Chapter 20
Wen Yi didn't even look up when he heard footsteps. It must be Amu and his friends who had returned at this time. They should still be busy in the fields by the stream.
The bucket in her hand naturally contained the plaster that was prepared to be applied to the wall after the cement mortar was scraped smooth.
After the weather warmed up, Wen Yi first checked the structure of the house. Perhaps because this was a stone mountain, the house did not show any obvious subsidence, and the long stones and wooden strips that served as door and window beams did not bend. She couldn't help but sigh that the quality of the materials at that time was really good.
I still remember that after the population grew, there was not enough firewood. The mountains were cut down for furniture and heating, and the original giant trees disappeared. Now there are many of them, and corrosion-resistant wood that can be used directly for construction is also extremely common. It can be used after a simple smoked roast.
Lacquer trees are mainly distributed in relatively warm places and are not found here, so we simply chose to use plaster as the wall painting material.
Wen Yi filled the gaps in the brick and stone walls of the house with cement, then applied a layer of cement mortar. After watering and curing, the gray-black wall surface became very smooth.
The ground was also smoothed with cement. The horizontal surface inside the house was higher than the ground outside. Wen Yi nailed a wooden frame at the entrance, put in the dried rattan net, and poured cement mortar to make steps. When it was half dry, he drew lines on the outside to prevent slipping, and also let Yuwan print two plum blossom footprints on the edge through paper.
"Okay."
Yuwan was naturally unwilling, but could not bear Wen Yi's insistence. As soon as he let go of his hand, the black-haired cat jumped out and pounced on the newly planted plants and grass in the yard.
Wen Yi put on a simple mask made of linen. To filter effectively, a homemade mask would need at least eight layers of gauze stacked together, but now she could only use a few layers of fine mesh sewn together. Fortunately, the material used was glue-free and naturally formaldehyde-free, which was sufficient.
Use a wooden scraper to scrape a thin layer of plaster onto the cement surface sprinkled with water. After it dries, the color will be similar to the ground. The same treatment is done on the outer wall.
Ordinary thatched houses are naturally drafty, so there are no windows specially reserved. Shan didn't understand it at first, but after it was painted and he walked in, he found that this kind of house is as airtight as a rammed earth house, but it is not afraid of water.
The window frame is a horizontal "mesh", with two wooden strips in the middle serving as support.
A wooden block with a recessed hole was fixed to the wooden frame, and then a rectangular frame covered with paper and with protruding cylinders at both ends was inserted into the recessed hole of the block to create a window that can be rotated and opened. The door was left unfinished for now and would be installed after the furniture and decoration inside were completed.
The two rooms are the same size and are connected by a doorway in the middle. Air inlets and outlets are reserved on the inner wall to facilitate directing smoke into the kang on the other side when cooking in one room.
With the experience of building the kang last time, Zhong Ji and others also took up the task this time, so Wen Yi handed the task over to the few people who had returned from the fields.
Ideally, the system would combine water heating, heating, and cooking, but without metal, the ability to heat water would have to be shelved. However, she still documented the metal structure on the flue, hoping to experiment with it again when the opportunity arises.
On the other side of the room where the kang was built, a bed was also built with bricks and wooden frames. The empty space underneath could also be used to store wooden boxes, perfect for storing items that were not resistant to cold. At the end of the aisle between the beds was a straw cat bed for Yuwan.
This room was primarily used for rest, while the other room was naturally used for daytime living. Besides the space occupied by the stove, Wen Yi and Qing Ping had also built a few cabinets using last year's sun-dried wood to store dried food. Tables and the like hadn't been built yet; everyone still sat on mats.
The miscellaneous items from the original house were moved over, and after a ceremony everyone officially moved into the new house. Of course, the original thatched house was still preserved, so they could cool down there during the hot summer.
Wen Yi also used lime and tree bark to make a more flexible paper, which was somewhat similar in texture to the later Xuan paper, and also cut and put it into the box.
The spring plowing season is about a month away. Originally, everyone was planning to plant more beans this year - soybean oil and cooking were already popular with everyone - but their plans were interrupted by someone who came to their door.
That day, Wen Yi was picking up stones on the mountain. From afar, he saw a figure climbing over a steep stone wall not far away.
Her heart tightened at first, and she put down the wicker basket in her hand and quietly approached, ready to check whether it was a friend or foe. Only when she got closer did she breathe a sigh of relief. It turned out to be Yao Wenjun who had climbed down from a high place alone.
Wen Yi looked up at the sun hanging in the sky and realized that it was not an illusion.
"Ahem, long time no see."
Yao Wenjun followed Wen Yi back to the yard. Amu and the others were already helping to light the fire and cook porridge. When they saw them come back, they just nodded, then went downstairs with a jar of warm water to call them back.
Wen Yi entered the room and retrieved the bowl she had used earlier from the box below. Yao Wenjun took it and washed it herself, then waited for Wen Yi to pour out the porridge from the pot. She also distributed a few cakes made from a mixture of various foods, adding some salt and seasonings. They were delicious whether eaten directly or torn into pieces and put into the porridge.
Looking at the newly built house, Yao Wenjun lowered his head as if thinking about something.
Wen Yi didn't say anything to her deliberately. He drank the porridge that A Mu had cooled in advance in a few mouthfuls, then stood up to organize the stones he had collected on the mountain today, and divided them into different baskets according to their types, waiting to be used later.
