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

Lin Dachun filled the kang (a heated brick bed) with corn stalks, which would keep it warm all night.

Li Ruoxue's abdomen was also very cold and icy.

"Dr. Sun is right. Your body is too cold, it's all ice. How can you have a healthy body like that, and how can you have a baby?" Lin Dachun said with concern.

"Okay, I'll keep warm and protect my belly from now on," Li Ruoxue said softly, with a coquettish tone.

It's said that women who love to act coquettishly have good fortune.

Li Ruoxue loves to act coquettishly and is very dependent on others, but her life is not good.

The ginger oil gradually warmed Li Ruoxue's abdomen. It seemed to be very effective.

"By the way, we have a big project to do later." Lin Dachun took the opportunity to chat.

"What kind of big project is it?"

Li Ruoxue wondered, how could such a poor family produce such a large project?

"We've planted sea buckthorn and jujube trees, covering dozens of acres of hillside. Although both sea buckthorn and jujube trees are drought-resistant, they still need irrigation to grow better and yield a better harvest," Lin Dachun explained.

"Of course. Here, the loess soil is so dry that it's very inconvenient for me to take a bath," Li Ruoxue replied.

"I have a little bit of compensation left, so I want to use this last bit of money to build a water cellar. The wealthy families in the village have all built water cellars, and they work very well. I should have done this a long time ago, but I was always afraid of spending money," Lin Dachun explained.

"We're going to build water cellars, and if we're going to do it, we'll do it big. We rely on rainwater for our livelihood, and I'll help you dig them so we won't have any worries and can focus on getting rich." Li Ruoxue was very supportive of Lin Dachun's project.

I thought it was some massive project worth hundreds of millions.

"Feeling warmer now? Let me help you warm up more." Lin Dachun said, continuing to help warm you up.

Li Ruoxue has very good skin; it's white, tender, smooth, and delicate.

With a face of unparalleled beauty and a slender waist, it is no exaggeration to describe her as having unparalleled elegance.

When she set up her stall in town, her goods sold incredibly fast. It was all men who came to buy them; she was so attractive, had a pleasant voice, and a good temper. Men would buy her things after just one glance.

"Okay, lie flat on your back with your abdomen against the kang (heated brick bed), so that the heat from the kang will rise and warm you up," Lin Dachun instructed Li Ruoxue.

This is the method taught by Dr. Sun.

"Um."

Li Ruoxue then lay down there.

The next day.

Lin Dachun acted immediately.

He selected a slightly lower-lying area with firm soil on the east side of the yard.

Just after the rooster crowed for the first time, Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue finished their simple breakfast, picked up shovels, pickaxes, and baskets, and began the project.

Lin Dachun first used lime powder to draw the general outline of the water cellar.

A circle with a diameter of about 15 feet.

Lin Dachun swung the heavy pickaxe and fiercely dug the first hole into the hard soil inside the circle.

"Hey!" A dull thud sounded. Although the permafrost had thawed, the lower layers remained hardened.

The soil flew everywhere, leaving only a shallow pit.

Lin Dachun remained silent, raised his pickaxe again, and began to dig steadily and rhythmically.

Li Ruoxue followed behind him.

After Lin Dachun loosened a patch of soil, she used a shovel to scoop up the loose soil and fill the soil basket next to her.

Li Ruoxue was physically weak and a frail woman.

The aesthetic standards for women in this era are different from those in modern times.

In this day and age, men all like shrewish women and want to marry them.

A so-called shrew is someone who is strong, capable of heavy work, and as strong as a man; or someone with a large bottom, as women with large bottoms are said to be fertile.

These two conditions are highly sought after in the matchmaking market and by matchmakers.

Li Ruoxue was a gentle, delicate, and frail woman. She was also weak and sickly, and in the eyes of the matchmaker, she was the kind of woman that no one would want and that no one would be able to marry.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have married into a poor family like Lin Dachun's.

Lin Dachun has really struck gold.

"This job isn't suitable for you. Heavy work is for us men." Lin Dachun was tall and a skilled worker.

"It's okay, I'll do as much as I can. I'll recover after soaking my body in the bath tonight," Li Ruoxue explained.

"Okay, okay, be careful and don't overwork yourself. Take a rest." Lin Dachun said affectionately.

The scent of earth mixed with the smell of sweat permeated the small courtyard.

The sounds of iron striking soil, heavy breathing, and occasional brief exchanges constitute the symphony of labor.

"The soil here seems a bit looser."

"Yes, this area is sandy loam, which is easy to dig, but to store water, we need to compact the bottom."

"Take a rest, don't overwork yourself." Li Ruoxue was also concerned about Lin Dachun, after all, Dachun's back was not good either.

Lin Dachun's back is a chronic ailment, caused by overuse, and it's difficult to cure.

However, my back feels much better after taking a hot bath each time.

This is why Lin Dachun often takes hot baths, but due to water shortage, he can't afford to take hot baths.

"No need, this kind of work isn't tiring."

There weren't many words, but every glance and every touch conveyed a tacit understanding.

Lin Dachun's hands quickly developed blisters, which broke and slowly formed calluses.

Li Ruoxue went to prepare lunch early, as heavy work requires a lot of starch, and potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn are all high in starch.

Li Ruoxue specially chopped off some cured pork and placed it on top of the potatoes, preparing to make a mixed grain rice dish. The aroma of the mixed grains mixed with the cured pork was particularly delicious when cooked.

When the sun was high in the sky, Lin Dachun returned to his cave dwelling to rest and gulped down tea.

"Look at you, don't be impatient. A water cellar can't be built in a day." Li Ruoxue was very concerned and took Lin Dachun's hand to check it.

I discovered that my calloused hands had cracked in the winter and haven't healed yet.

"Your hands are going to crack again. Let me put some sesame oil on them," Li Ruoxue said with concern.

In impoverished areas, people don't go to the hospital for even minor illnesses; they treat themselves.

Lin Dachun took some sesame oil, poured it onto his hands, and then rubbed it on his palms.

This immediately relieved the pain in Lin Dachun's hand.