Chapter Summaries

Li Long shot two gazelles, fought with the truckers who tried to claim one, and shared the meat with people who worked for him and his family. On his way home, he stopped for two supposed travelers, recognized their weapons, and subdued them before delivering them to the police, where Guo Tiebing warned him to prioritize his safety.

• Li Long shot two gazelles after a truck driver honked to scare the herd, then fought the driver and his passenger when they demanded to buy one.
• Li Long told Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Boyuan about his snow-clearing machine contract and gave gazelle meat to Liang Shuangcheng and Sun Jiaqiang.
• Li Long brought a gazelle to Li Jianguo at the Fourth Team and headed back toward home.
• Two men asked Li Long for a ride to the county seat, but he spotted a concealed weapon and struck them with the Jeep door and a machete.
• Li Long tied up the two would-be highway robbers and took them to the police station, where Guo Tiebing advised him to escape and report such danger in the future.

Li Long learned that two itinerant criminals had targeted him, prompting a countywide security crackdown, while repeated heavy snowfalls raised concerns about herders’ livestock and winter travel. After preparing for the harsh conditions and taking extra precautions, he drove to the Fourth Team to attend Jia Weidong’s gathering.

• Li Long learned from Guo Tiebing that two criminals who had robbed people in Beiting and killed one had specifically targeted him, and the county began a broad public-security screening.
• Li Long told Li Xiangqian about the snow-clearing machines he had designed, and Li Xiangqian asked him to supply some to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
• Heavy snowfall blanketed the county, and Li Long worried that herders might run short of fodder as reports described livestock losses across the north.
• Li Long heard that beef and mutton prices had fallen as herders slaughtered sheep, but he had fodder reserves available to help if needed.
• Li Long accepted invitations to Jia Weidong’s gathering and Sun Jiaqiang’s daughter’s full-month celebration, then drove to Jia Weidong’s house with braised beef and greenhouse bok choy.

Li Long joined the Fourth Team for a late-night trip to catch Gugu Chickens, leading them to a snowy wasteland where they caught several birds. As they headed for a second spot, Liang Dacheng found fresh footprints in the snow, suggesting someone else had been there recently.

• At a village meal, Li Long heard about the abundance of rabbits and other game, and agreed to take Tao Daqiang, Xie Yundong, Liang Dacheng, and Jia Weidong out to catch Gugu Chickens.
• Li Long rested at the Front Courtyard, ate fish soup, and called Gu Xiaoxia before the others arrived near midnight with nets, flashlights, and sacks.
• Li Long led the group across snowy fields to a patch of grass and spotted a flock of Gugu Chickens among the tussocks.
• The group surrounded the birds and swept down their nets, catching nine Gugu Chickens between them before the rest flew away.
• Li Long led everyone toward a second location, where Liang Dacheng noticed fresh footprints crossing the snow.

Li Long and his companions caught Gugu Chickens in the snow, while the snow-clearing machines he had helped develop went into production and drew a large order. He brought five machines back and set out with Meng Hai to clear the deep-snow road into the mountains.

• Li Long led Tao Daqiang, Jia Weidong, Liang Dacheng, and Xie Yundong through the scrub, where they caught Gugu Chickens and returned home with their haul.
• Li Long shared Gugu Chickens and rabbits with his family, attended Sun Minghui’s one-month celebration, and arranged for Sun Jiaqiang and Liang Shuangcheng to alternate work duties.
• Li Long learned from Factory Director Du that both snow-clearing machines had entered production and that the factory had received orders for 150 machines.
• Li Long bought three push-type snow-clearing machines and two tractor attachments, distributing the push-type machines among himself, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and the Education Bureau.
• Li Long called Meng Hai to bring a Dongfanghong 75 Tractor, and the two men set out to clear a road from Qingshui River into the mountains.

Li Long and the people of Qingshui River Village cleared the snowbound mountain road with tractors and volunteers, reaching Harimu’s winter camp and then Jade Mountain River’s camp. With the road open, Li Long arranged to bring supplies for the herders and feed for their livestock, while the remaining winter-camp roads still needed clearing.

