Chapter Summaries

Li Long arranged for Meng Hai's crew to dredge Little Haizi in sections so it could hold more water and provide fertile silt for nearby fields. After agreeing on the first section and securing the Team's approval, Li Long planned how to handle the fish uncovered during the work.

• Xu Jianjun asked Xu Chengjun about leasing the Cooperative fields, but Xu Chengjun warned that the lease would be renewed and rejected his request.
• Harimu told Li Long that he had hired five young Kazakh herders, planned to move his family to the county seat, and intended to expand his livestock herd.
• Meng Hai reported on his construction crew's work, and Li Long asked him to find a way to remove Little Haizi's silt without draining the whole reservoir.
• Meng Hai proposed dredging Little Haizi in sections, and Li Long visited the site with him before they marked out the first third to clear.
• Li Long secured Xu Chengjun's approval, arranged for more machinery, and told Li Jianguo that the recovered fish would be divided among the Team, his businesses, and his own gifts.

Li Long organized the dredging of Little Haizi, securing machinery, pumps, and support from local officials and agencies. After the water was drained, he and the workers found many large fish and caught a huge grass carp, leaving the chapter with the reservoir bed exposed and the fish haul underway.

• Meng Hai and Li Long began dredging Little Haizi with excavators, loaders, trucks, and workers, while Li Jianguo explained that the reservoir needed more capacity as groundwater and irrigation supplies dwindled.
• Xu Chengjun offered help borrowing a township pump, and Li Long arranged to borrow pumps from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the Water Conservancy Bureau; Yang Bo secured four more pumps for the work.
• Meng Hai completed the cofferdam, and Li Long's crew used eight pumps through the night to drain the enclosed section of the reservoir.
• As the water receded, Li Long and the workers spotted large grass carp, common carp, and bighead carp among the stranded fish, while excavators began clearing exposed silt.
• Li Long wrestled a grass carp nearly a meter and a half long from a deep pool and hauled it onto the embankment, where the workers watched its struggle end.

Li Long led the reservoir fish harvest, helped an injured worker get medical care, and arranged for the village to share the catch while delivering fish to his contacts. After the villagers cleared out most of the accessible fish, he returned to the reservoir the next day and struggled to catch enough for his remaining deliveries.

• Li Long caught a huge red common carp and later urged workers to send a man whose foot had been pierced by wire to the Township Health Center for treatment.
• Li Long explained that he would dry some of the largest fish, give others to the organizations that lent pumps and to his acquaintances, and let villagers catch fish the next day.
• Li Long brought fish to the Cooperative and his family, and his relatives took photographs beside the enormous grass carp the following morning.
• Li Jianguo arranged a loudspeaker announcement inviting each household to catch up to one sack of fish, with instructions to return small live fish to the uncleared water and take safety precautions.
• Villagers crowded Little Haizi, caught fish, and gathered at the Cooperative for fish soup while Li Long delivered fish to officials, acquaintances, and organizations across several towns.
• Li Long returned to the reservoir the next day and searched its deep pools, catching several smaller fish for the deliveries he still owed.

Li Long finished dredging Little Haizi and prepared a winter relief shipment for Liu Gaolou, who had been urged to expand his trade with Old Na’s country. He took Liu Gaolou into the mountains to soak at Hot Spring Villa, where wolves appeared outside the gate and Harimu joined them.

• Li Qiang shared Liang Yuemei’s chili-fried fish with his dormmates, exchanged books with Du Wenlong, and continued studying while considering his future major.
• Li Long completed the reservoir dredging, reopened the cofferdam, and watched water return to the cleared pools as the trapped fish swam free.
• Liu Gaolou arrived with luxury cars, antelope horns, and other goods, explaining that his second uncle had to increase shipments after Old Na praised his work; Li Long bought winter clothes and shoes for the trade.
• Li Long invited Liu Gaolou to Hot Spring Villa, prepared lamb and kebabs, and drove into the mountains with him and his driver.
• Li Long found Harimu at a winter camp and brought him to the villa, where two wolves fled from the gate and Liu Gaolou relaxed only after Li Long reassured him.

