The house is a brick and tile structure, which shows how much importance the original owner attached to it when it was built. The bricks, tiles and timber used in the construction were of the highest quality.

Although it's been around for a few years, it still looks fairly sturdy, especially after being vacant for a year or two.

While taking the children on a tour of the yard,

The previous homeowner emerged from a small side door, carrying a small bundle.

"Oh my, you're here. This old man is about to leave Kenqing City."

For the sake of this house, this old man didn't see his wife and children for two whole years. Haha. Finally, I can reunite with them.

After saying that, he left in high spirits, as if the house were a raging flood or a ferocious beast.

I checked the rooms to determine which rooms needed cleaning and which rooms were temporarily habitable.

He asked the clerk who to contact to hire someone to repair the house.

The clerk's answer was truly unexpected.

And so, a strange scene unfolded on the streets of Kenqing City: yamen runners were banging gongs and shouting throughout the streets.

"The newly appointed county magistrate is recruiting bricklayers to repair houses. The daily wage is 20 coins, including one lunch."

Looking for a cleaning lady, 15 coins per day. One meal included.

First come, first served; limited spots available. Wages will be paid on the same day, with no delays.

If the county magistrate needs to buy bricks, anyone with spare blue bricks can sell them at the county government office for the same price as new bricks.

Brick and tile kiln owners can have their goods delivered to their door automatically.

The magistrate currently needs tens of thousands of blue bricks. This offer will not be accepted after the deadline.

The county government office needs a large number of buckets, wooden basins, bath tubs, rice bowls, chopsticks, rice, vegetables, etc. The general store has the goods and can deliver them to the four-courtyard building to the left of the county government office immediately.

Just go inside and find Grandma Huang. This woman is incredibly efficient; after she finishes speaking, she even strikes a gong to remind everyone to listen carefully.

After he finished speaking once, another constable repeated it.

After all, it's all cash payment; where else can you find such a good deal?

Upon hearing this news, job seekers and vendors alike headed towards the designated location.

In this way, the orphanage and the county government purchased all the necessary items as quickly as possible.

The bricklayers, in particular, who were recruited, had never heard of a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) before.

After seeing the blueprints drawn by the magistrate's brother-in-law and hearing the detailed description, the bricklayers were astonished. They had never imagined that bricks could be used to make earthen beds for warmth.

All those years of bricklaying have been for nothing; I never even thought of that.

Despite the sighs, the work still needs to be done.

The bricklayer pointed to the blueprints and asked with great distrust,

"What you're saying is true, young master. You can teach us this method of making heated kang beds for free? And you can even spread it throughout the county?"

Zhao Qingyang nodded.

"Of course, my brother-in-law is the county magistrate, so naturally he has to think about the people. Not only in Kenqing County, but also in Dawar City, this heated kang bed is going to be popularized."

The north is bitterly cold; if every household could sleep on a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), the people would suffer less during the winter.

The bricklayers felt incredibly warm inside upon hearing this.

They study diligently and work hard.

In no time, a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) was set up, and then the chimney was built.

In order to raise the indoor temperature, not only was a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed) built, but also a heated wall was erected.

Once the bricklayers had their first finished product, they were incredibly adept at renovating the rest of the house.

Not only that, but in order to make the house look better,

Instead of producing a lot of smoke, they cleverly devised a chimney system, aiming to have one or two chimneys per building.

To keep the houses warm in winter, the county government building had several rooms with suspended ceilings.

As for the houses near the orphanage, we are considering removing the roofs in the future and replacing them with insulated roofs.

Although the bricklayers hadn't planned to charge them for their work, they were still very happy when they received their day's wages that evening.

If it's free, it's automatically swallowed back.

After all, the family, young and old, still needs to eat and drink.

The coins in my hand were not just for a few days' living expenses, but for hope.

They felt there was hope in Kenqing City.

After a day of hiring and fermentation, the number of people coming to build the kang (heated brick bed) increased significantly on the second day.

Many bricklayers brought their sons and nephews with them.

I didn't bring him yesterday because I didn't know what kind of temper this magistrate had.

If they turn out to be all talk and no action, the more people they bring, the more they'll lose.

Now that we've seen the magistrate keep his word and we can even learn a trade, why not take this opportunity to teach all our nephews and nieces?

Especially looking at the damp kang (heated brick bed) surface from yesterday, now it's half-dry from the heat.

When you reach out and touch it, you can feel how hot it is; these bricklayers are filled with excitement.

This is something they made.

This is a haven that can alleviate the suffering of countless people in the north, and so is the firewall. It's warm and cozy. Suddenly, someone with a sharp mind said something...

"If you fix a nail in place on the wall and tie a rope to it,

"Is it true that in winter, if you wash mustard seeds and hang them on top of your child's urine, they'll dry by the next morning?"

His words made everyone burst into laughter.

"Little Lei, have you been washing too many diapers? Your head is full of diaper-related things. But I have to say, it'll definitely work."

Amidst laughter and chatter, the men quickly finished their work.

In order to attract more people to return to their hometowns.

Xu Dongsheng tried many methods.

However, there are not many able-bodied men left in the city now; most of them have gone to live in cities further away from the border.

I'm afraid that one day the city gates will be breached and we won't be able to escape in time. We'll still need to leave some descendants for our families.

The elderly people who remained in Kenqing City all felt that they were old enough and had lived a full life.

Even if the city gates are breached, they are not afraid.

If everything is safe, then staying in my hometown means at least I won't have to pay for a house.

Vegetables are free; you can grow some in the yard and dig up some wild vegetables outside the city to make a living.

Besides, it hasn't reached the point where I'm completely unable to move yet.

By weaving more baskets, twisting more hemp ropes, or washing clothes for wealthy families, one can earn a few copper coins to buy rice, enough to cook porridge.

Just being alive is enough, what more could I ask for?

This is a negative view held by city dwellers. If you go to the towns and villages and see for yourself, you'll find that the situation is even worse than that of the old folks in the city.

The young and strong didn't go out to make a living, but their lives were clearly not going well.

After paying the grain tax each year, there wasn't even enough left to fill our stomachs.

In addition, you never know when a small group of Northern Mongolian dogs might come in.

They're either running away or on their way to escape. Sometimes, the land we've worked so hard to cultivate is ruined by those dogs before we even have a chance to harvest the produce.