Chapter 059 Chapter 59

Arriving at the school, Yuan Ming took out his books and reviewed the lectures step by step.

He was usually very focused, but today he had a hard time concentrating. The teacher was speaking obscure ancient Chinese texts on the stage, and the students in the classroom were all squinting and trying not to fall asleep.

But Yuan Ming was thinking about other things.

About buying a house and the problem of Cao's wintering.

Shifang Town is not a big place but has a lot of people. It is not easy to buy a house in the best location.

But Yuan Ming did not plan to buy a luxury house. A warm and comfortable house that is convenient for going out is enough.

Buying a house is easy to solve. As long as the money is in place and there are people, any house can be found. What

Yuan Ming is really worried about is Cao.

Cao's knot was not resolved, and he did not have enough ability to protect her at present, so he could only go along with her wishes.

Shangguan Village could not burn the ground dragon, so how could they keep warm?

Yuan Ming's thoughts kept diverging, and he searched carefully in his memory. Unexpectedly, he really found a way.

Kang!

Kang is unique to the north. A hollow bed made of clay is a kang. It is covered with thick animal fur or quilts. A fire is burned in the hole to heat the kang, and the whole room is warm.

In his previous life, after Yuan Ming became the prime minister, he saw this thing when he went to the northwest to comfort the three armies, and learned the general production method from the local craftsmen.

At that time, the man told him that the most important thing about heating a kang is ventilation. To keep warm, it cannot be too ventilated. However, if the ventilation is not done well, it is easy to get coal poisoning, which is a test of skills.

Yuan Ming had only heard of it a long time ago and had never done it himself, so he did not dare to do it on his own.

After class, he went to Qingshan Bookstore.

Zhao, the shopkeeper, knew that the boss valued Yuan Ming and was very respectful to him. He looked at him as if he were looking at a gold nugget.

"Why are you here, Mr. Yuan?" Zhao, the shopkeeper, led him into the lounge and poured him a cup of tea himself.

Yuan Ming said, "I came here today to trouble the shopkeeper for a favor."

Hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhao not only did not feel uncomfortable, but his smile became even wider: "Young Master Yuan, just say

it. The prince specifically instructed before he left that as long as you need it, anything can be met." Yuan Ming's brows relaxed slightly, and he thanked King Yong for his kindness, and then said, "I would like to ask the shopkeeper to help me find a book that records all kinds of tools and strange objects in the north."

Seeing that Shopkeeper Zhao still looked puzzled, Yuan Ming said, "I want to install a kang in the house in the village, but I only saw it by chance in a miscellaneous book, and I don't know how to operate it specifically."

"Kang? Are you talking about the earthen bed that can be used to burn fire underneath, Young Master Yuan?"

Yuan Ming nodded.

Shopkeeper Zhao clapped his hands and said in surprise: "What a coincidence, I have a distant relative who is from the north. He has been working as a peddler due to poor harvests in recent years. He is now in Shifang Town. I heard him talk about kangs, and he knows how to make them!"

Yuan Ming's eyes lit up.

Shopkeeper Zhao was very efficient. He went out to pass on a message, and soon the clerk came with Zhao Xin.

Yuan Ming didn't know much about kangs, so he asked a few questions based on his memories of his previous life. Zhao Xin answered them fluently, and it was obvious that he had really made one himself.

"Mr. Yuan is my noble man. When you work for him, you must keep your eyes open and be quick and don't cut corners." Before leaving, shopkeeper Zhao gave Zhao Xin a warning.

Zhao Xin nodded repeatedly.

Yuan Ming had to go back to class in the afternoon and had no time to go back to Shangguan Village. After thinking about it, he took Zhao Xin to Yang Chao's noodle shop.

At this time, they had passed the hotel. There were only a few people in the noodle shop. The two brothers Yang Tao and Yang Chao were also eating.

Seeing him, Yang Chao stood up and greeted him: "Yuan Ming, have you eaten? I asked Yan Zi to cook noodles for you."

"I have eaten. I just came here to trouble Brother Yang for something." Yuan Ming looked at Yang Tao.

Shangguan Village.

In the courtyard of Yuan Ming's house, Cao, Yang Dali, Li Qing'e and Yang Tao sat together. From time to time, the house made a ding-dong sound. Their attention was focused on the house over there.

Li Qing'e turned around and looked at Yang Tao: "Is this person really hired by Yuan Ming? Can he make a kang?"

Yang Tao nodded: "Yes, Yuan Ming told me personally."

