Chapter Summaries

Li Long sold fish and rabbits in Stone City, encountered a street fight, and completed his preparations for a trip into the mountains. The chapter left him back at the Big Courtyard, resting before the hunt and preparing dinner for Gu Xiaoxia.

• Li Long sold his fish and rabbits at the Old Street market, gave Song Ming a rabbit, and learned that the Milk Tea Shop was closed.
• Li Long passed a fight in Stone City, threatened the men who tried to take his cart with his Type 56, and continued on his way.
• Li Long delivered a dressed sheep to Li Xiangqian, who asked him to hunt game for the prefectural cooperative before New Year and gave him ammunition and grain coupons.
• Li Long bought coarse salt, rice, and flour, returned to the Big Courtyard, and prepared to rest before going into the mountains.
• Gu Xiaoxia returned and smiled when she saw the courtyard gate unlocked.

Li Long traveled to Harimu’s camp to collect fodder and salt before beginning a hunting trip from the Wooden Cabin. After discussing schooling and future housing for Harimu’s children, he rode Number 76 toward Hot Spring Valley to search for game, where he heard running water ahead.

• Li Long cleaned his rifle, loaded his cart, and traveled west to Harimu’s camp, where Harimu told him about recent wild-boar and deer sightings.
• Li Long discussed the effects of modernization and schooling with Harimu, then suggested ways for Harimu’s children to attend school.
• Harimu’s family served Li Long horse-meat naren, and Harimu drew him a map to nearby hunting areas before supplying fodder and salt.
• Li Long reached the Wooden Cabin, settled Number 76, warmed the room, and set out to scout the mountains on horseback.
• Li Long found signs of wild boars but continued toward Hot Spring Valley, where the smell made Number 76 uneasy and Li Long heard water ahead.

Li Long shot a roe deer, then discovered a hibernating brown bear in a cave and killed it after it charged him. He collected the bear’s gallbladder and hauled both carcasses to Number 76, preparing to lead the horse home.

• Li Long chased an injured roe deer across the rocky valley and killed it with two shots.
• Li Long entered a narrow cave beneath a natural rock arch, heard breathing, and shot at the hibernating animal inside.
• Li Long waited behind a rock until a brown bear charged from the cave, then killed it with several rifle shots.
• Li Long removed the bear’s gallbladder and dragged the bear and roe deer downhill on plastic sheeting.
• Li Long calmed Number 76 after the horse reacted to the bear’s scent, secured both carcasses, and prepared to lead it home.

Li Long returned to the wooden cabin with a bear and roe deer, then hunted three wild boars near the beekeeper’s old site. He prepared the animals for transport, and Jade Mountain River arrived to help load the bear and boar onto the cart.

• Li Long brought the bear and roe deer back to the wooden cabin, where Jade Mountain River praised his bear hunt and asked about sending his children to school.
• Li Long cleaned the bear’s innards, stored it in the cabin, and heard from Jade Mountain River that wild boars often appeared near a ravine southwest of the cabin.
• Li Long went out before dawn and shot two half-grown boars and a large male that charged at him, then dragged all three back to the cabin.
• Li Long aired out the cabin, moved the bear outside to freeze, and cleaned the boars’ stomachs and intestines.
• Jade Mountain River returned to help Li Long load the large male boar onto the horse-drawn cart.

Li Long returned from the mountains with a bear, wild boars, and a roe deer, selling most of the game through Li Xiangqian and Zhong Guoqiang. After depositing his earnings and buying eggs, he returned to the courtyard and enjoyed a quiet dinner with Gu Xiaoxia, wondering whether to delay going back to his team.

• Li Long left the mountains with Number 76 pulling the bear and wild boars, then offered Zhong Guoqiang one wild boar for the Big Meat Canteen.
• At the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Li Long revealed his bear and other game to Li Xiangqian, who called Director Wu and arranged a sale.
• Director Wu bought the bear and gallbladder for 1,500 yuan, and Li Xiangqian paid Li Long 2,050 yuan for the bear, two wild boars, and roe deer.
• Li Long sold his remaining wild boar to Zhong Guoqiang for 117 yuan and deposited 2,000 yuan in an instant-access account.
• Li Long bought twenty-four eggs at the market and returned to the courtyard, where Gu Xiaoxia had dinner ready.
• Li Long ate with Gu Xiaoxia and considered staying longer before returning to his team so they could spend time together and see a movie.

Li Long explored growing seed watermelons as a profitable crop and learned that Chen Hongjun could provide seeds and might buy the harvest. After planning to visit Stone City to find more seed and buyers, Li Long was approached by Gu Xiaoxia near Yang Xiulan’s courtyard.

