Chapter 29 Is it really that the wooden board is too hard and it hurts?
The old man didn't respond, but Xu Minghui didn't feel awkward.
He said gently, "I'm not asking this out of any ulterior motive. I just feel that since we're all family, we should prepare for any other plans as soon as possible, so we don't end up being caught off guard and holding everyone back."
"If Grandfather feels it's inconvenient to say it, then just pretend I never asked, and I will..."
"There's nothing I can't say."
The old man lowered his eyes, interrupting him and saying calmly, "We don't have any farmland at the moment, and winter is approaching, so it's not time for spring plowing. Waiting for spring to arrive before making plans isn't a good idea. Your sister-in-law suggested we start a charcoal business to make a living, and I agreed."
"Charcoal?"
Uncle Xu was surprised and asked, "What kind of business is charcoal burning?"
The old man closed his eyes and said, "Ou'er's wife, please talk to them."
Sang Zhixia didn't expect that she would have a role to play. After a pause, she spoke frankly.
"The Northwest is freezing cold, and we need to start finding ways to keep warm at the end of autumn. People in town and the county don't have the convenience of burning firewood, so most of them use charcoal. Let's go to the mountains and chop some firewood, then bake it into charcoal blocks. We can sell them and earn some money."
Uncle Xu was not involved in household affairs and was not familiar with the details, but Aunt Xu, who had assisted the old lady in managing the household, had her eyes light up after hearing it.
"That's true."
"In previous years in Kyoto, the daily expenses for heating the house with charcoal alone were not insignificant. In winter, the charcoal shops were always busy, with no shortage of customers coming to them."
Her family has been in business for generations, and her words instantly put to rest the slight uneasiness in Xu Wenxiu's heart.
Xu Wenxiu hugged Xu Jinxi and whispered, "If we want to make charcoal, do we need a lot of firewood?"
"Spending money on firewood?"
Second Aunt Xu laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, you've got it wrong. There's such a large forest right behind Luobei Village. Why would we need to spend money on firewood?"
With wood charcoal, all you need to do is put in the effort, and the cost is almost nothing.
The business gene in her blood was aroused, and her face immediately showed joy. "In Kyoto, the price of ordinary charcoal is two cents per catty, medium-quality red charcoal can be sold for five cents, and completely smokeless silver charcoal can be sold for ten cents per catty."
"So, if we can burn three pounds of silver charcoal a day, that's enough to cover the wages of Second Master and his men moving bricks for a day!"
And how is it possible that a furnace can only produce three pounds of charcoal?
Even if there are errors and losses, after deducting all unexpected events, the considerable daily income is better than moving bricks!
Sang Zhixia hadn't expected her to have such a hidden talent. She was stunned for a moment before suppressing a smile and saying, "Second Aunt's calculation isn't bad, but the unit price in a small place can't compare to Kyoto, so I'm afraid the profit won't be that high."
Aunt Xu, thinking of the silver, forgot her pettiness and immediately said, "What's the big deal?"
"Although the unit price may not be comparable, it can still be converted into visible silver. Excluding possible price differences and losses, we are still making a lot of money in the end!"
She calculated the potential benefits in a few seconds, and completely dispelled the doubts of the others.
The old lady thought about it and thought it was a good idea. She nodded and said, "In that case, burning charcoal is indeed a good way to go."
Uncle Xu thought for a moment and said, "I think it would work."
Chopping wood sounds difficult, but can it be harder than moving bricks?
If both jobs require physical effort, then of course the one that pays more would be preferred.
Seeing that no one objected, the old man said with satisfaction, "Does that mean everyone agrees?"
Seeing his father's dark face and silence, Xu Minghui quickly said, "Since this is a good opportunity, we will naturally follow grandfather's arrangements."
"As long as you don't object."
"Over the past two days, my wife and I have almost finished preparing everything. We are just waiting for your work to be finished before we can start."
Everyone nodded secretly, except for Uncle Xu, whose expression was visibly ugly.
He looked at Xu Yu gloomily, gnashing his teeth and saying, "We've been preparing for many days. I guess this is an idea you've thought of a long time ago, right?"
Xu Yu, who had been silent the whole time, hummed calmly, "I've been thinking about it for a few days."
"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"
Uncle Xu suddenly stood up in anger and said angrily, "Since there are other ways, why do you force me to suffer in the brick kiln? Seeing me suffer makes you feel relieved, right?!"
"What do you mean?"
Xu Yu looked at him with a half-smile, raising his eyebrows. He said slowly, "Second Uncle, you're not the only one going to the brick kiln."
"So what?"
Second Uncle Xu shouted angrily, "You knew you didn't have to do the hard work of moving bricks, yet you pretended to be ignorant and deliberately forced me to embarrass myself in front of others!"
"You only told me now that you had other plans. It turns out I was the only one who was kept in the dark from the beginning? Are you the only one who is family, so..."
"Second Master!"
