Chapter Summaries

Chen Hongjun visited Li Long as the wild fritillaria season began, and Li Long warned him that new Forest Public Security enforcement would make herb gathering riskier. After selling Chen a car, Li Long also arranged vehicle sales for forestry leaders Aili and Abulaiti, who expected their work to change once forestry workstations were established.

• Chen Hongjun told Li Long that he had resigned from his job and built a successful purchasing station in Beiting.
• Li Long warned Chen Hongjun that Forest Public Security would crack down on illegal herb gathering, so they needed to profit from the last wild fritillaria season and prepare for other goods.
• Chen Hongjun agreed to look for new business opportunities and bought a car from Li Long for ten thousand yuan.
• Chen Hongjun drove the car around Ma County, then joined Li Long and Zhong Guoqiang for lunch.
• Aili and Abulaiti visited Li Long to buy GAZ vehicles, and Li Long offered Aili the remaining one at a discount while promising Abulaiti a vehicle from the next shipment.

Jia Tianlong bought antelope horns and fritillaria from Li Long and agreed to purchase donkey hides, while Liu Gaolou arrived with vehicles, horns, and hides amid worsening shortages across the border. Li Long inspected the Fourth Team’s crops, then went to the police station after Yang Laoliu caught and beat a man electrofishing at Little Haizi, where Li Long argued the incident had caused serious damage to fish and fry.

• Jia Tianlong visited Li Long, accepted gifts for his children, bought five hundred pairs of antelope horns and Li Long’s fritillaria, and agreed to buy donkey hides.
• Liu Gaolou returned with seven vehicles, three thousand pairs of antelope horns, and two thousand spring hides, and Li Long settled accounts with him.
• Li Long inspected the thriving goji seedlings and cotton fields at the Fourth Team and praised the workers’ efforts.
• Xu Chengjun told Li Long that Yang Laoliu had caught and beaten a man electrofishing at Little Haizi, so Li Long went with him to the township police station.
• Li Long explained that the man’s electrofishing had harmed spawning crucian carp and fish fry, prompting the police officers to take the damage seriously.

Deng Shilei was caught electrofishing in Little Haizi, where Yang Laoliu beat and restrained him before the police detained him for five days. After seeing the dead fish, Li Long resolved to protect the reservoir and arranged for juvenile crabs and prawns to be brought in for a trial.

• Deng Shilei electrofished Little Haizi, insulted Yang Laoliu, and was beaten and tied up when he tried to flee.
• Tao Daqiang brought Yang Laoliu and Deng Shilei to the Police Station, where Li Long and Jiang Zhiyu helped explain the case.
• The Police Station fined Deng Shilei and ordered him detained for five days for destructive illegal fishing in Li Long's leased waters.
• Li Long saw the electrofishing's toll on Little Haizi's fish, and Uncle Lao Luo rewarded Yang Laoliu with a five-yuan bonus.
• Li Long asked Huang Lei to bring juvenile crabs and prawns to stock Little Haizi, and Huang Lei agreed to try.

Li Long received Huang Lei’s shipment of shrimp and crab juveniles, inspected his dried wild mushrooms, and released the juveniles into Little Haizi after acclimating them. The villagers doubted the creatures could survive, but Li Long planned to keep stocking the lake and hoped they would eventually thrive.

• Huang Lei delivered live shrimp and crab juveniles to Li Long and explained how they had been transported and needed time to adjust to the local water.
• Li Long let the juveniles acclimate while Huang Lei inspected the Purchasing Station’s dried morels and praised their quality.
• Li Long took Huang Lei to eat, then sold vehicles to several buyers while Huang Lei declined to buy one.
• Li Qingxia told Fourth Team residents that Li Long planned to raise crabs in Little Haizi, and Ma Jinbao and others dismissed the idea as foolish.
• After keeping the juveniles for two days, Li Long drove to Little Haizi and released them into the water, hoping repeated stocking would eventually establish a population.

