Chapter 120 - Two in One -

On the afternoon of October 18th, Lin Chuntao and her friends opened the charcoal kiln for the first time.

Thick smoke billowed for a long time while the kiln was firing, and the villagers thought the forest was on fire. Many people came to see it, and when Lin Chuntao told them it was charcoal, they found it quite novel.

Normally, everyone would just burn firewood. Occasionally, some wood would be left over that hadn't burned to ash. While it would indeed burn without smoke when reused, it wouldn't last as long. Everyone thought Lin Chuntao was wasting firewood by letting it sit like that until it burned out, making it burn even less.

Moreover, there are many pine forests here, and they live near the mountains. In winter, there are only a few days of ice and snow. In summer, they cut some pine trees and let them dry. On those few days, they take them out and burn them in the fire pit, which is especially warm. There is no need to go through the trouble of doing it for nothing.

But Lin Chuntao insisted that it would be even better, especially for making a fire, as it produced no smoke and burned longer than firewood.

People didn't believe it at the time, but they couldn't resist their curiosity.

The kiln hasn't been opened yet, but several groups of people come to see it every day.

When you meet Lin Chuntao, you should ask her when the firewood will be ready to burn.

Lin Chuntao didn't hide it from them.

Sure enough, when she was about to open the brothel, a large crowd gathered around her.

Lin Chuntao knocked on the small door in front of the kiln. The inside of the kiln was already pitch black. She crouched down and looked inside. The shape of the wood was still there. Lin Chuntao was overjoyed. It was her first time firing wood, and it was like opening a blind box. She was afraid that if she opened it, there would only be a kiln full of wood ash, and so many villagers would be watching. Then everyone would laugh at her.

She didn't go inside to get charcoal when the kiln was first opened; she just took two pieces from the side, tapped them gently, and made a crisp sound. Lin Chunxing asked from the side, "Sister, is it fired yet?"

Lin Chuntao replied, "It's done. Go get a bamboo basket to fetch the charcoal."

Lin Chunxing responded and ran into the courtyard. The villagers who were watching squatted down and asked Lin Chuntao to bring out two more pieces to look at. Lin Chuntao brought out a few more pieces, and they examined them carefully. As they looked at them, they started to discuss them.

"This is a little different from what we burn. Chun Tao's is a bit harder."

"Yes, it's strange. How can you keep it covered up like that before burning it and it won't turn into ashes?"

As they spoke, they asked Lin Chuntao, "Chuntao, you've been covering yourself up for several days now, haven't you?"

Lin Chuntao nodded. "Yes, it's been four or five days."

"How did you do this? Is it really heat-resistant?"

Before Lin Chuntao could reply, someone asked, "Chuntao, the charcoal that city people burn isn't like this, is it?"

"This is roughly what charcoal would look like."

Yizhou is located in the south, and coal from the north is very expensive here. The vegetation is lush, so people mainly burn grass and wood. Those in the city who are well-off buy charcoal. Lin Chuntao and her friends also bought a lot of charcoal to make soup noodles. It cost six or seven coins per pound. Although it burns for a long time, it is still a considerable expense for daily use.

The charcoal seller would occasionally carry his charcoal around the village and call out to sell it, but almost no one bought it because it was too expensive.

Everyone thought that was something only city dwellers could afford, but Lin Chuntao managed to get it made.

The crowd looked Lin Chuntao up and down, and tentatively asked, "Chuntao, are you burning this charcoal to sell?"

Lin Chuntao shook her head. "I'm not selling now. The little bit of charcoal I've made is only enough for my own use. I'll fire two more kilns and see if the charcoal production is stable. If any of you aunties want to try, you can go and get some firewood, and I'll fire a kiln for you."

Hearing Lin Chuntao say this, everyone was eager to try, and politely said with smiles, "Won't this take up too much of your time?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It's alright. I can burn a small amount for everyone to try first. If you want to burn more later, I can teach you how to do it. It's also convenient to dig a kiln and fire it yourself."

Lin Jialang was also watching from the crowd. These days, they made a living by selling firewood and the embroidery made by Fan Liniang. He saw that Lin Chuntao had started making charcoal. The wood they had carried before was also for making charcoal, but firewood was much cheaper than charcoal. If they knew how to make charcoal, they could carry it to sell and earn more money.

He looked at Lin Chuntao. Although she said she would teach everyone how to cook, he felt that this group might not include him. He felt that there was hope for this, but he also felt very uncertain.

