Chapter 84: Family Reunion
Two days later, the kiln was opened to retrieve the charcoal.
As several strong men pulled out the charcoal from the kiln, the first batch of burnt charcoal was presented to Yang Zhengshan.
Yang Minghao was holding a small wooden stick, “How come some of them were only half-burnt?”
“Some of them were even turned into ashes!”
The pile of charcoal was quite large, but less than the amount of wood that was put in.
Yang Zhengshan also came over to take a look. Charcoal burning was like that; there would definitely be some losses. It was a technical process, and the amount of consumption depended on the operation during the burning process. By observing the changes in the smoke color, one could determine the burning condition of the wood inside the kiln. Arranging the firewood in the kiln also required skills.
Yang Zhengshan wasn’t too pleased with these results, but that was okay. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.”
Yang Zhengshan estimated that about half of the charcoal was wasted.
Considering this was the first time they were burning charcoal, Yang Zhengshan was already quite satisfied.
“Er Hu!” Yang Zhengshan called out to a man with frosted temples.
“Yes, sir!” Li Erhu, a military dependent from the Garrison Fortress, stepped forward. He used to be a small flag bearer when he was young, but now his eldest son had taken over his position.
“Not bad, you’ll be in charge of burning charcoal from now on. Your wage will be three percent higher than theirs!”
Li Erhu was overjoyed upon hearing this, “Thank you, sir!”
“Good, the kiln is well-built. You guys can build a few more.”
“After a few days, when this side is done, I’ll take two people to the Three Mountains Fortress to build more kilns!”
Yang Zhengshan instructed.
“Yes, sir!” Li Erhu replied.
Although the results weren’t ideal, Yang Zhengshan was already satisfied. With the charcoal industry, the military dependents in the Garrison Fortress and the Three Mountains Fortress would have an additional source of income.
The initial poverty alleviation plan was considered a success.
However, he still needed to find a salesperson to help him sell the charcoal in the Fortress City.
Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and decided to let Luo Jin handle the sales.
Although Luo Jin was the owner of a cloth shop, he had operated in the Fortress City for over ten years and had some connections. Having him sell the charcoal would be better than Yang Zhengshan finding a stranger.
Of course, Yang Zhengshan wouldn’t let Luo Jin work for free; he would give him a commission.
After thinking it through, Yang Zhengshan wrote a letter and had Yang Minghao deliver it to Luo Jin.
The main market for selling charcoal was still the Fortress City, even though the Garrison Fortress belonged to the Jing’an Prefecture. The Garrison Fortress was over seventy miles away from the Jing’an Prefecture, but only less than thirty miles away from the Fortress City.
…
On the eighteenth of September, soldiers from various garrisons, watchtowers, and beacon towers arrived at the Garrison Fortress, making the originally bustling fortress even more lively.
When they received the training notice, most soldiers were full of worries. But after learning that they would receive military rations during the training period and would be paid accordingly, their morale lifted.
They wouldn’t have to go to war, and they could still receive military rations and pay! This was a rare opportunity.
So, they all came with excited and anticipating hearts.
However, after the training began, their excitement disappeared instantly.
Yang Zhengshan’s training plan was truly exhausting. Even the basic training at the beginning was enough to make these soldiers, who were used to slacking off, sweat profusely.
Moreover, since time was limited, Yang Zhengshan didn’t go easy on them like he did during the initial training in the Lin Guan Fortress.
“Listen up, I’m not giving you military rations for free! If you want to eat your fill and receive your pay, don’t be afraid to sweat!”
“You’ve come here, so be prepared to shed blood and tears!”
“This training might result in injuries, and you might even lose your lives!”
“I’m giving you military rations, so you must treat the training like you’re on the battlefield!”
“If anyone makes a mistake, they’ll be punished according to military law. If anyone dares to desert, they’ll be treated as deserters!”
Yang Zhengshan paced back and forth on the riverbank, his cold voice echoing through the area.
The training didn’t need him to oversee it personally anymore, but he still needed to give a speech on the first day.
Following the principle of “benevolence and severity,” providing military rations and pay was benevolence, while enforcing military law was severity.
These soldiers were different from those in the Lin Guan Fortress.
The soldiers in the Lin Guan Fortress were refugees, while these soldiers were a group of tough guys.
If he didn’t teach them a lesson, they wouldn’t be intimidated.
Yang Zhengshan was already prepared to “kill the chicken to scare the monkey.”
“I won’t tolerate any complaints!”
“Do you want to become a warrior, make a name for yourself, and become an official?”
“If you do, then give me your best effort in training!”
“I have one sentence for you today: A soldier who doesn’t want to become a general isn’t a good soldier!”
“This training will give you an opportunity to become an official. After completing three periods of training, we’ll hold a martial arts competition.”
“The competition will be divided into cavalry and infantry. The first place winner will be granted the title of Battalion Commander, the second to third places will be granted the title of Captain, and the fourth to tenth places will be granted the title of Vanguard.”
“It’s all up to you to put in the effort!”
“Haha, I’m looking forward to your performance, soldiers!”
Yang Zhengshan laughed and left.
The soldiers on the riverbank were all stirred up.
