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On an afternoon in late autumn, I rode on a bicycle to Li village, which is roughly six miles from the county seat, to call on the head of the agricultural cooperative and collect some information. Half way there, I encountered a line of large carts which appeared to be the better part of a mile in length. All the carts were empty. I jumped off my bike and began chatting with the drivers. I found out that they were heading back to Li village from the Grain and Foodstuffs Bureau at the county seat. They had gone there to turn in the government's share of the harvest. They were all from Li village because it had over one thousand households in it. What was so peculiar was that the line of carts was moving so slowly, as if they were afraid of stepping on ants. Probably right after having eaten breakfast, these drivers had hitched up the carts, weighed the load, loaded up, gone straight to the door of the Grain and Foodstuffs Bureau in town, unloaded, weighed the load, got their receipts and had stored the grain away in the Bureau's granary. Soon it would be dark, so how could they not be tired and hungry? Furthermore, the sky was clouding over, probably it was going to rain, they were still about ten li from the village, so why wouldn't they be getting anxious? Therefore they were cursing furiously and continuously, some even going so far as to whip the donkeys and horses, but not for going too slow, rather the drivers were put out with them for being in a hurry to be fed and wanting to go fast, even to the point where their forelegs were constantly knocking into the rear of the cart ahead, making a hollow thudding noise. The cart ahead would get bumped and then the cart ahead of it got bumped. The animals' legs were sore from knocking into things and what with putting up with the drivers' curses and whippings as well, they became even more upset and angry; they began to rear, and bumped into the cart ahead again. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]