Chapter Summaries

Reborn in 1981, Li Long returned to his brother Li Jianguo’s household and resolved to protect his family and stop taking advantage of their sacrifices. When Gu Ermao asked to borrow money, Li Long prepared to refuse rather than repeat his past mistake.

• Li Long knocked down the dangerous icicles to prevent his niece Li Juan from being injured as she had been in his previous life.
• Li Long reflected on his dismissal from the food factory and his brother Li Jianguo’s sacrifices, then resolved to keep the family from suffering because of him.
• Li Long overheard Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei worrying that the household lacked enough coal and firewood to heat his room through winter.
• Gu Ermao visited Li Long and asked to borrow money for gifts to bring to a potential bride.
• Li Long remembered that Gu Ermao had never repaid his previous loan and decided not to lend him money again.

Li Long refused to lend Gu Ermao money, then offered his sister-in-law ten yuan for coal and resolved to stop relying on his brother’s family. He entertained his nephew and niece with edible rice paper, and Li Qiang asked him for meat.

• Li Long slapped Gu Ermao’s hand away when he tried to search his pockets and refused to lend him money.
• Gu Ermao stormed off, deciding to tell Wu Shufen that Li Long had been fired, while Li Long expected her to break up with him.
• Li Long gave Liang Yuemei ten yuan for coal and told Li Jianguo he wanted to take responsibility instead of relying on them.
• Li Qiang visited Li Long, who showed him and Li Juan how rice paper curled and explained that it could be eaten.
• Li Qiang licked the rice paper and told Li Long that it did not taste as good as meat, then asked his uncle for meat.

Li Long reassured Li Juan that she was not to blame for the family’s pig becoming infected, then took Li Juan and Li Qiang outside to catch sparrows for food. The three caught their first sparrow and prepared to keep searching.

• Li Qiang explained that the family had buried its pig because the meat was infected, and Li Long remembered the incident from his previous life.
• Li Long reassured Li Juan that the infection could have come from many sources, easing her guilt.
• Li Long promised to catch fish the next day and offered to catch sparrows that evening for Li Qiang and Li Juan.
• Li Long found sparrows hiding in the grass stacked on the shed and had Li Juan shine the flashlight while he used the scoop net.
• Li Long caught a sparrow, and Li Qiang celebrated.

Li Long took Li Juan and Li Qiang out to catch sparrows, then roasted the birds at home. He gave the first cooked sparrows to the children to take to their parents before sharing the rest.

• Li Long caught four sparrows from his family’s haystack and six from the Gao family’s rooftop haystack, then took the children home when their shoes got wet.
• Liang Yuemei scolded Li Juan and Li Qiang for coming back covered in snow, while Li Long promised to prepare the sparrows for them.
• Li Long stripped and cleaned the ten sparrows, then roasted them on the stove cover with salt and chili powder.
• Li Long told Li Juan to take two cooked sparrows to Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei, explaining to Li Qiang that his parents should eat first because they worked hard.

Li Long felt guilty seeing his nephew and niece still hungry, so he went out at night to hunt Gugu Chickens. He caught five and headed home pleased that the family would have something good to eat.

• Li Long watched Li Qiang and Li Juan finish their sparrows and felt guilty that they were still hungry.
• Li Long left home with a flashlight, scoop net, and urea sack while Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei remarked on his changed behavior.
• Li Long searched the snowy fields and found a roost of more than a dozen Gugu Chickens.
• Li Long caught five Gugu Chickens before the rest of the flock flew away.
• Li Long decided not to chase the remaining birds and headed home, pleased about the next day's meal.

Li Long prepared to serve five Gugu Chickens for lunch, then confronted Wu Shufen when she arrived and asked whether she had come to break up with him because he had been fired. Wu Shufen confirmed the breakup, while Li Long realized she still hoped to get some of his chickens.

