Recaps

Tian Junjie learned to catch crabs at Little Haizi and shared the discovery with his family and fellow anglers. In Kui City, Li Long received Liu Shanmin’s convoy, learned the true value of the imported cotton machinery, and arranged to repay Liu Shanmin while seeking technical experts.

• Tian Junjie followed Miao Xiu'e’s advice to use chicken liver as bait and caught five crabs at Little Haizi, then brought them home to his family.
• Tian Junjie’s crab catch drew attention from both families and other anglers, increasing the number of people fishing at Little Haizi.
• Li Long persuaded Factory Director Du to consider reproducing the imported cotton picker and cotton-cleaning equipment, and they discussed the need for local expertise.
• Li Long realized Liu Shanmin had sold him machinery worth far more than the supplies exchanged, so he offered fifty tons of sugar and one hundred tons of canned food as additional payment.
• Li Long asked Liu Shanmin to find experts in cotton-picking and cleaning machinery, while Ajinbek met Factory Director Du and eagerly asked to see the factory’s Party activity room.

Li Qiang took Mingming, Haohao, and Hongqin to Little Haizi to catch crabs for Li Juan, but two crab catchers bullied them and stole their catch until Yang Laoliu intervened and the Fourth Team drove the outsiders away. After hearing what happened, Li Long decided the family would no longer let anglers fish at Little Haizi.

• Li Qiang brought his younger siblings to Little Haizi to catch crabs for Li Juan, and they caught several near the floodgate.
• Two crab catchers demanded the children's spot, shoved Li Qiang and Mingming, and snatched their bag of crabs.
• Yang Laoliu whipped the attackers and urged Li Qiang to take the children to the western settlement for help.
• Xu Haijun and Xu Chengjun gathered the Fourth Team's men, stopped the crab catchers, and had them taken to the police station; the team also drove the anglers away.
• Li Anguo took Ajinbek to Oil City, where Ajinbek was approved to join organizational activities as a Special Party Member and then criticized Li Anguo's refinery plans.
• Li Long returned five hundred and fifty thousand US dollars to Liu Shanmin, then heard from Gu Xiaoxia about the incident and decided to stop allowing anglers at Little Haizi.

Li Long dealt with the aftermath of the fight at Little Haizi, supported the children and villagers, and helped pastoralists undergo medical examinations. He also discussed refinery expansion and a potential agricultural-machinery expert with Liu Shanmin, rejecting the first candidate’s demands and asking about the candidate’s student.

• Li Long visited Xu Chengjun, who defended his decision to protect Team 4’s children and agreed to put up signs charging outsiders a hundred yuan per person to fish at Little Haizi.
• Li Long thanked Xu Haijun and the others for helping during the fight, distributed gifts and mutton, and explained that the cotton picker could not yet be used with the team’s existing fields and equipment.
• Li Anguo told Li Long that Ajinbek had improved the refinery’s safety and operations, and said he planned to quit his other job and focus on the refinery.
• Li Long asked Liu Shanmin to arrange better refining equipment and a steady supply of crude oil, then saw him off without accepting payment for the gifts.
• Li Long arranged medical examinations for pastoralists from the mountains; the results revealed suspected hydatid disease, possible tuberculosis, and some heart problems, prompting further tests and treatment.
• Liu Shanmin offered Li Long an agricultural-machinery expert who demanded a high salary and unsuitable conditions; Li Long refused him and asked about his student, whose character Liu Shanmin described as much better.

Li Long arranged for Daman and Kolpova to work at Kui City Machinery Factory, sold a cotton picker and related equipment to Corps officials, and sold two tonnes of antelope horns to Jia Tianlong. The chapter ended with Daman and Kolpova arriving at the factory and Liu Gaolou bringing Li Long another large shipment, including crude oil and vehicles.

• Li Long and Liu Shanmin agreed on Daman and Kolpova’s pay and arrangements, and Factory Director Du welcomed their recruitment while hoping Daman could help develop a cotton picker.
• Li Long offered a Deere cotton picker and cotton-cleaning equipment to Cao Wenlong and his colleagues, who inspected the machinery and later bought it for 450,000 yuan.
• Jia Tianlong urgently bought two tonnes of antelope horns from Li Long for 1.2 million yuan.
• Daman and Kolpova arrived at Kui City Machinery Factory, where Factory Director Du and the staff welcomed them and Daman spoke about his probationary period.
• Liu Gaolou brought Li Long eight cars, four thousand hides, three thousand pairs of antelope horns, and one hundred tons of crude oil, while reporting that larger oil-refining equipment would arrive later.

