On the way back to the city, Shen Nian kept thinking about how to improve the people's food and clothing.
Another problem is that some people went out to escape famine and never came back, and there were also situations like the old man we met.
We also need to get a clear understanding of these things first and find out whether such situations are common now.
I came back late today, and Xia Tian was reading a book on the kang while waiting for him.
After Chen Nian came back and had dinner, he felt much more comfortable when he sat down on the kang.
“Brother Shen, is it not going well to leave the city today?” Xia Tian asked curiously when he saw Shen Nian frowning.
“No.” Shen Nian looked at her, “I went to a commoner’s house today, and there was nothing in the house.
It’s so cold and there’s no charcoal pot to burn in the house. The elderly and children are all wearing very thin clothes and their bedding is also thin. I don’t know if they can survive this winter.
I heard from Lord Cao that the weather here will be even colder in a month."
"Has anyone ever frozen to death here in winter in previous years?" Xia Tian asked casually.
In the south, it is indeed colder inside the house than outside in winter.
Rich people can afford carbon and are not afraid, but ordinary people cannot. Even if they can afford it, they probably won’t be able to spend it, so they can only bear it.
"Lord Cao said that in winter, the elderly and children have the hardest time, and sometimes people freeze to death."
This is also the reason why he has been out of the city to visit the homes of ordinary people these days.
The main reason is that people are not eating enough and if they are not dressed warmly, it is really hard to bear.
It's not the coldest yet, but he already feels bone-chillingly cold. He doesn't know how cold it will be when the coldest time comes.
It’s said to be in the south, but I didn’t expect it to be colder than Beijing.
Also, the plague has just passed, and some people may not have fully recovered yet. Coupled with the cold weather, it is really hard to survive the winter.
Xia Tian felt bad when he heard that people were still freezing to death in winter. "What can we do? The emperor can't possibly allocate so much money to buy cotton clothes for the people, right?"
This is good enough to keep us fed and clothed.
"If everything depends on the imperial court's funding, then there's no point in me being the governor."
The emperor sent him to solve problems and let the people live a good life, not to let him sit in office and do nothing and live a life of idleness by collecting the court salary.
"The main thing about the south is that people don't burn charcoal pots in the house in winter. Unlike the north, they still have kangs at home, and connecting them to the wall can also dissipate heat..."
Xia Tian suddenly paused as he was speaking, slapped his thigh as if waking from a dream, and said in surprise, "Hey, Brother Shen, we can let the people build a kang at home!
Just like our house, it is warm when we sleep, and the fire wall can also dissipate heat. So no matter how cold it is outside, at least the house is warm.
Besides, heating the kang only consumes some firewood, but it doesn't require anything else. When it's cold, the elderly and children don't go out and stay at home without worrying about freezing."
Shen Nian’s eyes lit up, “This is a good idea!”
How could he not think that the most important problem to be solved now is how to ensure that the elderly and children can spend this winter safely.
There were already many people in Linzhou who had fled the famine and had not returned. If more of those who stayed at home froze to death, the population would be even smaller.
If you want to develop a place well, you can't do it without people.
"Tell me in detail what is needed." Chen Nian called Ningxiang to bring paper and pen, and asked Xia Tian to tell him what was needed to make the kang, and he would write it down.
You can discuss it with Lord Cao, Lord Li and others tomorrow to see if it is feasible.
Xia Tian saw that Chen Nian also thought this method was feasible, so he became interested. "The materials are simple. Our kang is made of bricks. It's convenient and the bricks are not expensive. It doesn't cost much.
If people don’t have money to buy bricks, they can use mud blocks. They can mix the mud themselves, make the blocks, dry them in the sun, and then use them to build a kang.”
Xia Tian gestured as he spoke, "It can be as big as this, or as big as a brick.
I suggest building a fire wall when constructing the kang. The middle of the fire wall should be empty to allow for a flue. This will allow heat to dissipate faster and keep the room warmer."
"What kind of firewall?" Shen Nian listened carefully, but she didn't quite understand what she meant by firewall.
“Like this.” Xia Tian saw that he couldn’t explain it clearly, so he simply took the paper and pen from Shen Nian’s hand and drew a picture directly on the paper.
"Look, if we build a stove on this side of the wall, we can cook and boil water. We don't have to waste fuel when heating the kang. The kang will be heated while we cook and boil water. How great! It also saves firewood."
In the summer, I directly drew the pattern of the kang in the Northeast. Although this is in the south, they may not be used to it for a while. But once the kang plate is ready, they will know the benefits of it.
Winter is so comfortable!
Chen Nian nodded beside him. The thing that was most in short supply in the south was firewood. This would solve the heating problem and would not cost the people any money. It was perfect.
Chen Nian's eyes were so soft when she looked at Xia Tian, tears streaming down her face. What kind of fairy wife was this? How could she know everything?
He himself is from the north, and the warm rooms in the capital city also have kangs, but why didn't he think of this?
In addition, this kang has been improved in the summer to make it more suitable for use in ordinary people's homes.
Xia Tian felt uncomfortable with Shen Nian’s explicit gaze, so he stretched out a hand to cover his eyes and threatened, “Stop looking, or I’ll eat you up!”
Shen Nian took advantage of the situation and pulled her hand down, kissing the back of her hand directly, which made Xia Tian embarrassed and covered her face with her other hand and laughed.
Shen Nian stopped teasing her and continued the previous topic and asked, “It’s already cold now, and it will be too late if we don’t make the kang, but who should we ask to do this?
The manager you mentioned is definitely overwhelmed by himself."
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