In a chaotic and famine-stricken era, I picked up an empress to be my wife.

Shen An's fever lasted all day.

He stuffed nearly three thousand pounds of hair into the stove, calcined it, and let it cool. Instead of taking it to the yard as before, he carried it directly into the cellar.

Although it cools down slowly, it's still better than being seen by others.

Three thousand catties of hair were calcined to produce four hundred and three catties of blood residue charcoal.

He squatted at the cellar entrance and did some calculations; this was still far from enough.

With war imminent, we need to produce over a thousand kilograms to make a big profit.

We're still short on raw materials. Hei Laoliu delivered them twice, totaling 6,000 jin. Last night, 2,000 jin were taken to the cave, and 3,000 jin were burned today, leaving 1,000 jin. Adding the stock collected daily from the mass grave, the total is about 1,800 jin.

Hei Lao Liu promised to deliver another batch tonight. If he could deliver another 3,000 jin, the total would reach 4,800 jin. Based on the usual ratio, that would yield more than 640 jin. Adding this batch, the total blood charcoal would easily exceed 1,000 jin.

Blackie Liu did not disappoint him.

It arrived as night fell, and another three thousand catties.

Shen An paid the full amount on the spot.

When Hei Laoliu took the money, he wasn't as happy as the previous two times. He kept shaking his head and sighing, cursing the government as worthless, and saying that he really didn't want to go to the Western Barbarian battlefield to be some lousy logistics worker.

Shen An verbally advised him, "The common people shouldn't fight with the officials; we ordinary people shouldn't talk nonsense," but he was thinking about something else entirely.

Hei Lao Liu hates the government so much, and he has a group of men under his command. His Black Mountain Village is built like a fortified camp. If we can win him over to our side, it will definitely greatly enhance our strength.

But Shen An didn't rush to speak. After the battle with the Western Barbarians, it was still uncertain whether Hei Laoliu would be able to return alive. The matter of winning him over could wait until he came back.

If he hated the government more at that time, he would have been easier to persuade.

Seeing Shen An's cautious demeanor, Hei Lao Liu was clearly disappointed: "Brother Shen, the first time I met you, you faced dozens of us all by yourself without even changing your expression. I thought you were a tough guy. Why did you cower at the mention of the government?"

"The people will not fight against the officials," Shen An said.

"Hmph, you're wrong to think that way." Black Six raised his voice: "Those officials, even the emperor, were born emperors and officials? Didn't they climb up step by step? If they can do it, why can't we?"

Shen An immediately looked at him in a different light. Wasn't Hei Lao Liu's words just a reference to the saying, "Are kings and nobles born with special privileges?"

It seems that this Black Six has always harbored rebellious intentions.

"Sigh... that's beyond our reach." Shen An patted Hei Lao Liu on the shoulder: "It's best to avoid making enemies of the government."

Hei Lao Liu waved his hand, clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore, and lowered his voice to say something heartfelt: "Brother Shen, you made me money, so you're my brother."

Let me warn you, Ma Tianming has no good intentions towards you. You'd better find a way to get away as soon as possible, or you won't even be able to escape if you drag this out any longer.

Shen An could tell that the person speaking was genuinely worried about him.

The gangster aura emanating from Hei Laoliu is unlike that of others, which seems fake!

He nodded: "Brother Hei, I've got it."

"Alright."

Blackie turned and walked away without looking back, taking long strides: "Tomorrow I'm heading to that damn battlefield, don't give me that farewell nonsense! I'll definitely come back alive!"

Shen An stood at the door, watching his figure disappear into the night, a smile playing on her lips as she whispered, "You'll definitely come back."

He didn't linger. He first told Shen Xiaoqi to go to the county government office tomorrow to find someone to issue a travel permit to Qingping County, then turned back to the kitchen to continue cooking the next batch.

Another sleepless night. In my previous life, when I was a special forces soldier, staying up all night on missions was commonplace. Although my body is not as strong as it used to be, I can still handle a few all-nighters.

The next morning, another 3,000 jin were burned, and more than 400 jin were produced.

