Chapter 57 Look at me making it up for you

Chapter 57 Look at me making it up for you

The weather in November turned cold, and the wind was chilly.

During the day, the sky was as blue as a gemstone, and the sun was bright but not warm. In the evening, the sun gradually set, the temperature dropped, and the cold night wind blew, making people shiver. The people in the team had already put on thick clothes.

It was late November, and everyone had left their hometown and been fleeing for three months.

They took a break on the way and a group of men gathered together to drink water, rest and chat.

Butcher Zhao took a puff of his dry tobacco and smacked his lips. The tobacco was running out with each puff. There wasn't much tobacco left. "The weather is getting colder and colder. The road ahead will be even harder to walk on!"

The wrinkles on Lin Benshu's face deepened with worry. "I'm so worried! We can still travel if it's not snowing, but if it snows and we still have to travel on the road, what will these people do?"

Lin Youxing replied: "They all froze to death!"

"Pa! Pa!" Lin Benshu raised his hand and slapped Daer on the head, "You are such a careless person!!!"

Lin Youxing covered his head:...

"Everyone needs to find a place to stay, at least for a while. When the snow melts in spring, we can continue our journey." Lin Lizheng looked at everyone with cloudy eyes, "Let's pool our money and rent a few houses when we come across a village. It's almost December, and it won't be long before it snows."

Lin Benshu: "Okay."

Old Man Lin: "If this were in Nan County, everyone would be at home sleeping in bed by now!"

Tao Mingyuan shook his head: "When the country is ruined, the people suffer; when the country is prosperous, the people suffer. It's so miserable~"

Lin Youcai sat on a straw stool, holding a water bag in his hand, looking at the ground, thinking about burning charcoal.

Wood is easy to get, there is plenty of it on the mountain, but time is a problem. If you go up the mountain to make charcoal, you have to stay for a few days. It takes time to make charcoal, and after it is burned, you have to dig out the charcoal, carry it down the mountain and load it onto a car before you can leave.

"Old Four, why are you in a daze? The village head is asking you a question." Lin Yougui patted Lin Youcai on the shoulder.

Lin Youcai came back to his senses: "What? What do you want to ask?"

Village head: "It looks like it's going to snow, what can you do?"

"We can't go on if it snows. Just like what the village head said, we can spend some money to rent a house when we pass by the village and wait until the snow melts in spring before we can go on." Lin Youcai looked at everyone, "We can only take it one step at a time. No one knows what we will encounter. I was just thinking, should we burn a few carts of charcoal before it snows? It will be difficult if the ground is frozen!"

A group of men, young and old, looked at Lin Youcai in shock, confusion, and joy. . .

Old man Lin opened his eyes wide and stared at his fourth son: "Burning charcoal?! You can burn charcoal???" How could he not know! His fourth son was a scholar, and he had done very little housework since he was a child. They all didn't know how to burn charcoal, so how could he?

Lin Youfu also looked at his fourth brother, how to eat and cook acorns. The fourth brother said that he had seen it in a book, had eaten it on the way to study in other places, and had also heard about it from others. People who read books have a lot of knowledge and know a lot.

But... This charcoal burning skill is a way of making a living for generations. Who would pass it on to others? It is only passed on to males, not females.

Lin Youcai looked puzzled, "Yes!" The older generation of people in the countryside can burn charcoal! In his previous life, when he was a child, he followed his grandfather, father, and uncle to the mountains to burn charcoal. Later, the times developed rapidly, living conditions improved, and the ways and methods of heating became more diverse. The younger generation was busy with their studies and went to the city to develop, so few people in the younger generation knew how to burn charcoal. "We don't burn charcoal in our village?!"

Lin Youcai quickly recalled his original memory, wishing he could slap himself! Most people in the north use kangs or fire walls to get through the winter, and coal is used more often.

However, coal is not affordable for ordinary people. Charcoal is also available, but in smaller quantities and is used by the rich and powerful.

