During the daytime Grandfather also did manual work, while during the evening he studied the local hydrological data.
Grandfather was drawing on a slate with a piece of lime chalk, while glancing through old books. Suddenly he was taken aback： the original design of digging two meters would not be enough. Major floods had occurred here.The design had to be able to withstand the largest Hood in at least fifty years.He counted it out with his fingers, and figured there might be a major fiood in the next two years. The last few Hoods had at times washed away half the village.
He quickly drew his ragged cotton-padded jacket together and wentlooking for the technician of the constfUCtion contract's Party A to discuss it.
"It's also not my design, I just execute it. Old man, you have notlung to do when you've eaten your fill. It's none of your business. Obviously you're wanting more work to get more work points, adding to your workload."
"Why do you say that? We can't do that！" Grandfather argued.
"'Eat less yam, and your belly would bulge less. Mind your own busi-ness, and you'll have less to worry about. Old man, go to sleep. Nobody can change the workload so long as I'm here. Even if you go tell the foreman,Yousan, it won't work, no way！" the techniaan said firmly.
The other two teams competing with Grandfather on the site worked very fast. Their team heads were clever, and from time to time gave free cig-arettes to Party A's foreman, who then praised them and gave bonuses. Party A therefore had no interest in the work team from Shiban village, and even resented them.
Grandfather knew he did not have a major say on the design. He lay in bed, tossing and turning for a long time without falling asleep.
"Yeye, why do you want to tear down the dam we worked so hard to build?" Jin Ying asked Grandfather doubtfully.
"I looked up some more hydrological data. We need to do a project that can hold up for a hundred years. The two-meter foundation we dug is not deep enough. We have to dig at least four meters, or else the foundaUon will be destroyed in a fiood. We can't do work that goes against our conscience！"
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