Chapter 729

Before the heavy snow fell, Li Long stopped purchasing cattle and sheep.

Currently, there were already 110 sheep and 12 head of cattle in the newly built pens.

Li Long had been quite casual in picking the sheep; as long as they weren't too old or sick, he took both males and females. At this time, the ewes were basically all pregnant. If he kept them until before the New Year, the ewes would basically stay, and they would give birth to lambs before and after the New Year, so there would be more next year.

When picking cattle, Li Long was more selective; they were basically all two or three years old, and there were two that were a year and a half old.

He basically intended to fatten these cattle up and slaughter them for meat before the New Year.

This livestock market was still continuing, but after the heavy snow fell, fewer people came here to sell cattle and sheep. After all, the market wasn't very mature yet, and not many people came here to buy cattle and sheep. It was even less convenient after the snow, and if it was too cold, people wouldn't set up their stalls.

And the cattle and sheep Li Long had bought didn't even fill half of the new pens.

In other words, it wouldn't be a problem to put another one or two hundred head of cattle and sheep in this newly built horse stable.

Uncle Uncle Lao Luo Shu dried sugar dregs every day. These things piled up in the vacant pens and the few empty rooms of the old horse stable, and the rest were piled in the open air, covered with tarpaulins.

Song Ming was still hauling sugar dregs here every week. Anyway, Li Long didn't mind having more, and Uncle Uncle Lao Luo Shu didn't mind either.

Halimu and the others returned from the summer pasture before the first heavy snow. Li Long only found out when he went to the livestock team's station to deliver things to the two families.

When Li Long drove a tractor loaded with grain and oil to Halimu's place, people from the livestock team were already there at the winter quarters collecting cattle and sheep.

Seeing Li Long, Halimu and the others were very happy. Li Long didn't stand on ceremony either; after parking the tractor, he went to help them.

The livestock team took away twenty sheep and two head of cattle from Halimu's place, all looking plump and strong.

Li Long also saw their transaction situation. The livestock team had brought a scale; live sheep were calculated at 0.7 yuan per kilogram, and live cattle at 0.8 yuan per kilogram.

This time, Halimu received a total of 620 yuan.

That was not a small amount.

It was more money than many farmers made in a year.

However, the hardship was also very real. The summer pasture was far away in the deep mountains, almost isolated from the world. Life was not easy, and if ordinary people were asked to live there, I'm afraid eight or nine out of ten would be unwilling.

After seeing the livestock team off, Halimu and Li Long shared a big hug before unloading the things from the tractor together.

This time, what Li Long brought was mainly rice and flour. Just now, seeing the livestock team come to collect things with large trucks, Li Long thought that no matter what, the other side should have brought some supplies.

As it turned out, there was nothing.

What he had prepared were mainly basic living supplies like grain, brick tea, and salt. Of course, knowing Halimu and the others' dietary habits, Li Long also brought a few bags of onions and potatoes, as well as a small amount of chili flakes and tomato paste.

After unloading everything and putting it in a small room, Halimu invited Li Long into the room to drink milk tea and told him about life during this period.

"This year, we came down from the mountain more than half a month earlier than before," Halimu said. "In previous years, we didn't cut as much grass, so we came back later. The cattle and sheep ate less grass, and the pressure was smaller.

This year, with your tractor to cut grass, we cut more grass than in previous years. After coming down the mountain, the livestock team took away some cattle and sheep, and we still have to sell some more, so the grass is enough, and we won't stay inside. It's too cold..."

Li Long placed one hand on his chest and took the milk tea handed over by Halimu's wife with the other, took a sip, put it down, and asked:

"Is everything okay in the mountains? Has anyone been sick or injured?"

"Of course there have been. But, with the medicine you brought for everyone, we're all doing fine," Halimu said with a smile. "The water and grass at the summer pasture were quite good this year. You saw it, my family's cattle and sheep are in good condition."

He told Li Long that they had already been back for five days. After returning, they went to see their mother and children and reported to the livestock team. Halimu also excitedly said that he had cleaned up the dirt in the sheep-washing pool, and they could wash them here next spring.

"After next spring, I'll bring you the medicine for washing the sheep," Li Long said. "Prepare more, and Yushanjiang and the others can all wash them here."

After chatting for a while, Li Long wanted to go back, and Halimu asked him to take a few sheep with him.

