Chapter 69: The Human Heart is Unpredictable
Wu Yuetang, who was wiping her hands with a cloth, smiled at the sight. She walked to the edge of the depression, squatted down, and picked up a short bamboo tube to demonstrate. "Master Qi, don't underestimate this. There's a trick to it. Look, these bamboos buried underground have joints connected. One end is connected to the fireplace, and the other end leads outside the cave to dissipate heat. When the fire is burning, the heat flows through the bamboo tubes in the shallow trenches underground, like a warm blanket covering the ground. We then seal the joints of the bamboo tubes with clay to prevent the heat from escaping, and cover them with a thin layer of soil. This will not affect your walking, but will also lock the heat in the cave."
As she spoke, she pointed in the direction of the fireplace. "When the fireplace is lit, touch the ground; it will be warm in less than an hour. Bamboo may not be as strong as copper pipes, but it's readily available. Clay is also readily available. With a little effort, anyone can make it. Winter won't be a struggle."
Mr. Qi's eyes grew brighter as he listened, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his knees, his mind racing with calculations. In his early days as a fur trader in the north, he'd seen countless ordinary people suffer from winter sores on their hands and feet from the cold. Rich families would spend dozens of taels of silver annually just on charcoal just to keep warm. If only this bamboo tube floor heating was as simple and cheap as Wu Yuetang claimed...
"Great! What a good idea to use local materials!" Master Qi slapped his thigh suddenly, stood up, his face showing excitement that he could not hide, "Miss Wu's idea is simply a timely help!" He walked quickly to the cave entrance, looked at the continuous mountains outside, and turned back to look at those inconspicuous bamboos, as if he saw countless business opportunities jumping before his eyes.
"Miss Yuetang," Master Qi turned around, his tone more serious than ever, "Do you think this will work? Once we get out of this snowy mountain, I'll open a shop in the capital city specializing in selling the materials for this floor heating system—bamboo tubes with pre-drilled joints, clay prepared according to the right proportions, and then hire a few skilled craftsmen to teach them how to dig trenches, lay pipes, and seal the joints. If ordinary people want to install it, we'll provide the materials and installation. If the rich don't like bamboo, we can replace it with copper pipes and still use the same method."
He became more and more excited as he spoke. He walked up to Wu Shoutian and bowed, saying, "Brother Shoutian, this idea was thought up by your daughter. If I want to do this business, I will have to borrow your help. If we make money, we can split it 30% to 70%. You take 70% and I take 30%. How about that?"
Wu Shoutian and his sons were stunned, their work pausing. They'd originally considered floor heating simply to keep their cave warm during the winter; had they ever considered it could be exchanged for silver? Wu Qingeng scratched his head and looked at his sister, his eyes filled with doubt: "Will this even work?"
Wu Yuetang was also a little surprised, but quickly calmed down and said with a smile, "Master Qi, you are flattering us. This method is not a secret. Once seen, anyone with a keen eye can always figure it out. You have the connections and the capital, and we just came up with an idea. A 30% to 70% split is too much. How about this, when your shop is open, we will help teach the method to the craftsmen, and we will split the profits 50-50. What do you think?"
Mr. Qi hadn't expected her to be so insightful. Not only was she not greedy, but she also knew how to make concessions. He immediately showed even more respect for this young woman. "Miss Wu is young, but she knows her limits better than many businessmen! Okay, let's do as you say, a 50-50 split! Once we get out of the snowy mountains, we'll sign a written agreement and it's settled!"
He rubbed his hands happily and couldn't help looking at the depression, as if he had seen the scene of countless people using floor heating. Even the look in his eyes when he looked at the Wu family became more and more friendly - this was not just meeting an ordinary farmer's family, it was clearly that he had picked up a treasure that could lay golden eggs!
The wind was still howling outside, but the atmosphere inside was incredibly lively thanks to this unexpected business opportunity. Even Mrs. Li, who was applying clay, couldn't help but laugh and joke, "So, our Yuetang can not only keep us warm this winter, but also help us make money?"
Wu Yuetang smiled, saying nothing, but her heart was filled with warmth. She had only wanted her family to have a safe winter, but she hadn't imagined this small piece of floor heating would become the catalyst for a change in the Wu family's circumstances. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the rocks, illuminating the bamboo tubes waiting to be buried, a glimmer of hope.
The excitement in the cave didn't last long; it reached the ears of other villagers nearby. The cave was already packed with dozens of people, each household close together, and the noise from the Wu family had long been noticed by those who were watching.
Aunt Sun glanced at the Wu family, all talking and laughing, spat on the ground, and pulled Chen Chunhe into a corner, saying in a low voice, "Did you see that? The Wu family is so lucky that they've been favored by Master Qi. Even a few broken bamboos can be exchanged for silver. Their ancestors are so lucky!"
Chen Chunhe gathered her thin clothes, her eyes full of envy. "Who says it's not true? We used to laugh at them for messing around, digging and burying bamboo like crazy, but now they've become so popular. Who is Master Qi? He can make a lot of money from anything he likes!"
Several villagers gathered around, and one said sourly, "We're all from the same village. Now that they've gotten rich, they can't forget about us, right?"
"Exactly! Maybe someone accidentally mentioned the floor heating method to me. Why should they keep all the benefits?"
"How about...we go talk to them and ask them to give us some? Even if they don't pay us, they should at least teach us how to install floor heating, right?"
Aunt Sun rolled her eyes and clapped her hands. "Ask them? Wu Shoutian looks honest, but he's actually very stubborn. He might not agree. I think of someone—Wang Xiaobin!"
Everyone was stunned when these words came out, and then they reacted. Everyone knew that Wu Yuetang had been so devoted to Wang Xiaobin that it had spread all over the place. If Wang Xiaobin hadn't later hooked up with the headmaster's daughter, Liu Linlin, he might have married Wu Yuetang long ago.
"That's right!" Chen Chunhe nodded immediately. "Wang Xiaobin is still with us. If he goes to talk to Wu Yuetang, based on their past friendship, Wu Yuetang won't refuse to give him face, right?"
"That's right, let Wang Xiaobin go and talk to us. Just say that we are all from the same village and that winter is hard for everyone. Ask her to hand over the method of floor heating, or let us share some of the profits from Master Qi's business!"
The group of people felt that the idea was feasible as they talked about it, and immediately went to find Wang Xiaobin.
Wang Xiaobin and Liu Linlin were sitting on a rock, listening to the discussion nearby, their brows furrowed slightly. He had naturally heard about the Wu family's plan to enter into a business partnership with Master Qi, and he was feeling a bit uneasy. But then he thought, this snowy mountain winter is unbearable. Since the Wu family has a way to stay warm, and they've even invented something as innovative as floor heating, if they could use their help, not only through the winter, but also in the future—especially with Wu Yuetang's excellent cooking skills. If she could help with the food, it would make their journey much easier.
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