Li Long managed the busy purchasing station, arranged to buy a Kangmaiyin combine harvester, and considered how mechanization could ease the family’s farm work. The chapter left him and Li Jianguo looking ahead to using their growing fleet of machinery to handle wheat harvests and plow more land.

• Huang Lei hauled away nearly eight hundred kilograms of dried mushrooms, while Li Long and his workers struggled to keep the crowded purchasing station running.
• After reading newspaper coverage of his agricultural mechanization ideas, Li Long called Liu Gaolou and arranged to buy one Kangmaiyin combine harvester.
• Li Long checked the crabs and shrimp at Little Haizi, discussed their growth and Tao Daqiang’s cotton fields, and saw a water rat carry off a crab.
• Li Long explained the combine purchase to Li Jianguo, who agreed it would speed up harvesting their thirty mu of wheat and free workers to tend cotton.
• Li Jianguo told Li Long that their high-horsepower tractor had impressed Old Wang by plowing reclaimed land quickly and deeply.

Li Long received Liu Gaolou’s delivery of cars, livestock products, and two combine harvesters, then brought one machine to the Fourth Team and addressed villagers’ fears that it would hurt their harvesting work. He planned to bring back the second combine and sell cars to his brothers, while Gu Boyuan continued building his purchasing business in Ili.

• Li Long bought both combine harvesters from Liu Gaolou and received a shipment of cars, antelope horns, and hides, while settling the accounts for the goods.
• Liu Gaolou told Li Long that Gu Boyuan’s Ili business was developing slowly, and that Geming Bek wanted another supply of medicine.
• Old Duan chose a GAZ vehicle, and Li Long drove the John Deere combine harvester to the Fourth Team.
• Sister-in-Law Lu worried that the combine would take work from local harvesters, but Li Jianguo explained that different customers would still use sickles, harvesters, and combines.
• Li Long taught Li Junfeng and Li Jianguo to drive the combine, then offered to sell a car each at a discount to his second older brother and brother-in-law.
• Li Jianguo drove Li Long and Li Junfeng to the Purchasing Station so they could bring back the second combine harvester.

Li Long released Huang Lei’s juvenile crabs and shrimp into Little Haizi, then inspected the cotton fields and caught Li Xincheng’s wife crossing them despite his warnings about pests. After finding spider mites in a neighboring field, he alerted the affected farmers and helped start spraying in the Fourth Team.

• Gu Xiaoxia made a scrapbook of Li Long’s newspaper articles and called it a family heirloom, while Li Long told her that Gu Boyuan had hired retired reconnaissance soldiers for protection.
• Huang Lei arrived at Wu City with two buckets of juvenile shrimp and crabs, and Li Long drove him to Ma County; Li Long later released the animals into Little Haizi.
• Li Long inspected the cotton fields, spotted spider mites in the Xu family’s neighboring field, and warned Li Xincheng’s wife not to cross the crops, but she continued through the field.
• Li Long told Xu Chengjun and the neighboring farmers about the infestation, and Liang Dacheng prepared his spraying machine while Wang Sanwa chose to wait and see.
• Li Long helped begin spraying the cotton fields in the Fourth Team.

Li Long and his neighbors sprayed their cotton fields after red spider mites appeared, and learned that Li Xincheng's wife had crossed the fields hoping to steal melons. The chapter ended with Li Long inspecting other plots and bringing in more Fritillaria and deer antlers as the purchasing season wound down.

• Li Long learned that red spider mites had spread through Xu Haijun's cotton and used the family's spraying machine to treat their fields with Furadan.
• Liang Dacheng and Xu Haijun followed Li Long's instructions and sprayed their cotton fields, while Liang Dacheng's mother confronted the woman who had crossed the crops.
• Liang Yuemei told Li Long that Li Xincheng's wife had entered the fields to locate melons she planned to steal, and Li Long warned other growers to inspect their cotton and avoid crossing rows.
• Li Long and Li Jianguo checked the family's other cotton plots with Xie Yundong and found no red spider mites in that field.
• Li Long made two more trips to the Forestry Team for Fritillaria, and Old Gu arranged for Liu Gaolou to deliver over two tonnes of dried Fritillaria and a large quantity of deer antlers.

