Chapter Summaries

Li Long rejected Huang Yufei’s attempt to partner with him in the jade business and spent the day meeting officials while Gu Xiaoyu showed Harimu and the children around Yanjing. After returning to the courtyard, Li Long learned that a middle-aged woman had come for Gu Xiaoyu and left with her, raising his suspicion that she was his mother-in-law.

• Huang Yufei asked Li Long to partner in selling jade, but Li Long refused and told him he would only discuss the business with Gu Xiaoyu.
• Gu Xiaoyu joined Li Long, Harimu, and the children for pilaf, then took the group to Wangfujing while Li Long went to meet a leader and Director Dai.
• Li Long bought return tickets for three days later and inspected the other two courtyards, deciding to leave Gu Xiaoyu extra money.
• Harimu told Li Long that a middle-aged woman had waited for Gu Xiaoyu and then left with her, leading Li Long to suspect the woman was his mother-in-law.

Li Long returned from Yanjing with the children, then resumed business with Liu Gaolou and learned why Section Chief Hu was grateful for the careful arrangements on his Soviet inspection trip. The Sugar Factory agreed to deepen its cooperation with Li Long by offering wholesale sugar prices and raising his monthly limit to a hundred tons.

• Li Long took the children to Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, showed them around Yanjing, and gave Gu Xiaoyu five thousand US dollars to buy antiques for him.
• Li Long and the children returned home by way of Wu City, where they visited the regional museum before going back to the mountains.
• Liu Gaolou delivered three thousand hides and antelope horns, bought fifty tons of sugar, and settled his accounts with Li Long.
• Section Chief Hu told Li Long that other returning groups had faced police extortion, a missing engineer, and harm to a woman during Soviet trips.
• Section Chief Hu said the factory director would deepen cooperation with Li Long, offer sugar at wholesale prices, and raise his monthly limit to a hundred tons.

Li Long arranged urgent cement deliveries and another hide shipment, then brought Mingming and Haohao home for a visit. At the Purchasing Station, he showed Wang Mingjun and Big Old Chen imported GAZ-69s and offered to let them pay for vehicles with hides, leaving Wang interested in buying a new one.

• Li Long arranged for Liu Jianhua to deliver up to fifty tons of cement a day at twice the usual freight cost and asked Zhao Hui to collect another three thousand hides.
• Li Long brought Mingming and Haohao home from Li Jianguo's place, where they had been playing with Li Qiang, and the children excitedly asked about his Yanjing trip.
• Li Long waited at the Purchasing Station for Wang Mingjun, who arrived with Big Old Chen and asked whether Li Long's imported vehicles were for sale.
• Li Long showed Wang Mingjun and Big Old Chen a new GAZ-69 and quoted forty thousand yuan for it, while offering Big Old Chen an older vehicle instead.
• Li Long told Wang Mingjun that the new GAZ-69 had complete import paperwork and offered to accept hides as payment, prompting Wang to consider buying it.

Li Long sold a new GAZ-69 to Wang Mingjun in exchange for hides and an advance, then attracted another Corps commander, Zhao Zongming, who traded hides to reserve a secondhand vehicle. After demand grew, Li Long asked Liu Gaolou to bring more GAZ-69s while preparing a hundred tons of cement for trade.

• Wang Mingjun and Big Old Chen exchanged hundreds of hides and cash toward a new GAZ-69, then test-drove it and returned home to hunt for the remaining payment.
• Li Long visited Li Jianguo, heard that his own GAZ-69 was running well, and warned Mingming and Haohao not to repeat an inappropriate joke they had heard from Mingwa.
• Zhao Zongming called Li Long about the new Jeep, then arrived with hides and traded them toward a secondhand GAZ-69, reserving one for himself.
• Li Long called Liu Gaolou and asked him to have Liu Shanmin bring as many GAZ-69s as possible on the next trip.
• Liu Gaolou confirmed that he would bring the vehicles and said he planned to trade the hundred tons of cement Li Long had prepared for goods needed across the border.

