Upon seeing Lin Ying, Li Yue'e couldn't help but laugh and said, "A while ago, everyone was saying that you was wasting money by buying this straw curtain, but then the weather suddenly got cold, and several families in the compound followed your example and put straw curtains on the eaves of their houses. Yesterday, I went to Aunt Duan's house, and her family was the first one besides yours to put up a straw curtain. After all, there's a woman in her family who's in confinement after childbirth, and she can't afford to get cold."
Who knew that when I got there, I found that sitting in someone's house made me feel warm all over. So today, I asked the cafeteria to bring back a few rolls of food.
"Let me tell you, besides my family, several other families brought straw mats today."
Lin Ying laughed: "It is indeed quite warm, but a bit dark. We still need to be careful down here so it doesn't get cold. When the sun comes out, we can roll it up so the house can get some sunshine too."
Li Yue'e nodded: "Yes, yes, that makes sense."
Lin Ying actually preferred to build a plastic greenhouse, but in those days, these things were all tied to industrial coupons, and were not something ordinary people could afford. Therefore, these straw mats were more suitable.
Li Yue'e still needed to help Wang Shan hold the ladder, so Lin Ying didn't bother her and went back to doing her carpentry work.
Lin Ying already had a preliminary plan. Based on the fact that she added firewood approximately every three hours over the past two days, about three planks at a time, she was thinking of creating an automatic mechanism.
Because the matchsticks are not uniformly sized and are not smooth, a typical mechanism cannot dispense three matches at a time. Therefore, Lin Ying came up with a solution to ensure that only three, or approximately three, matches are dispensed at a time.
Lin Ying learned this method from several homemade honeycomb briquettes she had observed. The process involved first mixing the coal into a paste, then using a mold to press it onto the briquettes, and finally lifting it up – that's how you make honeycomb briquettes.
Lin Ying was thinking of making a mold and creating a lifting platform that would descend directly to the bottom of the firewood box. The matches on top would slide down because of the ramps on both sides.
As the lifting platform rises, the wooden planks around it will also rise, revealing the amount of firewood to be used. Then, the platform will rise further to a certain height. At this point, the front plank will slide down due to a button, while the rear plank can slide forward. Applying force from behind will push the firewood from the box into the sliding mechanism.
That's the principle. Next, we need to consider how to implement the infinite lifting principle and the issue of lifting time control.
Lin Ying's original plan was to use the weight of matches inside the stove to create a switch. As the matches burned to a certain point, the stove grate would become lighter, triggering the mechanism. However, this was too complicated. Moreover, it would require a lot of iron, so that was definitely not feasible.
Therefore, Lin Ying had no choice but to choose a simpler method.
That is, install a downward button on the slide. When the firewood passes over the button and the button is pressed, it marks a new beginning.
The mechanism that slides to the ground involves turning a gear once, which rotates the hourglass below. The hourglass is fixed to a switch located at the bottom. There are buttons on the ground at both ends of the hourglass. Once enough sand has accumulated, the buttons can be pressed to begin the process of transporting firewood.
That's the overall mechanism. The following are some details, such as the lifting mechanism of the platform. It looks like there's a platform on top, and inside the platform are four panels. In fact, each panel is connected to the platform by a support rod.
When the mechanism is activated, a gravity ball falls from above and then returns to its original position. Then, using levers, the support rods of the platform raise the platform as the gravity ball falls.
The platform will rise to a position where it intersects with the slide rail, allowing a latch below to hold the platform in place and prevent it from falling. However, the support rod on the front panel will return to its original position.
The moment it goes back, it triggers the push at the back, pushing the wood out. As the wood goes out, the plank contacts the front latch. When the latch closes, a force from below pushes the plank back. Everything returns to its original state.
Each mechanism took a long time to experiment with, and Lin Ying's automatic wood feeder was not completed until November.
Zhao Qinghuai couldn't help but chuckle at her earnestness. To be honest, all they needed to do was add firewood; they didn't need to remove the ashes, which was already quite convenient. Besides, at night, all they had to do was add more firewood, cover it with coal, and seal it off a bit. They wouldn't have to worry about it all night, and there would still be a fire the next day.
However, seeing how seriously she could take something and how much she felt accomplished afterward, he was happy for her.
In November, winter had fully arrived here, and the snow outside was already knee-deep.
Because Lin Ying had prepared a lot of wood, Zhao Qinghuai would add coal twice a day when he was home. When Zhao Qinghuai was not home, Lin Ying would use the wood feeder she had made. In short, the underfloor heating in Lin Ying's house never stopped.
Lin Ying respects the winter here. Because of the space, she is basically self-sufficient. She bought a lot of salt before winter, and as for other seasonings, she had collected a lot on the mountain, which is more than enough.
Even cooking oil, Lin Ying can press her own. Anyway, she is strong, so what is a heavy job for others is just a little bit of effort for her.
Therefore, Lin Ying basically doesn't need to go out now and stays at home every day.
When Zhao Qinghuai is home, she can eat two meals a day. But when Zhao Qinghuai is not home, she only eats one meal a day. The rest of the time, she just eats some fruit or something.
That day, Lin Ying lay in her living room, drinking tea and reading medical books in her spatial storage to pass the time.
The living room is now the only place in the house with a window that lets in sunlight. It's bright and airy here.
She heard a noise outside the door, stood up, and looked out through the only glass window in the house. She saw Zhao Qinghuai walking back from outside, covered in snow.
After the snowfall, Lin Ying only shoveled the previously laid gravel path out of the house; she ignored the rest. With such heavy snow, and who knows how long it will continue to fall, why shovel snow every day? It's unnecessary.
Just as she was getting back to her senses, she saw Zhao Qinghuai return with a worried look on his face: "What should we do about snow blindness?"
Lin Ying was stunned for a moment. Seeing Zhao Qinghuai's expression, she knew that someone in the army must have contracted the disease.
Seeing that Lin Ying did not answer, Zhao Qinghuai continued, "These past few days, many people in the army have suddenly lost their sight at night. This problem is very serious, and there are no doctors available for the time being."
Lin Ying frowned: "Snow blindness can cause symptoms such as photophobia, tearing, red and swollen eyelids, severe foreign body sensation and pain, and blurred vision. Are you sure they have snow blindness?"
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