Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

Gu Huanxi thought about it, looked at his smug expression, and asked tentatively, "You don't want to do something with coal, do you? Desulfurization?"

Xu Huaiyi chuckled and said, "I would like to do it, but desulfurization is too troublesome. I am not in the capital, so it is not easy for me to intervene in this matter. If I rely on correspondence for guidance, how long will it take?"

He shook his head as he spoke, "It may be feasible in the future, but it won't work right now."

Gu Huanxi asked curiously, "What else can you do to steal the limelight from the Meng family? They are in the limelight now, and a little trouble won't cause any trouble."

Xu Huaiyi blinked at her and said, "Have you forgotten what we used to keep warm when we were little?"

Gu Huanxi was stunned for a moment, but before she could say anything, she heard him continue, "In the 1960s and 1970s, every worker who lived in a tube-shaped building had one? It was used for both heating and cooking, and the iron hoop was very rare..."

Gu Huanxi suddenly realized something and said "Oh", his eyes lit up, "You want to make a honeycomb coal stove?"

Xu Huaiyi corrected, "To be precise, the focus is on making honeycomb briquettes, and the furnace is a by-product."

"Ok?"

"This is ancient times, my wife. Iron hoop stoves are very expensive. Once they are made, they can only be sold to dignitaries and wealthy merchants. However, these people are still used to burning charcoal, so the target audience is very small. As for ordinary people, they can make one at home with adobe bricks. It is economical and affordable, and it does not affect their use."

"Oh, so the customer base of honeycomb briquettes is also ordinary people?"

"Well, in the past, coal was much more expensive than charcoal. It was transported thousands of miles to the capital, and was almost always requisitioned by the court. But this year is special. First, there was a snowstorm, and there was not enough charcoal to burn. We must have a substitute. Second, the Meng family handed over a mine. Fortunately, the mine is near the capital, with low transportation costs and abundant reserves. The price should be cheaper. We use the discarded coal ash and mix it with yellow mud to make honeycomb coal. The cost can be compressed even lower. Do you think the people will buy it?"

Gu Huanxi nodded, "Not only will they buy it, they might even go crazy to buy it. Not to mention that the price is lower than charcoal, even if the price of charcoal is the same, people will give priority to honeycomb coal after learning about its benefits."

After all, compared with charcoal, honeycomb coal has obvious advantages: better heating effect, longer burning time, very convenient to use, and can also be used for cooking. If you want to use it sparingly, just close the vent of the stove. In this way, one honeycomb coal can be used for several hours.

The only drawback is probably that it is easy to cause poisoning, so when using it, you must pay attention to safety and the room should not be a closed environment.

Xu Huaiyi clapped his hands and smiled, "So, do you think this is a good idea?"

Gu Huanxi joked, "Well, it's really not rotten, it's quite fragrant."

"Hehe, once it's done, can we steal the limelight from the Meng family?"

"Well, we can grab some, but the main thing is to annoy them."

"Then I'll have to trouble you to do it, my wife. I'm really beyond your reach."

"Okay, I'll talk to Su Zhe later. Just focus on fighting and be careful of hidden attacks."

Before Xu Huaiyi flashed out, he couldn't help but remind her, "Wife, you must pay attention to controlling costs and not raising the price too high, otherwise ordinary people won't be able to afford it and our plan will fail."

Gu Huanxi rolled her eyes at him unhappily, "Your plan has failed, right?"

Don't think that she doesn't know what he is planning. He came up with the idea of ​​honeycomb briquettes not for the purpose of making money. To annoy the Meng family is only one of his reasons. The second, and most important, reason is to help the people get through this difficult time.

"Humph, so you seem kind and compassionate, and I am just greedy for money?"

"Hehe, of course not. My wife is a living Bodhisattva, saving people from suffering..."

"get out!"

After driving him away, Gu Huanxi carefully considered the feasibility of this matter and the various subsequent arrangements. As for the cost calculation, she would have to ask Su Zhe. It involved the purchase and price of coal ash, as well as production and sales issues. Any discrepancy would affect the selling price of honeycomb coal.

I just don't know whether Su Zhe is willing to cut his profits to do this good deed.

The next day, after dinner, Gu Huanxi watched Han Jun drive away in the carriage. After much thought, she decided that it would be better to meet Su Zhe in person to discuss the matter. This business involved many things, and she was afraid that she would not be able to convey it clearly by passing on messages.

However, in order to avoid suspicion, she asked someone to invite Su Zhe's wife Zhao Yue.