As the New Year approached, Li Long prepared supplies and completed major hide, vehicle, and cement deals with Zhao Hui and Liu Gaolou. Liu Gaolou brought two huge Ili River sturgeon as gifts, and Li Long divided one among friends and associates before taking Liu Gaolou out for dinner.

• Gu Xiaoxia and Sister Yang prepared New Year food while Li Long gathered greenhouse vegetables, and Zhao Hui arrived and bought more than three thousand hides.
• Li Long paid Gu Boyuan dividends and gave Liang Shuangcheng and Sun Jiaqiang bonuses while waiting for Liu Gaolou’s arrival.
• Liu Gaolou arrived with a convoy, sold Li Long two thousand hides and four GAZ-69s, and bought a hundred tons of cement.
• Liu Gaolou gave Li Long two enormous sturgeon, which drew a crowd at the Purchasing Station.
• Li Long took the fish home, gave Sister Yang a portion, and cut another fish into sections for New Year gifts.
• Li Long picked up Liu Gaolou and took him to Tuanfeng Tower for dinner.

Li Long hosted Liu Gaolou for a farewell meal, where Liu Gaolou admitted that he had learned to value their middleman partnership after failing to trade directly with factories. The next day, Li Long drove him to the train station with smoked fish, then delivered fish and New Year gifts to friends and family as Spring Festival approached.

• Liu Gaolou drank heavily with Li Long and confessed that his attempts to buy sugar and sell hides and cement directly had failed, so he accepted his role as a middleman.
• Li Long took the drunken Liu Gaolou back to the guesthouse, then went home and discussed New Year gifts and plans with Gu Xiaoxia.
• The next morning, Li Long gave Liu Gaolou smoked fish, drove him to Wu City Railway Station, and saw him onto a train.
• Li Long delivered New Year gifts to Director Qian, Chen Hongjun, and Director Wei before returning to Ma County after dark.
• Li Long shared the huge fish with Li Qingxia and Li Jianguo, then brought some to Gu Boyuan as the Spring Festival of 1988 began.

At New Year’s Eve dinner, Li Long persuaded Li Jianguo to expand the family’s farming operation by planting cotton, leasing wasteland, and bringing workers from Inland China. The next morning, Li Anguo’s and Li Qingxia’s families arrived for the New Year, filling the courtyard with relatives and children.

• At dinner, Li Long explained family responsibilities to Li Qiang and discussed the year’s business with Li Jianguo, Li Junfeng, and the others.
• Li Long urged Li Jianguo to plant a hundred mu of cotton, lease saline-alkali wasteland, and recruit workers from back home; Li Jianguo agreed to try the plan.
• Li Long proposed building brick rooms for the workers and having Li Junfeng supervise them, while Li Qingxia offered to contact relatives about coming to work.
• The next morning, Li Jianguo drove to the county seat and brought back Li Anguo’s family and Li Qingxia’s family.
• The visiting relatives reunited, and the children quickly began playing together in the courtyards.

Li Long reunited with family and friends for the New Year, gave the children jade gifts, and persuaded his friends to expand their cotton planting plans. After the holiday, he sold vehicles and handled another shipment of pelts at the county courtyard, where Wang Mingjun prepared to take ownership of a vehicle.

• Li Long gave the children carved Hetian river jade and later shared kaluga sturgeon with his friends at Xie Yundong's New Year gathering.
• Li Long announced that his family would plant one hundred mu of cotton, and Tao Daqiang, Xie Yundong, Liang Dacheng, and Jia Weidong settled on their own planting plans.
• Xu Chengjun asked Li Long about buying a vehicle and discussed how Li Long would help Team members learn cotton-growing techniques.
• Meng Hai bought a used GAZ-69, and Zheng Xiangyang test-drove another vehicle while Wang Mingjun brought pelts to the Purchasing Station.
• Wang Mingjun counted his latest shipment of pelts and looked forward to taking his vehicle once he paid the remaining balance.