• Li Long promised Li Qiang meat for lunch and revealed that he had caught five Gugu Chickens.
• Li Long showed the chickens to Li Jianguo, Li Juan, and Li Qiang, and Wu Shufen arrived while they were looking at them.
• Li Long stopped Li Jianguo from offering Wu Shufen any chickens and asked her whether she had come to end their relationship because he had been fired.
• Wu Shufen confirmed she wanted to break up with Li Long, blaming his dismissal and saying she did not want to be dragged down by him.
• Li Long recognized that Wu Shufen still hoped he would give her a chicken and decided not to let her have one.

Li Long broke up with Wu Shufen and shared the Gugu Chickens he had caught with his family, reflecting on how he would change his life after being reborn. He planned to borrow the team’s horse cart and go into the mountains for wood, but Li Jianguo objected.

• Li Long calmly agreed to break up with Wu Shufen, who left after telling him not to call himself her boyfriend.
• Li Long proposed cooking two Gugu Chickens, sending two to Li Juan’s maternal grandfather, and saving one for later, surprising Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei.
• While eating with his family, Li Long recalled his previous life and resolved to prevent its tragedy and make something of himself.
• Li Long considered searching for a buried coin hoard and hunting valuable game in the mountains once the weather warmed.
• After the family cleaned the chickens, Li Long told Li Jianguo he planned to borrow the team’s horse cart and go into the mountains for wood; Li Jianguo strongly opposed the plan.

Li Long prepared to break through the ice at Little Haizi and catch fish, hoping to secure something useful for borrowing a horse from the Production Team. As he headed out alone through deep snow, Wu Shufen lamented that he had not shared his Gugu Chickens with her.

• Li Long told Li Jianguo that he would handle getting a horse and left to find something else to offer the team leader.
• Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei discussed how Li Long had become more considerate, while Li Jianguo decided he would ask for a horse himself if Li Long failed.
• Wu Shufen told Wang Yuzhen that Li Long had caught five Gugu Chickens but had not offered her any, and she asked for Gugu Chicken to eat.
• Li Long gathered ice-breaking tools, a landing net, and winter gear to go fishing at Little Haizi.
• Li Qiang asked to go with Li Long, but Li Long refused and set out alone through the deep snow.

Li Long and Tao Daqiang went to the little lake to catch fish through the ice, and Li Long chose spots near the reeds where fish were likely to gather. After opening two holes and waiting, Li Long pulled up a net containing large crucian carp.

• Tao Daqiang found Li Long and joined him on his trip to the little lake.
• Li Long and Tao Daqiang spotted rabbit tracks and discussed setting snares for meat.
• Li Long explained why fish gathered near the reeds, and the two men worked together to cut a hole through the ice.
• Tao Daqiang tried scooping fish from the first hole but caught only broken ice, so they cut a second hole while they waited.
• Li Long returned to the first hole, swept his landing net through the water, and pulled up large crucian carp.

Li Long and Tao Daqiang caught more than ten kilograms of fish through the ice and discussed selling their catch in town. They returned to Li Long’s house to warm up, and Li Long planned to go fishing again with Tao Daqiang after lunch.

• Li Long let Tao Daqiang use the scoop net, and they hauled up several catches, including a large perch.
• Li Long explained that the perch could sell for a good price, and Tao Daqiang suggested selling fish in town; Li Long postponed deciding until after his trip to haul timber.
• Tao Daqiang asked to join Li Long on the timber trip, and Li Long agreed to take him along.
• Li Long stopped the fishing when Tao Daqiang’s clothes were soaked, and they carried their catch back to the village.
• Li Jianguo ushered Li Long and Tao Daqiang inside to change and warm up, and Li Long had them soak their feet.
• Li Long invited Tao Daqiang to stay for lunch and go fishing again afterward, and Tao Daqiang agreed.

Li Long, Li Jianguo, and Tao Daqiang returned to Little Haizi after lunch to catch more fish. Their second scoop brought up a strange animal that Li Long identified as a Water Rat, and Li Jianguo killed it before asking what it was.

