After a while, Zhang Pingshan came wearing a big cotton-padded jacket.
Zhou Bin came up to him from a distance, smiled and handed him a cigarette, and said, "Uncle Zhang, can we make coal briquettes today?"
Zhang Pingshan lit up a cigarette, glanced at the coal pile, and said, "Okay, let me try it for you first."
Zhou Bin hurriedly called everyone together. Wang Quanwa, Wang Haichao and Zheng Deming helped to transport coal, Aniu and Li Jun brought water, and the other three guys brought loess.
Zhang Pingshan asked them to add soil and water according to his instructions, and then start stirring. After a short while, the coal pile for making coal balls was ready.
Zhang Pingshan took out the coal beater, poked it hard on the coal pile, then quickly moved to the side with the coal beater. He held the handle of the coal beater with his hand and squeezed it gently, and a honeycomb coal ball fell down.
Then he followed the previous method and quickly made the second coal ball.
Everyone watched and praised the old man's craftsmanship.
The things that were made are really what they seem, and they look good.
After making ten coal balls in a row, Zhang Pingshan said to Zhou Bin: "No problem, let's start making them."
So Zhou Bin started to invite everyone to play coal balls together, and more than 30 people joined in.
Zhang Pingshan gave instructions on the side, and it didn't take long before everyone learned how to make coal balls.
Zhang Pingshan nodded with satisfaction: "Well, this should be fine now."
Zhou Bin immediately asked everyone to mix the coal according to the previous method, and then proceed to the next step.
In this way, a group of people worked enthusiastically on the construction site. By the evening, thirty people had made more than 6,000 coal briquettes and placed them neatly in a pile.
Since there is a simple fence around the coal yard, all you have to do at night is close the door.
The next day, Zhou Bin arranged ten people to continue digging and transporting coal, while the remaining thirty people continued to make coal balls.
The sun happened to be shining brightly these past few days, so Zhang Pingshan asked everyone to turn the coal briquettes over to ensure that they could get some sun exposure.
A week later, Zhou Bin's coal yard produced 43,000 pieces of honeycomb coal.
Twenty thousand of them were completely dry, so Zhou Bin bought a coal stove and started to test the ignition.
Aniu stuffed wormwood into the stove, added some sticks, and then lit it. After a while, the flames in the stove started to burn.
Zhou Bin used a pair of tongs to pick up a coal ball and placed it on top. Soon, the honeycomb coal caught fire, emitting light blue flames.
Everyone gathered around the stove, and a feeling of warmth instantly spread to everyone's hands.
Zhang Pingshan warmed his hands for a while and said, "Well, this coal briquettes are absolutely fine and are relatively durable."
Everyone was talking and laughing around the stove, very happy. Everyone was very happy to be able to personally feel the warmth brought by the fruits of their labor.
Zhou Bin immediately decided to distribute coal briquettes to the villagers so that they would no longer suffer from the cold.
Four hundred pieces of honeycomb coal are distributed to each family, which is enough for everyone to keep warm for the whole winter.
After breakfast that day, the village chief gathered everyone to the coal yard, and then according to the list, each family was allocated 400 pieces of coal, a total of about 15,000 pieces of coal.
Every family came with carts, happily pulling coal, except Zhou Kai's family.
Zhou Bin smiled slightly. It would have been better if he hadn’t come. Even if he had come, he wouldn’t have given them the money!
It took half a day for everyone to pull their own honeycomb coal back home.
Zhou Bin also used a tricycle to pull 800 pieces of coal to his home because he planned to install two stoves for his father's house and his own house so that everyone could keep warm.
Everyone was very happy to have coal in their hands, and for a while, groups of villagers went to the township to buy honeycomb coal stoves.
All the stoves on the streets of the township have been sold out, and many people are curious why so many people in Beiyuan Village are buying stoves this year.
After buying the stove, every household started to light the fire, and Zhou Bin's family was no exception.
He bought two new stoves and placed them all in the yard.
Zhou Jianming found some wormwood and firewood and placed them in the furnace. Zhou Bin lit the fire, and soon the flames rose.
Xiaohua happened to have a weekend off, and she jumped around happily beside the stove: "Dad, it's so warm next to the stove!"
Zhou Bin said with a smile: "Light the coal later, it will be warmer."
As he said this, he picked up two coal balls and placed them in the two stoves. After a while, both coal balls were lit.
Zhou Jianming's wrinkled face was filled with smiles, and he kept saying, "Xiaohua, come quickly, the stove is very warm."
Xiaohua smiled and stretched out her hands. After warming them for a while, she immediately shouted happily, "Wow, my hands are so warm."
Li Nan smiled and reminded: "Xiaohua, be careful, don't get burned."
On the other side, Liu Junyi was also living with his two grandsons, who were warming themselves by the fire and giggling.
Aniu was busy sweating and kept telling them to be careful about their anger.
Blue smoke also came out of Zhou Defu's home, and he finally used a honeycomb coal stove this winter.
The air of the entire Beiyuan Village was filled with the smell of smoke and fire, as well as bursts of joy and laughter.
In this warm atmosphere, there is one house that is still cold, and that is Zhou Jianren's house.
Ever since Zhou Jianren and Liu Ailing were arrested and imprisoned, and their two daughters-in-law left with their children, only Zhou Kai, his wife Han Juan, and a child were left at home.
The room was like an ice cellar at this moment, so cold that people were shivering.
Han Juan angrily scolded, "All you do is sleep! My baby and I are almost freezing to death! Why don't you think of a solution?"
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