Li Long advised Chen Dajun on the risks and opportunities of trading with Kazakhstan, then sold a rare BMW to Chen Yan’s customer, Sis Qiao. The chapter ended with Liu Gaolou arriving with a much larger convoy of cars and goods, reflecting Liu Shanmin’s expanding connections and the severe shortages across the border.

• Li Long told Chen Dajun that trade with Kazakhstan offered opportunities but required caution about safety, currency, and fraud.
• Factory Director Du reported that snow-clearing machine competitors had cut into sales, while dividends had risen and technicians had made progress on cotton-picker technology.
• Chen Yan brought Sis Qiao to Li Long, and Sis Qiao questioned his credentials before buying a rare BMW for 480,000 yuan.
• Li Long declined Chen Yan’s suggestion that he lend her money, and Chen Yan and Sis Qiao left with the BMW.
• Liu Gaolou arrived on November 24 with more than thirty vehicles, including luxury cars, scrap copper, hides, and antelope horns.

Liu Shanmin delivered experts and valuable materials to his handler in Khorgos and was warned to protect himself as scrutiny increased. In Northern Xinjiang, Li Qiang and his classmates relieved exam pressure with a snowball fight, while Li Long urged Meng Hai to pursue larger construction projects and helped Harimu and Jade Mountain River exchange business advice; Harimu and Jade Mountain River ended the chapter seeking respite from winter gatherings and planning to improve their livestock.

• Liu Shanmin handed over five experts, documents, drawings, and specialty materials, then accepted Old Zhang’s warning to protect himself and keep his channels secure.
• Li Qiang and Du Wenlong abandoned evening study to play in the snow, and their classmates joined them in a snowball fight that left the class more relaxed.
• Li Long delivered sugar residue and medicine to Harimu, then encouraged Meng Hai and the Construction Crew to pursue major building and highway projects and consider financing their work.
• Harimu complained to Li Long about repeated winter meat-and-drink gatherings, and Jade Mountain River arrived seeking refuge from the same obligations.
• Jade Mountain River advised Harimu on breeding sheep and shared contacts for suppliers as Li Long listened.

Li Long and Tao Daqiang burned old reeds at Little Haizi to protect its future growth, taking care not to spread the fire or harm the birds. On the last day of 1992, Liu Gaolou brought Li Long a truckload of Russian jade and asked for red deer penis liquor, which he tried too freely and found potent.

• Li Long, Tao Daqiang, and Xie Yundong scared birds from the reeds and burned several northern clumps before setting fire to the largest patch.
• Xu Chengjun arrived after seeing the smoke, confirmed the fire was contained, and told Li Long to notify him before burning reeds in the future.
• Li Long told Gu Xiaoxia about the fire, and she warned him not to tell Mingming and Haohao lest they imitate him.
• Liu Gaolou brought Li Long a large piece of Russian jade and offered to bring more, which Li Long agreed to stockpile.
• Liu Gaolou asked Li Long for red deer penis liquor and later admitted that drinking several cups had affected him, so Li Long urged him to stop and recover.

After Director Dai told Li Long that Secretary Zhang was gravely ill, Li Long rushed to Yanjing and visited him at the hospital. Secretary Zhang later encouraged Li Long’s work and said she would soon take a local post; Li Long then visited Li Juan and planned to return home with her, leaving the story with him spotting her alongside her boyfriend, Wang Yusheng.

• Fan Mingcheng bought Li Long’s Land Cruiser at the Purchasing Station and discussed foreign trade with him.
• Director Dai told Li Long that Secretary Zhang’s condition was poor, so Li Long hurried to Yanjing and went with Director Dai to visit him at the hospital.
• Secretary Zhang asked Li Long to meet her the next morning, praised his information and cooperative farming project, and said she would soon take a local post.
• Li Long visited Li Juan and Gu Xiaoyu, arranged to fly home with Li Juan after her holiday began, and toured Li Juan’s campus with her.
• Li Juan explained to Wang Yusheng that Li Long was her uncle, and Wang Yusheng accepted her explanation.
• Li Long met Li Juan after class and noticed Wang Yusheng nearby.

Li Long met Li Juan’s boyfriend, Wang Yusheng, and approved of him while revealing details about future changes to university job assignments. After shopping for valuable antiques in Yanjing and arranging for Gu Xiaoyu to join the trip home, Li Long returned to Wu City with Li Juan and Gu Xiaoyu, where Li Juan prepared to tell her parents about her relationship.