"What is a kang? Have you heard of it?" Cao asked.

Yang Dali and his wife shook their heads together. They were born and raised in Shangguan Village. Their ancestors had lived here for generations. They had no idea what the outside world was like or what was out there.

"I know." Yang Tao replied.

The three of them looked over, and Yang Tao scratched his head: "Yuan Ming told me today that a kang is a kind of bed made of green bricks and clay. You can burn a fire underneath, and the whole room is warm."

"Green bricks! They are so expensive!"

There is only one brick kiln in Shifang Town, and they charge one brick at a time. The price of one brick can buy two large buckets of soil, so almost no one in the village has a brick house.

Li Qing'e asked in doubt: "Burning fire under the bed? Aren't you afraid of burning your butt?"

Yang Tao only heard the superficial things and didn't know anything deeper. He stammered: "It shouldn't happen. I heard that Kang is very popular in the north."

Yang Dali looked away: "Let's wait. It's useless to ask him."

Yang Tao opened his mouth, but couldn't refute.

Zhao Xin was busy in the house all afternoon. Cao went in to see several times, but she didn't understand anything and couldn't help, so she went out again.

Yang Dali and his wife were going back to cook, and Yang Tao stayed, not to eat for free.

After all, Zhao Xin was a stranger, and it was unreasonable for him and Cao to stay alone in the yard. This was Yuan Ming's special instruction to him.

Usually, Cao ate alone and prepared very simple meals. Today, there was a guest, so she specially prepared two more dishes.

After the meal was ready, she sent Yang Tao to call Zhao Xin out.

Sitting at the table, Zhao Xin felt a little embarrassed: "Mr. Yuan paid me, so I shouldn't eat your meal."

"I see that you haven't finished your work yet. It's been an afternoon, and I don't know when you will be home in the evening. How can you not eat?" Cao served him a big bowl of brown rice.

Cao's cooking skills were good, and she was willing to use oil. Zhao Xin and Yang Tao accidentally opened their stomachs and made a big pot of brown rice.

After dinner, Zhao Xin hurried to work. Yang Tao sat in the yard chopping wood. He couldn't eat Cao's food for free.

It was dark when a wisp of black smoke rose from the back of the bedroom.

Zhao Xin shouted, "It's done!"

Li Qing'e and Cao were chatting in the kitchen. When she heard this, she ran over.

Since Cao was sleeping alone, the kang was not big, similar to the previous wooden bed. In order to facilitate ventilation, it was moved under the window.

There was a fire in the kang, and Zhao Xin squatted in front to check the vent.

"It's done?" Li Qing'e said in disbelief.

Zhao Xin turned around and looked at them and said, "It's done, but you can't sleep tonight. You have to fumigate for a day and you can use it tomorrow."

Cao walked over and touched the smooth kang surface. The soil was not completely dry yet, and the fire was burning and steaming.

Zhao Xin clapped his hands and said, "Aunt Cao, let me tell you how to burn the kang."

Cao and Li Qing'e hurried forward.

They were all used to using fire stoves, and they understood the tricks after listening to Zhao Xin's explanation, and their brows gradually relaxed.

Zhao Xin emphasized the precautions and left in a hurry. If he was any later, he would not be able to get on the ox cart back to the town.

The next day, Yuan Ming went to Qingshan Bookstore again, met Zhao Xin, asked about the results, and then nodded with satisfaction.

After Zhao Xin left, the shopkeeper Zhao said to Yuan Ming: "Kang has been used in the north for so many years, why don't people in the south think of using it?"

Yuan Ming said: "I think it's because of the climate difference. There is a lot of rain in the south, and it is too humid, which is not suitable for burning kang. I don't have any better solution."

"Why don't you consider buying a house in town? The reward I give you is enough to buy a very nice yard."

Yuan Ming's heart moved, and he said: "I do have this idea, but a house cannot be bought in a day or two. I went to the dental clinic yesterday and didn't see what I wanted."

"The houses in the pawnshops are all owned by people who have left. If the owner is still in Shifang Town, why spend so much money to find a pawnshop?"

As expected by Yuan Ming, he went to see the pawnshop's catalog and found that the houses there have been empty for several years. It is very troublesome to clean, and the location is not very good. Shopkeeper

Zhao looked at him and suddenly said, "If Mr. Yuan is really interested, I happen to have a two-story courtyard under my name. It is not far from here, it is well maintained, and it is convenient to go anywhere."