"Look, when you see a fritillaria plant, it's best to use a small spade. Dig down a little farther out, then lift the plant up. That round bulb underneath is the fritillaria."
Li Jianguo was in a nearby gully, teaching Liang Wenyu and several other young men how to dig fritillaria.
Some of them had not even known what a fritillaria plant looked like. They had stayed purely because they had heard fritillaria was valuable. Someone good at it could dig seven or eight kilograms a day, which, at Li Long's buying price, meant earning thirty or forty yuan a day.
Liang Wenyu knew what fritillaria looked like, since they had some at home, but he did not know what the plant looked like or how to dig it.
So he had asked his eldest brother-in-law for help.
Li Jianguo had found no game in the Salt Cave to the east, only some fresh droppings. Knowing they might have been left that morning, he had come back.
He planned to come over again early tomorrow morning. If he could shoot something, he would; if not, he would go dig the sheep-dipping pool after breakfast.
As for digging fritillaria the day after tomorrow, he really did intend to spend a day at it.
There was nothing much to do at home anyway. Returning a day earlier or later made little difference.
This time, he had woven over a hundred and thirty acceptable taibazi. Of everyone there, only he knew the full price for one was eight yuan. Li Long had paid him the full price last year, and he figured this year would be much the same.
Li Jianguo was easily satisfied.
He believed Li Long might eventually pay Liang Wenyu the full price too.
But that was for later. Right