179: Chapter 178 Drying Bear Skin

Looking at the newly repaired roof, Lu Fan stretched. He originally intended to catch his breath, but at the thought of the upcoming chill, the image of lying comfortably on a heated kang surfaced in his mind, and he was instantly filled with motivation again.

"I have to build this kang properly; I'll be relying on it for warmth in the winter!" Lu Fan muttered while rolling up his sleeves and walking into the corner piled with bricks.

"What are you doing?"

Watching the busy Lu Fan, An Lan asked curiously.

Lu Fan grinned. "I'm going to make two more kangs, the Northeast style. I've tried them before; they're incredibly warm."

After saying that, Lu Fan began his work.

He first stacked the bricks neatly on the ground one by one like an experienced commander, planning the position of every single brick.

"One brick, two bricks... this is the prototype of the kang's edge!" Lu Fan talked to himself, his voice full of anticipation.

Beside him, Da Hei wagged his tail and circled around, occasionally leaning in to sniff the bricks.

"Get lost, you silly dog."

Lu Fan slapped Da Hei away, otherwise his saliva would have dripped onto his hand.

He began building the kang. Lu Fan picked up a brick and evenly applied cement to its surface, his technique as skilled as a professional bricklayer's.

Building a kang is no simple task, especially at the corners, where one must be extra careful.

As Lu Fan built, he mumbled, "It should be built like this, right..."

He carefully adjusted the angle of every brick, his eyes fixed on them for fear of making even a slight mistake.

As the bricks were stacked higher and higher, the shape of the kang gradually emerged.

While building the kang's flue, Lu Fan ran into a bit of trouble.

That was the top of the flue; without something to support it, it would collapse.

He frowned and thought for a good while before suddenly having a brainwave.

He brought some bricks and placed them at the bottom of the flue, stacking them up until they formed a complete support structure.

Then, he laid a brick on top and continued bricklaying.

"This way, I can ensure the flue is spacious while keeping the kang stable!"

Lu Fan smiled with satisfaction. This way, once the cement on top dried, he could just remove the bricks inside.

After some effort, the two kangs were finally built.

Lu Fan stepped back a few paces, carefully sizing up his masterpiece, a proud smile spreading across his face.

"Mission accomplished! I won't have to fear the cold in winter anymore!" he shouted excitedly.

Da Hei also barked twice, as if celebrating with him.

An Lan also curiously sized up the two kangs. One on the left and one on the right, they were quite large, leaving a corridor nearly a meter wide in the middle.

"Are we going to light a fire under here later?" An Lan asked curiously, pointing at the flue.

Lu Fan nodded. "Yeah, then we won't have to fear the cold."

Two simple yet practical kangs stood before them, adding a touch of warmth and unique charm to the simple cottage.

Lu Fan stretched tiredly. Although his whole body ached, his heart was incredibly satisfied.

He closed his eyes, imagining sitting on the warm kang with An Lan in winter, watching the snowflakes fly outside while brewing a pot of hot tea—the thought was beyond pleasant.

"This is what life should be like!" Lu Fan said softly, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

livestream room.

"Why are their two kangs in one room? Aren't there two rooms?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're sleeping in the same room."

"Ah, why didn't An Lan refuse?"

"Aren't these two clearly a couple? It's just that they haven't made it official yet."

"Ling Yue: Speak for me!! They're isolating me!"

The two sat leisurely in the yard, fully immersing themselves in this rare tranquility.

The warm sunlight fell gently, like a thin veil draped softly over them.

Lu Fan comfortably picked up his teacup and took a small sip, feeling the wisp of tea fragrance slowly spread across his tongue, his whole body relaxing.

Now, they were just waiting for the cement in the house to dry completely so they could happily move into this new home, which embodied so much effort, and start a brand new life.

Inadvertently, Lu Fan's gaze swept toward the corner of the yard, landing on the bear skin soaking in the basin.

His eyes lit up. He put down his teacup, stood up, and said enthusiastically, "I need to tidy up this bear skin properly. When winter comes and it's spread on the kang, the warmth will be incredibly comfortable."

An Lan also stood up, a hint of chagrin in her smile. "We've been so busy these past few days that I almost forgot about this treasure."

Lu Fan reached into the basin, gently feeling the bear skin's texture, and nodded with satisfaction. "Hmm, it's been soaking for just the right amount of time. Now we just need to wash it clean and dry it."

As he spoke, he grabbed a corner of the bear skin with both hands and struggled to lift it.

This bear skin was large and thick, and its weight was truly not light.

Lu Fan lost his balance, his footsteps faltering, and he almost fell straight to the ground.

An Lan was quick-witted and agile. She rushed forward and grabbed the other corner of the bear skin tightly with both hands.

Lu Fan chuckled to himself; how could he possibly be unable to carry it?

The two worked together to drag the bear skin toward the water's edge.

After arriving at the riverside, Lu Fan slowly submerged the bear skin into the water, then gripped its edges with both hands and began to scrub vigorously.

With his rhythmic movements, the dirt attached to the bear skin was stripped away bit by bit, merging into the river water. The originally clear river water gradually became murky.

Da Hei followed behind all the way. Seeing his master busy and full of energy, he was also very excited, hopping and jumping around happily.

From time to time, he stretched out a paw and gently pawed at the bear skin, as if to say, "Master, I want to help too!"

"Go away, don't cause trouble here." Lu Fan shooed Da Hei away with a smile.

Da Hei seemed to understand. He wagged his tail and ran a few steps away, but his eyes were still fixed on his master's every move.

After a good deal of effort, the bear skin finally became clean and tidy.

Lu Fan and An Lan tightly gripped both ends of the bear skin. With great effort, they finally pulled it out of the water, draped it over their shoulders, and walked toward the yard with light steps.

Along the way, the two chatted and laughed, sharing interesting stories from the house-building process. Although the bear skin weighed heavily on their shoulders, their moods were exceptionally light and pleasant.

Returning to the yard, Lu Fan searched carefully around and found two thick, straight branches.

He firmly propped the branches between two trees, meticulously setting up a simple yet practical drying rack.

Then, he and An Lan carefully lifted the bear skin and gently draped it over the drying rack.

To prevent the bear skin from being blown away by a sudden wind, they found several suitably sized stones and pressed them onto the four corners of the bear skin.

The bear skin slowly unfurled under the warm sun. Its wet fur shimmered with tiny glints of light in the sunshine, as if endowed with a layer of mysterious color.

An Lan looked at the bear skin, her eyes full of anticipation. She couldn't help but say, "If this is processed well, nestling on the kang and covering ourselves with this bear skin in winter will surely be extremely comfortable."

Lu Fan replied with a smile, "That's for sure! At that time, with the heated kang and the bear skin, even if it's freezing outside, our room will be warm and cozy. We won't have to fear any of winter's cold."