Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

Chapter 39: Preparing for Winter, Honeycomb Briquettes
"Little scholar, we'll have to continue breeding next spring. How about it? Do you have confidence?"

Zheng Xianfa saw Fang Wei, smiled, asked him to sit down, and personally made a pot of tea.

A few days ago, when he went to the commune, Tang Ze asked about breeding again and asked the second team to give full support.

He originally wanted to find time to chat with Fang Wei, but he came over on his own initiative.

"Captain, don't worry, I'll stick to it. Well, I want to tell you about something. Wu Maosheng's living conditions are terrible. It's drafty on all sides. He's not going to have a good time this winter."

The weather was getting colder, and Wu Maosheng lived in a shabby house next to the cowshed, and he was suffering.

It wouldn't be a big problem for Fang Wei to bring people to help repair the house, but he lacked materials, so he could only ask the team to find a solution.

After listening to this, Zheng Xianfa sighed:

"Little scholar, do you think I don't know Old Wu's situation? But I can't do this in a high-profile manner, do you understand? If you want to repair the house, I can help."

Wu Maosheng is the one who made a mistake. Even though he made contributions to breeding work, there are some things that the team cannot do.

It’s not that he is worried about himself, but if someone comes to check, Wu Maosheng’s situation will become even more difficult.

You can quietly take care of their daily lives, such as giving them more food and reducing the intensity of their labor. These are all fine.

But if the house is standing there and the conditions are too good, it will give others a handle to use against it.

"I see."

Fang Wei really understood that there were some things he had not considered carefully enough and were not as thoughtful as Zheng Xianfa.

Afterwards, he asked Zheng Xianfa for some straw and a brazier. After leaving the team headquarters, he called Zheng Hu and others and went to Wu Maosheng's residence.

"Let's help Mr. Wu repair his house. If we don't have the necessary materials, we can use mud and straw instead. We can do it after this winter."

Fang Wei was young and had received guidance from Wu Maosheng, so he was not afraid of what others said.

Zheng Hu and his fellow boys were fearless by nature. They had dealt with Wu Maosheng a lot when they were tending the experimental fields, so they didn't feel any psychological burden in coming to help.

Mud mixed with straw can also have a certain strength, but it cannot last for too long, but it should be no problem to survive this winter.

The local winter is not easy to endure. It is damp and cold, and no matter how thick the quilt is, it can't keep you warm.

Fang Wei placed a brazier in the house so that he could warm himself by the fire when it was cold.

The brazier must be extinguished before going to bed, mainly because of the fear of carbon monoxide poisoning.

However, this possibility is not high. Even if this broken house is repaired, the sealing is still poor and the air is always flowing.

"Stop working, all of you. Sit down and rest for a while. This is much better now. Winter won't be too difficult, don't worry."

Wu Maosheng looked at the dusty people and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

These young people, who were not yet adults, educated him with facts and made him reflect on his past.

If he could go back to the past, he would definitely talk less and do more, keeping himself useful and doing practical work instead of acting on impulse and making random remarks.

He decided that when spring came and flowers bloomed, he would help Fang Wei complete the breeding even if it cost him his life.

With good seeds, we can increase grain production and ensure that everyone has enough food to eat.

"Mr. Wu, this is all we can do. I'll get you some more carbon later. If you have any difficulties, please tell us. Don't try to handle it all by yourself."

After Fang Wei finished his work, he said goodbye and left with Zheng Hu and others.

When he got home, he thought of many heating options, but rejected them all.

In his impression, the iron stoves in rural areas in the north are the most practical, as they can be used for heating and boiling water.

However, the current steel production is very small, and even if it can be purchased ready-made, few people in the team can afford it.

Similarly, burning charcoal throughout the winter is a luxury and is not as economical as the kang in the north.

Fortunately, the local temperature drops below zero degrees for no more than a week. If you think about it more, you can always find a solution.

After lunch, Fang Wei strolled over to Guan Chongyang's place.

Anyway, he didn't need to avoid suspicion. In order to dig a well, the two of them lived and ate together for a month, and everyone in the commune knew about it.

"Uncle Guan, let me ask you something. Besides the county coal mine, is there any other place where we can dig coal?"

When Fang Wei entered the room, Guan Chongyang was dozing off on a recliner.

His situation was different from Wu Maosheng's. Although he had fallen on hard times, he still had a tiled house and a small courtyard.

There were always rumors in the village that Guan Chongyang had secretly hidden gold. In short, although he was a five-guarantee household, his life was much better than Wu Maosheng's.

Knowing Guan Chongyang's life experience well, Fang Weiyi went straight to the point.

As for a Feng Shui master, he helps people look at graves and houses, search for water and mines. Who else should we ask if not him?
"Don't even think about it. Even if you have it, you can't bring it back. It's too far away."

Guan Chongyang sneered, thinking that the little guy was a little whimsical.

He had seen coal deep in the mountains, but the reserves were very small and far away from the local area.

"Is that so? Uncle Guan, honeycomb coal has been promoted in big cities now. I'm thinking of digging a floor stove in my house to boil water for heating."

The thought of honeycomb coal also gave me an idea. This thing is not something advanced. It was only gradually promoted in major cities in 58.

The county did have coal, but it was supplied with tickets, and the key point was that he had no money.

"That's a good idea, but you can't do it on your own. Go find the team."

Guan Chongyang has rich life experience, and he knew this was a good idea after listening to what the other party said.

But there is no coal around the village, so if we really want to solve this problem, we have to rely on the production team or the commune.

Fang Wei was discouraged at that time. Who would be willing to cause trouble for just two months of heating?
However, he then went to find Zheng Xianfa and told him his ideas.

"That's it? If you cook with coal all year round, I can't help you. But if it's just a temporary solution to the heating problem, it's not that difficult."

After listening to this, Zheng Xianfa just smiled.

Fang Wei couldn't help but be delighted and asked, "So, Captain, you already have a solution?"

"It's not me who has the solution, it's you who has the solution. The county coal mine is in Sanping Brigade, Qianjin Commune. They're very interested in the new rice variety you've cultivated. They'd love to have some coal brought back."

Zheng Xianfa's words almost shocked Fang Wei.

He didn't even need to guess to know that the other party must be using the so-called new rice seeds to "exchange benefits" with others.

The problem is that the so-called new rice varieties are not successful at all, after all, they have not been verified in practice.

Fang Wei had a new understanding of Zheng Xianfa. This man was not only bold and shameless, but also very cunning.

But could he object? Of course not.

after a few days.

Zheng Xianfa really brought back a batch of pulverized coal, and it was delivered to his door.

Fang Wei, along with a dozen young people including Zheng Hu, began to trial-produce honeycomb coal.

The tools for making honeycomb coal are manual. Zheng Xianfa went to the commune and found someone to hand-make 10 sets based on the drawings he drew.

This thing is not difficult for Fang Wei. It is just a matter of the ratio of mud and coal slurry. He can figure it out after a few tries.

The honeycomb coal was distributed uniformly by the team. Zheng Xianfa gave Fang Wei an extra share and let him do whatever he wanted with it.

In addition to his own expenses, Fang Wei also had to take care of Wu Maosheng and Guan Chongyang. He knew that the captain was using him as a laborer, but he still had to thank him in his heart.

Each household was given a limited amount of honeycomb coal, which was only enough to last during the period of lowest temperature.

But this is enough. After all, the wisdom of the working people is infinite. Everyone has his or her own way, and everyone is guaranteed to survive this winter.

(End of this chapter)