• Li Long and Meng Hai used two tractors to clear the road from Qingshui River Village to the Mountain Pass, then Meng Hai recruited villagers to volunteer for the next day’s work.
• Li Long returned with his snow-clearing machine and found seventy or eighty villagers clearing the road ahead of him.
• The workers reached the valley near Harimu’s camp, where Harimu met Li Long and thanked the group for opening the road.
• After lunch, the volunteers and tractors cleared the road to Harimu’s winter camp and then Jade Mountain River’s camp, where Harimu’s family served them mutton and nang.
• Harimu and Jade Mountain River told Li Long about the heavy snow, their livestock, and shortages of supplies; Li Long promised to bring coarse salt and arrange sugar-residue feed after the remaining camp roads were opened.

Li Long arranged supplies and tractor-mounted snow-clearing machines for Harimu and Jade Mountain River as heavy snow threatened the mountain camps. After demonstrating push-type machines at local workplaces during a major snowfall, he drove to Stone City to obtain more, where demand was already surging.

• Li Long picked up Harimu and Jade Mountain River, bought supplies, and helped them take their tractors and snow-clearing machines back into the mountains.
• Li Long collected two more tractor-mounted snow-clearing machines from the Stone City Tractor Factory and later brought supplies and collected pelts and jade from Harimu’s winter camp as snow began falling.
• After heavy overnight snow covered the county seat, Li Long cleared his courtyard and lent push-type machines to Gu Xiaoxia’s workplace and the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
• Li Xiangqian urged Li Long to obtain machines for the Prefectural Supply and Marketing Cooperative, so Li Long drove to Stone City and found buyers crowding the sales staff to place orders.

Li Long secured snow-clearing machines and helped expand their sales, then arranged sugar-residue deliveries to pastoralist winter camps. As deep snow threatened pastoralist communities, Li Xiangqian asked him to help address the looming shortage of fodder and necessities, and Li Long proposed a two-pronged approach.

• Li Long obtained two push-type snow-clearing machines from the Kuytun Farm Machinery Factory, while Qi Yuanhu explained that Li Long had invented the machines and other equipment.
• Chen Guangyu learned that local factories had rejected Li Long's designs because of his education, and he gave Li Long his office number before Li Long returned to Ma County.
• Li Long delivered the machines to Li Xiangqian, who took them to Director Qian, and Factory Director Du later told Li Long that orders had exceeded three thousand.
• After more heavy snow, Li Long and Song Ming began delivering truckloads of sugar residue to pastoralist winter camps, while Harimu and Jade Mountain River discussed supplying wolf pelts to cover transport costs.
• Li Xiangqian told Li Long that the snow disaster was leaving pastoralist communities short of fodder and supplies, and Li Long proposed a two-pronged response.

Li Long proposed slaughtering and selling culled livestock to ease the fodder shortage caused by the severe snow, and Li Xiangqian agreed to submit the idea to his superiors. Li Long began preparing to buy and store beef and mutton in Ma County, but his contacts in other areas had not yet confirmed whether they would purchase it.

• Li Long suggested slaughtering and selling culled sheep before they froze or starved, and Li Xiangqian agreed to pass the proposal to his superiors.
• Li Long told Li Xiangqian that he could buy some livestock in Ma County and planned to ask merchants in Inland China about demand.
• Li Long returned to the Purchasing Station and told Gu Boyuan that he intended to buy livestock from pastoralists affected by the snow disaster.
• Li Long set proposed wholesale prices of one yuan eighty for mutton and two yuan for beef, while Gu Boyuan wrote a notice and Sun Jiaqiang cleared a storeroom.
• Li Long called Jia Tianlong, Zhao Hui, and Huang Lei about buying large quantities of beef and mutton, but they said they needed to check market conditions first.

Li Long expanded the Purchasing Station’s purchases of cattle, sheep, and hides during the snow disaster while looking for buyers beyond the local area. After lining up some tentative sales and learning Huang Lei could not yet secure a market, Li Long returned to the Fourth Team and cleared its roads with a snow-clearing machine.

