Recaps

Li Long set off from home for Ili, driving west through Jinghe and across Guozigou toward Yining while taking in the region’s scenery and towns. He bought a deposit on wolfberry seedlings in Jinghe and arrived in Yining, where he explored the Grand Bazaar while waiting for Liu Gaolou.

• Gu Xiaoxia packed clothes, food, and medicine for Li Long, urged him to stay warm and drive safely, and discussed taking a family trip together later.
• Li Long drove west in his Type 69 Vehicle, stopped in Wusu for lunch, and reached Jinghe before sunset.
• Li Long compared wolfberry nurseries in Jinghe and paid a deposit for more than ten thousand two-year-old cuttings.
• Li Long avoided the mountain pastoral road because of the season, crossed Sayram Lake and Guozigou, and continued through Luchagou and Qingshui River toward Yining.
• Li Long checked into the Huacheng Hotel to meet Liu Gaolou, then visited the Grand Bazaar, ate kebabs, and wandered along Liberation Road.

Li Long joined Liu Gaolou and Wu Yongbo for dinner, then went to Sandaohezi to help set a fishing net across a tributary of the Ili River. After proving his strength and fishing skill, he spotted a huge fish in the net, but it leapt free and escaped.

• Liu Gaolou hosted a welcome dinner for Li Long, where Wu Yongbo introduced himself and invited Li Long to go fishing at Sandaohezi the next day.
• Li Long declined Wu Yongbo's offer to arrange someone to look after him overnight, and they agreed to visit the Ili River Bridge before fishing.
• Li Long, Liu Gaolou, and Wu Yongbo visited the bridge, where Li Long saw enormous fish displayed outside local restaurants, then drove to a tributary near Sandaohezi.
• Li Long waded into the cold river and drove a stake into the riverbed, then helped a struggling fisherman secure another stake and stretch a net across the current.
• Li Long spotted a fish caught in the net, rushed into the river, and pushed up the net pocket, but a huge fish leapt out and escaped.

Li Long caught several large fish barehanded in the icy river while the others brought in more, and he agreed to buy Wu Yongbo’s fritillaria. The group spotted a school of common carp as the chapter ended.

• Li Long caught a large common carp and alerted the others to another fish in the net pocket, which they brought ashore.
• Li Long caught a grass carp and a kaluga sturgeon, while the others caught and cleaned more fish.
• Liu Gaolou briefly took the kaluga sturgeon, but it thrashed free and hit the rocky ground before Wu Yongbo secured it.
• Silver carp leaped around the stakes, and Li Long explained that a school had been frightened by the nets.
• Li Long told Wu Yongbo he would buy his fritillaria, with Liu Gaolou vouching for him.
• Li Long spotted a school of common carp in the river and shouted to the others.

Li Long caught more common carp from the river and enjoyed grilled fish with Liu Gaolou and Wu Yongbo. Afterward, Wu Yongbo took them to a hot spring, where Li Long discussed buying wild fritillaria and agreed to spend two or three days celebrating the festival with Bek.

• A huge school of common carp passed through the river, and Li Long caught several more by waiting beside the net.
• Li Long, Liu Gaolou, and the other fishermen warmed themselves by eating Wu Yongbo’s grilled fish and small fish.
• Li Long tried casting a net, then joined Wu Yongbo and Liu Gaolou to visit a hot spring in Daxigou.
• At the hot spring, Li Long told Liu Gaolou he would buy wild fritillaria if the quality was good.
• Li Long agreed to stay two or three days and celebrate the festival with Bek.

Li Long and Liu Gaolou traveled with Bek to celebrate Nauryz with Bek’s relatives, where Li Long learned that Bek’s older cousin Geming Bek and his wife Mia had been unable to have children. After hearing about Li Long’s jade, the couple agreed to visit it after the festival, while Li Long joined the gathering and learned more about local life.

