Chapter Summaries

Liu Shanmin realized that Li Long’s three truckloads of sugar could earn far more than expected, while Li Long arranged the county’s big-broom orders across several villages. The next day, Li Long visited Wang Mingjun’s company to arrange work and make sure his nephew Li Qiang would be welcomed when he arrived to pick cotton.

• Liu Shanmin calculated that three truckloads of white sugar could bring in substantial US dollars and looked forward to future deals with Li Long.
• Li Long loaded twelve tonnes of sugar at the Sugar Factory for Liu Gaolou, then discussed the partnership with Section Chief Hu.
• Li Xiangqian gave Li Long the county’s order for forty thousand big brooms, and Li Long arranged production with Meng Hai, Liang Wenyu, Li Jianguo, and Xu Chengjun.
• Li Long told Xu Chengjun that his family planned to grow cotton the following year and explained that cotton would be a major future crop.
• Li Long drove to Wang Mingjun’s company, where he said Li Qiang would arrive with the students to pick cotton and Wang promised to treat him like family.

Li Qiang traveled with his classmates to pick cotton and received help from workers who remembered his father, Li Jianguo. Meanwhile, Li Long expanded the broom business and received bear gallbladders and other goods from Liu Gaolou, along with six thousand US dollars toward the white sugar deal.

• Li Jianguo drove Li Qiang and the other Fourth Team students to school, and Li Long helped arrange for Li Qiang's group to stay with Old Nie.
• Old Nie recognized Li Qiang as Li Jianguo's son, welcomed him warmly, and served the students chicken; the next day, Old Nie and Nie Xinmin helped Li Qiang exceed his cotton-picking quota.
• Li Long reassured Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei that Li Qiang was being looked after, while he collected and inspected big brooms from several work sites.
• Li Long and Li Xiangqian delivered ten thousand big brooms to the Prefectural Supply and Marketing Cooperative, where Director Qian approved them for shipment to the Autonomous Region.
• Liu Gaolou arrived with medicinal herbs, hides, antelope horns, and ten bear gallbladders, which Li Long agreed to buy for twelve hundred yuan.
• Liu Gaolou told Li Long that his uncle had sent six thousand US dollars toward the white sugar payment, with the balance offset by the goods.

Liu Gaolou delivered goods to Li Long and used six thousand US dollars to collect another twelve tons of sugar, while Section Chief Hu offered Li Long sugar residue for his livestock. Liu Shanmin then asked Li Long to receive ten running cars declared as scrap, hoping to use the arrangement to pursue a secret assignment involving heavy trucks.

• Liu Gaolou sold hides, antelope horns, bear gallbladders, and herbs to Li Long, who paid him twenty thousand yuan and used six thousand US dollars to collect twelve tons of sugar from the August First Sugar Factory.
• Section Chief Hu offered Li Long free deliveries of sugar residue, and Li Long accepted because he needed feed for his growing cattle and sheep operation.
• Liu Shanmin told Liu Gaolou to continue using Li Long as the sugar-trade middleman, and Liu Gaolou agreed that he could not manage the trade alone.
• Liu Shanmin asked Li Long to receive ten running Ladas and Volgas declared as scrap, and Li Long agreed to try one shipment while refusing Liu Shanmin's proposal for larger, frequent deliveries.
• Liu Shanmin carried the sugar across the border and planned to use the car trade as cover for obtaining the heavy trucks needed for his assignment.

Li Long welcomed Liu Gaolou’s convoy of Soviet vehicles and learned that the imported cars had legitimate customs paperwork and cost three thousand yuan each. He planned how to distribute them among local buyers and the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, while Liu Gaolou proposed handling future vehicle and goods transactions separately.

• Li Long brought Li Qiang home from the cotton-picking trip, and Li Qiang told him about the work and his time in the fields.
• Li Long asked Xie Yundong, Tao Daqiang, and Liang Dacheng what kinds of cars they wanted, as each considered buying a vehicle and growing cotton next year.
• Li Long calculated his broom-making earnings and planned to keep a vehicle, sell cars to local buyers, and donate one to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
• Liu Gaolou arrived at the Purchasing Station with ten vehicles and trucks carrying licorice, astragalus, hides, and antelope horns.
• Liu Gaolou gave Li Long the vehicles’ customs documents and said they cost three thousand yuan each, then proposed separating future transactions for vehicles and goods.