• Li Xiangqian submitted his proposal and contacted the Pastoral Team through the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, but the team gave him an ambiguous response.
• Gu Boyuan bought fresh cattle and sheep carcasses from resellers, and Li Long found the Purchasing Station’s storeroom stocked with more than a hundred carcasses.
• Li Long persuaded Zhao Hui to take twenty sheep and a head of cattle, and Jia Tianlong considered coming to buy cattle, while Huang Lei reported that established suppliers from Inner Mongolia made a deal unprofitable for now.
• Li Long suggested that snow damage in Inner Mongolia might disrupt its supply, prompting Huang Lei to investigate recent deliveries of beef and mutton.
• After returning to the Fourth Team, Li Long brought back a small four-wheel tractor and cleared the roads between the settlements, telling Xu Chengjun that the Team would need permission and work points to use the snow-clearing machine in future.

Li Long struggled to find buyers for the growing stock of cattle and sheep carcasses caused by the worsening snow disaster. A medicinal-herb buyer named Sun Benchuan arrived with the possibility of buying the inventory, but he had come especially to see Li Long’s jade and left Li Long wary of his polished manner.

• Li Long returned to the Li family after using a snow-clearing machine to clear roads leading to the settlement, then taught Li Jianguo to operate it.
• Sun Jiaqiang told Tie Lanhua that sheep purchases were increasing, while Li Long and Gu Boyuan worried that their carcass inventory was growing faster than they could sell it.
• Zhao Hui and Huang Lei each arranged to buy two hundred sheep, and Zhao Hui also bought ten cattle, but the remaining inventory climbed past a thousand sheep carcasses.
• Jia Tianlong told Li Long that Sun Benchuan might buy all his beef and mutton if Li Long let him see a piece of Doll Jade.
• Sun Benchuan arrived at the Purchasing Station with his assistant Luo Liwei, introduced himself to Li Long, and said he had come especially to see the jade as well as the cattle and sheep.
• Li Long shook Sun Benchuan’s hand but privately suspected that the buyer’s warm, flattering manner was an act.

Li Long refused Sun Benchuan’s increasingly large offers for the naturally shaped jade, even after learning that Sun had powerful connections and was interested in buying all his beef and mutton. The next morning, an unexpected phone call gave Li Long a sudden realization.

• Sun Benchuan admired Li Long’s jade, offered as much as twenty thousand US dollars plus a market-price purchase of the meat, and left after Li Long refused to sell.
• Li Long told Gu Boyuan and Gu Xiaoxia about Sun’s offer, and Jia Tianlong warned him that Sun had substantial resources and influential connections.
• Li Long judged that the hide profits had already covered the livestock purchases, but worried about selling the large stock of beef and mutton before spring.
• The next morning, Li Long received an unexpected telephone call and suddenly understood something.

Sun Benchuan waited for Li Long to accept his offer for the prized jade, believing Li Long’s surplus meat left him no choice. Li Long learned that a buyer wanted the meat and received support from relatives, friends, and business partners, while Sun Benchuan remained unaware and went to visit him again the next morning.

• Sun Benchuan told Luo Liwei he expected Li Long to accept his proposal and planned to raise his offer for the jade if necessary.
• Li Long told Gu Boyuan that Sun Benchuan was exploiting information about the meat market to profit from him and obtain the jade.
• Meng Hai and He Yuqing offered to buy meat to support Li Long, but he reassured them and gave each of them a sheep for New Year.
• Li Long’s eldest brother offered family help, while Li Long arranged to supply meat to the Team and reassured him that the deal would be profitable.
• Gu Boyuan told Li Long that Section Chief Hu wanted two hundred sheep, twenty cattle, and four red deer stags, giving Li Long another buyer for his stock.
• Sun Benchuan grew anxious when Li Long did not call, then went to visit him after breakfast the next morning.

Li Long refused Sun Benchuan’s attempt to buy his jade and cheaply acquire his meat, then learned that a snow disaster had created urgent demand for beef and mutton in Yanjing. He committed his stock to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, leaving Li Xiangqian confident that the county could meet its quota on time.

