Qi Huan took out a fresh sheet of xuan paper and simply sketched out the structure of a brick firebed.
When she had stayed overnight at the Lu Estate, she had noticed that the people of Mo County did not yet use brick firebeds. The wealthy families relied on burning charcoal, ordinary folk relied on cotton clothes, and the poor endured the cold, succumbing to it when they could no longer bear it.
Thus, countless people in Mo County froze to death each winter.
According to the history she had learned in her previous life, brick firebeds had already appeared in northern China during the Western Han Dynasty. But here in the Li Country's Mo County, they had not yet been invented - it seemed the people here lacked the capacity for invention and innovation.
Qi Huan decided she would find an opportunity to popularize the strategy of revitalizing the nation through science and education with Li Shuchen.
However, that was a matter for the future. For now, the most important thing was to try to draw the diagram of the firebed as accurately as possible.
The firebed is hollow, forming a smoke duct, through which heat is distributed. There also need to be a stove opening and a smoke vent - the stove opening is for burning firewood, and the smoke vent is for letting out the smoke.
After sketching the basic framework, Qi Huan paused, thinking deeply but unable to come up with any other useful information. She knew that in many things, insiders see the key points while outsiders just see the lively spectacle - what she understood was just the tip of the iceberg.
So she turned to her system for help: "System, is there any literature about firebeds in the express delivery inventory? I'm willing to spend more points, please help me filter them out."
"Host, this kind of thinking is dangerous, you actually want to use points to corrupt me."
After firmly refusing, the system couldn't help but check the host's current points balance. Wow! The host currently had 11,000 points.
Counting again, it was a five-digit number.
The system then said in a low voice, "Okay, you succeeded. Normally, the express delivery items are randomly dropped. But the rules are dead, and we are alive. Using the search function deducts 1,000 points each time. Host, do you still want to continue?"
"Continue." Qi Huan said without hesitation.
Building a proper firebed would provide a warm winter, and could also help the people of Mo County - it would be a meritorious deed. Later, when she popularized the construction method of the firebed, she believed more points would be credited to her account.
Having made her calculations, Qi Huan rubbed her hands together eagerly and waited for the system to help her filter the information.
After a long time, the system said listlessly, "I'm sorry, host, your requirement is too unique, and no relevant items have been identified in the express delivery inventory."
Hearing this, her bright eyes immediately dimmed, and she didn't forget to remind, "If that's the case, remember to refund."
"...Can I keep half as a labor fee?" the system asked.
Qi Huan was a bit curious: "As a system, shouldn't you be without desires? Why are you so eager for points?"
"I want to save up points to upgrade. ...And I also want to save up points as a wedding gift for you and Li Shuchen."
"...Okay, as my own system, there's nothing to do but pamper you."
After ending her exchange with the system, Qi Huan rested her chin on her hands and sighed softly. She couldn't find a detailed diagram, so she had sent five hundred points as pocket money to the system. How frustrating.
Seeing her listless demeanor, Li Shuchen's brow furrowed: "Ahuan, have you encountered any difficulties?"
"I want to build a firebed, but I only know its form, not its internal structure, such as how the smoke duct under the bed surface should be routed, and how the air intake should be properly arranged, etc.
If even these key technical issues are not resolved, the firebed I build may not meet the temperature requirements, or the smoke may spread chaotically..."
Grasping the crux of her dilemma, Li Shuchen picked up the draft sketch on the table and examined it carefully: "This is a combination of a stove and a bed?"
"Yes!" Qi Huan nodded slightly, a hint of delight in her eyes. If he could understand it, perhaps her drawing wasn't too bad after all?
Then she watched as Li Shuchen picked up a brush, lightly dipped it in ink, and redrew an identical copy of her diagram, but with straighter lines and clearer content.
Under her gaze, Li Shuchen put down the brush, folded up the picture she had drawn, and tucked it into his chest, then said, "I have redrawn it. Tomorrow, I will have Yan Jiu deliver the diagram to experienced craftsmen and let them experiment and explore it in advance.
Ahuan, you don't need to worry about this matter. ...I will make all your wishes come true."
"Thank you, Ashu." Qi Huan looked at him with shining eyes.
In this moment, she realized that in addition to the system, she also had Ashu as her support.
She quickly took out a new sheet of xuan paper and drew a diagram of a latrine, handing it to him and saying smoothly, "Ashu, I want this too."
The sloping-style latrine was the popular style from her childhood in her previous life - the waste could slowly slide down to the pit outside the latrine. Even if it didn't slide down, a water flush would wash it away. It was much safer than directly squatting over the pit, and much cleaner and more hygienic.
Li Shuchen naturally accepted her request without question.
*
By June, the ice and snow had melted, and the green buds of the white birch trees were sprouting on the branches, dotting the landscape with vibrant life.
The summer temperature in Mo County was still not high, about the same as springtime in the central regions of her previous life. This weather was especially suitable for work.
On an auspicious day, the new house and the welfare institute started construction together. Qi Huan occasionally accompanied Li Shuchen to supervise the progress.
That day, after bringing the workers some mung bean soup, Qi Huan suddenly felt a tightness in her abdomen, accompanied by a feeling of warmth gushing out.
Seeing her brow furrowed as she clutched her belly, Li Shuchen immediately picked her up in his arms and hurried to Sun's Medical Hall.
"Ashu, I'm fine, please put me down."
"Don't hide your illness." Sensing her struggle, Li Shuchen lowered his voice and coaxed gently, "Be good."
Qi Huan could only tell the truth: "I'm really fine, it's just my monthly period."
By the time Li Shuchen figured out what "monthly period" meant, they had already arrived at the door of Sun's Medical Hall.
Coincidentally, Sun the Doctor also saw them and enthusiastically came out to greet them. Seeing Qi Huan being carried, he also grew anxious: "Little Qi, did you hurt your foot?"
"......"
Qi Huan wished she could bury her head in the ground, it was so embarrassing. But she heard Li Shuchen already answering for her, "It's her stomach that's uncomfortable."
"Oh?" Sun the Doctor grew even more anxious, internal organ issues were not easy to treat.
He invited them both in, and was about to extend his hand to feel her pulse, but was blocked by Li Shuchen: "No need, it's her monthly period."
"......"
Sun the Doctor awkwardly cleared his throat and brought out the familiar phrase he often told his wife: "Drink more hot water."
Li Shuchen furrowed his brow, earnestly asking, "Just drinking hot water will make the pain go away?"
"......" Sun the Doctor tugged at his beard, he wasn't an OB-GYN expert, nor was he a woman who had experienced menstruation, how would he know? But his wife often asked him to help massage, so he supplemented, "If it hurts a lot, you can massage it."
"Okay."
Sun the Doctor thought for a moment, then added, "Pay attention to keeping warm."
"Okay."
Based on his wife's experience, Sun the Doctor also mentioned, "You don't need to be so anxious, the pain may lessen after she has a child. Just like my wife, some women no longer have painful periods after giving birth... But it varies by individual."
"Okay!" Li Shuchen nodded, "I will work hard."
Being held by him, Qi Huan quietly pinched him, reproaching, "Thank you for your kindness, but there's no need to be so fussy."
