Starting on the third day, Li Long hauled Watermelon Seeds to the county seat, tractor load after tractor load.
There were too few to justify hiring a truck, and there was little point in sending one out half full each time. On the fourth day, though, Song Ming came to deliver Sugar Residue, so he simply loaded up the Watermelon Seeds accumulated that day and hauled them to the county town, where they were stored in the Purchasing Station's warehouse.
Fortunately, the sun had been blazing these past few days, and the high outdoor temperatures meant the soaked Watermelon Seeds dried in just two days.
Bai Xiuming did not come on the fourth day, but Factory Director Du called to tell Li Long that the machine he wanted was finished and asked him to come take a look when he had time.
Li Long replied that he would come in a while; he had no time just then.
Once Factory Director Du learned that Li Long was busy, he said he would get a sack of Watermelon Seeds and help test the machine himself. The main business he had called about, though, was that the Cultivator had been produced. They had found a Small Four-Wheel Tractor and tested it in the Agricultural Science Institute's experimental fields. It worked quite well, though there were still areas that needed improvement.
Factory Director Du told Li Long that the Cultivator already had a customer as soon as it came off the production line. The Agricultural Science Institute thought it was good and had ordered five-after adjustments and improvements, of course.
That was also why he had taken the initiative to call Li Long. The Corn at the Agricultural Science Institute was still short enough for cultivation between the rows. For tall crops like