Li Long completed deals with Liu Gaolou, acquired seven Soviet cars, and arranged their repairs and distribution. He also secured technical guidance for Qingshui Hezi’s floodgate and bridge work, finished the floodgate, and received the serviced cars back at the Purchasing Station.

• Li Long paid Liu Gaolou for the cars and goods, while Liu Gaolou handed over six thousand US dollars for the white sugar and arranged to load more the next day.
• Li Long sent the seven cars to the Motor Pool for repairs and discussed giving or selling them to Gu Boyuan, Li Jianguo, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and others.
• Li Long loaded another twelve tonnes of sugar for Liu Gaolou, then paid Section Chief Hu and considered Liu Gaolou’s request for future supplies such as cement and winter clothing.
• Li Long consulted Meng Hai about the bridge and floodgate, then arranged for technician Zhao Chengfeng to provide professional construction guidance.
• Li Long took Jiang Zhiyu to Qingshui Hezi, relayed Zhao Chengfeng’s advice, and helped Meng Hai’s team complete the floodgate by the second.
• The Transport Company finished servicing the seven cars and delivered them to the Purchasing Station yard on the third, leaving Li Long ready to distribute them.

Li Long sold a serviced Volga to Li Xiangqian for five thousand yuan and donated a Lada to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. After Li Xiangqian agreed to arrange paperwork for two more cars, Li Long left to prepare for a trip to Kuytun and the mountain bridge project.

• Li Long drove the Volga to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, where Li Xiangqian test-drove it and agreed to buy it for five thousand yuan.
• Li Long offered to donate a Lada to the cooperative, and Li Xiangqian accepted; Qin Haodong drove the car back and arranged a space for it.
• Li Long told Li Xiangqian that the Volga had entered as scrap and needed paperwork for regular use, and Li Xiangqian agreed to handle it and arrange paperwork for two more cars.
• Li Long revealed that he had brought back seven cars and said he intended to keep finding legal ways to make money.
• Li Long left the cooperative to prepare to go to Kuytun to pick up Zhao Chengfeng and begin building the bridge in the mountains.

Li Long brought Zhao Chengfeng to the mountains to supervise construction of the bridge, then returned with him the next day so he could guide the work and learn to identify codonopsis. After taking his family home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Long discussed buying surplus watermelon seeds with Gu Boyuan while his brothers talked about cars.

• Li Long drove Zhao Chengfeng into the mountains, where Zhao directed Meng Hai and the others as they prepared the bridge foundations and planned the bridge deck.
• Li Long took Zhao Chengfeng to dig up a large codonopsis root, and Zhao eagerly brought it home.
• Li Long returned with Zhao Chengfeng to finish the foundations, then arranged for him to come back that weekend to guide construction of the bridge structure.
• Li Long picked up Li Anguo's family and took them to the Fourth Team for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
• Gu Boyuan told Li Long that watermelon-seed growers were struggling to sell their crop, and Li Long agreed to buy some at a low price if they could store it.

Li Long sold a secondhand van to Xie Yundong and brought several more vehicles into the village, prompting Tao Daqiang and Liang Dacheng to practice driving and consider buying cars. Meanwhile, the Purchasing Station resumed buying watermelon seeds, and the first batch of seven vehicles was distributed, leaving Li Long with a small loss.

• Li Long arrived in the village with a yellow van, explained that it was a scrapped vehicle without paperwork, and sold a similar van to Xie Yundong for five thousand yuan.
• Xie Yundong drove his van home, where villagers gathered to inspect it, while he and Deng Guilan discussed getting a dog to guard it.
• Yang Pingping persuaded Tao Daqiang that a car could earn money by taking brides to weddings, while Jia Weidong decided not to buy one yet.
• Gu Boyuan announced that the Purchasing Station would buy clean, flattened watermelon seeds for one yuan per kilogram, and sellers began bringing in large quantities.
• Tao Daqiang and Liang Dacheng drove Xie Yundong's van to collect two Lada sedans, while Li Long brought the Type 69 Vehicle to the Fourth Team for his eldest brother to practice in.
• Li Long finished selling all seven vehicles from Liu Gaolou's first batch for less than they had cost him.

