Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 544: Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer

A dugout is built underground, taking advantage of the poor thermal conductivity of the soil to make the indoor temperature relatively stable and not easily affected by the outside temperature.

So even in the cold winter, the room can be very warm, and relatively cool in the summer. But Hualei has never lived there.

The construction method of a digout is relatively simple. Usually, a deep pit is dug below the ground, and a half-meter-high low wall is built around it with adobe or bricks.

Rafters are placed on the top, and then a raft made of branches is built on top, and finally the top is covered with grass leaves and mud. This structure allows the dugout to effectively keep warm in winter and avoid the heat in summer.

Sitting in the carriage, Hualei soon arrived at the place where the holes were being dug. Many people were digging, and many holes had already been dug.

Most of the dugouts are underground. From above, you can only see half of the slanted roof. The entrances all face south. Hualei asked the owner of a dugout for permission and went in to take a look.

Maybe the owner of this dugout was a relatively clean person. The situation inside was somewhat different from what Hualei had imagined, dark, damp, and so gloomy that she couldn't even stand up straight.

It is about seven or eight square meters inside. There is an earthen kang on one side of the wall, and there are many grids dug out on the wall for placing items.

There is also a movable skylight on the roof, which allows light to come in when it is opened. However, it is best to cover it when you are away to prevent rain from pouring in directly.

Of course, if the cover is closed, the light inside the dugout will be darker and more humid. At the entrance of the dugout, a bamboo curtain made of thin bamboo strips is installed as a door.

A low thatched shed was built outside against the half-sloped roof to serve as a kitchen, which was fine for living in. If it didn't rain, it would be fine.

Hualei secretly admired in her heart that the wisdom of the working people was beyond imagination. Although the dugout was extremely simple, it could indeed keep warm.

I went to look at a few more dugouts nearby, all with similar layouts. Standing on the side of the road, looking at the slanted roofs, Hualei thought.

I just hope that this year’s winter won’t be too long, and there won’t be too much rain and snow, so that these people’s lives can be better.

After leaving Diwozi Village, seeing that it was still early, Hualei turned to a house in the southeast corner of the town. The carriage traveled for half an hour and stopped in front of a dilapidated compound.

Because the land to be reclaimed and the state capital to be built are all located in the north of Mobei Town, so even if the only place to live is a dugout, no people who are reclaiming land are willing to rent the large courtyard in the southeast of the town. What's more, the dugout is free.

So the house is also vacant. It seems that except for the three houses on East Street, Pei Jingyang chose a good location, the two houses he saw today are not in a good location.

The shops on North Street are at the end of the street, and this dilapidated slum is located at the very edge of the southeast corner of the town.

Hualei got off the carriage and looked around. This place was neither a street nor a residential area. The nearest yard to her own compound was nearly a mile away.

The compound was surrounded by wasteland, with a large patch of half-human-high weeds. Following the foundation stakes pointed out by Uncle Dingsheng, Hualei discovered that the half-mile area around the compound was considered the area of ​​her own compound.

I followed Uncle Dingsheng into the compound. The compound was also very large, but the layout of the houses was a bit messy, except for the main house in the northernmost row of five rooms, which was made of bricks and tiles and was quite obvious.

The construction of other houses can be described as squeezing in every available space. And they are basically adobe houses with thatched roofs.

Entering the main house, I saw that from the three brick houses, I could vaguely see the sky outside. Many of the low thatched houses were missing half of their roofs.

The distance between the houses is a series of alleys that are only about two or three feet wide, winding and connecting in all directions. Hualei wandered around in them for a long time and successfully got lost.

Looking at the large courtyard in front of her, Hua Lei really admired Pei Jingyang for being able to find this house and buy it.

There are no blocks here, so you can't build shops, and there are no dense populations, so you can't rent houses. In addition, the houses are dilapidated and the layout is messy. It can really be said that there is nothing good about it.

If we must find an advantage, it would be that the place is large. If we demolish the house and rebuild a house with several entrances, it would be really nice.

However, there is no point in building it like this. Pei Jingyang and his wife will not come to live here, and Rong Jin and I also have government mansions to live in. Even if it is built and sold, the location is awkward.

Seeing Hualei speechless, Uncle Dingsheng smiled awkwardly and said, "The general said that although the location of this house is not very good and the house is shabby, it is large.

He said that the young lady had the Midas touch and might be useful. Plus, the price was cheap, so the general bought it after a drink.

It turned out that he bought it after drinking, no wonder. Moreover, after Pei Jingyang did something unreliable, he was not only good at making excuses for himself, but also good at flattering his daughter-in-law. It made me embarrassed to say anything.

Hua Lei looked at Uncle Dingsheng and smiled bitterly, "Father really thinks too highly of me." After a pause, she asked, "Uncle Dingsheng, how many people can you mobilize? Are there any people from the Marquis' Mansion here?

It will probably take some time for my ship to reach Mobei, so I don't have any manpower right now." Hua Lei added.

"Madam, what do you want? Many people have been sent to the brick kiln and lumber mill by the general. The brick kiln is very busy now and needs as many people as possible. So there is not much free time. If you really want, I can ask the general to transfer some people back."

Hualei nodded, thought for a while and said, "Uncle Dingsheng, then please ask Uncle Dasheng for me first. He has been in Mobei and knows the situation here better. Please ask him if there are any farmers who raise rabbits here.

If so, can you help me buy some breeding rabbits? I want to turn this place into a rabbit farm. Do you think it’s feasible?”

Uncle Dingsheng's eyes lit up, he turned around to look at the house, nodded and said, "Young Madam, your idea is really good. It would be great if this place could be turned into a rabbit farm. There are so many weeds on the side, and we can provide food for the rabbits.

Moreover, rabbits also like quiet environments. There are no densely populated slums here, and not many people live here, which is just right. "Uncle Dingsheng nodded repeatedly, paused, and continued.

“Besides, if we raise rabbits here, it won’t bother others, and no one will mind the smell of rabbit feces.