Chapter 82: Old Wooden Box

Of course, this box was not filled with Renminbi, but with half a box of "hemp coins," which is to say, copper coins.

Li Long flipped through them casually; inside were Five-Emperor coins, as well as Kaiyuan, Zhenguan, and other Tang Dynasty hemp coins. Besides the inscribed hemp coins, there were also some large "flower coins." Flower coins refer to non-circulating, privately minted coins, mainly used for play or as charms. However, they also hold a certain collection value in later generations.

The box was open. As soon as Li Long entered the study, he saw this old-fashioned wooden box, about forty or fifty centimeters in length, width, and height, sitting on the table. Li Long guessed that the box should have contained other items, but they had likely already been taken away by the old Master Ma.

On the study's bookshelf were a few old thread-bound books: the Four Treasuries, medical texts, quotations, martial arts novels, and some magazines—a chaotic mix.

A painting hung on the wall, a horizontal scroll of calligraphy. He couldn't tell what was written on it, nor could he understand the signature, so he just left it hanging.

On the heavy solid wood desk sat a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone; they looked a bit old and were likely ordinary items. The coin box, however, looked quite old and must have had some age to it.

He wondered if this half-box of hemp coins was worth more in the future than the box itself.

Li Long closed the box, placed it in the corner of the desk, then sat down and pulled open a drawer.

Inside was a stack of vertical letter paper, which also looked quite antique; he just didn't know if it was a replica or old paper.

Closing the drawer, Li Long pulled open another one and found three writing brushes inside. He didn't know how to write calligraphy, so he simply closed the drawer.

There was nothing else in the study, so Li Long went to the bedroom.

The stove was burning brightly now, and the bedroom was warm. Li Long looked at the wooden frame bed, wondering if it would be warm at night.

The bedding had a faint musty smell. He decided that when he had time, he would take a moment to clean it up properly. Buying new ones wasn't convenient right now, but at the very least, taking them apart to wash was a must.

The wooden floorboards in the room actually surprised him a bit. The lacquer finish on the wood had worn away, clearly showing the room had been there for many years.

The carvings on the frame bed were quite exquisite and looked very beautiful. There were figures that looked like a picture-story book; he couldn't tell if it was "The Western Chamber" or "Dragon Girl Herding Sheep," as he didn't really understand them.

There was a large wardrobe in the bedroom, a new style that looked a bit out of place there. Li Long opened it and found two old garments inside, the kind with a front-buttoning jacket. He planned to take them back when he returned to give to his sister-in-law to use for starching and making shoe uppers.

Coming out of the bedroom, he went to the utility room.

Inside stood an old wooden single bed, with some old-fashioned chairs, a low table, and other old furniture placed to the side. Li Long wasn't sure if they had any value.

Just as he intended to take a closer look, the sound of Tao Daqiang calling out came from over there.

When Li Long went over, he saw that Tao Daqiang had already brought the rice porridge to a boil. He found a head of Chinese cabbage, peeled off the dry outer leaves, took the intact inner leaves, washed them at the sink, and then used a knife to slice them into thin shreds.

Wang Mazi's kitchen knife had been sharpened very thin but was still sharp. After slicing a plate of shreds, Li Long found some white sugar and vinegar, sprinkled them on top, and tossed it—that was a dish.

Tao Daqiang watched with some skepticism. Could this stuff actually taste good? Eating raw cabbage!

However, when he ate the cold-dressed cabbage with the white porridge, the refreshing taste surprised him greatly. This flavor was really good!

"Sleep early tonight. We'll go out to eat tomorrow morning, and after we eat, we'll head into the mountains to haul the sheep," Li Long said while drinking porridge. "We might even stay in the mountains for a night, so be mentally prepared."

"Mm." Seeing Li Long finish his porridge and stop eating, Tao Daqiang poured the cabbage and its juices from the plate into his porridge, slurped it all down, wiped his mouth, and went to wash the bowls.

The next morning, the two of them hurriedly washed their faces, went to the meat canteen to buy a few steamed buns, and hurried toward the mountains while eating. By the time they reached the outside of the Halimu winter camp, the sun had not yet risen to the forty-five-degree mark in the southeast.

Which meant it was not yet ten o'clock. Li Long was very satisfied with this speed.

Amidst the barking of dogs, Halimu came out of the winter camp.

"Why did you two come over so early?" Halimu had also just finished breakfast—milk tea.

"We sold the sheep yesterday, so we came today to give you the money and, by the way, haul away the remaining sheep," Li Long said with a smile. "How about it, is that okay?"

"More than okay!" Halimu hadn't expected the sheep to sell so quickly. "Come, come, let's go into the winter camp to warm up first."

"I sold the mutton for ninety-five cents a kilogram, but I'll collect it from you at eighty cents." Li Long drank a bowl of milk tea, took out the money, and began to settle the accounts for Halimu:

"Twenty-two sheep total three hundred."

"You sold it for ninety-five cents, but you're collecting it from us at eighty cents?" Halimu waved his hands hurriedly upon hearing this. "That's not how it's done. You're basically working for us for free."

"No, no, I have my own ideas," Li Long said with a smile. "You just give me the sheep offal; I make my money on that."

"That won't do either, you're taking too much of a loss," Halimu said, becoming agitated. "We can't do that to you. We're friends, and friends share the money earned and split it together..."

"I've already earned quite a lot," Li Long said, understanding Halimu's agitation. "You know that piece of jade? That one piece is worth more than all those sheep..."

"That's different. We couldn't sell it, so that was a gift for you..."

!.

Tao Daqiang watched the two arguing, both wanting the other to take more money, which he found hard to understand.

When people in the team went into business together, many wanted to grab more for themselves, but here, it was the opposite.

While Halimu and Li Long were talking, the dogs outside barked.

Yushanjiang had arrived.

This time, he had brought five sheep.

Upon learning the ins and outs of the matter, Yushanjiang also urged Li Long to take more money:

"When we sell sheep, it's usually fifty or sixty cents a kilogram; we've never even seen seventy cents. You collecting at eighty cents like this won't do..."

"It's fine, it's fine," Li Long said. "Listen to me: first, you have to give me all the sheep offal; I use that to make money. Second, when spring comes, you point out where the jade is, and if I can pick up a piece or two then, it'll all be made back."

In the end, due to Li Long's insistence, the money was calculated as he said.

Of course, it was hard to say how much money the ten sheep hauled on this trip would sell for at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Li Long's plan was to earn at most ten cents a kilogram for his hard work; he still intended to use the sheep offal to make money. If handled well, these things could also earn a tidy sum.

Besides, even if they couldn't be sold, if washed clean and prepared well, they were even more delicious than the mutton.

When Li Long headed down the mountain, the horse cart was once again piled with ten Kelangzi sheep. This time, he was going to the Maxian supply and marketing cooperative to find that clansman, Section Chief Li Xiangqian.

He wondered what price Section Chief Li would offer?

(End of chapter)