Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 273: Coal briquettes are like this, coal stoves are now made by craftsmen

As soon as Cheng Chumo, Qin Huaidao and others returned to Zuixianlou, they saw several large carts full of coal parked at the door, and standing next to them was the manager sent by the owner of Pigu Field to escort the coal.

Cheng Chumo's eyes lit up, and he hurried forward, bowing and smiling, "Hey, big brother, thank you for your hard work. The Pigu farm owner is really efficient. He transported some coal here so quickly."

The steward also hurriedly returned the greeting, saying, "Mr. Cheng, you are very polite. How dare we neglect the duties entrusted to us by the owner? Look, we have rushed to deliver them to you. Please take a look. I believe the quantity and quality of the coal are all right."

Qin Huaidao also came over, looked at the coal on the cart, and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work, big brother. Judging from the situation, it must be correct. Come on, let's unload the coal to the open space behind our Zuixianlou first, so that we can store it properly."

Yuyu looked at the piles of coal and curiously moved over to touch them. Cheng Chumo gently stopped her and said with a smile, "Yuyu, we can try making briquettes with these later."

At that moment, everyone got busy, some were directing the unloading of coal, some were helping to push the carts, and for a while, Zuixianlou became bustling again.

A bunch of dogs were running around, wanting to join in the fun. The first batch of coal shipped by the Pigu owner made the Yuyu family feel more at ease, and they were more confident in the subsequent coal mining and the development of the entire business.

Xiaoyu looked at the pile of coal that had just been delivered, her eyes flashing with eagerness. She said to everyone, "Now that some of the coal has been delivered, let's try making coal briquettes. Yuyu happened to have the production method, so let's try it according to the method. This will also help us find out whether this method is feasible or not."

Cheng Chumo thought it made sense and nodded in response, "That's right. It's better to try it sooner rather than later. If there are any problems, we can make improvements sooner. Come, let's do as the paper says and find some tools to crush the coal first."

Qin Huaidao also agreed, turned around and went to find a few hammers, pickaxes and other tools, and called out to everyone: "Everyone, get started together and process these coals first. Let's try to make a few coal balls today to see the effect."

Yu Yu jumped up excitedly and volunteered, "I'll fetch some water and find some loess. These two things are essential." Then he ran to the backyard to find a bucket and a shovel.

When the guys around saw this, they all came over to help. Some helped to knock out the coal, while others followed Yu Yu to prepare other materials.

Xiaoyu stood aside, holding the method paper, carefully checking the steps, muttering from time to time, directing everyone to follow the correct order.

With everyone working together, they followed the steps step by step. First, they crushed the coal into small pieces, added appropriate amount of loess and water and stirred them thoroughly. Then, they rolled the mixed coal mud into balls and placed them aside in a ventilated place to dry.

Before long, the coal balls were made.

Xiaoyu's face was full of a sense of accomplishment. She smiled and greeted everyone: "Hey, come and take a look. This coal briquette looks pretty good. I wonder how it burns."

Cheng Chumo walked over, picked up a coal ball, examined it in his hand, and said with a smile, "Wow, it really worked. Look at the shape and the firmness. It feels quite reliable."

Qin Huaidao also came over and agreed, "Yeah, it looks pretty good. Why don't we find a coal stove and try it out to see how well it burns."

Yuyu clapped her hands and shouted excitedly, "Great, great, let's try it. I can't wait to see if the coal briquettes we made are any good."

Yuyu slapped his head and suddenly said, "The coal stove hasn't been made yet. It's useless to try it out with just coal balls and no coal stove. I'll go find a craftsman to make it now. Brother Cheng, you come with me. With you here, the craftsmen will definitely pay more attention to it."

Cheng Chumo laughed heartily and nodded in response, "Okay, Yuyu, let's go now. Let's finish the coal stove as soon as possible so that we can test the effect of our coal briquettes."

After saying that, Cheng Chumo and Yu Yu left Zuixianlou and walked towards the streets where the craftsmen usually gathered.

Along the way, Yu Yu was jumping around and muttering the key points in the coal stove making method, such as how big the stove mouth should be and how to leave the ventilation holes for smooth operation.

Cheng Chumo listened from the side and said with a smile, "Yuyu, you remember it very clearly. When you meet the craftsmen later, you should explain these requirements to them in detail and ask them to make sure they do it according to our ideas."

After a while, the two arrived at a pottery workshop. Yu Yu walked in first and saw several craftsmen busy at work.

She called out crisply, "Hello, masters! We would like to ask you to help us make a few coal stoves. We have the specific production methods here. Please take the trouble to do so."

Cheng Chumo also walked in and bowed politely to the craftsmen.

When the craftsmen saw a customer coming, they stopped their work and responded enthusiastically, ready to listen to how the coal stove was made.

Yuyu quickly pulled out the piece of paper with the instructions for making a coal stove from her cotton coat and handed it to a craftsman who looked quite experienced. She pointed at the contents on the paper and said, "Master, this is how it is. Take a look."

"If this coal stove is made of clay, you have to knead the clay first, then slowly shape it according to the shape of the stove body in the drawing. The mouth of the stove should be left this big to facilitate adding coal. The ventilation hole is also very important. It should be left at this size and angle to ensure smooth ventilation and a strong burning of the coal."

The craftsman took the paper and looked at it carefully. He nodded slightly as he read, muttering to himself, "Well, this design is quite clever. The structure of the furnace seems quite reasonable."

Several other craftsmen also gathered around, looking at the methods on the paper and discussing with each other the details that needed to be paid attention to during production.

After a while, the craftsman looked up and said to Cheng Chumo and Yuyu with a smile, "Is that so? Okay, you guys just wait a few days. Although making this coal stove isn't particularly complicated, it will take some time to make it precise and meet your requirements. We'll work hard and guarantee we'll make a coal stove that's suitable for you."

Cheng Chumo bowed and thanked him, "Thank you for your hard work, Masters. We are waiting for your good news. If there is anything we can help you with, please feel free to ask."

Yuyu nodded obediently and said, "Thank you, masters. We are looking forward to seeing the finished coal stove soon."

After saying that, Cheng Chumo took Yu Yu and left the workshop.

As they walked back, they were still imagining the scene of using the coal stove to try burning coal balls after it was completed.

Yuyu's little head was full of images. Her eyes sparkled as she muttered, "Brother Cheng, when the coal stove is ready, let's put the coal balls in and light it. The flames will jump up, which will surely be fun. And if it burns well, it will be much more convenient for everyone to keep warm and cook in the winter."

Cheng Chumo also looked expectant, and responded with a smile: "Of course, Yuyu, our coal briquettes made in that way look pretty good. If this coal stove is also suitable, the coal produced by our coal mine will be put to better use in the future. Maybe we can promote it in Chang'an City and let more people benefit from it."

As he spoke, Cheng Chumo seemed to have seen the bustling scene in the future, where people in the streets and alleys all used the coal briquettes and coal stoves they provided, and the houses were warm and filled with the smell of home.

Yuyu was skipping along, and continued, "Yes, when the time comes we must make more coal briquettes and coal stoves, so that everyone knows how useful our things are. I really hope the craftsmen can make them quickly, I can't wait to try them out."

The two of them were daydreaming along the way, their steps became much lighter, and before they knew it, the outline of Zuixian Tower appeared before their eyes.

They quickened their pace and prepared to go back and tell Qin Huaidao and others the good news.