Making Silver Frost Charcoal

It was wonderful to be able to get away from the crowds in a year of disaster.

Old Liu smiled. "Shall I take you up the mountain to have a look? The house there isn't a thatched hut. It's decent enough."

Old Liu led them straight up the mountain behind the village. After walking for the time it took an incense stick to burn, a stone house suddenly came into view.

Its walls were built from rough blue-gray stones, with moss wedged into the gaps. Most of the thatched roof had collapsed, and whenever the wind blew, bits of straw rustled down.

Old Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned. "It was sturdy as could be back then. Nobody looked after it, so it fell into this state."

As he spoke, he raised a foot and kicked the rotten wooden door. With a clang, the door panel fell to the ground with a creaking groan, kicking up a cloud of dust.

How did anything behind the door look remotely like a house? Wild grass covered the ground.

Zhou Wanwan closed her eyes and heard the wild grass saying, "Nobody's been here in ages. So many people came today! It's so lively!"

"I wonder what they're here for. They can't be here to catch the pheasants and wild rabbits, can they?"

"There really are so many pheasants and wild rabbits here..."

"Oh dear! A pheasant's pinning me down. I can't move at all! Sisters, come save me!"

Zhou Wanwan followed the voice, with Zhou Qingyan and his brothers close behind her. As soon as they rounded the clump of grass, they caught sight of several mottled brown shapes flapping about in it.

The fat pheasants had their heads down, scratching at the grass, and a few pheasant eggs peeked out from beneath them.

"Go!" Zhou Qingyan barked. The three brothers pounced at once, some grabbing wings, others pinning down bodies.

The pheasants flapped and cackled, but they were no match for the three brothers' nimble hands. Before long, they were firmly pinned down.

Zhou Wanwan carefully picked up all the pheasant eggs. "Now we'll have pheasant and eggs for dinner."

Old Liu stared, dumbstruck. "Th... these children are so quick with their hands and feet! Once they move to Liu Family Village, they can join the hunting team."

Liu Su'e coughed. "Father, they can go hunting in the mountains on their own too. They bring back a lot of game."

"Isn't that nonsense? You let children this small go hunting in the mountains? What if something happens?"

Zhou Wanwan suddenly heard a stalk of foxtail grass say, "Can somebody help me? This thing covered in prickles is poking me, and it hurts so much!"

Zhou Wanwan walked right over. "Big brother, there are two hedgehogs here."

Zhou Qingyan tossed the two hedgehogs into the carrying basket. "I wonder if hedgehog meat tastes good?"

Old Liu didn't know what to say anymore. Suddenly, Zhou Wanwan heard another blade of grass say, "Hurry and get the wild rabbits over here away too! They've nearly gnawed me bald."

A clump of bindweed sobbed:

"I used to have several flower braids on my head, and a little flower bud too, but that rabbit gnawed them all off.

Now I'm too ugly to show my face!"

Zhou Wanwan followed their voices and saw two rabbits with a whole litter of little ones. They had made a nest there.

Zhou Qinghe and Zhou Qingchen moved swiftly, tossing the wild rabbits straight into the carrying basket and putting the lid on.

Old Liu blinked. "Your hands are far too quick. An old man like me can't keep up with you at all."

Zhou Wanwan grinned. "Grandfather, there's too much grass here. Could you have someone help us clear it away?"

Old Liu smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll have someone clear the grass out front for you and help patch the roof.

Then we'll clean the inside of the house, and you can move in."

Zhou Wanwan smiled.

"Actually, there's no hurry. We can stay in Wild Field Village for now and get this place cleaned up first.

By the way, do Eldest Uncle and the others have time? I'd like them to help me with something else."

"They should have time. I'll send them over to you."

Old Liu called the Liu brothers up the mountain. Zhou Wanwan looked at Little Ginseng in the bag and asked softly, "Can we make Silver Frost Charcoal now? Do you actually know how? I have my doubts."

Little Ginseng struggled incessantly in the bag.

"Who are you looking down on? I know astronomy above and geography below, and Grandpa Purple Lingzhi taught me even more.

Put it this way: I know everything ordinary humans know.

Never mind making Silver Frost Charcoal. If you asked me to recite pastry recipes, I could recite dozens."

Zhou Wanwan didn't believe him at all.

"All right, all right, stop boasting. Do you see all those oxen up in the sky?

You blew them all up there. Hurry and tell me how to make Silver Frost Charcoal."

"Hmph... I'm angry. I'm not telling."

Zhou Wanwan looked at him. "I'll give you a medicinal bath today. Hurry up and tell me."

"Hehehe, all right then. First, choose the materials. Pick hardwoods like jujube or ring-cupped oak, then saw the wood into pieces this long.

"Uh... my hands aren't big enough to show you. Cut it into short pieces three times as long as me, and leave them in the sun for ten days to half a month.

"Dry them until they feel dry and loose to the touch, with no dampness left. Otherwise, the charcoal will smoke when burned and won't sell well," Little Ginseng said slowly.

Zhou Wanwan frowned. "Who can afford to wait more than ten days?"

She was racing against time now.

"Eldest Uncle, does anyone here have jujube or ring-cupped oak wood? Dried wood would be best."

"What's ring-cupped oak?"

Zhou Wanwan pointed. "It's the wood from that kind of tree..."

"Oh... wood from that kind of tree! We have plenty of that at home!"

They worked quickly, carrying all the wood from their homes up the mountain for Zhou Wanwan.

Zhou Wanwan liked how obedient they were. Little Ginseng continued:

"Next, load and seal the kiln. Stack the dried pieces of wood neatly inside, packing them tightly.

"Then seal the kiln opening with wet mud, leaving just a small lighting hole at the bottom.

"After that, light it. Keep the fire small and let it burn slowly for three or four days, until there are no open flames left in the kiln.

"Once there's only a faint blue smoke, seal the lighting hole too. Let it smolder inside the kiln for two days, and the wood will turn into charcoal.

"After taking it out of the kiln, break the charcoal into small, evenly sized pieces, pick out any impurities and wood chips, then sift away the charcoal dust with a fine sieve.

"By then, a thin layer of silvery-gray frost will have formed on the surface of the charcoal. That's Silver Frost Charcoal.

"Leave it in the sun for another day to dry out the moisture, then pack it into clean cloth bags."

Zhou Wanwan frowned. "What? Wouldn't that take six days? How can that work? There's nowhere near enough time!"

Zhou Wanwan was pressed for time, so in the end she followed Little Ginseng's instructions and had Eldest Uncle stay there to keep watch while she led the others straight into the mountains.

The paths on the mountain behind Liu Family Village were very rugged, and Little Ginseng wasn't particularly familiar with the area either. Zhou Wanwan could only feel her way along as she went.

Second Uncle was terrified. "Wanwan, why don't we follow the hunting team into the mountains? With just the few of us, we'll be eaten by a tiger as soon as we go in."