• Li Long and Liu Gaolou traveled with Bek to his relatives’ village for the festival and greeted the family in Kazakh.
• Li Long explained that Bek’s uncle opposed his son adopting a newborn left at their gate because he suspected the birth parents might later reclaim the child.
• Liu Gaolou urged Bek’s cousin to pray to Li Long’s jade, and Bek’s uncle recognized Li Long from a newspaper profile and welcomed him warmly.
• Bek introduced Li Long to Geming Bek, a township armed forces officer, and Li Long explained that the jade’s apparent effects were likely coincidence.
• Li Long attended the Nauryz gathering, ate the communal porridge, and discussed local life with the guests.
• Geming Bek introduced his wife Mia, and the couple agreed to travel with Li Long after the festival to visit the jade.

Li Long attended a Kazakh holiday gathering, bought a large haul of hides, and joined the festivities before leaving for the border crossing with Liu Gaolou and Wu Yongbo. There, Liu Shanmin told him that Li Long’s visit seemed to have coincided with a sudden breakthrough in obtaining a valuable military-use item.

• Li Long bought more than twenty hides from local residents, including Tursun’s two bear skins and snow leopard pelt for 5,500 yuan.
• Li Long helped prepare food and danced at the holiday celebration, then refused alcohol because he would be driving.
• Li Long and Liu Gaolou left the next morning to receive goods at the border crossing, with Wu Yongbo riding with Li Long and asking about his purchases.
• At Khorgos, Liu Shanmin told Li Long that contacts had suddenly helped him obtain a sensitive military-use item after Liu Gaolou mentioned Li Long’s visit.

Li Long received Liu Shanmin’s latest goods at Khorgos, met border-trade contacts, and traveled back toward Ma County with Liu Gaolou, Geming Bek, his wife, and Wu Yongbo. After buying more than ten thousand goji seedlings in Wusu, Li Long brought the convoy to his Purchasing Station, where he prepared to help Geming Bek and arrange the urgent sugar trade.

• Liu Shanmin showed Li Long three GAZ-69s, five thousand hides, and antelope horns, then invited him to dinner with Customs Section Chief Yang and border trader Tong.
• Li Long met Yang and Tong over dinner, bought two cases of Ili Tequ the next morning, and set out with Liu Gaolou.
• At Qingshui River, Geming Bek, his wife, and Wu Yongbo joined the convoy, and Wu brought air-dried fish for Li Long and Liu Gaolou.
• The convoy drove to Wusu, where Li Long bought more than ten thousand goji seedlings before everyone continued to Ma County.
• Li Long brought the convoy to his Purchasing Station and told Geming Bek he would show him the jade and find a prescription, while Liu Gaolou explained that he needed to return sugar quickly.

Li Long returned from Ili with goji seedlings and completed a major transaction with Liu Gaolou, while Old Gu became interested in opening a purchasing station in Ili. The chapter ended with Gu Boyuan privately resolving to pursue the venture as Wu Yongbo considered copying Li Long’s business model, unaware of the competition taking shape.

• Li Long brought goji seedlings to the Fourth Team, put his relatives to work unloading them, and told Li Jianguo how to plant them on saline-alkali land.
• Li Long returned to the county seat, settled accounts with Liu Gaolou for hides, antelope horns, vehicles, and sugar, and withdrew the money to pay him.
• Wu Yongbo observed Li Long’s purchasing station and considered starting a smaller operation in Ili, while Old Gu asked Geming Bek about local conditions and resources.
• Old Gu asked Li Long about opening a purchasing station in Ili, and Li Long explained the opportunity and warned that starting would be difficult without sufficient capital.
• Li Long returned to the Big Courtyard, reunited with Mingming and Haohao, and spent time with Gu Xiaoxia.
• Gu Boyuan decided he wanted to open a purchasing station in Ili with Li Long’s support, while Wu Yongbo remained unaware that Old Gu might become his competitor.

Li Long arranged for his father, Li Qingxia, to take over the County Seat Purchasing Station while Gu Boyuan prepared to investigate opportunities in Ili. Back in the Fourth Team, Li Long advised the locals to delay planting cotton until the risk of late spring frost passed.

