Crackling.
Cheng Wanwan was awakened by the sound of firecrackers outside the window.
Many bamboos are piled up and burned in the yard, making a popping sound. Poor people who cannot afford firecrackers burn these to celebrate the New Year.
It's still snowing outside, but the snow is lighter, and the village has summoned people to shovel the snow.
Cheng Wanwan put on a piece of clothing and sat up, taking a look at her little granddaughter sleeping soundly on the kang, feeling a sense of satisfaction in her heart.
She covered her little granddaughter with a quilt and went out to wash up.
Because the weather was so cold, the kang was burning at home at all hours, and there was always hot water on the stove.
Wash your face with hot water mixed with snow water early in the morning, it is very comfortable.
After washing her face, she saw someone walking towards her home. They were some women from the village.
"Da Shan Niang, do you still have firewood to sell at home?"
"I'm almost running out of firewood. There's not enough firewood."
"It's snowing every day, and the firewood on the mountain is wet even when it's dragged down. When it's burned, the house will be filled with smoke, which will choke people to death. How can this be dealt with?"
In previous years, we had saved so much firewood for the winter, but this year it was too cold, so there was not enough firewood. The people in this village ran out of firewood, let alone the people in Xindahe Village. They all relied on stamping their feet, breathing, and shivering to survive... The only advantage Yes, three or four families are crowded into a blue-tiled house. With more people, it can be more or less warm.
Cheng Wanwan shook his head: "Everyone bought it a lot a year ago, and it was sold out in four or five days. I don't have much left at home, but I can..."
She knew of a strong fire stove that burned a small amount of dry firewood at the bottom, and could also burn wet firewood. The stove body was equipped with ventilation holes according to specifications, and there was no smoke because the air circulated and the burning rate was also high.
However, before she could finish her words, she was interrupted.
"Da Shan Niang, you are still burning the kang at home." Madam Zhang suddenly poked her head into the house, "Tsk tsk, it's so warm. Everyone has no firewood to cook, but you still burn firewood to keep warm. You are a rich man. I don’t know the sufferings of the people.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Wanwan laughed.
She put down the things in her hands and said calmly: "As far as I know, Zhang Lailai bought about thirty kilograms of dry firewood from me. He can cook two meals a day and it can be used for at least ten days. He only burned it in four days." No? You can burn firewood at home to keep warm, why can’t I? Why, are your Zhang family born noble?"
Mrs. Zhang was so choked that she couldn't utter a single word.
The villagers on the edge couldn't help but speak.
"Dashan Niang sells dry firewood to everyone because she wants to help the same village. If she can help, she will help. Even if she doesn't sell any firewood, no one has the right to criticize her."
"The firewood in the village is used up so quickly, not because we burn firewood all day long to keep the fire. Why can't Dashan Niang keep the fire?"
"Dagang Niang, you just like to make people dislike you."
"It's time for Zhang Laiyi to take good care of him."
Everyone was talking a lot, and Mrs. Zhang blushed and left quickly in shame.
Cheng Wanwan looked at everyone and her voice became gentle: "If you have nothing to do this afternoon, please come and sit at my house and we can chat."
The women nodded quickly.
Dashan Niang’s home is warm with a kang, so I don’t know how comfortable it is to come over and chat.
After the people in the yard dispersed, Cheng Wanwan began to prepare lunch.
There are some leftover leftovers from yesterday's reunion dinner. These are meat dishes with a lot of fat. They are mixed together and stewed with Chinese cabbage. They taste very good.
There are still some meatballs left, warm them up and serve them.
Then buy a pound of fresh meat from the mall and fry the meat with cabbage and bangzi.
She was arranging the lunch meal, while Wu Huiniang was preparing dishes nearby. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cooperated very well.
While Cheng Wanwan was cutting meat, his fingers suddenly paused: "Hui Niang, do you smell anything strange?"
Wu Huiniang sniffed her body and said sheepishly: "Xiao Zhuzhu peed on me early in the morning. I'm going to change clothes..."
"no……"
Cheng Wanwan sniffed the tip of his nose, and the strange smell seemed to come from outside the window.
She put down the kitchen knife and walked outside. The strange smell became even stronger.
Zhao Sidan, who was reading in the room, also ran out: "It smells so bad, it seems like something is burning."
Zhao Dashan quickly looked around and finally saw the signs: "Look, there is smoke on the back mountain."
There are not only Dadong Mountain in Dahe Village, but also many other low mountains. The short mountains behind are still wastelands that were rewarded by the imperial court last time. They are bare, continuous low mountains with no grass growing on them and are covered with rocks and sand. No one in the village is willing to go up there.
