Chapter 397 Fireplace, a natural request

"Wanwan."

Seeing Shen Xiangwan from afar, Aunt Wang, who was directing everyone to work, immediately went to greet her. Regardless of whether the villagers had a rift with the Wei family, their family still maintained a good relationship with Shen Xiangwan.

"Aunt Wang, please gather everyone together. I have something to say."

"good."

Hearing this, Aunt Wang turned and trotted back. Soon, hundreds of workers gathered outside the factory. Shen Xiangwan stood in the front and said, "Everyone, the weather is getting colder and colder. It even snowed today. Soon, all the wine we fermented will be frozen into lumps of ice. So, starting today, the sorghum wine workshop will be temporarily suspended. Only the distillation team will be retained to distill the fermented wine. Everyone else will be transferred to the ointment workshop. When the raw materials in the warehouse are used up, we will have a holiday this year. Then I will have Yuanying settle your wages and give you bonuses."

"So when will we resume work?"

Although shocked, everyone had to admit that her concerns were correct. This year's weather was truly bizarre. How many years had it been since Chenzhou had seen snow? And this kind of heavy snowfall, let alone this much? Now their only concern was when they could resume work. Even the people in Yong'an Village cherished this kind of work that paid them a steady salary of one or two taels of silver a month.

"That all depends on God. I'll ask Aunt Wang to notify you when we can resume work."

Shen Xiangwan did not give them a definite answer, because she herself did not know when this snowstorm that almost covered the entire Tianqi Kingdom would pass.

“···”

Without a definite answer, many people were a little worried, especially those from several nearby villages. They did not have as good conditions as the villagers in Yong'an Village, and this salary was extremely precious to them.

"Okay, let's get back to work."

It wasn't that she didn't see their hesitation, but Shen Xiangwan didn't give them a chance to speak out. If she could, why would she be willing to stop working so early? It's foolish not to make money. Even if her purpose of opening a workshop wasn't just to make money, who would complain about having too much money?

No one expected that Chenzhou, where it rarely snows, would suddenly be hit by heavy snow. In just one night, a thick layer of snow accumulated on the ground. The military was the first to react. Dozens of teams of 100 people assisted the government in clearing the snow from the city center. Without the need for a call from the government office, county offices across the country also quickly summoned runners to clear the snow from the county towns and major roads.

With everyone adding fuel, the fire burned higher. Before noon, the snow on the main roads in various places had been cleared. At the same time, the counties also received orders from Wei Chengyi to organize people to distribute the charcoal that had already been transported to the county government office to the people door to door and teach them how to make fire to keep warm.

It was not until this time that the people gradually realized why the government suggested that they build fireplaces. Those who did not build them regretted it so much and looked for people to help them build them. Only in this way could they use charcoal for heating with confidence without worrying about black smoke entering their homes and causing poisoning.

The charcoal distributed by the government was free, and many people were afraid that it would not be enough for them, so they begged the officials to give them more. In many places, there was even a near-riot. In the end, officials from various counties came in person and threatened that if they dared to act rashly again, the government would not care about their lives and would no longer distribute charcoal for free. Only then was the people completely suppressed. As for those who took the lead in causing trouble, without exception, they were all taken back by the officials.

"You know what, this fireplace looks simple, but it's quite useful."

Ordinary people have built fireplaces in their homes, and the Wei family must have no fewer than one, and they have one in every room so that they can keep warm anytime and anywhere. After the snow on the road was cleared, the guards personally brought back more than a dozen carts of smokeless charcoal for them. The two fireplaces in the main room started burning soon, and the room became warm, and there was almost no smell of smoke.

"At night, before everyone goes to bed, light the fireplace and add some charcoal. The house will be warm all night long, and the children will no longer stay in bed and refuse to get up."

Chenzhou is not like the north. Although it is cold in winter, they will burn fire walls and every household has a kang. Before the snow fell, if they asked the people to make a kang, I am afraid no one would be willing to do so. That is why Shen Xiangwan came up with the relatively simple fireplace. With it, plus coal, not to mention that the people can keep warm all the time, at least they will not be frozen to death.

"Aunt!"

Seeing that she was talking about staying in bed again, the little cub squatting in front of the fireplace to warm himself protested hurriedly. His originally fair and tender face was now red, and it was not known whether it was because of the fire or because of shyness.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything, okay?"

So he still knows how to be shy?

Shen Xiangwan couldn't help laughing. Not long after the guards brought back the coal, the yamen runners also delivered the coal to the village. According to the guards' report, every household went to collect it, but except for the homes of Zhao Dashan and his brothers, no one else in the village had built a fireplace. In order to use coal for heating as soon as possible, many people went to find craftsmen to help build fireplaces. Unfortunately, there were too many people who wanted to build fireplaces, and until now, they seemed to have not found any craftsmen. In the past, Zhao Dashan would have gone to the Wei family to ask Shen Xiangwan for help, but now there was no movement at all. He must have felt embarrassed. After all, their relationship with the villagers was not as harmonious as before.

Shen Xiangwan guessed correctly. Zhao Dashan was indeed embarrassed to look for her again, but more importantly, he felt it was not worth it for them. Moreover, since the change of county magistrate, the government had never treated them unfairly. When the government first called on everyone to build fireplaces, they had already said that they might be of great use. Moreover, the cost of a fireplace, excluding the materials, was only a few dozen coins. Who could they blame for not wanting to spend money?

"Village Chief, please go find Madam Wei. She knows a lot of people in the county and will definitely be able to find a craftsman."

"Yes, village chief. The child cried loudly last night because he was freezing. If there is still no fireplace to keep him warm today, he will probably get sick from the cold."

"Mrs. Wei is kind and compassionate. If you go to her, she will definitely agree. Village Chief, we beg you for mercy."

"Without a fireplace, who would dare to use the black charcoal? We are really freezing to death."

"village head···"

However, what Zhao Dashan didn't expect was that he was surrounded by villagers just after he had lunch and was about to go to the workshop. Everyone was talking at once, asking him to find Shen Xiangwan and ask Shen Xiangwan to help them find a craftsman to build a fireplace. It seemed like a plea, but there was a sense of right and wrong in their words. Zhao Dashan was so angry that his face turned the color of pig liver.

[End of this chapter]