It was Tao Dayong who came to buy the shriveled seeds.
His father, Tao Jianshe, had told him to come buy some earlier, but he had insisted on waiting to see. By the time Li Jianguo brought home his tractor and he believed watermelon seeds could bring in serious money, it was too late. There were none left.
Fortunately, Tao Daqiang found out that the Li family still had some shriveled seeds. After much thought, he decided they were still worth buying.
They were only called shriveled compared with the seeds that had been sold. They were not actually empty, just not as plump. Li Jianguo had already winnowed out the empty and immature ones with a winnowing basket.
"But those shriveled seeds might not sprout if you plant them." Li Jianguo had planned to winnow these seeds and keep them to roast in winter. He really had not intended to sell them.
"Uncle Jianguo, please sell them to me," Tao Dayong pleaded. "I only waited a little, and you were already sold out. I want to earn some money next year too!
"All year round, working with your Xiao Long is the only way I can earn a bit extra, but we have plenty of expenses at home too. I'd like to have a bicycle to ride next year... Please sell them to me. If they don't sprout, that's my problem. I definitely won't come blaming you!"
"It's not about whether you blame me. You can't use seeds like these for planting." Li Jianguo did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Actually, when his father told him to buy seeds, Tao Dayong had intended to do so. It was his wife, Ma Chunhong, who had stopped him and told him to wait.
Now Ma Chunhong had also heard