It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

The demand for coal is beginning to grow.

The significant improvements in coal usage, such as coal briquettes and coal stoves, reduced black smoke during combustion and lessened the workload of cleaning up coal ash. This increased the dependence of the entire UK, especially large cities like London, on coal, further driving the development of the coal industry in the north and west—specifically, the coal industry in the Lincolnshire area—and lowering the price of coal in the region.

Of course, the most important thing is that Li Cheng needs to find something for the blacksmith he hired to practice on, to give him something to do. The coal stove is killing three birds with one stone. It can also boost the per capita GDP of Newton's territory.

......

"So that's why I inquired about the operational status of Darlena's territory. We might cooperate with them to develop coal mines later. This will determine whether I choose direct acquisition or cooperative development, which is very important."

Li Cheng gave a summary.

Newton listened attentively, then showed an expression of understanding: "So it's something serious. I thought you were infatuated with some big-breasted, brainless woman... Humph, at least you know what's good for you."

"How could that be? Am I that kind of person?"

Li Cheng looked righteous.

Now that things were finally cleared up, Li Cheng lowered his head and took a sip of water, glancing at the two bastards who had spread rumors about him, wanting to see their expressions of shame and self-reproach for framing him, as well as the essential process of the passersby's worship and shock after putting on a show.

Annie: "Zzzz..."

Susie: "Zzzz......"

Damn it! Those two bastards were talking bad about me earlier, and now they're fast asleep... Especially Susie, who, instead of being a shocked bystander, was sleeping while I was showing off!

Li Cheng's face darkened, and he stood up and walked to Susie's side. He reached out and grabbed her ears, which were slightly red from the stove, and lifted them up in one swift motion.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

Susie woke up instantly, wincing in pain.

It was the first time she had ever slept so comfortably by such a warm fireplace. Her family had never been willing to put out so much firewood before, and she couldn't understand a word Li Cheng was saying, so she fell asleep without realizing it.

But when Susie opened her eyes and saw Li Cheng's expression, she immediately dared not say anything. She clasped her hands together and pitifully begged for forgiveness, "I was wrong, I shouldn't have gone to sleep."

While saying this, she was inwardly complaining that only her ear was being pulled, even though Annie, who was sleeping next to her, had gone to sleep much earlier than her. In fact, she couldn't resist because Annie was sleeping so soundly.

To everyone's surprise, Li Cheng shook his head and said, "No, how could sleeping be wrong?"

!!!

Susie almost burst into tears: "Really? I..."

Li Cheng interrupted, "Of course it's true. You fell asleep while I was talking, which means you must be very tired, right? It's because I always make you do so much work... that you're so tired, isn't it?"

"..."

Susie felt like something was off.

Li Cheng released his grip on Susie's ear, clapped his hands, and said, "It must have been too hard for you to be idle in the castle. You'll be in charge of recruiting blacksmiths from now on. Go find a few people and, besides notifying those within the territory, contact as many blacksmiths as possible in the vicinity—especially those with good skills. It's okay to spend a little more money; I'll reimburse you later."

Susie's face immediately fell. Compared to staying in the warm castle, going outside in January and going door to door to find a blacksmith was like hell.

What are your opinions?

"No, no..."

Glancing at Anne, who was still sleeping comfortably, with even a servant covering her with a blanket, Susie made a decision.

No, I want to change my destiny!

Although she had made up her mind, Susie still had no clue how to proceed, and she decided to take things slowly.

------

Coal stoves are not difficult to make, especially since Li Cheng provided a blueprint accurate to the centimeter. As long as the craftsmanship is good, they can be made quickly.

Two days later.

"What you requested is ready."

"You've worked hard. You can go and rest for a while, and then we'll resume work once I give you further instructions."

Having heard Li Cheng boast about it beforehand, and knowing it concerned the future development of his territory, Newton jogged over to check on the situation as soon as the coal stove was built.

