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The best approach is to heat up slowly, which also allows for better temperature control.

Besides, the temperature measurement method using that ceramic plate was still too rudimentary, so Xiao Ran planned to make another temperature measurement tool.

This temperature measuring tool is quite simple. It's a small whistle made of clay, fixed to the ventilation opening on the top of the furnace. The temperature inside the furnace is determined by the sound emitted by the whistle, also known as the kiln whistle temperature measurement method.

In addition, Xiao Ran also established a system of rotating shifts, with someone getting up every hour to check the temperature and adjust the amount of firewood little by little to ensure that the furnace heats up slowly and evenly.

Of course, these tasks were naturally completed by workers, but Xiao Ran and his team came even more frequently, fearing that someone might slack off or be careless, leading to failure.

Inevitably, Xiao Ran and the others have also had a tough time these past few days, barely getting a good night's sleep.

Finally, the furnace temperature dropped completely, and it was time to test the results of our efforts.

"Young master, is it really time to start the furnace? I'm so nervous, I'm afraid we'll fail again." Cheng Chumo rubbed his hands together, his tone full of urgency. His usually carefree nature was unusually tense at this moment.

Qin Huaidao patted his shoulder and comforted him with a smile: "There's no rush. Let's wait a little longer to make sure the temperature inside the kiln drops completely. This will prevent you from burning your hands and ensure the final quality of the clinker. We've already waited so long, so a little longer won't make a difference."

Xiao Ran nodded and said, "Old Qin is right."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo sighed.

"It didn't work last time, so I've been worried it won't work this time either. I'm just too impatient."

Li Ke held a small notebook in his hand, which contained various data, recording the changes in time and cement.

He looked at the notebook and said, "The heating rate this time is 30% slower than last time, and the firing time has been extended by two hours. According to the firing standards mentioned by the young master, there should be no problem."

After a while, Xiao Ran said to the young workers beside him, "Alright, the temperature is about right, turn on the furnace."

As soon as he finished speaking, a worker carefully hooked the latch on the furnace door and slowly applied force.

With a long, soft creak, the furnace door was slowly pulled open, and a warm, earthy smell wafted out, mixed with the rich aroma of cement clinker, lingering around the four people's noses. The smell was much fresher than during the last experiment, without any burnt smell.

Then, the workers took out the cement clinker from inside, and the four of them leaned out to look at it at the same time, and their eyes lit up instantly.

These clinker pieces have a fine, matte sheen on their surface, with neat, clean edges and no cracks, making them look exceptionally solid and heavy.

Xiao Ran reached out and picked up a piece of raw material. It felt heavy in his hand, even heavier than a piece of bluestone of the same size. He could clearly feel the coolness and hardness of the raw material's surface with his fingertips. It was dense and smooth to the touch, without any trace of looseness.

Cheng Chumo immediately stepped forward, snatched the piece of cooked material, and tapped it lightly with his knuckles.

"Tap tap tap—" A crisp sound came from the fingertips, without any hollow noise, the sound quality was tight and crisp, like striking a solid block of iron.

His eyes lit up instantly, and he excitedly waved the cooked food in his hand, asking, "Young master, did it work this time?"

Upon receiving Xiao Ran's affirmative answer, Cheng Chumo was extremely excited, "That's great! It actually worked!"

Qin Huaidao also picked up a piece of raw material and examined it carefully. He repeatedly rubbed the texture of the surface with his fingertips, and then gently weighed it. A gratified smile appeared on his face, and he nodded and said, "The texture is very dense. It feels more than ten times better than the last finished product."

They had all seen the cement last time, and although they didn't know what constituted a qualified product, the clinker last time crumbled easily when broken, while this time it was very hard, so they could naturally distinguish between good and bad.

Li Ke also picked up a piece of clinker and gently scratched the surface with his finger. He found that he couldn't scratch it at all, and a smile appeared on his lips: "Slow burning is indeed the key. Now the cement has been completely successfully researched. Our hard work has finally paid off."

Xiao Ran smiled with relief and satisfaction and said, "Yes, it's finally done. Last time, I burned it too fast, and the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the furnace was too big, which is why the cooked food was so loose and brittle that it crumbled at the slightest touch. I almost thought I had lost my mind and remembered the proportions wrong."