• Liu Gaolou brought Geming Bek, Mia, and Wu Yongbo to see the jade, and Li Long gave Geming Bek and Mia incense and a prescription before taking them to fill it.
• Li Long and Liu Gaolou collected fifty tonnes of white sugar at the Sugar Factory, while Wu Yongbo went to learn about the Purchasing Station.
• Li Long agreed that Gu Boyuan would investigate Ili and decided to bring Li Qingxia in as his partner to manage the County Seat Purchasing Station.
• Li Qingxia eagerly accepted the role, and Li Long's family supported the plan while he prepared to take his father to the County Seat.
• Li Long warned Li Jianguo and Xu Haijun that cotton should not be planted yet because late spring cold snaps could kill it, and he reassured Xu Haijun about the local risk of hail.

Li Qingxia began learning the purchasing business from Gu Boyuan, who told his family he planned to scout Ili for a business of his own. Meanwhile, Li Long funded Meng Hai’s next mountain road-building expedition and prepared to join it after handling business at home.

• Li Long took Li Qingxia to the County Seat, where Gu Boyuan taught him how to assess and price goods and keep business accounts.
• Gu Boyuan announced that he intended to scout Ili and possibly open a purchasing station there, leaving Gu Xiaoxia worried about his move.
• Li Long explained to Gu Xiaoxia why Gu Boyuan might want an independent business, then suggested she visit Ili with him when possible.
• Li Qingxia quickly learned to assess hides, herbs, and watermelon seeds at the Purchasing Station while Li Long considered selling more vehicles.
• Meng Hai told Li Long that he planned to take about twenty workers into the mountains for a half-month road-building stint, and Li Long gave him three thousand yuan and offered to buy two insulated tents.
• Li Long brought home fish and eggs from Meng Hai, and Gu Boyuan reported that a reseller had expressed interest in buying a vehicle.

Li Long visited Harimu and Jade Mountain River in the mountains, advising them about schooling and encouraging Harimu to buy a courtyard house in the county town. The next day, he drove to Wu City to buy river jade and then headed to the Jade Carving Factory to see Engineer Liu.

• Li Long told Gu Xiaoxia to learn to drive and visited Harimu, discussing road construction, the approaching move into the mountains, and the children’s schooling.
• Li Long urged Harimu and Jade Mountain River to consider transferring their children to Chinese-language schools and suggested Harimu buy a courtyard house in the county town.
• Li Long returned to the county, told his family he planned to seek cotton-growing advice in Wu City, and drove there the next morning.
• Li Long bought seven pieces of good-quality river jade from Yusufu for five hundred yuan and declined to gamble on an uncut piece.
• Li Long visited the Jade Carving Factory to look for Engineer Liu and see whether he had other valuable materials.

Li Long visited Engineer Liu to buy jade, then consulted Professor Yang about growing cotton and Professor Luo about crops on saline-alkali land. The next day, Li Xiangqian asked him about road repairs and a discounted car for Director Wei.

• Li Long bought three Hetian jade carvings and two pieces of jadeite rough from Engineer Liu.
• Li Long asked Professor Yang detailed questions about cotton planting, pest control, and seed varieties, and described the tractor-pulled sprayer he had bought.
• Li Long visited Professor Luo, who asked him to share updates on growing goji berries and cotton on saline-alkali land.
• Professor Yang and Professor Luo discussed Li Long's practical farming knowledge and unusual ambitions after he left for home.
• Li Xiangqian called Li Long to discuss road repairs and Director Wei's interest in buying a car, and Li Long offered him discounted prices.

Li Long helped Li Xiangqian find a local alternative to the canceled mountain road-repair activity, then sold Fan Mingcheng a GAZ vehicle. He later taught his eldest brother and a crowd of Fourth Team residents how to grow cotton, leaving them better prepared for the season.

• Li Long suggested that the Supply and Marketing Cooperative deliver supplies and repair buildings at the Pastoral Team's Rural Childcare Center, and Li Xiangqian agreed to bring it up with the County Publicity Department.
• Fan Mingcheng test-drove a used GAZ vehicle at the Purchasing Station and bought the army-green one for twenty thousand yuan.
• Li Long visited the Fourth Team, where Li Jianguo was teaching people to use the Dongfanghong 75 Crawler Tractor, and shared notes from a professor about cotton cultivation.
• Li Long explained cotton-growing methods to Li Jianguo and the gathered residents, covering planting, pest control, topping, and harvesting.
• Li Long answered questions about cotton bolls and spraying equipment as the residents listened into the evening.

