Chapter 120 Chapter 120 - Two in One -
On the afternoon of October 18th, Lin Chuntao and her colleagues started the charcoal kiln for the first time.
When the kiln was burning, thick smoke floated for a long time. The people in the village thought that the forest was on fire. Many people came to see what was happening. When they heard Lin Chuntao say that it was burning charcoal, they were a little surprised.
On weekdays, everyone burns firewood directly, and occasionally there are some left over that have not been burned to ashes. It is true that there is no smoke when used a second time, but it is also not long-lasting. Everyone also thinks that Lin Chuntao is wasting firewood. If the wood is simmered and burned like this, it will not last long if burned again.
Moreover, there are many pine forests here and they are close to the mountains. There are only a few days of ice and snow in winter. In the summer, they cut some pine wood and set it aside to dry. They can take it out and burn it in the fire pit during those few days. It is very warm and there is no need to waste time and effort.
But Lin Chuntao insisted that it would be more useful, especially for making a fire, as it would produce no smoke and last longer than firewood.
Everyone didn't believe it at the time, but they couldn't resist their curiosity.
This kiln hasn't been opened yet, but there are several waves of people coming to see it every day.
When you meet Lin Chuntao, do you ask her when the firewood will be ready?
Lin Chuntao did not hide it from them.
Just as she was about to open a brothel, she was surrounded by people.
Lin Chuntao knocked on the small door in front of the kiln. It was already pitch black inside. She bent down to take a look and found that the shape of the wood was still there. Lin Chuntao was overjoyed. It was her first time to burn wood, and it was like opening a blind box. She was afraid that if she opened the kiln and found only wood ash, and there were so many villagers watching, everyone would laugh at her.
She didn't go inside to get some charcoal when the kiln was first opened. She just took two sticks from the side and knocked them together gently. There was a crisp sound. Lin Chunxing asked from the side, "Sister, is it done?"
Lin Chuntao replied, "Okay, go get a bamboo basket and get the charcoal."
Lin Chunxing responded and ran towards the yard. The onlookers squatted down and asked Lin Chuntao to take out two more pieces for them to see. Lin Chuntao took out a few more pieces, and they looked at them carefully. As they looked, they started discussing.
"This is a little different from the ones we left over. The ones Chuntao made are a little harder."
"Yes, that's strange. How can it not burn to ashes if it's covered like this?"
Then they asked Lin Chuntao: "Chuntao, you've been covering yourself up for several days, right?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "Yes, it's been four or five days."
"How did you do this? Is it really burn-resistant?"
Before Lin Chuntao could reply, someone asked, "Chuntao, isn't this the kind of charcoal that people in the city use?"
"For charcoal, that's pretty much it."
Yizhou is located in the south, and the price of coal shipped from the north is very high. There is abundant vegetation here, so people mainly burn vegetation. People with better financial conditions in the city buy charcoal. Lin Chuntao and her friends also bought a lot of charcoal to make soup noodles. It costs six or seven cents per pound. Although it is durable, it is still a large expense for daily use.
The charcoal seller would occasionally carry charcoal on his shoulder and hawk it in the village, but almost no one would buy it because it was too expensive.
Everyone thought that it was something only city dwellers could afford, so they let Lin Chuntao come up with it?
Everyone looked at Lin Chuntao and asked tentatively, "Chuntao, are you going to burn this charcoal and sell it?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head. "I'm not selling it now. The charcoal I burn is only enough for my own use. I'll try burning two more kilns and see if the charcoal output is stable. If the aunts want to try, you can also go get some firewood and I'll burn a kiln for everyone."
Hearing Lin Chuntao say this, everyone was eager to try it out. They politely asked with a smile, "Will it delay your work too much?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It's okay. I can help you burn a pinch of it first to try it out. If you want to burn more in the future, I can teach you how to do it. It's also convenient to dig a kiln and burn it yourself."
Lin Jialang was also watching in the crowd. They had been selling firewood and embroidery made by Fan Li Niang to make a living recently. When they saw Lin Chuntao making charcoal, they knew that the wood they had carried before was also used for making charcoal, but firewood was much cheaper than charcoal. If they knew how to make charcoal, they could carry the charcoal and sell it, and make more money.
He looked at Lin Chuntao. Although she said she would teach everyone how to cook, these people might not include him. He felt that there was hope for this matter, but he also felt very uncertain.