As they were talking, the workers carried out several more pieces of raw material from the kiln and arranged them neatly on the bluestone slabs. Sunlight shone through the old locust tree in the courtyard and fell on the raw material, giving its bluish-gray surface a faint, warm luster.

The clinker looks fine so far, but we should still try diluting it with water.

So, where is this cement, after being mixed with water, used?
Thinking this, Xiao Ran inadvertently saw the winding mountain road leading down outside the courtyard gate.

His eyes lit up and he said, “We’ll have to test how practical this cement is. The dirt road at the foot of the mountain is rugged and difficult to travel on, full of gravel and potholes. It becomes even more muddy when it rains, and the villagers have to be careful going up and down the mountain. They can easily twist their ankles and fall if they are not careful.”

"Now that cement has been successfully developed, why don't we use it to build a staircase at the foot of the mountain? It will be sturdy and slip-resistant, making it easier for both the villagers and us to go up and down the mountain."

"Great idea! I wholeheartedly agree!" Cheng Chumo immediately chimed in.

He learned the word "hands and feet" from Xiao Ran.

Qin Huaidao nodded in agreement and said in a calm tone, "According to the young master, cement is far superior to stone in terms of slip resistance and durability, making it perfect for paving steps. Why don't we start today and try to finish paving the steps as soon as possible so we can see the results sooner?"

Without further ado, Xiao Ran and his team immediately sprang into action.

Of course, they didn't need to do much of the physical labor; the young men who came to work, plus the servants from their families, were more than enough.

One group of people was responsible for grinding the cement clinker into fine powder, while another group went to the corner of the yard to move the sand and gravel that had been prepared in advance.

These sand and gravel particles are uniform in size and hard in texture, making them excellent aggregates for mixing cement.

Several young men put a few pieces of cooked material into the stone mortar and began to grind it.

Several people took stone pestles and vigorously pounded the cooked material.

"Thump, thump, thump—" A dull but powerful sound rang out, breaking the tranquility of the mountains. Unexpectedly, under the violent impact of the stone pestle, it was gradually shattered into pieces of varying sizes.

As the sun rose higher, the birdsong became clearer and more melodious. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow, rustling the vines and branches of the old locust tree in the yard, as if providing accompaniment to their busy work.

Before long, the several pieces of clinker were crushed into uniformly sized pieces, and the next step was the most crucial grinding process.

Several workers held stone pestles and gently rotated them in the mortar, using their wrists to slowly crush the fragments.

Under continuous pressure, the fragments gradually shrank and became finer, eventually turning into a bluish-gray powder. When sunlight shone on the powder, it shimmered with a faint luster. When you picked up a little with your fingers, you could feel its extreme smoothness, without any grainy texture. With a gentle blow, the powder would drift away in the wind and fall onto the bluestone slab, forming a thin layer of gray mist.

"That's about right, the fineness is sufficient." Xiao Ran had been observing everyone's movements, and seeing that it seemed about right, he called for a stop. He then stepped forward to carefully examine the cement powder in the mortar and nodded in satisfaction.

The workers carefully poured the cement powder from the stone mortar into several clean cloth bags, tying the bags tightly to prevent moisture from affecting the strength of the cement. These cloth bags were specially prepared by Xiao Ran and his team; they were breathable and prevented cement powder leakage, making them perfect for storing cement powder.

After preparing the cement powder, Xiao Ran had someone pour an appropriate amount of cement powder into a large wooden basin according to the previously determined ratio, and added some clean sand and gravel.

Cheng Chumo couldn't stay idle, so he took matters into his own hands, picked up a long wooden stick, and gently stirred it a few times to ensure that the cement powder and sand were fully mixed and formed a dry mixture.

Then water was slowly added to the wooden basin. The water flowed slowly into the basin along the edge of the bucket, where it met the dry mixture and gradually began to blend.

"Add just a little more water, about this amount is just right. Too much water will make the mortar not strong enough, and too little water will make it too dry and difficult to pour," Xiao Ran reminded him from the side.

Cheng Chumo's stirring motions became faster and more even.

The originally dry powder slowly turned into moist lumps. As the stirring continued, the lumps gradually dispersed and merged, eventually turning into a bluish-gray cement mortar.

The mortar has a viscous texture and just the right fluidity. If you pick up a little with a wooden stick, it will drip slowly and blend into the mortar instantly without any grainy texture.

