Chapter Summaries

Li Long learned that Li Xiangqian, Director Qian, and Director Wei had protected his purchasing station from retaliation, so he brought each of them tiger-infused liquor to thank them. He also discussed selling local specialties through Director Qian’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative and left with a list of goods to show inland merchants.

• Li Long learned that his fritillaria business had harmed rival purchasing stations and that Li Xiangqian, Director Qian, and Director Wei had helped shield his station from their counterattack.
• Li Long brought Li Xiangqian tiger-infused liquor, and after tasting it, Li Xiangqian soon flushed, felt overheated, and hurried away on his bicycle.
• Li Long gave Director Qian a bottle of the liquor and discussed Jiang Chunlin’s inland sales channels and the possibility of selling local specialties through the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
• Director Qian gave Li Long a list of goods, including watermelon seeds, big brooms, and Taibazi, for him to discuss with inland merchants Jia Tianlong and Zhao Hui.
• Li Long delivered liquor to Director Wei, returned to the county town, and decided to call Sun Jiaqiang back because the Purchasing Station now handled most of the fritillaria trade.

Li Long brought Sun Jiaqiang out of the mountains and set him up as an assistant at Gu Boyuan’s Purchasing Station, where he quickly proved capable and settled into the work. Sun Jiaqiang’s household registration in Ma County was also arranged, while Professor Luo and the other researchers were preparing to leave after completing their latest study of saline-alkali land.

• Li Long told Gu Boyuan he planned to bring Sun Jiaqiang down from the mountains to help at the Purchasing Station, and Gu Boyuan agreed.
• Li Long closed the mountain trading cabin for the season, paid Sun Jiaqiang four hundred yuan for his work, and explained his new job and wages.
• Li Long took Sun Jiaqiang to the County Town for a haircut, a bath, and new clothes before sending him to the Purchasing Station.
• Sun Jiaqiang reported to Gu Boyuan, helped handle the busy line of sellers, and earned Gu Boyuan’s approval as a capable assistant.
• Li Long arranged for Sun Jiaqiang to receive household registration in Ma County, and Sun Jiaqiang learned it would be official in half a month.
• Fritillaria purchases declined as the season ended, while Professor Luo and the other researchers prepared to leave after their research into improving saline-alkali land.

Li Long supported Professor Luo’s saline-alkali research and continued developing his purchasing business after the research group left. At the end of May, Jiang Chunlin approached him with a proposal to resell Supply and Marketing Cooperative goods, but Li Long rejected him and ordered him out.

• Professor Luo explained the limits and costs of improving saline-alkali land, accepted Li Long’s 5,000-yuan contribution, and left the Fourth Team with his research group.
• Li Long and Li Jianguo planned to keep improving their sugar beet field, while Li Long promised Aili that he would buy the Forestry Team’s mountain specialties every month.
• Jiang Chunlin visited Li Long’s purchasing station after his own business collapsed and asked Li Long to help him recover.
• Jiang Chunlin proposed using his Inland China sales channels to resell Supply and Marketing Cooperative goods and split the profits with Li Long.
• Li Long refused Jiang Chunlin’s proposal and ordered him to leave.

Li Long finished the fritillaria season by selling his remaining stock and a natural bezoar to Jia Tianlong, then calculated the season’s profits and shared them with Gu Boyuan. Jia Tianlong agreed to ask his inland contacts about buyers for local products, leaving Li Long with a large windfall and a plan to keep the Purchasing Station operating.

• Li Long rejected Jiang Chunlin’s partnership and waited for Jia Tianlong to buy the remaining fritillaria.
• Li Long and Jia Tianlong weighed and sold 2,630 kilos of fritillaria for 173,600 yuan, then Jia Tianlong bought Li Long’s 130-gram bezoar for 11,000 yuan.
• Li Long asked Jia Tianlong to look for inland buyers for local products, and Jia Tianlong promised to ask his contacts.
• Li Long calculated that the season had brought in over 530,000 yuan in revenue and about 220,000 yuan in earnings, then deposited 150,000 yuan at the bank.
• Li Long gave Gu Boyuan his 44,000-yuan share, but Gu Boyuan kept 10,000 yuan and returned the remaining 34,000 yuan to Li Long as investment capital.

Sun Jiaqiang settled into his work at the Purchasing Station while Li Long visited the Forestry Team and then traveled to Beiting to thank Chen Hongjun for helping him build his business. The chapter ended with Li Long meeting Chen Hongjun’s family and recognizing how modest their living conditions were.

• Sun Jiaqiang prepared tea and breakfast at the Purchasing Station and planned to save his wages for a home and marriage.
• Li Long brought supplies to the Forestry Team, thanked Aili for helping him obtain goods, and asked him to tell Bolati about a courtyard home for sale.
• Li Long drove to Beiting to thank Chen Hongjun and brought him gifts and a red envelope.
• Chen Hongjun welcomed Li Long into his small home, where Li Long met his mother, his son, and his wife, Zhou Xiujuan.
• Li Long learned that Chen Hongjun’s family lived in cramped quarters and regretted not visiting sooner.

