The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

The water in the bathtub gradually cooled down. Lin Dachun got up, and Li Ruoxue silently used a dry towel to wipe the water droplets off Lin Dachun's body.

"Next time you're tired, I'll give you a scrub too." Lin Dachun didn't know how to say this.

"Your clothes aren't dry yet. Don't wear those old clothes from the mountain after you shower. It's warm on the kang (heated brick bed). Why don't you just go to the kang?" Li Ruoxue said.

Although Lin Dachun was embarrassed, the village was sparsely populated and the cave dwellings were isolated, with only him and Li Ruoxue inside.

Lin Dachun felt warm, and the kang (heated brick bed) was warm too, so he got up and went to the kang.

Li Ruoxue disposed of the bathwater and other waste, intending to use it for watering and feeding the chickens tomorrow.

Li Ruoxue washed up and then went to bed early.

"Ruoxue, you are so virtuous," Lin Dachun praised and exclaimed.

"Of course I should. You work so hard on the mountain, and I'm at home, so I should do more things for you." Li Ruoxue was really gentle, considerate, and virtuous.

The next day.

Not long after dawn, the two of them went up Wild Fox Ridge together.

Under careful care, the sea buckthorn seedlings grew rapidly, their tender green leaves unfurling and covering the entire seedbed. From a distance, they looked like a vibrant green jade inlaid on a brown hillside.

The time for transplanting is drawing ever closer.

Lin Dachun began planning the sites for transplanting.

He took a wooden stick and drew neat, shallow pits on the cleared slope, calculating the spacing between plants and rows.

Li Ruoxue followed behind him, marking the pit with lime powder.

They plan to transplant the strongest batch of seedlings first, covering about five acres, and then continue to cultivate the remaining seedlings in the seedbed. Once this batch survives, they will expand the planting area.

That afternoon, the sky suddenly darkened, thick dark clouds pressed in from the north, and the mountain wind became strong.

"It's going to rain, shall we reinforce the seedling shed again?" Li Ruoxue looked at the delicate seedlings with some concern.

Lin Dachun looked up at the sky: "Rain is good, rain is wonderful."

This area is already very short of rain, and the rain has now nourished this newly reclaimed land and the seedlings.

"This rain is quite heavy. The seedling shed needs to be prepared, and drainage ditches need to be dug in the transplanting pits, otherwise the roots of the newly planted seedlings will rot and be ruined."

The two immediately split up and acted separately.

Lin Dachun went to dig drainage ditches on a more distant slope.

Li Ruoxue carefully inspected every corner of the seedling shed, used stones to press down the edges of the plastic sheeting, and brought some dry grass to line the seedbeds to prevent rainwater from splashing up mud and submerging the seedlings.

Halfway through the work, the fine raindrops started to patter down, quickly forming lines and then a dense curtain of rain.

Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue braved the rain and insisted on finishing the last bit of work before running back to a makeshift, extremely simple shack they had built next to the seedling shed to take shelter from the rain, completely soaked.

The shack was low and narrow, barely big enough for two people to squat and sit.

Thunder rumbled outside, and rainwater gushed down the thatched eaves, carving small ditches into the ground.

The two huddled together in a small, dry corner, listening to the deafening sound of the rain and looking out at the blurred mountain forest washed by the rain.

"This rain is good," Lin Dachun wiped the rain off his face and looked at the seedbed through the rain. "Spring rain is as precious as oil. It's soaked in, so the soil moisture is good, and the transplanted seedlings are more likely to survive. It's just that the seedlings that have just sprouted, I don't know if they can withstand it."

Li Ruoxue looked outside and said, "Our shed is sturdy, so it should be fine. The seedlings will definitely grow even stronger after the rain."

The rain brought a chill, and the wet clothes felt uncomfortable clinging to my body.

Lin Dachun looked at Li Ruoxue; her clothes were wet.

Lin Dachun wanted to take off his clothes and give them to Ruoxue, but his tattered clothes were wet, so he couldn't give them to her.

"You sit here and rest for a bit. It shouldn't rain heavily. I'll go check on her. Let's go back first, otherwise getting wet and catching a cold would be a big problem." Lin Dachun was worried that Li Ruoxue would get sick from the rain.

In such a remote and desolate village, getting sick is a very dangerous thing.

"Um."

Li Ruoxue hummed in agreement.

Lin Dachun immediately ran to inspect the land.

Lin Dachun ensured that every piece of land was rained on, and at the same time, he ensured that the water could drain properly during heavy rains to prevent siltation.

In such arid places, rain is the best gift from God.

This planting season benefited from the rain and dust, which provided the soil with better nutrients.

"Ruoxue, let's go back. It's not good to catch a cold," Lin Dachun said worriedly.

"Um."

Li Ruoxue nodded, blushing slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Lin Dachun carried farm tools and held Li Ruoxue's hand, afraid that she would fall off these treacherous mountain paths.

The two arrived home.

Lin Dachun immediately stuffed firewood into the kang pit and quickly lit a roaring fire.

There was already a fire burning in the kang (heated brick bed), and as soon as the firewood was put in, it immediately caught fire.

The smoke inside not only permeated the entire kang (heated brick bed), but also the entire wall.

Before long, the walls warmed up, and the whole cave dwelling became warm.

"It's getting warmer. Your clothes are all wet. Change them quickly and dry them off, or you'll get sick," Lin Dachun instructed Li Ruoxue.

"Mm." Li Ruoxue nodded.

"I don't have any nice clothes to change into. I forgot to bring in the clothes I was wearing outside."

"I'll go collect them." Lin Dachun hurriedly ran outside and brought back the clothes and other items.

Then it was hung inside the cave dwelling, where there is heating, so it dried quickly.

"It'll be dry soon. It's not completely dry yet. You can't wear it." Lin Dachun replied.

"You can't wear wet clothes."

"Yes, yes, we can't wear wet clothes. I changed quickly too. You should too," Lin Dachun said.