Li Long handled business at the Border Crossing and the machinery factory while Li Qiang arranged to catch and sell crabs from Little Haizi. The chapter ended with Li Qiang agreeing to deliver crabs the next morning and refusing to take the younger children along at night.

• Kolpova kissed Li Long on the cheek at farewell, and Factory Director Du later told him she had been disappointed to learn he was married with children.
• Liu Gaolou told Li Long that traders were stockpiling everyday goods and industrial materials ahead of expected trade changes with Kazakhstan.
• Li Long arranged unloading at Ma County and learned from Factory Director Du that Daman was working with the Technical Department and had strong knowledge of agricultural machinery.
• Tian Junjie visited the Li family to buy crabs, and Li Qiang offered to catch them from Little Haizi.
• Li Qiang negotiated prices of five yuan for large crabs and three yuan for small ones, required a minimum order of thirty and a deposit, and agreed to deliver them the next morning.
• Li Qiang told Haohao he could not come crab-catching at night, while Mingming praised Li Qiang's business skills.

Li Juan and Li Qiang turned crab catching and selling into their first real-world business experience, earning money and learning to manage orders. After the crab business expanded, the story shifted to Li Long preparing the cooperative’s canal renovation with Zhao Shijie, leaving construction underway ahead of future drip-irrigation work.

• Li Juan and Li Qiang walked to Little Haizi at night, caught two buckets of crabs, and saved a soft-shelled crab for Haohao.
• Tian Junjie bought thirty crabs and then returned for more, but Li Juan and Li Qiang had cooked the remaining catch; Li Long later put them in charge of selling crabs, and they arranged a new order.
• Li Juan and Li Qiang received seven more crab orders over August and earned over a thousand yuan; Li Qiang offered to pay his own living expenses, while Li Juan bought gifts for the family and saved the rest.
• Two cooperative leaders asked Li Long how to apply for an Autonomous Region project, and he explained his experience and the need to seek connections.
• Li Long picked up Zhao Shijie, brought him to inspect the Dry Canal site, and the workers began clearing the canal and laying concrete slabs for the renovation.

Li Long visited Harimu’s pastoralist group with Zhao Shijie, then pursued and captured Wei Shuanghua, a poacher who had shot at him and confessed to killing three people. The Forestry Police confirmed the case, while Li Long kept quiet about seeing the one-eared tiger escape with a fawn.

• Li Long brought Zhao Shijie to visit Harimu and the hay cutters, where they shared food and Zhao Shijie rode a horse.
• Li Long found someone had defiled the gate of his Hot Spring Villa, pursued the culprit, and discovered a hidden cave stocked with hides, fritillaria, and guns.
• Li Long caught Wei Shuanghua trying to shoot a tiger, wounded him in a gunfight, and forced him to confess to killing three people.
• Li Long took Wei Shuanghua to the Forestry Police Station, where Xiao Wang recorded the confession and Station Chief Liang arranged an investigation.
• Station Chief Liang later told Li Long that officers had found one body and that Wei Shuanghua had confessed, while the investigation continued.

After completing a major shipment and learning that Ajinbek had left Li Anguo’s refinery for the Petroleum Administration Bureau, Li Long resumed his local work and received praise from Secretary Zhang for his projects and community contributions. Secretary Zhang summoned him to Yanjing to discuss something in person, and Li Long arrived there still wondering what she had in mind.

• Zhao Shijie finished supervising the Dry Canal restoration project and returned home, while Station Chief Liang told Li Long that Wei Shuanghua had confessed to killing four people and that the case was awaiting trial.
• Li Anguo received new refining equipment and crude oil, oversaw its installation and trial run under Ajinbek’s guidance, then learned Ajinbek had been appointed technical adviser to the municipal Petroleum Administration Bureau.
• Li Long arranged the Supply and Marketing Cooperative’s order for forty thousand brooms and set prices with Wang Mingjun and Zhao Zongming, while He Yuqing’s village could not take part because its workers were busy.
• Secretary Zhang praised Li Long’s agricultural projects, businesses, and community contributions, then asked him to visit Yanjing for a private discussion.
• Li Long booked a flight, informed his family and associates, and arrived in Yanjing the following day still wondering what Secretary Zhang wanted to discuss.

Li Long visited Yanjing, met with the elder and Secretary Zhang, and received a calligraphy scroll bearing the words “Young and accomplished.” After visiting Li Juan and Gu Xiaoyu and preparing to return to Northern Xinjiang, he left with gifts from Director Dai and a renewed sense of the honor and responsibility placed on him.