Shen An carried the newly burned blood charcoal into the cellar to cool, looked up at the sky, and realized that he had to go to Qingping County to see Jiang Caijun today, and would burn the rest when he got back.

While he was calcining the metal, Dugu Meng didn't sleep much either, keeping an eye on the movements inside and outside the courtyard.

Seeing him come out of the cellar, she fetched a basin of water and handed him a damp towel: "Wipe your face."

Shen An casually took the glass and wiped his face: "Was there any noise last night?"

"No, Xiao Qi said that after Zhao Feng was sent to the cave by you, she took it all as a sign of authority, ordered a few people to follow her orders, and didn't even look this way." Dugu Meng paused, "She really thought she had fooled you, and she really believed that you were going to make wigs to sell to merchants in the capital."

"That's good. I'm going to Qingping County. You rest well at home." Shen An draped the towel back over the edge of the basin and turned to leave.

"That...that..." Dugu Meng called out to him from behind.

Shen An turned around: "What is it?"

Dugu Meng pursed her lips, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "I made you some food, would you... like to eat before you leave?"

Shen An was stunned for a moment.

He'd only been eating dry rations for the past two days, and his stomach was definitely empty. A warm meal would be wonderful: "Haha, that's great!"

He sat down and looked at the food on the plate. It was ugly in shape and grayish in color, and it looked almost like pig feed.

But he picked up the bowl and ate it all in one go.

Dugu Meng sat opposite him, resting her chin on her hand and watching. When he finished eating, a feeling she had never tasted before suddenly welled up in her heart, as if something that had been missing before had been filled.

She couldn't help but say, "If you... if you still want to eat, I can make more tonight."

Shen An hadn't eaten a meal cooked by someone else in a long time. This was much better than what he could cook himself. He let out a satisfied burp: "Make more. I can still eat when I get back tonight."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Meng's weariness from not sleeping all night vanished completely, leaving only one thought in her mind.

What should I make for him tonight?

Three hours later, Shen An rode his horse to Qingping County.

The streets were bustling when I last came, but this time they were noticeably quieter, with several shops closed and only a few pedestrians around.

It was clear that news of the Western Barbarians' impending attack had already reached the south, and people in the county town were scrambling to pack their belongings and flee further south.

He first inquired about prices at other pharmacies in Qingping County.

The price of medicine for treating external injuries was more than three times higher than usual. If calculated by weight, one pound would cost five taels of silver.

It is indeed profitable!

He then went to the backyard of Jiang Caijun's pharmacy.

Jiang Caijun's attitude was completely different from the last time he came. He greeted him with a big smile and personally pulled out a chair and poured tea for him.

Shen An understood; Jiang Caijun had already witnessed the effects of the blood residue charcoal.

"Young Master Sun."

Jiang Caijun rubbed his hands together and sat down: "How much of that blood-tonifying powder do you have left? I'll take as much as you have!"

Shen An frowned, looking troubled: "Manager Jiang, as you know, the Western Barbarians are going to attack. The price of hemostatic drugs has increased several times in the past few days, and most of my batch of goods has already been ordered."

"Huh? They're all booked?!"

"There's a little left, but not much." Shen An smiled. "But you know the market; now it's whoever offers the highest price gets the goods."

Shen An's words made Jiang Caijun swallow back all the words he wanted to use to lower the price.

He tested the medicine the day before yesterday, and the bleeding stopped as soon as he sprinkled it on the wound.

He could clearly sense that this item could be sold for a high price, and he had to acquire it no matter what.

He forced a smile: "So, how much does Young Master Sun have left?"

"Around a thousand catties," Shen An quoted a number. "For Manager Xu's sake, as long as you offer the same price as others, I'll reserve it for you."

Jiang Caijun knew Shen An was playing a trick, and inwardly cursed him for being a cunning little devil, but still smiled and asked, "Young Master Sun, what prices have the others offered?"

Shen An picked up his teacup, took a sip, and didn't rush to reply.

This negotiation not only determined the price of this batch of goods, but also the pricing of all subsequent blood residue charcoal. The price he offered had to be so high that Jiang Caijun would feel the pinch, but still be able to grit his teeth and buy it.

He cleared his throat, put down his teacup, and announced his price.