Who wouldn’t want to become an official?
The title of General was too far away, but Battalion Commander, Captain, and Vanguard were within sight.
“Long live the lord!”
Someone shouted, and the entire riverbank erupted into cheers and applause.
“Long live the lord!”
“Long live the lord!”
The cheers were endless, but Yang Zhengshan had already left.
“Shut up, shut up!”
Yang Chengxu and the other instructors shouted, trying to restore order.
As the training began, Yang Mingcheng arrived with over twenty carts of grain, accompanied by Yang Mingcheng and others.
In the backyard of the prefectural government office, Yang Zhengshan finally saw his sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and apprentices.
“Son, kowtow to your father!”
Yang Mingcheng rushed to Yang Zhengshan’s side and kowtowed before he could say anything.
He was followed by Wang and Li, who also kowtowed.
Yang Zhengshan looked at them, his mustache twitching slightly.
How did they all kowtow?
Although you are my son, although I know you’re filial, can’t you not kowtow every time?
In the Da Rong Imperial Dynasty, kowtowing wasn’t a common practice.
Even in the imperial court, kowtowing wasn’t necessary except during grand ceremonies.
As for civilians, there was no clear rule requiring them to kowtow to officials.
Generally, warriors would use the “hugging fists” gesture, while scholars would use the “cupped hands” gesture.
Of course, when necessary, one should still kowtow to show respect to heaven, earth, and one’s parents.
Yang Zhengshan disliked it because it made him seem old and venerable.
“Ah, get up, get up!”
Yang Zhengshan let out a dry cough, stroking his long mustache.
This mustache was getting longer, and he couldn’t get rid of the image of an old grandfather.
Yang Mingcheng got up, smiling from ear to ear.
“Dad!”
Yang Zhengshan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the people behind Yang Mingcheng.
Wang’s face seemed to have grown larger, like a fried dough cake, and her waist was getting thicker, heading in the direction of a water bucket.
Li also seemed to have gained some weight, more accurately, she had become more plump.
Their daughter, Yang Yunxue, had grown taller, with a head full of black hair tied in two buns, looking more adorable than ever.
Lin Zhan seemed more steady and mature.
Wang Yunqiao had grown taller and gained weight, holding a child in her arms, who was staring at Yang Zhengshan with big, round eyes.
“Grandpa, I missed you!”
Little Yang Chengyi broke free from the crowd, ran to Yang Zhengshan, and hugged his leg, looking up at him with a pitiful expression.
Yang Zhengshan’s heart melted as he looked at his two grandsons.
“Grandsons, grandsons!”
Yang Chengyi and Yang Chengmao both came over, hugging Yang Zhengshan’s leg, their big, round eyes staring up at him.
Yang Zhengshan’s heart was filled with joy as he picked them up, giving them each a hug.
“I also missed you!”
As they entered the main hall, Yang Zhengshan sat down, holding out some prepared honey candies for them.
The main hall immediately became a scene of joy and laughter.
“Have you been listening to your parents at home?”
“Yes, Grandpa, I’ve been very obedient!” Yang Chengyi, who was already four years old, knew what was good and bad, and was being very well-behaved near Yang Zhengshan.
Yang Chengmao, on the other hand, was more lively, curiously looking around the main hall.
Yang Zhengshan played with his two grandsons for a while before holding Yang Wancui in his arms.
Yang Wancui was already one year and four months old, a soft and cute little girl.
Yang Zhengshan originally wanted to get close to his granddaughter, but as soon as he held her, she grabbed his mustache.
Yang Zhengshan didn’t notice in time, and she had already pulled out several of his mustache hairs.
Oh, my dear granddaughter, you’re attacking your grandpa!
Yang Zhengshan was in pain, gritting his teeth.
“Dad!”
Seeing his expression, Yang Mingcheng and Wang immediately became worried.
“This little girl, you’re too rough, you should be scolded!” Wang scolded, stepping forward to punish her daughter.
Yang Zhengshan quickly intervened, “No, no, it’s okay!”
But Wang’s scolding had already frightened Yang Wancui, and she began to wail loudly.
The main hall was filled with her loud crying.
Yang Zhengshan’s eyebrows twitched.
This little girl’s crying was truly loud!
“Hush, hush, don’t cry!” Yang Zhengshan tried to pacify her, but she only cried louder, even starting to hiccup.
Yang Zhengshan was at a loss.
He still liked children, but he had no experience in taking care of them.
“Oh, dear wife, please come and comfort her, don’t scold her!” Yang Zhengshan had no choice but to ask for help from Wang.
Wang was also a mother who doted on her daughter, and when she heard Yang Zhengshan’s words, she quickly took Yang Wancui from him and began to comfort her.
She only needed to comfort her for a short while before Yang Wancui stopped crying.
Yang Zhengshan couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.
This little girl didn’t seem to like him, her grandpa!
That’s right, to her, he was a stranger.
Half a year was enough time for this little girl to forget him, and now that she had seen him again, she didn’t know how to react.
Yang Zhengshan sighed, feeling a bit disappointed.
But on the surface, he still maintained a warm smile.
“Well, it seems I need to work harder to win their hearts!”
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