Li Long coordinated the Supply and Marketing Cooperative’s assistance for the Pastoral Team, arranged repairs for an elderly woman’s home, and helped donate books to the school. He also began teaching Gu Xiaoxia to drive, and the chapter ended with Ma Xiaoyan asking to join Li Long on his next trip into the Mountains.

• Li Long visited the Pastoral Team, selected an elderly woman’s dilapidated home for repairs, and arranged for the school to receive books suited to its students.
• Li Long bought additional books at his own expense, coordinated the cooperative’s visit, and recruited Li Junfeng and other young men to help with the repairs.
• Li Long taught Gu Xiaoxia to drive the Volga; after she hit a pothole and mistook the accelerator for the brake, he reassured her and ended the lesson.
• Li Long brought Li Junfeng and the others to repair the old woman’s home while Li Xiangqian and the cooperative staff held a book donation ceremony at the school.
• Ma Xiaoyan asked Li Long to take her on his next trip into the Mountains so she could cover the road-building project through its completion.

Li Long and the cooperative staff repaired the Old Lady’s house, began digging a hand-pump well, and delivered flour to the Pastoral Team. After helping Gu Xiaoxia practice driving, Li Long returned to his Purchasing Station when Director Wei arrived to buy a car, and Director Wei asked to test-drive a nearly new Lada.

• Li Long, Li Xiangqian, Ma Xiaoyan, and the cooperative staff helped repair the Old Lady’s roof and courtyard while Adili provided a meal.
• Li Xiangqian offered money for the sheep, but Adili refused, so Li Xiangqian arranged to bring flour for each Pastoral Team household staying behind.
• Li Long and the workers finished the repairs and dug the well opening, then Li Long collected the newly made pump head and prepared to return the next day.
• Li Long took Gu Xiaoxia to a threshing ground, where she practiced starting, driving, and braking while he kept her from shifting up.
• Li Long returned to the Old Lady’s house the next morning as the well workers reached wet ground, then left after Zhou Yuan told him Director Wei was waiting at the Purchasing Station.
• Director Wei chose Li Long’s nearly new Lada, accepted a price of forty thousand yuan, and asked to try it.

Li Long sold Director Wei a new car, oversaw the completion of a well at the Old Lady’s courtyard, and prepared supplies for the mountain road crew. He took Ma Xiaoyan to visit the workers, where he saw Meng Hai directing repairs on the road farther into the mountains.

• Director Wei inspected Li Long’s car, confirmed its paperwork, and bought it for forty thousand yuan.
• Li Junfeng and the workers finished the Old Lady’s well, and Li Long saw how pleased she and her neighbors were to have a hand pump.
• Factory Director Du told Li Long that the Farm Machinery Factory had received many orders for spraying machines, and Li Long helped Xie Yundong buy one.
• Li Long bought food and work gloves for Meng Hai’s crew, arranged to take Ma Xiaoyan into the mountains, and practiced driving with Gu Xiaoxia.
• Li Long drove Ma Xiaoyan to the roadwork site, where she photographed the crew and he saw Meng Hai directing workers as they extended and repaired the road.

Li Long visited Meng Hai’s mountain roadwork camp, inspected a boulder that needed blasting, and agreed to bring explosives the next day. Ma Xiaoyan helped cook for the workers and impressed them with her meal before Li Long returned to the county seat.

• Meng Hai told Li Long that a huge solid boulder blocked the road, and Li Long agreed to bring explosives after they discussed how to blast it.
• Li Long learned that the workers had killed three wolves and examined their damaged pelts, agreeing to exchange them for more cooked lamb offal.
• Ma Xiaoyan helped stir-fry wild vegetables with lamb offal, and the workers enjoyed the meal.
• Meng Hai reported the camp’s spending to Li Long, who told him to continue managing the work and left the camp.
• Li Long drove Ma Xiaoyan back to the County Party Committee, where she asked to interview him about his plans for mechanized farming and cotton growing.