• Li Long asked the county seed company about seed watermelons and learned it had no seeds but might buy harvested seeds.
• Li Long visited the market, greeted Yang Xiulan and Han Fang, and heard that their soup noodles were selling well and Han Fang might attend school in spring.
• Li Long asked Chen Hongjun about the value of the bear he had shot and learned that its gallbladder could be worth seven or eight hundred yuan, while its damaged hide would bring less.
• Li Long told Chen Hongjun he planned to grow seed watermelons, and Chen Hongjun offered to provide seeds and potentially buy the harvest.
• Li Long decided to visit Stone City after lunch to seek seeds and buyers, then saw Gu Xiaoxia riding toward him near Yang Xiulan’s courtyard.

Li Long traveled to Stone City to ask about seed watermelon seeds, then headed to Wu City the next day to buy New Year supplies. On the bus, he caught a thief and an accomplice stealing from passengers; after the police dealt with them, he reached Wu City and heard someone call his name.

• Li Long visited the Stone City seed company and learned it could sell him seed watermelon seeds in spring and might buy a few hundred kilograms of his harvest.
• Li Long asked about selling watermelon seeds at a roasted seed and nut factory, but it would not commit to buying them the following year.
• Li Long planned to visit Wu City with Gu Xiaoxia, but she had to work during a prefectural inspection, so he decided to go alone the next day.
• On the bus to Wu City, Li Long caught a man reaching into his pocket and shouted that there was a thief; when the thief's knife-wielding accomplice attacked, a young passenger subdued him.
• The bus driver took the two thieves to Hu County Bus Station, where police recovered stolen wallets and tools and questioned Li Long before letting him continue.
• Li Long arrived in Wu City and went to find the bus to the seed company, but someone called his name.

Li Long bought river jade from Yusufu and seed watermelon seeds from Wu Shuyi, learning how to grow them and considering a business opportunity in making a hand-operated planter. He left with enough seeds for a trial planting and caught his bus back.

• Li Long met Yusufu, learned that winter sales and new factory supplies had hurt his jade business, and bought several pieces of river jade for two hundred yuan.
• Yusufu directed Li Long to the Corps seed company, where Li Long met Wu Shuyi and bought twenty-one and a half kilograms of seed watermelon seeds after she explained how to grow them.
• Li Long described a simple hand-operated seeder, and Wu Shuyi encouraged him to work with a Farm Machinery Factory and share in the profits if it was produced.
• Li Long gave Wu Shuyi a small piece of river jade as thanks, then decided the seeds were enough for a trial and skipped the other seed company.
• Li Long ate a large bowl of noodles and hurried to catch his bus, which the driver stopped for him.

Li Long returned from Wu City with watermelon seeds and growing advice, then explained his plans to Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei. He planned to rest in the Stable while fishing and hunting rabbits with Yang Yongqiang and Tao Daqiang, and the chapter left them preparing to move the snares the next morning.

• Li Long returned from Wu City to the compound and shared a meal with Gu Xiaoxia.
• Li Long brought the watermelon seeds to the Li family home and told Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei how to grow and harvest them.
• Li Long described a planting tool he had designed and discussed contracting sandy land for watermelons with Li Jianguo.
• Li Long returned to the Stable, where Yang Yongqiang and Tao Daqiang caught him up on fishing, rabbit snares, and village news.
• Li Long, Yang Yongqiang, and Tao Daqiang agreed to check and move the rabbit snares early the next morning.

Li Long and his companions moved their rabbit snares to a better area, then went to Little Haizi to fish. Yang Yongqiang and Tao Daqiang’s fathers refused to risk land on seed watermelons, while Li Long continued explaining his plans to the villagers.

• Li Long, Tao Daqiang, and Yang Yongqiang collected their snares, found three rabbits, and reset the snares farther south along East Big Ditch.
• Li Long told Yang Yongqiang and Tao Daqiang to ask their fathers before planting seed watermelons, and both fathers rejected the idea over the risks and costs.
• Yang Yongqiang and Tao Daqiang met at the Stable and told Li Long their families would not grow seed watermelons.
• Li Long explained that their fathers had reason to protect the grain harvest, then led them to Little Haizi to break open frozen fishing holes.
• Li Long joined the Liang brothers and described seed watermelons to Liang Third Son and Liang Second Son, who asked about the fruit and its seeds.

Li Long rescued Liang Second Son after he fell through the ice while fishing, then worried that encouraging the villagers to fish had led to the accident. Liang Eldest Son later thanked him for saving his brother’s life.

