Chapter 42 First Charcoal Burning Results

Yan Lao’er felt he had completely mastered the charcoal burning method from Bamboo Slip Three, but when it came to actually doing it, he still ended up flustered and scrambling.

Following the instructions on Bamboo Slip Three, he dug eight ventilation holes at the bottom. Once the flames at the top started burning, he had to watch the holes below. Whichever hole showed firelight, he needed to block it with mud.

The first problem, however, wasn’t the bottom—it was the top of the dirt mound. The fire dried it out and cracks began to appear, growing wider by the minute. Yan Lao’er was getting a headache and quickly pulled out the Bamboo Slips to study the diagrams carefully.

Given that the illustrations were done in simple brush strokes on bamboo strips, it was easy to imagine how vague they were. The fact that he could even get a rough idea showed the artist was skilled.

Unable to decipher more, Yan Lao’er went with the most basic approach: keep smearing on more mud.

He had no choice. If the cracks spread further, the whole mound might collapse.

The Qi Family Brothers, who had initially thought this whole thing was nonsense, fell silent when Yan Lao’er pulled out the roll of Bamboo Slips. The three brothers followed instructions to the letter.

Watching Yan Lao’er frown and stare intently at the Bamboo Slips, the brothers suddenly felt like they were part of something important.

By the time Yan Lao’er finally spotted firelight through the holes below, it was fully dark.

They plugged the eight bottom holes one by one, then sealed the large hole at the top tightly with river mud.

Yan Lao’er forcibly dragged the Qi brothers, who insisted on keeping watch, away from the site.

Qi Da was still struggling to stay behind. Qi Si, the sharpest of the three, figured something out, and helped drag both his older and younger brothers away with Yan Lao’er.

“Fourth Brother, why are you dragging me? Sure, this place is remote, but what if some wild animal messes with the pile? No, I’m going back to watch over it,” Qi Wu decided. Yan Lao’er seemed too exhausted to argue, so Qi Wu made up his mind—if the charcoal burned right, he’d carry it back himself. Yes, better bring two bags.

Qi Da said nothing, just used his actions to support his younger brother.

“Big Brother, Old Five, what am I supposed to do with you two?” Qi Si complained, arm sore from pulling them. “Didn’t you see those bamboo strips Yan Lao’er pulled out? That charcoal is being burned exactly according to the instructions on that bamboo book. Every family has their own trade secrets, passed down by word of mouth. To have it written down like that…”

He lowered his voice, “Think about it, how valuable must that be?”

He continued, “The early steps aren’t the key—probably the critical part is at the end. Yan Lao’er doesn’t want us following because he can’t say too much. Why are you two so slow to catch on?”

“Huh?” Qi Wu was dumbfounded. “Is that it?”

He slapped his thigh as if enlightenment had struck. “Right! My master has a book of woodworking diagrams he guards like treasure—never lets us look at it. Says only whoever takes care of him in old age will inherit it.”

Qi Wu knew he was slow and unlikely to win that honor, but even sneaking a few peeks made him feel satisfied.

Qi Da nodded earnestly. “Then we can’t go.”

Qi Si puffed up with pride. “Not only can’t we go, we need to stop others from going over for a look.”

Yan Lao’er had no idea the Qi brothers’ misunderstanding had turned out to be such perfect help.

At that moment, he was reporting to his older brother, saying he planned to check the fire mound.

“Where did you learn charcoal-making?” Yan Huaiwen asked.

“Picked it up by chance,” Yan Lao’er replied. He had no intention of showing Old Yan the Bamboo Slip Three, afraid he wouldn’t be able to explain why there seemed to be more and more of these slips appearing over time…

“If you want to do it, give it a try,” Yan Huaiwen agreed.

Yan Lao’er had made a strong case—he planned to sell charcoal up north to support the family.

Judging by their current pace, they’d reach Guanzhou just as the weather cooled.

If the burn succeeded, selling charcoal could be a great opportunity.

After Yan Lao’er left, Li Xuemei calculated the time, went to find her brother-in-law, and said she was worried her husband hadn’t returned. Wasn’t he probably spending the night over there? She packed some things, planning to bring them over.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she said that since Yan Lao’er had been working so hard lately, she wanted to take this chance away from the group to cook him something nourishing.

She had quite a few things to carry, so she wanted to take the ox along. Once the charcoal was ready, the ox could help bring it back.

Yan Huaiwen had no objection. He even kindly reminded her to take care of her own health and not to skimp on food. In other words, it was fine to make something nice for herself too.

Li Xuemei gave a quick word to Daya, then quietly left with Yan Yu and the ox.

…

Yan Lao’er was waiting halfway. From a distance, he spotted the outline of the ox and broke into a grin.

He hurried over enthusiastically to meet them and led the way.

“It’s just up ahead.”

When they reached the charcoal site, Yan Lao’er touched the mound. Still warm.

Rubbing his hands together, he said, “First time doing this, no idea if it worked.”

Li Xuemei spread out a small mat on the ground and took down the charcoal canister strapped to Sanbao.

“Whether it worked or not, we’ll find out soon. If it doesn’t, no big deal. We’ll try again, and again, until we figure it out,” she said, then spread out a large bundle of straw sandals.

“There are thirty-seven pairs here, exactly half.

You wouldn’t believe how fast they work. And that’s not counting the pairs everyone’s been wearing the past few days. Everyone in our village is wearing these straw sandals now… except for your big brother.”

“He’s just not used to them,” Yan Lao’er laughed. “I think they’re great—cool and light. But wife, you need to improve your craftsmanship. Look, my toes are poking through again.”

He lifted his big foot for her to see.

Li Xuemei glanced at it, pulled a few stalks of grass from nearby, and started weaving. In just a few moments, the hole was patched.

Didn’t matter if it looked bad—so long as the hole was closed.

Once Yan Lao’er figured it was time, he began uncovering the dirt mound.

The results of their first charcoal burning appeared before their eyes.

Yan Yu poked at it with a small stick. “Why are some of them only half-burnt?”

A small, blackened pile—much less than the amount of wood they’d put in.

That’s normal with charcoal burning—there’s always loss. The real skill was in controlling how much.

Yan Lao’er examined it closely and said uncertainly, “These few that didn’t burn through look like the ones on the edges—maybe the mud smothered them too much?

And the ones in the middle are over-burnt—turned to ash.”

“The fire wasn’t even,” Li Xuemei concluded. “There’s definitely something still wrong.”

A small yield was expected for the first try. Uneven burning was a technical issue.

“For a first time, this is already great. Dad, I believe in you—nobody gets it perfect on the first go!” Yan Yu cheered, waving her little fists.

Yan Lao’er chuckled. “You know what? Charcoal burning’s actually kinda fun. Next time, I’ll bring you along.”

Yan Yu nodded furiously.

Li Xuemei picked out the poorly burned pieces, stuffed them into the charcoal canister with a handful of dry grass. No need for kindling—just a few puffs of air and smoke started to rise.

Yan Lao’er rushed over to blow harder, quickly broke a few small sticks and stuffed them in. The flames grew stronger.

Yan Yu set their little clay water pot on top.

The three of them exchanged glances.

Not bad teamwork at all.

They shared a smile.

(End of Chapter)