Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

Since the quantity she wanted was not small, after she paid the money, the store owner specially sent two assistants to deliver the materials to her door.

After everything was ready, Cheng Yuntao took Jiang Yu and Cheng Jingzhu, rolled up their sleeves and started the construction process.

The first step is to dig the foundation, about two feet deep, and dig it into a circle or square. The diameter or side length depends on the required oven size. Usually, a diameter of about three feet is enough to meet the needs of home baking. When digging, make sure the bottom of the pit is flat.

Cheng Yuntao felt that round things looked more pleasing than square ones, so she decided to build an oven with a round appearance, and the foundation naturally had to be dug into a round shape as well.

After circling the approximate range, Jiang Yu leaned over and inserted a branch into the soil to fix the center of the circle. Cheng Yuntao fixed another branch with a silk thread, used her arms to straighten the thin thread, took small steps, and circled around Jiang Yu. The bottom of the branch was coated with charcoal powder in advance, which drew arcs and marks on the ground, and a round circle gradually emerged.

After drawing the circle, the physical work of digging the foundation was handed over to Jiang Yu and Cheng Jingzhu. The master and apprentice picked up their shovels and worked hard.

After working for a while, Jiang Yu sweated a lot. The fabric of his upper body clothes fit his body tightly, outlining his firm chest and smooth arms. Cheng Yuntao couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Perhaps feeling the gazes falling on him, Jiang Yu turned sideways and looked back. Cheng Yuntao looked away in a panic and pretended nothing had happened and returned to the kitchen.

Jiang Yu stared at her back, a smile on his face.

In the stove, the charcoal fire was burning slightly red. Cheng Yuntao leaned over slightly, suspended the perilla leaves above the charcoal fire through the oil paper, and baked them through the paper.

Her eyes were focused, her hands moving slowly and steadily, occasionally gently turning the perilla leaves to ensure they were heated evenly. As the temperature rose, the perilla leaves gradually emitted a unique and rich aroma that filled the entire kitchen.

After a while, the color of the perilla leaves darkened slightly. Cheng Yuntao knew that the time was right, so she quickly took the baked perilla leaves off the oil paper and put them into the teapot. She lifted the boiling copper kettle, with steam rising from the spout, and slowly poured boiling water into the teapot. The boiling water instantly stimulated the deeper aroma of the perilla leaves, which rose in curls.

Cover the pot and let the perilla leaves soak in hot water for a while. When the time is almost up, open the pot and the sweet fragrance of perilla will immediately hit you. Cheng Yuntao added some honey and walked out with the drink.

At this moment, the foundation outside was almost dug. Jiang Yu stuck the shovel vertically into the ground, rested his arms on it, and took a short rest.

Cheng Jingzhu, who was standing by, was very sharp-eyed. When he saw Cheng Yuntao bringing out the tea, he immediately rushed over.

"Sister! How did you know I was thirsty?"

Cheng Yuntao placed the teapot on the stone table in the courtyard and quickly brewed a cup and handed it over: "Thank you for your hard work, Xiaozhu. This is freshly brewed perilla drink. Drink it quickly."

After taking the drink, Cheng Jingzhu took a sip along the edge of the cup. The warm touch came first, and then the fresh and fragrant aroma of perilla leaves quickly spread in the mouth, dispelling the heat in his heart.

When you take a sip, you can taste a light sweetness, the caramelized aroma of the roasted and brewed perilla leaves, and a cool taste. The overall taste is warm and refreshing, making people feel relaxed and comfortable.

"It's delicious! Come and try it, Master."

Cheng Jingzhu drank the whole perilla drink in the cup in one gulp, smacked his lips to savor the taste for a moment, and then quickly brewed another cup.

Holding the liquid carefully in both hands, he trotted towards where Jiang Yu was, fearing that even a drop would spill. However, he ran quite fast. After a few steps, the wind under his feet raised a small amount of dust.

When he ran in front of Jiang Yu, he paused deliberately, straightened his body, and solemnly handed the cup to Jiang Yu with both hands, with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Master, please~~~" He deliberately dragged out the tone, his voice revealing a sense of intimacy and flattery.

Jiang Yu was thirsty as well, and didn't bother to argue with his mischievous behavior. He reached out to take the cup, and a wisp of the fragrance of perilla wafted out, lingering around his nose.

He tilted his head back and drank the whole drink in one gulp. The warm liquid slid down his throat, bringing a refreshing feeling.

The tip of the tongue first captures the unique aroma of perilla, which is fresh with a hint of sweetness and a subtle, almost imperceptible spiciness, and the flavors blend together.

After swallowing, the mouth and throat seem to be moistened by a fine spring rain, and the dryness and heat disappear instantly.

"Comfortable!"

After a short break, they returned to their busy work again.

After the foundation is dug, a layer of bricks and stones is laid flat and tightly packed at the bottom of the pit. This forms the foundation of the oven, supporting its weight. Next, brick walls are built around the pit, stacked layer by layer like building a house, ensuring each layer is level and vertical.

When building the wall, apply a mixture of soil and sand between the gaps to strengthen the sealing. The height of the furnace wall should be two to three feet to facilitate observation of the furnace and placement of food.

When the furnace wall is built to a certain height, if you want to distribute the heat evenly, you can start making a grate, that is, use iron bars arranged in parallel at a certain distance, fixed to the furnace wall, to build a shelf-like structure, specially designed for placing food.

At the same time, one or two ventilation holes with a diameter of about three inches are reserved at the bottom of the furnace wall or near the bottom of the side, and small passages are constructed with bricks, stones or pottery shards to control the air flow entering the oven and thus adjust the fire and temperature.

Once the furnace walls are completed, the furnace roof will be built.

Bricks and stones can be used to construct an arched furnace roof in a method of gradually narrowing inward. The joints between the furnace roof and the furnace wall need to be carefully smeared with mud to fill the gaps. In this step, the furnace roof must be sealed to prevent heat loss.

Cheng Yuntao held a scraper and scraped the mud off the surface repeatedly. From time to time, he stopped, tilted his head, and examined his "work" from different angles.

If he found any unevenness, he would immediately rework it until the connection between the furnace top and the furnace wall was perfect and airtight, and then he would nod with satisfaction.

After the oven top is ready, open the oven door at the appropriate position on the front of the oven wall. The size of the door should be suitable for placing and removing the baking tray.

Use iron bars to make the furnace door frame, and then choose pottery pieces or thin wooden boards as the panel. Install hinges or simple rotating shafts between the furnace door and the furnace wall so that it can be opened and closed freely. For better sealing, you can wrap a layer of cloth strips or apply mud on the edge of the furnace door.

At this point, the oven is basically completed, but it has just been built and cannot be put into use immediately.

The furnace wall needs to be baked first. Light a small fire in the furnace and bake it slowly. It takes about a day. During this time, pay attention to whether there are any abnormal conditions such as cracks on the furnace wall.

If there is any, it means that it was not done well before and needs to be repaired in time.

After baking is completed, a simple temperature test must be carried out again. Light the firewood in the oven, observe the temperature changes in the oven by adjusting the size of the vents, and become familiar with the performance of the oven.

All in all, it would take at least two or three days to complete, which is quite tiring.