• Li Long rejected Sun Benchuan’s offer for his jade and quoted him higher prices for beef and mutton, so Sun left without a deal and searched elsewhere for supplies.
• Sun Benchuan declined Luo Liwei’s suggestion to pressure Li Long through officials and headed west toward Ili to buy meat.
• Li Long learned from Zhou Yuan that snow had blocked roads and damaged herders’ livelihoods, then met Li Xiangqian, who explained the prefecture’s urgent demand for meat.
• Li Long told Li Xiangqian that he had heard about the shortage from a secretary in Yanjing and agreed to supply the cooperative with fifty tonnes each of mutton and beef within a week.
• Li Xiangqian arranged to collect the first batch that afternoon, while Li Long told Gu Boyuan he would sell the meat to the cooperative rather than pursue higher offers from traders.

Li Xiangqian challenged the cooperative’s jealous cadres to fulfill an urgent meat order, then revealed that Li Long had already stocked most of the required beef and mutton. The cooperative delivered the first shipment and paid Li Long for the full order, while Li Long turned away outside buyers who arrived too late.

• Li Xiangqian read the order for fifty tonnes each of beef and mutton and asked the cadres to take it on, but Section Chief Zhang, Old Zheng, and the others admitted they could not meet the one-week deadline.
• Li Xiangqian brought the cooperative’s staff to Li Long’s storerooms, where Li Long showed them his stock of nearly forty tonnes of mutton and over forty tonnes of beef.
• Li Long and the workers loaded thirty tonnes of mutton and forty tonnes of beef, and Li Xiangqian escorted the shipment to the Prefecture Seat for delivery onward to Yanjing.
• Li Xiangqian paid Li Long for the full fifty-tonne beef and mutton order and praised him for helping the cooperative make a strong showing.
• Guo Hongkui offered to buy Li Long’s meat at high prices, but Li Long told him he had already sold it to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative; five more groups of buyers also arrived and left without a deal.

Li Long fulfilled the Supply and Marketing Cooperative’s beef and mutton quota, arranged further sales to local factories and business contacts, then drove into the mountains to recruit Harimu’s help with slaughtering. He found Harimu’s group clearing snow from their pasture and roads, but learned that hungry wolves and lynxes were threatening their livestock.

• The Purchasing Station’s higher prices and looser inspections drew in enough beef and mutton for Li Long to exceed the cooperative’s quota, while he turned away outside merchants offering higher prices.
• Li Xiangqian delivered the remaining meat to the Prefectural Federation, and Huang Lei and Zhao Hui contacted Li Long to request more supplies.
• Li Long arranged meat deliveries for Huang Lei, Zhao Hui, the Sugar Factory, and the Farm Machinery Factory, then prepared to bring Harimu and his companions down to help slaughter livestock.
• Li Long drove to Harimu’s Winter Camp and saw that the roads and winter pasture had been cleared of deep snow using the snow-clearing machine.
• Harimu told Li Long that hungry wolves and lynxes were circling the camps and preying on livestock, then agreed to help with the slaughter.
• When wolves howled nearby during lunch, Harimu grabbed his gun and went outside, and Li Long followed, considering a return to hunting.

Li Long arranged for Jade Mountain River and the Winter Camp residents to help slaughter livestock, then prepared his mountain cabin and encountered a pack of wolves. After bringing sheep and offal to his family, he planned to pick up the helpers the next morning, while his parents argued over whether his father should join him on a wolf hunt.

• Li Long and Harimu visited Jade Mountain River, who agreed to bring the young men down the mountain to help slaughter four or five hundred sheep, cattle, and deer.
• Li Long drove around with Jade Mountain River and Harimu to notify four households, then visited his Small Wooden Cabin and lit the stove and cleared snow from the roof.
• A pack of five or six wolves howled near the cabin and ran west through the snow; Li Long watched them but chose not to shoot.
• Li Long went to Old Ma's Place, where Uncle Lao Luo and the others had slaughtered four sheep and were cleaning offal, and took three sheep and some offal home.
• Li Long told his family slaughtering would begin the next morning, and Li Qingxia offered to join him wolf hunting before Du Chunfang argued that he was too old.