Li Long gave Chen Hongjun a thousand-yuan introduction fee, easing the financial strain that had kept Chen from buying a courtyard house. Chen Hongjun negotiated a deal with the owner, and Zhou Xiujuan agreed that a home of their own would be better than sharing crowded public toilets.

• Zhou Xiujuan took Chen Zhixin to school, and Li Long gave the boy ten yuan as a first-visit gift.
• Li Long paid Chen Hongjun a thousand yuan for introducing him to business contacts, and Chen revealed that he had been considering buying a courtyard house.
• Chen Hongjun went to work relieved, then visited Lao Huang after work and agreed to buy his courtyard house for a reduced price.
• Chen Hongjun told Zhou Xiujuan he planned to sign the contract, and she approved after learning Li Long's money was a legitimate introduction fee.

Chen Hongjun moved his family into their new courtyard house while Su Wenqiang and Liu Ying moved into the work-unit home he vacated. At lunch with former colleagues, Chen Hongjun explained how Li Long paid him referral fees and encouraged them to connect Li Long with buyers; Qi Zhiguo left thinking he had found a promising contact.

• Su Wenqiang and Liu Ying arrived early to move into Chen Hongjun's work-unit housing, and Chen Hongjun agreed to let them settle in before he had finished moving out.
• Chen Hongjun's colleagues helped his family move their belongings into the courtyard house, and Su Wenqiang and Liu Ying began arranging their new home.
• Chen Hongjun treated his former colleagues to a feast at a State-Run Canteen and described the referral fee he received from Li Long for connecting him with buyers.
• Chen Hongjun urged his colleagues to use their business contacts to find buyers for Li Long's goods, explaining that successful referrals could earn substantial fees.
• After the meal, Qi Zhiguo caught up with Chen Hongjun and said he had thought of someone who bought goods.

Qi Zhiguo proposed a buyer for Li Long’s dried wild mushrooms, while Li Long spent his earnings on gifts for family and friends. The next morning, he visited his brother Li Jianguo’s irrigated sugar beet field and caught a large crucian carp in the water.

• Qi Zhiguo told Chen Hongjun about a food-ingredient buyer who might purchase Li Long’s dried mushrooms, and Chen agreed to help make an introduction if the buyer was interested.
• Chen Hongjun returned to his new courtyard, where Zhou Xiujuan and Chen Zhixin had cleaned the rooms and yard.
• Li Long went to Wu City and bought gifts, including a gold ring for Gu Xiaoxia, a watch for Gu Boyuan, and a washing machine for his eldest brother’s household.
• Li Long returned to the County Seat, gave Han Fang sneakers and Gu Xiaoxia the gold ring, and later gave Gu Boyuan the watch.
• Li Long visited the Fourth Team the next morning and found Li Jianguo irrigating the sugar beet field while Uncle Lao Luo and Yang Laoliu joked with them.
• Li Long spotted a large crucian carp in the irrigation water and caught it by hand.

Li Long caught fish, skinned a snake, and returned home with gifts for his parents and brother’s family after selling several tonnes of fritillaria. The Li family’s new washing machine drew a crowd across the village, leaving neighbors eager to earn enough to buy one themselves.

• Li Long caught crucian carp for Uncle Lao Luo, who praised his fishing and offered to try processing a snake skin Li Long had removed.
• Li Jianguo finished irrigating the sugar beets and returned to the Big Courtyard, where Li Long gave him a watch and gave Du Chunfang a bracelet.
• Li Long unloaded a washing machine for Liang Yuemei and told Li Jianguo that he had sold several tonnes of fritillaria and brought Sun Jiaqiang back to help run the Purchasing Station.
• Sister-in-Law Lu spotted the washing machine and spread the news, drawing villagers to watch Liang Yuemei and Li Jianguo demonstrate it.

While gathering fishing nets, Li Long decided to buy a new Dongfanghong 75 tractor and implements so Li Jianguo could run a plowing business. After settling on the purchase, he also agreed to help Tao Daqiang and Xu Haijun expand their agricultural work.

• Li Long told Li Jianguo and Li Qingxia that he planned to keep his household registration in the Fourth Team and discussed leasing land to farm sugar beets.
• Li Long proposed buying a new tractor for Li Jianguo to drive, and Li Jianguo and Li Qingxia supported the plan.
• Li Long decided to buy a Dongfanghong 75 tractor and a full set of implements soon, with Li Jianguo learning to operate it and sharing the earnings.
• Tao Daqiang told Li Long he planned to buy another harvester, and Li Long directed him to Uncle Gu for a discount.
• Xu Haijun asked to borrow two thousand yuan to buy a tractor and harvester for the wheat harvest, and Li Long agreed to lend it with one hundred yuan in interest.