Li Long diagnosed why spider mites were damaging Wang Sanwa’s cotton, continued his cross-border trade, and arranged a government canal contract for Meng Hai’s crew. After the busy stretch, he returned to the Fourth Team and drove his mother to see the fields.

• Li Long concluded that Wang Sanwa had sprayed only the visibly affected patch or used too little pesticide, and Liang Dacheng confirmed that Wang had sprayed just that patch.
• Li Long bought a Volga from his stock, rejected Liu Gaolou’s offer of wool, requested deer antlers, and sent a jade Guanyin as a gift for Liu Shanmin’s newborn son.
• Li Long accepted Yang Bo’s offer of a canal construction job and connected Meng Hai’s crew with the Water Conservancy Bureau project, stressing quality and arranging the details.
• Li Long returned to the Fourth Team, saw that the crabs had grown and Wang Sanwa’s cotton was struggling, then drove Du Chunfang out to look at the fields.

Li Long took Du Chunfang for a drive around the cotton fields and Little Haizi, then spent the following days showing her more of the area and bringing family together. The chapter ended with the Li family sharing a lively Sunday feast after Li Long slaughtered a sheep.

• Li Long drove Du Chunfang to see the cotton, wheat, sunflower, and corn fields, then showed her a crab at Little Haizi and invited her to stay with him in the County Seat, but she declined.
• Back at home, Li Long warned Li Jianguo that the cotton was growing too tall and needed mepiquat chloride; Xu Chengjun came over to ask Li Long for cotton-growing advice and took notes.
• Li Long took Du Chunfang on more outings, including to the County Town and Stone City Old Street, and bought her new headscarves and clothes.
• Gu Xiaoxia brought Mingming and Haohao back to the Team, and Li Long slaughtered a sheep and brought the meat home after leaving Uncle Lao Luo and the others a hind leg and offal.
• The family prepared barbecue and boiled meat together while the children played, gathering for a busy Sunday feast.

Gu Boyuan expanded the Yining Purchasing Station by traveling through impoverished mountain villages to buy fritillaria, hides, and other local products while building trust with local traders. By early June, he had gathered a large stock of goods and prepared to return to Ma County with Liu Gaolou.

• Gu Boyuan paid He Wanbing the going rate for freshly dug fritillaria and continued his rounds through mountain villages to promote the Purchasing Station.
• Gu Boyuan discussed the need to find stable supplies beyond fritillaria and hides, then returned to Yining and checked the day's purchases and accounts with Zhu Wanjiang.
• Gu Boyuan resolved to keep visiting remote areas as wild mushrooms and deer antlers became more available, aiming to make the Yining station exceed Ma County's purchasing volume.
• Wu Yongbo sold Gu Boyuan two sacks of high-quality fritillaria and sought advice about future goods and prices.
• Gu Boyuan shared practical business advice with Wu Yongbo and other traders, who appreciated learning from him.
• By early June, Gu Boyuan had accumulated over two tonnes of fritillaria, nearly a thousand hides, and several rare pelts, and planned to return to Ma County with Liu Gaolou.

Li Juan lent Ma Zhiying her bicycle to make the long journey home easier, while Li Long’s cotton-growing advice and farm machinery continued to affect the Production Team and the factory. When Factory Director Du told Li Long that city leaders wanted to transfer him to the Industry Bureau, Li Long suggested he try to keep his factory position as well, leaving Du to consider negotiating.

