Ice furnace
"You can deliver it to my grandson in just one day?" the mother-in-law said in astonishment. "I thought it would take half a year. Everyone said it was very far away. I've never been there, so I don't know exactly how far away it is."
It is indeed very far. It involves crossing mountains and rivers, and it's not something an ordinary person can reach in a day. Yue Lang thought to himself that something was wrong, thinking that the old man had misunderstood. Meng Yan was too shy to speak up, so he simply added for her: "The 'one' you mentioned, young lady, should not be referring to a day."
He's been out and about every day, traversing all sorts of difficult roads, so he's quite experienced. Even so, it'll still take him a week. The girl is frail, and she'll have to climb mountains and valleys under the scorching sun. It'll probably take her more than a month.
Upon hearing this, Meng Yan nodded to indicate that his understanding was correct.
It would only take an hour to get there with the mechanical kite activated; it's a piece of cake!
"Oh, I see. Then I'll have to trouble you to make the trip, young man." The old woman solemnly handed the letter to Yue Lang, held his hand and thanked him again and again. Finally, she turned to Meng Yan and said, "It's a long journey and it's hot. You should rest, girl. I can trust either of you with this task. Since it's a tough job, don't fight over it. Let the young man go."
Meng Yan heeded the advice, bid farewell to Yue Lang's mother-in-law, and walked out of the village. When she figured she was out of sight of the old woman, she turned around and snatched the letter from Yue Lang's hand.
Yue Lang walked down the road holding the letter. He wasn't completely relaxed, but he never expected that someone would try to snatch it away. Before he could react, she took it from him.
The bandit didn't seem like a bad person, just a bit taciturn. After a moment of reflection, he completely understood: she was taking revenge for being accidentally injured by the talisman.
“Girl, I really didn’t mean to look familiar just now. You see, I was accidentally pricked by your needle at the teahouse before, and today I accidentally choked you. So we’re even now.” Yue Lang walked ahead and said to himself. There was only one road at the entrance of the village, and he subconsciously felt that Meng Yan would be behind him with the letter.
"Of course, I still need to apologize to you again. I'm used to reacting to bad guys and wild beasts, and I really couldn't control myself that time. How about this, I promise you that I will always verify the other party's identity before taking action in the future. But we've met under unusual circumstances, so how about we become friends?"
"By the way, there's something else I'm curious about. How did you know the old man's letter fell on the ground?"
After waiting for a long time, he received no response from Meng Yan, whether it was a yes, a no, or an answer to his questions. With the crossroads approaching, he couldn't help but turn back to confirm Meng Yan's intentions.
He turned around and was stunned. There was no one behind him, not even a shadow.
The girl disappeared right in front of him again.
.
Long before Yue Lang had even finished his "round trip," Meng Yan had already made a run for it. Hiding in the woods was easy, but finding a clearing for takeoff was a bit more difficult.
The surrounding trees covered the ground and the air, and fortunately, the green shade also made her search easier.
The mechanical kite worked hard under the scorching sun, and the wind it stirred up as it moved forward quickly offset some of the heat, making it quite warm overall.
Once Meng Yan had confirmed the direction, he flew in circles toward the location written in the letter.
Two thoughts flashed wildly through her mind. One was to add heat dissipation and insulation measures to the mechanical kite, otherwise it would be prone to crashing due to the extreme temperature difference between summer and winter, and a falling wooden bird was hardly a good omen. The other was that she might be able to do something else with the help of the mechanical kite. Her current advantage was her ability to travel long distances in a short time, which she could use to help people send things that were urgently needed but difficult to retrieve.
Moreover, the seemingly impractical plan to mass-produce mechanical kites has already been put on her agenda. Recreating a large wooden bird based on the blueprints is not a problem for her, but the talisman responsible for levitation and impact remains a mystery.
Where did Senior Brother Li get so many talisman papers from?
A figure vaguely appeared in her mind: a blue round-necked robe dotted with silver auspicious clouds, hair neatly tied behind his head, swaying as he walked. From a distance, he looked like a handsome young man, but up close... she couldn't get too close to him; every time she ran into him, nothing good ever came of it.
Wait a minute, he's a Taoist priest who uses talismans, it can't be such a coincidence, right? This subtle similarity startled Meng Yan so much that his hand trembled, and he almost bumped into a tree by turning in the wrong direction.
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Before the sun had moved more than a few steps, Meng Yan had already arrived at the location described in the letter, almost exactly the time she had calculated, a mere hour later.
Before me stood a house still under construction, its walls stacked as high as a person, mud bricks scattered around for ease of construction. Perhaps it was the midday heat, for there was no one to be seen. Just then, I noticed voices coming from a nearby dilapidated temple.
Looking through the crooked window, I saw several older men sitting shirtless on the ground enjoying the cool air. After a quick scan, I couldn't find anyone who looked like a "grandson."
Meng Yan turned to leave, but at the corner he saw a slightly immature-looking boy leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. There was a barely noticeable scar on the back of his hand that was hanging down to the ground.
She lowered her voice and leaned closer to look. The scar broke in the middle and then turned to another angle, exactly as her mother-in-law had described.
After placing the letter under the stone beside his hand, Meng Yan walked out of the construction area along the way he came, randomly chose a decent-looking flat piece of land, and boarded his mechanical kite to fly into the valley.