Li Long lent Xu Haijun money and helped him find a way to earn more by cutting broom handles, then arranged a family outing to Wu City. He also decided to go to Beiting to find buyers for assorted goods at the Purchasing Station and visit Chen Hongjun.

• Li Long lent Xu Haijun two thousand yuan, and Xu Haijun wrote him an IOU before asking how he could earn money before the wheat harvest.
• Tao Daqiang suggested that Xu Haijun cut broom handles in the mountains, and Li Long estimated that about five thousand could be sold.
• Li Long proposed a family trip to the mountains, but Li Qingxia preferred Wu City, so the family planned a visit to the zoo, Water Park, and Department Store.
• Li Long gave Liang Yuemei Warrior shoes for Li Juan and Li Qiang, then returned to the county seat and discussed selling assorted goods with Gu Boyuan.
• Li Long told Sister Yang about the planned trip, and the next morning he drove to Beiting to visit Chen Hongjun.

Li Long arranged a sales channel for the Purchasing Station’s dried mushrooms through Chen Hongjun and Qi Zhiguo, then checked Wu City’s routes before taking his family on an outing. Han Fang chose to stay behind with Sister Yang, while Li Long drove the rest of the family toward the city.

• Li Long visited Chen Hongjun, who offered a contact for buying dried mushrooms and advised Li Long to avoid purchasing goods without clear sales channels.
• Chen Hongjun told Qi Zhiguo that Li Long had agreed to pay a substantial referral fee, and Qi Zhiguo set out to contact the mushroom buyer.
• Li Long drove around Wu City to learn the routes to the zoo and water park, then told Gu Boyuan and Sun Jiaqiang that a mushroom buyer would come and that the Purchasing Station would close on Sunday.
• Li Long posted a notice that the Purchasing Station would be closed for the day and arranged for Sun Jiaqiang to take the day off.
• Li Long gathered his family at the Big Courtyard and drove some of them toward the bus station and then picked up the others in his Jeep.
• Han Fang declined to join the outing and stayed behind with Sister Yang, while Li Qiang eagerly anticipated seeing the zoo monkeys.

Li Long took his family to Wu City Zoo and confronted a prize-wheel stallholder who was secretly cheating, ensuring Li Juan and Li Qiang won toys. After buying candied hawthorn skewers for everyone, the family gathered and entered the zoo.

• Li Long noticed that a prize-wheel stallholder used a hidden magnet to cheat children, while Li Qiang watched eagerly and Li Juan warned him that players rarely won.
• Li Long confronted the stallholder and threatened to expose him, then let Li Qiang and Li Juan spin; both children won prizes, and Li Long paid two yuan.
• Li Long bought ten candied hawthorn skewers, and Li Juan handed them out to the family, including Du Chunfang.
• Li Jianguo and the others arrived, and the whole family entered Wu City Zoo together.

Li Long took his family to the Wu City zoo, a canteen, a water park, and Tianbai, where they enjoyed a rare family outing. The chapter ended with Li Long appreciating the gifts his family had bought him and Gu Xiaoxia.

• Li Long took the family through the zoo while Gu Xiaoxia took photographs, and Li Qiang and Li Juan eagerly watched the animals.
• Li Jianguo treated everyone to lunch, and the family compared the canteen's food with the rice and fish from home.
• Li Long took Li Juan and Li Qiang to the water park while Du Chunfang and Gu Xiaoxia stayed by the Jeep with the younger children.
• Li Long brought the family to Tianbai, where Liang Yuemei gave Gu Xiaoxia a leather handbag and Li Jianguo gave Li Long sunglasses.

Li Jianguo told Wang the Miser that the Li Family was buying a new crawler tractor and would take plowing jobs, ending Wang’s hold over the Fourth Team’s planting work. As the team learned about the purchase, Li Jianguo prepared to operate the tractor with Lu Yingming, while Wang the Miser worried about losing business.

• Li Long brought Li Jianguo and the others back to the Big Courtyard, where Sister Yang had prepared dinner, and Gu Xiaoxia gave Sister Yang sandals and Han Fang a new schoolbag and supplies.
• Li Jianguo told Wang the Miser and Wang Dagui that the Li Family was buying a tractor mainly for its own land but would also plow and sow for neighbors who hired them.
• Wang the Miser regretted not replacing his worn-out tractor, but he could not bear to withdraw his savings and lose the interest.
• Li Jianguo planned space in the Front Courtyard for the tractor and its implements, and arranged for Lu Yingming to help with plowing.
• The Fourth Team learned that the Li Family was buying a big tractor, and people came to the family’s home to confirm the news.