• Li Long met Wang Yusheng over lunch, approved of his family background and plans, and gave him a finely made Southern Xinjiang knife.
• Li Long accidentally told Li Juan and Wang Yusheng that university graduates would eventually have to find jobs themselves, then explained that the change would come after their siblings graduated.
• Li Long bought a red coral tree, jadeite jewelry, calligraphy, paintings, and other collectibles in Yanjing, while Gu Xiaoyu obtained leave and arranged to travel with him.
• Xie Yundong secured a 500,000-yuan loan for the Fourth Team cooperative, bought agricultural supplies, and arranged their delivery while Li Long was away.
• Li Long, Li Juan, and Gu Xiaoyu flew back to Wu City with regional gifts from Director Dai, and Li Long told Li Juan to inform her parents about Wang Yusheng during the holiday.

Li Long returned to the Fourth Team with Gu Xiaoyu and discussed the Cooperative’s approved loan and plans to expand cotton farming with Xie Yundong and the others. Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoyu reunited with her family, and Teacher Song suggested that Li Long’s success made it difficult for Gu Xiaoyu to find a partner; the chapter ended with Xu Haijun considering managing leased land himself.

• Li Long dropped Gu Xiaoyu at the Big Courtyard, then took Li Juan to the Fourth Team, where his family welcomed her home.
• Li Long told Li Jianguo that the general was hospitalized, then learned Xie Yundong had secured the Cooperative’s loan and obtained agricultural supplies.
• Li Long packed gifts for his Beijing contacts and showed Gu Xiaoxia the red coral specimen he had bought.
• Gu Xiaoyu visited Gu Boyuan and Teacher Song, who encouraged her to consider marriage; afterward, Teacher Song speculated that Li Long’s qualities made other prospective partners seem less appealing.
• Li Long met with Xie Yundong, Xu Haijun, and other Cooperative members, proposing that they lease land from neighboring teams and expand cotton cultivation.
• Xu Haijun showed interest in managing a leased plot, and Li Long advised him to start with a few hundred mu before attempting a larger operation.

Xu Haijun explored expanding the Cooperative by contracting land from the Second Team, but another group took the cultivated plots before they could reach an agreement. The Cooperative then considered a thousand-mu stretch of wasteland offered on a long lease, and Li Long decided to inspect it before making a decision.

• Xu Haijun asked Xu Chengjun to help him investigate land in the Second Team, and Xu Chengjun learned that Lao Huang had six or seven hundred mu available for contract.
• Xu Chengjun explained the advantages of contracting land through the Cooperative, while Xu Jianjun asked him to help finance a separate land deal and was angrily sent away.
• Li Long and the Cooperative members set minimum terms for an outside land contract, including at least five hundred mu, a five-year term, and a fee capped at one hundred yuan per mu.
• Xu Haijun reported that members of the Second Team had taken the cultivated plots, but Lao Huang offered the Cooperative more than a thousand mu of wasteland near the River Embankment for one yuan per mu annually.
• Li Long considered reclaiming the wasteland and decided to inspect it before the Cooperative made a commitment.

The cooperative agreed to lease about a thousand mu in the Second Team, and Xu Haijun began organizing workers and preparing to manage the expansion. During New Year celebrations, Gu Xiaoyu received lucky money from Du Chunfang and joined the family’s festivities, while Li Long considered a neighboring farmer’s offer to transfer cultivated wasteland to the cooperative.

• Li Long and the cooperative members inspected the Second Team’s wasteland, judged about a thousand mu suitable for cultivation, and agreed to lease it.
• Xu Haijun prepared to supervise the new land, while the cooperative hired Lu Tietou and recruited several young apprentices as replacements and future staff.
• Li Anguo brought supplies for New Year, and Old Li gave the children lucky money; Du Chunfang also pressed a hundred yuan into Gu Xiaoyu’s hand, telling her she was family.
• Gu Xiaoxia took Gu Xiaoyu to help prepare for New Year visitors, and Gu Xiaoyu enjoyed celebrating with the Li family and receiving guests at Li Long’s courtyard.
• A farmer asked Li Long whether the cooperative would take over his improved but underperforming cotton land, and Li Long referred him to Xie Yundong for negotiations after the holiday.