.
Afternoon is a rare good time to take a nap. After many take-off and landing improvements and training, Meng Yan landed accurately in his own small yard. The house did not collapse, and the wooden bird did not fall apart.
The moment she was awakened, her spirit vanished. She didn't even have time to turn over; she simply closed her eyes briefly before falling into a dream.
Fortunately, the spirits didn't visit him in his dreams this time. Meng Yan had a good night's sleep, but was forcibly woken up by his stomach.
The kitchen is always crowded during mealtimes, filled with the aroma of cooking and laughter, against a backdrop of a sky even redder than the glow of charcoal fires.
"Senior Sister Yan!" A sharp-eyed little guy in the crowd recognized her.
Meng Yan responded to the greeting with an empty, reflective bowl in hand, but San Leng pulled her out of the crowd and dragged her to the stove alone.
The sizzling sounds and aromas of the food were irresistible to Meng Yan. While San Leng was still "criticizing and interrogating" her, she was already guessing what the dishes would be for tonight.
This dish has a faint sweet aroma, and the fried meat smell seems to come from the same pot; it's probably sweet and sour pork. The one on the right has a strong chili smell, mixed with the aroma of vegetables and meat, so it's probably a kind of stew. I can't tell the color of the pot opposite, but the smell of glutinous rice has been wafting into my nose since I entered the house; what else could it be but glutinous rice balls...?
"Do you understand, Junior Sister Yan?"
It's time for San Leng to prepare lunch.
Meng Yan nodded firmly, indicating that she had deeply realized her mistake. At the command of "Dinner's ready," she picked up her bowl and chopsticks and rushed towards the large pot behind her.
During the pleasant time after dinner, Chu Ming, having learned of Meng Yan's return, made a special trip to thank him and then relayed San Leng's words.
It was nothing more than being careful and discussing things in advance; Meng Yan had heard it countless times, but she never followed it.
Inspiration and ideas come quickly and go even faster; if she doesn't seize them, they'll be gone.
"I promise, I will next time," she promised firmly.
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Summer completely replaced the warm spring. The days were scorching and hot, and the early mornings and evenings became Meng Yan's experimental time to steal some coolness from the heat.
Together with her fellow students who were researching gadgets, she built an ice furnace. The main body of the furnace was a copper furnace, and it was too lazy to even carve any decorations on the outside. Water was poured in, the top of the furnace was sealed, and a talisman was pasted on it. Before long, it would freeze into ice. While waiting for the ice to freeze, one could put their hands on the furnace wall to cool off, or open the vent on the top of the furnace to release the cold air from inside. It was a multi-purpose device and was immediately put into mass production.
Before mass production, safety tests were also conducted.
They found a few younger fellow disciples and, using ice candy, asked them to throw the stove into Guai Zi Li's house, hiding it in a corner where it wouldn't be easily discovered. For several days in a row, Guai Zi Li was in high spirits, explaining that his house was unusually cool this year, as if possessed by a ghost.
Everyone tacitly praised him and remarked on their success in stealing the ice furnace. Before long, Li the Blind returned to his usual rosy complexion from summer and spent his days sitting by the stream under the trees, fanning himself with his large palm-leaf fan.
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Because of the fear of temperature, the ice furnace had to be mass-produced at an especially fast pace. Looking at the mechanical sparrows that came all over the sky to deliver talismans, Meng Yan regretted not learning this skill back then.
With the help of the various ice furnaces in the valley, this summer was much better. All sorts of chilled snacks and drinks were also developed by the kitchen staff, and everyone lay down under the veranda to enjoy them, as if the sunlight in the sky had been weakened.
"Could we talk to those Taoist priests who draw talismans and sell them these useful little gadgets like the ice furnace, or give them to them for free so they can charge us less? Ever since we started using the mechanical talisman paper, all I think about when I see it is money. If we keep looking at it, we'll be working for nothing for a year!" a senior brother wailed from the crowd.
"Then don't look." The senior sister said succinctly.
“It’s not a matter of selling or not selling.” Another senior brother popped a grape into his mouth, spat out the seeds, and continued, “Think about it, they themselves draw these talismans. If they want to use them for shade, it’s just a matter of moving their fingers. Even if you want to sell them, they might not want to buy them!”
The senior student who had been wailing fell silent for a moment, then wailed even more mournfully.
"I don't think so. They can cool down and make ice, but do you think they're as well-equipped as us? Ours is all-purpose. We have enough food, drink, and sleep. Now, thanks to Junior Sister Yan's improvements, the cooling effect lasts longer, and the consumption of talismans has been reduced a lot. It's definitely much more economical than them randomly sticking up stacks of talismans."
The howling senior brother stopped howling and joined in with a strong voice.
"Alright, I'll ask about it later," Senior Brother Li said, holding up a glass of ice water to comfort everyone.
Although Meng Yan did not express her opinion, she listened attentively. Recently, she had modified all the mechanical kites, ice furnaces, and other mechanical creations that used talismans. She also felt that she was penniless and could not afford to suffer. At this moment, her senior brother's two shouts gave her a new idea.
Since these mechanisms are only located in the valley, why not sell them to people outside the valley? No matter how much we try to save money, it's never as practical as making money!
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