Li Long completed a bridge project with Meng Hai and advised Liu Shanmin to prepare for the possible collapse of the Soviet Union. Liu Shanmin accepted the advice, gave Li Long a used Volga, and invited him to hunt across the border.

• Li Long guided Zhao Chengfeng and Meng Hai's villagers as they poured the bridge deck, then helped Zhao Chengfeng find codonopsis before driving him back to Kuytun.
• Li Long watched Meng Hai's crew finish the bridge and extend the road while the nearby pastoralists gathered supplies and supported the construction.
• Liu Shanmin met Li Long at the County Hotel and gave him a Volga after completing his assignment and receiving a commendation.
• Li Long warned Liu Shanmin that the Soviet Union might collapse and advised him to establish a trading company, stockpile US dollars, and import everyday goods.
• Liu Shanmin considered Li Long's advice and invited him to hunt Mongolian gazelles, antelopes, and red deer across the border.

Li Long considered hunting and trading in Kazakhstan after Liu Shanmin offered to arrange his paperwork, then accepted a Volga that Liu said brought him good luck. As Liu planned to establish a trading company and stockpile goods for possible unrest, Li Xiangqian showed off his own Volga at a prefectural meeting, while the Fourth Team practiced driving their new cars.

• Li Long discussed traveling to Kazakhstan to hunt, and Liu Shanmin offered to arrange his identity and paperwork while bringing him a Volga as a gift.
• Li Long paid Liu Gaolou 72,000 yuan for medicinal herbs, antelope horns, and hides, then gave Liu Shanmin and Liu Gaolou jade carvings in return.
• Liu Shanmin explained that he planned to establish a trading company and stockpile supplies in case unrest in Kazakhstan disrupted trade.
• Li Long returned to the Big Courtyard with the Volga and told Gu Xiaoxia that Liu Shanmin had given it to him because he believed Li Long brought good luck.
• Li Xiangqian drove his Volga to a prefectural meeting and impressed the other officials, explaining that it was a refurbished secondhand car.
• Li Jianguo, Xie Yundong, Tao Daqiang, and Liang Dacheng practiced driving their four cars along country roads.

Li Long joined Liu Shanmin’s convoy to Kazakhstan to explore trade opportunities and experience life across the border. After crossing Customs and traveling west, they reached Almaty, where Li Long found the city dimly lit and less prosperous than he had expected.

• Liu Shanmin told Li Long that the higher-ups supported his trading company and handed him six thousand US dollars for another sugar purchase.
• Li Long decided to travel to Kazakhstan with Liu Shanmin, and Li Jianguo wished him safety before the convoy left on October 22.
• Li Long and Liu Shanmin traveled through Jinghe and Guozigou, then stayed with Bek and Mulat in Khorgos and ate horse meat naren.
• Liu Shanmin presented the paperwork at Customs, and the convoy crossed into Kazakhstan with sugar, ghee, and butter.
• Li Long traveled through Panfilov and reached Almaty after dark, where he saw sparse lights, uneven roads, and few pedestrians.

Li Long and Liu Gaolou stayed with Liu Shanmin in the Soviet capital, where shortages and rising black-market prices revealed how difficult life had become. After Liu Shanmin sold the white sugar, the group prepared to go hunting near the border, and Li Long was struck by the abundance of wildlife and fish there.

• Lisa served Li Long and Liu Gaolou dinner and explained that food supplies were tight in the capital.
• Li Long and Liu Gaolou walked through the city, saw people queueing at a bakery, and returned to find that Liu Shanmin had sold the white sugar at a sharply higher price.
• Liu Shanmin took the visitors to a restaurant, warned them that an unhappy buyer might cause trouble, and arranged to go hunting with them while Lisa visited her family.
• Liu Shanmin showed Li Long and Liu Gaolou his guns, and they chose weapons for the next day's hunting trip.
• Li Long, Liu Gaolou, Liu Shanmin, Bek, and Mulat drove east to Bek and Mulat's relatives' home near the border, where Li Long spotted a river packed with small pike.

