After successfully building the first kang (heated brick bed) in Jiangzhi's main house, he immediately built one for the charcoal shed that had been built before.

I've been lying in the leaves for the past few days. Although it's thickly covered and I'm wrapped in a quilt, the cold air from the ground always seeps in.

Moreover, according to Xiaoman, the season of continuous spring rain and dampness should have arrived long ago, and once it rains, there will be no sunny days.

Even if the shed doesn't leak when the rain stops, the leaves on the ground will still get damp, and it won't be suitable for Qiaoyun, who is pregnant, to sleep there.

Jiang Zhi built the first kang (heated brick bed) herself, thanks to the short videos she watched every day.

In the East, heating is done by building kang (heated brick beds) and using underfloor heating, while in the West, fireplaces are built; each has its own advantages.

Jiang Zhi felt that the kang (heated brick bed) was the most suitable for Chinese babies' constitutions. When it was raining, the kang could also be used to dry clothes and other items, making it even more useful.

Xu Errui and Xiaoman worked diligently, assisting Jiang Zhi as laborers.

Qiaoyun was used to farm work and never had a moment's rest. While others were laying stones, she used mud to smooth the wall up and down until it was flat and smooth.

The four men worked from morning till night, and in just a few days, they completed the renovation of a proper main room of 20 square meters, plus a shed of more than 10 square meters and two kang beds.

Xiaoman really likes this kind of earthen bed called a kang. During the day, he helps build kangs and repair houses on them, and at night he builds one for his own family.

However, that very night, Xiaoman came to talk to Jiang Zhi.

He is truly a strong-willed person, and even at this critical juncture, he remained courteous and respectful.

When Jiang Zhi heard that Xiao Manye wanted to build a kang (a heated brick bed) in his own home, and that he was afraid Jiang Zhi would disagree, he even brought five eggs as a gift, she was both amused and exasperated.

After looking at the kang (a heated brick bed) on the platform, Grandpa Xiaoman thought of his paralyzed grandson at home.

Because it was cold in winter, the eldest grandson lay in bed and dared not come out. Moreover, he had no feeling in his feet and legs and did not know whether they were cold or warm. He would either get frostbite or be scalded by a thermos before he realized it.

If we had this kind of heated kang (a traditional heated bed), at least we wouldn't have to worry about getting cold if we didn't cover ourselves properly.

The only problem is that Jiang Zhi taught them this technique, and the children didn't have to pay for it. Now, if they want to build something like this at home, they have to give a gift and ask permission.

"Uncle Chang Geng, if you want to build a kang (heated brick bed), then go ahead. Xiao Man has already learned how, so there's no need to exchange anything. Your family really needs eggs." Jiang Zhi pushed the eggs out, as Xiao Man's family, including the elderly, children, and the sick, all needed nourishment.

Uncle Xiaoman insisted on giving: "Auntie, these five eggs are a bit few and not enough to give, but they are a token of my appreciation. Consider them as my way of helping Qiaoyun recover."

Alas! This old man has no skills now, he lives on this little bit of backbone.

"It's also because of the chaos and war down below. If it were before, with your skills, you could have sent Xu Errui and Xiao Tian out to build kang beds for people, and they could have earned some money in a month. Now, you can only exchange it for five eggs."

Since they had said that much, Jiang Zhi had no choice but to accept: "Uncle Chang Geng, you can build a separate kang (heated brick bed) and a fire wall. You can hang things on the fire wall to dry them in the future."

With a heated wall, the heat dissipation area is larger, so everyone in the family can stay warm, and even paralyzed patients can get out of bed and move around more.

After finishing repairs on her own house, Jiang Zhi asked Er Rui to help Xiao Man's family with chores while she started cleaning up the oak trees herself.

While repairing the house and building the kang (heated brick bed), Jiang Zhi didn't forget the green plums she was soaking, which would be everyone's food for the next few days.

Every day, water is drawn into the pit to change the water and stir it, ensuring that every green fruit is soaked in water.

For the best taste, the longer you soak it, the better.

Actually, there is another way to remove the slightly toxic and bitter tannins from oak seeds.

That means boiling.

The process of repeatedly boiling and changing the water until the soup is clear and bright can greatly reduce the time, but it consumes a lot of firewood.

