Jiang Jin thought for a moment and said, "How about this: you guys wash the coal first and follow my instructions. Don't worry about building the kiln; I'll have someone sent over from the brick kiln."
She realized a problem: coking was not that easy. The most crucial part was temperature control, and there were no thermometers in this era. Even at the brick kiln, the temperature was basically controlled by relying on the kiln masters' experience.
Fortunately, the workers at the brick kiln were already familiar with the process, and a few kiln masters had been trained. It wouldn't be a big problem to transfer two people over here to take charge of the coking.
Busy days passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was November, and Gefeng welcomed an unexpected visitor: He Li.
Looking at the long line of goods, Jiang Jin was very happy. "Manager He, long time no see."
He Li was secretly surprised. In less than two months, Gefeng had completely transformed. Bustling commoners could be seen everywhere on the streets.
The low, dilapidated houses had disappeared, replaced by rows of brick and tile houses. They were clean and grand, looking even more spectacular than Dingyang, a city he had visited before.
His attitude became even more respectful. "My lady, long time no see."
Jiang Jin smiled, her eyes curving. "What goods did Manager He bring this time?"
"Haha, I just brought some grain and salt. I wonder if you will accept them, my lady?"
Jiang Jin's smile deepened. "Naturally. We'll take as much as you have."
As the two were talking, Dong Si came over. He brought people to inventory the goods alongside He Li's men.
"Manager He, you can stay at our Gefeng Inn later. Since it's newly opened, I'll offer you a twelve percent discount."
Speaking of which, it was quite fortunate. The commercial district only began construction after the industrial zone and the weapons workshop were built, and it was just completed two days ago. Now, the construction workers were rushing the progress of the military barracks, hoping to finish before the snow fell.
He Li didn't quite understand what a twelve percent discount meant, but he roughly grasped the idea and quickly thanked her. "Then I shall graciously accept."
Sleeping in the open and rushing the journey had indeed been tiring; after all, he wanted to hurry back in time for the New Year.
Since Gefeng had an inn, he planned to stay for a night before heading back this time.
He Li had brought 1,200 shi of grain and five carts of salt this time. Salt prices were extremely high at this time, so it could be said that the bulk of the value lay in the salt.
Jiang Jin handed the specific price negotiations over to Dong Si. After greeting He Li, she returned to the county magistrate's office.
Dong Si quickly negotiated the price. He had the goods transported back to the county office's warehouse and personally took He Li to the Gefeng Inn.
The Gefeng Inn was built right next to the grocery store. It was quite a large building, featuring a large communal room with a heated brick bed that could sleep ten people, a smaller communal room for five, and private suites.
The best accommodations were naturally the independent courtyards, but there were only two of them, as Gefeng City wasn't very large.
Having just made a huge deal, He Li booked a small courtyard. The carters and guards booked the large and small communal rooms. Since there were many people, the inn was instantly fully occupied.
Dong Si grinned from ear to ear. This was the inn's very first business. Actually, the innkeeper was just a temporary helper he had pulled from the county office.
What else could be done? Gefeng currently had no outsiders visiting at all, so naturally, no one stayed at the inn, rendering a dedicated innkeeper unnecessary.
Once He Li left tomorrow, the inn would simply close its doors again.
He Li looked at the brick bed, very curious. "What is this?"
Dong Si explained it to him in detail. "This is called a fire kang. Some are connected to the kitchen, while others have separate stoves. When the stove is lit in winter, it becomes incredibly warm."
He Li was greatly amazed. "I never expected Gefeng to have such a wonderful thing. Excellent, truly excellent."
Dong Si looked profoundly mysterious. "Naturally. This was designed and created by our lord. Not only that, but we also have heated walls."
As the two were talking, they saw an attendant walk in carrying a strange object, followed by another attendant holding a clay pot.
Dong Si explained, "This is our new invention, a honeycomb coal stove. It can boil water and cook food, making it very convenient."
He Li's eyes widened. "A honeycomb coal stove? What... what is this?"
Dong Si smiled mysteriously. "It's black pill, but ours isn't ordinary black pill. Haha, our honeycomb coal is incredibly effective; just two briquettes can burn for a long time."
Looking at the small stove that emitted almost no smoke, He Li stepped forward and lifted the clay pot, which hadn't heated up yet, to look at the honeycomb coal underneath. "This? This is made of black pill?"
He Li had traveled extensively north and south and considered himself a man of great experience, but today he felt his eyes had been truly opened. He stared at the stove for a long time before saying, "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."
He placed the clay pot back on top and said to Dong Si, "I apologize for my reaction. I wonder, are these stoves for sale?"
Dong Si shook his head. "We've only just started producing them, and the quantity is small. We don't even have enough for ourselves, so currently, they are only supplied to the people in our city. Besides, even if you bought the stove, it wouldn't be of much use without the honeycomb coal to burn."
He Li asked, "Would burning charcoal work?"
"It would work, but it wouldn't burn as long as this."
He Li also understood that Gefeng was probably afraid of this technology being stolen. He dropped the subject and instead asked, "I wonder if you could take me for a walk around the city?"
Dong Si was very accommodating to a major client like He Li, and he took him on a tour around the city.
Unaware of He Li's various marvels, Jiang Jin was currently at the blacksmith workshop, holding two freshly forged iron woks, one large and one small.
Although the blacksmith workshop and the weapons workshop were in separate areas, they were both located within the military industrial zone.
Jiang Jin looked at the iron woks. Though they were still lacking a bit of perfection, they were exceptionally well-made for this era. She nodded. "You guys did a good job. We can start mass production."
Sun Yishui was overjoyed. "Yes!"
Jiang Jin originally wanted to put Sun Yishui in the weapons workshop; after all, the original craftsmen of Gefeng weren't as trustworthy as the people she had bought herself.
However, after Yun Ci took over the weapons workshop, Jiang Jin made Sun Yishui the head of the blacksmith workshop, primarily responsible for forging iron woks, iron stoves, and various agricultural tools.
Of course, the blacksmith workshop was also under Yun Ci's jurisdiction. After all, iron products were controlled goods in that era. Moreover, many iron tools in the blacksmith workshop utilized the forging techniques provided by Jiang Jin, so Yun Ci wouldn't feel at ease otherwise.
Jiang Jin instructed, "Calculate the costs as soon as possible, and then we'll sell them at the grocery store."
Since she owned an iron mine, there was naturally no need to be stingy with iron products.
Sun Yishui quickly nodded. "Understood."
"Are you still unable to cast a stainless steel kettle?" Jiang Jin asked.
Sun Yishui looked ashamed. "I am truly ashamed, but we haven't been able to cast it yet."
Jiang Jin also knew that new forging techniques weren't that easy to conquer. "Keep trying. Oh, and make sure to produce more agricultural tools as soon as possible. We'll need them when spring begins."
For farming, in addition to forging common tools like hoes, sickles, and machetes, Jiang Jin had also brought out blueprints for two types of plows and a threshing machine.
When Jiang Jin left, she took the small iron wok with her. That night, she finally got to eat stir-fried dishes.
Yun Chengxuan, who had come to freeload a meal, ate until his stomach was round and slumped in his chair. "Auntie, so this is stir-fry! It's so delicious. I want to eat it again tomorrow."
Early the next morning, He Li requested an audience.
Jiang Jin thought he had come to say goodbye, but to her surprise, he made an entirely unexpected request.
