Chapter 397 Fireplace, a natural request

"Late night."

Seeing Shen Xiangwan from afar, Aunt Wang, who was directing everyone's work, immediately went to greet her. Regardless of whether the villagers had a rift with the Wei family, their family still maintained a good relationship with Shen Xiangwan.

"Aunt Wang, please gather everyone together. I have something to say."

"it is good."

Hearing this, Aunt Wang turned around and trotted back. Soon, hundreds of workers gathered outside the factory. Shen Xiangwan stood in the front and said, "Everyone, the weather is getting colder and colder. It even snowed today. Soon, the wine we fermented may be frozen into ice cubes. So from today on, the sorghum wine workshop will be temporarily suspended. Only the distillation team will be retained to distill the fermented wine. Everyone else will be transferred to the ointment workshop. When the raw materials in the warehouse are used up, we will have a holiday this year. By then, I will let Yuanying settle your wages and give you bonuses."

“So when will we resume work?”

Although they were shocked, they had to admit that her concerns were correct. The weather this year was really weird. How many years had it been since Chenzhou had snowed? Moreover, it was such a heavy snowfall. Now the only thing they cared about was when they could resume work. Even the people in Yong'an Village cherished this kind of work that paid them a fixed amount of silver a month.

"That all depends on God. I'll ask Aunt Wang to notify you when we can resume work."

Shen Xiangwan did not give them a definite answer, because she herself did not know when this snowstorm that almost covered the entire Tianqi Kingdom would pass.

"···"

Without getting a definite answer, many people were a little hesitant, especially those from several nearby villages. They did not have as good conditions as the villagers of Yong'an Village, and the wages were extremely precious to them.

"Okay, let's get back to work."

It's not that she didn't see that they were hesitant to speak, but Shen Xiangwan didn't give them a chance to speak out. If she could, why would she be willing to stop working so early? It's a fool not to make money. Even if her purpose of opening a workshop is not just to make money, who would complain that they have too much money?

No one expected that Chenzhou, where it seldom snowed, would suddenly have heavy snowfall. In just one night, a thick layer of snow accumulated on the ground. The military was the first to react. Dozens of teams of 100 people assisted the government in clearing the snow outwards, with the provincial capital as the center. Without the need for a call from the government office, county offices across the country also quickly summoned runners to clear the snow in the county towns and major roads.

With many hands adding fuel, the fire burned high. Before noon, the snow on the main roads was cleared. At the same time, the counties also received orders from Wei Chengyi to organize people to distribute the charcoal that had long been transported to the county government to the people door to door and teach them how to make fire to keep warm.

It was not until this time that the people gradually realized why the government suggested that they build fireplaces. Those who did not build them regretted it so much and looked for people to help them build them. Only in this way could they use charcoal for heating with confidence without worrying about black smoke entering the house and causing poisoning.

The charcoal distributed by the government was free, and many people were afraid that they would not have enough, so they begged the officials to give them more, and even many places almost started a scramble to loot it. In the end, officials from various counties came in person and threatened that if they dared to make trouble again, the government would not care about their lives, and the people were completely suppressed after they stopped distributing charcoal for free. As for those who took the lead in the riot, without exception, they were all taken back by the officials. "Don't say, this fireplace looks simple, but it is quite useful."

Ordinary people have built fireplaces in their homes, and the Wei family must have no fewer than that, and they have one in every room so that they can keep warm anytime and anywhere. After the snow on the road was cleared, the guards personally brought back more than a dozen carts of smokeless charcoal for them. The two fireplaces in the main room started burning soon, and the room became warm, and there was almost no smell of smoke.

"Before everyone goes to bed at night, light the fireplace and add more charcoal. The house will be warm all night long, and the children will no longer stay in bed and be unwilling to get up."

Chenzhou is not like the north. Although the winter is cold there, they will burn fire walls and every household has a kang. Before the snow, if they asked the people to make a kang, no one would be willing to do so. That's why Shen Xiangwan came up with the relatively simple fireplace. With it, plus coal, the people can keep warm all the time, but at least they won't be frozen to death.

"Auntie!"

Seeing that she was talking about staying in bed again, the little cub squatting in front of the fireplace to warm himself protested hurriedly. His originally fair and tender face was now red, and it was unclear whether it was because of the fire or because he was embarrassed.

"Okay, okay, can't I stop talking?"

So he still knows how to be shy?
Shen Xiangwan couldn't help laughing. Not long after the guards brought back the coal, the yamen runners also delivered the coal to the village. According to the guards' report, every household went to collect it, but except for the homes of Zhao Dashan and his brothers, no one else in the village had built a fireplace. In order to use coal for heating as soon as possible, many people went to find craftsmen to help build fireplaces. Unfortunately, there were too many people who needed to build fireplaces, and until now, they seemed to have not found any craftsmen. In the past, Zhao Dashan would have gone to the Wei family to ask Shen Xiangwan for help, but now there was no movement at all. He must be embarrassed. After all, their relationship with the villagers is not as harmonious as before.

Shen Xiangwan guessed correctly. Zhao Dashan was indeed embarrassed to look for her again, but more importantly, he felt it was not worth it for them. Moreover, since the county magistrate was replaced, how could the government treat them unfairly? When the government called on everyone to build a fireplace, it had already said that it might be of great use. Moreover, a fireplace only cost a few dozen coins, excluding the materials. Who could they blame for not wanting to spend money?

"Village head, please go find Madam Wei. She knows a lot of people in the county and will definitely be able to find a craftsman."

"Yes, village chief. The child cried loudly last night because of the cold. If there is still no fireplace to keep warm today, the child will probably get sick from the cold."

"Mrs. Wei is kind and kind. If you go to her, she will definitely agree. Village chief, we beg you for help."

"Without a fireplace, who would dare to use the black charcoal? We are really about to freeze to death."

"village head···"

However, what Zhao Dashan did not expect was that he was surrounded by villagers just after lunch and when he was about to go to the workshop. Everyone was talking to him, asking him to find Shen Xiangwan and ask Shen Xiangwan to help them find a craftsman to build a fireplace. It seemed like a plea, but there was a sense of rightness in their words. Zhao Dashan was so angry that his face turned purple.

【End of this chapter】