Most people in the village only thought about burning some for their own use, but a few smart people thought about 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.
It would be a good thing if the people in the village could really make money by burning charcoal and make their lives better.
Lin Chunxing brought a bamboo basket, and Lin Chuntao took out all the charcoal in the charcoal kiln. The kiln was not very big, and after taking out all the charcoal, it filled three large bamboo baskets. Compared with the firewood put in, Lin Chuntao felt that the charcoal output was still very good. Mainly because it was for her own use, Lin Chuntao did not care about the charcoal output. She did not weigh it when she started burning it, so there is no exact data now.
After getting the charcoal, Aunt Guizhi and the others helped move the bamboo basket back.
Pei Ying asked, "Are you still burning it today?"
Lin Chuntao was thinking about the time to seal the chimney. If she burned the cigarette now, she would have to seal it at midnight or midnight. It would be troublesome if she fell asleep and had to get up again. It would be better to seal the chimney later, after the hour of Yin.
"I'll burn it later."
After hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Pei Ying said, "Let's move the firewood later."
Lin Chuntao responded, and they returned to the yard, and the villagers dispersed.
Lin Jialang returned home with a heavy heart. Fan Li'niang was teaching Meng Yue and Lin Duo'er how to make stitches and how to sew clothes so that no thread ends could be seen inside or outside, and the clothes would be sturdy and would not be easily torn apart.
Lin Duoer followed and learned for a few days. She watched Fan Li'niang make embroidery. The embroidery was very beautiful, but it was too complicated. She also felt that it was useless to make so many patterns, so she became impatient.
Fan Li Niang saw what she was thinking and taught her how to sew clothes. She learned with great interest and enjoyed it very much.
Seeing her like this, Fan Li'niang understood her thoughts very well. A girl of this age was so poor that she didn't even have clothes to change into. When she started learning this, her first thought must be to learn how to make a set of clothes. Once she learned this, she would want to learn other things.
Fan Li'niang thought that when children learn something, unless they like it very much, otherwise the boring and tedious practice will consume a lot of patience. For example, if Lin Duoer is taught to make clothes, she can make a set of clothes independently, which may make her feel a sense of accomplishment. With a sense of accomplishment, setting goals for her will make her more motivated.
Seeing Lin Jialang's sad face, Fan Li Niang asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Jialang looked at Fan Li Niang, then at Meng Yue and Lin Duo'er. Now Meng Yun was helping Lin Chuntao, and Fan Li Niang had become Duo'er's master. They had a very good relationship with Lin Chuntao. Sometimes he thought that if Fan Li Niang asked for him, Lin Chuntao would not refuse.
But this is not the way to go. 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 in person.
Thinking of this, Lin Jialang took a deep breath.
Because of his debt, he always felt guilty and insecure when facing Lin Chuntao.
But he couldn't just keep avoiding her. Thinking about how Lin Duoer had brought so many things with her to become Fan Li'niang's disciple, if Lin Chuntao was willing to teach him, he should also bring something for Lin Chuntao.
It's not so convenient for him to take back what Lin Chuntao took.
When he went to sell firewood, the firewood collector said that the firewood was not dry yet, and they would have to dry it out before making charcoal, and it would lose weight, so he couldn't give him a high price. But he saw that the firewood Lin Chuntao used to make charcoal was not dry either, and the firewood collector was cheating them in order to lower the price.
The price of charcoal in the county town is six or seven cents per catty. If he can burn it into charcoal, he can sell ten catties for sixty cents. He has nothing to give to Lin Chuntao now, so how should he share the money from selling charcoal with her in the future?
While Lin Jialang was still thinking, Lin Chunxing had already taken charcoal to light the stove and prepare to make braised eggs.
After the stove was lit, she put charcoal on it. She found charcoal useful when she sold soup noodles in the county town. Although the product was good, she didn't feel that good about it because she had spent money on it.
Now that this charcoal is made at home, and he didn't spend any money on firewood or charcoal, Lin Chunxing wanted to try it out. If this charcoal is as easy to burn as the one bought in the county, he wouldn't have to buy charcoal in the future.
Burning charcoal does not require constant watching of the stove as when burning firewood. After Lin Chunxing started cooking, she went to the backyard to help.