Li Long helped Gu Xiaoxia improve her driving before heading into the mountains to hunt. He tracked a bear, discovered it had been killed by an unknown predator, and returned to the worksite carrying the remains.

• Li Long coached Gu Xiaoxia through repeated driving practice until she started and drove the vehicle smoothly without looking at the gearshift.
• Li Long took explosives and his gun to Meng Hai's worksite, where Meng Hai told him a bear had visited during the night and fled into the mountains.
• Li Long followed the bear's tracks across the mountains and found its carcass in a ravine, mauled by an unknown animal.
• Li Long searched for the attacker but lost its trail, then skinned and collected the bear's hide, head, paws, and remaining meat.
• Li Long returned to the worksite with the bear's remains, and Meng Hai asked what he had shot.

Li Long brought bear meat back from the mountains, divided it among his family, and shared the cooked meat with relatives and colleagues. As Liu Gaolou arrived with vehicles and goods for a new trade, Li Long told Wu Yongbo that Gu Boyuan planned to investigate opening a purchasing station in Ili, leaving Wu Yongbo visibly displeased.

• Li Long warned Meng Hai and Harimu that a powerful animal, possibly a tiger, had killed the bear he found, and he took most of the bear meat home.
• Li Long gave bear meat and paws to his mother, Du Chunfang, and kept the rest for his household; Gu Xiaoxia later checked him for injuries after his mountain trip.
• Li Long cooked the bear's head and paws, shared the meat with his family and the Purchasing Station, and discussed Gu Boyuan's plan to investigate opening a station in Ili.
• Liu Gaolou arrived with four GAZ vehicles, hides, antelope horns, and a white-sugar deal, while Wu Yongbo brought five hundred hides to sell.
• Li Long told Wu Yongbo that Gu Boyuan planned to investigate opening a purchasing station in Ili, and Wu Yongbo reacted with displeasure.

Li Long persuaded Wu Yongbo that opening a purchasing station in Ili required substantial capital, but Wu Yongbo decided to open his own station in Qingshui rather than cooperate. Gu Boyuan then left for Ili in a Volga with Liu Gaolou’s convoy, while Li Long returned to the purchasing station and intervened when a customer challenged Li Qingxia’s grading.

• Li Long explained the costs and risks of opening a purchasing station, and Wu Yongbo chose to open one in Qingshui instead of joining Gu Boyuan’s venture.
• Wu Yongbo sold five hundred hides to Li Long, who found nearly two hundred were full hides and earned more than ten thousand yuan in profit.
• Li Long arranged for Gu Boyuan to take the Volga to Ili, where Liu Gaolou’s convoy would help him inspect the area and establish a purchasing station.
• Li Long collected white sugar from the Sugar Factory after the factory director approved the usual arrangement, then watched Gu Boyuan and the convoy depart.
• Li Long sorted hides at the purchasing station while Li Qingxia handled customers, then stepped forward when a man aggressively disputed the price of a hide.

The spring flood tested the new floodgates and Reed Gully Bridge, while Gu Boyuan surveyed Ili’s wildlife market and secured a promising source of pelts. Back at Li Long’s purchasing station, Li Long confronted a seller who tried to demand a higher price, leaving the dispute settled in the shop’s favor.

• Xu Chengjun and the militia opened Li Jianguo’s floodgates, safely draining Little Haizi as floodwater passed beneath the reinforced Reed Gully Bridge.
• Gu Boyuan visited Geming Bek’s family and learned that township militia hunts could supply pelts, so he arranged to buy from their township and seek contacts elsewhere.
• Bek took Gu Boyuan to a black market, where Gu Boyuan bought a red deer pelt, antlers, and other pelts after learning that sellers moved twenty or thirty pelts there daily.
• Li Qingxia refused to pay a full-hide price for a damaged pelt, and the seller tried to turn other customers against the purchasing station.
• Li Long confronted the seller and ordered him to leave, while the onlookers sided against the troublemaker.

Li Long arranged to find courtyards in Ma County for Harimu and Jade Mountain River so their children could attend Chinese-language schools. After viewing two properties with them, both men approved of the homes and their nearby schools.

