Chapter 503 - Chapter 503: Success
Chapter 503: Success
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After noon, Uncle Zhou returned to the residence and reported to Li Yu, “Madam, after Boss Su bought the manor, he renovated it once. He didn’t move the original furniture. The sandalwood tables and chairs in the central room were commissioned by Old Master. He even introduced the hot spring water to the bathroom. Only the bed in the main room has to be remade.”
Li Yu sighed in her heart when she heard that. The entire set of sandalwood tables and chairs and the hot spring manor had only been sold for less than 6,000 taels of silver. Old Master Zhou had married this old lady specially to spend his money.
“Alright, bring someone to take measurements. The bed will be in the style of the house in Phoenix Village. We’ll take the time to stay there for a few days.”
Uncle Zhou smiled until his face was full of wrinkles. “Sigh! If you stay there, you’ll like it there.”
Li Yu looked at Uncle Zhou’s happy expression and thought to herself that these years, she had never asked why he and Auntie He didn’t have a family. The two of them guarded the Zhou family for the rest of their lives and worked hard for the Zhou family.
Ji Xiang returned from the Wang Family Village in the evening. He and Han San each drove a carriage and pulled more than ten baskets of coal and a few baskets of clay. The coal stove had also been burned. The stove was grayish-green and looked thicker than what she had seen in her previous life.
“Madam, is that how it looks?” Ji Xiang asked.
“Yes, that’s what it looks like. Bring that charcoal and clay to the back garden and find a spacious place to put it.”
Ji Xiang and Han San carried the coal and clay to the back garden. Li Yu went to the woodshed to find a hoe, a hammer, and a shovel.
After all the coal was carried into the backyard, Li Yu said to Ji Xiang, “Crush all these coals. The thinner the better.”
Ji Xiang nodded in agreement and everyone got busy.
Li Yu looked at their busy figures and recalled the scene of her father selling briquettes when he was young. He worked hard for a day before earning a few dollars. Later on, with the briquettes factory, he didn’t even have the chance to earn those few dollars.
Granny Chen and Xing Hua carried Yueyue and Xingxing to the backyard to look for Li Yu. The two little baddies were unwilling to stay in the house when they opened their eyes. They liked to be carried around the backyard to look at the flowers and plants.
Granny Chen smiled and said to Li Yu, “Madam, Third Young Master is starting to recognize people. He’s looking for you every time he opens his eyes.”
Li Yu took the star and kissed him with a smile. “Was Xing’er looking for
Mother?”
Xingxing looked at Li Yu with his dark eyes and pouted. Li Yu also pouted at him and Xingxing giggled.
Xing Hua looked at Xingxing’s smile and said helplessly, “Third Young Master knows people the best. We teased him a few times before he smiled lazily. Second Young Master loves to laugh the most. When we poke his lotus root-like hands, he will giggle.”
Li Yu looked at him and looked up at Little Loach and the others. She smiled and said, “Yes! Put less sugar in the goat’s milk in the future. Look, he likes to play with Little Loach and the others.”
“Yes! It’s rare for children to play with older children.” Xing Hua looked at Little Loach and the others who were helping. “Maizi and the others haven’t been given their names yet! ”
Li Yu nodded. “That’s right! They’ll have to follow Yang’er in the future. It’s better to wait for your Eldest Young Master to give them a name.”
The two children wanted to sleep after playing for a while. Granny Chen and Xing Hua carried them back to the house.
An hour later, Ji Xiang and the others finished hammering a few baskets of coal. Two baskets of coal and half a basket of clay were poured together and mixed evenly. They were gathered into a pile and a pit was dug in the middle. They slowly added water to the pit and stirred the coal mud over and over until it was evenly fused. It was suitable to hold it dry.
Li Yu carried the Dust Ball Machine that weighed about ten catties and walked to the coal mud that had been reconciled. She grabbed the handle of the Dust Ball Machine with both hands and smashed it on the coal mud. She smashed it twice, rotated it from left to right, and crushed it a few times before continuing to smash it. This was repeated a few times.
When the Dust Ball machine was filled, she carried it to the flat ground at the side and pushed the iron rod down. A round Dust Ball slid to the ground.
Ji Xiang, Han San, and the others widened their eyes and looked at the honeycomb coal on the ground. Mao Bean shouted, “Madam, it’s like a magic trick. ”
Ji Xiang looked eager and walked forward with a smile. “Madam, let me try.”
Li Yu handed it to him. Ji Xiang recalled Li Yu’s actions just now and hit one. It spread out after being pushed out. Little Loach and the others laughed. “Uncle Xiang, smash a few more. If it doesn’t work, we’ll do it.”
Ji Xiang smiled and said, “Young brat, wait in line.”
Li Yu smiled and said, “You have to smash it twice and rotate the coal engine on the ground a few times. That way, the coal mud will fill up and the pushed briquettes won’t disperse.”
Ji Xiang nodded and hit it again according to Li Yu’s method. This time, the briquettes were right.
Seeing that the briquettes were useful, Li Yu said to Ji Xiang, “When these briquettes are done, go find that blacksmith and ask him to make a few more.” ‘Madam, do you want to sell this thing?” Ji Xiang asked.
“Let’s get a batch out first and send one set to each place. Send the things we made today to the pharmacy first and place them outside. Someone will come and ask.”
“Alright, I’ll go after I finish these.”
Li Yu looked at Han San. “Go back and hire a few short-term workers in Lin County to mine coal at the back of the mountain.” At this point, Li Yu suddenly thought that there should be gas under the deep coal. For a moment, she couldn’t think of a solution, so she could only instruct, “Hire five short-term workers to dig the shallow layer of coal first. If you find anything strange, leave quickly with your people, understand?”
“Yes, Madam. Do we pile the coal we dug up in the farmstead?”
“We’ll pile them on the farmstead first. After you have finished digging them out, we’ll buy a few ox carts and pull them back.”
After Han San agreed, he left. Li Yu returned to the house and thought for a moment. She said to Granny Yang, “Nanny, go to the Four Seas Bank and ask Chu Qing to come to the house. I have something to discuss with him.” “Yes, Madam.” Granny Chu left.
Li Yu leaned against the recliner and thought about how to solve the problem of gas emissions in the deep coal mine.
After thinking for a long time, she suddenly thought that she could expel gas by punching a bamboo tube in!
Li Yu rushed to the back garden and said to Little Loach, “Go to the farmstead with Little Stutterer and tell Han San to buy an iron rod from the blacksmith first. Then, go to the bamboo forest and cut a few bamboo trunks. Open up the bamboo joints inside and cut the bamboo rod into a knife.
Little Loach scratched his head and looked at Li Yu. “Madam, I’m afraid I’ll forget if you don’t write it on paper.”
Little Stutterer tugged and Little Loach nodded at Li Yu. “Madam, I’ll remember.”
Li Yu smiled and nodded. “Alright, remember it well. Go! Come back with Han San tomorrow.”
Chu Qing followed Granny Yang to the Zhou family’s house. Li Yu brought him to the backyard and pointed at the coal in the wicker basket. She said to Chu Qing, “Shopkeeper Chu, do you know what this is?”
Chu Qing picked up a piece and looked at it. Wasn’t this coal? No one had ever used it among the commoners.. How did Madam Li know about this?