• Li Juan agreed to lend Ma Zhiying her bicycle, and later handed it to her after confirming that Li Qingxia had come to pick her up.
• Li Qiang rode home with a classmate, then waited at the gate for Li Qingxia and Li Juan to arrive.
• Wang Sanwa’s cotton field suffered aphids after a red spider mite outbreak, and Liang Dacheng had to spray his neighboring crop again.
• Li Long advised cotton growers who asked for help, earning praise and a Prefecture Daily article from Jiang Zhiyu.
• Factory Director Du told Li Long that city leaders had offered him a deputy director post at the Industry Bureau, and Li Long suggested he negotiate to remain factory director too.

As forestry reforms ended the Forestry Teams’ role in confiscating goods, Li Long bought their remaining stock and arranged to keep buying mountain products directly from their rangers. He reviewed his first-half accounts and found that his net profit had reached about 2.8 million yuan, while Factory Director Du awaited a decision on whether he could remain at the Farm Machinery Factory.

• Li Long visited Aili’s Forestry Team, learned it was becoming a Forestry Work Station, and bought over 60,000 yuan of fritillaria, mushrooms, hides, and assorted goods.
• Aili agreed to tell the forest rangers that Li Long would buy mountain products they gathered themselves, including mushrooms and live animals.
• Li Long bought nearly 50,000 yuan of goods from Abulaiti, who arranged for rangers to collect mountain products and contact Li Long when they had stock.
• Factory Director Du told Li Long he had asked to remain factory director and promised to settle their profit share and protect their partnership if he was transferred.
• Li Long received over 70,000 yuan in Farm Machinery Factory profits and considered possible future purchases from Russia.
• At the end of June, Li Long reviewed his sales and earnings, calculating a net profit of about 2.8 million yuan for the first half of the year.

Li Long proposed investing in Meng Hai’s crew and providing machinery so they could form a construction company and pursue larger projects. Meng Hai agreed to lead the work, but the two disagreed over how to divide ownership and profits.

• Meng Hai’s crew finished laying the irrigation canal slabs, and Yang Bo’s inspection approved their work.
• Li Long arranged more cement and imported goods through Liu Gaolou, then considered buying used Soviet machinery to expand Meng Hai’s construction crew.
• Meng Hai visited Li Long to report the successful inspection and offer him a share of the crew’s profits.
• Li Long proposed registering a company, supplying capital and machinery, and having Meng Hai manage construction and hire technicians.
• Meng Hai agreed to lead the company and proposed giving the crew twenty percent, but Li Long wanted sixty percent while Meng Hai objected that the crew’s share would be too small.

Li Long and Meng Hai agreed on the shares and terms for a construction company, while Harimu hunted ibex and found a gold nugget before encountering wolves. The company began taking shape as Meng Hai handled registration and found a technical worker.

• Li Long explained why he wanted a 60 percent share, and Meng Hai agreed to formalize the partnership with his crew.
• Meng Hai told the men about the construction crew and gave them until the next evening to decide whether to join.
• Harimu carried two intact ibex hides through the mountains, found a gold nugget, and shot a wolf after a pack approached him.
• Meng Hai brought Li Long a contract bearing the crew members' thumbprints, and they agreed to establish Zhongjian Construction with Li Long holding 65 percent.
• Meng Hai began arranging the company paperwork and found a laborer with a secondary specialized school qualification in industrial and civil construction.

Meng Hai secured a contract to build livestock sheds and pens, while Li Long sold vehicles to county bureaus and received another shipment from Liu Gaolou. After Tao Daqiang brought him a large crab from Little Haizi, Li Long planned a nighttime crab-catching trip, but Li Jianguo forbade the children from joining.

• Li Xiangqian arranged a fifty-household livestock-shed project for Meng Hai's crew, and Meng Hai signed the contract and began organizing the work.
• Li Long sold a Volga to Director Nurulan and other vehicles to county bureaus, including a GAZ-69 to the People's Armed Forces Department.
• Liu Gaolou delivered used vehicles, hides, antelope horns, and deer antlers, and told Li Long that supplies from his side might decline.
• Tao Daqiang showed Li Long a large crab caught near Little Haizi, and Li Long invited him to catch crabs that night.
• Li Qiang wanted to join the trip with Mingming and Haohao, but Li Jianguo refused because the children might fall into the water in the dark.

