Building roads, finding jade, buying sheep, and coming face-to-face with wild boar piglets!

At lunchtime, everyone gathered in groups of three or five, each holding an enamel basin filled with mutton and mutton broth, with nang in hand.

The villagers from Qingshui Hezi had originally brought their own dry provisions. Meng Hai and the others had also brought a pot on their tractor, planning to boil water for tea at noon and make do with a simple meal.

They had not expected the people from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to come along, or the local pastoralists to welcome them so warmly and slaughter several sheep. Now they could enjoy a proper feast.

If they had not dug up jade, the main topic of conversation over lunch would certainly have been the mutton.

After all, earning money while enjoying a free meal of hand-pulled meat was a wonderful thing. Although it had happened a few times before, it was still a real treat.

But people from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative had found jade, and people from the village had found agate.

Even at their lowest prices, those things were worth more than the eight yuan they earned for a day's work.

So although they held mutton bones and chewed nang, their conversation still revolved around valuable things like jade and agate.

The villagers' relationship with Li Long went no further than knowing him, recognizing his face, and occasionally greeting him. They were much closer to Meng Hai.

That was why more people gathered around Meng Hai, all thinking and talking about digging up jade.

Meng Hai had firm ideas of his own. He put down his chopsticks and warned the villagers:

"Let me tell you, if you happen to dig up jade or anything else while you're working, it belongs to whoever digs it up. But if anyone wants to spend working