Li Long then said:

"I plan to fatten up some sheep. Since the livestock team came to collect sheep today, I'll do the same as them and buy some cattle and sheep from you to raise until the New Year to slaughter and sell for meat."

"Okay," Halimu asked, "how many do you want?"

"Not many," Li Long said. "I've already bought some, so I'll buy ten sheep and one head of cattle from you."

Halimu raised brown cattle, and Li Long felt that this kind of cattle had more meat than yellow cattle, so he bought one to see.

"Sure," Halimu pointed to the milk tea and said, "after you finish drinking, I'll go catch them for you."

Halimu caught sheep from the flock, and Li Long took them outside, tied the sheep's legs, and threw them into the tractor's cargo box.

Li Long could see that the sheep Halimu caught were all plump and strong. After receiving two, he said to Halimu:

"Catch a few culls for me; I'm taking them back to fatten them up."

"If you take them like this, there's no need to fatten them," Halimu naturally understood very well, and he said.

"No, no, I hauled sugar dregs from the sugar factory, there's plenty! I want to use that to make the sheep fat, and then we'll slaughter them before the New Year. So, find some culls, don't just take the fat ones; that would be a waste of effort."

Halimu laughed, and after catching two more fat sheep, he started catching the culls.

For the ten sheep, Li Long wanted to pay, but Halimu refused, saying the rice, flour, and oil were enough. He also put some wild goat skins and red deer skins on Li Long's tractor, so Li Long now had a legitimate reason to pay.

"Come over tomorrow. I'll tell Yushanjiang and the others today, and they'll drive their sheep over too, so you can take them away then," Halimu said.

Since Li Long had the intention of fattening sheep, his friends naturally wanted to support him.

Li Long drove the tractor away from the winter quarters. He planned to bring some more supplies tomorrow and also buy some roosters, hens, and eggs from the market.

When he reached the mountain pass, Li Long ran into Hearing Bolati, who was waiting there.

"I heard the sound of the car and the tractor, and I knew you had come," Hearing Bolati said with a smile. "You haven't come for a while, and we've gotten some more Codonopsis. Do you want to buy it?"

"Buy it, I definitely will," Li Long said, looking at the two bags on Hearing Bolati's horse. "But right now, I can only trade for money. I didn't bring any supplies."

"Then let's trade for money; anyway, it's for someone else." Hearing Bolati dismounted and handed the two bags of Codonopsis to Li Long. "This is for two people, not mine. You decide what to pay."

Of the two bags of Codonopsis, one was relatively dry, and the other wasn't completely dry yet; it wasn't dried very well, and one root had already molded.

Li Long picked out the molded one and threw it away, then estimated it and said to Hearing Bolati:

"The quality of the dry one is better, I'll give you 40 yuan. For this one that isn't very dry, 35 yuan."

"That's fine, that's fine, it's more than they thought," Hearing Bolati was very satisfied. "They thought it would be good to get 20 yuan. It's just something like a tree root, it's very good to be able to trade it for money. By the way, are you still buying sheep?"

"Yeah, I built a sheep pen and plan to raise some sheep in the winter, and then slaughter and sell them when we Han people have the New Year."

"You guys are the ones with brains," Hearing Bolati said with a smile. "Alright, when are you going into the mountains again?"

"I'm coming back tomorrow," Li Long said. "Tomorrow I'm going to the winter quarters to haul some sheep back, and for the next few days, I'll probably come once a day."

"Alright, I know. If there's any more Codonopsis, I'll find you again."

Li Long took the two bags of Codonopsis, tied them to the fender, cranked the tractor, and drove out of the mountains.

After Li Long hauled the cattle and sheep from the tractor to the old horse stable, he ate lunch at his eldest brother's house and then drove back to the county to do some shopping.

It was already early winter, and most of the people walking on the street were already wearing cotton-padded clothes. Li Long himself was also covered in a cotton-padded overcoat while driving the tractor.

He went to the department store to buy liquor, batteries, cotton-padded rubber shoes, and cotton gloves.

The herdsmen usually made their own clothes, and now there were some to buy. They bought more boots and shoes, but the rubber shoes sold in the department store were more convenient and fashionable to wear. So, although the cotton-padded rubber shoes weren't as warm as their felt boots, they were especially liked by young herdsmen, especially the young men.

Then there were the wool scarves for girls and the fur hats worn by men.