Li Long taught Tao Daqiang how to catch crabs in Little Haizi, and the two brought home a bucketful. The chapter left Li Long planning to buy headlamps and urging Tao Daqiang to make sure his family topped their cotton plants in time.

• Li Long took Tao Daqiang to Little Haizi at night and showed him how to spot and catch crabs in the shallows.
• Li Long explained how to distinguish male crabs from females and taught Tao Daqiang to search carefully among the hoofprints.
• Li Long and Tao Daqiang caught dozens of crabs before the stirred-up water forced them to stop searching the shallows and move along the East Dam Line.
• Li Long caught more crabs while Tao Daqiang found four, and they agreed to steam their catch the next morning.
• Tao Daqiang asked Li Long to buy two headlamps, and Li Long warned him to urge his father to top the cotton plants soon.
• Li Long returned home with the crabs, where Li Qiang, Mingming, and Haohao hurried to look at them.

Li Long enjoyed the first crabs from Little Haizi, heard that Factory Director Du had secured a municipal promotion while keeping his factory post, and watched Meng Hai resolve a construction blockade at Qingshui River. Meng Hai then vowed to pursue the contractors who had incited the troublemakers.

• Li Long steamed crabs for his family, taught Mingming and Haohao how to eat them, and brought some to Li Qingxia and the others at the Purchasing Station.
• Factory Director Du told Li Long that the city had agreed to make him a deputy director of the Municipal Farm Machinery Bureau while he remained factory director.
• Meng Hai suspended construction after several Kazakhs obstructed the livestock enclosure project, then learned that local contractors had encouraged them because they had lost the job.
• Li Long visited the site as Meng Hai arranged for the pastoralists who wanted the enclosures to drive off and beat the obstructors, prompting township mediators to intervene.
• Meng Hai told Li Long that he still intended to deal with the contractors who had incited the blockade.

Li Jianguo’s family harvested Old Wang’s wheat, while Gu Boyuan joined Geming Bek on a grassland hunting trip and discovered why Li Long enjoyed hunting. The chapter ended as the men fired at wolves approaching a herding family’s sheepfold.

• Li Jianguo and Li Junfeng harvested over a hundred and fifty mu of Old Wang’s wheat carefully with the Kangmaiyin combines, and Old Wang asked Li Jianguo to plow his fields later.
• Gu Boyuan left the Purchasing Station with Geming Bek and Wang Dawei to visit a herding family and hunt in the mountains.
• Gu Boyuan brought supplies for the herding family, then joined Geming Bek, Wang Dawei, and another colleague in a shooting contest that left them with four wild goats.
• After midnight, seven wolves approached the sheepfold, and the hunters fired at them from near the yurt.

Li Long discussed Gu Boyuan’s mountain hunting trip, checked his new fishing nets, and sold Boss Zheng a Lada before warning Xu Haijun about new forest enforcement. After hearing that Little Haizi’s water had risen in another flood, Li Long opened the Reed Gully floodgate and planned to check it the next morning.

• Gu Boyuan told Li Long about hunting wolves and wild mountain goats, and invited Li Qingxia and the children to visit the grasslands; Li Long agreed to ask his wife.
• Li Long inspected his new fishing nets and considered using them at Mohe Canal to catch fish.
• Li Long sold Boss Zheng a Lada for fifty-five thousand yuan after letting him test-drive it.
• Li Long warned Xu Haijun that the new Forest Public Security could prosecute unauthorized pole-cutting, and suggested he seek a connection before entering the mountains.
• Li Long found Mingming and Haohao content to stay with family at the Fourth Team and left them there.
• After Uncle Lao Luo told him that Little Haizi’s water had risen, Li Long opened the floodgate to Reed Gully halfway to drain the floodwater.