The people at the foot of the mountain came back soon.
Shan looked at Yao Wenjun who appeared here and frowned at first, but when the two met, Yao Wenjun, who had changed into light clothes, nodded.
"How's the situation outside?"
Finally, it was Shanxian who broke the silence, and everyone's attention fell on Yao Wenjun.
Yao Wenjun coughed a few times, as if choked by the direct question, but he had to tell the truth sooner or later, and hiding it was a bad idea. He picked up the water beside him and took a few sips.
"Ahem... I'm in Pingyi now."
"Have the people from Pingyi left?" Shan understood the implication of her words, thought for a moment, and nodded. "Yes, I guess there aren't many people left in the city now."
In fact, something like this happened many years ago, but they were afraid of being beaten for a while and restrained themselves. At this time, when the surrounding forces were in chaos, they took the opportunity to come and plunder, and then escaped before others could react. This was their style.
Yao Wenjun nodded. "They had already left in winter. We only found out about it later. By the time we rushed over, there were no more people there."
From Yao Wenjun, Wen Yi and others learned that the group of soldiers and bandits not only looted the remaining population, but also took away almost all edible and burned things in one go, leaving only ruined houses.
"When we went there, we only saw a few refugees outside the city. There were a few bandits in the city who had taken over the city, but we managed to resolve the situation."
She omitted the twists and turns in the story and explained the current situation. "There's a lot of work to be done over there right now. I originally wanted to go back and find some acquaintances, but after searching for a long time, I could only find a few. After much deliberation, I'd like to ask for your help."
Although the words were about you, the reality fell on Wen Yi and Shan. Shan naturally noticed Yao Wenjun's gaze, but did not agree, waiting for Wen Yi's own decision.
"Actually, you can use all these things. I don't mind them." Wen Yi naturally understood what this person wanted to do and nodded.
Yao Wenjun coughed, "Of course there's more to it than that. Although we have a lot of strength, we're not good at housework or manual labor."
Although he had already built a house, Wen Yi had no real fixation on where to live. Seeing Shan, Zhongji, and the others seeming interested, he realized that perhaps many people living in the countryside yearned for a chance to live in a city. He refrained from raising any objections, waiting for the others' decision.
After Shan Pianxiang agreed, everyone quickly made a decision and packed up their belongings before following Yao Wenjun to Pingyi. However, the houses and immovable items here still needed to be dealt with.
Yao Wenjun was very thoughtful in this regard. She was still well off, so she spent some copper coins to hire a few disabled soldiers to take care of the land along the stream.
Zhongji thought about it and decided to stay here for a few more days, hand over all matters to those people, and then follow the following carriage.
"Okay, then we'll settle down there first and wait for you to come." Shan nodded, and after talking to him for a few words alone, he began to help pack up.
Yao Wenjun saw that there were many things she had never seen before, so she leaned over to take a look. Then she pushed Amu over to explain to her what these things were and what new foods were there. She then went aside to tidy up the things in the cabinet with Wen Yi.
After Amu and the others took Yao Wenjun away, Shu lowered his voice:
"Don't care what others think. If you don't want to leave, Amu and I will stay here together." The world is really chaotic now. Even if you enter the city, you may embark on a road of no return like those people who originally lived in Pingyi.
It’s not that she doesn’t trust Yao Wenjun. She has met a lot of people over the years. Although this person has some things that are incompatible with them, his nature should not be bad. Before, another girl choked on the water because of her mischief, and she jumped into the water to rescue her regardless of the possible danger.
Wen Yi nodded, and heard the care in Shu's tone. In a trance, he returned to the first time he met her and sighed:
"But we can't live here forever." We can escape here for a while, but not forever. Just like even in a year with plenty of food, we still have to risk going out to trade with merchants for what we need.
And they all wanted to go, including Amu, so she was willing to leave her temporary place of peace.
*
When going out, he naturally did not climb the mountain like Yao Wenjun, but entered and exited through the entrance.
The cart was piled with wooden boxes filled with things, and many things were left in the cave on the other side of the entrance, waiting to be transported there later.
Yao Wenjun had already prepared the carriage at the previous village. When the waiting soldiers saw Yao Wenjun coming with a group of people, the guys who were originally chatting in groups of three or four stopped and greeted the newcomers.
Yao Wenjun, facing this level of cunning and deceit, simply hit the nearest soldier on the head with a stack of papers, "You're such a scoundrel! Hurry up and help me."
The soldier uttered a cry, took a step back somewhat exaggeratedly, and then hurried to help move the boxes from the wheelbarrow and cart.
It was the first time that Wen Yi saw Yao Wenjun interacting with his subordinates. He didn't expect that there would be such a funny guy.
Zhong Ji came out together this time. Before leaving, he took two soldiers who were injured and had been called by Yao Wenjun in advance. He then returned to the original place and agreed to leave a car here to take him there in five days.
It was really unsafe to act on their own at this time, so everyone accepted the kindness and set out on the journey to Pingyi.
On the road, you can see people carrying belongings or goods, but they all look very thin and have very bad complexions, as if they have been hungry for a long time.
In comparison, Shu looks much healthier, and Amu doesn't look like he looked like he could be blown away by the wind like he did last year.
But the excitement of traveling to a strange place faded into silence as bones and body parts gradually appeared on the roadside. Wen Yi covered Amu's eyes and sighed.
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