Fuxian County is deserted and quiet after nightfall. Although there is no curfew like in the capital city of Taiyuan, it is freezing cold and few people are out and about.
The soft moonlight shone on the stone-paved road. Most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed, and few of the rows of houses had lights on.
To save on expensive lamp oil, most commoners worked from sunrise to sunset, except for a few well-off families who might have some nightlife.
But when Zheng Quchi arrived at the West Market, where the workshops were concentrated, he found that it seemed to be the only brightly lit place in the entire town and county.
The bluestone slabs on the street reflected the light from the lanterns of the shops, casting long shadows on people.
Zheng Quchi and Wei Yao dismounted. He led the way, while she followed behind him like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden.
This was her first time entering a place that was a treasure trove for the craftsmen.
In the past, she could only imagine and hypothesize what an ancient workshop should look like through books or words.
They once flourished and thrived through one period after another, and eventually declined and changed, becoming a symbolic term in an era.
In modern terms, a workshop is essentially an ancient factory, a place where handicrafts were produced.
She was overwhelmed by the sights along the way, seeing kilns, weaving workshops, earthen cellars for grain and wine, blacksmith shops for casting iron, and some rather rare workshops for manufacturing vehicles and jade making.
Unexpectedly, this small county of Fu, though lacking master craftsmen, is surprisingly well-equipped, producing all sorts of practical and everyday goods.
"This section ahead is lined with traditional workshops. Is there a place you'd like to visit?"
Seeing her shaking her head and exclaiming "Wow!" and "Hiss!" in surprise, he found it amusing and assumed she was interested in going inside to explore.
Private workshops aren't rushing to finish their work, but many are still operating and under construction. On the other hand, government-run workshops have been extremely busy lately, especially the casting bureau and the official kilns, which are working overtime every day to produce goods.
At the boundary between private and government-run workshops, Wei Yao stopped and turned to ask her, "The official kiln is just ahead. What are your plans?"
Zheng Quchi looked up and saw a stone archway in front of her. The archway was inscribed with the words "Exquisite Craftsmanship". She stared at it for a moment, and subconsciously said, "Let's go to the iron smelting place first."
"You're going to the Foundry?"
Is that the name?
"Mm." She nodded.
Wei Yao's eyes darkened slightly, but his face remained nonchalant and easygoing as he smiled: "Alright, let's go."
The two arrived at the casting workshop. After pushing open the door, they saw many blacksmiths bustling about inside.
They were all wearing only trousers, their upper bodies exposed, their gleaming muscles and sweaty biceps pounding against the red-hot iron blocks.
As she looked down the long corridor, she saw at least a dozen blacksmiths.
The blacksmiths didn't stop their work when they arrived. They simply greeted Wei Yao when they recognized him, and then continued to focus on their hammering.
The indoor temperature was very high. Zheng Quchi had just come in from the chilly outdoors, and soon his forehead was covered in a fine sweat.
Wei Yao gestured to her: "Alright, this is the casting bureau of Fuxian County. Do whatever you want."
Zheng Quchi said there was no rush.
She walked to the coal stove and examined the smelting furnace.
It is estimated to be about three meters high. A manual blower is installed next to the furnace. Zheng Quchi has seen this thing in the literature. It is mentioned in the relevant records of the Book of Han. It is called "tuo", which is a leather bag made of sheepskin or cowhide used to blow air.
With this manual blower, the temperature of the smelting furnace could conservatively be estimated to reach over 1000 degrees Celsius. She didn't know the exact temperature, but this meant that many of the things she had in mind could be achieved.
She observed the flames burning for a while, then watched how the blacksmiths smelted and cast iron, and made up her mind.
They used an "internal heating" method, adding crushed iron ore and charcoal in layers into the furnace and burning them with forced air to melt them.
This method is still quite primitive. The smelting technology in Ye Kingdom now refers to that of the late Song Dynasty... roughly speaking. She only has a general understanding of alchemy, so it's not accurate.
The blacksmiths initially thought that Lord Wei had only brought one person in to visit and check on the progress, but after they came in, he neither asked them any questions nor disturbed them. He simply stood with his arms crossed by the door, while another looked around like a child looking at something strange.
Zheng Quchi ran over to the wooden rack, examined the finished ironware pieces cast there, and then went to find Wei Yao: "I also want to go and take a look at the kiln."
I don't know what Wei Yao was thinking, but he always granted her every request.
He then led her to the kiln where iron ore was smelted. The kiln was a common, dome-shaped structure, built with brick blanks or bricks, and consisted of a kiln door, a firebox, a front chamber, a rear chamber, a chimney, and other parts.
As soon as you get close, a wave of heat washes over you. There are quite a few kilns here, all burning with fire, surrounded by piles of firewood and coal briquettes.
"I wonder how much lime can be made in a day?" she murmured.
What is lime?
Zheng Quchi immediately changed his tune: "It's chalk ash."
"All the previously produced materials were transported to Guisupo to build the city wall. We are currently rushing to complete them, and there are very few left."
The moment she saw the kiln, she knew she was doomed.
She had originally planned to learn how to make cement like the time-traveling predecessors in the book, but after some observation, it was clear that the conditions in Ye Kingdom were simply not suitable.
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