• Director Dai arranged for Xiao Wang to pick Li Long up and take him to his courtyard, where Li Long spent the night before meeting Secretary Zhang.
• Secretary Zhang brought Li Long to speak with the elder, whose failing health left Li Long saddened after their conversation.
• Secretary Zhang gave Li Long a scroll inscribed “To my young friend Li Long” and “Young and accomplished,” then discussed Li Long’s record and his views on the Soviet Union and the Kazakh Union Country.
• Li Long visited Gu Xiaoyu and Li Juan, told them why he had come to Yanjing, and spent time with them before preparing to leave.
• Li Long bought jade and local specialties, and Director Dai gave him a box of regional gifts before Xiao Wang took him to depart for Northern Xinjiang.

Li Long returned from Yanjing, delivered big brooms and crabs to the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, and warned Director Qian and Li Xiangqian against hunting the tiger. He discovered that Li Qiang was spending his meal money on stamps and helped him uncover a scheme to withhold scarce issues, leaving Li Qiang eating properly and collecting stamps more cautiously.

• Li Long hung Secretary Zhang’s calligraphy scroll in the living room, gave Li Qingxia shoes, and shared gifts with his family.
• Li Long told Li Xiangqian that the tiger was dangerous and protected by law, then arranged to deliver big brooms and crabs to Director Qian.
• Li Long inspected the big brooms from Wang Mingjun and Zhao Zongming as Li Jianguo and other relatives caught crabs for the directors.
• Li Long noticed Li Qiang was thin and eating instant noodles, learned he and Chang Guifeng were collecting stamps, and suspected their Philatelic Association contact was withholding scarce issues.
• Li Long checked the Post and Telecommunications Office records, ensured Li Qiang and Chang Guifeng would collect their own stamps, and asked Li Xiangqian to help address the agent’s misconduct.
• Li Qiang and Chang Guifeng got their withheld stamps back and apologized to the agent, while Li Qiang agreed to eat properly and collect only stamps he liked.

Li Long hosted his relatives for the Mid-Autumn Festival, where Chen Xingbang’s envy of the family’s success caused friction and Li Anguo’s oil refinery practices raised concerns. After Li Long warned his second brother about the injured workers and factory safety, Li Anguo visited them, restored their jobs, and tightened safety measures.

• Li Long took Li Qiang and others to Little Haizi to catch crabs, then returned to find Li Xia and Li Anguo’s families at the courtyard for the festival.
• Chen Xingbang voiced resentment about Li Anguo’s prosperity and his own lack of opportunity, while Li Long said he would help if Chen Xingbang was willing to commit to a change.
• Li Anguo revealed that two refinery workers had been burned and dismissed them after paying a small amount, so Li Long, Li Qingxia, and Li Jianguo urged him to honor their contracts and follow Ajinbek’s safety rules.
• Li Anguo agreed to give the injured workers lighter jobs and promised to inspect the refinery’s safety measures after Li Long warned that negligence could bring legal and reputational consequences.
• Li Anguo visited both workers, assured them they could return to work, and then found and corrected several more fire hazards at the refinery.

Li Long hosted Director Qian and Director Ku at Hot Spring Villa before leaving to visit Harimu, where he encouraged him to expand his herds. After finding codonopsis and a jade stone in the mountains, Li Long learned Director Ku had offered 200,000 for his jade doll; he refused and turned his attention to the cotton harvest and possible drip-irrigated farming.

• Li Long delivered the big brooms and agreed to take Director Qian and Director Ku to Hot Spring Villa, where Director Ku showed particular interest in Li Long and his jade.
• Li Long set up supplies at Hot Spring Villa, then left Director Qian, Director Ku, and Li Xiangqian there while he drove to Summer Pasture to visit Harimu.
• Li Long urged Harimu to buy more cattle and sheep from herders who could no longer manage their livestock, and Alimu shot at wolves prowling near the pasture.
• Li Long dug up four codonopsis roots, found a jade stone near the road, and returned to Hot Spring Villa after Director Qian and the others had left.
• Li Xiangqian told Li Long that Director Ku had offered 200,000 for the jade doll, and Li Long refused to sell it.
• Xie Yundong told Li Long that cotton prices and yields had risen, prompting Li Long to consider leveling land for drip-irrigated farming after the harvest.

Li Long explained why other cooperatives could not immediately copy his drip-irrigated cotton project and advised his cooperative to prepare before expanding. As cotton profits drew more villagers toward the crop, land leveling began and interest in applying for drip-irrigation support grew.