Li Long and his companions visited Bek’s relatives, caught river fish for lunch, and then set out to hunt across the grasslands. After a large herd of Mongolian gazelles was shot, Li Long tested and adjusted his rifle, and he brought down an antelope as the hunt continued.

• Li Long dammed the stream with an iron spade, and Liu Gaolou and two children gathered fish stranded in the shallows.
• Li Long cooked the fish for Bek’s family, who enjoyed his soup and showed him an embroidered blanket to take back to Jade Mountain River for identification.
• Liu Shanmin led the group northeast in two vehicles, and they encountered a herd of Mongolian gazelles on the grassland.
• Li Long missed his first shots, while the others killed seven or eight gazelles; he tested his rifle on a tree and learned that it shot to the left.
• The group advanced toward a smaller herd of antelope, and Li Long shot and dropped a young male.

Li Long traveled with Liu Shanmin and the others to Nalinguole, where Baishanbai led them into the Heavenly Mountain range to hunt bears. Li Long shot a huge brown bear, but he remained alert for the smaller bear that he had seen and could not find.

• Li Long and the others returned from an antelope hunt, prepared their guns, and set out the next day for Nalinguole.
• At the border river, Liu Shanmin warned that they could not fish there, and the group continued to the small county town.
• Baishanbai hosted the group and showed them snow leopard pelts and a bear skin before arranging a bear hunt for the next morning.
• Liu Shanmin stayed behind to recover from drinking while Li Long, Liu Gaolou, Bek, and Baishanbai headed into the mountains.
• Li Long tracked bear signs, spotted a bear near a rocky summit, and shot a large brown bear that tumbled down the slope.
• Li Long warned the others that a smaller bear was still nearby, but they found no sign of it as Baishanbai and Bek butchered the carcass.

Li Long returned from a successful trip abroad with bear hide, gifts, apples, and horse meat, and brought home a car after arranging another sugar shipment. He reunited with Gu Xiaoxia and the children, then spent the night with his wife.

• Li Long and his companions carried the brown bear meat and hide back to Nalinguole, where Liu Shanmin and Baishanbai praised his shooting.
• Li Long returned through Almaty and Yining with Liu Shanmin, received six thousand US dollars, and agreed to fetch three more truckloads of sugar with Liu Gaolou.
• Li Long bought a Moskvitch sedan and local specialties, then drove with Liu Gaolou through snowy Guozigou toward Ma County.
• Li Long arrived at the Purchasing Station after dark, then went home and gave Gu Xiaoxia, Mingming, Haohao, Han Fang, and Sister Yang gifts from the trip.
• After Mingming and Haohao went to sleep, Li Long pulled Gu Xiaoxia into bed, and they spent the night together.

After returning from the Soviet Union, Li Long delivered gifts to Section Chief Hu and arranged another sugar purchase, then brought apples and Soviet goods to his family and friends in the Fourth Team. He described conditions abroad while helping finish the family’s stove and heated walls, and the chapter ended when the Purchasing Station called about a buyer from Inland China.

• Li Long and Liu Gaolou unloaded their goods, then took gifts to Section Chief Hu and arranged to purchase another twelve tons of sugar.
• Li Long returned to the Purchasing Station, loaded apples and local specialties, and drove his Volga to the Fourth Team.
• Li Long told his family about the Soviet Union while helping them finish the stove and heated walls.
• Xie Yundong and other friends arrived, helped clear the yard, and discussed how they were earning money with their cars.
• Li Long shared Soviet sweets and horse meat with the group and answered their questions about his trip abroad.
• The Purchasing Station called Li Long to say a buyer from Inland China had arrived.

Li Long met with Bai Xiuming, negotiated a trade for the Moskvich, and agreed to sell him watermelon seeds. The chapter ended with Li Long and Gu Boyuan discussing the profits and plans to send shoes to the Soviet Union.