Gu Xiaoyu spent New Year with her family, accepted fifty thousand yuan from Gu Boyuan, and returned to Yanjing as Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia visited friends and professors in Wu City. The Cooperative agreed on compensation to take over nearby reclaimed land, and by mid-March Li Long had begun draining Little Haizi for a second round of silt clearing and fish catching.

• Gu Xiaoyu welcomed Fourth Team visitors with Gu Xiaoxia and learned more about her father's life and the local families.
• Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia took Gu Xiaoyu to visit Gu Boyuan, where Gu Boyuan welcomed her and later gave her fifty thousand yuan to deposit in the bank.
• Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia visited Yusufu, Engineer Liu, and professors at the Agricultural University, buying jade and discussing the Cooperative's farming plans.
• After Gu Xiaoyu returned to Yanjing, the Cooperative settled on paying fifty to a hundred yuan per mu to take over neighboring reclaimed land.
• Meng Hai's Construction Team began clearing another section of Little Haizi, and the pumps drained most of its water by March 15.
• Li Long brought Water Conservancy Bureau staff to Little Haizi, where they watched him drag a carp more than a meter long toward shore.

Li Long organized another day of fishing at Little Haizi, bringing Supply and Marketing Cooperative staff to the reservoir while the dredging continued. After Li Xiangqian caught a huge common carp and posed for photographs, Li Long arranged an afternoon outing for workers from the Canned Food Factory and Purchasing Station, while the Cooperative continued planning its expanded cotton fields.

• Li Long warned the Water Conservancy Bureau staff about hazards in the reservoir, then helped them and local villagers catch fish while the dredging continued.
• Li Long invited Li Xiangqian and the Supply and Marketing Cooperative staff to fish the next morning, and Li Xiangqian arranged for a television reporter to cover their support for the dredging.
• Li Long arranged a fishing outing for Canned Food Factory and Purchasing Station workers and recruited Li family members to help manage the next day's groups.
• Li Xiangqian led his staff in clearing silt for the reporter, then joined Li Long in catching fish and landed a large common carp that he photographed with Li Long.
• The Supply and Marketing Cooperative staff ate at the Cooperative courtyard, while Li Long prepared to take the afternoon workers fishing.
• Xu Haijun hired four people to manage the Cooperative's newly acquired thousand mu and planned irrigation using the Second Team's Dry Canal, while considering a motorized well for the future.

Li Long persuaded the cooperative to sow cotton early, and the seedlings emerged before a late spring cold spell brought violent winds and heavy rain. As the storm continued, Li Long left the cooperative’s gathering to pick up Mingming and Haohao.

• Li Long finished dredging Little Haizi, removed the cofferdam soil, and managed the floodwater so the reservoir filled safely.
• After inspecting soil conditions, Li Long persuaded the cooperative to begin sowing cotton on April 10, despite doubts from members and villagers.
• The cooperative and several nearby growers sowed early, and the cooperative’s cotton seedlings emerged with a strong overall rate.
• On April 19, forecasts warned of strong winds, rain, and a sharp temperature drop, prompting Li Long to reassure worried growers about their fields.
• The late spring cold spell brought dust, fierce winds, and heavy rain; Li Long and the others waited out the storm indoors, then he left to pick up Mingming and Haohao.

Li Qiang decided to apply to the Command and Technology College of the Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, then took the college entrance examination and completed the military academy medical examination. After his classmates’ scores and preferences were submitted, he joined them on a trip to Qingshui River, where they set off for Li Long’s hot spring villa in the mountains.

• After a late-spring storm, Li Long inspected the Cooperative’s cotton fields and found that most of the crop had survived with little damage.
• Li Qiang chose a military academy, and Li Long told him about academy programs, admissions, and medical requirements after consulting Xu Haijun.
• Li Qiang sat the college entrance examination, submitted his university preferences, and attended a military academy medical examination, where he learned about College Entrance Examination Migration from Li Long.
• Li Long gave Li Qiang canned meat and a camera for his classmates’ visit to Niu Zijian’s village, and Li Qiang shared the food at lunch.
• Niu Zijian drove the classmates into the mountains after Li Qiang told him about Li Long’s hot spring villa.