• Xie Yundong let households take the cotton bolls left in the cooperative's fields, while Li Long ignored gossip about cotton profits spreading through the team.
• Huang Xinping and Wang the Miser asked Li Long about drip-irrigated cotton, and he explained the project's costs and preparations before offering Wang land-leveling work.
• Li Long told his cooperative to focus on mastering drip irrigation rather than expanding cotton acreage, as more villagers asked about growing cotton and members anticipated large dividends.
• Li Long sorted expired food from his mother Du Chunfang's cupboard and learned that his brother Li Jianguo was busy plowing for several brigades.
• Li Long arranged for local tractor owners to help level the cooperative's land, then saw farmers buying agricultural supplies in anticipation of planting cotton.
• On October 25, Zhao Shijie began the land-leveling work, and villagers gathered to ask about applying for drip-irrigation support.

Li Long oversaw the leveling of the Cooperative’s fields, saw its members receive substantial dividends, and reported news that Kazakh tribespeople were leaving for the newly established Kazakhstan. After Jade Mountain River learned that two young men and their families had emigrated, he came to Li Long in anger.

• Li Long explained that the newly leveled fields needed further irrigation to wash alkali from the exposed soil, while Zhao Shijie supervised the work and discussed drip irrigation with villagers.
• The tractors finished leveling more than a thousand mu after seven days, and Zhao Shijie paid the drivers and gave Cooperative members allowances before Li Long hosted a farewell meal where Zhao drank himself unconscious.
• Zhao Shijie returned to Wu City, and the Cooperative distributed dividends, with Li Long and Li Jianguo each receiving 120,000 yuan while four other households received nearly 35,000 yuan apiece.
• Li Long helped Harimu finance the acquisition of livestock and pasture from three households planning to move to Kazakhstan, then reported the emigration plans to officials including Chen Dajun.
• Jade Mountain River told Li Long that two young men under him had quit and emigrated with their families, and Li Long urged him to accept that they had chosen to leave.

As trade with Kazakhstan opened up, Li Long exchanged supplies with Liu Shanmin and advised local traders on cross-border business. Back in Team 4, he learned gambling had ruined Zhou Yongshun’s family and urged Xie Yundong to report future gambling traps, then spent time with his family.

• Liu Shanmin arrived with a convoy of cars, hides, antelope horns, and antiques, and Li Long traded them for canned food and sugar.
• Li Long told Fan Mingcheng and other traders that Kazakhstan needed food, clothing, and household goods and explained how they could cross the border to sell them.
• Li Long learned Zhou Yongshun had lost his savings and borrowed money gambling, then confirmed that Xie Yundong and the Cooperative members had avoided the card-game trap.
• Li Long urged Xie Yundong to call the police if the gamblers returned and later overheard Zhou Yongshun’s mother asking his sister-in-law to lend money.
• Li Long visited his mother and shared roasted potatoes with Mingming and Haohao as Du Chunfang continued telling them a story.

Li Long heard Fan Mingcheng describe his profitable cross-border trade and agreed to help Gu Boyuan expand their business with a fleet and recruit Kazakhstani scientists. After returning to Team 4 for the New Year, Li Long joined his sons and Tao Daqiang to break the ice before a planned winter fishing trip.

• Li Juan returned from Renmin University, brought gifts for Li Qingxia and Li Long, and drew admiration from people at the Purchasing Station.
• Fan Mingcheng returned from three profitable trips across the Border Crossing, explained how shifting demand shaped his trade, and recruited three partners.
• Gu Boyuan proposed expanding into transit trade with a fleet of trucks, while Liu Gaolou told Li Long about Kazakhstani scientists seeking work; Li Long agreed to gather details and consult Chen Dajun.
• Harimu thanked Li Long for supplying sugar residue, described his plans for managing the lambs and livestock, and moved his family back to the Big Courtyard.
• Li Long returned to Team 4 for the New Year, agreed to take Mingming and Haohao to break the ice, and set off with Tao Daqiang and the others.

Li Long spent the winter fishing with his family and friends, handled requests to join his Cooperative, and advanced plans for cotton machinery and drip-irrigated farming. As spring planting began, he warned villagers about costs and learned that a pastoralist family who had moved to Kazakhstan was struggling, while Gu Xiaoxia worried about their children leaving China.

