Daling Village.

Liang Shuyan found a piece of scrap paper and casually drew a diagram of a kang (a traditional heated brick bed) on it. She had seen craftsmen making kangs before, so she could draw what they looked like.

After drawing a rough outline, she marked the materials to be used for the earthen bed. For the exterior, she used readily available blue bricks, which were both beautiful and practical. She then asked the craftsmen to carve a few pretty flowers on them.

The house has the typical structure found in villages, with a main hall in the middle and separate inner rooms on the east and west sides. The outhouse and pigsty are located in the backyard, and for hygiene reasons, a door must be installed over the central archway.

After making simple annotations, Liang Shuyan handed the blueprints to Lao Wu. Lao Wu smiled and said, "Madam is really meticulous. She has annotated such small details. Although I have never seen this before, judging from the structure, it can still be made. Madam, please rest assured."

Old Mrs. Liu walked in, looked at the things on the blueprints, and said, "What are these square things? Are they for storing things?"

"No, in winter you can sleep on it, it's warm and very comfortable."

Old Mrs. Liu burst into laughter: "Oh dear, what did I say? My in-laws are truly capable. I wonder what they're thinking, managing to make something like this!"

Liang Shuyan said modestly, "It's nothing. I often went out with people and saw that they all did it, so I thought I'd make one for my own family too."

Old Wu said with some concern, "But this thing will probably need firewood after it's made, and the firewood at home won't last long!"

Liang Shuyan's idea was simple: she would shovel the turf from the mountain outside, put the embers from cooking into the kang (heated brick bed), cover them with turf, and let it burn all night without any problem, thus avoiding any waste of firewood.

"No, there are many children in the family. After cooking, we can move the embers to the kang (heated brick bed) and put the turf we shoveled from the mountain on it. It will keep us warm all night."

After a rough calculation, it was found that there were more than ten people in the family, and each room had a kang (heated brick bed). The project was quite large, so the few workers were obviously not enough. Liang Shuyan then hired two people from other villages to help, paying them 8 coins a day.

After settling the people who had built the earthen bed, Liang Shuyan picked up a bamboo basket and prepared to go home.

As soon as they reached the village entrance, Jiang greeted them with a smile and said, "Auntie, I heard you built a new house. Is it finished?"

"Not yet. It will probably take another two weeks, including renovations and furniture."

“Hey auntie, I have something to ask you, you know about Fatty and Yinxia, ​​right? Now Yinxia’s mother wants to have an abortion, and no matter what I say, she won’t listen. Fatty is an obedient and filial son, so what’s wrong with Yinxia marrying Fatty?”

Liang Shuyan pondered for a moment: "Let me think about this matter. Aunt Liu and I have a very bad relationship because of Yinxia. It probably won't work if I talk to her now. Why don't you go and talk to Lizheng? They are in-laws, so it will be easier to talk to him."

Jiang spread her hands somewhat awkwardly: "Oh dear, you know that, don't you? I don't get along with the village head's family, so I was embarrassed to bring it up!"

Jiang wasn't very kind to the villagers, but she treated Liang Shuyan well. Thinking of this, she nodded: "Okay, you go back first. I'll remember this. I'll discuss it with Aunt Liu later and let you know if I have any news, okay?"

Jiang said excitedly, "Alright, even if I have to pay more dowry, let these two children get married. Besides, Yinxia's belly is getting bigger every day. It would be dangerous for her to have an abortion like this. What if she can't have children after they get married?"

"Okay, I understand." Liang Shuyan was in a hurry to go home to cook for her second daughter-in-law. Her second daughter-in-law was in confinement after childbirth, and she was busy all day long. Grandma Jin was also not in good health, so she was embarrassed to ask her mother to cook for her so often.

As soon as I entered, Grandma Jin came over with a bowl of golden millet porridge: "Perfect timing, you're back. Take this to your second son's wife. I haven't had a moment's rest. I just finished filling the kang (heated brick bed), and now I'm rushing to cook for the chickens and ducks."

Liang Shuyan said with some difficulty, "Mom, thank you for your hard work. There's been a lot going on during this time of building the house. Please take it to my second son's wife, and I'll cook!"

"Child, why are you being so polite? I'm your mother!"

Liang Shuyan was startled by Grandma Jin's words. Grandma Jin had never said anything like this before, but today she said it.

"Mother, what's wrong?"

"Go quickly and take it to your second son's wife. You should also see your grandson and get some rest. You've been so busy these past few days, and it breaks my heart to see you like this."

Liang Shuyan took the bowl of millet porridge and walked into Liu's room.

A red cloth strip hung on the door curtain. Liang Shuyan glanced at it, lifted the curtain, and went inside. She placed a bowl of rice porridge on the table and said softly, "The family has been quite busy these past few days. I just went to the new house and came back. Your grandma has been busy too. She just cooked it and brought it to you. Eat quickly!"

Liu said with some difficulty, "Mother, it's all my fault. The family is so busy, and I have to go through postpartum confinement at this time."

"Stop talking, is Yutong crying?" Liang Shuyan came to the child, gently picked her up, and upon closer inspection, found that the child was not crying and was lying with her eyes open.

"Oh dear, my sweet granddaughter is not moving at all, not crying or making a fuss!"

"Mother, you've had a long day. Get some rest. Let the baby lie down; he's not crying anyway!" Liang Shuyan was indeed very tired, but she hadn't been to the teahouse all day and needed to check on it before she could feel at ease.

Inside the teahouse, all the work was proceeding in an orderly manner. Old Liu was working very diligently, sweeping up the tea leaves scattered on the ground with a broom. He didn't notice that Liang Shuyan had already arrived behind him.

"Old Liu, we don't need these tea leaves, it's too much trouble!"

Old Liu looked up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "Auntie, I see that these tea leaves went through a lot of trouble to process. It would be a waste to throw them away. If we filter them in a sieve, we can sell them at a low price!"

Liang Shuyan is not that kind of person. She always gives the best tea to customers who like her tea. How could she possibly sell these scraps at a low price?

"Old Liu, I have something I'd like to talk to you about!"