Most people in the village thought they would burn some for their own use, but only a few with more creative ideas would think of burning the charcoal and carrying it to the county town to sell.

Lin Chuntao didn't plan to burn charcoal to sell, so she didn't care whether others burned it for their own use or to make money.

If the villagers can really make money by burning charcoal and improve their lives, that would be a good thing.

Lin Chunxing brought over bamboo baskets, and Lin Chuntao took out all the charcoal from the kiln. The kiln wasn't very big, and all the charcoal filled three large bamboo baskets. Compared to the amount of firewood she had put in, Lin Chuntao felt that the charcoal output was quite good. Since she was mainly burning it for her own use, Lin Chuntao didn't pay much attention to the output. She hadn't weighed it when she started burning it, so she didn't have any precise data now.

After collecting the charcoal, Aunt Guizhi and the others helped carry the bamboo baskets back.

Pei Ying asked, "Will you continue burning it today?"

Lin Chuntao was thinking about when to seal the chimney. If she burned the chimney now, she would have to seal it at midnight or 1-3 AM, which would be troublesome if she fell asleep and then had to get up again. It would be better to wait until after 3-5 AM to seal the chimney, which would be more convenient.

"Burn it later."

After hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Pei Ying said, "Then let's move the firewood later."

Lin Chuntao responded, and they returned to the courtyard, after which the villagers dispersed.

Lin Jialang returned home with a heavy heart. Fan Liniang was teaching Meng Yue and Lin Duo'er how to do stitches and how to sew clothes so that no loose threads could be seen inside or out, and that they would be strong and not easily torn.

Lin Duo'er followed along and learned for a few days. She watched Fan Liniang make embroidery. The embroidery was very beautiful, but it was too complicated. Moreover, she felt that making so many patterns was useless, so she had little patience.

Fan Liniang noticed her thoughts and taught her how to sew clothes. She learned with great interest and enjoyed it very much.

Seeing her like this, Fan Liniang understood her thoughts. A girl of this age was so poor in the past that she didn't even have clothes to change into. When she started learning this, her first thought was definitely to learn how to make a set of clothes. Only after she learned this would she want to learn other things.

Fan Liniang thought that for children to learn something, unless they really enjoy it, the tedious and boring practice would be very tedious and exhausting. For example, if Lin Duo'er was taught how to make clothes, she would make a set of clothes on her own, which would give her a great sense of accomplishment. With a sense of accomplishment, setting goals for her would motivate her even more.

Seeing Lin Jialang's worried expression, Fan Liniang asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Jialang looked at Fan Liniang, then at Meng Yue and Lin Duo'er. Meng Yun was now helping Lin Chuntao with her work, and Fan Liniang had become Duo'er's mentor. They all had a good relationship with Lin Chuntao. Sometimes he thought that if Fan Liniang asked on his behalf, Lin Chuntao probably wouldn't refuse.

But things can't be done that way. This is what he wants to do, and Lin Chuntao is his cousin. Whether she is willing to teach him or not, he has to ask her himself.

Thinking of this, Lin Jialang took a deep breath.

Because of his sense of indebtedness, he always felt guilty and insecure in front of Lin Chuntao.

But he couldn't keep avoiding her. Considering that Lin Duo'er had brought so many things with her when she became Fan Liniang's apprentice, if Lin Chuntao was willing to teach him, he should also give Lin Chuntao something in return.

He wasn't really in a good position, and he couldn't very well take back what Lin Chuntao had given him.

When he went to sell firewood, the firewood buyer said that the firewood was not dry and that they would have to dry it further when they made charcoal, which would also cause it to lose weight, so he could not offer a high price. However, he saw that the firewood that Lin Chuntao had taken to make charcoal was not dry either, and that the firewood buyer was lying to them in order to lower the price.

In the county town, charcoal costs six or seven coins per pound. If he can burn it into charcoal, he can sell ten pounds for sixty coins. He has nothing to give Lin Chuntao now, so how can he share the money from selling charcoal with her in the future?

While Lin Jialang was still making plans, Lin Chunxing had already brought charcoal to light the stove fire, preparing to make braised eggs.

After lighting the stove, she placed charcoal on it. She had found charcoal useful when selling soup noodles in the county town. Although the product was good, she felt a little uneasy about spending money on it.

Now that they've made their own firewood and charcoal, Lin Chunxing wants to see if the charcoal burns as well as the ones bought in the county town, so she won't need to buy charcoal anymore.