Susie was also there, and her work was included in the presentation.

As for Annie, although she had no interest in coal before, she still came over to watch the coal stove being built, just out of curiosity.

Therefore, the four of them gathered around the coal stove, waiting for Li Cheng to operate it.

A coal stove is actually a cylinder divided into two parts: the upper part is the furnace chamber, and the lower part is a small window that serves as a ventilation opening. The temperature can be adjusted by controlling the air intake.

These briquettes are also called honeycomb briquettes because they resemble honeycombs. They are cylindrical, about 10cm long, and covered with interconnected round holes.

These coal briquette stoves were very popular before the 1970s and 80s, and almost every household had one... Incidentally, back then, in addition to the laborious task of making the honeycomb briquettes yourself, there were also special honeycomb briquette machines that made them fresh. However, the freshly made honeycomb briquettes were very soft and damp, and if the tricycle accidentally fell into a ditch during transportation, they could only be remade and burned as coal briquettes.

"It's so dark and coarse, it's so ugly."

"What's that little hole for?"

"I heard that you'll love it after just one use and find it really useful. Is that true?"

"..."

Listening to Newton and Anne's strange discussion next to her, Susie wiped away a cold sweat, thinking to herself, "Are all rich people like this? They talk so strangely in broad daylight; I have to learn to adapt."

She coughed twice, trying to join in the discussion: "Um, I've seen Li Cheng try it a few times. It's true, but most people aren't very skilled at it the first time. You need to do it a few more times to get used to it and appreciate how useful it is."

?

The two men looked at her with strange eyes, as if wondering why she was speaking so strangely.

Annie scratched the back of her head: "Susie, what are you doing?"

Newton felt it was time to demonstrate some lordly authority, so she walked over to Susie and patted her back with her small hand: "If Li Cheng ever forces you to say anything strange, you can just tell me. Don't be afraid."

"......Um."

Susie was in tears, thinking to herself, "You're bullying me. You started it all, you despicable rich people."

Li Cheng was unaware of what was happening behind him. He was busy at the moment, starting a fire with charcoal and wheat straw, then placing a briquette at the bottom and quietly waiting for it to burn.

A few moments later, the blue flames blazed brightly, radiating light and heat in the cold winter.

Annie, ever outspoken, blurted out, "It looks a bit like a brazier..."

Newton frowned: "It does look very similar, but it doesn't seem to be of much use."

Susie remained silent. After several days of careful consideration, she decided that she could no longer undermine Li Cheng.

Li Cheng glanced at the three of them and explained, "The purpose of a coal stove is to replace a brazier, and it's more convenient and easier to use than a brazier... Besides, things are alright here in Lincolnshire, but do you know how expensive firewood is in London?"

The two of them genuinely didn't know and shook their heads.

Annie asked curiously, "How expensive is that firewood?"

Li Cheng was speechless for a moment: "Uh..."

He only knew that firewood was historically expensive in London, but he didn't know the exact price now... Freya was in charge of his living at Newton's house at first, but after he bought an entire garden villa, the housekeeper took over his care directly.

He then turned his gaze to Susie, signaling her to quickly step in and save the day.

Although Susie collected firewood herself back in the countryside, she had done errands for hotel owners in London a few times and actually knew the price of firewood. So she quickly gave a number, a number that would surprise even Newton, who wasn't very familiar with prices.

Annie, who had worked before and received wages, exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, how can it be so expensive?"

Li Cheng shook his head: "London is such a big city with such a large population. It consumes countless tons of firewood every day just for cooking. The local supply is far from enough, so we have to rely on transportation from other places. This has caused the price to rise."

"Fortunately, people at the bottom of society buy bread directly from bakeries and don't have the habit of boiling water, so their consumption of firewood is very small, except for heating in winter. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to afford just cooking."

Newton wondered, "If firewood is so expensive, why do we rarely see people using coal?"

