Sister Han is good at farming

"That's good! More people means more hope." Ruan Qingqing nodded.

Then she looked at the window paper in her hand, thinking. "Master, what do you think of using this paper to make oil-paper umbrellas?"

"The paper is indeed tough and waterproof, but the umbrella's skeleton may not be easy to make." Old Master Ruan frowned.

"Qingqing! In my opinion, the quality of this oil paper is so good. When we can go out in the future, we can sell it directly to bookstores." Ruan Wanxi kept stretching his head forward and rubbing the oil paper repeatedly with his hands.

"A bookstore will accept oil paper? Don't you all use rice paper or something like that when you write?" Ruan Qingqing was a little confused.

"Oh! Third sister, you don't understand this! We use rice paper, straw paper and the like to write, but it doesn't mean we can't use oil paper. On the contrary, in many places, oil paper is really necessary.

For example, most of the letterheads and envelopes we use for writing letters are made of oiled paper. Because it is water-resistant and not easy to fade, it can protect the letters from moisture and sunlight, thus preventing the letters from being damaged. "

Ruan Shixing also joined in the conversation.

"Not only that, oil paper is better for painting. Because they are soft, it is easy to mix pigments and water, which ensures the quality and preservation of the painting. I heard that Master Feng in our county school loves to paint on oil paper."

Ruan Wanxi further added.

Ruan Shizhuang, who was watching the excitement from the side, had a gleam in his eyes, "Third sister, what do you say, if this place regains its popularity, how about we make oil paper and sell it?"

Ruan Qingqing glanced at her third brother who used to be a waiter in a restaurant and nodded secretly. He was quite quick-witted.

"That's a good idea! But if we want to sell well, our paper must have its own characteristics, so we still need to spend some time on material selection and production process."

In Ruan Qingqing's impression, the raw materials for papermaking include hemp, leather, bamboo, and grass. The quality of paper made from different materials is also different. The famous Xuan paper in ancient times was made from the bark of the Chinese celtis tree, and the paper mulberry bark paper was made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree.

"Well, I'll think about it later."

As they were talking, a gust of cold wind made the door rattle.

"It's windy!"

I don't know who shouted.

Ruan Qingqing subconsciously looked into the distance.

The low clouds in the distance almost pressed directly over the treetops, and the sky was gloomy.

It has been cloudy here for several days in a row.

"The weather is a little bit strange today. It seems that the temperature is going to drop. Looking at the situation, is it going to snow heavily?"

Ruan Qingqing's heart also rose and fell along with the dark clouds in the distance.

"It's not too late for us to figure out how to optimize the production process of oil paper later. For now, the oil paper can just be used to paste windows. We should focus on the most important thing."

"What happened?" Old Master Ruan's heart suddenly skipped a beat. The last time he saw Ruan Qingqing looking so ugly was when the plague broke out. Could it be that something bad was going to happen again?

"Master, they say that after a drought there will be a flood. We didn't see any floods this year, but I'm worried that there will be heavy snow this winter. Everyone should prepare enough firewood at home. Also..."

Ruan Qingqing looked determined, "Uncle, please ask a few people from the village to find a few slightly flat places nearby. Remember that the places you choose must be well ventilated and dry. Then dig the kiln holes."

Ruan Wanjin's eyelids jumped suddenly, "Qingqing, why are we going to the mountain to dig a kiln hole for no reason?"

"Burning charcoal, I'm worried that this snowfall will be unprecedentedly heavy, and even the rain that hasn't fallen in the past three years will fall in the form of snow."

"boom!"

Everyone just felt their heads buzzing.

"Qingqing, do you know how to make charcoal? Tell us quickly!" Old Master Ruan urged with trembling lips.

Ruan Qingqing nodded, "Uncle, after you choose a place, use a hoe to draw a rough semicircular outline, and dig out the sand, stone and soil in the circle. The earthen kiln should be about five and a half feet high and six feet wide. Leave three to four chimney holes and a fire-watching hole near the edge. We should probably dig seven or eight earthen kilns of this size."

"Master, you need to arrange the next things. You and Second Uncle should find some strong men in our village. One earthen kiln should be equipped with about seven or eight people. Cut down trees as thick as bowls on the hill near the earthen kiln. Cut off the top and branches, and cut the middle part into five-foot-long pieces without branches and leaves, and drag them to the kiln."

"Third uncle, take some people to drag the tree sections to the kiln entrance and arrange them in a certain layer from the inside to the outside. The tree sections should be placed vertically, and the pine wood sections that contain pine resin and are easy to burn should be placed at the ignition port.

Then, a thick layer of firewood is placed on top of the arranged wood blocks, and then a layer of sticky yellow mud is placed on top of the firewood. It should be of a certain thickness. First, it is stepped on, and then it is continuously hammered with a long wooden stick until the yellow mud is smooth and shiny. This is the kiln roof, which is equivalent to roof tiles. "

"Qingqing, I'll be responsible for the burning!"

Ruan Wanxi saw that he couldn't do the work in the front, but he should have no problem with the work in the back.

"Uncle Wu, burning charcoal is not an easy job. First, ignite it with dry firewood, stuff it into the kiln hole, and use the dry firewood to roast the wood pieces inside, from wet to dry. Gradually, the pine wood pieces will also begin to emit flames and burn. Then observe the burning situation inside at the fire viewing hole.

At first, the smoke from the charcoal kiln is white and contains water vapor. After a few days and nights, the smoke turns yellow, then green, and then it is almost invisible, and what rises up is pure green gas. At this time, the kiln can be sealed, that is, the hole, chimney and fire-viewing hole are all sealed with yellow mud. "

"Isn't this difficult?" Ruan Wanxi didn't think there was anything difficult about it.

Ruan Qingqing shook her head. "The biggest difficulty is to control the temperature of the kiln. If it is over-burned, only ash will be left, and no charcoal will be seen, and everyone will have worked in vain. On the contrary, if it is not burned through and the fire is sealed too early, the core of the charcoal will still be wood, which will produce some smoke and the furnace temperature will not be high. Secondly, you have to stay by the side for several days and nights when the charcoal is burning to observe the temperature of the fire."

"Qingqing, let the charcoal burner come! Your fifth uncle's stove has only been burning for a few days, this won't do! It's okay if it doesn't burn through, at most it will be smoked a few times when used; but if it burns to ashes, then everyone's previous efforts will be in vain. At this point, we can't afford to waste any of it."

Mr. Ruan said in a deep voice.

"Master, I'm worried that you won't be able to stand guarding the mountain at night. After all, it's already winter."

Ruan Qingqing didn't quite agree with Mr. Ruan going. There was a shortage of medicinal materials here. If one of them was not prepared properly and fell down, he might never get up again.

"Qingqing, let me go and watch over it! I have occasionally lit the stove at home, so I have some experience." Ruan Wangang said.

"Then I'll go with my father and keep him company." Ruan Shigao, who has always been taciturn and has a very low sense of presence, also spoke.

Ruan Qingqing's eyes moved back and forth between Ruan Wangang and Ruan Shigao, father and son, and nodded.

"Okay! But if you two take care of seven or eight kilns, you won't be able to take care of them all. How about this! Uncle San, when the time comes, you can ask the villagers if anyone else is willing to go. Only one thing, people over fifty and children under fifteen are not allowed to go. For the other families who go, I will give them a duck down quilt as a gift."