It's hard for my elder sister. I rely on the mountains to farm and pay off my debts.

Three days passed like this, and the day agreed with Old Man Zhou arrived.

Early that morning, Song Zhi went to Wei Yue Fang in the city with a basket of cakes as usual.

At this time, Old Man Zhou had already been waiting in the pastry shop for half an hour and saw Song Zhi arrive as promised.

He immediately went to greet her happily, "Miss Song, you're finally here. I've been thinking about the kang you mentioned a few days ago and I think it's very feasible. Here's the drawing. Is there anything that needs to be changed?"

Song Zhi glanced at the other person and saw that his eyes were dark. She thought that he must have been thinking about the kang without sleep or food for the past three days.

The waiter next to her was very considerate and stepped forward to take the pastries from Song Zhi's hand.

Song Zhi smiled and thanked him, then took the drawing with both hands and looked at it carefully.

Old man Zhou, who was standing opposite her, was worried that Song Zhi wouldn't understand the shapes he had drawn, so he kept explaining to her: "This is the stove, this is the kang, and this is the chimney."

"Considering thermal insulation, the bottom of the kang can be compacted with yellow mud. As you said, the kang board can be made of yellow clay mixed with hay. Finally, a layer of yellow clay is used to seal it and smooth it out for thermal insulation."

"The most critical part of this kang is the smoke outlet and the chimney. They must be designed properly to ensure that the smoke can be discharged smoothly without backflow."

Song Zhi didn't expect that she had only simply proposed an idea that day, but the other party could design a drawing so quickly.

He can also point out the key points in a straightforward manner.

"Then how do we ensure the smooth flow of the chimney?" Song Zhi asked subconsciously.

Old Man Zhou thought about it and expressed his opinion, "In my opinion, the smoke outlet should not be too large or too small. If it is too large, the heat will dissipate too quickly, affecting the heating effect;"

"If it's too small, it will easily cause blockage, smoke won't be able to be exhausted, and the house will be filled with smoke."

"The chimney height should also be moderate. If it's too high, smoke exhaust will be smooth but construction will be difficult. If it's too low, backflow may occur when the wind is strong. It's best to decide based on the height of the house."

"Also, the connection between the chimney and the kang must be sealed tightly. There can't be any gaps, otherwise cold air will flow in from outside and hot air will escape through the gaps. Then the kang won't be able to provide much warmth."

"You can use chopped grass to make mud. This kind of mud is very sticky and very strong after drying. It is perfect for sealing seams."

As Old Man Zhou spoke, he gestured in the air with his fingers, as if he wanted to show Song Zhi all the details he could think of.

Song Zhi listened attentively, nodded from time to time to show her understanding, and occasionally asked some questions. Old Man Zhou was able to explain them based on his many years of experience as a craftsman.

After the conversation, Song Zhi couldn't help but marvel in her heart at the superb wisdom of the ancient craftsmen.

In fact, if she were to build the kang herself, there might be many loopholes, and Song Zhi was also ambiguous about some details.

But when it came to Mr. Zhou, he was able to plan all the key parts in advance. Song Zhi was extremely grateful that she had asked Mr. Zhou to find a craftsman.

I wonder how much trouble this will save her.

Song Zhi praised him generously, "Uncle Zhou, you turned my casual thought into reality in just three days. You're truly talented!"

At this moment, Old Man Zhou was also very excited. For craftsmen like them, the greatest joy was to create practical things with their own hands.

This kang is obviously very suitable for promotion among the people in the north.

As a member of the lower class, Old Man Zhou knows too well how hard it is for the people in the north to endure the long winter. If he tells the young master about the method of making a kang, he will surely praise him given his character, right?

If...if I do it well, the master will be happy to release me from slavery.

Thinking of this, Old Man Zhou couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

But he still suppressed his excitement and looked at Song Zhi inquiringly, "Ms. Song, this method of building a kang was your idea. I have a humble request. I wonder if I can report this method to my master..."

Before he could finish, Song Zhi made a decisive move and said, "Of course there's no problem with that. Although I came up with the idea of building a kang, you came up with the specific details. You can hand it over to whoever you want. You don't need to ask me!"

In fact, Song Zhi secretly went to Manager Zhou to find a craftsman because she wanted to pass on the method of making a kang to Zhou Yu's ears.

Qishui County has bitterly cold winters, and every year some people die because they cannot withstand the severe cold.

If the county magistrate were to take charge of this matter, it would definitely spread faster than if her family were used as an example.

After hearing what Song Zhi said, Old Man Zhou thanked her repeatedly with joy: "Thank you very much, thank you very much!"

His main concern was that the person in front of him had a friendship with the young master. If he didn't inform the other party in advance, it would be more trouble than gain if the other party went to the young master to complain.

Now Miss Song didn't hesitate at all and obviously didn't care. So he could present the recipe of the kang to the young master without any worries!

Seeing that he was very happy, Song Zhi couldn't help but take the initiative to invite him:

"It just so happens that my family is building a house right now, and we still don't know how effective this kang is at heating. Uncle Zhou, why don't you take the trouble to come with us and give us some personal guidance on how to build the kang."

"No matter how many ideas you have, you never know if there are any flaws unless you put them into practice. If you report this to Lord Zhou, you will have a clearer idea, right?"

Song Zhi's words were very straightforward, but they hit the mark exactly what the other person was thinking.

Old man Zhou nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Song Zhi said goodbye to Manager Zhou and led his men out of the city.

Time was tight and the task was heavy. After Song Zhi got on the car outside the city, she did not let the other party continue to wait for people under the city wall. She directly booked the remaining seat and urged him to set off immediately.

After leading the people back home, Song Zhi took them directly to the next door to observe the terrain and house layout.

Construction of the main house just started yesterday, and the walls on all four sides should be completed by now.

Old man Zhou walked around the main house, silently thinking about how to layout it to maximize the use of space while ensuring the best heating effect of the kang.

He first carefully observed the structure of the house, then he paced back and forth in the house, measuring the dimensions with his feet, and quickly outlined the location and layout of the kang in his mind.

The villagers and the Song family members nearby looked at the strange old man Song Zhi had brought back from outside with curiosity.

Mrs. Wu stepped forward, tugged at her granddaughter's sleeve, and asked quietly, "Is this the craftsman you're looking for?"

Song Zhi nodded. "Yes, grandma, he's the county magistrate's craftsman. His skills are top-notch. You'll have everyone obey his orders later."

When Mrs. Wu heard that the other party was a craftsman in the county magistrate's family, she did not question it at all.

She quietly stepped back a few steps and whispered to her grandson and son, "Wait by the craftsman's side in a moment. Don't talk too much, just follow his instructions!"

Both of them were very honest people and nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

After Old Man Zhou understood what was going on, he turned around and ordered, "Send someone to bring some bricks to build the frame of the kang, and send someone else to bring a few carts of yellow clay."

Everyone got busy following Old Man Zhou's instructions, and soon the bricks were brought in. Yellow clay and hay were also delivered one after another.

Old man Zhou personally demonstrated how to build the kang frame and the requirements, and Song Ping and others followed behind to help.

Song Zhi watched from the side and saw that the other party seemed very confident and sure of himself, so she simply handed the matter over to him.

At this moment, Song Zhi deeply realized that professional matters should be left to professionals, so that you can get twice the result with half the effort!