Chapter 4, A Land of Feng Shui

Both parties are not wrong; Song Gensheng is unaware of the future, while Gu Qing does not understand the past. Thus, they engaged in a courteous gentlemanly dispute regarding the proper nomenclature for "coal".

Song Gensheng nodded obediently, at this moment he finally returned to reality, immediately realizing that the person before him was no longer his childhood friend, but rather the rising new generation of the village bully

"You, you, you, are you really going to bury me for that thing called coal?" Song Gensheng's body swayed precariously, much like his worldview.

Song Gensheng exclaimed, "Are you out of your mind? Which household in the countryside dares to smelt iron privately? If discovered by the authorities, it is a grave offense punishable by exile for a thousand miles. The blacksmith shops in the city are all operated by the government"

This is interesting

He only dug a pit three feet deep and unexpectedly struck coal. Gu Qing surveyed the mountain he was in.

Gu Qing firmly denied: "I am not! I did not! Don't talk nonsense!"

The reflex arc of this child is quite touching

The malevolent gaze cast a faint glance at Song Gensheng, and Gu Qing suddenly had a bold idea

At this moment, he was still seething with anger, glaring at Gu Qing and asking, "Are you still going to bury me?"

At this moment, Song Gensheng surprisingly raised his intelligence and added a question: "Wouldn't there be other ways to silence me?"

If Gu Qingzhi and others were to put the uses of coal into practice, it is likely that many people in this world would come to understand the preciousness of this resource. At that time, it is possible that many would come to vie for this open coal mine, and bloodshed and desperate struggles would be inevitable. There might even be greater troubles, such as being coveted by the authorities

You hesitated! You actually hesitated!

Gu Qing instinctively blurted out: "Because this coal is really very important..."

Song Gensheng glared angrily

"Gen Sheng, what do you think of the scenery here?" Gu Qing asked with a pleasant expression.

With a grip on Song Gensheng's nape, Gu Qing pressed him to the ground. Song Gensheng let out a cry of agony, and the dramatic performer possessed by Qiong Yao was instantly thrown into a state of panic.

"Why should I lie in there?" Song Gensheng said with a look of bewilderment

Song Gensheng's gaze was filled with hurt: "We grew up together since childhood, are you really not familiar with me?"

No more burying it, our friendship is as solid as a rock, we are lifelong good brothers

The argument was not too intense; Gu Qing only felt pain in her hand

The term "coal" was first proposed in the Ming Dynasty in Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica"

Seeing Song Gensheng's bewildered expression, Gu Qing let out a sigh

As they approached the edge of Shitan, Song Gensheng suddenly, for some unknown reason, forcefully grabbed Gu Qing, who was in front of him. Gu Qing turned around to look at him and saw that his face was pale, his lips were trembling uncontrollably, and his expression was filled with shock and anger.

Gu Qing affectionately patted his shoulder and said seriously: "Therefore, our friendship boat has not capsized, let us row together, as the little boat collides with the iceberg..."

"First fill this pit, then we will go down the mountain. Take me to catch fish." Gu Qingyi rose with a sense of disinterest.

Gu Qing understood that during the Tang Dynasty, coal was known to be used for burning, but its applications were limited to iron smelting and heating. Moreover, the laws here were very strict, prohibiting the common people from casually smelting iron, likely out of fear that they would forge weapons.

I said, you should be quiet. If you do not listen, I will hit you. Do you understand?

Upon his arrival, Gu Qing was still in a state of cautiously feeling his way through this unfamiliar world. He was carefully exploring and understanding it, so his current habit was to ask questions first when faced with a situation, as asking more questions would ultimately prevent him from making significant mistakes

The day before yesterday, Ding Erlang hit me. When I was escaping for my life, I fell and hit my head on a rock, bleeding profusely. Do you remember? The wound on my forehead has not yet healed.

Song Gensheng clutched his painful stomach and readily agreed with Gu Qing's decision, genuinely feeling that the term "coal" was indeed a name bestowed by heaven, perfectly aligning with its inherently dark and cold temperament; to refuse it would surely incur divine retribution

Forget it, I really cannot bring myself to harm such a adorably foolish fellow, even though he is not very familiar with this guy

Song Gensheng was a bit confused, but still nodded

Do you know what coal is used for?" Gu Qing asked tentatively

Gu Qing greatly admires Song Gensheng's character of being flexible yet principled. Such individuals are very easygoing. When the two go to a restaurant, regardless of who is paying, he is the type to actively hand the menu to others to take charge, showing a remarkable sense of consideration

It is uncertain whether this can be considered good fortune; from Song Gensheng's perspective, the people of the Tang Dynasty were already aware of what coal was, albeit under a different name. However, they seemingly did not place much importance on coal.

After the two of them filled the pit, it was already an hour later when they reached the foot of the mountain

The mountain is not high, with an elevation of less than one hundred zhang. The mountain is densely forested, with abundant shrubs, and does not differ from other peaks. However, they have unexpectedly discovered coal here. It is evident that this is an open-pit coal mining area. Currently, the amount of reserves is not apparent, and it is estimated that the reserves are not large, as this mountain is indeed small.

It is good to at least know the purpose

As for just now, I suddenly lost my mind; for a brief moment, I truly thought about burying you. I apologize; let me express my regret first. In fact, the feng shui of that pit is quite good, it gathers wind and stores energy, benefiting descendants for generations. You might want to consider it... Well, if you disagree, then so be it. In any case, in my eyes, you are now just a stranger. I harbored greedy thoughts and contemplated murder for treasure, which is my fault. Fortunately, it was merely an idea; I did not take any actual action, right?

Gu Qing paused for a moment, a thought flashed through his mind: "Is this guy getting too arrogant?" As a result, his pause was perceived by Song Gensheng, who immediately felt a mix of surprise and anger

Song Gensheng's tiger-like body trembled: "So you really want to silence me?"

What is the purpose of burning it?

Well, first of all, I am not familiar with you...

Song Gensheng looked around in confusion and said: "You and I have lived here since childhood, we are tired of the mountains and rivers, where is the scenery to be found?"

Gu Qing gazed deeply at the freshly dug pit before him and murmured, "It must be quite comfortable lying in there... Would you like to lie down and give it a try?"

Song Gensheng cast a doubtful glance at him, reluctantly believing him

"Used for burning." Song Gensheng looked at him strangely.

The "Shan Hai Jing" refers to coal as "Shi Nie", while during the Wei and Jin dynasties, coal was referred to as "Shi Mo" and "Shi Tan"

"Were you trying to bury me on the mountain just now?" Song Gensheng asked with a trembling voice

Gu Qing asked in confusion: "Why don't you use it to smelt iron?"

Gu Qing had little contact with coal in her previous life, but no matter how incompetent she was, she at least knew some other uses of coal

Therefore, the secret of coal production here must be kept strictly confidential, and no one should be allowed to know.

The government often purchases materials for iron smelting. If we farmers can obtain some, it could be useful, but not significantly so. Typically, it is used for heating during winter and for cooking, but it cannot be used indoors. I have heard that in earlier years, a few households burned coal indoors... the next morning, the entire family was found dead, having succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning with no way to save them. Therefore, we are still accustomed to using firewood. Coal is difficult to obtain and can easily lead to fatalities; it is not a good thing.

"That's right, it's called coal." Song Gensheng squatted on the ground, his expression somewhat aggrieved

Gu Qing often uttered strange words, which Song Gensheng did not understand, but he could grasp some of their meanings

Gu Qing said solemnly: "The impact to my head was not merely an external injury; in fact, there are many things I do not remember, including having forgotten a lot about you. Therefore, it is true that I am not actually familiar with you."