Li Cheng replied, "Because coal is quite expensive and it's troublesome to burn... But that's because not many people use it now, so there's little development and transportation. Things will be much better once the energy-saving and smokeless honeycomb briquettes become more widespread."

"As for coal briquettes, the cost is relatively high for the time being, so they can probably only be sold to some slightly wealthier families who can't afford to hire servants. The poorer people probably won't be able to use them. But they can still enjoy the benefits of lower prices after coal becomes more widespread."

"But it's not a big problem. There's already enough profit. More importantly, we need to develop the coal and the market, and find some work for the people and blacksmiths in your territory."

"My envisioned territory plan will require a lot of coal and a lot of blacksmiths, and it won't be something that can be done overnight."

Now the three of them had no more doubts.

However, there was one more thing. Newton bit his lower lip and said, "But that woman Darlene is very petty. If she finds out that Annie was lying to her last time, she will not cooperate with you at all."

"Besides... I don't get along very well with Darlena either; we used to argue a lot."

She certainly couldn't blame Anne for arguing on her behalf, but if she happened to need to cooperate with the other party, it would be a troublesome matter.

Li Cheng thought to himself, "You've only been home for a few days, and Darlena is already running over to argue with you. In a way, your relationship is still pretty good... at least there won't be any strong hostility or doubt. With the right approach, she's even easier to persuade than a stranger."

"I've been thinking about this issue for the past couple of days."

Li Cheng wanted to reach out and pat Newton's head, but found his hands were still dirty, so he gave up: "Anyway, you don't need to worry about it... Annie, come to my room later, we need to prepare something."

Chapter 162 Smell it, lick it

January days are exceptionally short, and darkness falls quickly.

The food quality in Newton's territory wasn't as good as in London, due to limited production. However, Li Cheng and the others weren't particularly picky eaters. Annie, the only one who really liked to eat, wasn't actually that demanding in terms of food quality; as long as she was full, she was fine.

During the meal, Elizabeth—the cat Anne had trained like a dog, even to the point of carrying her underwear—was brought along by the group, though it hadn't been mentioned before.

Although Elizabeth has Freya to feed her, she still likes to crawl under the table and wander around whenever she sees everyone eating, occasionally rubbing against someone's trouser leg and meowing cutely to beg for food.

Newton casually tossed a piece of meat to Elizabeth, then suddenly remembered Li Cheng asking Anne to go to his room earlier, and asked curiously, "Anne, what were you doing in the room earlier?"

Susie secretly pricked up her ears.

Annie was eating quickly, taking bites of bread and vegetables at a time, and seemed to have a good appetite.

Upon hearing this question, she put down her bowl, bread crumbs still on her lips, and said with a serious expression, "I'm discussing business matters with Mr. Banana and plan to visit Ms. Dalena's territory tomorrow to discuss investment matters."

Newton: "?"

Who is Mr. Banana? What kind of investment does he have?

Li Cheng quickly chewed a couple of bites, swallowed the food in his mouth, and explained, "Don't mind her, she's getting familiar with her role. Mr. Banana is my alias."

Newton was even more confused: "Familiar with the role?"

Li Cheng nodded and said, "Yes, anyway, Annie already impersonated an investor from London for a while last time and fooled that Darlene. Rather than explaining to her, we might as well go all the way and make this identity official... But it's not really a lie, I really am an investor. At most, I just gave Annie a fake identity."

After combining his inquiries from the previous two days with Newton's description, Li Cheng learned that Darlena was also a lord who was not good at managing her territory. Her luxurious lifestyle relied entirely on the coal mines in her territory, so it was almost impossible for her to sell the coal mines directly. Therefore, Li Cheng gave up his plan to buy the coal mines while they were cheap.

Newton thought it was unlikely: "Although I also think that woman is all looks and no brains, is it really possible?"

Li Cheng shrugged: "We have to try, right... Look, Annie is already putting in the effort, we can't dampen her enthusiasm."