Li Long, Li Jianguo, and Lu Yingming bought a new Dongfanghong 75 crawler tractor with a full set of implements, while villagers began planning to use the Li family's tractor and reclaim saline-alkali land. Li Long arranged for Song Ming to haul the implements, and Song Ming invited him to lunch.

• Li Jianguo told Xu Chengjun that the Li family planned to buy a large tractor and reclaim more saline-alkali land, and Xu reserved a place in the plowing queue.
• Xu Chengjun decided that his family would reclaim forty or fifty mu of wasteland after learning of the Li family's plans.
• Li Long drove Li Jianguo and Lu Yingming to the Stone City Tractor Factory, where they inspected and bought a new Dongfanghong 75 tractor and its implements for a little over forty-one thousand yuan.
• Li Jianguo test-drove the tractor, and Li Long planned to have it driven home while arranging separate transport for the remaining equipment.
• Li Long asked Song Ming to haul the implements, and Song Ming agreed to help after work and invited Li Long to lunch.

Li Long visited Li Xia, then collected a big tractor and implements with help from Song Ming and brought them back to the Li family courtyard, impressing the villagers. At his Purchasing Station, he saw an old man bring in a sack of corroded copper coins and wondered whether the man had found a coin cache.

• Li Long visited Li Xia, told her about the tractor he had bought, and left without staying for a meal.
• Li Long and Song Ming collected a soil cutter and five-bottom plow from the Tractor Factory, with workers helping load the cutter.
• Li Long and Song Ming returned to the Fourth Team, where villagers gathered to inspect the new equipment as Li Jianguo drove the Dongfanghong 75 tractor home.
• Li Jianguo parked the tractor in the Li family courtyard, and Li Qingxia and Du Chunfang joined the crowd to watch over it.
• Li Long returned to the Purchasing Station and saw Gu Boyuan and Sun Jiaqiang examine an old man's sack of corroded copper coins.

Li Long bought a coin cache and sold Zhao Hui nearly seven hundred hides for a large profit. Meanwhile, Jade Mountain River and Harimu found a brown bear killed near their pastures and feared the wounded tiger had returned.

• Gu Boyuan questioned a shepherd about cash coins he had dug up near Letuyi, and Li Long sorted the usable coins before buying them.
• Li Long learned that dried mushrooms were piling up at the Purchasing Station while he waited for Chen Hongjun's buyer to arrive.
• Zhao Hui arrived with a truck, inspected Li Long's hides, and paid him 33,652 yuan for nearly seven hundred pelts, including a bear skin and lynx pelt.
• Li Long deposited money at the bank after selling the hides and continued purchasing goods at a brisk pace.
• Jade Mountain River and Harimu discovered a brown bear carcass less than a kilometer from their pastures and worried that the wounded tiger had returned.

Li Long sold nearly three hundred kilograms of dried morels to Huang Lei for almost ten thousand yuan, while keeping the remaining mushrooms for Huang Lei to buy later. After Huang Lei left for Wu City with the morels, Li Long returned home to his children and planned to reward Sun Jiaqiang for his work.

• Harimu and Jade Mountain River skinned a freshly killed bear and agreed to carry guns while a dangerous tiger might still be nearby.
• Huang Lei inspected Li Long’s dried mushrooms and discovered that Li Long had nearly six hundred kilograms in storage.
• Huang Lei bought the top-grade and ordinary morels for thirty-five and thirty yuan per kilogram, spending nearly all the money he had brought.
• Li Long agreed to hold the remaining mushrooms for Huang Lei and drove him and the sacks of morels to the Bus Station.
• Li Long returned to the Big Courtyard, held Mingming and Haohao, and decided to give Sun Jiaqiang a fifty-yuan bonus.

Huang Lei shipped dried mushrooms from Wu City while trying to avoid Liu Xinjun, who had deceived him and was now tracing his supplier. Liu reached Li Long’s purchasing station to buy mushrooms, but Li hid his remaining stock and rejected Liu’s low offer.

• Huang Lei brought dried mushrooms to an inn in Wu City, fended off Liu Xinjun’s attempts to inspect them, and arranged to ship them home.
• Huang Lei learned that Liu Xinjun had sent him to Southern Xinjiang to keep him away from their shared market, and he planned to return to Li Long for more mushrooms once his partner paid him.
• Liu Xinjun traced Huang Lei’s bus route to Ma County, checked out of the inn, and traveled there to find Huang Lei’s supplier.
• Liu Xinjun arrived at Li Long’s purchasing station and asked to buy dried mushrooms, but Li Long claimed they were sold out while Sun Jiaqiang kept up the story.
• Liu Xinjun offered Li Long twenty-five yuan per hundred kilos of morels, with a higher price for better goods, but Li rejected the offer because it left him no profit.