An Zhiyuan rolled up his sleeves and climbed onto the roof. There was a big hole in the roof, and the villagers had helped bring some straw. The local sticky clay mixed with straw made good mud. After cleaning the roof, they covered it with wooden boards, spread the straw and mud to level it, and then the final layer consisted of rows of tiles.
Bai Xiao began to tidy up inside the house herself. The kang stove was still usable, and after a simple clean-up, she laid down the straw mat that had been cleared of dirt.
Once she got used to the dim lighting, she saw that on both sides of the hall there were crude wooden windows that could be pushed outward and propped open with sticks. Opening both windows, the room felt much brighter compared to before, and more cheerful, but it also seemed even dirtier.
