Traveling through the famine, I stockpiled supplies like crazy

Chapter 130 Charcoal Burning

The branches brought back were very thin and could be used to make charcoal, but unlike other branches, they were too thin and could easily burn into ashes if the temperature was not controlled properly.

After the sun set, the two walked home together. When they got home, Xu Han went to the backyard to feed the livestock first, while Lu Chuan took a rest and relaxed.

I spent the whole day chopping and sawing wood. Not only did I have to chop down the thin branches, but I also had to saw the thicker branches into similar heights so that they could be used to make charcoal.

I haven't finished sawing it all yet! What I've made today is almost enough to burn a kiln of charcoal tomorrow.

After Xu Han came back from the backyard, she didn't want to cook anymore. The weather was getting colder, and she felt more and more lazy. Especially when it came to washing vegetables with cold water, she didn't want to wash them at all. She might as well eat the leftovers in the space!

Anyway, there are a lot of dishes in the space! And when winter comes, we need to prepare a lot of cooked food! In case of any special situation, we can use it for emergency.

After dinner, the two of them went to rest. They still needed to burn charcoal tomorrow morning! They couldn't afford to get up late and delay things.

The next morning, Lu Chuan went to the earthen kiln after breakfast, while Xu Han stayed at home to feed the livestock before going there.

After feeding the livestock, Xu Han went straight to the place where he had cut branches yesterday. The wood had been sawn but had not yet been transported to the earthen kiln!

Because the tree is too big to be transported using space, it has not yet been transported to the earthen kiln.

Fortunately, when Lu Chuan was sawing the wood yesterday, he had already stacked them and placed them on top of the torn curtain.

Xu Han only needs to close the curtains and go in, otherwise she needs to close them one by one! That would delay things too much!

After collecting the sawn wood, Xu Han started to go towards the earthen kiln.

When we arrived, Lu Chuan had already repaired the earthen kiln, and now we could just stack the wood in it.

This earthen kiln is quite large, and two firings are enough for this winter. Because Xu Han is afraid of the cold, Lu Chuan plans to burn more charcoal this year.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Chuan only needs to fire one kiln every year for his own use, but this year he prepared a little more as a backup.

The weather has just started to freeze, but Xu Han has already heated up the kang at home. It's colder in the mountains than outside, and winter is long, so it's better to prepare more!

Lu Chuan entered the earthen kiln and started stacking the wood, while Xu Han stood outside and handed the wood to Lu Chuan.

The wood was all sawn into the same length, but there were also some short and thin pieces, which were mixed together and stacked more compactly.

Try not to have too large gaps, so that the charcoal burned will be good!

They stacked them neatly one by one, and it took a lot of time for the two of them to work together. After all, the earthen kiln was quite large and could hold a lot of things.

After it's filled up, block the hole on this side and then cover it with mud to prevent smoke from leaking out.

Then Lu Chuan went to the entrance of the fire hole and started to light the fire. It would take almost a day and a night to complete!

Lu Chuan has to stay here all day and all night and can't let the fire go out.

Observe the carbonization of the wood inside through the hole at the bottom. Wait until all the wood is burned before extinguishing the fire and blocking the hole.

If there is a leak or smoke somewhere during the process, it must be blocked in time.

After the fire is extinguished, it will take two days to cool down the temperature inside before the kiln door can be opened. At this time, the charcoal is successfully burned and can be taken out for use.

While Lu Chuan was making a fire and eating lunch, Xu Han said, "I will go home after dinner. I will bring you food when the sun sets. I will go home and pickle the dried radish first."

"Okay, go take care of your own business. I definitely can't go home tonight. I have to keep watch here all night!"

"Okay! I understand." Xu Han went home after dinner.

The dried radish has been drying for a long time, but it has not been pickled yet! It just so happens that I have time to pickle it this afternoon.

When she got home, Xu Han took out the dried radishes that had been 70% dried and washed from the space and began to prepare to pickle them.

Xu Han plans to pickle two flavors, one spicy and the other spiced.

First prepare the chili powder. Put the dried chilies in a pot and bake them. Then take them out and pound them into chili powder with a mortar. Set them aside for later use.

In order to make the dried radish more delicious, Xu Han also fried some sesame seeds and added them in to make the dried radish more fragrant.

You don’t need to prepare the ingredients for the five-spice flavor. You can add the thirteen-spice flavor directly into the space.

Let’s make the five-spice dried radish first. Add appropriate amount of thirteen spices and light soy sauce directly to the dried radish, stir evenly and put it into the jar.

Add some sesame oil and MSG when eating, or you can add some pickled peppers to mix it together, which will make it taste better.

The method of making spicy dried radish is the same as that of five-spice radish, except that more chili powder and sesame seeds are added, and less thirteen-spice, so the taste is different.

After it’s done, put it all into a jar. You can eat it now, but if you leave it for another two days, the seasoning will be stronger and the taste will be better.

After finishing, Xu Han stirred some of the previously marinated chicken, duck, fish and meat, which could be taken out and dried in the sun tomorrow.

When the sun was about to set, Xu Han went to the earthen kiln to deliver food to Lu Chuan.

The two had dinner together, and Xu Han took out the tent and sleeping bag that she had bought when they went camping before and gave them to him.

"What is this?" Lu Chuan asked curiously.

"This is a tent, and this is a sleeping bag. A tent is like a small mobile house. You can sleep in it at night. It can block some cold wind. It is warmer to wear a sleeping bag when you sleep."

As Xu Han spoke, she demonstrated to Lu Chuan how to use it.

After Xu Han helped Lu Chuan set up the tent and cleaned up, she took out a lunch box and filled it with some food for Lu Chuan as a midnight snack.

She filled a thermos with hot water and left it for him. After he finished washing up with the hot water, she said, "I'll bring you food tomorrow morning. I'll take the puppies back with me, and I'll leave Black Wind and Black Spot to you."

"Okay, you should go back quickly! It will be dark soon. Go home and lock the gate!"

"I understand. Don't worry about me. Take care of yourself!" Xu Han said and then walked home.

When I got home, I locked the gate, washed up, and went to bed.

Have a good night's sleep...

The next morning, Xu Han got up early, took out the pickled chicken, duck, fish and meat to dry them in the sun, and after washing up, she went to take over Lu Chuan's shift.

When they arrived, Lu Chuan was adding firewood. "Hurry up and wash up, have breakfast and go to sleep!" Xu Han said as he took over the work from Lu Chuan's hands.

"I'm fine. I didn't really stay up all night. I just took a nap in the middle."

Xu Han ignored his excuses, took out toiletries and breakfast and handed them to him, while she ate buns while adding firewood.