Chapter Summaries

Li Long and the others sold fish in Stone City, earned money, and expanded their operation before militia training interrupted Tao Daqiang’s chance to join them. During training, Xu Chengjun persuaded Li Long to compete in the township militia contest, leaving Li Long set to take part in the shooting event.

• Li Long and his relatives sold fish at the Stone City market, where the conspicuous cart and passing buses drew customers and the group sold all sixteen sacks by noon.
• Li Long treated the group to a meal and promised to cover lunch on future fish-selling trips, while Chen Xingbang and the others accepted their earnings according to how much fish they sold.
• Li Long and the others loaded twenty sacks for the next trip, and Li Jianguo told Liang Yuemei that he had earned thirty yuan and would keep selling fish with Li Long’s group.
• Yang Yongqiang joined the fish sellers on the third day, and Tao Daqiang planned to join after militia training ended.
• Xu Chengjun urged Li Long to compete in the township militia contest, and Li Long agreed to take part in shooting.

Li Long led his militia squad through weapons maintenance and tactical training as Xu Chengjun enforced discipline during the short winter training period. By the seventh day, the militia had begun aiming practice, and Li Long was enduring the cold while waiting for live-fire training in two days.

• Li Long accepted a Type 56 Submachine Gun as squad leader and had his men practice stripping, cleaning, and reassembling their weapons.
• Xu Chengjun reprimanded two late militiamen and ordered them to run laps, then organized the platoon’s tactical drills.
• The militia continued training through severe winter weather, and one man damaged his face by warming it at a fire instead of rubbing it with snow.
• Li Jianguo took fish to Stone City to sell and brought Li Long five or six hundred yuan in daily proceeds, from which Li Long paid him a fifty-yuan management fee.
• On the seventh day, the township armed forces director inspected the militia, and the men began aiming practice in the snow.

Li Long helped zero the militia rifles and proved his marksmanship during target practice. Xu Chengjun selected one of his rifles for the township competition, and Li Long left with extra ammunition to keep practicing.

• Li Long zeroed two rifles, adjusting the first until its shots grouped in the ten-ring and making further corrections to the second.
• Xu Chengjun test-fired Li Long’s first rifle, praised its zeroing, and recorded its serial number for his own later shooting.
• Li Long joined the militia’s target practice and fired five strings, keeping most of his shots in the ten-ring.
• Xu Chengjun selected Li Long and three others for the township militia competition and gave them ammunition to practice with.
• Li Long visited Xu Chengjun that evening and received four additional packets of ammunition.

Li Long and the other militia members completed grenade training and live throws, with Li Long impressing Xu Chengjun by throwing the farthest. The next day, Xu Chengjun told Li Long the township competition would include a rapid-fire event, and urged him to enter it.

• Xu Chengjun set a forty-meter grenade-throwing standard, and Li Long cleared it with each practice throw.
• Li Long coached the men who had failed while Tao Daqiang threw farther than Xu Chengjun.
• Xu Chengjun demonstrated live grenade throws, and Li Long's grenade traveled nearly sixty meters.
• The militia members completed their live throws without an accident, and Xu Chengjun dismissed them.
• Xu Chengjun told Li Long that the township competition would add a rapid-fire contest with five iron targets and recommended that he enter it.

Li Long joined the township militia competition and waited to compete in Competitive Shooting after Tao Daqiang placed third in grenade throwing. As the first shooters began, Li Long steadied himself and felt confident about the event.

• Li Long learned that Competitive Shooting would be held last, while Xu Chengjun explained the township competition and its possible path to a county contest.
• Tao Daqiang crossed the throwing line on his first two attempts, then threw seventy meters from a standing position on his third try.
• Tao Daqiang placed third in the township grenade-throwing event, while Old Ox finished fourth in precision shooting with forty-eight points.
• Li Long drew number sixteen and learned he would face number three in the first round of Competitive Shooting.
• The first pair began firing at the iron targets, and Li Long watched as a target finally fell before settling his nerves.

