xymnovel Chapter 144 Paradise Valley gains another "weapon" for wintering
Chapter 144 Paradise Valley gains another "weapon" for wintering
Chapter 144 Paradise Valley gains another "weapon" for wintering
Montana winters are so hot they can suck the heat out of your bones!
The past winter left a deep impression on Tom.
How to keep warm? This became the thought that kept swirling in his mind.
Until that day, he squatted by the river, staring blankly at the dark silt at his feet—
Suddenly, a thought popped into my head: a heated kang bed!
Yes, and there's also a heated kang bed!
The heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) is a testament to the wisdom of generations of people in northern China who have fought against the harsh cold!
It is not just a clay bed for sleeping, but a complete "waste heat recovery heating system"!
Its core secret lies in "waste utilization" and "long-lasting heat preservation".
Where is the heat source?
Right on the stove where every household cooks!
When firewood, straw, or coal crackles and burns in the stove, the leaping flames and scalding smoke don't just disappear.
Guided by the "suction" from the chimney, it plunged headfirst into the kang hole under the kang.
The kang (heated brick bed) is covered with thick adobe bricks, large bricks, or stone slabs, which are naturally excellent at "retaining heat"!
The hot smoke traveled through the winding kang (heated brick bed) and hissed as it desperately "rubbed" the heat from the person lying on top of the kang.
The heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) has now transformed into a giant, warm "stone hot water bottle".
It was unhurried and calm, continuously radiating warmth onto the kang (heated brick bed) and into the room throughout the night and even into the next day, firmly keeping the biting cold out.
Finally, the cool smoke, having been "squeezed dry" of its heat, slowly drifted out from the other chimney.
Its structure is also simple:
The surface of a kang (heated brick bed) is the place where people lie down. It is a solid and flat earthen bed or brick and stone, which conducts heat well and has a strong load-bearing capacity.
The kang hole: a secret passage under the kang surface where the smoke undergoes "heat transfer".
Stove: Usually connected to the kitchen outside the house, the flames and hot smoke from the stove can directly rush into the entrance of the kang (heated brick bed).
Chimney: Tall and upright, it is key to ensuring smooth "suction".
The edge of the kang (heated brick bed): A piece of wood is inlaid around the edge of the kang to prevent things from falling, and it is comfortable to sit or lean against.
A heated wall/heated wall: A heated wall built next to a wall can also absorb heat, turning into a warm "heated wall".
Door to the kang (heated brick bed)/ash pit: Leave a small doorway and regularly clean out the accumulated tobacco ash inside to ensure that this "warm flow channel" is always unobstructed!
Tom's wagon, laden with red bricks, rolled over the gravel road back to Paradise Valley.
The foreman kicked a brick with the tip of his boot. "Damn it, Tom! You're using hard stuff to build a church?"
Even the usually composed engineer, Old Cowboy, stroked the stubble on his chin, his gray-blue eyes filled with doubt.
Tom simply pulled his wide-brimmed hat down a little, the reins leaving a deep mark on his deerskin-gloved palm.
Some things can only be judged by results.
Upon returning to his territory in Paradise Valley, Tom immediately sought out his father, James.
He recounted in detail how he had encountered the cattle-stealing scouts on the road.
"Did you take him to the police station?" James scrutinized his son with sharp eyes.
"Yes! It was done according to the rules, no vigilante justice was used!" Tom answered decisively.
.
James snorted through his nose.
He knows his son all too well.
He didn't believe that the venomous snakes that coveted Paradise Valley could be safely removed.
But he didn't expose it, only saying in a deep voice, "I'll have the patrol team keep their eyes open."
Tom nodded.
He achieved his goal: to warn his father that cattle thieves were eyeing Paradise Valley.
But can this eradicate the problem completely? Probably not!
Those cattle thieves are like tumbleweeds in the wilderness, appearing and disappearing without a trace.
Not to mention the cattle in Paradise Valley, plump and healthy, glossy and shiny, clearly high-quality goods that could fetch astronomical prices! Who wouldn't be envious?
Thinking about the price of cattle and those sneaky figures, a word suddenly flashed through Tom's mind: Livestock Farmers' Association!
Combating cattle theft: armed patrols, even—establishing private courts!
This organization sounds really exciting!
Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a specific way to do it right away.
We need to find out more about it when we get the chance.
But right now, he has something more important to do!
"Zack! Cooper! Bring your men and come with me!" Tom shouted, leading two men and several strong laborers straight to the sluice gate under construction.
There, the dark, glossy silt dredged from the riverbed was piled up like a small mountain.
"Listen!" Tom pointed to the pile of treasure, "Silt, river sand, humus, mix them in a 4:5:1 ratio! Pile it up in a pit!"
He grabbed a wooden bucket filled with a dark red, viscous liquid. "Pour it in! This is deer blood, to prevent freezing!"
Blood mixed with the soil, and a strong, fishy smell filled the air.
Despite their surprise, everyone stirred vigorously.
Two days later, the mud pit was soaked with water and became incredibly sticky.
Tom led the way, jumping in barefoot, as if trampling on the chest of an enemy, repeatedly ravaging the cold, slippery mud!
The grass fibers were sprinkled in, mixed with wood ash (to repel insects), and after countless tramplings, they became tightly entangled with the mud, twisting into tough "hemp ropes".
Until you lift a lump of mud, it can be stretched very long yet is "tough but not broken, cracked but not broken".
"Cover it with straw mats! Cover it for three days! Let this mud come alive!" Tom ordered.
The wet mud pile was covered with straw mats, and in the subtle fermentation process, its binding force was quietly enhanced.
三天后，汤姆亮出了松木模具，20×10×4英寸（50×25×10cm）的敞口方框。
"Watch closely!" He grabbed a lump of clay and shoved it into the mold!
The force was so great that the wooden frame vibrated and hummed.
The four corners were tamped down with mud hammers, leaving no gaps.
Fill the mud to nine-tenths full, and insert bundles of dry grass diagonally into the surface, as if embedding tough "bones" into the mud brick.
Smooth the surface, lift the wooden frame, and a angular adobe brick is born.
"Ventilate! Avoid the sun! Turn over once a day! No slacking off!" Tom pointed to the neatly stacked adobe bricks, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Twenty to thirty days! Anyone who dares to crack or smash it, I'll send them to feed the fish in the river!"
"Tom," Cooper finally couldn't help but point to the dusty clods of mud, "what are these—for?"
He had been holding back his curiosity the whole way, it was driving him crazy.
"A heated kang (traditional heated bed) made of adobe bricks!" Tom grinned mysteriously, patting the mud off his hands. "You'll see how it lets us sleep on a warm kang in Montana's awful weather!"
The red bricks are in place, and the adobe bricks are quietly being "raised".
Without stopping, Tom plunged into the main house of Dutton Manor, which was under construction.
This time, the direction he directed left everyone even more baffled: stove, firewall, flue, chimney!
The stove was placed next to the partition wall outside the bedroom.
The original plan for the partition wall was to save money by using wooden planks and mud, but Tom waved his hand and called it off.
"Tear it down! Use red bricks!" he said decisively.
What's even more incomprehensible is that he demanded that a hollow mezzanine be built on the wall closest to the kang (heated brick bed), from the ground to a height of more than one person!
"This is called a fire wall! The heat travels inside, and the whole wall is warm!" Tom gestured.
The flues for the stove and the fireplace are separate and lead directly to their own chimneys.
The large platform reserved in the bedroom, which will become a heated kang bed in the future, will even have its own chimney.
Tom even planned a separate flue and chimney for the reserved space on the second floor.
An inspection port was also provided for easy maintenance!
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