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

After a full week of digging, Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue found that the cellar was deep enough.

It's about three meters long, and the next step is to increase its volume.

Lin Dachun was hoisted up with a rope, climbed down to dig in the soil, and Li Ruoxue pulled up the soil he dug up, causing it to collapse.

The bottom soil layer needs to be carefully compacted, and the inner wall should be smoothed to facilitate the application of impermeable lime and clay later.

Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue had been working hard for days and were exhausted, but they were both eager to finish their work.

I'm probably just tired.

That day, Li Ruoxue was breaking up soil when she slipped and slid down the cellar entrance.

"careful."

Seeing this, Lin Dachun quickly stretched out his hands and caught Li Ruoxue who was falling from the sky.

"oops."

As a result, Li Ruoxue fell heavily onto Lin Dachun, who was used as a cushion and pressed down heavily on her.

Fortunately, it was soil, which was relatively soft. It hurt, but it wasn't life-threatening.

The light at the cellar entrance was instantly blocked by the collapsed dust, turning it dim.

Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue were both stunned by this sudden change. Dust filled the air at the bottom of the cellar, making them cough.

"Ruoxue! Are you alright?" Lin Dachun shouted anxiously through the dust, immediately putting his arm around Li Ruoxue and asking.

"I, I'm fine! Cough cough..." Li Ruoxue's voice was filled with panic. Only then did she realize that she had fallen on Lin Dachun. She immediately asked anxiously, "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

"No, no, I'm still strong." Lin Dachun took a breath.

Lin Dachun looked up and thought it was just Li Ruoxue who had fallen, but unexpectedly, the rope they were climbing up also fell down.

"Are we trapped here?" Li Ruoxue also realized this problem.

After the initial panic subsided, Lin Dachun forced himself to calm down.

"Don't be afraid, it's alright." Lin Dachun's voice sounded particularly calm in the small space. He patted Li Ruoxue's shoulder, the thick calluses on his hands providing a real tactile experience. "The cellar entrance hasn't collapsed, people can see us. We can just call out to the neighbors."

"Let's take a break, we're exhausted from these past few days." Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue sat together, close to each other.

Fortunately, the kettle was underneath.

Lin Dachun took out the water bottle, took a sip, and then handed it to Li Ruoxue.

"It's all my fault. I was careless and made myself fall." Li Ruoxue said with some self-blame.

Lin Dachun quickly patted her head affectionately.

"Yes, I'm tired. I'll rest for a bit," Li Ruoxue said, leaning against Lin Dachun.

The two of them were probably really tired, and they fell asleep without realizing it.

When Lin Dachun woke up, it was already dark.

No neighbors came to visit.

It's getting dark, so naturally there's even less chance of anyone coming.

Linjiatun was originally a small village with few people and sparse population, so it was even less likely that anyone would come to visit after dark.

In other words, I'll be sleeping in this cellar tonight.

Even at night, especially in the latter half of the night, it is still quite cold.

Lin Dachun became somewhat worried, realizing that he could no longer rely on others.

"Shouldn't we go up?" Li Ruoxue, realizing the situation, asked in a trembling voice, "But we can't get up..."

Lin Dachun didn't speak; he looked around the bottom of the cellar.

His gaze fell on the stones of varying sizes that were prepared to be used as a base, and then he looked at the cellar walls.

An idea formed in his mind.

"Step on my shoulders and see if you can get to where you're stuck," Lin Dachun said to Li Ruoxue.

Li Ruoxue is quite agile.

Li Ruoxue looked at Da Chun's sturdy body and nodded.

Lin Dachun squatted down and let Li Ruoxue carefully step onto his shoulders. Then he held onto the cellar wall and slowly stood up.

Li Ruoxue climbed up unsteadily, reaching out to grab the ladder and the stuck rocks, but she was still a short distance away, and her footing was unstable, making it very dangerous.

"No, I can't reach it, it's too dangerous!" Li Ruoxue quickly got down.

Unable to get out, a brief silence fell over the bottom of the cellar, broken only by the two people's slightly rapid breathing.

In the dim light, their faces were somewhat blurred.

The panic of isolation from the world began to spread quietly.

Li Ruoxue subconsciously moved closer to Lin Dachun and grabbed his arm, as if it were her only support.

Lin Dachun could feel the slight tremor in her fingers.

He took her hand in his own and squeezed it tightly.

"Don't panic, someone might come to visit, then you'll be able to go out."

Lin Dachun comforted him, saying that he himself was also unsure, but he couldn't panic.

Lin Dachun picked up the rope and swung it toward the cellar entrance, hoping to hook onto something, but he couldn't do it after several attempts.

"Let's just wait and see. We'll sleep here tonight, and someone should come tomorrow," Li Ruoxue said.

"It's too cold at night, and you're prone to feeling cold, you'll catch a chill," Lin Dachun said with concern.

"Aren't you warm? Staying close to you will warm you up," Li Ruoxue said.

There are no other good solutions right now.

The two of them had no choice but to sit down again.

Look up, and you see the starry sky.

The moon was bright, the stars were clear, and you could even see the Milky Way.

"Well, we'll be sleeping in this cellar tonight." Lin Dachun took off his coat, but it was a work coat and very dirty, so he couldn't drape it over Li Ruoxue.

Lin Dachun had no choice but to put it back on.

"Here, I'll give you my inner garment to wear, so you won't be cold at night," Lin Dachun said with concern.

"Then you'll freeze to death!" Li Ruoxue naturally understood this.

"You won't freeze to death. I'm busy on the mountain all year round, and I wear very little even in heavy snow. I won't get sick from the cold. But it's different for you. You're weak, have a deficiency of Yang energy, and are afraid of the cold. The ground here is freezing cold. You should sit on my lap. Don't let your butt get frozen." Lin Dachun just didn't want Li Ruoxue to get cold.

This time, Li Ruoxue did not refuse.

Li Ruoxue sat on Lin Dachun's lap, and Lin Dachun naturally hugged her.

In this way, the two people can keep each other warm.

Lin Dachun even took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

It's a bit dirty, but it's still very warm.

"You are the best man in the world to me." Li Ruoxue's words were not just words of gratitude, but a general feeling.

"If I don't spoil you, who will I spoil?" Lin Dachun joked.

Li Ruoxue blushed and nestled tightly in Lin Dachun's arms.