• Li Long received a call from Gu Boyuan, who had visited the locations and was searching for a suitable Purchasing Station site.
• Zhao Hui bought Li Long's seven thousand-odd hides for just under 1.3 million yuan, and Li Long gave bonuses to Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng.
• Li Long offered Li Qingxia a twenty-percent partnership share, but Li Qingxia accepted ten percent and asked for a GAZ-69 to drive home.
• Li Long visited the housing administration and found two courtyards near County No. 2 Primary School and County No. 2 High School.
• Li Long drove Harimu and Jade Mountain River to view the courtyards, and both men approved of the homes and their nearby schools.

Li Long transferred two courtyards to Harimu and Jade Mountain River, arranged furniture and wooden kangs, and helped Gu Xiaoxia practice driving while their family shared a playful evening. He decided to expand Old Ma's Place's donkey herd and went to hire workers to clean Jade Mountain River's courtyard and plant vegetables.

• Li Long transferred the two courtyards into Harimu and Jade Mountain River's names, discussed their renovation plans, and ordered furniture and wooden kangs from Director He Changming and Qi Xinzhi.
• Li Long took Harimu and Jade Mountain River back to the mountains, then practiced driving with Gu Xiaoxia and encouraged her to take on more cooking at home.
• Li Long returned home with Gu Xiaoxia and joked with Mingming and Haohao about their date and their mother's cooking.
• At Old Ma's Place, Li Long learned Uncle Lao Luo had bought donkeys from Old Zhao and decided to acquire more donkeys and save extra sugar residue for winter feed.
• After failing to find his eldest brother at home, Li Long hired workers at the Day Labor Market, including people who knew how to grow vegetables, to work on the courtyards.

Li Long organized the cleanup and planting of vegetables at Jade Mountain River’s courtyard, while Factory Director He bought a GAZ vehicle and Gu Boyuan returned from Ili with news about trade and plans for a new Purchasing Station. The chapter left Li Long preparing funds and advertising for Gu Boyuan’s business and insisting that he hire more workers, including veterans, for safety.

• Li Long assigned workers to clear Jade Mountain River’s courtyard, prepared vegetable beds, and arranged for the house to be whitewashed and fitted with wooden kangs.
• Li Qingxia told Li Long that Factory Director He had chosen a GAZ vehicle, and He signed the contract and drove it away after a test drive.
• Gu Boyuan returned from Ili with four vehicles and five hundred pairs of antelope horns, while Liu Gaolou paid for the white sugar and discussed future shipments.
• Li Long asked Liu Gaolou to find two high-horsepower wheeled tractors with farm implements and said he preferred to pay in yuan.
• Gu Boyuan told Li Long about Ili’s supplies of hides and medicinal herbs and described his plan to open a Purchasing Station in Yining.
• Li Long agreed to provide Gu Boyuan with five hundred thousand yuan and advised him to advertise in three languages and hire extra workers, including veterans.

Gu Boyuan prepared to leave for Ili to establish his purchasing station, while Li Long learned that a contact there could help if serious obstacles arose. As Gu Boyuan set off with renewed confidence, Li Long considered buying powerful tractors and training Li Junfeng to operate one.

• Gu Boyuan finalized his departure plans, and Li Long agreed to transfer five hundred thousand yuan to fund the Ili station.
• Gu Boyuan visited Li Jianguo in the Fourth Team, watched the cotton planting, and declined a farewell drink so he could spend time with Mingming and Haohao.
• Li Long told Gu Boyuan that Zhang Haiyang had offered a discreet connection to a leader in Ili if the station faced serious trouble, and the two agreed to avoid using it unless absolutely necessary.
• Li Long transferred five hundred thousand yuan to Gu Boyuan and withdrew another five hundred thousand to prepare for the possible purchase of high-powered tractors.
• Meng Hai returned from the roadwork with eggs and fish, reported that the work had gone smoothly, and said he would use his tractor to plant local fields.
• Li Long considered putting Li Junfeng in charge of one of the high-powered tractors because Junfeng had become steady and capable at managing the young workers.