Unlike burning firewood, burning charcoal doesn't require constant monitoring of the stove, so Lin Chunxing went to the backyard to help after she started cooking.

When she returned two quarters of an hour later, she saw that the stove was still burning brightly and the eggs boiling in the pot smelled delicious. Lin Chunxing scooped the eggs into a jar, poured out the brine and set it aside. She washed the iron pot, scooped some water into it to keep it warm, and then ran to the backyard.

"Sis, the fire in the stove is still burning brightly, do you want to make something?"

The stove in the backyard was also burning, steaming beans. It would be troublesome to move the beans to the front yard to steam them. Lin Chuntao said, "If we're eating them for lunch, we can cook some. If we're not eating them, we can remove the charcoal."

It was still early, and we had just finished lunch a while ago, so we weren't hungry yet.

Lin Chunxing went back to the kitchen and removed the unburnt charcoal.

After everyone had been busy for a while, as evening approached, Lin Chuntao prepared to burn the next batch of charcoal.

As soon as she left the hospital, she saw Lin Jialang lingering around the yard. Looking at him, Lin Chuntao frowned slightly.

Sensing Lin Chuntao's gaze, Lin Jialang snapped out of his thoughts and quickly looked up, "Sister Chuntao."

Lin Chuntao asked calmly, "Is there something you need?"

Lin Jialang pursed his lips, his eyes showing some panic, but he still quickly approached Lin Chuntao.

"Sister Chuntao, I want to learn how to make charcoal from you. After I learn, I plan to sell charcoal in the county town. But I don't have the money to pay for the apprenticeship right now. How about I give you 20% of the money I make from selling charcoal after I learn? Is that okay?"

He spoke somewhat hastily, but managed to say everything he wanted to say in one breath, and then waited anxiously for Lin Chuntao's reply.

Lin Chuntao's brows were furrowed, and there was no smile on her face. Lin Jialang nervously clenched his hands and swallowed hard. "If it doesn't work out, we can split it 30%."

Lin Chuntao took a deep breath and stared intently at him: "If it's split 20% or 30%, how am I supposed to know how much charcoal you produced or how much money you made?"

Lin Jialang blurted out, "I can have Aunt Meng Yun keep track of the numbers for me."

Lin Chuntao's lips twitched. He had thought this through carefully.

"I'm going to fire the next kiln. Come with me to carry firewood."

Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Lin Jialang's eyes lit up, and he looked at Lin Chuntao with a surprised expression, but she had already walked forward and did not see his expression.

She would teach anyone in the village who wanted to burn charcoal, regardless of who they were; she had already spread the word.

As for Lin Jialang and the others, it's true she doesn't like them, but she's not the kind of person who would make things difficult for or mistreat them.

The fact that he had the courage to approach her about this matter and even planned to share the money with her shows that he wasn't just asking for money for nothing. He wasn't approaching Lin Chuntao because of their cousin relationship, but because he wanted a 20% or 30% cut of the profits.

Lin Chuntao didn't stand on ceremony and told him not to split the profits.

Seeing that Lin Chuntao remained silent for a long time, Lin Jialang's heart sank. He felt that Lin Chuntao would not agree to his request. Unexpectedly, she called him to go and move firewood together, which meant that he could see how to burn it.

You can also learn how to cook it.

Lin Chuntao and Lin Jialang had just finished carrying firewood when Pei Ying arrived.

Seeing Lin Jialang following along, Pei Ying felt a hint of doubt, but he didn't ask.

Lin Jialang looked at him and greeted him with a smile: "Brother-in-law."

Pei Ying nodded slightly.

The firewood was moved over, and because it was placed vertically, it was okay yesterday because the kiln was full of dirt, so it was fine to crawl in and put the firewood in. But today the kiln is full of ash, and when you crawl in and come out, your pants will be completely stained.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Chuntao said to Pei Ying, "How about we seal this opening and open it from the top? That would make it easier to put the firewood in."

Pei Ying smiled upon hearing this, and then said, "That's fine too, I'll go back and get the hoe."

Pei Ying brought over a hoe, dug off the top, mixed some water and mud, and used some leftover mud bricks from building the house to seal up the small door.

The firewood was placed vertically one by one, with the smoke outlet level with the top of the firewood. After placing the firewood, straw was laid on top, then mud was applied to the straw, and soil was filled in and compacted to seal the entire kiln.