Li Long sold several GAZ-69 vehicles to Zheng Xiangyang and Zhao Zongming, then received Wang Mingjun and Big Old Chen when they came back for vehicles after the Lantern Festival. Wang Mingjun and Big Old Chen each chose a vehicle and prepared to drive it home.

• Zheng Xiangyang tested a twenty-thousand-yuan vehicle, paid Li Long, and drove it away after receiving the paperwork.
• Zhao Zongming brought hides to Li Long, inspected the newer vehicles, and bought one for twenty-nine thousand yuan.
• Li Long learned that seven or eight people from his hometown might come looking for work, while his family planned to prepare materials for building houses after the snow melted.
• Wang Mingjun and Big Old Chen returned with hides and gifts, paid the remaining balance for their vehicles, and Big Old Chen chose a vehicle after a test drive.

Li Long prepared the Purchasing Station for spring, settled its winter hide business, and arranged a trip to Ili for the Nowruz Festival. After returning home, he found his family had finished building four rooms for the people expected from his hometown and helped prepare bedding before setting off.

• Gu Boyuan stocked fertilizer and plastic sheeting for the spring season, while Li Long discussed how to advertise the supplies.
• Liu Gaolou told Li Long that relatives had demanded a share of his Khorgos business, so he moved his wife and children to the provincial capital; Li Long urged him to rest before returning to work.
• Liu Gaolou invited Li Long to visit Ili for the Nowruz Festival, and Li Long agreed to go if his other responsibilities allowed.
• Zhao Hui bought nearly four thousand hides from Li Long for 680,000 yuan, and Li Long rewarded Gu Boyuan, Liang Shuangcheng, and Sun Jiaqiang for their work.
• Li Long returned home and found that Li Jianguo and the others had finished four rooms, so he bought cotton batting and fabric for their bedding.
• Li Long told his family he planned to visit Ili, and Dad and Li Jianguo agreed.

Li Long set off from home for Ili, driving west through Jinghe and across Guozigou toward Yining while taking in the region’s scenery and towns. He bought a deposit on wolfberry seedlings in Jinghe and arrived in Yining, where he explored the Grand Bazaar while waiting for Liu Gaolou.

• Gu Xiaoxia packed clothes, food, and medicine for Li Long, urged him to stay warm and drive safely, and discussed taking a family trip together later.
• Li Long drove west in his Type 69 Vehicle, stopped in Wusu for lunch, and reached Jinghe before sunset.
• Li Long compared wolfberry nurseries in Jinghe and paid a deposit for more than ten thousand two-year-old cuttings.
• Li Long avoided the mountain pastoral road because of the season, crossed Sayram Lake and Guozigou, and continued through Luchagou and Qingshui River toward Yining.
• Li Long checked into the Huacheng Hotel to meet Liu Gaolou, then visited the Grand Bazaar, ate kebabs, and wandered along Liberation Road.

Li Long joined Liu Gaolou and Wu Yongbo for dinner, then went to Sandaohezi to help set a fishing net across a tributary of the Ili River. After proving his strength and fishing skill, he spotted a huge fish in the net, but it leapt free and escaped.

• Liu Gaolou hosted a welcome dinner for Li Long, where Wu Yongbo introduced himself and invited Li Long to go fishing at Sandaohezi the next day.
• Li Long declined Wu Yongbo's offer to arrange someone to look after him overnight, and they agreed to visit the Ili River Bridge before fishing.
• Li Long, Liu Gaolou, and Wu Yongbo visited the bridge, where Li Long saw enormous fish displayed outside local restaurants, then drove to a tributary near Sandaohezi.
• Li Long waded into the cold river and drove a stake into the riverbed, then helped a struggling fisherman secure another stake and stretch a net across the current.
• Li Long spotted a fish caught in the net, rushed into the river, and pushed up the net pocket, but a huge fish leapt out and escaped.

