Chapter 77: The Brothers Who Got Talked Into It

Yan Lao’er came back and immediately collapsed into sleep.

His older brother sighed, set aside the calligraphy copybook, and thought about giving it to him in the morning. At the same time, he felt a pang of sympathy—Tianyou had been busy running around these days and must have been exhausted.

Meanwhile, by the fire pit, the Qi brothers finished sealing all the vents but were left unsure of what to do next.

Qi Da told his two younger brothers to keep watch while he went to find Yan Lao’er.

Before he even got close, he could already hear Yan Lao’er’s loud and rhythmic snores.

Qi Da stopped in his tracks, his face twisting in indecision.

He squatted down and pondered for a while, unable to decide whether to wake Yan Lao’er or let him sleep.

He hadn’t done anything, yet he was already breaking out in a nervous sweat.

Luckily, Qi Si came looking for him after noticing he hadn’t returned for a long time, resolving his dilemma.

Qi Si also squatted down for a while. Then Qi Wu joined in…

And just like that, the three brothers took turns squatting there until Yan Lao’er finally woke up.

Yan Lao’er got up early in the morning, feeling refreshed.

Ah, youth—it only takes one good night’s sleep to erase all fatigue.

When he found out that the Qi brothers had stayed up all night to guard the fire for him, taking turns watching over him instead of resting, he was overcome with guilt.

He genuinely liked being with the Qi brothers. They were honest and straightforward—when they cared about someone, they truly meant it.

They had all agreed to take turns keeping watch, but the Qi brothers, worried about him, never called him up. Instead, they had stayed awake all night.

“Big Brother Qi, Fourth Brother Qi, Fifth Brother Qi…” Yan Lao’er looked at them seriously. “If you do this again, I won’t be friends with you anymore! We agreed to take turns, so why didn’t you wake me? And why don’t you three take better care of yourselves? Staying up all night is terrible for your health!”

Qi Da smiled. “It’s no big deal.”

“We’re full of energy, Brother Yan! Now hurry and check on the charcoal. Oh, right, we should go first—you handle it yourself,” Qi Si suddenly remembered that the method had to be kept secret and quickly signaled his brothers to leave.

“Leave? No need! Let’s check it together.” Yan Lao’er started digging up the dirt covering the pit.

Seeing that, Qi Da hurried to help.

Qi Si and Qi Wu felt they shouldn’t stay, but since Qi Da was already working, they couldn’t just stand there watching.

Maybe there was still some other process left?

Qi Si thought so, but then they uncovered a pile of charcoal.

The Qi brothers: …

So… it was already done?

They weren’t slow-witted, just a little slow to react.

But no matter how slow someone was, even they could understand what had happened now.

“Brother Yan! You… this…” Qi Si was at a loss for words.

Qi Wu muttered, “Brother Yan, why didn’t you keep this from us?”

Even if they were a bit dull, they had figured it out by now.

They had even double-checked their work last night to make sure nothing went wrong.

They were so anxious, but in the end, they had basically learned the Yan family’s method!

The three brothers looked at each other, unsure of what to do. What were they supposed to do now? Could someone give them a clue?

“Why would I keep it from you? When we get to Guanzhou, we’ll need to rely on making charcoal to earn a living. Do you think I can handle all the work alone? There’s money to be made, and we should all share in the profits. We’re all men—let’s not be petty about it. But let’s make one thing clear: once we start selling charcoal, I take the biggest share. No complaints from you guys!” Yan Lao’er deliberately framed it this way so that the honest brothers wouldn’t feel guilty.

It wasn’t like this was some profound secret.

Unless he never made charcoal again, there was no way to keep it hidden. Anyone observant enough could pick it up after watching twice.

“Heh! We understand. Brother Yan, you’re looking out for us. This is great—we haven’t even reached Guanzhou yet, and we already have work lined up!” Qi Si was overjoyed. This was much better than working at a coffin shop—no more worries about superstitions.

Qi Da nodded firmly. “We’ll work hard and do it right!”

“Brother Yan, when are we heading to Guanzhou?” Qi Wu asked eagerly.

He had been an apprentice under his master without earning a wage and even had to give gifts on holidays. His eldest brother farmed and did odd jobs, while only Qi Si had a stable income. Their family was supported by just two people.

Qi Si’s marriage had been delayed—some thought his job at the coffin shop was unlucky, while others felt their family was too much of a burden.

If they all worked making charcoal, wouldn’t that make marriage negotiations easier for Qi Si? The three of them would all be earning money!

The thought made Qi Wu excited, and he looked at Yan Lao’er with eager anticipation.

Yan Lao’er thought to himself: Honest people are the best. They don’t argue or play games—they just get genuinely happy. Looking at these three, you’d think I had already made a fortune and they were riding my coattails.

In reality, he had just painted a big, enticing dream for them…

He hadn’t made a single coin yet!

“If we move quickly, we can get there in about a month. If we take it slow, two months at most,” Yan Lao’er estimated.

He carefully examined this batch of charcoal.

After adjusting some details, the output had clearly increased compared to the last time.

And most of the charcoal remained intact—there was very little breakage.

He casually picked up a piece and tapped it on the ground. The sound was crisp.

If it had been muffled, that would have meant it hadn’t burned all the way through.

Satisfied, Yan Lao’er called the Qi brothers to head back for breakfast.

The three of them originally didn’t want to go, but when Yan Lao’er said he had something to discuss with them, they obediently followed.

Breakfast was once again made by Yan Lao’er.

Since they couldn’t help, the Qi brothers wandered around collecting good, solid wood similar to what had been used for making charcoal.

While no one was paying attention, Yan Lao’er went over to his hens.

When he returned, he had four eggs in hand.

He started a fire using the new batch of charcoal to test how well it burned.

Yan Lao’er made steamed egg custard.

With so many people and only a few eggs, he had to add extra water.

The custard turned out a pale yellow.

Steaming hot rice, egg custard with a few drops of soy sauce and vinegar—soft and smooth, it could be swallowed without even chewing.

That was exactly how the Qi brothers ate it.

Yan Yu watched as the three uncles squatted in a neat row, wolfing down their food.

She thought to herself: So these are the brothers my father sweet-talked into joining him.

Yan Lao’er briefly explained the charcoal-making business to Old Yan.

Old Yan had no objections—after all, the method had been discovered by Tianyou, so he could decide for himself.

As for hiring the Qi brothers, he trusted the people in the village.

But weren’t these three getting a bit ahead of themselves, already acting like hired workers?

He glanced at the empty pot—the three clearly hadn’t eaten their fill. He signaled to his daughter.

Da’ya immediately fetched ten steamed buns.

The moment the big buns were brought out, the Qi brothers hesitated.

They weren’t in the village anymore, and this wasn’t a normal year.

They had helped Yan Lao’er, but a full meal in times like these seemed too much.

Their honest faces started turning red.

Yan Lao’er noticed and shoved two buns into each of their bowls.

—End of Chapter—