• Li Long agreed to join Xie Yundong and Tao Daqiang for a meal the next day, then drove his Moskvich back to the Purchasing Station.
• Bai Xiuming visited Li Long with tea, tried the Moskvich, and agreed to buy it for fifty thousand yuan, paying half in cash and half in shoes.
• Li Long and Bai Xiuming settled on a tentative order of one thousand pairs of leather shoes and three thousand pairs of rubber cotton shoes, pending confirmation.
• Bai Xiuming explained that his factory had resumed production after local authorities promised protection, and he agreed to buy all fifty tonnes of Li Long’s best watermelon seeds at three yuan fifty per unit.
• Li Long told Gu Boyuan that the shoes would be sent to the Soviet Union and that future car imports would be fewer but sold at higher prices.

Bai Xiuming arranged to buy thousands of pairs of shoes and returned to secure the Moscow person automobile while Li Long completed the Watermelon Seeds sale. At a gathering in the Fourth Team, Li Long advised the farmers to grow cotton and explained that more cheap vehicles were unlikely to arrive.

• Bai Xiuming confirmed wholesale prices and shipping for cotton-lined leather shoes and Rubber Cotton Shoes, arranged a deposit transfer, and stayed up worrying about buying the car.
• Bai Xiuming delivered fifty tonnes of Watermelon Seeds to Li Long, settled the sale, and signed a contract to secure the Moscow person automobile.
• Li Long distributed profits and bonuses, gave Gu Boyuan working capital, and drove to Tao Daqiang's home with braised food for the gathering.
• Li Long gave Li Qiang some food and encouraged him to keep studying after hearing about his strong grades.
• Li Long explained cotton planting methods and risks to Tao Daqiang, Jia Weidong, Xie Yundong, Liang Dacheng, and the others, and argued that cotton was a safer crop than Watermelon Seeds.
• Li Long shared Soviet vodka at dinner and told Jia Weidong that further cheap vehicles were unlikely because transport through Guozigou was difficult and drivers were scarce.

Li Long returned from a family visit and received another shipment from Liu Gaolou, including antelope horns, pelts, a Volga, and a gifted sidecar motorcycle. Bai Xiuming's delayed shoe shipment finally arrived, allowing their planned trades to move forward.

• Li Long gave Li Qiang lunch money, advised Li Junfeng to arrange a hospital birth for his wife, and returned home with fish his family had caught.
• Bai Xiuming waited in Wu City for the shoes and discussed a possible car resale with Old Wei while repeatedly assuring Li Long that he still intended to buy.
• Liu Gaolou delivered five thousand pairs of antelope horns, a thousand pelts, a Volga, and a sidecar motorcycle that Liu Shanmin had given Li Long.
• Li Long paid two hundred thousand yuan for the horns and pelts, stored the horns for future sale, and arranged for Liu Gaolou to transport the shoes once they arrived.
• Li Long test-rode the sidecar motorcycle, attracted Guo Tiebing and other police officers' attention, and took it home to keep.
• Bai Xiuming finally returned with the goods after Liu Gaolou had waited another two days.

Li Long traded Bai Xiuming a shipment of shoes for a Moskvich, sent the shoes and sugar with Liu Gaolou to test the market, and received news that the factory had paid him another share of its profits. After Harimu, Jade Mountain River, and the others returned early from the mountains, Li Long helped them restart their tractors and buy supplies, then drove into the mountains with food and apples.

• Bai Xiuming delivered one thousand pairs of leather shoes and three thousand pairs of rubber cotton shoes, paid Li Long half the price of a Moskvich, and drove away in it after inspecting the car.
• Li Long checked the shoes and sent them with Liu Gaolou to Liu Shanmin, asking him to return dollars or scarce goods; Liu Gaolou also loaded sugar before leaving.
• Factory Director Du told Li Long that the factory had sold over a hundred and sixty spraying machines, shifted production to snow-clearing machines, and transferred Li Long another share of the profits.
• Harimu, Jade Mountain River, Bek, Talihaal, and the others returned early from the mountains, and Li Long started their tractors and took them to buy supplies.
• Li Long borrowed Gu Boyuan's van, loaded horse meat, horse sausage, and apples, and drove to Harimu Winter Camp, where a large group came out to greet him.