Li Long caught several large fish barehanded in the icy river while the others brought in more, and he agreed to buy Wu Yongbo’s fritillaria. The group spotted a school of common carp as the chapter ended.

• Li Long caught a large common carp and alerted the others to another fish in the net pocket, which they brought ashore.
• Li Long caught a grass carp and a kaluga sturgeon, while the others caught and cleaned more fish.
• Liu Gaolou briefly took the kaluga sturgeon, but it thrashed free and hit the rocky ground before Wu Yongbo secured it.
• Silver carp leaped around the stakes, and Li Long explained that a school had been frightened by the nets.
• Li Long told Wu Yongbo he would buy his fritillaria, with Liu Gaolou vouching for him.
• Li Long spotted a school of common carp in the river and shouted to the others.

Li Long caught more common carp from the river and enjoyed grilled fish with Liu Gaolou and Wu Yongbo. Afterward, Wu Yongbo took them to a hot spring, where Li Long discussed buying wild fritillaria and agreed to spend two or three days celebrating the festival with Bek.

• A huge school of common carp passed through the river, and Li Long caught several more by waiting beside the net.
• Li Long, Liu Gaolou, and the other fishermen warmed themselves by eating Wu Yongbo’s grilled fish and small fish.
• Li Long tried casting a net, then joined Wu Yongbo and Liu Gaolou to visit a hot spring in Daxigou.
• At the hot spring, Li Long told Liu Gaolou he would buy wild fritillaria if the quality was good.
• Li Long agreed to stay two or three days and celebrate the festival with Bek.

Li Long and Liu Gaolou traveled with Bek to celebrate Nauryz with Bek’s relatives, where Li Long learned that Bek’s older cousin Geming Bek and his wife Mia had been unable to have children. After hearing about Li Long’s jade, the couple agreed to visit it after the festival, while Li Long joined the gathering and learned more about local life.

• Li Long and Liu Gaolou traveled with Bek to his relatives’ village for the festival and greeted the family in Kazakh.
• Li Long explained that Bek’s uncle opposed his son adopting a newborn left at their gate because he suspected the birth parents might later reclaim the child.
• Liu Gaolou urged Bek’s cousin to pray to Li Long’s jade, and Bek’s uncle recognized Li Long from a newspaper profile and welcomed him warmly.
• Bek introduced Li Long to Geming Bek, a township armed forces officer, and Li Long explained that the jade’s apparent effects were likely coincidence.
• Li Long attended the Nauryz gathering, ate the communal porridge, and discussed local life with the guests.
• Geming Bek introduced his wife Mia, and the couple agreed to travel with Li Long after the festival to visit the jade.

Li Long attended a Kazakh holiday gathering, bought a large haul of hides, and joined the festivities before leaving for the border crossing with Liu Gaolou and Wu Yongbo. There, Liu Shanmin told him that Li Long’s visit seemed to have coincided with a sudden breakthrough in obtaining a valuable military-use item.

• Li Long bought more than twenty hides from local residents, including Tursun’s two bear skins and snow leopard pelt for 5,500 yuan.
• Li Long helped prepare food and danced at the holiday celebration, then refused alcohol because he would be driving.
• Li Long and Liu Gaolou left the next morning to receive goods at the border crossing, with Wu Yongbo riding with Li Long and asking about his purchases.
• At Khorgos, Liu Shanmin told Li Long that contacts had suddenly helped him obtain a sensitive military-use item after Liu Gaolou mentioned Li Long’s visit.

Li Long received Liu Shanmin’s latest goods at Khorgos, met border-trade contacts, and traveled back toward Ma County with Liu Gaolou, Geming Bek, his wife, and Wu Yongbo. After buying more than ten thousand goji seedlings in Wusu, Li Long brought the convoy to his Purchasing Station, where he prepared to help Geming Bek and arrange the urgent sugar trade.

