Chang'an City was the capital of the Tang Dynasty, with a large population and a prosperous economy. Therefore, there were as many caravans traveling to and from Chang'an City doing business as crucian carp crossing the river.
In the cold weather, not only waterways have been frozen, but land routes have also been blocked by snow.
Except for small convoys that travel simply and risk their lives, it is difficult for large caravans to leave.
As a result, a large number of merchants settled in Chang'an. These merchants generally did not have fixed residences in Chang'an City, so of course they had to stay in hotels.
If it had been in the past, with so many merchants staying in the store, the store owners would have been happy.
After all, more people staying in the hotel means good business, which means high income. You can make a lot of money and have a good New Year.
But now they are not happy.
The cold weather and continuous snowstorms have caused the price of charcoal to continue to rise. The most important thing is that it is impossible to buy charcoal these days.
The inn is a gathering place for people. In this cold weather, if there is no charcoal for heating, who would be willing to stay here.
Even in many inns where the fire was cut off, either the residents fled one after another, or the residents gathered in groups to protest, leaving the innkeepers in dire straits.
As the shopkeeper of Sihai Inn, Zhao Laosi is one of them.
After leaving Mao Shi, it was now Shen Shi, but I didn't buy a pound of charcoal.
But there was nothing to be done about it. In an era when scholars, farmers, industrialists, and merchants had a strict hierarchy, a lowly person like him couldn't rob those aristocratic families, so it was natural that he couldn't buy charcoal.
Zhao Laosi struggled for a long time and got nothing. While cursing Cui's shamelessness, he walked back to the backyard of the inn with frozen hands and feet.
Even if it was his own inn, he didn't dare to enter through the main entrance.
Because Zhao Laosi didn't know if the residents inside would get angry and beat him to death if he dared to walk in.
After all, before going out, Zhao Laosi promised that he would get some charcoal back today.
Now that he is empty-handed, Zhao Laosi doesn't know what to do.
Pushing the door open and walking into the house, although it was better than outside, it was also very cold. Obviously there was no charcoal fire burning in the house.
Hearing some movement, a woman walked out of the inner room. When she saw Zhao Laosi walking in, her face was filled with anticipation: "Master, how are you today?"
Zhao Laosi smiled bitterly and shook his head.
The woman's eyes dimmed instantly, but she still comforted her: "Master, it's okay. You went out early in the morning and you haven't eaten yet. The food is a bit cold. I'll heat it up for you."
Zhao Laosi quickly stopped him: "Damn it, no need. I'll just have something to eat and then go out for a walk to see if I can buy some charcoal or firewood."
The woman didn't try to persuade him anymore, but silently brought a large porcelain bowl and put all the food together.
It's not that she doesn't care about Zhao Laosi, but because not only is the charcoal gone, but the firewood can't last long either.
If you continue to use firewood to heat rice, you may not even have firewood for cooking in two days. What little you can save is worth it.
Zhao Laosi took a few bites to fill his stomach and stopped eating.
There was nothing he could do about it. Not only was the food frozen hard, but it was also so chilling that he was really afraid that he would be frozen.
As soon as Zhao Laosi put down the porcelain bowl, the woman asked: "Master, what should we do now? It's been too cold these days. If we can't buy charcoal anymore, I'm really afraid that the guests will destroy our inn. , and Shanba and the others’ lips will turn purple from the cold when they sleep at night, I’m afraid…”
Zhao Laosi sighed: "Because of the malicious competition between the aristocratic families, the price of charcoal has increased at least five times. A pound of charcoal has been sold for a sky-high price of twenty cents. Our inn needs a large amount; more importantly, even now, even if You can’t buy it even if you have money, charcoal, firewood, etc. are all monopolized by those hateful aristocratic families.”
For a while, the two of them frowned.
"How about I go to my parents' house and borrow some from my brother. I heard my mother say some time ago that my brother has found a new job, so he should have some."
