Kerosene wasn't a rare commodity in the countryside. After all, there was no electricity, and candles were too expensive. Although everyone was used to going to bed early, there were always times when something came up at night, so every household would have a kerosene lamp. They would also keep about half a pound of kerosene on hand.
However, people are generally reluctant to use them. The Yun Youtian family is no exception.
However, no matter how reluctant she was to use them normally, Wang Shufen was willing to spend them all to prepare torches for the "fairy goddess." Moreover, in order to please He Xiangu, she even specially instructed Yun Youtian to fill the container with extra kerosene.
At this moment, Yun Youtian was also generous.
After all, she's a true fairy, so we should treat her with respect.
So he nodded and said, "I know." Then he picked up a wood-chopping knife, went behind the house to cut a bamboo stalk, and cut off a few sections of bamboo tubes to make torches.
Torches are easy to make; you can simply take branches of pine or cypress trees that are rich in resin, tie them together, and use them as torches.
Or it would be a rag bundle, tightly tied to a tree branch and soaked in kerosene.
Alternatively, you can use two sections of bamboo, one long and one short, leaving the joint intact. Pour a little kerosene into the shorter section, then wrap a strip of cloth into a small cylinder and stuff it into the bamboo tube, sealing it tightly. Turn the bamboo tube upside down to let the kerosene soak into the cloth. If the fire gets too small, turn the bamboo tube upside down again. Torches made this way last the longest; as long as there is kerosene in the bamboo tube, the torch can be used indefinitely.
What Yun Youtian was making were these kinds of torches. He made two in total, and poured a lot of kerosene into each bamboo tube. Not to mention that it was only a little over an hour's journey, even if it was most of the night or three or four hours, the torches could still be used. He almost used up all the kerosene in his house.
That's quite a sacrifice.
Who can blame them when the fairy is a real fairy with 'powerful magic'?
To please them, that's a must!
After receiving the torch, He Xiangu thanked her and went out carrying her things in one hand and the torch in the other.
Of course. She was used to living a poor life, and since it wasn't completely dark yet and she wasn't in a hurry to leave, she didn't ask Yun Youtian and the others to light her torch.
Yun Youtian and the others assumed that the fairy used matches (although most people in rural China were still using flint and steel at that time, some better-off families used matches to start fires, which are commonly known as foreign matches), so they didn't mention it.
As He Xiangu stepped out of Yun Youtian's courtyard, the onlookers greeted her with a cacophony of voices, all shouting "Hello, Xiangu!" Their tone and expressions were filled with utmost reverence.
A villager came up to her with a fawning expression and said, "Fairy, are you done here? Are you going straight home? Or, shall we go together? I may not be good at much else, but I can carry your things or light a torch for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone next to him nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, Fairy, let's go together. With you by our side, we'll be braver walking at night."
Of course, that's nonsense. These idlers aren't afraid of walking at night; they're just trying to curry favor.
He Xiangu nodded with feigned modesty and said, "I will definitely go back, but I have some things to do here. If you are in a hurry, you can go back first and don't have to wait for me."
"No rush, no rush." Someone nearby quickly shook their head, then asked curiously, "But Fairy, is there something wrong with this village?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
