OBS Chapter 114 Happy conversation
Chapter 114 Happy conversation
"Was it exchanged for coal or charcoal?" Shen Cungeng felt distressed because half of the charcoal still belonged to his fourth uncle.
Lu Guan said: "Of course I will exchange it for coal. I might as well go to the coal market and buy two truckloads of willow charcoal myself."
"You've lost out, too. I went to Ximen yesterday and saw that even the most common black charcoal was out of stock. The price has risen to seven or eight cents per pound, while the price of coal has risen to three to five cents per pound.
Every autumn we stock up on coal, and in winter the price of coal changes every day." Taoist Priest Hengxi kicked up a large piece of coal and flipped it over. The quality was quite good.
Lu Guanyi put down his shovel and said, "These bastards, I thought it was nothing for them to ask for some cheaper coal, but after all this time the price is too high."
"The price of charcoal has also gone up with the market. You haven't lost much." Shen Xiaoye tried to comfort him halfheartedly.
She just used a shovel to scrape the coal dust and said, "Have you finished making the tools for making coal blocks?"
"I'm already looking for a blacksmith to make them." Lu Guan said with some concern: "As the tide rises, so too will the price of coal dust. Once the coal balls are made, the cost will go up sharply."
"Coal cakes and coal balls? Do we need to ask a blacksmith to make these tools?" Taoist Master Hengxi was stunned and looked at the young men in disbelief.
Several people, led by Lu Guan, asked in unison: "Do you know about coal briquettes?"
"Nonsense, Taixu Temple has been refining elixirs for many years, and they have all kinds of coal cakes and coal balls.
Otherwise, a basket of coal would be so expensive that it would be scary." As soon as Taoist Hengxi finished speaking, Lu Guan jumped in front of him and asked, "Can you make it and show me?"
"Why not? Brother Geng, prepare some yellow clay and soil.
I'll go find a fine sieve and some old clay pots.
You haven't seen it, but your servant should have seen how to make coal cakes, right?" Taoist Master Hengxi got started as soon as he said it. He couldn't find it at home, so he simply pointed to Xuanshen and went out to buy it with him.
Before leaving, Xuan Shen specifically explained, "I used to chop wood, heat the kang and cook in the farm." He was chosen by the fourth young master to rise to fame just a few days after being elected into the mansion this year.
Not long after, before Shen Cungeng and Guard Chen had even brought back the loess, he had already bought several things, including a large rough clay basin.
"Such a good basin is going to be used to hold coal?" Uncle Bai was heartbroken. He had always lived in the countryside in the south and had hardly seen coal before he was moved to the north by the government.
Thanks to Xuan Shen, he was introduced to work as a doorman here with Master Lu. When he was given a basin of coal, he would usually break off very small pieces and burn only a little bit of it with great reluctance.
Taoist Priest Hengxi smiled and said, "It's much cheaper than using a large flower pot."
Lu Guan looked at Shen Changsui who was sitting by the fire in the sitting room and said, "You're right. Not everyone has used coal."
"In fact, the one you should ask is Aunt Qi, the kitchen helper. When she comes later, I'll ask her." Shen Xiaoye forgot to ask yesterday.
Lu Guan said, "No need, I have already fired her."
Shen Xiaoye: "Why? I'm not as good at cooking as her."
"You talk too much." When Lu Guan was sending the children away yesterday, he happened to hear the cook who had just returned from buying meat, whispering to a woman from the neighboring house to the east about how Shen Xiaoye came from the country and didn't care about the strict rules between men and women.
He did not hide it and learned a few sentences verbatim. Shen Xiaoye shook his head in disapproval.
But Shen Changsui, as his uncle, clenched his fists when he heard this. Taoist Master Hengxi, who was sitting next to him picking out peanuts, patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Let's just be ourselves and let him say whatever he wants.
A person without insight is not worth mentioning. "
"The Taoist priest is right. I'll go to the kitchen and get some sweet potatoes to roast." Shen Xiaoye didn't pay any attention to it.