Aunt Xu stood up in panic and tried to stop him, but was pushed to the ground instead.
"Get out of here too!"
"You're all the same kind of people! You all just want to see me suffer! The old ones side with the eldest branch, and the young ones are also traitors! You're all a bunch of black-hearted people!"
He roared in anger, shook off Xu Minghui's hand and was about to leave in anger.
But as soon as he moved his feet, the old lady stood up and slapped him loudly in the face.
"You bastard! Is this the place for you to act wild?!"
The old lady didn't dare to look at the old man's sullen face. She stared at Uncle Xu, who seemed to have lost his mind, and said angrily: "You are not the only one working hard in the brick kiln. Chopping wood and making charcoal is not a one-person job either!"
"You are busy outside, so we are just sitting around doing nothing at home?"
"Your father is so old, and he's still carrying mud and digging pits all the time. Minghui's shoulders are all worn out. Open your eyes and see who's got nothing. You're a fool possessed by a ghost! If you dare to make trouble again, I'll peel your skin off!"
The old lady got really angry and even resorted to violence, and the atmosphere suddenly became extremely depressing.
But Uncle Xu still refused to accept.
Xu Minghui was afraid that he would say something even more embarrassing and foolish, so he quickly supported him and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, my father must be exhausted. I'll help him go inside to rest first."
"Let me go! I..."
"father!"
Xu Minghui lowered his lips and said solemnly: "Grandma is right, you should go inside and rest."
"Mom, come with me to help Dad into the house."
Aunt Xu, who was helped up from the ground by Xu Wenxiu, went to help him with tears in her eyes. Together with Xu Minghui, she finally helped the crazy Uncle Xu into the house.
After all this commotion, the little bit of joy that I had just felt was completely diluted.
The old man was too lazy to comment on the farce. He closed his eyes and said, "Third brother, do you have any opinions?"
Uncle Xu quickly said, "We'll all listen to you."
"That'll do."
"You guys continue to go to the brick kiln and finish your work these few days. I'll take the rest of the people and try firing bricks twice. If there's nothing else, we can all go our separate ways."
Although the old man didn't say much, he was still very angry about Uncle Xu's behavior.
Uncle Xu and Xu Yu escorted him into the house before leaving.
Sang Zhixia saw Xu Yu coming in and asked quietly, "Is Second Uncle always like this?"
From the first time they met in prison until now, she couldn't count how many times she had seen Uncle Xu go berserk.
Is it so easy to break through the defense?
Xu Yu exhaled and said, "When my grandmother remarried and entered the Xu family, my father was already eight years old and had inherited the title of Crown Prince. My second uncle was my grandmother's first son."
At that time, the old man was fully focused on his eldest son left by his deceased wife, and the old lady poured all her attention into Uncle Xu.
Uncle Xu had been spoiled by the old lady since he was a child and had developed an air of superiority. He believed that he was no worse than the eldest son in every way and had always harbored the ambition to seize the title.
But after Xu Yu was born, the old man personally went to the palace to ask for permission to appoint him as the crown prince and to raise him under his wing. Uncle Xu's years of planning were completely shattered, and his temper became even worse than before.
In general, Xu Yu had already expected that he could endure until today before breaking down.
After all, his second uncle's temper is really hard to describe.
Sang Zhixia listened to some of the Xu family's gossip from previous years, paused and said delicately, "Rich families really do have a lot of twists and turns."
She asked why it was the old lady who slapped the old man today, while the old man just sat there motionless.
It turns out that the old man never disciplined his second son at all.
Xu Yu heard the sigh behind her words and was startled. After a moment of silence, he said, "What about the General's Mansion? When you were in the General's Mansion, didn't you encounter such inside stories?"
Sang Zhixia didn't expect that his serious face also hid a gossipy heart. He touched his chin and sighed, "You reminded me that I shouldn't laugh at others when I am only fifty steps away."
The Xu family has a lot of things to do, but the old man is quite strict in managing the family. From the top to the bottom of the three branches of the Xu family, there are no messy concubines or maids.
The General’s Mansion is different.
Her biological mother was her father's eighth concubine, and she had more than a dozen other concubines whose names she couldn't even count. It was a real mess.
Xu Yu only mentioned it casually, and when he saw her expression turn very upset, his mind went blank and he subconsciously said: "Xu family rules do not allow concubines. You can only have one wife at home for your whole life, so you don't have to worry."
Sang Zhixia was still immersed in the original owner's bad memories, and was half a beat late before saying, "What did you say?"
Xu Yu tightened his jaw with a complicated expression and said calmly, "It's nothing. Just take the medicine and go to sleep."
After he said that, he lay down on the wooden board and turned his back as if in a huff.
Sang Zhixia looked at the back of his head, which seemed to be filled with resentment, and felt very confused.
Is it her illusion?
Why did she feel that as long as she lay down on the wooden floor, Xu Yu's head would emit a strong resentment all the time?
Could it be that the wooden board is really too hard and it hurts?
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