"There are no trees growing on the mountain, not even a blade of grass, so why is it burning?" Zhao Dashan was puzzled, "No, I have to go and have a look."
Cheng Wanwan frowned: "Don't you feel that the smell is unpleasant? I'm afraid it's poisonous. Go to Uncle Li Zheng's house quickly and don't let anyone go up the mountain. You might be poisoned if you get too close."
She always felt like she had smelled this smell somewhere before.
When I think about it carefully, I can't remember it.
Everyone in the village smelled the strange smell and stood on the short mountain from a distance to watch the excitement.
"What are you looking at? Go back quickly!" Li Zheng drove everyone away. "Go back and close the doors and windows tightly. Don't come out."
Li Zheng did not go back, but called the patrol team to dig trenches under the low mountain to make a fire break to prevent the fire from expanding and burning into the village.
"It's really strange." Li Zheng shook his head, "The mountains are covered with snow, and the soil is soaked with snow water. The key is that there is nothing to burn, so why is there such a big smoke."
Wang Yongcheng didn't understand either and casually said: "Did someone dry firewood on the mountain and accidentally set it on fire?"
Li Zheng took a puff of dry cigarette: "When the fire stops, I have to go up and see what's going on."
Cheng Wanwan also had this intention.
The more she smelled the smell, the more familiar it became. If she didn't figure it out, she might not be able to sleep.
The smoke on the mountain gradually dissipated in the evening.
This low mountain is at the other end of the village, on the edge of the wasteland. No one in the village has been up there since it was designated as the territory of Dahe Village.
Cheng Wanwan and Li Zheng walked towards the mountain one after another.
A fire melted the snow, and the snow water collected and flowed down the mountain. The mountain road was very difficult to walk, but after walking a short distance, you can find that the stones on the mountain are all black.
Li Zheng squatted down, picked up a black stone and smelled it: "It's hot and has a burning smell. How did this thing burn?"
Cheng Wanwan was always a calm and collected person, but now she was a little bit uncool.
If she read it correctly, this thing is coal!
When she lived in an orphanage as a child, there were black coal piles in the yard all year round. She was very familiar with this stuff.
She was not from this era, and she was not sure whether coal mines had started to be used in this era.
"Uncle Li Zheng, it should be this thing." Cheng Wanwan said slowly, "I don't know what it is. Take it back and show it to Master Yu and the others. They are well-informed and maybe they know."
If Master Yu and He Xiao don't know each other, it means that the coal mine has not been used on a large scale.
Li Zheng picked up a small piece of black stone and wrapped it in a piece of cloth. The two of them went down the mountain together and went directly to Master Yu's residence.
Master Yu was drinking tea with He Xiao, and he didn't know what they were talking about. Both of them looked a little disappointed. When they saw Cheng Wanwan and Li Zheng arriving, they quickly stood up to greet them.
Li Zheng was not a person who liked to chatter, so he took out the things directly: "Master Yu, have you seen this thing before?"
Master Yu took the cloth bag, observed it carefully, and said slowly: "There is a cloud in the book. The mountains are rich in stones of various colors, which are shiny and can burn. They are black gold stones, also called black coals, which contain infinite heat. .”
"Ugold?" He Xiao pondered slightly, "The sacrificial vessels of the ancestral temple in the middle of the capital and the large smelting furnaces are all made of black gold."
Cheng Wanwan asked: "Since black gold can burn, can someone use it specifically for cooking and heating?"
"Although black gold has high thermal energy, it is poisonous. People will feel dizzy and vomit if they smell it. They can just throw it into the smelting furnace and burn it on its own." He Xiao said, "Of course, some ordinary people who cannot afford charcoal will also use black gold as fuel. , the common people call it coal cake. When burning, you need to open the door wide and change the air every half an hour..."
Cheng Wanwan understood.
This stuff was mainly used by the court to forge utensils and smelt iron, and was also made into coal cakes and sold to the poor.
Briquettes are lumps of raw coal that have not been processed. When burned, they will release a large amount of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide. If you are not careful, you can easily be poisoned and die.
In modern society, in the 1980s and 1990s, the more popular fuel was briquettes.
The process of converting raw coal into briquettes is extremely simple. It not only minimizes poisonous gases, but also increases the burning rate of coal, making it perfect for cooking and heating.
Cheng Wanwan smiled.
They happened to be short of fuel, so they discovered the coal mine. God really treated Dahe Village well.
