Magistrate Liu, who looked quite portly, glanced worriedly at the snowy weather outside and hesitated before speaking, "I've sent people to check the roads these past few days, but the snow is too heavy; it might be difficult to travel."
This Director Song comes from a royal family in the capital. If something happens on his turf, he can't afford the consequences!
Just as he was worrying, a yamen runner came in and reported, "Your Excellency, Chief Zhao of Changfeng Village has come to see you."
"What?"
"What?"
Magistrate Liu and Song Yun were both surprised. This... coming to the county government office at this time of day in heavy snow, something serious must have happened.
"Mozhu, help me up." Song Yun struggled to get up, wondering if something had happened at the mine.
"Quickly, quickly invite them in," Magistrate Liu hurriedly ordered.
Magistrate Liu also came up to help Song Yun, and he and Mo Zhu stood on either side of him.
Zhao, the pavilion chief, waited in the side hall for a while. His servants brought him fragrant tea, but he hesitated to drink it.
Good heavens, the things in this county government office are so precious. This cup looks worth a lot of silver; he dares not touch it.
Zhao Dahai and Zhao Xiaohe did not come in, but instead found a place outside to take shelter from the snow and keep an eye on the oxcart.
Zhao, the pavilion chief, sat cautiously in the chair, his eyes constantly darting outside.
When Zhao Tingzhang saw Director Song and Magistrate Liu arrive together, he was taken aback and quickly got up to greet them.
"Director Song, Magistrate Liu," Zhao Tingzhang stepped forward and bowed.
Magistrate Liu waved his hand, "Please sit down quickly, what happened?"
Zhao Tingzhang recounted the whole story, then looked at Director Song. This idea was currently just wishful thinking on his and Wanzi Niang's part; he wondered what Director Song's opinion was.
After listening, Song Yun frowned. "The imperial court previously prohibited the use of this black gold stone among the common people because it is poisonous and can easily cause people to die from poisoning if not handled carefully."
"What?" Zhao Tingzhang stood up in a daze. This... then Changfeng Village has no hope.
Sigh! He got all excited for nothing.
“However, since Sister He brought it up, perhaps she already has a good idea. Let’s go back and discuss it properly,” Song Yun continued.
The group discussed setting off back as soon as possible. Just like when they came, the five people and one cow relied entirely on manpower to get back to Changfeng Village.
The first thing I did upon entering the village was head straight for He Tiantian's house.
As darkness fell outside, He Tiantian was at home cooking dinner with her sister-in-law, Yulan.
A large pot of buckwheat porridge, mixed with some white rice, was cooking in the pot. Around the edge of the pot were flatbreads made of cornmeal.
"Maruko's mother, is Maruko's mother here?" Zhao Tingzhang shouted from outside the door.
He Tiantian had been thinking about this all day, and when she finally heard that Zhao Tingzhang had returned, her eyes lit up and she ran out.
"Chief Zhao, you're finally back." He Tiantian saw Chief Zhao and his group as soon as she came out, and of course, Director Song was also there. "Director Song, you're here too."
He Tiantian invited everyone in, but there weren't enough chairs in the house for so many people.
Zhao Dahai and Zhao Xiaohe quickly declined and went back, saying they needed to let their mother know they were safe as soon as possible, otherwise their family would worry. He Tiantian thought it made sense, so she didn't try to stop them.
It was dinnertime, so He Tiantian served Song Yun, Zhao Tingzhang, and Mozhu each a bowl of porridge.
"Don't mind the simple food, let's sit down and eat and chat."
Zhao, the village head, felt embarrassed, as no one had any extra grain these days. But seeing that Director Song had already sat down, he had no reason to refuse any longer.
Perhaps because the day's journey had been so exhausting, Director Song ate this simple meal with particular relish.
After dinner, Sister-in-law Yulan took the children aside to play.
Director Song then asked He Tiantian some specific questions, "Sister-in-law He, you probably don't know that burning black gold stone produces a lot of smoke and is very pungent, and improper handling can even lead to death."
When the imperial court used metallurgy to burn paper and coal, they built special places for it. Those places were large and spacious, so no one would be harmed.
He Tiantian had considered all of Song Yun's points beforehand.
She smiled and said, "Director Song, if I have a way to avoid this danger, could you give the villagers of Changfeng Village some black gold stones to help them get through the winter?"
Song Yun's eyes lit up. "That's certainly possible. And if the method works, it can be popularized among the people."
He Tiantian offered her opinion: "Director Song, the black gold stone is quite thick and large after it's mined, so it doesn't burn completely. Could we change its shape to allow it to burn more fully? This way, it won't produce a lot of smoke and dust, and as long as the villagers take proper ventilation measures, they won't be poisoned."
As He Tiantian spoke, she took a chopstick and drew a honeycomb briquette pattern on the ground.
Honeycomb briquettes are the result of numerous modern improvements, designed to ensure complete combustion of coal and prevent waste.
At the same time, this thing produces less smoke and burns for a longer period of time.
"Of course, besides this circle, we can also make it into a rectangle or other shapes. It's just a matter of punching a few more holes."
After He Tiantian finished her detailed explanation, Director Song and Director Zhao were stunned.
Mo Zhu was completely confused and had no idea what they were talking about.
Even though Song Yun had seen a lot in the world, he couldn't help but feel excited at this moment.
“Okay, this is a good idea. Let’s implement it first.” The mold making needs to be done by a blacksmith, and Song Yun recorded the patterns drawn by He Tiantian.
He planned to have the blueprints delivered to Magistrate Liu the next day, so he could find a blacksmith in town to commission the work.
After discussing the coal supply to Changfeng Village, Song Yun asked some questions about ventilation in the mine.
In addition to using it as a hollow master to ventilate the bottom floor and to dig more ventilation holes, He Tiantian also drew the pattern of a modern fan.
In ancient times, without electricity, the fan had to be operated manually.
Song Yun was overjoyed and made sure to memorize all the patterns before leaving.
Despite the long journey, he didn't feel tired at all. Once he arrived at the mine, he started looking for paper and pen and drew several patterns.
The label also includes some points to note.
The mine explosion also threatened Song Yun's previous residence, but fortunately, the damage wasn't too severe, and with a little tidying up, he could finally rest peacefully.
That night, because it was so cold, almost no one was able to sleep peacefully.
The next day, Song Yun waited for a long time at the mine, but the villagers did not come to work.
He was puzzled, so he asked Mozhu to find out what was going on. He learned that the villagers had secretly reached an agreement to go on strike.
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