Li Long advanced through the township shooting competition with precise, rapid marksmanship, reaching the final after winning his first three matches. He defeated his composed final opponent by knocking down all five targets and ended the chapter calm after exceeding expectations.

• Li Long knocked down all five targets in his first match, eliminating his opponent without a hit and advancing to the quarterfinals.
• Li Long beat number five by four targets to one and qualified for the semifinals.
• Li Long recovered after his opponent fired first, hit all five targets, and secured at least second place.
• Li Long faced a veteran in the final and fired slightly before him, knocking down all five targets in quick succession.

After the militia competition, Li Long planned to pause fish sales as the market became saturated and prepared to trade wild-boar meat for ammunition. He arranged for Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang to sell fish in the County Seat, then began slaughtering a pig at Old Ma’s Place.

• The Township Armed Forces minister praised Li Long’s performance and said he hoped Li Long would represent the township in a county militia competition.
• Li Long agreed with Li Jianguo to stop selling fish for a week and slaughter a wild boar to trade meat for bullets.
• Zhao Jiangang came to Li Long to arrange a meat-for-ammunition trade, and more people followed with similar requests.
• Li Long told Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang they could take fish to sell in the County Seat, and they agreed to help slaughter the pig first.
• Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei arrived with the slaughtering tools, and Chen Xingbang began preparing to butcher the wild boar as Wang the Miser heard the pig squeal.

Li Long traded the second wild boar’s meat for bullets, learned that his shooting competition prize would be limited to a certificate, notebook, and fountain pen, and prepared to take supplies into the mountains. After Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang returned from selling fish, Li Long set out with his nephews to tend his mountain cabin and host Harimu and the others’ competitions.

• Li Long’s family slaughtered a wild boar, shared a meal with Uncle Lao Luo, Tao Daqiang, and Yang Yongqiang, and traded most of the meat for bullets.
• Xu Chengjun told Li Long that the county competition would not go ahead and that Minister Qin’s prize was a certificate, notebook, and fountain pen.
• Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang returned after selling their fish in the County Seat and gave Li Long fifty-six yuan each.
• Li Long borrowed Li Jianguo’s horse-drawn cart, recruited Li Junshan and Li Junfeng to help, and packed supplies, ammunition, and gifts for his mountain friends.
• After Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang collected more fish, Li Long and his companions hitched the cart and set off for the mountains.

Li Long, Li Junshan, and Li Junfeng stocked Li Long’s mountain cabin with supplies, cleared snow, and installed and lit a stove. Afterward, they went north to look for Mongolian gazelles, but Li Long spotted tracks and something that might be a wild boar, leaving the three men eager to investigate.

• Li Long bought coal, food, and supplies with Li Junshan and Li Junfeng, then hauled everything to his mountain cabin with Number 76.
• Li Junshan and Li Junfeng helped clear snow from the cabin while Li Long unloaded the cart and tended to Number 76.
• Li Long installed a stove with their help, and they sealed the stovepipe and lit a fire to warm and dry the cabin.
• Li Long, Li Junshan, and Li Junfeng cleared a path to the spring, fetched water, and left it heating on the stove.
• Li Long led his nephews north to look for Mongolian gazelles, but spotted animal tracks and a shape that might be a wild boar.

Li Long turned spoiled wild-boar meat into bait to lure predators to the cabin, and a fox and then four wolves came to feed. He aimed his Type 56 at the approaching pack, leaving the hunt about to begin.

• Li Long found a snared wild boar and told Li Junfeng and Li Junshan that its uneviscerated meat had spoiled.
• Li Junfeng and Li Junshan confirmed the meat reeked even after washing it, so Li Long proposed using it as bait for wolves and foxes.
• Li Junfeng and Li Junshan boiled pieces of meat, spread them around the cabin, and set up a watch while Li Long loaded his rifle.
• A fox arrived and carried off a piece of bait, but Li Long let it go so its presence would not scare away wolves.
• Four wolves approached the bait before dark, and Li Long aimed his rifle at them.