After finishing, Lin Chuntao started to light a fire at the fire pit. After a short while, white smoke began to rise from the chimney. Lin Chuntao then said, "Wait a little longer, then we can remove the firewood and seal the fire pit."

She muttered to herself, and Lam Ka-long stood beside her and nodded.

Lin Chuntao glanced at him. Lin Jialang didn't ask, and she didn't say much either. When the thick smoke started to rise vertically, Lin Chuntao removed the firewood from the cooking vent and sealed it up.

Thick smoke billowed from the chimney. Lin Chuntao said, "Just leave it burning like this. Around midnight when the rooster crows, the smoke will change color. Then come and seal the chimney opening. Let it sit for about two days before you can collect the charcoal."

Lin Jialang nodded and said, "Then I'll take care of it tonight."

Lin Chuntao: "No need to guard it. If you want to see it, get up when the rooster crows and come over."

Her tone was indifferent, and there was no smile on her face. Lin Jialang was still very uneasy. When they lived together before, everyone thought Lin Chuntao had the best temper. But after they separated the family, although Lin Chuntao was still smiling, everyone felt that she was not as weak as before.

Before the incident at home, although there were conflicts among the family members, Lin Jialang didn't care about anything. Whether they argued or talked, it was an adult matter and had nothing to do with him. After the incident, he had to take charge of the family, and he became somewhat afraid when facing Lin Chuntao.

Hearing Lin Chuntao say that there was no need to guard, he felt uneasy and hesitated for a long time before agreeing.

Lin Chuntao said expressionlessly, "This kiln can be dug or built. You can think about how you want to do it, and where to dig it?"

Lin Jialang replied, "Okay, I'll go back and discuss it with my aunt."

Seeing his helpless and uneasy look, Lin Chuntao slightly raised her chin and said, "Well, let's go back then."

Lin Jialang returned home, where Fan Liniang was cooking. He said to Fan Liniang, "Auntie, Sister Chuntao has agreed to teach me how to make charcoal. Let's make charcoal and sell it from now on."

Fan Liniang's reaction to these words was relatively calm.

"What did you say?"

Lam Ka-long: "She'll get 30% of the proceeds from the charcoal sale. Please have Auntie keep track of the amount for us."

Fan Liniang nodded. Thirty percent was a bit high, but compared to the money from selling 100 catties of charcoal, they could still make a profit, as long as they could sell it.

Fan Liniang overheard that Lin Chuntao was not keeping the method of making charcoal a secret. If many people in the village knew how to do it, and everyone made charcoal to sell, it might not be a big problem.

But no matter what, it's good to learn how to cook first, so you can cook some for your own use.

"Then you can learn from her, what else can Madam Lin say?"

Lam Ka-long: "She said the kiln could be dug or built, and asked me to think about it, and also where to put the kiln?"

Fan Liniang pursed her lips slightly upon hearing this, and said, "It would be more suitable to build the kiln in the backyard, so we'll use a brickwork."

Lin Jialang pursed his lips and asked Fan Liniang, "Isn't the backyard a bit cramped?"

Fan Liniang said, "The two families live separately. We don't have any livestock pens on our side, so we dismantled that shed to build a kiln. We'll rebuild the pen when we want to raise pigs and chickens later."

Fan Liniang was older, and she believed that one should always be wary of others. You never know who might be unhappy that you've made money. The charcoal kiln was in the backyard, so she kept a dog or something tied up nearby. If there was any noise, she could hear it quickly. Otherwise, if someone sabotaged the kiln without her knowledge, it would be too late to destroy the entire kiln of charcoal.

Lin Jialang nodded in agreement with Fan Liniang's words.

Seeing that he had no objections, Fan Liniang continued, "Regardless of how we build it, we will definitely need bricks. Tomorrow, we will go and fetch some yellow clay, and then borrow brick-making molds to make mud bricks and let them dry."

"good!"

When they got home, Pei Yingcai asked about Lin Jialang. Lin Chuntao said, "I was just saying at noon that I was going to teach everyone how to make charcoal. He came to me and said he wanted to learn how to make charcoal to sell, but he didn't have money to pay my tuition. He asked if I could have 20% of the money from selling charcoal. Before I could say anything, he added another 10%, saying he'd take 30% if I asked."

Pei Ying said, "It's obvious he's quite afraid of you."

Lin Chuntao said calmly, "The incident with the Lin family probably triggered them, plus he still remembers that his parents wronged my mother, so he feels guilty and ashamed."

