My girlfriend is from 1949

In fact, it's not just Shanghai; the entire country has a huge demand for coal production.

People in rural areas can still burn firewood.

But in the city, they can only burn coal.

As for saving money by collecting firewood yourself, that's out of the question.

In ancient times, the trees in the mountains were all taken over by landlords.

Those are all private property. If anyone dares to cut down trees or burn them, they'll be beaten to death if caught.

Firewood is very important in any era.

Among the five basic necessities of life—firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea—firewood is listed first, which speaks volumes about its importance.

Throughout history, dynasties have regarded firewood as an important resource for people's livelihood, and cities have set up special "firewood markets." In addition, "woodcutters" were a very important profession in ancient times.

Firewood is essential for everything from three meals a day and keeping warm in winter to boiling water for washing.

An ordinary farming family consumes a considerable amount of firewood each year, making firewood cutting an equally important livelihood activity as farming.

Even officials' salaries included firewood.

Without firewood, there's no way to start a fire, and without cooking rice, you can only eat raw food and drink raw water.

Not only is it difficult to swallow, but it also makes one prone to illness.

In winter, firewood is a lifesaver.

It can bring a touch of warmth to people in the cold winter.

However, this only applies to wealthy families.

For ordinary people, burning firewood for warmth is unaffordable.

Therefore, winter is a hurdle for the lower classes, and many people freeze to death because they cannot get through it.

Later, when methods were developed to remove the toxic substances from coal, coal replaced firewood.

However, in order to save money, many people still choose to go to the mountains to cut firewood.

Although the whole country has now been basically liberated, the mountains and forests have also been returned to the state and no longer belong to landlords and local tyrants.

However, the people in the city still had to spend money to buy coal to burn.

Even if they wanted to go out and collect firewood, there simply wasn't any.

In the modern world, cities are full of trees and vegetation, and the greenery is excellent.

Even the residential areas are filled with trees.

The scenic areas are lush and green, full of vitality.

However, there weren't that many trees and vegetation in 1949.

Even the area surrounding Beiping was barren.

The old black-and-white photos taken back then show that the area around Beiping was desolate.

At this time of year, the Badaling Great Wall is also desolate, with not a trace of green to be seen.

Any wood that could be burned was collected by the people and used as firewood.

It was only after liberation, when the country vigorously promoted tree planting, that these places regained their vitality.

If I had gone earlier, in 76, it would have been a barren land with no trees in sight.

Naturally, there was nowhere to chop firewood.

At this point, coal is the best alternative.

City dwellers typically use coal briquettes to cook and boil water.

However, in 1949, the total coal production was only 3000 million tons.

There are only more than 20 coal companies and more than 200 coal mines nationwide.

In the modern world, the national coal production in 2025 is projected to reach 48.3 billion tons!

The stark contrast reveals just how scarce coal was in 1949.

Although Chen Huai'an printed out the data and marked all the coal mines that had been developed in the country.

The government only needs to build factories and conduct mining.

However, the time frame is still short, less than six months, and only the exploration has been completed so far.

Then there's the installation of machinery, construction of factory buildings, and so on, all of which take time.

It is expected that the domestic coal shortage will not be alleviated until the middle of next year.

However, with the advent of modern purchasing machines, the number of factories has increased dramatically.

The amount of electricity required is also increasing.

Those three large thermal power generating units looked like three coal-devouring beasts.

Every day, it consumes a large amount of coal, which is converted into electricity and delivered to factories and people's homes.

This is the only way to ensure the factory can operate and allow people to have electric lights at night.

Therefore, electricity and coal are extremely important issues at present.

Of the three large thermal power generating units, one unit remained in Shanghai and has already begun supplying electricity to City H.

In terms of power generation, it is already able to easily meet the demand.

It can even supply electricity to neighboring Suzhou with ease in terms of power generation.

As long as there is enough coal, there will be no problem transmitting electricity to Jiangsu.

The problem is that coal is in short supply.

The operation of this generator set has made coal even more scarce.

Therefore, how to solve the coal shortage problem has become an urgent issue to be addressed.

Zheng Changlin sighed deeply, his face full of helplessness.

"All factories must maintain production."

Therefore, the power supply absolutely cannot have any problems.

The only thing that can be saved is the daily consumption of citizens.

However, if the cuts are too large, it will cause dissatisfaction among citizens.

This is such a dilemma!

As she sighed, she glanced at Chen Huai'an sitting opposite her.

Deep down, I hoped he could come up with some solution.