Li Qiang passed the military academy interview and celebrated with his family and classmates, but his Admission Notice failed to arrive. Li Jianguo discovered that someone had withheld the notice, and Li Long became furious.

• Li Qiang took his classmates to Li Long's Hot Spring Villa, where they gathered mushrooms, soaked in the hot springs, and watched the sunrise before parting after graduation.
• Li Qiang received notice of a military academy interview, traveled to Wu City with Li Jianguo and Li Long, passed the medical examination and interview, and was told to await his Admission Notice.
• Li Qiang shared his success with his family and classmates and held a gathering at home, but his Admission Notice still did not arrive.
• Li Jianguo and Li Long visited the county Admissions Office, where Director Wu promised to investigate the missing notice.
• Li Jianguo told Li Long that someone had withheld Li Qiang's Admission Notice, and Li Long became furious.

Li Long learned that the Minister of the People's Armed Forces Department had withheld Li Qiang’s Admission Notice, then used his contacts to uncover the minister’s misconduct and ensure he faced consequences. Li Qiang and Li Juan left for school, and the story ended with Li Jianguo learning that the minister had been removed and agreeing that he deserved it.

• Li Jianguo told Li Long that Director Wu had recovered Li Qiang’s Admission Notice from the minister’s office, though the family initially chose not to pursue the matter.
• Li Long asked Chen Hongjun to investigate the minister, who had wanted his son to attend a military academy, and Chen uncovered evidence of bribery and other violations.
• Li Long shared the findings with Chen Dajun, who investigated through military connections and arranged for the minister to be removed from his post and face disciplinary action.
• Li Juan and Li Qiang traveled to Yanjing, where Li Juan helped Li Qiang register at his military academy before returning to her own school.
• Li Jianguo confronted Li Long about the minister’s investigation, and Li Long admitted he had helped bring it about; Li Jianguo said the minister deserved punishment.

Li Long handled the cooperative’s shrinking broom order, checked on Harimu’s growing pasture, and worked with Factory Director Du to find a way to test the factory’s new cotton picker despite restrictions on private cotton purchasing. He then arranged for First Middle School students to pick cotton at the Fourth and Second Teams, where their accommodation and first meal were prepared, leaving the students settled in for the harvest.

• Li Long passed the order for thirty thousand big brooms to Wang Mingjun and Zhao Zongming and reminded them that the work might keep declining.
• Li Long visited Harimu, learned about his expanding herd and the young Kazakh men he employed, and shared a meal with him at the Winter Camp.
• Factory Director Du told Li Long the factory had assembled its first cotton picker, and they discussed testing it through Li Long’s contracted fields or cooperation with the Corps.
• Li Long learned that Ajinbek was advising the Dushanzi petrochemical project and that his brother Li Anguo’s refinery was operating steadily with Ajinbek’s support.
• Li Long arranged for second- and third-year students from First Middle School to pick cotton at the Fourth and Second Teams, organizing lodging, meals, local purchases, and temporary work.
• The students arrived on September 18, settled into the prepared village accommodation, and ate their first dinner, which satisfied Li Long.

Li Long helped Wang Mingjun and Zhao Zongming find new income in medicinal herbs, discussed trade opportunities with Li Xiangqian, and urged the August First Sugar Factory to modernize its equipment. The chapter also followed Li Qiang settling into military academy life and ended with Li Long celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with the cotton-picking students and workers.

• Li Long arranged for Wang Mingjun and Zhao Zongming's workers to collect cynomorium and cistanche for sale, easing their reliance on shrinking broom orders.
• Director Qian told Li Long about the prefectural cooperative's profitable trade with Kazakhstan, and Li Long advised Li Xiangqian to start with white sugar and cement.
• Li Long collected 100 tons of sugar and urged Section Chief Hu to press the August First Sugar Factory's leaders to replace outdated equipment.
• Li Qiang described academy life to his family and classmates, received a visit from Li Juan, and requested leave to visit Yanjing during the National Day holiday.
• Li Long and Xie Yundong gave mooncakes and apples to the cotton-picking students and hired workers for the Mid-Autumn Festival, while Li Long planned a hot-spring outing with his family.