Lin Chuntao paused after speaking, then sighed, "We live too close, we see each other all the time. I get angry just thinking about what his mother did. Sometimes I think it has nothing to do with them, but when I think of my mother, I feel that everyone has their own destiny, and their affairs have nothing to do with me. It's enough that I don't kick them when they're down or bully them."

Pei Ying gently patted her back and said softly, "There's nothing to worry about. You don't owe them anything. Since he wants to learn, it's only right that he shares 20% with you."

Hearing Pei Ying's words, Lin Chuntao smiled helplessly.

People can be complicated sometimes. Two percent of the charcoal cost is about one coin per pound. Even if they can sell a thousand pounds a month, they'll only get one coin. They're not that short of money, but she just doesn't want to tell Lin Jialang and the others that it's not necessary. It's much more comfortable to have a relationship where money is clearly separated.

Lin Chuntao set an alarm for the system, which woke her up as soon as the hour of Yin arrived. She called Pei Ying to get up. At this time, Lin Jialang and Fan Liniang were already waiting for them in the backyard. It was still dark and they were afraid of scaring them. As soon as she and Pei Ying opened the door, Fan Liniang called her.

Hearing Fan Liniang's voice, Lin Chuntao quickly said, "Good morning, Madam Fan. Have you been here for a while?"

Fan Liniang replied, "We just arrived too."

Pei Ying carried a bucket of water, while Lin Chuntao held a small hoe and a torch for light.

The group went together to the charcoal kiln.

With the torches shining, the smoke rising from the chimney had lessened considerably. Lin Chuntao said, "This kiln is relatively small, so it takes about six hours to seal the chimney. If the kiln were larger, the time would need to be extended. One way is to estimate the time, and another way is to observe the color of the smoke. It's blue smoke now, so we need to seal the chimney promptly. If we seal it too late, the inside will burn to ash, and we'll get less charcoal."

After listening, Fan Liniang patted Lin Jialang on the shoulder, and Lin Jialang said, "Sister, I'll remember."

Pei Ying quickly scooped water and mud. Lin Chuntao first blocked the chimney opening with grass, then poured in mud, leaving a little grass outside so that it could be pulled out directly when the kiln was opened later.

"I'll just make do with what I have, but you can make a brick that fits the chimney opening better, specifically to seal the smoke. You can just put it on top and it'll be easy."

After sealing the chimney opening, Lin Chuntao said, "After sealing it like this, we'll wait for the kiln to cool down before checking. It's better to open it later than to open it too early. If you open it too early, the temperature inside might be too high, and it could suddenly catch fire, which is a bit dangerous."

"A kiln of this size usually takes about two days to finish. If the kiln is larger, you'll have to wait a bit longer."

They remembered Lin Chuntao's words. Fan Liniang said, "We're going to build a kiln. Madam Lin, will mud bricks be fine?"

"Can."

Fan Liniang: "Then we'll start cleaning up the backyard these next two days, starting with getting the mud bricks out."

Lin Chuntao nodded, "Once it's finished, I'll draw up some blueprints for you. It won't be difficult to build it by following those blueprints."

Lin Jialang thanked her, and Lin Chuntao and the others left after they finished.

Today she's going to the county town to pick up the clothes she ordered earlier, as agreed. She also wants to see if the fur merchant has returned, as she'd like to have a pair of boots made if they're suitable.

When Lin Chuntao and her group were halfway there, they suddenly heard loud wailing and crying. Ahead of them, many people were holding torches and making a ruckus.

Pei Ying reached out to stop Lin Chuntao and whispered, "Wait a minute, let's see if they are villagers."

Lin Chuntao pulled Lin Chunxing aside. They waited for a while, and some of the noisy people returned to the path, while others drove their mule carts forward.

Lin Chuntao and her friends often walked around late at night, not wanting to talk to anyone. They would wait until most people had left before they went over, but they could still faintly hear conversations.

"Oh dear, what's wrong with Granny Zhao that she had to jump into this cesspool?"

"My grandson and granddaughter are gone, and my mute daughter-in-law has gone back to her parents' home. I thought I had found a rich young lady, but it turns out they are a bunch of swindlers. They even swindled all of Granny Zhao's chickens. How can I not be angry?"

"If you ask me, that mute guy is actually quite hardworking, even though he can't speak. It's just his fate to take advantage of him because he can't speak!"

After walking for a while, Lin Chunxing finally asked, "Sister, the mute they're talking about, could it be Sister Shuilian?"