"According to my design, this river won't be too wide. The most important thing is, Mr. Jiang, you're not just raising fish, right?"
After disembarking from the helicopter, Jiang Hai escorted Hurt-Charles to his villa. There, Hurt-Charles presented a simple schematic diagram on paper. The river he designed for Jiang Hai was quite interesting.
It was an S-shape rotated 90 degrees to the left, with the head of the S near Jiang Hai's villa. The river then curved in an arc, bypassing the residential area on Jiang Hai's side while forming a natural barrier in front of the villa. This design would ensure a comfortable temperature in the summer and make it easier to catch fish in the future.
Continuing on, the river bypassed the residential area, followed the S-shape on the opposite side, and curved around the winery and grassland, all the way to the forest. From there, it turned into a straight path leading to the sea.
This design would allow Jiang Hai to place the various animals he intended to raise in the open space behind the winery.
Jiang Hai wasn't building this river solely for fish farming. He had also imported pigs, chickens, sheep, and other animals from China that required fresh water. To prevent the water from becoming smelly, he couldn't place the river near the source. If it were near the entrance to the forest, the animals might be eaten by the mountain lions living there. Therefore, the river would be located behind the winery.
Here, the river would pass through the pig pen, sheep pen, chicken coop, and other enclosures, making it easier to maintain. This was far better than the troublesome pheasant and flying dragon coops, which attracted insects and were difficult to manage. Once the river was in place, these animals could be relocated.
Although the river's design would require a higher construction budget, it would preserve the integrity of the grassland, aligning with Jiang Hai's wishes.
"Alright, let's proceed with the plan. When can we start?" Jiang Hai asked, looking at Hurt-Charles.
"Mr. Jiang, you're rushing things. We need to dig a well before we start digging the river, and we need to discuss the price first," Hurt-Charles said, shaking his head. This man was so wealthy.
"Oh, I see. Go ahead and tell me." Jiang Hai smiled awkwardly. He was used to his wealth, but he wasn't familiar with these matters. Hurt-Charles explained the costs involved.
Digging a well is actually a separate task from the river, since finding water and reinforcing the well can be quite complicated. This would cost roughly a third of the price of the river's construction.
Hurt-Charles offered the first three meters of a 20-meter deep well for free. After that, he charged $320 per meter. Jiang Hai knew that this was reasonable, even cheap. Other companies might charge $400 or $500, and in places like Nevada or Arizona, $1,000 per meter was common. For digging in the desert, $1,100 per meter could be the norm.
For depths between 20 and 150 meters, the price would be $470 per meter, according to Hurt-Charles' calculations.
As for Jiang Hai's river, it would be approximately seven kilometers long. Due to several bends and a shallow depth, it would require around 400 tons of displacement.
Winthrop had abundant groundwater resources, so they were confident that water would be found at about 13-14 meters. However, the water flow wasn't always accurate—most wells would yield less than 100 tons of water. To ensure a steady supply, Jiang Hai would need to dig four or five wells, or opt for a deep well.
Jiang Hai quickly calculated that the cost of digging five 20-meter deep wells would be relatively cheap—about 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. Reinforcing the wells and ensuring proper water flow would bring the total cost to around 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, which wasn't too expensive.
Although this was twice as much as he initially expected, the price difference of 30,000 to 60,000 yuan didn't matter much to Jiang Hai.
He immediately decided to proceed. As for the river's construction, Hurt-Charles would handle digging the river and building the banks for one kilometer, as well as transporting sand from the seaside at no extra charge.
For one kilometer of river, which included all necessary work, including riverbanks, Hurt-Charles quoted Jiang Hai $32,000. When Jiang Hai mentioned adding several bridges, trees along the banks, and streetlights, it was a new idea that hadn't occurred to him before. In the past, he had always used the grassland paths for running, but now he could run along the river. It would be a 14-kilometer round trip, a perfect warm-up.
Robbins and the others thought it was unnecessary, but Jiang Hai often did things that others might consider extravagant. As his subordinates, they didn't need to voice their opinions on the matter.
After hearing Jiang Hai's plans, Hurt-Charles also calculated the costs in his head. This was also a source of income for him. Eventually, Hurt-Charles proposed a full package deal, which included the river channel, boulevard, street lights, and trees, all originally intended to be sourced from Jiang Hai's forest. However, since Jiang Hai refused, they would transport the materials from the Appalachian Mountains for $61,000 per kilometer.
This price was still within Jiang Hai's budget. Although he wasn't planning on turning the river into a park or selling tickets, he felt satisfied with the result.
The river channel's initial price was $427,000, and Hurt-Charles had also solved the issue of the estuary. The total cost for drilling the wells would be around $60,000, which was acceptable to Jiang Hai.
With that, the contract was signed, and Jiang Hai transferred $100,000 to Hurt-Charles.
As soon as the payment was made, Hurt-Charles was ready to start. That night, he gathered his team, and the next day, the well diggers arrived. Digging a river was complicated—first, they had to dig a well to determine the location. Only then could they begin digging the river channel. They didn't dig the soil near the well but worked at a distance, planning to connect the river to the spring once the channel was complete.
Jiang Hai didn't understand all the technical details but was content to watch the process unfold.
Hurt-Charles and his team began by checking a spot about a meter away from the left side of Jiang Hai's villa. They quickly determined a suitable location, as Winthrop had abundant groundwater resources.
Jiang Hai, never having seen a well being dug, approached with curiosity. Hurt-Charles noticed him and, assuming Jiang Hai was worried about the water supply, walked over to explain.
"Mr. Jiang, don't worry. We've dug at least 400, if not 500, wells. We can definitely get water here. Let me explain—under the Earth's crust, there are layers of stone with cracks that hold a lot of groundwater. The fresh water resources here are very rich, so we'll have no problem pumping it out."
Jiang Hai smiled awkwardly. Could he admit that he was just watching for fun?
Once the location was determined, Hurt-Charles and his team began setting up the machinery. Drilling wasn't as simple as it seemed—along with the drill, there was also a mud machine, a machine for mixing mud, and a pump for removing the mud. A cement mixer stood by, ready to reinforce the well with concrete once water was found.
Jiang Hai watched as the machines started running. The drill bit entered the ground with a loud rumble. Soon, mud began to appear. Hurt-Charles didn't stop; he continued drilling. Although water started to seep through, it wasn't enough to create a river just yet.
As more water flowed out, it became clear they had hit the right spot. The mud pump started working, clearing the mud to the side. But as the water got deeper, Jiang Hai felt an odd sensation in his body—his spiritual energy stirred.
To his astonishment, the water was emitting steam. Hurt-Charles and his team had seen ordinary steam before, but this was different—this steam was much more intense.
Hurt-Charles moved to the mud discharge area and tested the water with his hand. His face turned pale with shock.
"Hot! Is this a hot spring?"
Jiang Hai rushed over and touched the water. Indeed, it was hot, with a temperature high enough to qualify as a hot spring.
"Oh my God, it really is a hot spring!" Jiang Hai couldn't help but laugh. What a lucky surprise!
The water was warm, and it even had a faint smell of sulfur. Hurt-Charles pulled the drill bit out, and Jiang Hai, now measuring the water's temperature at 42°C, realized the water would only get hotter as they drilled deeper. It was a natural hot spring, perfect for soaking. Jiang Hai couldn't help but smile—this was indeed a stroke of good luck.