• Li Long and Tao Daqiang ate a hearty lunch with Li Jianguo's family before planning another fishing trip.
• Li Jianguo joined Li Long and Tao Daqiang, while Liang Yuemei and the children cleaned the fish at home.
• Tao Daqiang broke through the thin ice and began scooping up fish as Li Long started a fire.
• Li Jianguo bagged the fish from the first scoop and eagerly watched Tao Daqiang fish.
• The second scoop brought up a Water Rat, and Li Jianguo killed it with a shovel after Li Long warned him.

Li Long, Li Jianguo, and Tao Daqiang caught a large haul of fish and one valuable water rat, then returned home to eat fish soup. Li Long left with two fish to ask Captain Xu about borrowing a horse cart, but Gu Ermao stopped him and demanded a fish.

• Li Jianguo and Tao Daqiang eagerly searched the ice holes for more water rats, but they caught only fish.
• Li Long explained that water rats would be easier to catch in spring, and the three covered the ice holes with snow before hauling their fish home.
• Tao Daqiang refused to take the water rat, accepted five fish, and went home after drinking fish soup at the Li home.
• Li Long chose two fish to take to Captain Xu and ask about borrowing a horse cart.
• Gu Ermao approached Li Long and asked him to give him a fish.

Li Long rejected Gu Ermao’s attempt to draw him into a visit to see a television and arranged to borrow the Production Team’s horse and cart to gather firewood. After paying the required fee and getting a note from Xu Chengjun, he went to the stables, while Tao Daqiang returned home to find no food had been saved for him.

• Li Long brushed off Gu Ermao’s invitation to see Zhao Changjiang’s television and went to Xu Chengjun’s house instead.
• Li Long gave Xu Chengjun two carp and explained that he wanted to bring firewood back from the mountains with help from a coworker in Qingshui River.
• Xu Chengjun agreed to lend Li Long a horse and cart for a fee of one yuan sixty and wrote him an authorization note.
• Li Long brought another fish and the note to Lao Luo at the stables, and Lao Luo promised to prepare the best horse.
• Tao Daqiang arrived home excitedly and discovered that his family had saved him no food.

Tao Daqiang defied his father after his father gave away his supper and beat him for refusing to hand over the fish he had caught. He stayed at Li Long’s house and left with him for the county town the next morning, while Mrs. Lu arrived to mock Li Long’s trip into the mountains.

• Tao Daqiang told Tao Jianshe he wanted to cook the fish he had caught, but Tao Jianshe ordered him to give them to Tao Dayong’s family.
• Tao Daqiang refused to give up the fish, argued that he ate better with Li Long, and ran out after Tao Jianshe struck him.
• Tao Daqiang came to Li Long’s gate and asked to stay the night so he could leave with Li Long in the morning.
• Li Long told Li Jianguo that he had borrowed a cart and that Tao Daqiang would stay; Li Jianguo prepared the Water Rat pelt for sale, and Liang Yuemei packed sponge cake for their trip.
• Li Long and Tao Daqiang left for the county town by horse cart after breakfast, carrying the pelt and food.
• Mrs. Lu visited the Li family and questioned Liang Yuemei about Li Long’s firing and his plan to haul timber from the mountains.

Liang Yuemei defended Li Long’s efforts to change after he lost his factory job, while her brother Liang Wenyu came to visit and was astonished by Li Long’s haul of fish and Gugu Chickens. Li Long had gone into the mountains to bring back firewood, though people in the Production Team expected him to fail.

• Sister-in-Law Lu criticized Li Long, but Liang Yuemei said he deserved support for trying to improve.
• Liang Wenyu visited Liang Yuemei and brought white flour and twenty yuan from their parents.
• Liang Wenyu saw the fish Li Long had caught with Li Jianguo and learned that Li Long had also caught two Gugu Chickens.
• Li Jianguo gave Liang Wenyu ten fish and explained that Li Long had borrowed a horse cart to haul wood from the mountains.
• Li Jianguo told Liang Wenyu that Li Long and his girlfriend had broken up after Li Long was fired.
• People in the Production Team heard Li Long had gone to haul wood and waited to laugh at him.

