Zhao Shijie stood in a straw hat, watching the workers dig the pump house foundation at the edge of the field. Li Long stood beside him, accompanying him on his inspection.
A truck drove past, loaded with bricks and cement.
Two other workers were marking lines with lime beside the pump house. Li Long could tell that this was where they planned to build the filter pool.
Watching the truck drive over and stop beside the foundation, Zhao Shijie said, "These three pump houses are costing a little less than I expected. As long as the quality is guaranteed, that's fine. I suggest using the money saved to improve this road."
The road the truck had driven along was a farm track, a dirt road worn into the ground by the tractors people drove out to work their fields.
It was fine in dry weather. The ground was packed firm, and one good thing about it was that there was no loose, powdery soil.
But when it rained, the road inevitably turned muddy. Tractors and other vehicles passing through would leave deep ruts, and once the weather cleared, the road would be uneven.
Since this plot covered over a thousand mu, the road was quite long. Li Long asked him, "How are you planning to improve it, sir?"
Zhao Shijie said, "We haven't saved all that much, so we'll just haul some gravel onto the existing farm track and level it with a bulldozer. At least rain won't make it difficult to use."
Li Long nodded. He thought that would work too.
Zhao Shijie continued, "We need to put several screens over this filter pool, with very fine mesh. The water comes down from the reservoir, so there's bound to be plenty of debris in it.
"When that water is