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

After chasing away Old Cao and the old black dog, I lay back down on the kang (heated brick bed), but a lingering sense of tension still seemed to remain in the cave dwelling.

Lin Dachun closed the door properly.

"He took a cup and comes to bother you every night. He's really stubborn."

Lin Dachun had no choice but to accept this ugly widower.

Li Ruoxue remembered something, quietly got up, and took out the bottle of homemade snake wine that Ma Guihua had given her from an inconspicuous corner at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed).

There are still quite a few jars left.

"It's cold tonight, shall we... have a drink?"

Li Ruoxue said, blushing.

Using the dim light filtering through the window, Lin Dachun looked at the wine jar, then at Li Ruoxue's face, which appeared exceptionally gentle and concerned in the gloom.

"Hehe, this wine... it's quite strong," Lin Dachun's voice was a little hoarse, "After we drank it last time..."

Lin Dachun paused for a moment, then hesitated to continue.

After all, that night was truly unbearable.

"Just a little bit, to taste it and warm up."

As Li Ruoxue spoke stubbornly, she groped for two rough porcelain bowls and, in the dim light, carefully poured small amounts into each.

The crisp, slightly spicy aroma of alcohol filled the air.

"Such a little bit, it can't be that exaggerated, can it?" Li Ruoxue blushed, her heart pounding, and continued, "If this wine is really that potent, should we learn to brew it and sell it? You told me last time that Scarface runs a brothel, right? It'll definitely come in handy."

Lin Dachun did not refuse again and took the bowl.

"Yes, that's why I planted epimedium in front of the yard, hoping it will come in handy," Lin Dachun replied.

With that, Lin Dachun downed his drink in one gulp.

Li Ruoxue also drank it all.

Then, the two of them got onto the kang (heated brick bed) together and crawled into the quilt.

Before long, Li Ruoxue felt hot all over, an uncontrollable kind of heat.

......

The next morning.

"This alcohol is really strong. You last night," Lin Dachun said awkwardly.

"Aren't you the same?" Li Ruoxue said, blushing.

"I think this wine is really potent. Who could resist it if a man or a woman drank it? Why don't we try brewing it in advance? We don't necessarily have to wait for the sea buckthorn to ripen, right?" Lin Dachun pondered.

Anyway, most of the work is still farm work, so I still have some time.

"Yes, that's fine." Li Ruoxue nodded.

The effects of that alcohol are still there.

Last night, I felt extremely ashamed.

Lin Dachun decided to go up the mountain today to find these two things.

The black-banded snake prefers shady and damp environments and often lives in crevices of rocks or in bushes in streams;

Epimedium grows mostly under forests or in grassy hillsides, and this season is the best time to harvest its rhizomes.

After breakfast, he instructed Li Ruoxue: "I'm going to the mountains to find some ingredients for brewing wine. Look after the house and sheep, and I'll take care of the sea buckthorn patch every day. When the sun is shining, you can dry the grain outside."

Seeing his serious expression and the fact that he had brought a cloth bag to hold the snakes, a small hoe for gathering herbs, and a basket, Li Ruoxue knew this was no ordinary hunt. She nodded and said, "Be careful and come back soon. Those snakes are all poisonous."

Lin Dachun grunted in agreement, slung his tools over his shoulder, and strode into the mountain.

Lin Dachun first went to several damp valleys and carefully searched for rocks and fallen trees.

Luckily, under the rocks in the third creek valley, they found a black-brown snake, about two feet long, coiled up, which was not conspicuous among the moss.

Lin Dachun reacted quickly, using his homemade snake fork to precisely press down on the back of the snake's head, while his other hand swiftly pinched the snake's neck, subduing it and neatly stuffing it into a tightly sealed cloth bag.

The snake writhed restlessly in the bag.

Next, he began searching for epimedium.

This plant has unique leaves, which are trifoliate compound leaves with fine thorns along the edges.

Based on his memory, he found a few clumps of shrubs under a sunny but not too steep hillside.

He carefully used a hoe to dig away the surrounding soil, revealing its yellowish-brown, fibrous rhizomes. He dug them out as intact as possible, shook off the soil, and put them into his basket.

This item isn't rare, but finding one in good condition requires careful searching.

After a morning, the cloth bag contained black-tailed snakes, and the basket on his back contained enough epimedium roots to make several jars of wine.

They were incredibly lucky; they even caught a pheasant.

This pheasant is not that pheasant.