Chen Huai'an frowned and pondered for a moment.

He asked, "Why didn't you look for the Soviet Union? I remember the Soviet Union doesn't lack coal."

The Soviet Union had the second largest coal reserves in the world.

Even by the 1970s and 80s, there was already overcapacity!

Therefore, importing coal from the Soviet Union was a good option.

Zheng Changlin shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.

"During World War II, the Soviet Union's coal production fell to a low of 7500 million tons."

However, it was affected by the damage caused by World War II, aging equipment, insufficient railway capacity, and labor shortage.

There are difficulties in allocation and temporary shortages in some areas and time periods.

In other words, even in the eldest brother's own home, some areas are short of coal.

Due to transportation limitations, even if they wanted to sell to us, they couldn't ship it out.

Why wouldn't they have thought of buying from the Soviet Union?

It just won't work.

At least in the short term, there's no way around it.

Chen Huai'an blinked, surprised that the Soviet Union, a major coal-producing country where coal accounted for 77% of its energy, would experience a shortage.

It's not that there's a shortage, it's that we have treasures that we can't bring out to sell!

Chen Huai'an decided to stop guessing and directly asked the question that was on his mind.

After all, Zheng Changlin brought it up specifically, so his purpose was self-evident.

We need to see what attitude the municipal government has before we can come up with a solution.

He couldn't help but ask, "So, what does that organization mean...?"

Zheng Changlin took a sip of water and said in a low voice, "We discussed it in a meeting and realized that the only way to alleviate the pressure on the coal industry right now is to increase supply and reduce expenditure."

Open source technology has enabled Shanghai to contact major coal mines.

However, there are no good ways to cut costs.

That's why I came here specifically to learn from you, since you have so many ideas!

The last joke made Chen Huai'an feel very happy.

Being praised by the "King of Spies" and the deputy mayor for having many ideas and being a clever little devil is something to be proud of.

Chen Huai'an frowned, his mind racing.

The key focus of our thinking is how to cut costs.

Cutting power at the power plant is obviously impractical, as it would affect production at factories throughout the city.

Therefore, the only way to reduce expenditures is to start with the daily lives of ordinary people.

Ta-da~

Chen Huai'an tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table.

My mind raced, trying to figure out how to cut costs.

No matter what, we need to come up with a plan today.

Otherwise, why would a big shot like Zheng Changlin suddenly come to my house and ask me to have dinner?

The meeting is definitely in the afternoon, and I can't think of a good solution right now.

That's why they come to me, a modern person, to see if there are any good solutions in the future world.

Chen Huai'an pondered a solution when suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Honeycomb briquettes!"

His voice was full of joy, and he was very satisfied with having come up with this idea.

Zheng Changlin blinked, a look of confusion on his face.

I've heard of coal briquettes, coal balls, and even coal dust, but I've never heard of honeycomb briquettes.

However, judging from the name, it should be a type of coal.

She couldn't help but look at Lin Wan beside her, her eyes filled with doubt: "What are honeycomb briquettes?"

Lin Wan blinked her big eyes, her pretty face showing confusion.

She genuinely didn't know about this!

We usually cook at home using a gas stove or electricity.

In Shanghai in 2026, finding someone who burns honeycomb briquettes will be really difficult.

When you're just browsing your phone normally, there are no big data notifications, so how can you see them?

Even street vendors selling cooked food use gas pipes.

Occasionally, you can find a stove under a few breakfast stalls or cooked food vendors.

But with a pot on top, she couldn't see any coal burning.

They don't usually care, or even know anything about it, so naturally they can't understand it.

Honeycomb briquettes were not invented until 1950, and in 1956 they were nationalized and promoted nationwide.

That's why the two of them felt unfamiliar when they heard those three words.

Because it doesn't exist at all right now, it will only spread in a few years.

In Lin Wan's mind, even if she saw someone burning coal, she would naturally assume that it was burning coal briquettes.

Now, even hearing the words "honeycomb briquette" makes me a little confused.

Blinking her big, bright eyes, she asked, "Is it also made of coal? Like coal briquettes?"

Chen Huai'an smiled and shook his head: "Same, yet different!"

Without further ado, he answered their questions.

First of all, both coal briquettes and honeycomb briquettes are made of coal!

Coal briquettes have a non-porous structure, resulting in a small oxygen contact surface, incomplete combustion, and a tendency to smolder. A single briquette can only burn for about 1.5–2.5 hours, resulting in a short total heating time.