Su Zhe came along for the occasion, and the meeting and chat were not arranged in the house, but in the plum garden. The flowers in the plum garden were blooming early, and a layer of crystal clear white snow fell on the delicate petals. The subtle fragrance was in the air, and it was beautiful beyond words. It was a good time to enjoy the flowers.

There is a pavilion in the garden with half curtains hung around it, which can block the wind and snow to some extent without hindering the view of the scenery. Most importantly, it is clear at a glance what the people inside are doing, thus fulfilling the function of avoiding suspicion.

Gu Huanxi had charcoal braziers placed in several locations and thick cushions laid on the chairs. Everyone was wrapped in down cloaks and held exquisite heaters in their hands. With such complete equipment, they were not cold at all.

After a few pleasantries, they got down to business. As soon as Gu Huanxi opened his mouth and said he wanted to discuss a new business, Zhao Yue hurriedly stood up and found an excuse to change clothes to leave.

Su Zhe didn't say anything, but only told the maid to serve well and not to blow cold air.

Gu Huanxi, on the other hand, was quite depressed and embarrassed. She didn't mind Zhao Yue staying. What she said was not some secret that couldn't be heard. Why did it come to this?

She felt that Zhao Yue was too cautious. Back then, Zhao Yue married into the Su family with a low status. She didn't have to be so arrogant, but there was no need for her to be so evasive, right? She seemed to be a little afraid of Su Zhe.

Su Zhe drank a sip of hot tea and explained in a very respectful manner, "Sister-in-law, don't think too much. My wife is just doing her duty. As a daughter-in-law of the Su family, she cannot interfere in the Su family's business."

It's the same as the harem cannot interfere in politics, right? Gu Huanxi asked curiously, "What about the Yue family of the Su family's descendants?"

Su Zhe said, "You can't interfere, but you can give me shares."

Oh, I understand. You can give money. The Su family has no shortage of money anyway. It can also be used to bind the two families closer. But you can't interfere in the Su family's business and shake the foundation of the Su family.

Gu Huanxi nodded in understanding, dropped the topic and talked about business, "I've been thinking about a deal recently, you listen and see if it works..."

Su Zhe straightened his back, looking very serious, "Sister-in-law, please speak!"

Gu Huanxi then told him the story of honeycomb briquettes. Afraid that he didn't understand, he even drew a picture and tried to describe it in as much detail as possible.

Su Zhe was confused at first, after all, it was a new term, and he had no idea what it was. But after getting the drawing and taking a few glances, he figured it out. The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became. After asking about the quality of the honeycomb briquettes, he couldn't help but smile and praise, "This can really be called a treasure for keeping warm."

Gu Huanxi said, "The treasure is a bit exaggerated, but for ordinary people, it can be regarded as an economical and affordable heating artifact."

Su Zhe clapped his hands excitedly, "My sister-in-law is right. If this thing is successful, it can save the people from the severe cold. This is a great favor."

"It's serious. I'm just trying my best. It's because the Meng family discovered the coal mine. Otherwise, we wouldn't have the conditions to make honeycomb coal. The cost of transporting it from far away is too high. Ordinary people may not be willing to buy it, so the meaning of honeycomb coal is not great."

"My sister-in-law is right. In this case, I have to thank the Meng family."

The tone of his words was a bit teasing, and even gloating. They were all smart people. They quickly realized that once honeycomb coal was released, it would steal the limelight from the Meng family's donation of the mine. After all, the biggest beneficiaries of the donation of the mine were the emperor and the court, and it was far from the lives of ordinary people. But things would be different after the launch of honeycomb coal. This thing was explored specifically for the people. The people were the biggest beneficiaries, and the number of people was large. Whatever they wanted to brag about would soon be made known to everyone.

If managed properly, the Meng family's mine might very well become a wedding dress for the Gu family.

But Gu Huanxi didn't want things to get to that point, for fear of further provoking Meng Yao to do something big. Before Xu Huaiyi returned safely, it was better to avoid provoking that madman.

"Thank you for your hard work. Huaiyi is not at home, and it is not convenient for me to show up in public..."

"What are you talking about, sister-in-law? I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute. Once this is accomplished, it will be a very important bargaining chip for me. It will help me have more say in the Su family. I couldn't ask for more!"

The two exchanged pleasantries and the matter was generally settled. The contract had not yet been signed, but there was no rush. The main reason was that the preliminary work for this business was rather trivial and required preparation in many aspects. After everything was sorted out, it would not be too late to discuss other things.

Su Zhe took the drawings and couldn't wait to say goodbye and leave to arrange various tasks.

