In the wilderness, Lu Fan and An Lan embarked on their "coal mining empire".

With their tools in hand, like two cautious treasure hunters, they gently pried open the coal seam, carrying basket after basket of shiny black coal to the side.

Big Black was no longer afraid of the first time they met. It ran around happily, occasionally sniffing the ground with its nose, as if to say, "What kind of treasure is this? I have to study it carefully."

Big Horn was grazing quietly not far away, occasionally raising its head to glance at the busy Lu Fan and An Lan, as if it were guarding this newly discovered "feng shui treasure land".

Before we knew it, the sun began to set in the west, and the horizon was dyed a brilliant orange-red, as beautiful as an oil painting.

Lu Fan and An Lan looked at the mountain of coal. Although they were exhausted and their backs ached, their faces were beaming with smiles, smiles even more radiant than the sunset.

"Today was amazing! Not only did we find a coal mine, but we also extracted so much!" An Lan's cheeks flushed with excitement, and her voice rose eight octaves.

Lu Fan gazed into the distance, his eyes shining. "This is just the beginning. In the future, we can use this coal to build amazing living facilities and make more practical tools. Who knows, one day we might even build a cozy little home that belongs to the two of us here!"

As he spoke, he stared at the coal mine in front of him, his eyes shining, rubbing his hands together excitedly, looking every bit like a little money-grubber who had discovered a treasure.

"We need to hurry up and transport these treasures back; our future good days depend entirely on them!"

Without further ado, Lu Fan quickly found a basket and began loading coal.

Each piece of coal was shiny black, as if silently telling a story of the earth-shattering changes that were about to be brought to their wilderness life.

Big Horn seemed to be infected by the excited atmosphere as well. He took the initiative to come over and steadily carried two baskets of coal, as if to say, "Don't worry, I've got it covered!"

"Big Horn, you're awesome! You're full of energy!"

Lu Fan patted Da Jiao's neck, his face full of smiles.

Big Horn flicked its tail and let out a cheerful neigh, as if responding to its owner's praise.

Lu Fan also carried two baskets of coal. Although the loads were heavy and made his shoulders ache, his steps were as light as if he were walking on cotton, and his heart was full of the joy of harvest.

Along the way, Dahei hopped and skipped ahead, scouting the path, and would occasionally look back, looking anxious as if urging, "Hurry up, I can't wait any longer!"

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed them, creating a hopeful scene that was so beautiful it was impossible to look away.

Back at the shelter, Lu Fan didn't even catch his breath before taking Big Horn on another trip.

Before long, a small "coal mountain" was built up next to the shelter.

Looking at the pile of coal, Lu Fan felt incredibly happy, as if he were a wealthy man guarding a mountain of gold and silver.

"It's time to see the power of this new coal!"

Lu Fan enthusiastically picked out a piece of coal from the pile and threw it into the blazing fire with a "whoosh".

In an instant, the fire suddenly flared up, the temperature rose sharply, and the face became scorching hot, as if being licked by fire.

"Wow, that's some serious firepower!" Lu Fan shouted excitedly, his voice echoing in the air.

But after a short while, a pungent smell entered his nose.

"Wow, the carbon monoxide smell is too strong!"

He frowned and quickly fanned the air, trying to get rid of the unpleasant smell.

An Lan walked over, covering her nose, and said helplessly, "This smell is unacceptable. We need to think of a solution quickly."

Lu Fan stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then his eyes suddenly lit up. "I've got it! We can wash the coal! If we remove the impurities from the coal, carbon monoxide emissions will definitely be reduced."

After saying that, he acted like an inventor about to embark on a major undertaking, and began searching for coal washing tools with great enthusiasm.

He first found a large basket, filled it with coal, and then called Big Black to walk towards the water.

When he reached the river, he carefully placed the basket filled with coal into the water, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure.

"Silly dog, come and help me stir it!" Lu Fan shouted to Big Black.

Big Black ran over happily and stirred the water with its paws. Although it didn't understand what its owner was doing, it was overjoyed to be able to help.

As Dahei stirred the water, the surface gradually became murky, with black impurities constantly falling off the coal and dissolving into the water.

"It seems this method really works!"

Looking at the changes in the bucket, Lu Fan's face beamed with a confident smile.

But washing coal is not so easy. After stirring for a while, Lu Fan found that some impurities were stuck to the coal and refused to come off.

"This won't do, we need to think of another way." He frowned, racking his brains for a solution.

Suddenly, an idea struck him: "Why not just smash the coal into pieces!"

He quickly picked up a stone and smashed it against the coal, shouting as he did so, "Eighty! Eighty!..."

The way they were acting was as if they were engaged in a fierce battle with the coal.

Through his efforts, the coal was smashed to pieces, and the impurities finally floated to the surface obediently.

Looking at the cleaned coal, Lu Fan smiled with satisfaction: "Now there shouldn't be any problems!"

Next, he scooped out the coal and dried it.

Once dried, the toxic substances in these coals will be greatly reduced, making them safer to use.

Looking at the coal that had already crumbled into pieces, Lu Fan raised an eyebrow: "Why not just make honeycomb briquettes directly? It'll save us the trouble."

Without further ado, Lu Fan crushed the washed coal, added an appropriate amount of clay as a binder, and then added a certain amount of water.

Then, like a master chef, he started stirring.

After mixing thoroughly, he shaped it into a cylindrical form by hand, and a simple honeycomb briquette body was born.

Big Black curiously approached, its head turning back and forth in sync with Lu Fan's movements.

Every now and then, it would sniff the dark mixture with its nose, as if it were studying something mysterious.

An Lan also helped out, and the two worked together perfectly, soon shaping coal balls.

"We have to make these honeycomb briquettes look beautiful; they'll be great helpers in our daily lives."

As Lu Fan spoke, he carefully poked neat little holes in the coal briquettes with a bamboo stick, his movements skilled and focused, as if he were creating a great work of art.

An Lan nodded with a smile: "Yes, once these honeycomb briquettes are made, we won't be afraid of the cold in winter, and it will be more convenient to cook and boil water."

The big horn stood quietly not far away, occasionally flicking its tail to shoo away mosquitoes, as if silently guarding this busy yet heartwarming scene.

As time went by, neat rows of honeycomb briquettes filled the drying area.

Sunlight shines on it, giving it a unique luster, as if telling the story of the fruits of their labor.