• Li Long fished with Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang, then promised Li Qiang he could join them after finishing his homework.
• Li Long heard a cry and realized Liang Second Son had fallen through the ice, so he ran back and warned Liang Third Son.
• Tao Daqiang held Li Long as he pulled Liang Second Son toward the surface, and Yang Yongqiang and Liang Third Son helped haul him out.
• Li Long lit a reed fire and directed the others to remove Liang Second Son’s wet clothes and carry him home to warm up.
• Li Long stayed behind with the fishing gear and reflected that the accident might have happened because he had changed the villagers’ routines.
• Liang Eldest Son returned with Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang and thanked Li Long for saving Liang Second Son’s life.

Li Long caught a large haul of fish after rescuing Liang Second Son from an ice hole, then accepted the Liang family’s thanks while keeping business separate from friendship. At lunch, Li Jianguo told him that Li Long’s parents, second brother’s family, and brother-in-law planned to move to Northern Xinjiang, leaving Li Long to consider how they would settle in.

• Li Long refused Liang Eldest Son’s offer of fish and caught more than fifteen kilograms from the ice hole where Liang Second Son had fallen.
• Liang Eldest Son and Liang Third Son brought Li Long gifts and returned his coat; Li Long accepted the gifts but rejected their offer to sell him fish at a lower price.
• Li Long checked his snares with Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang, caught seven hares, and showed them how to adjust their snares.
• Li Long and his companions went fishing at Little Haizi, where Li Long noticed the cloudy sky and expected snow.
• Li Jianguo told Li Long that a telegram from his second brother said their parents, his second brother’s family, and his brother-in-law would move to Northern Xinjiang after New Year.
• Li Long planned sleeping arrangements and said he would look into jobs, household registration, and other ways to help his family settle.

Li Long sold fish and rabbits, sought a job for his second brother, and bought jade and New Year supplies before visiting Stone City's tractor factory with a development idea. The chapter ended with him waiting for the technical section to respond to his request to discuss a collaboration.

• Li Long, Yang Yongqiang, and Tao Daqiang caught and sold fish and rabbits, while Li Long asked Song Ming and Li Xiangqian to look for job openings for his second brother, Li Anguo.
• Li Xiangqian told Li Long that a coal mine was hiring but agreed to ask around for other possibilities after New Year.
• Li Long bought Engineer Liu’s jade carvings and apprentice pieces, then purchased New Year supplies and gifts in Wu City before returning to Ma County.
• Li Long gave Gu Xiaoxia a headscarf, and she happily tried it on after dinner.
• Li Long went to Stone City’s tractor factory to propose a collaboration on farm equipment and waited while a guard called the technical section.

Li Long failed to find a factory willing to cooperate on his handheld spot seeder, but Gu Xiaoxia helped him understand why farm machinery technicians dismissed it as a step backward from mechanization. He arranged for Master Wang to make a few prototypes, leaving the seeder’s prospects to be tested.

• Li Long’s proposal was rejected by the Stone City Tractor Factory and the County Agricultural Machinery Repair Factory, whose staff were too busy or focused on large-scale mechanization to make his handheld spot seeder.
• Gu Xiaoxia explained that technicians expected farming to advance toward tractor-drawn machinery, while Li Long’s hand-operated tool could serve as a temporary solution where mechanization was impractical.
• Li Long praised Gu Xiaoxia’s insight, and their thoughtful conversation helped them feel closer and understand each other better.
• Li Long brought New Year gifts to his family and then went to the township Agricultural Machinery Repair Factory to discuss having seeders made.
• Master Wang agreed to make three or five spot seeders for Li Long at three yuan fifty each, and Li Long paid him an advance.

Li Long prepared for the New Year and pranked Li Qiang by hiding a small firecracker inside a cigarette to stop him from trying to smoke. Li Qiang was startled by the blast and avoided cigarettes afterward, while Li Long and Li Jianguo kept the prank secret.

• Li Long collected three handheld seed planters from Master Wang, and Li Jianguo approved of how they worked.
• Li Long helped prepare the family homes and supplies for relatives arriving after the New Year, while Li Jianguo persuaded him to postpone another hunting trip.
• Li Long saw Li Qiang admiring Er Hai’s cigarette and planted a firecracker-filled cigarette on a windowsill.
• Li Qiang took the cigarette to the Old Brigade Headquarters and lit it, causing the firecracker to explode in his mouth and frightening him away from smoking.
• Li Long told Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei about the prank, and they agreed to keep it from Li Qiang.

