Within Suining Prefecture, the temporary shops in Qingxia County, Songhe County, Yunzhu County, and Yanshan County were the first to receive the goods.
The well-trained shop assistants immediately took samples to inns and restaurants throughout the area, promoting the smokeless coal as quickly as possible. They made sure everyone knew that it cost only thirty percent as much as charcoal, produced little odor, and burned for a long time—making it especially suitable for heating in winter.
Once the first step was completed, there was hardly any need for further promotion. Everyone who had bought it praised the product, so there was no need to worry about sales. The only concern was whether there would be enough to meet demand.
Songzhou City.
Staring at the glowing honeycomb briquettes burning in the brazier, Gu Zhongxun felt so weak in the chest that he could barely speak.
So the coal plant had not been built solely to supply fuel to the cement factory. It had also been established to produce this.
Li Zhidao pointed indignantly at the smokeless coal. “My lord, it’s only been a few days since we left Suining City, yet County Princess Linghui and Song Qiming haven’t let a word slip. They deliberately kept this from you.”
Gu Zhongxun glared at him. “As if I needed you to point that out.”
The Gu brothers walked in together.
They untied the cloaks draped over their shoulders and went over to the brazier.
Gu Huaiyuan said with a smile, “I heard about it on the way back. I didn’t expect it to be true.”
Gu Huaiyuan complained in distress, “If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have stockpiled so much charcoal before winter. We’re going to take a huge loss.”
There were many soldiers in the military camp, and they needed a great deal of charcoal every winter.
Worried that the price of charcoal would rise during the coldest months, Gu Huaiyuan usually had people purchase enough to last the entire winter before the season began.
Gu Huaiyuan dropped into a chair, his face filled with admiration for Song Jinzhao.
“County Princess Linghui really is extraordinary. I have no idea how her mind works—she can actually create all these miraculous things. Perhaps she’ll come up with something even more impressive in the future.”
Gu Zhongxun fell silent, and Li Zhidao wisely kept his mouth shut.
Who could say otherwise? Ever since they had first heard the name Song Jinzhao, one astonishing thing after another had emerged in just a few short years: the waterwheel, potatoes, the treadle-powered threshing machine, cement, smokeless coal, and the perfumes and essential oils sold in the capital. She was also highly skilled in martial arts and exceptionally gifted in medicine. The list of her merits seemed endless. Who knew what other wonders she might create in the future?
As he thought about all this, the pent-up frustration in Gu Zhongxun’s chest slowly dissipated.
Someone this capable was not worth offending for no reason.
Whether cement or smokeless coal, both were beneficial to the country and its people.
They were in Suining City, within the jurisdiction of the southwestern provincial administration. If he reported these achievements to the imperial court, he would receive part of the credit as well. Besides, they would leave sooner or later. Once they had finished developing Suining Prefecture, who would ultimately benefit if not his own family?
After thinking it through, Gu Zhongxun waved for Li Zhidao to leave.
“With these honeycomb briquettes, at least half as many people in the southwestern province will die this winter.”
Gu Huaiyuan shrugged. “More than just the southwestern province. Before long, people from other provinces will probably flock to Suining City to buy smokeless coal. I wonder whether County Princess Linghui’s coal plant can keep up with demand.”
His words plunged Gu Zhongxun and Gu Huaiyuan into thought.
Gu Huaiyuan said, “If the supply can’t keep up, will they have to recruit more workers?”
Father and son exchanged a glance. They were thinking exactly the same thing.
What they did not know was that the coal plant had been stockpiling supplies ever since it began operations. There would certainly be enough to last through the entire winter’s sales.
The snow fell harder and harder. A single step into the snow could sink a person all the way to the knees.
On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, workers at the cement and coal plants who lived far from home collected their wages and prepared to leave.
Looking at the vast expanse of white, they complained about the terrible roads. Some who did not want to spend money put on straw rain capes and prepared to walk home, while many others formed groups of three or five and went into the city to hire carriages.
After these workers left, only half of the original workforce remained at the cement and coal plants.
From the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month through the third day of the New Year, those who stayed behind to work overtime would receive an extra five wen in wages each day. Quite a few workers whose homes were near Suining City decided to stay and earn more money. They would simply return home for the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner before coming back.
