Large stones are fed in, and out come uniform small stones, perfect for paving roads and filling potholes.

Large stones are fed in, and out come uniform small stones, perfect for paving roads and filling potholes.

How many years have you seen that pothole at the gate? It floods after rain, cars can't pass, and people walk around it. You want to fill it, but what can you use? Buying gravel costs hundreds of yuan a truckload, the transportation cost is more expensive than the stones themselves; using broken bricks is irregular, and even then, it's still uneven. It just sits there, year after year, becoming a thorn in your side.

Those large stones are also a worry. Excavated from foundations, leftovers from building walls, piled up in corners taking up space. Nowhere to throw them away, no use for them, just piled up, overgrown with weeds, becoming a chicken coop and insect nest. Every time you pass by, you sigh—if only they could be turned into something useful.

Now it really can change. These large stones are fed into the machine, a loud rumble, and out come out uniform small stones. Large stones became smaller, irregular shapes became regular, and a pile of waste material was transformed into useful paving and pothole-filling material. Watching the material flow down from the outlet and pile up, the knot in your heart slowly loosened.

It was hauled to the yard gate and used to fill the pothole; one truckload wasn't enough, so another was brought in. The road roller rolled it over, leaving a smooth, solid surface. Afterwards, when it rained, water wouldn't accumulate, vehicles could pass, and pedestrians wouldn't have to detour. Large stones were transformed into smaller pieces, which filled the potholes, making them disappear, and so did your knot in your heart.

Large stones were fed in, and what came out were uniform small pieces, perfect for paving and pothole filling. From waste to material, from an eyesore to usefulness, the difference wasn't money, but a machine that could eat stones and spit out material. Now it was turning right before your eyes, gradually filling in those years of annoyance.