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The undulating mountains and forests are covered in white snow. With a single glance, everything appears pure white, blending the heavens and earth into one, almost blindingly white. The vast expanse of the world, with snow falling on a thousand mountains.

Xia Ming couldn't help but shout a few times, causing some snow to shake off the tree branches and make a rustling sound.

He carefully took a few steps forward, leaving behind a series of footprints.

As he walked, Xia Ming couldn't help but recall a passage from a movie scene where a text was being read, from the movie "Spicy Love Soup".

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"In the early morning, I opened the door and walked on the thick snow, making a creaking sound."

There are probably many other sentences in the passage, but he only remembers this part, which had a strong feeling. Of course, it would be even more enjoyable to have a bowl of hot and spicy soup at this moment.

Unfortunately, he was in the mountains at this moment, and there was nothing except the vast white snow and some bare branches breaking through the snow cover.

"Bark bark," a few dog barks came from not far away, as if reminding him not to forget about the dog.

"Ha," a warm breath escaped his mouth, turning into white mist and obscuring his vision.

"It's a bit chilly. Well, I'll dig a bit more today, and then I can send the excavator back."

At this moment, a yellow dog frolicking in the snow ran over, its tongue hanging out, leaving behind a series of footprints.

"Go away, go away."

Xia Ming pushed away the big yellow dog that was trying to get close to him. Unfortunately, at this moment, the big yellow dog was damp.

"What are you running around for if you're fine? If you could catch me a rabbit, that would be great. All you do is run around blindly, as dumb as a pig, and all you know is eating."

Xia Ming took out his phone and took a few pictures of the excited big yellow dog, then took a few pictures of the snowy mountains clad in silver.

With accompanying text: Vast layers of clouds, evening snow on a thousand mountains, whose shadow is it heading toward?

Just after posting, his phone rang. It was a call from his mother.

"Xiao Ming, are you awake? It snowed last night. Is everything fine on the mountain?"

"I'm awake. It's just a bit of snow. What could go wrong?"

"Are you coming down for breakfast?"

"No, I won't eat. I'll dig for the whole day today and skip lunch."

"Well, take care of yourself and come down for lunch early."

After ending the call with his mother, Xia Ming exhaled a breath of white air, rubbed his face, and walked towards the excavator not far away.

Actually, Xia Ming didn't want to work on a snowy day like this. The bottom of the reservoir is still dry since it just started snowing. It's easier for water to accumulate after the snow melts.

Moreover, this snowfall is just the first snow of winter. There might be more to come.

He walked with a creaking sound to the front of the excavator and circled it to see if there were any damages or oil leaks. Fortunately, everything was normal. He opened the door and sat in the driver's seat, waving his hand to keep the excited dog, Wang Cai, away.

After two b

arks, Wang Cai turned and ran towards the mobile cabin on the embankment.

"This excavator claims to be second-hand, but who knows how many hands it has been through. After being baptized by the snow and wind overnight, can it still start?"

Accompanied by a dull roar, the excavator trembled for a while and started up.

With a step on the accelerator, bursts of black smoke came out of the exhaust pipe.

The rumbling sound echoed throughout the valley.

"It works, it works," Xia Ming praised.

Driving the excavator unsteadily, Xia Ming headed towards the center of the reservoir.

There's no man or boy who can resist the temptation of an excavator.

&

No man or boy can resist the temptation of an excavator.

When an excavator stops in front of you, it's a pity not to go up and play with it for a while.

Every time the excavator's bucket is raised high and forcefully digs into the soil, as the earth rolls, you can feel the power of the machine, which makes your blood boil.

Of course, Xia Ming has never been to Nanxiang or Xingdongfang. He can operate an excavator purely out of interest, personal hobby, plus a few packs of Furongwang cigarettes.

The most important thing is to save money.

This excavator belongs to Xia Ming's cousin. They have been playing together since childhood, almost like brothers.

Since his cousin is at home during the winter and not out for work, the excavator is currently idle at home.

So Xia Ming borrowed the excavator, planning to dig a deep spot in the reservoir he is contracting for himself.

The so-called "deep spot" is the local term used by Xia Ming's rural area, usually referring to the deepest part of a pond or reservoir.

In Xia Ming's understanding, the main purpose of the deep spot is probably to accommodate more silt. But generally, the deep spot is also a good place to find big fish.

A month ago, Xia Ming quit his high-paying job in the metropolis and returned home to take over the management of this almost abandoned reservoir, planning to turn it into a fishing and angling center.

The reservoir is located in the mountains, with water flowing through the canyons, two not-so-tall mountains, and a 1970s earthen dam. This forms a relatively small reservoir in the mountains, covering approximately 50 acres.

Standing on the top of the dam, the reservoir appears triangular in shape. There is actually an additional area inside the reservoir towards the end, but it is obscured by the mountains.

In reality, when the reservoir is full, it looks more like an hourglass shape. The area hidden by the mountains is the upper half of the hourglass, just much smaller.

Once, the water here was clear and calm as a mirror, with the reflection of the surrounding mountains visible on the water's surface, like a piece of jade hidden in the mountains.

When a gentle breeze blows, the water shimmers with colorful reflections, vibrant with shades of tender green, red, and dark green, resembling a colorful oil painting.