The mortar exudes a fresh earthy scent, mixed with a faint, distinctive cement smell, which smells particularly reassuring and full of strength.

"Perfect! Using this cement to pave the steps will definitely make them sturdy and durable. They won't break even after decades of walking on them." Xiao Ran was very satisfied with the cement.

The cement used for laying kang (heated brick beds) in the past was not as good as the cement used now. After all, the cement used for laying kang is not like the cement used for building steps or other facilities outside, which will always be exposed to wind and rain, so the requirements are not that high.

Looking at the cement he had made, which was almost indistinguishable from modern cement, Xiao Ran wanted to praise himself as a genius.

"Alright, the materials are ready, let's set off to pave the road!" Xiao Ran led his men, not even bothering to eat lunch, and headed towards the selected road-paving location.

The path down the mountain is fine, since Xiao Ran lives here and the servants will keep it clean.

However, the path up the mountain and the path to Xiao Ran's house are not the same. Xiao Ran's house naturally has its own path down the mountain, but if you want to go up the mountain, you still have to take the same path as the villagers.

It's impossible to pave the cement road all the way to the top of the mountain. Xiao Ran's plan is to pave steps on the road from the foot of the mountain to the edge of the village.

The road is quite steep and extremely rugged, with sharp pebbles and potholes of varying depths everywhere. In some places, it is also covered with dense, low-lying weeds, so you have to walk very carefully on ordinary days.

But this road is the only way up the mountain; there's no other way but to take it.

Soon, Xiao Ran and his group arrived at the place where steps were to be laid.

The group took a break before getting to work.

No one except Xiao Ran knew how to use cement, so Xiao Ran began to take charge of the overall situation.

"First, dig a groove."

As he spoke, Xiao Ran gestured a few positions with his hand, "It should be about this spacing, as long as it's not too far off."

Without saying a word, Cheng Chumo led his men to start digging.

Even Cheng Chumo himself got involved.

Actually, Cheng Chumo was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, a noble son. He used to be a playboy, but now he doesn't seem to have any of his old bad habits. He works very hard and soon dug a neat step groove.

In addition, the others also got to work, with Xiao Ran taking charge of overall coordination and occasionally guiding them to adjust the details.

The sun grew increasingly intense, making people's skin burn. Beads of sweat appeared on the workers' foreheads, and their clothes were soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to their bodies and covered with mud and mortar.

Xiao Ran and the others also felt a bit hot.

Although it's springtime and I don't usually feel it when I'm outside, it's really sunny at midday when I'm doing physical labor.

"Alright, everyone, let's go back and eat first. We can talk about the rest after we've eaten," Xiao Ran said.

Several young men quickly waved their hands and said, "Young master, we're not tired, we can still do it!"

Xiao Ran pays them well, and they also receive New Year's gifts during holidays. Their work is easy, much easier than working in the fields. They're just doing some work under the sun, so they're not being pampered at all.

Hearing their words, Xiao Ran didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I got a little excited and forgot about eating. Everyone must be hungry now, and it's so hot in the middle of the day. Let's go back and eat first. Besides, even if you don't eat, we'll definitely eat."

Hearing Xiao Ran say that, the young men gave up, scratched their heads sheepishly, said goodbye to Xiao Ran, and went to eat.

After lunch, when Xiao Ran arrived, he found that the young people had already arrived and the grooves were all set up. However, they didn't know what to do next, so they could only wait on the side.

Seeing Xiao Ran approaching, they all looked at him with a mixture of awe and trepidation, as if they had seen a savior.

Xiao Ran smiled at them, "Since you're all here, let's get started!"

As time went by, the villagers at the foot of the mountain gradually noticed the commotion and came over out of curiosity.

Even Zhang Mingde rushed over.

"Young master, what's going on here?" Zhang Mingde asked.

Xiao Ran smiled at Zhang Mingde and said, "This is the cement I just made; I'm using it to pave the steps."

"Cement?" Zhang Mingde asked, somewhat puzzled.

Xiao Ran explained, "This cement is much harder than stone. Even in the rain, it won't make the road muddy. It has many uses. However, this is an experimental product, and the quantity is small. So let's lay a set of steps here first, which will make it easier for everyone to go up the mountain."

As for the road leading down the mountain from Xiao Ran's house, it was paved with bluestone slabs when the house was built, and he doesn't plan to change it for the time being. (End of Chapter)