Li Long bought a bit of all these miscellaneous things, and he also bought a lot of snacks like sponge cakes. Basically, every herdsman's family had elderly people, and they could eat these without straining their teeth.

After coming out of the department store, Li Long went to the market.

He found that besides grain and batteries, the most popular things were liquor, onions, and potatoes. In winter, herdsmen couldn't get vegetables, so they relied on these onions and potatoes, as well as jams they made themselves from wild fruits picked in the mountains.

At that time, the white sugar and cube sugar Li Long brought them were a huge help.

In the storefronts of the market, there was currently everything for sale. After walking through once, one could basically buy everything one wanted.

Li Long also bought some eggs and slaughtered roosters and hens. Although it hadn't snowed yet, the temperature at night had already reached below zero, so these things could be kept in the vacant rooms.

After hauling a full load of miscellaneous things, Li Long returned to the courtyard.

Xiao Hei was exceptionally happy to see Li Long return, jumping up and down. Those two roe deer had grown bigger and started to butt people, so Li Long hauled them back to the old horse stable, planning to see if he could catch some small ones next spring and bring them back to the courtyard.

By then, the children would be able to sit and play, and if there were small roe deer or red deer, they could just play together.

!

Of course, if he couldn't find any, getting two small lambs would also be nice.

The weather had already cooled down. In the afternoon, Sister Yang was pushing the two children in the courtyard, going around in circles.

Li Long had a carpenter make a stroller for the two children. It was actually somewhat similar to a flatbed cart; the two large wheels were wheels from a handcart, and the two small wheels were wheels from a pushcart. The board cart mounted on top was made in a slope shape, covered with bedding, so the children could lie half-reclined and look outside. Separated in the middle, both children could lie down.

After having this cart, the two children loved being on it, able to move around, look at the scenery, and Sister Yang could also be liberated, not having to hold the children all the time.

When Li Long returned, Han Fang had already finished class, Gu Xiaoxia hadn't finished work yet, but Gu Bo Yuan had come over a step earlier; he was checking the stove in Li Long's room.

It was cold, and over at the Fourth Team, Li Jianguo's family had already set up a stove. Since they had earned quite a bit of money throughout the year, there was no need to be too frugal by the end of the year. The rooms in the flat-roofed house were already a bit damp and cold, so setting up the stove first would bake away the dampness, and it would also be convenient for cooking every day.

Li Long was busy with things outside every day, so he had forgotten about the stove.

Of course, there was another main reason: the main house of this large courtyard was designed and built quite well, and Li Long and the others hadn't felt cold living there until now.

Gu Bo Yuan's small courtyard already had a stove set up. When eating lunch, he asked Gu Xiaoxia about the stove, and seeing that it hadn't been set up here yet, he didn't blame Li Long.

As a man, Li Long was busy outside every day arranging to earn money and his career, and since it was naturally warmer here than in his small courtyard, it was normal that he hadn't thought of it.

Anyway, he didn't have much to do at the moment, so he closed the shop early today and came over to check the stove and try setting it up.

Li Long looked at his father-in-law lighting the stove, his face still covered in ash, and his own face turned a bit red. He got out of the jeep and hurried over to help.

"It's fine, it's fine, you go about your business, setting up this stove is a small matter," Gu Bo Yuan said happily. "I've already tested the stoves in the two bedrooms on the east and west sides of your room. Set them up for a few nights first to bake the room well.

I've also instructed Xiao Fang to set up the one in their room. The chimney hasn't been blocked after a whole summer; a large courtyard is just different."

His father-in-law even knew how to avoid suspicion. Li Long smiled and told Gu Bo Yuan about what he was currently doing.

"Hey, you really have a good eye," Gu Bo Yuan nodded and said. "Right now, everyone is gradually having a little money in their hands, and they can definitely buy some meat to improve their lives for the New Year.

The meat supplied by the food factory is definitely not enough. There is a meat stall in this market, but the meat put out in a day is just that little bit. There's also meat sold on the black market on the outskirts of the city, and that good meat is quite sought after..."

So Gu Bo Yuan wasn't just guarding his own little plot of land at the agricultural supplies store; he was still quite concerned about many things in the county.

"So I was thinking of raising a batch of cattle and sheep now, fattening them up until the twelfth lunar month to slaughter, and then when I put them in the market, I'll be able to sell at least a few dozen sheep."

