The two young men left, and Li Long went back to his work.
Before he had finished unloading the Mongolian gazelles, a group arrived to sell things.
"Hey, I knew the Purchasing Station would still be open. My wife said she'd heard from someone that it had closed... I thought, if it closed, wouldn't all those hides I'd hunted be for nothing? I was counting on selling them to buy some fertilizer to take home."
"Exactly. This licorice of mine has been sitting at home for ages too. I'll turn it into some money and buy seeds and fertilizer. Spring's almost here, the snow will be melting, and we need to get ready to plant."
Listening to the voices outside, Li Long suddenly realized he had not checked whether Gu Boyuan's shop had opened these past two days. This was the season for preparing for spring planting. If his shop opened now, he would catch the perfect opportunity to make money.
But Li Long could tell that Gu Boyuan was rather laid-back about running the Farm Supply Store. He opened when he felt like it and stayed closed when he did not. At first, he had been quite motivated to make money. By now, he probably had money on hand, and with his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren all living well, he had lost that motivation.
This won't do. I need to give my father-in-law a little motivation. He's only in his forties. He's still got plenty of years ahead.
Six people had come in this group, selling rabbit skins, licorice, cashmere, and copper coins.
Although Ma County was vast and sparsely populated, it was still an ancient city. There had been a military garrison there as early as the Tang dynasty, and Suilai County had already existed in the Qing