Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

When Cheng Yuntao walked home on the snow, the cold wind was still howling in the courtyard, blowing the dead branches on the eaves to and fro, and the accumulated snow fell, raising fine silver flakes that stuck to her dark blue cloak.

She pulled her hood down a third more and hurried across the yard.

As soon as you step into the house, a warm atmosphere hits you in the face, forming a sharp contrast with the ice and snow outside. The whole family gathered in the house, with comfortable expressions on their faces.

Cheng Yuntao raised her eyebrows slightly, and her hand, which was untying her cloak, was suspended in mid-air.

In the past, even when there was a charcoal fire, the corners of the house were always a bit cold, but now, even the cracks in the blue brick floor were filled with warmth.

She walked over to the brazier and saw blue flames dancing among the red charcoal blocks, without even a hint of choking smoke. She took a closer look and was immediately surprised, because what was burning in the brazier was not ordinary charcoal, but extremely precious silver frost charcoal.

Silver Frost Charcoal is a high-quality charcoal highly respected among dignitaries, and its production process is complicated and sophisticated.

The raw materials used are often hard, fine-grained woods like birch and oak, which have high density and low fat content. Production begins with the traditional earthen kiln firing method, sealing the wood in a sealed earthen kiln with strictly controlled temperature and oxygen content, allowing it to slowly carbonize in an oxygen-deficient environment. This process often lasts for several days or even longer to ensure sufficient carbonization.

After firing, the charcoal is refined to select charcoal with a uniform texture, free of cracks and impurities. It is then placed in a specialized kiln and smoldered at low temperatures to further remove impurities and moisture, resulting in a finer texture and more stable combustion performance. Surface treatment then follows. Artisans apply a solution made from special minerals or plant juices to the charcoal surface, which is then air-dried under specific temperature and humidity conditions to form a white film similar to silver frost, giving it a unique silvery luster.

From the appearance, silver frost charcoal has a silvery-white color, and the surface is like a thin frost. It has a soft luster under the light, showing its purity and elegance; the shape is regular, mostly in blocks or strips, with uniform size and neat edges and corners; the texture is fine and hard, smooth to the touch without bumps and cracks, and it will make a crisp sound when tapped.

When used, the advantages of Silver Frost Charcoal are obvious.

It has a high calorific value and extremely high combustion efficiency. It can release a large amount of heat in a short period of time. Under the same time and dosage, it can produce a higher temperature than ordinary charcoal, and has an excellent heating effect. There is very little smoke when burning, almost no pollution, and no pungent odor, which can keep the indoor air fresh. It has a hard and compact texture, a stable combustion state, and will not suddenly go out or burn violently. The burning time is also longer than ordinary charcoal, reducing the trouble of frequent addition.

The price of the charcoal was just inflated to a high level, not to mention the silver frost charcoal, which is probably worth a fortune.

Cheng Yuntao frowned slightly and was about to ask when Jiang Yu spoke first, "Yuntao, you're finally back. Come sit down and get closer to the charcoal fire to warm yourself up."

"I just came back from outside. When I passed by the charcoal shop, even the peat charcoal there had been snatched away. How did charcoal suddenly appear in our house? And it's not ordinary charcoal, it's silver frost charcoal that only the rich and powerful can afford."

As he spoke, Cheng Yuntao took off his cloak, put it aside, looked at Jiang Yu, and waited for his answer.

Jiang Yu lowered his head slightly, his eyes somewhat evasive, not daring to look Cheng Yuntao in the eye. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to tell the truth: "This Silver Frost Charcoal...I stole it from the City Lord's Mansion."

"At first, I was just passing by the City Lord's Mansion and saw the guards outside. They were all hunched over, shivering in the cold wind, and were obviously much more relaxed than usual. It's so cold, who wouldn't want to find a warm place to hide? I guess they were exhausted by the severe cold, so they relaxed their guard."

"I took advantage of their shift change to sneak in and take a look. I wanted to see what Shen Linfeng has been up to lately." Jiang Yu paused, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, and continued, "I didn't expect that after entering the City Lord's Mansion, I would unexpectedly hear some news."

"It turns out that when those wealthy businessmen left Junhua City, they were plundered by Shen Linfeng and were only allowed to leave after paying a large sum of money. I was wondering why he would just sit back and watch those wealthy businessmen leave. It turns out he had already benefited from it."

"The City Lord's Mansion was incredibly luxurious. Shen Linfeng had the best food, clothing, and daily necessities. The cold outside had no effect on him at all, while the common people were starving and freezing! I was furious, and then I remembered that we were running out of charcoal at home, and my grandmother wasn't feeling well and needed charcoal to keep warm, so I sneaked into the storeroom and stole some Silver Frost charcoal."

After saying this, Jiang Yu seemed to be worried that Cheng Yuntao would condemn his behavior, and hurriedly added: "I know this is not right, and I won't do it next time."

But Cheng Yuntao's eyes became brighter and brighter as she listened, and her expression became a little more excited.

"Jiang Yu, you did the right thing!"

"These things in the City Lord's Mansion were originally taken from the people. Shen Linfeng has embezzled so much money and property. At this critical moment, these things should be taken out and used for the people."

"He holds a position without the ability to fulfill it, receives a salary without considering the government's affairs, turns a blind eye to the suffering of the people, and turns a deaf ear to the hardships of their lives... This is his dereliction of duty. If he had any conscience, he would not turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people and ignore it!"

"This cold weather hasn't been going on for just a day or two, and Shen Linfeng has never taken the initiative to do anything concrete. Now the disaster is getting worse, roads are damaged, and prices are soaring. The government should have intervened, but he remains silent and only knows how to hide in his own comfortable nest and enjoy himself. He's truly despicable!"

After hearing Cheng Yuntao's angry curse, Jiang Yu's eyes instantly brightened a little.

He was originally full of anxiety, thinking that Cheng Yuntao would blame him for his reckless behavior, but he did not expect that the other party's eyes were so sharp that he immediately saw through the essence of the matter and did not dwell on the superficial trivial matters.

Jiang Yu's face flushed, his heart filled with shame. Recalling his momentary retreat and doubt, fearing accusations, he felt even more narrow-minded. Cheng Yuntao was far more rational and decisive than he had imagined, seeing things so clearly. This insight and broad-mindedness made him feel ashamed.

Cheng Yuntao continued, "People like Shen Linfeng who are just sitting there doing nothing but eating and drinking should be removed from their high positions."

"However, compared to the outside world, the City Lord's Mansion is still heavily guarded. You were able to sneak in because of your high martial arts skills. It would be extremely difficult for ordinary people to get in, let alone take out the items in the City Lord's Mansion's warehouse and distribute them to the people..."

Suddenly, Cheng Yuntao's eyes lit up, and she thought of her portable farm. The farm had quite a lot of space, and although it couldn't hold living people, it could easily hold food and charcoal...