"That's not all. You've underestimated the purchasing power of the people in our county," Gu Bo Yuan shook his head. "Do you know how many people have come to my shop to buy agricultural supplies from autumn until now? Several hundred families!

These people rushed over from the three towns in the north, and some even rushed over from several farms in the north tens of kilometers away, and the thing they said most was that they wanted to buy some beef and mutton to take back, but they couldn't buy any. Don't worry, let alone a few dozen, just in the half month before the New Year, you could sell a hundred sheep!"

These words made Li Long's confidence soar.

He had actually thought about buying more cattle and sheep to fatten up; it would be good if they sold, and if they didn't, he would just keep them. Anyway, Uncle Uncle Lao Luo Shu and the others were there, and at worst, they would just herd the cattle and sheep in the summer.

The Fourth Team didn't have much else right now, but it had plenty of wasteland. Although the team had a few flocks of sheep, it was still far from being saturated.

When Gu Xiaoxia came back from work and saw Li Long and her father Gu Bo Yuan chatting happily, she was quite happy. The two men she was closest to had a good relationship, so she was naturally in a good mood.

The next day after breakfast, Li Long drove the tractor into the mountains.

Having gotten used to the jeep, even though the current jeep didn't have power steering and the steering wheel was very strenuous to turn, similar to a small four-wheeled tractor, at least the car's speed was faster and its stability was better.

The small four-wheeled tractor's shock absorption was too poor, and the speed wasn't fast either. Li Long stubbornly chugged along for more than an hour, almost two hours, before reaching Halimu's place.

Upon arrival, he saw Yushanjiang and Talihar already outside the winter quarters.

Outside the winter quarters, besides them and Halimu, there was a flock of twenty-plus sheep.

The sheep had characters painted on them with pigment, in red and blue, obviously from two families.

However, whether it was the sheep marked in red or the sheep marked in blue, they were all plump and strong. Li Long sighed, alas.

He drove the tractor to a stop in front of the few people, hugged Yushanjiang and Talihar, and then pointed to the cargo box and said:

"Let's unload the things first. There's quite a lot, you guys look and divide them."

"Hey, I knew that as long as Li Long came, we would be able to get good things," Talihar said with a smile.

However, he didn't move the things immediately but asked Li Long:

"Did you bring bullets? My bullets are used up, but I brought you a good thing!"

Li Long was carrying a gun, but he hadn't brought many bullets. While wondering what good thing Talihar could have brought him, he took off his backpack, took out a pack of bullets from it, and said:

"Twenty-five rounds, you use these first."

Talihar had aspired to become a hunter because he had shot seventeen wild goats. Later, because he faced a brown bear head-on, he was almost scared into a mental breakdown, and later, after being guided by Li Long, he returned to normal and became even more determined to be a hunter.

When he took a huge bear skin off his horse's back and handed it to Li Long, Li Long felt that he wasn't going to become a hunter, but had already become a qualified hunter.

No, had the bears in these mountains become so easy to hunt?

At the very least, this counted as a king of the mountains, right?

Yushanjiang also smiled and went to take the bag off his horse's back.

When he opened the bag and shook out a skin for Li Long, Li Long felt himself go numb.

A snow leopard skin!

Hey!

Were these two giving him a surprise!

"The bear skin, 1,000 yuan. The snow leopard skin, 2,000 yuan," Li Long finally calmed down and gestured with the numbers. "Tomorrow I'll bring you the money..."

He thought about going into the mountains to collect sheep, and at most, he had brought 2,000 yuan, which was obviously not enough right now.

"Li Long, you're being very hurtful saying that," Talihar said, pretending to be a bit sad. "The skins are a gift from us to you. You talk about money, aren't we friends?"

"Friends are friends, but money still needs to be taken," Li Long shook his head and said seriously. "For those previous skins, I also brought you supplies, and we said we were friends, that's fine. This time, it's two such expensive skins again... I feel uncomfortable taking them."

"No need, no need," Yushanjiang said with a smile. "This skin is an advance for you bringing people to fix my winter quarters next year, so, consider it a deposit, you keep it."

"Right, right, right, mine too," Talihar stuffed the skin into Li Long's hand and said with a smile, "Our family's winter quarters are leaking rain. Next year, fix it up, we trust you to get things done!"

Well, this deposit is worth quite a bit! (End of chapter)