We're in a rush to build a house right now, and nobody has time to find firewood, so we're just using the simplest method: soaking.

With the house completed, the first batch of soaked oak seeds were basically ready to eat.

So Jiang Zhi and Qiao Yun peeled off the hard shell of the oak and then ground the kernels into a paste in a stone mill.

Oak and acorn belong to the same family, both being large evergreen trees of the Fagaceae family.

The fruit contains more starch than soybeans, and as long as the toxic tannins can be properly processed, it becomes a delicacy.

The starch is extracted by grinding it in a stone mill, repeatedly rinsing and filtering it, then adding water and boiling it into a thick paste, which is then ladled into earthenware bowls to cool.

Qiaoyun was pregnant, so Jiangzhi did all these things by herself.

It's a pity that in modern times she has the heart of a great chef, but her cooking skills are comparable to a master alchemist; the final product depends on fate.

Once here, given the original owner's poor cooking skills, the cooking is barely passable.

And they weren't worried about not having enough people to eat; anyway, Qiaoyun and the others would find anything delicious when they were hungry.

The jelly was dark brown and looked unappetizing, so Jiang Zhi cut it into thin, finger-shaped strips with a knife.

Now that we've just moved to the mountains, it's a new beginning for everything.

There were no scallions, ginger, or garlic in the kitchen, nor soy sauce or vinegar. They couldn't bear to use the few chili peppers they had saved for seed. All they had were the old brine and pickled radishes in the jar.

But you can't eat cold noodles without the spicy flavor. Jiang Zhi adds crushed dogwood and Sichuan peppercorns to the seasoning, making it equally spicy, salty and fragrant.

Looking at the dark, jelly-like substance, Qiaoyun felt both frightened and intrigued. Even though she had watched it being made bit by bit with her own eyes, she still found it hard to believe.

The online images are okay, but they'll do.

"Mom, is this really edible?" she said, her eyes fixed on the black jelly.

Although she can eat thick porridge at every meal now, and has even had some oily meat twice, Qiaoyun still feels hungry every day as her baby gets bigger.

Jiang Zhi placed the jelly noodles with her own seasonings in front of her: "Of course you can eat it, but since you're pregnant, eat less first to let your stomach adjust!"

Qiaoyun could already smell the sour and spicy aroma. Her stomach churned, and a mouthful of saliva welled up from the back of her tongue. Hearing that she could eat, she couldn't wait to pick up the bowl and take a big bite.

"Ah! Mom, this tastes great! Can I have more? I'll have another bowl after I finish this one!"

Qiaoyun ate half a bowl in just a few bites, her eyes shining. At that moment, she felt that even if the oak was poisonous, she had to fill her stomach first.

Jiang Zhi shook her head: "No, you can only eat one bowl. We'll boil an egg for you later."

Although Qinggang jelly is not poisonous, it is high in starch and difficult to digest, so pregnant women should eat it sparingly.

"You can only eat one bowl?"

Qiaoyun was disappointed. At this moment, even eating an egg was not particularly appealing to her. She couldn't disobey her mother-in-law, and only regretted eating too much earlier.

Jiang Zhi also tasted the Qinggang jelly, and found it to be completely free of the astringent taste she had expected.

It has an indescribable refreshing and chewy texture, while the slight bitterness that remains actually enhances the rich sour and spicy flavor. No wonder Qiaoyun couldn't put the bowl down.

In the evening, Xu Errui was helping Xiaoman set up the kang (a heated brick bed) at her house. He had already eaten before returning home and was curious when he saw the dark-colored Qinggang jelly.

He knew that his mother and wife had been soaking oak trees in the water for the past few days, and today they were even busier.

Upon hearing that this stuff was edible, he completely abandoned Qiaoyun's cautiousness, grabbed a large bowl, poured on the seasonings and toppings, and started eating.

While eating, I exclaimed, "I only knew that oak seeds could be roasted and eaten before, how come I never thought of making them into this kind of aspic!"

Back in the village, every year during the lean season when every family faced food shortages, he, Xiaotian, and other children in the village would secretly pick oak berries and roast them to eat, without telling the adults. They smelled fragrant, but tasted bitter and astringent, making them hard to swallow.

Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "This is only a small basket of milled grains. We'll mill more tomorrow, and once it's ground into powder, we can eat it every day."