might already have planned what to do with the money from selling the sheep, so the most the women could hope for was a cabinet or a chest. After all, the cabinets and chests at home had been used for far too long; some had even been