Chapter 82: The

Of course, what was in this box wasn't Renminbi, but half a box of "ma qian"—that is, copper coins.

Li Long flipped through them casually. Inside were "Five Emperors" coins, as well as Kaiyuan and Zhenguan era copper coins from the Tang Dynasty. Besides the coins with inscriptions, there were also some large "flower coins." Flower coins refer to non-circulating private coins, mainly used for play or blessings. However, they also have 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 there should have been other things in this box, but they had likely already been taken by Old Man Ma.

On the bookshelves in the study were several old-fashioned thread-bound books: the Complete Library in Four Sections, medical books, quotations, martial arts novels, and some magazines—all sorts of things.

A painting hung on the wall, a horizontal scroll of calligraphy. He couldn't tell what was written on it, and he couldn't quite make out the signature either, so he just left it hanging.

On the heavy solid wood desk were brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone, which looked a bit old and were likely ordinary items. The box containing the coins, however, looked quite old and should have some age to it.

He wondered if this half-box of copper coins was worth more than the box itself in later generations.

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

Inside was a stack of vertical letter paper, which also looked quite archaic; he 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 now burning very brightly, and the bedroom was toasty. 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 the opportunity to clean it up properly. It wasn't convenient to buy new ones right now, but at the very least, taking them apart to wash was a must.

The wooden floor in the room surprised him a bit. The paint on the wooden floor was worn, clearly showing the room had quite some age.

The carvings on the frame bed were exquisite and looked quite beautiful. There were figures on them, looking like a comic strip; he couldn't tell if it was *The West Chamber* or *Dragon Girl Herding Sheep*, as he didn't understand them very well.

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

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

Inside were an old wooden single bed, and some old-fashioned chairs, low tables, and other old furniture placed nearby. Li Long didn't know if they had any value.

He was planning to take a closer look when Tao Daqiang's voice called out 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 cabbage, peeled off the dry outer leaves, took out the intact leaves from inside, washed them at the sink, and then used a knife to cut them into thin strips.

Wang Mazi's kitchen knife had been sharpened very thin, but it was still sharp. After cutting a plate of thin strips, Li Long found some white sugar and vinegar, sprinkled them on top, and mixed it all together. This was a dish.

Tao Daqiang looked at it suspiciously. Could this thing taste good? Eating raw cabbage!

However, when he ate the cold cabbage salad with the white porridge, the refreshing taste surprised him greatly. This taste was truly good!

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

"Okay." Tao Daqiang saw Li Long finish his porridge and stop eating, so he poured the cabbage and juice 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, bought a few steamed buns at the meat canteen, and rushed toward the mountains while eating. By the time they reached the outside of Halimu's winter camp, the sun hadn't yet risen to forty-five degrees 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 come over so early?" Halimu had also just finished breakfast—milk tea.

"We sold the sheep yesterday, so we came over 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 0.95 yuan per kilogram, but I'll collect it from you at 0.80 yuan." Li Long drank a bowl of milk tea, took out the money, and began to calculate the account for Halimu:

"Twenty-two sheep total three hundred."

"You sold it for 0.95, and you're collecting it from us at 0.80?" Halimu hurriedly waved his hand upon hearing this, "That's not how things are done. You're basically working for us for free."

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

"That won't do either, you're at too much of a disadvantage." Halimu became agitated, "We can't let you suffer such a loss. We are friends, and friends share the money earned and split it together..."

"I've already earned quite a lot." Li Long could understand Halimu's agitation, "Do you know about that piece of jade? That one piece is worth more than all those sheep..."

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

!.

Tao Daqiang watched the two arguing, both wanting the other to take more money. This made him a bit unable to understand.

When people in the team did 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 advised Li Long to take more money:

"When we sell sheep, it's usually 0.50 or 0.60 yuan per kilogram; we've never even seen 0.70. You're collecting at 0.80 now, that 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 to me where there is jade. At that time, I can pick up a piece or two, and it will all be made back."

Finally, under Li Long's insistence, the money was calculated according to what he said.

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

Li Long's plan was to earn at most 0.10 yuan per 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 they were washed clean and prepared well, they would taste even better than mutton.

By the time Li Long went down the mountain, the horse cart was once again piled with ten Kelangzi sheep. This time, he was going to the supply and marketing cooperative in Ma County to find that fellow clansman, Section Chief Li Xiangqian.

He wondered what price Section Chief Li would offer?

(End of chapter) *** **CHAPTER 83**