After being expelled from the mansion, I changed the dynasty by writing novels.

Chapter 117 Is Coal Usable?

"Pei Niang, I'm back." The wind and snow outside had accumulated on his raincoat and hat.

As soon as the door was opened, snowflakes flew into the room. Yu Jinbao quickly closed the wooden door, but it was still very cold inside.

Inside the house, there was only a stone bed covered with coarse cloth, and the only thing that kept the child warm was a fur quilt covering him.

"What is this?" Pei Niang suddenly noticed something in his hand. She took it and looked at it, but she didn't know what it was. It looked strange, and she had never seen it before.

However, she saw her husband smile and say, "This is a good thing. It's a honeycomb briquette given to me by the coal mine where I work."

"Coal? Why is it this shape? And the color is wrong too."

"This is the coal I will be making in the future, so let's burn this coal today."

Upon hearing that her husband wanted to burn coal, her face changed. "No, husband! Burning coal can kill people. Have you forgotten what happened to our family before? It's cold; the children and I can just huddle together for warmth."

"Don't worry, Pei Niang. I've heard that as long as you leave the doors and windows a crack, you're less likely to get poisoned."

"W-Can this really work? Where did you hear that, my husband?" Pei Niang really didn't believe it was so simple. Besides, "With coal burning inside and the doors and windows open, isn't that a waste of coal?!"

"Don't worry, Pei Niang. The coal is cheap, and it's better than freezing. Look at your hands, they're covered in chilblains. It breaks my heart to see them like this." Yu Jinbao held his wife's icy hands, his eyes filled with unconcealed heartache.

"Can……"

"How about this, Pei Niang? I'll stand guard at the door and doze off. If anything seems amiss, I'll be there to call the doctor immediately."

"Mommy, I'm cold." Suddenly, the three children on the bed shivered and said they were cold while hugging their blankets.

The nights were colder than the days, and the children weren't wearing thick clothes. Besides, since Yu Jinbao had already said so, Pei Niang didn't say anything more. Even though she had her concerns, she still acquiesced to burning the coal.

Yu Jinbao took an old iron basin, put the coal on it, and then lit it with a tinderbox.

This is the first time their family has used coal for heating this year.

The charcoal brazier was already lit, and the children got out of bed to warm themselves by the fire. Before long, they felt warm.

"This charcoal doesn't even produce smoke," Pei Niang thought in surprise.

After roasting the coals for a while, they all went to bed.

Pei Niang still couldn't bear to see the men who had worked all day not be able to sleep after returning home, so she still made them go to bed.

She half-closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, afraid that something might happen.

I didn't sleep all night. The house with coal was different from before. Even with the doors and windows open, it was still warm. I woke up in the morning with nothing wrong.

Looking at the burnt coal in the middle of the house, Pei Niang felt a pang of emotion.

"Pei Niang, what are you thinking about?" The man didn't even eat breakfast that morning. Before leaving, he saw his wife standing in front of the charcoal brazier, her head down, seemingly lost in thought.

“I was thinking, if I had known back then that we only needed to open the doors and windows a little when burning coal at home, Mother wouldn’t have died.” After saying this, Pei Niang burst into tears, and Yu Jinbao also fell silent. He silently hugged his wife into his arms.

"Pei Niang, don't worry, I will definitely do my job well and make sure you and the child are well fed and clothed."

After leaving, Yu Jinbao put on his raincoat again and headed towards the coal mine where he would be working.

Halfway there, they happened to run into Li Dafu, a man from the same village.

As Li Dafu walked with Yu Jinbao, he asked him, "Jinbao, did you use that honeycomb briquette last night?"

"used."

"How are you feeling?" Li Dafu couldn't wait for Yu Jinbao to speak. He said to himself, "These honeycomb briquettes are indeed as good as Xie Laoda and Xie Laoer said. There's no smell of smoke in the house, and I don't feel choked when I sleep. They're also warmer than coal. My wife was worried that she would get poisoned, but she woke up to find that she was perfectly fine."

Yu Jinbao frowned and asked, "Didn't you open the doors and windows?"

"Yes, yes, I opened them. Boss Xie told me so many times, how could I not open the doors and windows?"

"That's good."

"Hehe, those honeycomb briquettes yesterday were a gift from the coal yard. I don't know if there are any left today. If not, I wonder if I can buy some to take home and use. My wife says these honeycomb briquettes are very useful. You know how cold the weather has been lately, even colder than last year. Without coal, I don't think the whole family will be able to get through this winter."

After saying that, Li Dafu sighed sadly, "I'm about to die, what's the point of keeping money? Besides, I have work at the coal mine now, I can save it up next year."

These last words were spoken by Li Dafu to himself, but Yu Jinbao, who was walking silently beside him, also heard them.

They walked for quite a while before finally arriving at the coal yard. They had barely started working when the group began chatting.

Surprisingly, they were still talking about honeycomb briquettes. After all, in ancient times, people at the bottom of society had little entertainment and were only concerned with making a living, so naturally they had the same concerns. That's why they started talking about honeycomb briquettes.

"I heard that these honeycomb briquettes will be sold at a low price."

"Where did you hear that?"

“I overheard Xie Lao Da talking to Xie Lao Er when I went out to the outhouse last night.”

Some people who lived far away, or who didn't plan to go home, lived with these miners. It just so happened that this guy overheard them when he went out to use the outhouse at night.

"How much cheaper?! I just don't know if we can get a lower price now that we're working at the mine."

Some people don't have high expectations, since coal is expensive, so they don't think the price of coal will drop much.

"This number," the brother said, holding up a number.

The crowd was incredulous when they saw the gesture he was making.

"Each weighing costs only 80 coins."

Only after getting the exact price from this man did everyone dare to show their surprise.

"If it's really as you say, I'll definitely be the first to buy it!"

"Yes, then we can survive the winter."

This winter is colder than usual, which is something everyone can feel. As a result, when Xie Laoda and Xie Laoer came to supervise their work, they were already working hard.

"Whoever discovered this honeycomb briquette method is truly a blessing to us ordinary people!"

Have you ever gone to listen to storytelling performances?

Most people shook their heads because they did not live in Bianjing, nor were they residents of Bianjing; they were farmers from the surrounding villages and naturally did not know about these events in Bianjing.

Occasionally, when they go to the city, they only buy some firewood, rice, oil, and salt, or sell some of their own vegetables.

After finishing these tasks, I had to rush home before dark, so I didn't have time to go to the teahouse to listen to storytelling.

So these people shook their heads, wondering what the question meant.