Li Long shot and dressed two wolves after they were drawn to frozen boar meat, while Li Junfeng and Li Junshan stayed overnight at the Wooden Cabin. Li Junfeng later fired at several small animals near the bait but found no sign that he had hit them; the next morning, he and Li Junshan left to sell fish as Li Long prepared the cabin for Harimu and the others.

• Li Long shot two wolves attracted by the frozen boar meat, and he and the others skinned and dressed them.
• Li Long, Li Junfeng, and Li Junshan ate wolf offal and spent the night together in the Wooden Cabin with Number 76.
• Li Junfeng spotted several small animals near the boar meat and fired at them, but the group found no trace of a hit.
• The next morning, Li Junfeng and Li Junshan left with the cart to sell fish, while Li Long kept a leg of wolf meat and cleaned the cabin.
• Li Long mixed dough to make buns and stocked up in preparation for Harimu and the others' arrival.

Li Long explored the snow-covered mountains for game after giving Harimu ammunition and arranging a gathering at his cabin. Near the cabin, he spotted a red fox and fired at it, hoping to make Gu Xiaoxia a fur neck warmer.

• Li Long gave Harimu three hundred rounds of ammunition, and Harimu said he and Jade Mountain River would bring people for buzkashi and horse racing the day after tomorrow.
• Li Long searched north toward the Ma River but found no game, then returned to his cabin for dried meat broth and a rest.
• Li Long investigated Hot Spring Valley, found animal tracks and a half-eaten hare, and briefly waited to see whether the lynx would return.
• As Li Long approached his cabin, he saw a red fox eating the foul-smelling pork, raised his gun, and fired as it fled toward the woods.

Li Long hosted a gathering for his herder friends, where Harimu organized competitions and Jade Mountain River prepared a lamb feast. The horse race began with a dangerous crash, leaving the leading rider thrown from his horse.

• Li Long searched the Hot Spring valley and nearby eastern valleys for game but found none, then prepared prizes and hot water for his friends’ gathering.
• Harimu arrived with a gutted, unskinned sheep for Buzkashi and brought food and ammunition, while Li Long showed him the prizes he had prepared.
• Jade Mountain River arrived with a skinned lamb, and he and Harimu butchered it and began cooking it as the young herders gathered.
• Harimu announced a horse race to a western peak and back, and Li Long fired the starting shot with his Type 56 rifle.
• The riders raced toward the peak and returned downhill; two horses collided, and the leading horse then slipped and fell, throwing its rider into the snow.

Li Long watched the riders compete in a horse race, handed prizes to the winners, and learned where to look for wild mountain goats. The young men then began a Buzkashi match, with Bakhat joining the chase after another rider seized the sheep.

• Jade Mountain River stopped Li Long from helping a fallen rider, who soon got back on his horse and caught up with the other competitors.
• A dark-skinned boy named Bakhat won the horse race, and Li Long, Jade Mountain River, and Harimu presented prizes and ammunition to the top three riders.
• Jade Mountain River showed Li Long a gully where he had seen wild mountain goats and explained why the herders should receive only limited ammunition.
• Harimu announced an individual Buzkashi match in which the winner would receive the sheep and five rounds of ammunition.
• The riders charged toward the headless sheep, and a rider on a black horse seized it before the others pursued him.

Li Long watched Tangboli win the Buzkashi contest, then learned about nearby game from the young herders. The next day, Tangboli traded him a live female Roe Deer for ten cartridges, giving the male Roe Deer at Li Long's Stable a potential mate.

• Tangboli won the Buzkashi contest and received five cartridges, while Ayibate received three; afterward, Tangboli offered Bakhat his prize, but Bakhat showed he already had cartridges.
• Harimu asked the young men about game, and Tangboli offered to bring Li Long a live Roe Deer in exchange for ten cartridges.
• Wolves howled outside Li Long's cabin that night, and he fired several shots to scare them away.
• Tangboli arrived the next morning with a female Roe Deer, and Li Long traded him ten cartridges for it.
• Li Long tethered the Roe Deer outside his cabin and gave it hay while he waited for a horse-drawn cart to take it home.

