"Fifteen for one truck, thirty for two. Not expensive, right?" Team Leader Ma sat down and told Li Long, "Let me tell you, running trucks isn't cheap. The price really should have gone up, but for Old Li's sake, we'll leave it at that."
As Li Long was thinking it over, Ma Chunlei added:
"Don't think it's expensive, either. Ten yuan goes to the driver, and our team only takes five. If that works for you, it's settled. If not, then..."
"That works, that works." Li Long naturally had no objections.
Having things hauled by truck really wasn't cheap in those days. Fifteen yuan for a trip into the mountains was acceptable.
Besides, this wasn't a one-off deal. There would be at least another five, six, seven, eight, or ten trips to make.
He could also take the opportunity to work out how much a truck could carry. Once they had hauled enough, he could estimate future trips by quantity.
After settling the arrangements, Li Long drove the Jeep to buy some rice, flour, oil, and everyday necessities, then headed to the Pastoral Team's stay-behind settlement.
Harimu's mother and Jade Mountain River's wife and children were all there. Harimu and the others were about to move to another pasture, so Li Long needed to check how things were going here.
The Pastoral Team seemed to have added several courtyards this year, and some houses had been repaired. The new work stood out clearly against the old.
Some roofs had also been reinforced and given a fresh coating of mud.
Of course, Harimu's courtyard remained the most conspicuous. Its walls were generally taller and more even than the others, without any gaps. The path leading out of the courtyard had been surfaced and firmly packed.
When Li Long drove the Jeep