• Liu Shanmin showed Li Long three GAZ-69s, five thousand hides, and antelope horns, then invited him to dinner with Customs Section Chief Yang and border trader Tong.
• Li Long met Yang and Tong over dinner, bought two cases of Ili Tequ the next morning, and set out with Liu Gaolou.
• At Qingshui River, Geming Bek, his wife, and Wu Yongbo joined the convoy, and Wu brought air-dried fish for Li Long and Liu Gaolou.
• The convoy drove to Wusu, where Li Long bought more than ten thousand goji seedlings before everyone continued to Ma County.
• Li Long brought the convoy to his Purchasing Station and told Geming Bek he would show him the jade and find a prescription, while Liu Gaolou explained that he needed to return sugar quickly.

Li Long returned from Ili with goji seedlings and completed a major transaction with Liu Gaolou, while Old Gu became interested in opening a purchasing station in Ili. The chapter ended with Gu Boyuan privately resolving to pursue the venture as Wu Yongbo considered copying Li Long’s business model, unaware of the competition taking shape.

• Li Long brought goji seedlings to the Fourth Team, put his relatives to work unloading them, and told Li Jianguo how to plant them on saline-alkali land.
• Li Long returned to the county seat, settled accounts with Liu Gaolou for hides, antelope horns, vehicles, and sugar, and withdrew the money to pay him.
• Wu Yongbo observed Li Long’s purchasing station and considered starting a smaller operation in Ili, while Old Gu asked Geming Bek about local conditions and resources.
• Old Gu asked Li Long about opening a purchasing station in Ili, and Li Long explained the opportunity and warned that starting would be difficult without sufficient capital.
• Li Long returned to the Big Courtyard, reunited with Mingming and Haohao, and spent time with Gu Xiaoxia.
• Gu Boyuan decided he wanted to open a purchasing station in Ili with Li Long’s support, while Wu Yongbo remained unaware that Old Gu might become his competitor.

Li Long arranged for his father, Li Qingxia, to take over the County Seat Purchasing Station while Gu Boyuan prepared to investigate opportunities in Ili. Back in the Fourth Team, Li Long advised the locals to delay planting cotton until the risk of late spring frost passed.

• Liu Gaolou brought Geming Bek, Mia, and Wu Yongbo to see the jade, and Li Long gave Geming Bek and Mia incense and a prescription before taking them to fill it.
• Li Long and Liu Gaolou collected fifty tonnes of white sugar at the Sugar Factory, while Wu Yongbo went to learn about the Purchasing Station.
• Li Long agreed that Gu Boyuan would investigate Ili and decided to bring Li Qingxia in as his partner to manage the County Seat Purchasing Station.
• Li Qingxia eagerly accepted the role, and Li Long's family supported the plan while he prepared to take his father to the County Seat.
• Li Long warned Li Jianguo and Xu Haijun that cotton should not be planted yet because late spring cold snaps could kill it, and he reassured Xu Haijun about the local risk of hail.

Li Qingxia began learning the purchasing business from Gu Boyuan, who told his family he planned to scout Ili for a business of his own. Meanwhile, Li Long funded Meng Hai’s next mountain road-building expedition and prepared to join it after handling business at home.

• Li Long took Li Qingxia to the County Seat, where Gu Boyuan taught him how to assess and price goods and keep business accounts.
• Gu Boyuan announced that he intended to scout Ili and possibly open a purchasing station there, leaving Gu Xiaoxia worried about his move.
• Li Long explained to Gu Xiaoxia why Gu Boyuan might want an independent business, then suggested she visit Ili with him when possible.
• Li Qingxia quickly learned to assess hides, herbs, and watermelon seeds at the Purchasing Station while Li Long considered selling more vehicles.
• Meng Hai told Li Long that he planned to take about twenty workers into the mountains for a half-month road-building stint, and Li Long gave him three thousand yuan and offered to buy two insulated tents.
• Li Long brought home fish and eggs from Meng Hai, and Gu Boyuan reported that a reseller had expressed interest in buying a vehicle.