When she came back two quarters of an hour later, she saw that the stove was still burning brightly and the eggs in the pot were fragrant. Lin Chunxing scooped the eggs into a jar and put them aside. She also poured out the brine and put it aside. She washed the iron pot and scooped some clean water into it to warm it up before running to the backyard.
"Sister, the stove is still burning brightly. Do you want to do anything?"
The stove in the backyard was also burning, steaming beans. It would be troublesome to move them to the front yard to steam them. Lin Chuntao said, "If you want to eat at noon, just cook some. If you don't want to eat, you can just remove the charcoal."
It was still early and we had just finished lunch, so we weren't hungry yet.
Lin Chunxing went back to the kitchen and removed the unburned charcoal.
Everyone worked for a while, and as it was getting close to evening, Lin Chuntao prepared to burn the next kiln of charcoal.
As soon as she walked out of the hospital gate, she saw Lin Jialang wandering around the yard. Looking at him, Lin Chuntao frowned slightly.
Feeling Lin Chuntao's gaze, Lin Jialang came out of his thoughts. He quickly raised his eyes and looked over, "Sister Chuntao."
Lin Chuntao asked calmly, "What's the matter?"
Lin Jialang pursed his lips, his eyes a little flustered, but he still walked quickly towards Lin Chuntao.
"Sister Chuntao, I want to learn how to make charcoal from you. After I learn, I plan to go to the county town to sell charcoal. But I don't have the money to become your apprentice right now. If I learn, I'll give you 20% of the profit from selling charcoal. Is that okay with you?"
He spoke a little anxiously, but still said everything he wanted to say in one breath, and then waited anxiously for Lin Chuntao's answer.
Lin Chuntao's brows were furrowed, and there was no trace of a smile on her face. Lin Jialang clenched his hands nervously and swallowed his saliva. "How about a 30% split?"
Lin Chuntao took a deep breath and looked at him steadily: "It's 20% or 30%. How do I know how much charcoal you burned? And how much you sold it for?"
Lin Jialang blurted out: "I can ask Aunt Meng Yun to keep count for me."
Lin Chuntao's lips twitched. He had thought of this all, and it could be said that he had thought about it carefully.
"I'm just going to fire up the next kiln. Come with me to get some wood."
Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Lin Jialang's eyes lit up and he looked at Lin Chuntao in surprise, but she had already walked forward and did not see his expression.
If anyone in the village wanted to burn charcoal, no matter who it was, she would teach them, and she had spread the word.
As for Lin Jialang and the others, it is true that she doesn't like them, but she is not the kind of person who would make things difficult for them or treat them harshly.
He had the courage to come to her and talk about this, and he also planned to give her a share of the money, which showed that he was not asking for it for nothing. He came to Lin Chuntao not to rely on their cousin relationship, but for the 20% or 30% share of the profits.
Lin Chuntao did not politely ask him not to share the profits.
Seeing that Lin Chuntao didn't say anything for a long time, Lin Jialang's heart sank. He felt that Lin Chuntao would not agree to him. Unexpectedly, she called him to go and fetch firewood together, so that he could see how to burn it.
You can also learn how to burn it.
Lin Chuntao and Lin Jialang had just finished moving some firewood when Pei Ying arrived.
Seeing Lin Jialang following along, Pei Ying felt a flash 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. Since it was placed vertically, it was fine yesterday because the kiln was full of dirt and I could crawl in to put the firewood in. But today the kiln was full of carbon ash and my pants would be stained when I crawled in and out.
Lin Chuntao thought about it and said to Pei Ying, "How about we seal this opening and open it from the top, so it will be easier to put the firewood in."
Pei Ying smiled when he heard this, then said, "That's fine. I'll go back and get the hoe."
He waited for Pei Ying to come over with a hoe, dug off the top, mixed some water with mud, and used some mud bricks left over from building the house to seal the small door.
The firewood is placed vertically one by one, and the smoke outlet is just level with the top of the firewood. The firewood is placed, and grass is spread on it. Then mud is applied on the grass, and soil is filled in and compacted to seal the entire kiln.
After finishing the work, Lin Chuntao started to light a fire at the fire hole. After a while, when white smoke began to emerge from the chimney, Lin Chuntao said, "Wait a little longer, then we can remove the firewood and seal the fire hole."