Zhao Yue did not go with them. Gu Huanxi kept her for lunch before sending her out.

If she was acting, she had to do it from beginning to end, so that no one would make a fuss about her and Su Zhe.

Su Zhe was very efficient, and perhaps he felt that this was a very meaningful matter, so he was very motivated and it only took him three days to come back.

Perhaps he was too excited and didn't care to avoid suspicion. He came alone, followed by several carriages. He entered the yard, found an open space, and carefully moved the things down.

Gu Huanxi brought her personal maid, and also called Han Jun and Hu Yingjie to go see it together. When they saw the freshly-baked honeycomb coals placed on the open space, they felt as if they had traveled back to the 1960s and 1970s.

In addition to honeycomb coal, there are a dozen stoves, including ordinary versions customized according to the size she drew, as well as more delicate and compact ones, made of iron and brass. There are also tools for making honeycomb coal, the same as the ones she described. In addition, there are fire tongs, fire hooks, etc. The equipment is very complete.

The others had never seen these things before, so they gathered around to watch them out of curiosity.

Su Zhe asked nervously, "Sister-in-law, what do you think? Is it done wrong?"

Gu Huanxi praised sincerely, "Very good, exactly as I thought."

She had already arranged the origin of these things, and attributed them to the original owner's deceased father. She only came up with this idea after hearing her father's description.

Su Zhe breathed a sigh of relief and said happily, "I am able to satisfy my sister-in-law. All my efforts these days have not been in vain..."

"Thanks for your hard work!"

"It's not hard, just a little troublesome. I have to run errands so many times a day and talk so much that my lips are dry..."

“Is it that the purchase on the coal ash end is not going smoothly?”

"It's OK. I found someone and smoothed things over. Coal ash is not valuable. No one wanted it in the past. It was only because we wanted to purchase a large amount that the other party took advantage of it. But now it's OK."

"What's the price?"

"I have already tried to suppress it to the lowest level..."

Gu Huanxi took the paper he handed over, which recorded in detail the cost price of purchasing various items. The venue and labor had also to be taken into account. Finally, a sales price was quoted. The profit was very small. The strategy was to make small profits but quick turnover, also to earn some prestige and a good name.

However, this price is really advantageous, much lower than the current charcoal price.

"We have to see how effective it is..."

It’s not enough to just engage in a price war, the quality has to be acceptable as well.

Su Zhe quickly asked the servants to help light the stove. He first lit the fire, then put in some thinner wood blocks. When it was almost burned, he used tongs to pick up a honeycomb coal and carefully stacked it on top.

This is when the smoke is the heaviest, and you need to use a fan to fan vigorously at the air inlet. After about a cup of tea, the smoke will gradually dissipate, and the bottom of the honeycomb coal will become noticeably red, which means that the stove is lit.

As for the heating effect, everyone walked over to try it out. It was still very warm if they got closer. The iron sheet conducts heat, and after burning for a long time, it was impossible to touch it with your hands. It could be used as a set of radiators.

Put a pot of water on the stove and it will boil soon. After closing the air inlet, the burning speed of the honeycomb coal will slow down significantly, but the temperature of the stove can be maintained.

"Is this considered a success?"

"Well, it's a success. We can sell it now. Now is a good time..."

These days, there has been another light snowfall, and it is getting colder day by day. There are almost no pedestrians on the road except for those who have to go to the city gate to get porridge and medicine. Water freezes into ice, and countless people fall and get injured when traveling. More and more people are suffering from frostbite and freezing to death.

Unfortunately, the price of charcoal remains high and it is difficult to buy.

The timely appearance of honeycomb briquettes can fill this gap and will surely cause a sensation.

Facts have proved that this is indeed the case.

Su Zhe was well versed in sales tactics. He placed more than a dozen stoves at the city gate and provided free heating to those who came to receive relief. After seeing the convenience of using honeycomb coal and its burning effect, they inquired about the price and were immediately ecstatic.

They can afford this thing, it's cheap, but the heating effect is great. The stove is a bit expensive, but you can build one yourself, so they can get through this winter, right?

Word of mouth spread like wildfire, and the publicity effect was no less than that of later advertisements. Before long, honeycomb coal, the magic tool for heating, was snapped up by the people. More than a hundred people in the workshop, working overtime, could not keep up with the speed of people's buying. This shows how popular honeycomb coal is.

Honeycomb coal became popular all of a sudden, and its popularity was much greater than the influence of the Meng family's donation of the mine. As Gu Huanxi guessed, the Meng family's limelight was taken away, and the glory and excitement came to an abrupt end.