When the loess was brought over, Taoist Priest Hengxi asked the young children to sieve the coal dust and soil, then mix the two together and add water.
He also told everyone: "It's similar to kneading dough and steaming buns. You can wait for it to rise for more than half an hour and then roll it into a ball with your hands."
"Purely hand-kneaded coal balls?" Lu Guan stretched out his hand and then retracted it. He didn't want his hands to be dirty, even though they were already dirty from unloading the coal just now.
Shen Xiaoye leaned aside and asked the Taoist priest about the burning time of a coal ball and so on.
Under the Taoist priest's command, the wet coal that had been awakened was spread out flat, about one or two inches thick, and then cut into one or two inch pieces in all directions with shovels.
Taoist Priest Hengxi personally grabbed two handfuls of dry coal powder and sprinkled it evenly on top. After he gave the order, everyone looked at their hands and also grabbed coal and sprinkled it.
In less than a moment, the work was done and there was a knock on the door. Mr. Bai washed his hands with the prepared hot water and ran to open the door.
The old imperial physician in a cloak led the medicine boy and turned into the moon-shaped door on the left after entering the door. He looked and said, "Hey, are you making coal cakes?"
"Does the old doctor also use this to keep warm?" At this moment, Lu Guan washed his hands and invited the person to the second door.
The old imperial physician was originally named Lao, he waved his hand and stepped forward and said: "Of course, using coal cakes is more economical than using charcoal.
However, the cakes I make are much thicker than this one and are made according to the records in ancient books.”
"This should be rolled into a ball, which will make it more convenient to throw into the clay stove." Taoist Master Hengxi picked up one and rolled it into a ball in his hand, which was neither too big nor too small and just enough to fill the palm of his hand.
The old imperial physician nodded: "It does seem convenient.
If you add some rosin and press it into a cake…"
Seeing him and Taoist Master Hengxi chatting here, Shen Xiaoye, who was anxious for his uncle's recovery, washed his hands very quickly and added another basin of charcoal to the back seat, then invited them into the house to chat.
The old imperial physician understood his son's intention and started to treat Shen Changsui after warming his son's hands for a while, while Taoist Master Hengxi assisted him earnestly.
After wrapping the gauze in the last step, the old imperial physician could not help but say: "I see that you have wrapped his head tightly with the cotton cloth, which is much simpler and more efficient than before.
This method is more suitable for patients with trauma. I wonder if I can use it in the future?"
"You don't know yet, right? This method was taught to me by Changsui." Taoist Master Hengxi patted the quiet Shen Changsui.
The latter said: "Go ahead, old doctor, there are other ways to bandage external injuries, which can all be done with a triangular cloth.
I will ask the Taoist priest to explain it to you in detail later."
"Thank you very much." The old imperial physician was not self-centered when sharing his medical skills. He really hoped that his colleagues would discuss them together.
Shen Xiaoye gestured to Lu Guanlian, indicating that he should ask the imperial physician to stay for dinner, after all, it was already noon.
Lu Guan naturally understood what she meant, and told Xuan Shen to go outside and order some food to be brought over. Soon, the guests were chatting happily at the table.
When seeing the guests off, Shen Xiaoye also specially took out two rolls of fine cotton cloth and two rolls of white cotton cloth for the old imperial physician, "This is made by our own starch and dyeing. You can use the fine white cotton cloth to cut more and practice more."
"No, no, no." The old imperial physician came on the first day at the request of General Lu to see a patient, but this time it was a task assigned by his superiors.
Shen Xiaoye couldn't take it back, and asked her cousin to send her a carriage: "Go home and try it. If you think it's good, come back and take care of my business next time!"
The old imperial physician had no choice but to accept the cloth. Unexpectedly, when he took the cloth home, his wife thought that it would be very suitable to use it to make a cotton robe made of red printed cloth.