She talked to herself, and Lin Jialang stood beside her and nodded.
Lin Chuntao glanced at him. Lin Jialang didn't ask, and she didn't say much. When the thick smoke began to rise vertically, Lin Chuntao removed the firewood from the living room and sealed it.
Thick smoke billowed from the other end. Lin Chuntao said, "Don't worry about it burning like this. Wait until the rooster crows at midnight, and the smoke will change color. Then you can seal the chimney and let it simmer 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. If you want to see it, just get up and come over when the rooster crows."
Her tone was indifferent and there was no smile on her face. Lin Jialang still felt insecure in his heart. When they lived together before, everyone thought Lin Chuntao had the best temper, but after they separated, although Lin Chuntao still smiled, everyone felt that she was not as weak as before.
When nothing happened at home, although everyone had conflicts, Lin Jialang didn't care about it at that time. Whether it was quarreling or talking, it was the adults' business and had nothing to do with him. After something happened at home, he had to take care of the family, and he would be a little afraid when facing Lin Chuntao.
When he heard Lin Chuntao say that there was no need to guard, he felt a little uneasy and agreed after hesitating for a long time.
Lin Chuntao said expressionlessly, "This kiln can be dug or built. You can think about how to build it. And where to dig it?"
After hearing this, Lin Jialang replied, "Okay, I'll go back and discuss it with my aunt."
Lin Chuntao looked at his bewildered and uneasy expression and raised her chin slightly: "Well, let's go back then."
When Lin Jialang returned home, Fan Li Niang was cooking. He said to her, "Auntie, Sister Chun Tao has agreed to teach me how to make charcoal. Let's make charcoal and sell it in the future."
When Fan Li'niang heard this, she reacted calmly.
"What did you say?"
Lin Jialang: "We'll give her 30% of the charcoal we sell. Please ask Auntie to keep track of the amount for us when the time comes."
Fan Li'niang nodded. Thirty percent was a bit high, but if you compare the money earned from selling one hundred kilograms of charcoal and one hundred kilograms of firewood, they can still make a profit as long as they can sell them in time.
Fan Li'niang heard that Lin Chuntao did not keep the method of making charcoal to herself. By then, there would be many people in the village who knew how to make charcoal. If everyone made charcoal and sold it, it might not be a small problem.
But no matter what, it’s good to learn how to cook first, and then cook some for your own use.
"Then just follow my lead. What else does Madam Lin have to say?"
Lam Ka Long: "She said that the kiln could be dug or built, so I could think about it. And where should we put the kiln?"
Upon hearing this, Fan Li Niang pursed her lips slightly and said, "It would be more appropriate to build the kiln in the backyard, so we can just build it."
Lin Jialang pursed his lips and asked Fan Li Niang, "Isn't the backyard a bit narrow?"
Fan Li Niang said, "The two families are separated, and we don't have any pens over there, so we'll just tear down the shed and build a kiln. We'll build pens when we want to raise pigs and chickens."
After all, Fan Li'niang was older, and she believed that one must be on guard against others. You never know who might be unhappy with the money you make. The charcoal kiln was in the backyard, so you could tie a dog or something next to it and it would hear any noise quickly. Otherwise, if someone messed with it without you knowing, it would be too late when the whole kiln of charcoal was ruined.
Fan Li Niang said this, and Lin Jialang nodded.
Seeing that he had no objection, Fan Li Niang continued, "No matter how you build it, you'll definitely need bricks. Go get some clay tomorrow and borrow some brick molds. Then make the mud bricks and let them dry."
"good!"
After returning home, Pei Yingcai asked about Lin Jialang. Lin Chuntao said, "Didn't I say at noon that I would teach everyone how to make charcoal? He came to me and said he wanted to learn how to make charcoal and sell it. He didn't have the money to pay me for his apprenticeship. Could he give me 20% of the profit from selling charcoal in the future? I didn't say anything, and he even added 10% and said 30% would be fine."
Pei Ying said, "I can see he's quite afraid of you."
Lin Chuntao said calmly, "The Lin family incident probably gave them a shock, and he still remembers how his parents wronged my mother, so he feels guilty and ashamed."