Li Long found two shed deer antlers while cutting fodder for the wild roe deer, then faced a confrontational man who claimed to be a forest ranger and threatened to take over the pasture. Unsure whether the man’s claim was true, Li Long left for Jade Mountain River’s Winter Camp to find out.

• Li Long cut grass for the wild roe deer, uncovered a deer antler under the snow, and found a second nearby.
• Li Long fed the roe deer and ate mutton soup at the Wooden Cabin.
• A mounted man and his dog arrived, and the man pointed his rifle at Li Long while claiming to be a forest ranger.
• Li Long challenged the man to show documents and warned him not to threaten him; the man claimed the pasture would soon be his and rode away.
• Li Long secured the roe deer and the Wooden Cabin, then set off for Jade Mountain River’s Winter Camp to learn whether the pasture was really changing hands.

Li Long learned from Jade Mountain River that Geming Bielisen had no authority to claim his pasture, and the Pastoral Team planned to report the Forest Ranger to his superior. After Li Junshan and Li Junfeng collected the roe deer, Li Long decided to remain in the mountains a few more days to hunt.

• Li Long told Jade Mountain River that Geming Bielisen had ordered him off his pasture and threatened to tear down his cabin, and Jade Mountain River explained that the Pastoral Team controlled the pasture.
• Jade Mountain River went to consult the Pastoral Team Leader, then returned after dark to tell Li Long that the leader would speak to the Forestry Team Leader about Geming Bielisen.
• Li Long spotted a red deer on his way back to the cabin but lost it in the pine forest before he could shoot.
• Li Long moved the roe deer outside after it ate and fouled its shelter, then kept it nearby for two days.
• Li Junshan and Li Junfeng arrived with a horse-drawn cart and took the roe deer away, while Li Long told them he would stay in the mountains a few more days.

Li Long found a cave where animals came to lick rock salt and waited there for prey. After a stag charged him, he shot it, killed it, and began preparing the carcass to carry home.

• Li Long cleaned the room after the roe deer was taken away, then set out before sunrise for a valley where deer had been spotted.
• Li Long followed animal tracks to a cave and discovered that its smooth wall contained rock salt.
• Li Long waited near the cave for several hours, then watched two Mongolian gazelles and three red deer arrive.
• Li Long chose to wait for the red deer, but the young deer spotted him and the stag charged at him.
• Li Long shot the stag several times, killed it with his knife, and dragged it away from the cave to skin and gut it.

Li Long tried to haul a deer back to his wooden cabin, but a pack of wolves tracked him and repeatedly tried to surround him. He shot several wolves and reached an ambush position, but one wolf remained unaccounted for.

• Li Long left the deer's innards behind, and six wolves ate them before their leader led the pack after him.
• Li Long spotted the wolves approaching, wounded one with his Type 56, and retreated toward the wooden cabin while the others pursued him.
• Li Long shot at wolves that appeared above a slope, then continued hauling the deer as the pack followed at a distance.
• Li Long rested briefly, reloaded his rifle, and climbed another slope while the wolves tried to flank him.
• Li Long ambushed the wolves at the summit and killed one, while two fled and another remained missing.

Li Long survived the wolves’ attack and spent the night at the Wooden Cabin, where he cooked venison and waited out their howls. After finding wolf tracks and the vanished innards the next morning, he ate and prepared to return and settle the score.

• Li Long dragged the dead wolf and deer to the Wooden Cabin, skinned the wolf, and stored the meat.
• Li Long stayed inside as wolves howled outside, then cooked venison broth and ate before going to sleep.
• Li Long woke during the night, drank warm water, and decided to talk to Gu Xiaoxia about marriage when he returned.
• Li Long found wolf tracks around the cabin and discovered the discarded innards had disappeared.
• Li Long relit the stove, reheated the broth, ate breakfast, and resolved to go back and settle the score with the wolves.