• Li Long and Tao Daqiang broke holes in Little Haizi’s ice, caught small fish, and discussed Tao Dayong’s request to join the Cooperative; Li Long said they would not accept new members next year.
• Li Long took his family and Gu Boyuan’s group back to the fishing holes the next morning, where they caught larger fish and left other would-be fishers empty-handed.
• Factory Director Du told Li Long that cotton-cleaning equipment might be developed soon but the cotton picker would take longer, and Li Long approved collaboration with the Corps.
• Li Long kept the Cooperative closed to new members while villagers asked about cotton planting, then cautioned Xie Yundong to control costs as more land was devoted to cotton.
• Li Long learned that one pastoralist family in Kazakhstan had lost its factory jobs and could not easily return to China; Jade Mountain River decided not to intervene.
• Gu Xiaoxia told Li Long that Gu Xiaoyu had lost contact with a boyfriend sent abroad, and the couple agreed they wanted Mingming and Haohao to remain in China.

Li Long completed the cooperative’s drip-irrigation system, passed Zhao Shijie’s inspection, and personally taught the villagers to sow cotton and connect the tape. By mid-April, planting was finished and spring rain fell over the fields as the seeds began to sprout.

• Zhao Shijie supervised the pipe and pump installation, tested the system with water from Little Haizi, and approved the work after checking the filter pools and main pipes.
• Li Long reflected on why the villagers were willing to adopt new farming methods, while the trial flow caught debris and fish in the filter screens.
• Li Anguo reported that Ajinbek praised his refinery safety measures and planned to visit regularly, while Liu Gaolou later arrived with copper and aluminum and left with sugar and canned food.
• Li Long began sowing the cooperative’s cotton with drip irrigation on April 9 and trained the villagers to operate the modified seeders and lay the tape.
• After the planting was completed, Li Long showed the workers how to connect the drip tape to the branch pipes, and they finished the work before spring rain arrived.

Li Long and the Cooperative prepared for and hosted a county on-site meeting showcasing their cooperative model and drip-irrigated cotton farming. The meeting drew officials and farmers from across the county, and the chapter ended with the Cooperative’s members waiting to see the evening news report.

• Li Long explained drip-irrigation techniques to Cooperative members as their cotton seedlings grew and the first watering and fertilizing went smoothly.
• A township deputy asked Li Long to help organize an on-site meeting, and Li Long assigned Xie Yundong to present the Cooperative while he explained drip irrigation.
• Li Long reassured members of the other village cooperatives that sharing their model would not threaten their earnings, and he said wider adoption would take attention off their Cooperative.
• The township prepared scripts, signs, and a display tractor, while Li Long and Xie Yundong worked with officials to finalize their presentations.
• More than a hundred attendees came to the meeting, where Xie Yundong introduced the Cooperative and Li Long demonstrated drip irrigation in the cotton fields.
• Li Long patiently answered questions as attendees examined the fields and fish at the filter pool, then the Cooperative members watched for the evening television report.

Villagers and visitors reacted to the Cooperative’s televised drip-irrigation fields, while Li Long encouraged his sister Li Xia to expand her livestock business and managed several trade deals. After Li Anguo narrowly avoided a suspected roadside robbery, he took Li Long’s warning seriously and decided to move his family from Kui City to Oil City.

• Villagers argued over who had appeared on television as visitors came to inspect the Cooperative’s drip-irrigated cotton fields, which had reduced members’ need to hire labor.
• Li Long found Li Xia delivering meat with Chen Xingbang and encouraged her to hire workers and expand her pig and sheep business; she agreed to try.
• Liu Gaolou warned Li Long that demand for canned pork might decline, and Li Long adjusted their shipments while continuing trades in sugar, metals, herbs, and antelope horns.
• Li Anguo visited the family for the Dragon Boat Festival, then spotted two suspicious men on the road and accelerated away when he feared they meant to rob him.
• Li Anguo called Li Long, who warned him about attacks on drivers and advised moving his household registration to Oil City; Li Anguo discussed the move with Chen Lirong and began making inquiries.

Li Long’s warning to Factory Director Du prompted a police crackdown after an attempted robbery, while Li Anguo decided to move his family to Oil City. Later, Li Long bought jade materials and was attacked by knife sellers at the railway station, where he fought back and escaped with his purchases intact.

