Chu Fan stood there, his eyes fixed on the scattered black stones on the ground, his heart filled with an irrepressible excitement. After all, in nature, it was rare to find such pure black stones.
He squatted down and reached out to pick up a black stone to observe it more carefully. After a careful examination, his long-standing suspicion was confirmed: these black stones were indeed coal.
"Uncle, this stone is useless, and if you take it home and burn it, it will produce toxic smoke." A child's voice suddenly came into Chu Fan's ears, interrupting his thoughts.
Chu Fan looked up at the source of the sound and spotted several children standing nearby. Their bodies had turned black, their faces painted like tabby cats, making them look both comical and adorable. Even more striking was the fact that each of them was playing with a few pieces of coal.
Chu Fan is in a much better mood now that he has found coal. Whether it is used to heat the people or to replace the firewood needed by the court, it is very feasible. In this way, the people can survive this cold winter, and the court's refined salt business will not be affected, and the blast furnace ironmaking plan can be started.
Chu Fan asked with a hint of curiosity and concern: "Little boy, why do you say that these stones will produce toxic gases when they burn?" After all, Chu Fan knew that coal would produce toxic gases such as carbon monoxide if it was not fully burned.
However, carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, non-irritating gas. The poisonous mist that the child mentioned is most likely the carbon dioxide and various gases with pungent odors released when the coal starts to burn.
The child raised his head and answered seriously, "Because we have witnessed people dying of poisoning shortly after burning these stones. So we know that these stones produce poisonous gases when they burn."
Chu Fan continued to ask, "Since you know these stones are poisonous, why do you still dare to play with them? Aren't you afraid of being poisoned yourself?"
The child said with a hint of disdain and confidence, "Uncle, it seems you don't know much about this. We have indeed seen people die from poisoning after burning these stones, but we have never seen anyone die from poisoning simply from touching these stones. Look, aren't we all fine?"
Chu Chufan looked at the children in front of him and couldn't help laughing at their simple and direct logic. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of several aunts hurriedly walking towards him, holding rattan sticks.
Chu Fan couldn't help but tease, "Although I don't know if these stones are truly poisonous and can kill you, I can be sure of one thing: you will definitely receive a severe beating."
Just as Chu Fan finished speaking, the swinging cane hit the child mercilessly.
The child looked at the person who was beating him and cried out in apology: "Grandma, Grandma, I was wrong, I was really wrong. I will never play with these stones again."
The middle-aged woman roared angrily, "Look at yourself, you're all black. How can I clean you up? You're just a mischievous kid. You're such a pain in the ass."
Chu Fan smiled and said, "Little friend, you need to be brave. How can you cry and beg for mercy so easily?"
The child sobbed and replied, "You haven't experienced the pain of being beaten, so of course you can stand by and say harmless things. But if you really experienced the pain of being beaten with a cane, you would cry like me."
Chu Fan had an idea to continue teasing the little boy, so he said to him, "Little boy, look, there's not a single stain on my clothes. I won't be beaten by my own grandma."
The middle-aged woman looked at Chu Fan and said to him with a somewhat cautious tone, "Sir, please stop teasing my good-for-nothing boy. His parents have gone to the city to work as laborers, and only I and I are left at home to discipline this little guy. I hope my grandson didn't disturb your enjoyment of your trip."
There was a hint of humility and concern in her words, and she was obviously worried that her grandson would cause inconvenience to this young man who seemed to be of extraordinary status.
The middle-aged woman was clearly quite discerning. She could tell at a glance that Chu Fan's attire was unusual, revealing him to be the son of a wealthy family. Furthermore, the fact that he was accompanied by several beautiful women further confirmed his identity. In her opinion, it was inappropriate for an ordinary person like herself to have too much contact with such a figure.
Chu Fan smiled warmly after hearing this and responded, "Sister, you really don't have to be so polite. I teased this kid because he looked so interesting that I couldn't help but want to play with him. If he did anything excessive, it would be my fault. And please don't blame me for being rude."
His tone was full of apology, but also revealed his affection for the child.
When Chu Fan showed such a friendly attitude, the middle-aged woman's worries disappeared.
At the same time, she felt very happy because the young and handsome man in front of her actually called her "sister", which made her feel that she had done a good job in maintaining herself. She couldn't help but think that it was only the old man in her family who didn't know how to appreciate and cherish her.
Chu Fan continued to ask, "Sister, do you know where I can find this kind of black stone?"
The middle-aged woman answered in detail, "These stones were piled up like mountains outside Zhonghua City. Initially, someone discovered that these stones could be used for burning, so they began to use them. Unfortunately, after several families died from poisonous gases released by these stones, everyone stopped using them.
Later, Minister Changsun led the city guards to begin building houses. Despite using cement, a miraculous building material, the houses built with this stone still seemed insufficiently strong and reliable. Ultimately, they decided to abandon its use as a building material. They then transported all the mined stone to the outskirts of Zhonghua City and piled it outside the city walls, creating a unique landscape.
Chu Fan said to the middle-aged woman, "Can you take me to see it?"
"Of course." The middle-aged woman said with a smile.
On the way, Chu Fan asked the child, "Kid, what's your name?"
The child replied: "Everyone calls me Goudan."
Chu Fan asked in confusion: "Why is it named like this?"
Goudan replied, "The adults say that a humble name is easier to maintain."
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