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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Qingxi struggled to pull the rope tied to one end of the bamboo, panting heavily as she asked.
Beside her, Zhang Dafuku's wife, Yang, anxiously fidgeted: "Qingxi, let Aunt do it; you just watch from the side!"
Lu Qingxi gritted her teeth and insisted, "No, it's fine!"
In truth, she was afraid that during her first attempt, Yang would not control the direction of the bamboo properly, causing the Bamboo Strips to tilt at the grooving point.
Over there, Zhang Sanyou was equally anxious. However, applying pre-stress manually was vastly different from using machinery; relying on human strength was a very laborious task.
Time passed second by second. Pulling at the front, Zhang Dafuku was struggling the most, sweat dripping down and soaking the ground beneath him.
Liu Qingxi's face turned red from exhaustion. Controlling the direction was tiring as well; despite more than two months of training improving her physical condition significantly, her wrists still ached and she could hardly hold on.
Finally, Zhang Sanyou shouted, "Alright, stop!"
He quickly grabbed the finished spacers and joints to secure the pulled bamboo tightly.
Then he scooped up a batch of mixed mud and applied it shovel by shovel to the originally cracked areas: "You all hang in there for a bit longer; it will be done soon!"
The strength of the mud couldn't compare to modern concrete and mortar, but fortunately, the spacers and joints were fixed quite solidly. After Zhang Sanyou filled in the cracks at the bottom, Zhang Dafuku and Liu Qingxi could finally let go!
Rubbing her sore wrists and shaking her painful arms, Liu Qingxi couldn't help but grimace.
The adults nearby laughed heartily: "So how is it? Qingxi, you've never done this kind of work before, have you?"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, she smiled shyly: "I really haven't. Well then, let's keep busy!"
After filling in the cracks at the corners, there was still one grooving position left that needed to be covered with mud to firmly embed the bamboo strips inside.
Although they found Liu Qingxi's methods strange, they still followed her instructions step by step. The walls had bamboo strips applied on two sides in total, with three strips arranged on each side.
This was intentionally set up by Liu Qingxi due to concerns about insufficient tension.
However, it cannot be excessive; there must be a limit. After all, the strength of Earthen House cannot be compared to modern reinforced concrete. Creating grooves in the walls inherently reduces their integrity.
If there are too many grooves, the damage to the wall itself could reach an irreparable state.
So this is a matter that must be taken into consideration.
After embedding the last bamboo pole, Zhang Dafuku shook off the mud from his hands and asked with a smile, "Qingxi, is it done now?"
"Uncle Zhang, we can't rush it. It's not just about adding this; it's best if we connect several bamboo poles together to form a whole. That would be better."
Next came the connection of the bamboo poles at the joints, which actually involved tying them together inside the wall to form square units, and then these units would connect into a whole.
This would effectively control the development of cracks and add a framework structure to the weak points of the wall, enhancing its overall integrity.
Liu Qingxi looked around and was quite satisfied: "It's almost done. However, Uncle Zhang, we should apply mud to these areas a few more times."
The spots she pointed to were precisely where the grooves were made. The newly applied mud had a high moisture content and could easily lose water when in contact with the existing wall, leading to shrinkage cracks.
The presence of these internal shrinkage cracks is another important factor that reduces the wall's load-bearing capacity. However, by paying more attention and preventing it from drying too quickly, some of this damage can be alleviated.
"Okay, okay, I’ll follow your advice!" The repaired house no longer looked as frightening as before, although there were some doubts about the reinforcement effect.
But for now, the house looked completely renewed and bore no resemblance to its previous dilapidated state. Zhang Dafuku's family couldn't have been happier!
Liu Qingxi paid no mind to others' doubts or their wavering hearts; she just needed to do what she was supposed to do. As for the results?
Time will prove everything!
According to Liu Qingxi's principles, this prestressed reinforcement is much more troublesome than replacing the wall foundation, so the labor cost is a bit higher, totaling two hundred and fifty Ten Wen from Zhang Dafuku's family.
After settling the payment, as per usual, she paid Zhang Sanyou one Ten Wen, keeping the rest for herself to take home.
Kid Liu Qingyan followed her sister to work, not complaining or fearing fatigue, and they were busy for quite a while.
He was very happy; he could finally help out!
As for his good friends, Er Zhuzi and the others, they also ended up looking like mud people.
What puzzled their parents was where the kids had gone to play, getting so dirty that their clothes were unrecognizable after just one wash!
However, the kids didn’t care at all and continued to do as they pleased!
Having grown up wild in the village, the children would go up the mountain to catch birds and down to the river to catch fish. Their parents were used to it and didn’t think much of it; they only reminded them when they went out: "Don't get your clothes dirty again!"
After eating, a few giggling kids gathered together and went off to find Liu Qingyan.
In just a short time, the children's spirits were noticeably different!
Liu Qingxi held one child in her left hand and another in her right, strolling along the village path with a calm and gentle mood.
Upon returning home, it was still early. The food they had stocked up on last time was almost gone again, so it was definitely unrealistic to keep a few kids for dinner!
Taking out the silver she received today, the heavy feeling made Liu Qingxi immensely satisfied.
She pulled out five Copper Coins: "Er Zhuzi, here. You helped a lot; thank you! Take this back and buy some candy for yourselves!"
Er Zhuzi's eyes sparkled as he stared at the Copper Coins in Liu Qingxi's hand, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg!
"Thank you, sister! Hehe, next time when you need to move something, you can call us!" The temptation of a single coin was too great, and the hearts of several children were instantly won over!
It's worth noting that not just the children, even the adults would love to split a single coin in half to spend it.
For Liu Qingxi, giving the children a coin was just a trivial matter.
They could buy things they liked, save up secretly, and each person's thoughts and plans were different.
At the same time, at Wanjia Restaurant, a girl with a flower-like demeanor sat down in an odd manner and said, "Waiter, bring us the best food and drinks!"
"Yes!" As long as there was money on the table, there was no reason to rush them out.
No waiter was willing to approach anymore; these two women treated the restaurant like their own home.
After a long while, there was still no sign of the dishes being served.
The girl arrogantly urged them on, but the effect remained the same—no one paid her any attention.
Fuming, she threw down her napkin and stomped her feet angrily. "What gives you the right? What gives you the right? Just wait! Once I become Madam Wanjia, I will make sure you have no place to be buried!"
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