Chapter 276 Who is releasing dangerous goods?
Xiaohua often brings back things, ranging from common mice, bugs, frogs to unusual snakes, bats, etc.
The whole family is used to it.
But this time it didn't look like a living thing, but a piece of scroll-like thing.
An Qinghe smiled and put a small dried fish in front of Xiaohua's nose, "Come on, let's exchange, let me see what you have in your mouth?"
The dried fish really worked. Xiaohua loosened her mouth after just shaking it.
An Qinghe caught the fallen object with one hand and threw the dried fish into Xiaohua's mouth.
The calico cat jumped up from Shi Tou's hand, opened its mouth to catch the dried fish, then landed nimbly and ran away.
A few humans were left behind to study what the cat had brought back under the light.
The wooden tube is as thick as an ordinary clothesline pole and as long as an Anqing and index finger.
An Qinghe shook it and said, "There's something in it."
He Jinglan urged, "Open it quickly and take a look. Could it be that someone is using this to send a message?"
Gu Xixi suddenly remembered the Saker Falcon that Mu Nanzhao had sent to deliver a message.
At that time, the Saker Falcon had a wooden tube similar to this one tied to its leg. It was hollow inside and contained a secret letter.
Could it be that he sent a message to report that he was safe?
Gu Xixi felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation and looked up.
An Qinghe had already opened the stopper at one end of the wooden barrel, and a smell emanated.
He Jinglan pinched her nose, "What is this? It smells so bad!"
An Qinghe looked down and said, "There is no letter. It is full of liquid."
"I've smelled it before." Shitou came over, took a look, and confirmed, "Kerosene, this is kerosene!"
Everyone was stunned.
They had heard of kerosene, but this was the first time they saw the real thing.
Ordinary people usually use crude, unrefined soybean oil to light lamps.
What the Daye people call kerosene is actually petroleum.
Because there was no means to explore for oil at that time, the only way to rely on the accidental oil gushing out from underground during the mining process was luck, so the output was extremely small.
This item was controlled by the imperial court and was rarely sold to the public. It was even listed as military supplies.
The rockets used by the Northwest Army and the catapults used to make fireballs all required kerosene.
Some pharmacopoeias also list kerosene as a medicinal ingredient.
Aunt Zhang asked Shitou, "How do you know this is kerosene?"
Shitou said, "My family used to discard a number of old trees and sold them to a charcoal-making workshop."
"My dad saw it when he took me to deliver goods."
"They use kerosene to make charcoal. I asked what smelled so bad."
He Jinglan nodded, "This smell is special, you will never forget it once you smell it."
Gu Xixi saw the cat food that Aunt Zhang had prepared and picked up the bowl and handed it to Shi Tou.
"Xiaohua is hungry, go feed it."
"Wait until it finishes eating, then go get your grandfather the doctor over here and we'll eat."
Shitou agreed happily and ran out with the bowl.
The kitchen fell into silence. The flickering light of the oil lamp cast shadows on the wall.
Aunt Zhang's face has not been very happy since just now. Considering her age, she naturally has some experience.
She frowned and muttered, "Who would leave something so dangerous lying around?"
"If Xiaohua could have found it, could it have been dropped near our house?"
Gu Xixi also had a gloomy face, as if thinking about something.
He Jinglan noticed something unusual and looked at Gu Xixi to ask what was wrong.
Gu Xixi said, "It is said that this thing will catch fire easily. If you pour it on, the fire will spread in the blink of an eye. The worst thing is that it is not easy to put out."
Everyone's expression became solemn.
An Qinghe had a cold face and his eyes were staring at somewhere.
"If it was thrown on purpose, did this beast, worse than a hyena, intend to set fire and kill people?!"
He is always smiling and I have never seen him really angry.
Aunt Zhang was startled and asked subconsciously, "Who wants to harm us?"
"Could it be that Mr. Gu?"
The more Aunt Zhang thought about it, the more she felt it was possible. "Now, only his family didn't buy fertilizer. They were enemies before, and his youngest son was sentenced to exile. I don't know when he will be released. It must be their family!"
An Qinghe grabbed the kerosene cylinder and said, "I'll go find him right away!"
"Stop." Gu Xixi said in a deep voice, "It wasn't their family who did it."
Aunt Zhang and An Qinghe looked puzzled.
He Jinglan explained, "Kerosene is scarce, expensive, and controlled by the imperial court. First, the Gu family has no connections. Second, they are reluctant to spend the money just to take revenge on Gu Xixi."
On second thought, it is true.
If Uncle Gu's family had this ability, they would have instigated the local Gu family to attack Gu Xixi. Why did they end up in disgrace, being expelled from the family tree, and still being despised by the villagers?
An Qinghe said solemnly, "I'll go out and see if there's anything else."
He held a lamp and looked around the yard, checking every corner and crevices.
As a result, the second barrel of kerosene was not found.
He Jinglan and Gu Xixi looked at each other, and they both had the same guess in their minds.
The kerosene Xiaohua picked up was just a warning.
Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I'm relieved that they didn't find anything. Who would have set the fire and thrown such a small amount?"
"It seems that we are all overthinking it. Xiaohua sometimes walks far away. Maybe she picked up the kerosene dropped by someone on the official road today."
He Jinglan quickly agreed, "Yes, who would throw away such expensive kerosene? It must have been dropped accidentally."
Aunt Zhang relaxed. "That's a possibility, but forget about it. Let's eat."
An Qinghe looked at Gu Xixi doubtfully. Is it really that simple?
After dinner, Gu Xixi gave the tube of kerosene to the old doctor.
After all, it is medicinal material, don't waste it.
The next morning, Gu Xixi harnessed the mule cart and packed her luggage.
He Jinglan was also standing nearby, holding her bag in her arms.
Aunt Zhang was surprised. "Didn't you say you wouldn't go out recently?"
Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I can't keep the newly bought farm idle forever."
"I want to plant some crops first, so I'm going to stay for three to five days."
Aunt Zhang never stopped Gu Xixi from doing big things. I heard that there were two small houses on the farm, with simple furniture and wooden beds.
She then carried two quilts out to load into the car, saying, "These two quilts were your mother's dowry last year. I took them apart and washed them, and then took them out to dry every year. They are just right for putting them in the farm, and I can use them occasionally."
Gu Xixi did not refuse, "Thank you, auntie."
When they were about to leave, An Qinghe ran out to see them off.
Gu Xixi said seriously, "I'm going to my own territory, why are you sending me there?"
"On the contrary, if you are not in a hurry to return to Yunling, the village may still need your help."
He Jinglan also said, "Yes, this is the first time that the villagers are using the fertilizers and pesticides you made. Shouldn't you keep a closer eye on them?"
"If you have any problems, you can solve them at any time. Don't ruin the reputation of our own workshop. We are counting on you to manage the business well and make money for the three of us in the future!"
An Qinghe then gave up, "Then please be careful on the road."
After seeing the kerosene last night, he always felt a little uneasy.
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