Li Long oversaw a lively week of slaughtering cattle and sheep at Old Ma's Place, feeding villagers and selling meat, offal, and hides for a large profit. With the work finished and the Purchasing Station preparing to close for the New Year, he stocked up on nang and headed into the mountains to hunt and help Harimu's group deal with wolves.

• Li Long bought nang and drove Harimu and the other pastoralists to Old Ma's Place, where villagers had prepared for the slaughter.
• Harimu and his companions slaughtered sheep while Li Long distributed hot mutton and broth to the children and brought meat to his parents and Li Juan.
• Li Long and the villagers slaughtered livestock for nearly a week, selling meat and offal to factories, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, resellers, and local residents.
• Li Long sold the hides to the County Leather Factory for more than six thousand yuan and calculated a total livestock profit of around a hundred and ten thousand yuan.
• Li Long told Gu Boyuan the Purchasing Station would close for the holiday on Little New Year and told Gu Xiaoxia he planned to hunt in the mountains.
• Li Long bought the morning's first ovenful of nang and headed into the mountains to hunt and help Harimu and the others deal with wolves.

Li Long and Harimu hunted seven wolves and two wild boars near Harimu's Winter Camp, then Li Long returned to the Wooden Cabin and used offal to lure more wolves. The chapter ended as Li Long and a yellow animal spotted each other beside the bait.

• Li Long drove to Harimu's Winter Camp, where Harimu said three wolves had been seen nearby, and the two men went into the Woods to hunt them.
• Li Long tracked the wolves and he and Harimu shot five; they then spotted a herd of wild boars, and Li Long shot two as the animals fled.
• Li Long and Harimu dragged the game back to camp, where Jade Mountain River joined them in skinning all seven animals before lunch.
• Li Long packed the meat and offal, visited his family in the County Seat, then returned to the Wooden Cabin and cooked a wild boar leg.
• After Li Long heard a wolf howl near the cabin, he left offal outside as bait and waited for more wolves to approach.
• Li Long went outside and came face to face with a yellow animal running toward the offal.

Li Long hunted wolves with Talihaal and learned that the winter camp’s herders had weathered the heavy snow well, but that night a huge creature attacked him outside his cabin. The chapter ended as Li Long fired at it, with its identity and the outcome still unknown.

• Li Long missed a lynx during a chase, then shot two wolves that came to feed on bait outside his cabin.
• The next morning, Li Long found that animals had taken the remaining bait and drove to Jade Mountain River’s winter camp, where Talihaal described shooting a wolf and the herders discussed the snow disaster.
• Li Long and Talihaal searched the nearby woods for game, found tracks and the remains of a roe deer eaten by wolves, but saw no animals.
• After returning home, Li Long put out more wolf offal as bait and prepared for the night.
• A huge creature lunged at Li Long outside his cabin, smashed the wooden worktable he used for cover, and Li Long fired his rifle at it.

Li Long survived a close encounter with a Northern Xinjiang Tiger King, then stayed in the mountains until the wolves returned and the Winter Camps were safe. After returning home, he discovered that the stone a pastoralist had given him was not ordinary.

• The Northern Xinjiang Tiger King charged Li Long, but he shot and wounded its ear, scaring it into fleeing; afterward, he found the severed ear tip and spent the night shaken by the encounter.
• Li Long told Jade Mountain River, Talihaal, Harimu, and Bek about the tiger, and they concluded that it had driven the wolves away from the Winter Camps.
• Li Long stayed in the mountains for two more days, keeping watch for the Tiger King, until distant wolf howls returned and he decided to head home.
• Li Long said goodbye to Jade Mountain River, gathered his belongings, and drove back to the Big Courtyard, where he reunited with Han Fang, Mingming, and Haohao.
• As Li Long unloaded the stone a pastoralist had given him, sunlight glinted off it and revealed that it was no ordinary stone.