In Xia Ming's childhood, his parents used to raise ducks in the reservoir, and the duck shed was built underneath the reservoir dam. At that time, the reservoir was always full, with mountain spring water constantly flowing into it, and it never dried up.

This reservoir holds the memories of Xia Ming's beautiful childhood summers.

But unexpectedly, after more than a decade, this reservoir from his childhood has gradually diminished in size due to the accumulation of silt, and the old dam has started leaking, approaching the point of drying up.

However, this also gave Xia Ming an opportunity. After taking over the management, he had to excavate and dredge the reservoir, which required a significant initial investment. Otherwise, it would have remained the same for another decade, and he wouldn't have had the chance to take over.

Xia Ming's parents opposed his decision to quit his high-paying job in the city and return to their hometown to take over an almost abandoned reservoir. They thought he had gone crazy or had been heartbroken by a failed relationship.

As a result, his mother kept introducing potential partners to him, hoping that he could move on from the shadow of a failed relationship.

In response, Xia Ming had to politely decline.

The villagers regarded Xia Ming's endeavor as a topic of casual conversation. It made Xia's father so angry

that he couldn't eat properly for several days.

Although angry, he still had to support when it was necessary. Xia Ming had been working outside the village for years and was completely clueless about the management of the reservoir.

So Xia's father took Xia Ming around, and within just one day, everything was settled at an astonishing speed. Xia Ming could only sigh that having an elder at home was like having a treasure, albeit one that sometimes slaps you.

After taking over the reservoir, the next step was naturally to dredge it.

Thanks to Xia's father's connections, a few phone calls were made, and bulldozers were arranged.

Within just over ten days, with the powerful mechanical force of two bulldozers, this abandoned reservoir underwent a complete transformation.

The silt at the bottom of the reservoir was pushed onto the dam, dredging and reinforcing it, almost doubling the width of the originally narrow dam.

Later, when Xia Ming had sufficient resources, he planned to cover the water-facing surface of the dam with stones to prevent further erosion.

Under Xia Ming's command, a large open space was cleared near the foot of the dam, preparing for future construction.

As for the depth of the deep spot, it was dug as deep as possible. Three meters is not considered shallow, and five meters is not considered deep. From Xia Ming's memory, he had a fear of the deep spot, similar to thalassophobia.

After all, falling into such a deep hole would be disastrous, as Xia Ming never learned how to swim since childhood. Despite practicing for a long time and having a full stomach, he just couldn't swim.

So he could only splash around in the shallow water near the shore, looking at the water and sighing. By the way, he still doesn't know how to swim.

As for the size of the deep spot, Xia Ming didn't care. He just kept digging as much as he could. As a result, he has been digging for almost half a month now.

In the snowy mountains, the huge excavator occasionally makes loud clanging noises, echoing throughout the valley. With Xia Ming's focused control, his skills have improved by leaps and bounds in just a few days, making him feel like an experienced operator.

&

Under Xia Ming's focused control, the excavator was operating at a fast speed. After more than ten days, his skills improved by leaps and bounds, giving him the feeling of an experienced operator.

Amidst the clanging noises, the already deep pit was dug even deeper. It was estimated to be nearly four to five meters deep. Fortunately, Xia Ming had started with a large enough area. Not far away, the soil had formed a small mound.

"Is there really so much silt? The mountains are still here, and soil erosion shouldn't be this severe, right? How come we haven't reached the bedrock yet?" Xia Ming began to question his life choices.

At the beginning, Xia Ming thought he would quickly reach the bedrock. After all, the reservoir was built in the mountains, and the surrounding mountains were mostly limestone. Even with some silt, it shouldn't be too much.

Who would have thought that after digging so deep, they still hadn't reached the bottom?

"Forget it, forget it. Whatever depth we reach today will be enough. We don't need to dig 10 or 8 meters."

In this manner, Xia Ming sang songs and operated the excavator, unknowingly digging for nearly three hours. At this point, the excavator was no longer visible in the pit, only the roaring sound of the engine could be heard.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, Xia Ming was startled. He had reached the bottom, but immediately his eyebrows furrowed.

"I hit a rock, this is bad."

Xia Ming quickly got out of the driver's cabin and ran to the front of the bucket to check. When he looked, his face immediately fell. He saw a broken bucket tooth lying quietly on the side. The freshly broken surface seemed to be shimmering.

He reached out and picked up the bucket tooth, then looked at the bucket, which was already halfway buried in the soil. It made him feel a twinge of pain.

It seemed that this situation occurred because one of the bucket teeth happened to hit a rock, and now there was a high probability that the rock had also broken.

"Damn, what kind of rock is so hard? Is my cousin's excavator not sturdy enough?"

In his mind, he pictured his cousin smoking a cigarette and patting his chest, guaranteeing him.

"Dig with all your might, be bold in your digging. Even if you encounter granite, my excavator can break its teeth."

Yes, break its teeth, but the one that broke was indeed his own "tooth."

He leaned his head into the bucket and looked inside, seeing only large chunks of soil, no sign of any rocks.

So he ran back into the driver's cabin, pulled the control lever, lifted the bucket, and then turned off the engine.

Xia Ming got down to inspect and rummaged through the soil, and sure enough, he found his broken "tooth."