Li Long secretly brought home the village’s first eighteen-inch color television and prepared it for the family to watch the 1983 Spring Festival Gala. As the broadcast began, he went outside to adjust his homemade antenna so the picture would come in clearly.

• Li Long bought an eighteen-inch color television in Stone City and kept it hidden at Li Jianguo’s house for New Year’s Eve.
• Li Long built a homemade television antenna and installed its pole beside the house while Tao Daqiang and Yang Yongqiang watched him work.
• Li Long and Li Jianguo carried the television into the West Room, and Liang Yuemei planned to sew a dust cover for it.
• Li Long connected the television and explained that it could receive China Central Television on Channel 2 and Stone City Television Station on Channel 9.
• When the screen showed a faint picture, Li Long went outside to turn the antenna pole while Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei watched for a clearer signal.

Li Long set up a color television at Li Jianguo’s home, and the family watched the first Central Television Spring Festival Gala together on New Year’s Eve. After a dream about his family, Li Long woke to Yang Yongqiang and Tao Daqiang visiting to admire the television and discuss buying one themselves.

• Lu Yingming’s family noticed the pole beside the Li family’s home, while Li Long adjusted its antenna until the television picture became clear.
• Li Long told Li Jianguo about a possible coal-mine job for Li Anguo and warned that underground work would be too dangerous.
• Li Jianguo, Liang Yuemei, Li Long, Li Juan, and Li Qiang shared New Year’s Eve dinner while watching the Spring Festival Gala.
• After the gala ended, Li Long returned to the Stable, slept, and dreamed that he was back in the future and visiting his eldest brother’s grave.
• Yang Yongqiang and Tao Daqiang visited Li Long the next morning to praise his color television and talk about buying one of their own.

Li Long’s New Year celebrations were interrupted when Zheng Haifeng lost part of his left hand in a detonator accident, prompting the village to dispose of its explosives. After arranging carts to meet his family, Li Long waited at the bus station, where Li Qingxia and the others arrived.

• Li Long visited village elders and relatives for New Year, where people admired his family’s new color television.
• Yang Yongqiang told Li Long that Zheng Haifeng had blown off several fingers and mangled his left hand while playing with a detonator.
• Li Jianguo locked away his explosives, then decided to bury them; retired soldiers later destroyed explosives and grenades collected from several households.
• Li Jianguo received word that eight family members were coming by train, and Li Long arranged for two carts to meet them at the county bus station.
• Li Long waited outside the bus station while Li Jianguo and Tao Daqiang took turns inside, and Li Qingxia arrived with the family.

Li Long welcomed his parents and relatives from inland to Northern Xinjiang, where they shared generous meals and settled into rooms at the stable. As Li Anguo’s family began adjusting to their new life, Li Long promised Chen Xingbang and Li Junshan work building his house once the snow melted.

• Li Long took the arriving family to the Big Meat Canteen, where Xueping was astonished by the generous serving of beef in her noodles.
• The family reached Li Long’s home, where Li Juan and Li Qiang welcomed Xueping and Xueqin, and Liang Yuemei reassured Chen Lirong that the children were welcome.
• Li Long brought Li Anguo’s family, Chen Xingbang, and Li Junshan to the stable, where Uncle Lao Luo gave Xueping and Xueqin one yuan each as New Year’s money.
• Li Long gave Xueping and Xueqin ten yuan each and Peace Buttons made from Hetian jade, and gave Chen Lirong a jade Buddha.
• Li Anguo told Chen Lirong that Northern Xinjiang offered a better standard of living and fewer complications than their village.
• Li Long told Chen Xingbang and Li Junshan they could help build his house in spring, and both agreed to work with him.

Li Long prepared to build a house by hauling windfallen timber from the mountains and helped Jade Mountain River make plans for the children’s schooling. After deciding that a tractor would make future work easier, Li Long announced that he could afford to buy one, leaving his family astonished.

• Li Long visited Harimu and Jade Mountain River with supplies, told them he planned to build a house and marry, and discussed Jade Mountain River’s plans to send the children to school.
• Li Long joined Li Anguo, Chen Xingbang, Tao Daqiang, Yang Yongqiang, and Li Junshan in gathering windfallen timber and hauling it back to the village in two carts.
• Li Long made three timber runs before melting snow turned the mountain road muddy, and he concluded that a tractor would be more useful than animal-drawn carts.
• Li Long worked out that a twelve-horsepower tractor cost 4,500 yuan and decided his savings could cover it after the house expenses.
• Li Long told his family he intended to buy a tractor, and Li Qingxia, her husband, his brothers, and his brother-in-law were shocked.