Lin Chuntao paused and sighed, "We live too close. We see each other every day. Whenever I think about what his mother did, I get angry. Sometimes I think it has nothing to do with them, but when I think about my mother, I feel that everyone has their own destiny. Their affairs have nothing to do with me. It's enough for me not to kick them when they are down or bully them."
Pei Ying patted her back gently and said softly, "There's nothing to worry about. You don't owe them anything. Since he wants to learn, he should give you 20%."
Hearing Pei Ying's words, Lin Chuntao smiled helplessly.
People are sometimes complicated. The charcoal fee is 20%, which is about one cent per catty. Even if they can sell 1,000 catties a month, that's only one guan of money. They themselves are not short of money to this extent, but she just doesn't want to tell Lin Jialang and the others that it's not necessary. A relationship where the money can be clearly divided makes people feel much more comfortable.
Lin Chuntao set the alarm on the system to wake her up at the hour of Yin. She called Pei Ying to get up. At this time, Lin Jialang and Fan Li'niang were already waiting for them in the backyard. It was still dark and they were afraid of being scared. As soon as she and Pei Ying opened the door, Fan Li'niang called her.
Hearing Fan Li Niang's voice, Lin Chuntao hurriedly said, "Good morning, Madam Fan. Have you been here for a while?"
Fan Li Niang replied, "We just arrived too."
Pei Ying carried a bucket of water, Lin Chuntao held a small hoe, and also held a torch to light the way.
Several people went to the charcoal kiln together.
The torch lit up the smoke, which had already lessened considerably. Lin Chuntao said, "This kiln is relatively small, so we only have about six hours to seal the chimney. If it were a larger kiln, that time might need to be extended. One way is to estimate the time, and another is to look at the color of the smoke. Now it's blue, so we need to seal the chimney in time. If we delay, the inside will burn to ash, and we'll get less charcoal."
After hearing this, Fan Li Niang patted Lin Jia Lang, and Lin Jia Lang said, "Sister, I remember it."
Pei Ying quickly scooped up water and mud. Lin Chuntao first blocked the chimney with grass, and then poured mud in, leaving a little grass outside. When the kiln was opened later, the grass outside could be pulled out directly.
"I can make do with this, but the chimney opening can be made of a brick with a tighter gap, specifically used to seal the smoke. You can just cover it up, which is convenient."
After the chimney was sealed, Lin Chuntao said, "After sealing it like this, we'll wait until the kiln cools down before we start. It's better to open it later than too early. If we open it too early, the temperature inside might be too high, and if we open it suddenly, it might catch fire, which is a bit dangerous."
"A kiln of this size usually takes about two days to complete. For a larger kiln, you'll have to wait a little longer."
They remembered Lin Chuntao's words. Fan Li Niang said, "We are going to build a kiln. Madam Lin, are mud bricks okay?"
"Can."
Fan Li Niang: "Then let's start cleaning up the backyard in the next two days and get the mud bricks out first."
Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "I'll draw a blueprint for you when it's done. It won't be difficult to build it then."
Lin Jialang thanked her, and Lin Chuntao and the others went back after they finished their work.
Today she was going to the county town. As agreed, she could pick up the clothes she had ordered earlier. She would also check if the fur shop owner had returned. She wanted to make a pair of boots if they were suitable.
When Lin Chuntao and her companions were halfway there, they suddenly heard loud cries of grief and shouting. Many people in front of them were holding torches and making a lot of noise.
Pei Ying reached out to stop Lin Chuntao and whispered, "Wait a minute, let's see if it's a villager."
Lin Chuntao pulled Lin Chunxing aside and they waited for a while. Some of the noisy people returned to the path, while others drove their mule carts forward.
Lin Chuntao and her friends often walked in the middle of the night and didn't want to talk to anyone. They would wait until most people had left before they walked over, but they could still vaguely hear discussions.
"Oh, this old woman Zhao, what's so wrong with her that she has to jump into this cesspool?"
"My grandchildren are gone, and my mute daughter-in-law has returned to her parents' home. I thought I had found a rich lady, but it turned out to be a bunch of liars. They even cheated Mrs. Zhao out of all her chickens. Isn't that infuriating?"
"If you ask me, that mute is actually quite hardworking, despite not being able to speak. He's bullying people because they can't speak. It's his fate!"
After walking for a while, Lin Chunxing finally asked, "Sister, the mute they are talking about, isn't that Sister Shuilian?"
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