Honeycomb briquettes utilize channels to create air convection, ensuring complete and controllable combustion.

旺火阶段约1–1.5小时，调节风门后可慢燃保温至3.5–5小时，整块总时长约为实心煤饼的2倍左右。

Under the same weight and coal quality, honeycomb briquettes burn for 2–4 hours longer per piece due to their higher combustion efficiency.

If overnight fire suppression is included, the advantages will be even more obvious!

If we switch from coal briquettes to honeycomb briquettes, we can save at least half the amount of coal.

Moreover, this method can not only be promoted in Shanghai, but also nationwide.

As Chen Huai'an explained, he filled his bowl with rice.

After compacting, I poked many holes with chopsticks.

Then pour it all out and put it on the table.

He smiled knowingly and said, "That's what honeycomb briquettes look like."

Lin Wan and Zheng Changlin observed carefully; the table was full of empty rice balls.

Unfortunately, they didn't understand this and didn't see anything special about it.

After all, laymen just watch the spectacle; without understanding the underlying principles, they're only seeing something new.

However, the fact that it was promoted nationwide and used for decades in the future shows that it truly has unique advantages.

Zheng Changlin said impatiently, "I'll have someone make it right away!"

Honeycomb briquettes seem easy to make, and you can definitely give it a try.

Chen Huai'an thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "No need to rush. Burning honeycomb briquettes requires a matching stove, and the stove we're using now won't do."

Zheng Changlin nodded slightly and asked, "Is it difficult to make the stove and honeycomb briquettes?"

This is a crucial question.

Honeycomb briquettes seem easy to make, but if the accompanying stove is unusual, then it's something to think about carefully.

Chen Huai'an shrugged and said casually, "Honeycomb briquettes are very simple to make; any family workshop can make them. The stoves can also be mass-produced in a small workshop! If you want them, I'll buy a few machines later."

These are things that have been used for decades, and the technology is very mature.

In particular, many small family workshops can make honeycomb briquettes and then sell them at the market.

"Buy it, we absolutely have to buy it!"

Zheng Changlin made the purchase decision without hesitation.

The furnaces that can be produced in small workshops naturally require minimal investment.

Even if you buy equipment for ten small workshops, it won't cost much.

If the effects are truly as good as described, we will definitely produce it in large quantities and promote it nationwide ahead of schedule.

The saved coal can then be used for power generation.

The people saved half of their coal consumption and also saved money.

Such beneficial things for the country and its people should naturally be produced in greater quantities!

Chen Huai'an nodded and pondered for a moment, "There have been quite a few obsolete machines over the years. Buying production lines from a few factories shouldn't be a problem."

After all, it's something that's been used for decades, and there are a lot of old machines.

If all else fails, just spend money to buy all those small workshops.

The machinery and equipment in those workshops were at least thirty years old and were well-suited for use during the Republic of China era.

If it's too advanced, it's hard to use, and you won't know how to repair it if there's a problem!

Zheng Changlin nodded and ordered, "Purchase as much as you can—honeycomb briquette production equipment and matching stoves. Buy as much as you can, not only for Shanghai, but also for other cities!"

After thinking for a moment, he immediately stood up and scanned the room with his eyes.

He asked, "Do you also use coal briquettes at home?"

"Yes." Lin Wan nodded, then said thoughtfully, "You'd like to try making a coal briquette?"

Zheng Changlin did not speak, but responded with a firm gaze and a emphatical nod.

Since it's something that's going to be promoted nationwide, we naturally have to try it out first and see for ourselves.

We need to bring at least one sample so we can present it at the meeting tomorrow.

Otherwise, how can we have any discussion if we don't even have a physical object?

Chen Huai'an nodded and said, "Making a sample is no problem, but we need to go back to the modern era to check the data on the proportions."

Lin Wan and Zheng Changlin exchanged a glance, their faces full of confusion: "Proportion? What else needs to be added?"

Chen Huai'an went to the garden and brought back some soil.

Then mix the mud and cinders together and shape them.

He muttered to himself, "Honeycomb briquettes need to be mixed with the right amount of soil, otherwise they'll crumble as soon as you pick them up. The proportions in this model I made were wrong, and it wasn't dry enough, so it won't burn. I'll bring the complete information next time."

Then place the finished model next to the stove to bake: "After two or three hours, it will be dry and ready to take away."

Zheng Changlin glanced at the time on his wrist and nodded, saying, "There's still plenty of time. I'll go to the hospital first."