"Forget it, it's not easy for anyone in such a cold weather. I guess your parents' family is not much better than ours. There is really no other way. High-priced charcoal should be sold in a few days.
"Hmph, don't those aristocratic families just want to enrich the country? Are they really not afraid of retribution for their actions?"
Just as the couple was gnashing their teeth in hatred of these aristocratic families, there was a rapid knock on the door.
"Sister-in-law, please open the door quickly. I've brought you something good!"
"It's your brother..." Zhao Laosi opened a crack in the door, took a look, and said to the woman.
The two of them were a little nervous at first, fearing that the residents were coming to cause trouble, but now they saw that they were family members and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"My uncle, why did you come here when you weren't at home in such a cold weather? What's the matter? Hey, what are you carrying?" Zhao Laosi asked as he opened the door.
When the door was fully opened, Zhao Laosi noticed that his brother-in-law was still carrying a load of things.
"Here are briquettes, and there is a coal stove. These are good things. You may not be able to grab them in another two days. I know that brother-in-law and sister must have no charcoal fire, so I sent them to you first." The person put the things into the courtyard and took a breath before speaking.
It was a cold day, but he was sweating profusely. It was obvious that the load he carried was heavy.
Think about it, whether it is briquettes or coal stoves, they are either soil or stones. They are all heavy objects. After picking so many, it would be strange not to sweat!
"Coal briquettes?" Zhao Laosi and his wife were a little confused.
"This briquette is used for heating..." the woman's brother explained as he skillfully took out the coal stove and lit the briquette.
After a while, the room became warm!
Although the room was not so cold anymore, Zhao Laosi and the woman were a little worried.
Because this brother-in-law said that this briquette is made of charcoal. What if it is poisoned by carbon?
But don't, because I'm afraid of hurting this brother-in-law's heart.
After all, the brother-in-law was also concerned about them, and for a while the two of them were a little entangled whether to take it or not.
But this brother-in-law didn't notice anything strange about his sister and brother-in-law. Instead, he said with a bright face and thought to himself: "Sister, didn't I find a new job a few days ago? Now I am working for Yang Mansion, and it just so happened that today I launched This briquette, and the manager of the Yang Mansion heard that I knew some arithmetic, he put me in charge of a shop selling briquettes and coal stoves. I was worried that no one would want it, but I didn’t expect that they were all sold out soon. I used these. The money was used to buy it first, otherwise it would have been gone long ago! I know you must be short of charcoal to open an inn, so I will bring you some first to meet your urgent needs..."
Zhao Laosi and his wife couldn't believe that the strange-looking coal briquettes and briquettes were really so popular.
Finally, the woman asked: "This charcoal is poisonous. Aren't you afraid of being poisoned?"
Zhao Laosi and the others run an inn, so of course they also know about the existence of charcoal. Although charcoal has strong firepower, it is also easy to poison, so they have never used it.
The woman's brother chuckled: "Sister, don't worry, my brother can still harm you. This briquette is different from ordinary charcoal. It is said that Uncle Zhongyi studied for a long time before removing the charcoal poison. As long as you don't burn the space completely." It’s closed. It’s okay to close the doors and windows of a wooden house like ours; I heard that Uncle Zhongyi himself is using it! Are our lives more valuable than Uncle Zhongyi’s?”
"Yao brother, what did you just say? Was this briquette invented by Uncle Zhongyi? We absolutely believe it!" After hearing what his brother-in-law said, Zhao Laosi and the woman looked at each other, their faces full of joy.
If briquettes are really useful, it would really be like giving timely help.
Originally, the couple thought that they would lose all their money on the inn this winter and even sell the inn. It seemed that the Living Bodhisattva came to save their lives again.
Although Yang Fan's reputation is not very good in the eyes of aristocratic families and nobles, in the hearts of people at the bottom, he is truly a bodhisattva.
If Yang Fan knew his position in the hearts of the people, I don't know whether he should be happy or worried!
After all, with greater ability comes greater responsibility.
