On November 16, Ma County had its first real snowfall. More than thirty centimeters of snow fell and stayed.
There had been two light flurries earlier, but neither had settled, so Li Long hadn't counted them.
After this heavy snowfall, the number of people coming to the Purchasing Station to sell hides suddenly increased.
It made sense. Once it snowed, any rabbit, fox, wolf, red deer, or Mongolian gazelle-animals that didn't hibernate-would leave tracks as they moved through the snow. Anyone who looked could find them.
A rabbit skin now fetched four yuan, a fox pelt sold to the Purchasing Station for thirty-five to forty yuan, and a wolf pelt fetched sixty. Red deer and Mongolian gazelle hides were priced about the same, with better specimens fetching a little more.
As a result, many people headed into the snow whenever they had free time. Those with guns could shoot Mongolian gazelles, red deer, or even wolves, while those without guns set snares for rabbits and foxes.
One day in late November, someone even brought a half-dead wolf straight to the Purchasing Station.
The news brought him over from the Big Courtyard, where he had been keeping Mingming and Haohao company. He hurried over and was somewhat surprised to see the tightly bound wolf.
The wolf wasn't particularly thin, but one leg was broken. Its mouth was tied shut, and its three good legs were bound too. It couldn't move at all.
Li Long had never considered keeping a wolf, but since someone had brought it to him, naturally he would buy it. Gu Boyuan had called him over to ask how much to pay and what he intended to do with it.
"A complete wolf pelt is seventy yuan. Including the meat, let's make it a hundred and thirty," Li