• Li Long cleaned and stored his rifle, then called Factory Director Du to warn him about robberies near Kui City.
• Factory Director Du alerted the Public Security Bureau, which launched checks that found wandering criminals and frightened two local would-be robbers into leaving the city.
• Li Anguo told Li Long that his family planned to move to Oil City, and Li Long advised him to arrange the children’s school transfers and keep his courtyard home.
• Li Long agreed to host Director Qian’s guest at Hot Spring Villa, then visited Engineer Liu and promised to supply him with carving material after retirement.
• Li Long bought jade material and bracelets from Yusufu, then saw knife sellers trying to extort a traveler at the railway station.
• When a knife seller shoved him, Li Long knocked him into his accomplices, overturned their stall, and escaped to his car with his jade purchases undamaged.

Li Long drove Wang Shengli and his family to the Hot Spring Villa, where Zhou Yuan’s claims about Li Long’s businesses and connections changed the guests’ attitude toward him. After leaving them to explore, Li Long visited Harimu at the Summer Pasture, gathered mushrooms, and bought animal skins and antlers from a herder who planned to move to Kazakhstan.

• Li Long drew a knife-wielding knife seller away from Yusufu’s stall and beat him in an alley, then drove back to the county seat.
• Li Xiangqian told Li Long that Wang Shengli and his family had arrived, and Li Long agreed to take them into the mountains while keeping his distance from the arrogant guest.
• When Wang Shengli’s son interfered with Li Long’s driving, Zhou Yuan described Li Long’s businesses and powerful connections, prompting Ms. Liu and Wang Shengli to treat him with deference.
• Li Long brought the family and officials to the Hot Spring Villa, then left them with Li Xiangqian to soak in the hot springs and gather mushrooms.
• Li Long visited Harimu and Gulimiter at the Summer Pasture, gathered mushrooms, and bought a herder’s antlers and pelts for a thousand yuan.
• Back at the villa, Li Long identified the guests’ mushrooms and shared some of his own with Ms. Liu.

Li Long faced a coercive investment demand from Qi Zhengyang, prepared for a retaliatory inspection, and used his connections and calligraphy to help end the threat. After the Purchasing Station’s reputation grew, Qi Zhengyang’s former companion returned and asked Li Long to hear her own partnership proposal.

• Li Long declined Qi Zhengyang’s offer to invest three million yuan and rejected his threats to make trouble for the Purchasing Station.
• Li Long checked his business records, contacted Chen Dajun and Li Xiangqian, and organized his staff and paperwork in preparation for possible inspections.
• A regional Joint Inspection Team examined the Purchasing Station on June 29, recognized the name on Li Long’s calligraphy, and left without finding a reason to act against him.
• Director Qian and Chen Dajun told Li Long that Qi Zhengyang and his father would no longer be able to cause him trouble, and the Purchasing Station’s business and reputation grew.
• On July 6, Qi Zhengyang’s short-haired companion returned to propose a partnership, and Li Long reluctantly agreed to hear her out.

Li Long refused a proposed business partnership with the short-haired girl but accepted her as a car broker, then advised a large-scale farmer about cotton and drip irrigation. After the girl brought him a buyer for a Mercedes-Benz, Li Long returned to the village as wheat harvest approached.

• The short-haired girl proposed partnering with Li Long to sell cars and access suppliers, but he rejected the partnership and offered to pay her referral fees instead.
• Li Long inspected the Cooperative’s cotton, helped unload new stalk-beating and film-removal machines, and explained their use to the members.
• Lü Dawen, a farmer leasing two thousand mu, asked Li Long about cotton and drip irrigation; Li Long warned that buying irrigation tape at market prices would make the investment unprofitable.
• The short-haired girl brought a young customer to Li Long, who sold him a Mercedes-Benz for 450,000 yuan and paid her 50,000 yuan in commission.
• As wheat harvest approached, Li Long suggested that Li Jianguo try buying two combines, but Li Jianguo chose to wait until the High-Horsepower Tractor had paid for itself.

As the cooperative’s cotton crop promised a record harvest, Li Long sought enough pickers by negotiating with County No. 1 Middle School to send students to work there. After preparing better pay, transport, meals, accommodation, and medical care—and enlisting support from county and education officials—the school approved the plan and agreed to send about 240 senior students.

• Li Long discussed the shortage of cotton pickers with the cooperative’s members and proposed recruiting students from County No. 1 Middle School.
• Gu Xiaoxia gathered information about the school’s existing arrangement with the Corps, helping Li Long prepare a more generous offer.
• Li Long presented his proposal to the school’s principal and academic affairs director, who requested a written plan and said the decision needed a meeting.
• Li Long contacted county and education officials for support, while Li Xiangqian assured him that the proposal would succeed.
• The academic affairs director told Li Long the school had approved the agreement and would send about 240 final-year senior high students to pick cotton.