Chapter 76: Changed Perception

Cui Langzhong arrived quickly.

After checking Li Xuemei’s pulse, observing her complexion, and asking a few questions, he said, “The hot weather can easily cause irritability and restlessness. Avoid eating too much spicy food, but otherwise, everything is fine. If you feel sleepy, just rest—don’t force yourself to stay awake.”

He reassured Li Xuemei, telling her that the baby was healthy and developing well, so she didn’t need to worry. He also praised the unborn child for being well-behaved despite the bumpy journey.

“Brother Cui, is this just because of the heat?” Yan Lao’er deliberately ignored the part about avoiding spicy food. He knew his wife too well—asking her to stop eating spicy food would be unbearable for her. But thinking about it, with the heat and pregnancy cravings…

Cui Langzhong pondered for a moment and said, “No need for medicine. Just drink more water. Honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemum flowers can be brewed as tea. If you need more, come get some from me.”

Yan Lao’er nodded with a strange expression.

So, even Cui Langzhong was a firm believer in the “drinking water cures all” philosophy.

“We have beans at home. How about I make her a Three-Bean Soup?” Yan Lao’er belatedly recalled this great summer cooling drink.

Looking at the ingredients platform, it was almost as if it was hinting at him—red beans, green beans, black beans, and rock sugar were all neatly prepared.

How did he not think of it sooner?

“Three-Bean Drink?” Cui Langzhong clapped his hands and nodded repeatedly. “Excellent! It clears heat, detoxifies, strengthens the spleen, and removes dampness.”

He suddenly looked at Yan Lao’er with a different expression. Thinking of how his wife had been constantly talking about him these past few days, he couldn’t help but praise, “Brother Yan, you’re really knowledgeable.”

Yan Lao’er: …

This isn’t knowledge. The experts on TV talk about health and wellness all the time.

A handful of red beans, a handful of green beans, a handful of black beans, rock sugar, add water, bring to a boil over high heat.

In about fifteen minutes, it was ready to be removed from the heat.

Let it cool before drinking.

Yan Lao’er made a big pot so everyone in the household could have some.

Sure enough, after drinking the slightly sweet Three-Bean Soup, everyone felt much less irritable.

—

That night, it was still Yan Lao’er and the Qi brothers, the four of them, working together.

After learning from their previous attempt and discussing it thoroughly with his wife and daughter, Yan Lao’er’s charcoal-making method was completely different this time.

From the very beginning, he was meticulous in selecting the firewood, choosing dense, slow-burning wood. He dug a pit in the ground, placed a large log upright inside, and filled in some soil to keep it stable.

Around this “central pillar,” he stacked other pieces of wood into a conical shape, making the structure more compact and stable.

The stacked wood was then covered with a layer of dry grass and leaves until the wood inside was completely hidden. Only then was the entire pile coated with mud.

As before, a large vent hole was left at the top, and eight smaller holes were dug at the bottom.

Once the fire was lit through the large hole, the earth mound began to emit blue smoke…

At this stage, the basic process was complete.

Yan Lao’er and the Qi brothers took turns keeping watch.

He instructed them, “If the mound cracks from the heat, patch it up with mud. Keep a close eye on the eight air vents below—when the fire reaches a vent, seal it with mud. Once all the lower vents are sealed, seal the top vent too.”

The three Qi brothers looked uneasy. “Just tell us what to do; why explain it to us? We don’t want to learn.”

After giving his instructions, Yan Lao’er went back to catch up on sleep.

They had started burning the charcoal quite late, and it would likely take all night.

He had been working nonstop for days and hadn’t slept properly, so he really couldn’t hold on any longer—he needed to rest.

The Qi brothers, however, didn’t dare to leave.

“Fourth, Fifth, let’s just keep watch together,” Qi Da said.

Qi Si suggested, “Yan Er-ge spoke a bit fast just now. Let’s go over it again to make sure we remember everything.”

Qi Wu, taking advantage of being the youngest, quickly volunteered, “I’ll go first! Yan Er-ge said…”

Then Qi Da followed, and finally, Qi Si.

After listening to each other, they confirmed that they had remembered everything correctly.

Before they could feel too proud, Luo Da, who was on night watch duty, came over.

“What are you three doing?”

Three people gathered around an earth mound, which in the dim light looked eerily like a grave. Was this not terrifying in the middle of the night?

Luo Da felt lucky that he was brave—someone more timid might have been scared to death.

Qi Si quickly explained, “We’re helping Yan Er-ge. The last time, his charcoal-making was ruined by that giant snake, so he’s trying again while we have the time.”

Yan Lao’er was in a hurry to burn charcoal again because they might move away from the water source soon, which would make things more difficult.

Luo Da quickly accepted this reasoning.

“Yan Lao’er has a good eye. You brothers are reliable, but you mustn’t tell anyone about this.”

“Of course not!” Qi Da grinned.

He was happy to earn Luo Da’s approval.

“How could we? Yan Er-ge trusts us, so we’ll help him out.” Qi Wu said.

Luo Da nodded and left.

When he got back, he went straight to find his father.

“Dad, Yan Lao’er got the Qi brothers to help him make charcoal.” He recounted what he had seen.

Village Chief Luo rubbed his hands together, lost in thought.

“Dad?”

“What ‘Dad’! You don’t need to remind me who I am.” The old village chief snapped, annoyed at having his train of thought interrupted.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. “That scholar has foresight. When we head north, the biggest challenge at first will be the cold.”

“If we could make our own charcoal, imagine how much we’d save!” Luo Da said dreamily.

“Shut up! That’s Yan’s family business!” The old village chief shot him a glare.

“Oh, come on, Dad, that’s not what I meant,” Luo Da said quickly. “If the Yan family can make charcoal, it’ll be convenient for us. And when we reach the north, being newcomers, at least we won’t be taken advantage of with overpriced charcoal.”

The village chief nodded thoughtfully. “It’s good that you’re thinking this way.”

“Even though our ancestors were from the north, that doesn’t mean people there will treat us like kin.”

“I’ve noticed that in the Yan family, it’s Yan Lao’er who takes care of everything outside the home. I’m a generation older than him, so you boys should get closer to him. Learn from the Qi brothers—lend a hand, help out. If the Yan family decides to make charcoal their long-term trade, who do you think they’ll hire first?”

“Yan Lao’er and I get along great! Didn’t we hunt those three wild boars together?” Luo Da said.

“Call him Brother Yan, not Yan Lao’er.” The village chief shot him another glare, then added, “I think his elder brother must have straightened him out. He’s been helping the villagers get food, stepping up when there’s trouble, and even volunteering for night watch duty. He drives the carts, feeds the oxen, cooks…

Back when everyone kept to themselves, we didn’t notice, but watching him now—he really cares about his wife and daughter. Thinking back, he hasn’t actually done anything bad in the village. Most of the bad rumors came from outside.”

“Except for always making his brother pay for everything—well, yeah, I won’t deny it. That guy really loves to eat. Just look at how much of that expensive seasoning he bought!”

At this, he smacked his lips, recalling the taste of the roasted meat. Honestly, it was delicious.

Luo Da: You won’t let me call him Yan Lao’er, but you say it all the time.