If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

Zhu Zhiyong asked the maid to serve him a bowl of porridge, which he then ate with some pickled vegetables. He was surprised to find that he couldn't stop eating it; it was so delicious, a completely different kind of flavor from meat.

Next up were Zhu Keduo and his mother, who, disbelieving in superstition, also accepted the rice porridge handed to them by the maid. Then, two more people joined the group eating pickled vegetables.

“Son, the servants said you brought this back? Where did you buy it? Your grandmother loves it, so tell the servants to buy more.”

Actually, it wasn't just his mother who loved to eat it; Zhu Keduo loved it too. So, using his mother's name as an excuse, he ordered his son around. With pickled vegetables, he wouldn't have to eat dried rice noodles every day anymore. Dried rice noodles with porridge were indeed hard to swallow.

"You can't buy it. This was made by Zhou Wu's family. I thought it wouldn't taste good. I should have asked for more."

After learning how delicious it was, Zhu Zhiyong never stopped regretting it, and most importantly, it cured his grandmother's anorexia.

"Zhou Wu again?"

"By the way, mahjong was also invented by Zhou Wu."

"..."

Zhu Keduo was completely convinced by Zhou Wu.

“Didn’t you say Zhou Wu is your friend? For your grandma’s sake, go and ask for some more back. They’re all worthless stuff anyway.”

Zhu Zhiyong was surprised to find that his father was so shameless. He used to teach him that he should make friends sincerely and without any self-interest, not even for a pancake. He said that feelings were all bullshit. Pancake? You wouldn't even spare pickled vegetables.

Zhu's father seemed to sense his son's intense gaze, and his eyes began to dart away.

"Humph."

Zhou Wu had given them quite a lot: two kimchi heads, a dozen pieces of fermented bean curd, and a jar of spicy dried radish. As a result, the four of them ate half of it in one meal.

However, after much thought, Zhu Zhiyong had no choice but to swallow his pride and go to his grandmother's house to ask for more food so that she could eat more. However, he still planned to walk around the street to see what kind of gift to buy. If it was too expensive, it would seem a bit deliberate, and Zhou Wu would definitely not accept it. The kind of gift that Da Yan gave last time would be more like a friendly exchange between friends.

. . . . .

Zhu Zhiyong had really bad luck today. He wandered around the streets for half a day, but there wasn't a single wild goose to be seen, let alone anyone selling wild game.

"Hey Lao Zhu, are you treating my house like a cafeteria?"

Unable to buy any wild game, Zhu Zhiyong had no choice but to swallow his pride and come again for the sake of the old woman.

"Hehe, um, big brother, do you still have that pickled vegetable from last time?"

Didn't you say you weren't going to eat it?

"Hi, my grandma hasn't had much of an appetite lately, but she loves the side dishes you make, big brother."

When the other party brought out the old man, Zhou Wu had no choice. Even though there wasn't much left in the house, he still had someone pack some for Zhu Zhiyong to take away.

"Thank you, brother."

Zhu Zhiyong thanked them with the items and left.

. . . . . .

royal palace.

After finishing the morning court session, Li Tiancheng did not leave. Instead, he waited for the ministers to leave before going outside the main hall and quietly gazing at the sky.

"It's getting cold."

Feeling the biting cold wind, Li Tiancheng couldn't help but worry. Every winter, many people in the Great Dragon Empire would suffer.

"Your Majesty, it's cold outside."

Chang Qing, who was standing to the side, saw that His Majesty had been outside for a long time, so he offered some words of advice.

"Changqing, do you think there's any way to make our people no longer afraid of winter?"

"Your Majesty, in Xiaoniujia Town there is something called a heated kang. People can sit on it to rest during the day and sleep on it at night. It's very warm."

Li Tiancheng had only asked the question casually, but he hadn't expected to ask the right person.

"Zhou Wu again? How do you know about heated brick beds?"

“I have been to Niujia Village a few times before to deliver imperial edicts.”

"Go and call Zhou Wu here."

"promise."

. . . . .

Zhou House.

"Master, master, someone is looking for you."

Zhou Wu thought he could finally have a few days of peace and quiet after seeing Zhu Zhiyong off yesterday, but unexpectedly, he came back again.

"Zhu Zhiyong again?"

"No, they are people from the palace."

Upon hearing that it was someone from the palace, Zhou Wu immediately got up and went out to greet them.

"Oh, isn't this Eunuch Chang?"

Zhou Wu looked up and recognized him as Chang Qing, an old acquaintance.

"Lord Zhou, today is not the time for reminiscing. His Majesty has summoned you to the palace."

"Oh, okay, let's go."

The two chatted briefly on the way, knowing that they were both safe and well, and then they arrived.

"Lord Zhou, His Majesty is inside. Please go in by yourself."

After Chang Qing reported this, he withdrew and then let Zhou Wu go in.

"I see your Majesty."

"Get up, Zhou Wu."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"How have you been settling in with life in the capital lately?"

"It's a habit. The capital is far more prosperous than Niujia Town can compare."

"Oh, really? I heard that you rarely go out after you arrived in the capital?"

As the saying goes, the capital is right under the emperor's nose, and Zhou Wu felt that this was even more like being right under the emperor's nose, where nothing could be hidden from him.

"Haha, just kidding. I invited you here today because Changqing told me that you invented some kind of heated kang that can help people keep warm in winter."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Tell me about it."

Li Tiancheng was sitting up there, shifting to a more comfortable position, and then instructed that a chair be arranged for Zhou Wu as well.

"Your Majesty, may I borrow your brush and ink?"

"allow."

Zhou Wu felt that drawing it out would be easier to understand, so he picked up a pen and paper and drew a simple structural diagram of the kang (heated brick bed).

"Your Majesty, look, this is the structural diagram of the kang (heated brick bed). It generates heat through combustion, and then the heat is transmitted to every part of the room through the flue... Most importantly, this way you don't have to worry about being poisoned by burning charcoal."

With Zhou Wu's explanation and the intuitive diagrams, Li Tiancheng immediately understood the principle.

"If it's so simple, why didn't anyone think of it before? Zhou Wu, what's wrong with your brain?"

Li Tiancheng already held Zhou Wu in high regard, and now he was even more eager to have him transferred back to the imperial court immediately.

"Your Majesty, I simply enjoy studying these unorthodox methods in my spare time."

"This isn't some crooked or evil method; it has great potential! Haha, Zhou Wu, why don't you modify my bedroom first, and I'll see how it goes?"

"promise."

. . . . .

The next day, Zhou Wu went to the palace to build a heated kang bed for the emperor's bedroom. The imperial craftsmen were already waiting for Zhou Wu in the palace.

“You are all imperial craftsmen, and your skills are beyond question. I believe there is no need for me to point fingers. However, since His Majesty has entrusted this task to us, we must do our best. Here are the blueprints. Please take a look. If there is anything you don’t understand, we can communicate.”

Zhou Wu drew a more detailed blueprint last night and handed it to the craftsmen.

"Sir, this is simple. Shall we begin construction now?"

The craftsmen gathered together, studied the task for a while, and then patted their chests to guarantee that they would complete the task.