There are no heated beds in the south, so people use charcoal to survive the winter. The prerequisite is that you have money to buy it, or you can burn charcoal at home.

We cannot take modern social conditions for granted.

“Yes! It’s just that I saw others making it, so I remember it. But I’m not sure if I can make it successfully.” Lin Youcai’s mind was working rapidly, and he immediately made up an excuse to cover it up.

"Look, who has cooked this before? Who would pass on this skill to others?!" Butcher Zhao had a skeptical look on his face, as if to say, "Don't try to fool us when you can't even recognize a few of these big characters."

Lin Zisu looked up at the sun in the sky and said, "There's no difference between this winter sun and the light in the freezer!"

"It's nice to have some light! It's better than a rainy day!" Lin Xianwen listened to his father's improvised story while arguing with his sister.

"Why haven't you set off yet? It's still early! Aren't you leaving today?" Shen Xianglan came over and asked.

Lin Xianwen made a hushing gesture with his fingers and signaled with his eyes that he should listen.

Lin Youcai said seriously, "When I was going to take the exam, I met a student who was going to take the exam with me on the road, and we traveled together. His family made charcoal, a craft passed down from generation to generation. He caught a cold and fell ill when he was away from home, sleeping in the open air. It was impossible for him to be left alone on the road. Seeing that he was pitiful, I rushed around to find a doctor for him, boil medicine for him, and take care of him. As a child of a farming family, I didn't have much money on me, so I had no way to repay him, so I told me how to make charcoal. After the exam, he had to wait for the results to be announced, so he simply took me to the surrounding mountains to make charcoal. He actually made charcoal for him! If it weren't for the escape, I would have forgotten about it."

Lin Zisu almost believed it after hearing it. It was absurd yet reliable. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the logic and reason.

"They are just common students, children of ordinary people. It's not like they have never experienced any formal education." Lin Xianwen patted his sister's shoulder.

Shen Xianglan looked at her husband with starry eyes full of admiration.

Lin Zisu turned around and said with admiration: "Wow! Dad, you are so awesome!"

We tried our best to cooperate with your performance.

Lin Youcai said modestly, "Of course, of course. It's not easy to study hard for ten years! If you miss the exam, you have to wait again! It's a waste of time and money. It's not easy for ordinary students! I refused him at that time. His ancestors have relied on this for a living. How can I go to study there? He said that our hometowns are far apart, and even if I go to study there, it will not affect his family's charcoal business."

Everybody listened with great interest and nodded secretly, no wonder it was a life-saving grace!

Butcher Zhao: "This is truly a chance! Good people will be rewarded!"

"Without Mr. Lin's care, he would have gone out for nothing, failed the exam, and would probably have died in a foreign land!" Tian Daniu sighed as he imagined himself.

Lin Hongmei's father-in-law is a carpenter by tradition, and her husband Shi Yong naturally learned from his father since he was a child, and is now also a carpenter. The father and son relied on this craft to have money to marry a wife, save money, and buy a mule. The carriage was made by themselves, so it didn't cost any money.

Old Man Shi: "Speaking of charcoal burning, when I was working at the Ma Mansion, I heard from the housekeeper that the wood of the bitter bead tree is not only excellent for making furniture, but also for burning charcoal, and the charcoal produced is also excellent. The price is moderate, and some wealthy families like to buy it for use."

Zhao Youxing said excitedly: "There are a lot of acorn trees on the mountain. We can burn acorn charcoal for our own use, and sell the extra ones. We can use the money to buy salt and food."

Lin Xianwen laughed and said, "Uncle Youxing, this matter has not yet come to light! You have already figured out how to spend it and how to use it! Hahahaha..."

Lin Youxing was in his early 20s, but he was older than them. He often joked with a group of young men in their early teens and early twenties.

Lin Youxing said indifferently: "I believe Brother Youcai. If he says it can be burned into charcoal, it can definitely be burned!!"

Lin Xianwen looked at Lin Youcai with a half-smile on his face, "Dad, you already have a little fanboy!"