Breaking up, watering, mixing mud, pouring, pressing...the briquettes can be made and formed one by one with ease.
Of course, it cannot be used now and must be air-dried. But since Gao Pragmatic wanted to show it to Mr. Zhang, it would be too time-consuming to wait for it to air-dry, so he lit a fire and placed a circle of briquettes next to it for his servants to turn around from time to time.
Orientation of honeycomb briquettes.
Water vapor rose up, and soon a circle of briquettes was baked. Gao Pingshi ordered two coal stove samples brought back from the capital, lit the briquettes on fire and put them in, and then ordered two mouthfuls of water to be filled.
Put the iron pot on it.
The vent at the bottom of the coal stove was opened, and soon the cold water in the iron pot began to boil.
"So fast?" Ms. Zhang was surprised: "This is much faster than burning firewood... How long can these two briquettes burn?"
Gao pragmatic smiled and said: "I brought two sample coal stoves, one with two sections of briquettes, one with three sections of briquettes, and the current one has two sections. In fact, how long it takes to burn depends on how you burn it. If you put it like this
If the vents are opened to the maximum, the two sections of briquettes can burn for about two hours, but if they are not opened so wide, they can burn for almost a night at most."
"You mixed so much muddy water into the coal, but it burned longer?" Zhang was puzzled and asked: "What's the reason for this?"
Gao pragmatic smiled and said: "The muddy water is not added to burn for a long time, but to shape it. The long burning time mainly depends on the design of the coal stove... This problem is more troublesome to explain. In short, as long as mother knows, the faster the ventilation, the better the burning
The faster it goes, the more intense the fire will be.”
Oxygen supports combustion and heat energy is lost. Of course, even children will understand it in later generations, but it is more troublesome to explain it to the ancients, because it is a matter of worldview. The ancients did not know things like the periodic table of elements, so they were pragmatic and direct.
I chose not to explain.
Fortunately, Mrs. Zhang also knew that her eldest son had been a child prodigy since he was a child, and his third uncle valued him and gave him personal guidance. Since he said it was troublesome to explain, it must be really troublesome. However, Mr. Zhang actually understood the phenomenon that ventilation increases fire -
Although she comes from a wealthy family, she is not unable to cook by herself.
In this era, all kitchen stoves used firewood. Of course she had used one. That kind of stove also had an opening for putting firewood in. There was an iron sheet on it as a "door". The opening and closing of this door could affect the intensity of the fire.
Not to mention that you can also fan yourself with a cattail leaf fan to increase the firepower.
Therefore, the principles are the same. Although Zhang does not know what oxygen supports combustion, he knows how to apply it, so it is not difficult to understand.
Ms. Zhang nodded, then turned around and said a few words to the two maids she brought. She also called the two stewards and gave some instructions. Gao pragmatically found that these two stewards seemed to be newcomers and had not met them before.
Pass.
Mrs. Zhang noticed Gao Pragmatic's doubts and said with a smile: "The two of them came from Puzhou for my mother half a year ago to do some work like accounting clerks."
Gao pragmatically asked: "What did mother want them to do just now?"
Zhang said: "Calculate how much cost can be saved by using the same amount of coal and making it into briquettes." She explained: "This is the most critical thing. Only when the cost is clearly calculated can the next thing be easier to handle."
Gao pragmatic laughed: "Since my uncle, the Zhang family has successfully entered the officialdom. Unexpectedly, my mother's business skills have not deteriorated at all."
Mrs. Zhang glared at him and said: "It's true that people go to higher places, but they can't forget their origins. The Zhang family was not a high-ranking family, just merchants, but the lotus comes from the mud, and the plum fragrance comes from the bitter cold. I
How can you forget the origins of the Zhang family? The same goes for you. The Gao family has inherited the family culture. You are now engaged in the businessman's way. Although it is also an act to consolidate the family business for my six houses, you must not forget your business. Especially,
You now have the status of being the prince's companion, so make sure you don't make a mistake this time when you return to your hometown for a small test, otherwise...how many people will lose their face because of this?"
Gao Pragmatic smiled confidently and said: "As long as the county lord, the palace lord and the master don't deliberately create difficulties, it will probably be fine."
Mrs. Zhang was a little surprised by Gao's pragmatic attitude. She stared at him for a while and then said: "It's good for you to have confidence, but you still can't be careless. I think your uncle was also a famous talent in Puzhou before he took the exam, but he still
He studied day and night, not daring to slack off at all, but even so, he did not take the Maocai exam until he was fourteen years old. Although my son is talented and intelligent, he is only nine years old after all. He was five years earlier than your uncle. How can I be careless?
?”
After all, Gao Pragmatic was a person who received a lot of Western education in his previous life, and he emphasized self-confidence. However, he also knew that the atmosphere of the Ming Dynasty was different. The Ming Dynasty emphasized humility. No matter how talented and talented you are, at least you must be humble in your words.
Some, otherwise it will be regarded as crazy, so I nodded in agreement.
Seeing him like this, Mrs. Zhang put away her serious expression, thought for a moment, and then said: "Well... As for the county and government officials, you don't have to worry. As long as your article is good, at least they won't deliberately make things difficult.
you."
Gao pragmatic didn't speak immediately, but just looked at Zhang, waiting for her to explain.
Mrs. Zhang smiled slightly and said, "Let's talk in the room." After saying that, she turned around and went to the back room first.
Gao Pingshi roughly guessed something, didn't say much, and followed his mother into the house.
After sitting down, Mrs. Zhang waved her servants to go out first, and then said: "The soaps used by Kaifeng Government Office and Xinzheng County Government Office are all provided at half price."
Gao pragmatic laughed.
Mrs. Zhang glared at him and feigned anger: "Why are you laughing?"
"My son thought it was given for free." Gao Pingshi laughed so hard that he deserved to be beaten.
Mrs. Zhang said dissatisfiedly: "You can do any kind of business in the world, but you can't do it at a loss. You didn't tell me how much the soap cost. I think supplying it at half price would have already cost a lot of money, even though they use it."
In fact, it can’t be counted as a lot, but business is business, and although these two businesses are a bit special, we can’t lose too much.”
Gao pragmatic laughed again and said: "Mother doesn't know something. The amount that my son promised to contribute to the imperial palace every year is not much less than what the entire Henan Prefecture receives, and all of these contributions are from my son."
No money was taken from it.”
Mrs. Zhang was so shocked that her beauty turned pale, and she sat up straight: "Isn't that a big loss? You...you have so much money to put in it?"
She looked anxious and said angrily: "It's not good to do business with the palace. You can't even get your money back! But don't be anxious. If it doesn't work, just tell your uncle. He is a generous man. You just need to study.
If you read well, he will definitely not be afraid of spending money on you."
Hey, this sentence contains a lot of information.
But Gao Pragmatic laughed again and said happily: "Mom, don't think that your son will lose money because he gave away all these goods for free. You have to calculate two accounts: one account is, what can I get after giving away these goods?"
What’s the benefit? Another account is, how much does my soap cost?”