Li Long and Tao Daqiang traveled by horse cart to the county town, where Li Long sold a water rat pelt and bought food and supplies. They continued to Clearwater River Commune and entered the mountains, where Li Long spotted a winter camp.

• Li Long learned to drive the horse cart as he and Tao Daqiang traveled toward the county town.
• Li Long sold the water rat pelt to Chen Hongjun for five yuan at the purchasing station.
• Li Long had Tao Daqiang buy sesame cakes and tea bricks, then bought more sesame cakes and salt himself.
• Li Long drove the cart past Clearwater River Commune and into the snowy mountains with Tao Daqiang helping push.
• Li Long reached the pine-covered mountains and found the winter camp he had been seeking.

Li Long and Tao Daqiang stopped at a Kazakh winter quarters to rest before hauling timber, and Li Long used their gifts to gain the herder family's welcome. He left with two shed deer antlers after persuading the family not to slaughter a sheep.

• Li Long chose a slope near the winter quarters for the timber and persuaded Tao Daqiang to push the cart there before they visited the herders for lunch.
• A herder welcomed Li Long and Tao Daqiang into his home, where his family served them naan, milk tea, and air-dried lamb.
• Li Long stopped the herder from going out to slaughter a sheep and offered to buy a deer antler instead.
• The herder brought out a second, broken antler that his son Nasen had found and that the family had planned to use as firewood.

Li Long traded his help and a future supply of bullets with Harimu for antlers, firewood, and a sheep that had frozen to death. He left planning to return for more frozen livestock and other game, hoping to earn enough for a bicycle by spring.

• Li Long learned that Harimu had run out of bullets and offered to bring him more in exchange for help obtaining game and livestock.
• Harimu told Li Long about two sheep that had frozen to death, and Li Long asked to take them and to collect any others he found among nearby herders.
• Li Long, Tao Daqiang, and Harimu found one frozen sheep beneath the snow and uncovered a large supply of fallen wood.
• Li Long loaded the wood and sheep onto the cart, then left with Tao Daqiang and the antlers.
• Li Long estimated the value of the antlers and sheep and hoped that repeated winter trips would earn enough to buy a bicycle by spring.

Li Long sold antlers, brought home a cartload of wood and a frozen sheep, and shared supplies with Tao Daqiang. He explained privately to Li Jianguo that he had traded with herders for the sheep, and they agreed to give Tao Daqiang’s family a leg.

• Li Long sold 6.7 kilograms of antlers at the purchasing station for 20 yuan and 1 jiao.
• Li Long tried to give Tao Daqiang five yuan, then bought him padded mittens when Tao refused the money.
• Li Long and Tao Daqiang returned to the Production Team with a cartload of wood and a frozen sheep, drawing a crowd of curious neighbors.
• Li Long unloaded wood at Tao Daqiang’s home and gave him a kilogram of sesame cakes before returning the horse.
• Li Long told Li Jianguo that he had traded with herders for the sheep, and they decided to give Tao Daqiang’s family one leg.

Li Long brought Tao Daqiang his share of the mutton, arranged to borrow the horse cart again, and gave his family money and a request for ammunition. He planned to head back into the mountains the next day, while the Li family looked forward to a better winter.

• Tao Jianshe scolded Tao Daqiang for returning with only firewood and sesame cakes, then struck him when he talked back.
• Li Long delivered Tao Daqiang a leg of mutton, and Tao Daqiang agreed to join him again the next morning.
• Li Long gave Xu Chengjun a leg of mutton and paid to borrow a different horse and cart for the next day.
• Li Long gave Liang Yuemei ten yuan and asked Li Jianguo for ammunition for the Type 56 semiautomatic; Li Jianguo handed him the remaining rounds.
• Li Long thought of asking Harimu's family for knucklebones for Li Juan, as the Li family discussed their good fortune and the production team talked about them.