The kitchen Li Xiang designed had a main structure of reinforced concrete, with walls made of thick red bricks. It had three rooms above ground and three below.

Because the three underground rooms were to be used as a cellar, the walls and floors had to be waterproofed to prevent dampness. Additionally, ventilation ducts would be installed, running all the way to the top of the kitchen.

The ventilation ducts were designed with small exhaust fans and isolation mesh. The outlets would be curved downwards and positioned not too low, otherwise snakes, insects, and rodents could crawl inside.

Above ground, there was a covered walkway connecting the kitchen to the back door of the old house. This way, there would be no need for an umbrella when going back and forth on rainy days. The design was inspired by the covered walkways of wealthy ancient households.

His family’s old house was already a brick-and-wood structure with flying eaves, giving it a rather classic look. Paired with this walkway, he believed the effect would be quite impressive.

And although the new kitchen was made of reinforced concrete, Li Xiang had also designed a main ridge and four descending ridges on the roof, which would be finished with imitation antique glazed tiles and flying eaves.

He even designed "figurines" for the flying eaves. This was a touch of ancient romanticism known as "beasts on flying eaves," which meant that "roof ridge beasts," also called "eave Divine Beasts," would be placed on them.

There are many types of Divine Beasts. The ten common ones are: the dragon, phoenix, lion, heavenly horse, seahorse, *xia* fish, *suanni*, *xiezhi*, *douniu*, and *hangshi*.

At the very front of the procession of smaller beasts, there is usually an immortal riding a phoenix, known as the "Immortal on a Phoenix."

Placing nine of them on a small kitchen would seem a bit "ostentatious," so after careful consideration, Li Xiang only placed dragon-fish (also known as *chiwen* or swallowing beasts) at the two ends of the main ridge. On the four descending ridges, he arranged five crouching beasts: the *suanni*, *douniu*, *xiezhi*, phoenix, and *xia* fish.

At the same time, the old house also needed reinforcing. At some of the key load-bearing points, he would use red bricks and cement to build several thick supporting pillars. Two of the exterior walls had minor cracks and were slightly tilted, so he planned to tear them down and rebuild them.

But the main structure would remain untouched.

As for building a completely new house, that would have to wait until next year. For one, he didn’t have enough money this year, and for another, there wasn’t enough time.

Because the kitchen he designed was a "bit large," he could have built it himself. However, to speed up the process and finish as quickly as possible before the heavy snows, he hired a construction crew from the county town to handle the work.

The foreman of the crew was introduced by Jiang Jianguo. As it turned out, he was a cousin of Blind Lei, the owner of the blacksmith shop. His surname was Huang. Thanks to the connection, the price was reasonable. The man was also skilled in ancient-style architecture and had even worked on restoration projects for the county government. His craftsmanship was superb.

In truth, the man hadn’t thought much of Li Xiang’s "small project" at first. A mere hundred-thousand-yuan budget—what was there to it? But since an acquaintance made the introduction, he came over anyway. At most, it would only take five days to help get it done.

His crew consisted of eight men. Since it wasn’t easy for them to travel from the county town, they requested that their meals be provided.

Li Xiang agreed without hesitation; it was the proper thing to do. ’He couldn’t expect them to travel back and forth just for meals, could he? How much time would that waste?’

...

Master Huang brought his equipment and team, while Li Xiang invited some of the village elders to help out with moving bricks and tiles, and with tending the fire for cooking.

The village elders were getting on in years, however, so they couldn’t handle the heavy lifting.

Fortunately, there was Li Xiang. He was worth seven or eight men, as strong as a bull. His bronze-toned, sinewy muscles seemed to hold an inexhaustible supply of energy, earning him the admiration of the construction workers.

One of the young men on the construction team was a fitness fanatic with solid muscles. He even tried to arm-wrestle Li Xiang, and the result, of course, was a complete defeat.

Master Huang laughed. "You rascal, you’re always so arrogant and look down on everyone. Serves you right, doesn’t it? Bet you’re thoroughly convinced now, huh?"

"A master! A true master!" The young man was in disbelief. "Damn, are you really a college grad who came back home? Not from a Martial Arts school?"

Li Xiang burst out laughing. "I’m a bona fide Bachelor of Science."

In ancient times, gentlemen were expected to master the Six Arts, being proficient in both literary and martial pursuits. Li Xiang, despite his humble farming background, had never been a weak scholar. This was especially true now that he was a Tier One Extraordinary. With his nearly unrivaled Martial Arts, his prowess even surpassed his academic achievements.

...

It was the slack season for farming, and with Li Xiang’s family once again undertaking a major construction project, the house was bustling with activity.

"Xiang Ya, what made you suddenly decide to build a kitchen? From what I can see of your design, it seems a bit... overly sturdy," a curious elder who had come to help asked.

That was because the walls of Li Xiang’s kitchen were more than twice as thick as those of a typical house. Besides, it was just a kitchen. It was only a single story—alright, even with the basement, it was just two floors. Was it really necessary to use such a solid, poured reinforced concrete structure?

’How many years are you planning to use this thing for?’

In truth, if he hadn’t been afraid of causing a stir, and if the Apocalypse wasn’t still some time away—and, of course, most importantly, if he had the money—Li Xiang would have built it to withstand a nuclear blast.

A nuclear war had, in fact, broken out during the Apocalypse.

Li Xiang said, "This winter might be especially cold. There could be a super-blizzard, so we have to have a warm and sturdy kitchen."

He looked at the crowd and added, "You all should prepare in advance, too. Stock up on more supplies to get through the winter."

The whole group burst out laughing.

Not only did the construction workers laugh, but even the village elders chuckled. The young man who had lost the arm-wrestling match to Li Xiang shouted, "Hole up for winter? That’s something people up north worry about. Why would we southerners need to do that?"

Another chimed in, "Exactly! If we really got heavy snow, the kids would be thrilled to death."

"Forget the kids, even I can’t help but want to have a snowball fight."

"If we really get a big snow, we won’t have to travel north and get ripped off by places like that Snow Village."

An old man remarked with a sigh, "There was heavy snow once or twice, many years ago. But it all melted in a few days."

Li Xiang said no more. He looked up at the sky and sighed softly. ’This year’s heavy snow is only the beginning...’

’No one even believed him about a major snowstorm, let alone that the Apocalypse was coming.’

’Taking care of myself and my family first is what matters.’