Chapter 9 Buying Briquettes

Sunday, morning.

Wang Mengde got up early, had a simple meal, and then went out to the door of Sha Zhu's house and shouted at the top of his voice:

"Shazhu, Shazhu, hurry up and get up. We need to go to Fangzhuanchang Hutong early. If we go late, we will have to wait in line for a long time."

Last night, the two of them made an appointment to go to Fangzhuanchang Hutong to buy machine-made coal briquettes this morning.

If he hadn't called Sha Zhu, this guy would have slept until almost noon, and then he would have to wait in line for a long time to buy coal briquettes.

In Nanluoguxiang, except for a few families who buy coal dust and loess to make their own coal briquettes, most people go to the nearby Fangzhuanchang Hutong to buy ready-made coal briquettes.

There is a coal factory at the entrance of the alley over there.

"Got it. I'll get up right away." Sha Zhu's dull voice came from the He family's house.

"Okay, then get up quickly and come to my house to find me later."

After Wang Mengde gave some worried instructions, he turned and walked towards the west wing. He wanted to go back and do some simple tidying up of the house. He estimated that his mother would bring his two younger brothers over before noon today.

If Ms. Ran Xiaomei saw the mess in the house, she would inevitably scold her.

Before I even reached the door of my house, I saw the door of the next door open and Qin Huairu came out. She closed the door carefully, smiled, and asked in a low voice: "Meng De, are you going to buy coal briquettes with Sha Zhu later?"

"Yes, Sister Qin, there are only a few coal briquettes left at home. It's a good opportunity to buy 100 kilograms on the weekend." Wang Mengde replied with a smile.

"We are running out of coal briquettes. Can we let Dongxu go with you guys? It will be more lively with more people."

Qin Huairu said quickly.

"Okay. By the way, Sister Qin, we will leave early later." He had no objection to Jia Dongxu going with them, as long as it didn't delay his own business.

"Hey, don't worry, it won't affect your business." Qin Huairu said happily, then twisted her plump buttocks, turned around and walked towards her room.

Jia family.

In the living room, Jia Zhang was lying on a small bed. When she saw her come in, she groaned twice and said that she was in pain all over.

Qin Huairu said a few random words to her, but knowing that she was pretending to be sick, she ignored her and went straight into the inner bedroom.

Jia Dongxu and Banggeng were both sleeping soundly with their arms and legs spread out. Qin Huairu walked up to Jia Dongxu, pushed his arm, and said, "Dongxu, Dongxu, get up."

"Why get up so early? Let me sleep a little longer." Jia Dongxu opened his eyes and looked out the window. He found that the sun had just come out. He turned over, closed his eyes and said.

Although he has not had to work hard at night recently because his wife is pregnant, he is usually in poor health. In addition, he inherited Jia Zhang's laziness, so he sleeps until noon every day off.

"Dongxu, don't sleep anymore. Wang Mengde and Sha Zhu are going to buy coal briquettes soon. You should go with them. The coal briquettes at home will not last until next Sunday." Qin Huairu sat on the edge of the bed and persuaded in a low voice.

"Why do I have to go with them? It won't be too late for me to go buy it with mom this afternoon."

"The cart in the yard has been borrowed by Uncle Qi from the front yard to transport wood. Go with them to buy coal briquettes this morning. You three can just call a cart outside. If you go in the afternoon, we will have to pay for the cart."

"That's right. No, I have to get up quickly. Prepare some money for me. I'll wash up, eat something and leave."

When Jia Dongxu heard that he had to spend more money, his sleepiness instantly disappeared. He threw off the quilt, hurriedly put on his clothes, got out of bed and walked out. Looking at his back, Qin Huairu couldn't help but chuckle. Her man's character was now firmly controlled by her, and even his monthly salary was handed over to her for safekeeping.

After taking out the money from under the bed, she hurried back to the living room and prepared breakfast for Jia Dongxu.

Jia Zhang was lying on the small bed with her eyes closed. She heard clearly what had just happened in the inner room, and her expression was a little complicated.

This daughter-in-law was so shrewd. Not long after she married into the Jia family, she used some kind of magic potion to make her son obey her and even hand over his monthly salary.

You know, these were her rights before.

Wang Mengde and the other two walked out of the courtyard and headed towards Shajing Hutong. They turned north at the west entrance of Shajing Hutong, and then headed west to reach Fangzhuanchang Hutong.

There is a coal factory at the entrance of Fangzhuanchang Hutong, which supplies three types of coal: lump coal, coal balls and honeycomb coal.

During this period, only the middle class could afford lumps of coal. Most people in Beijing used coal balls. As for honeycomb coal, few people used it. It was not until around 57 that the country vigorously promoted it, and honeycomb coal gradually became available to thousands of households.

The production of coal balls is very simple. First, mix the coal dust and loess evenly with a shovel, then add water to make it evenly mixed, then spread it flat and compact it. After drying for a while, cut it into pieces, and finally roll it into a round basket.

They arrived early, and there was no one in line in front of them. The person in charge of selling coal briquettes said to Wang Mengde and the other two, "Young men, are you here to buy coal briquettes? The coal briquettes here are made of 'Nanmo' coal and soil from the southern suburbs of Huangtugang. They burn very well."

There are two kinds of coal in the capital, known as "Northern Block" and "Southern End".

"Beikua" refers to the Mentougou area in the northwest of Beijing. The coal produced there is solid and in blocks, but it has a disadvantage, which is that it is not easy to burn and is not resistant to burning.

"Nanmo" is the coal produced in Fangshan, southwest of the capital. It has a fine texture and is easy to crush, but also easy to burn.

Generally, "Nanmo" is used to make coal briquettes.

Before liberation, there were some unscrupulous businessmen who used "Beikuai" to make coal briquettes and sold them as good coal briquettes.

"I want 100 kilograms. Has the price gone up or down now?" Wang Mengde asked.

"I want one hundred kilograms too." Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu said in unison.

"The price hasn't changed. One hundred kilograms of coal briquettes is still 18,500 yuan. Oh, by the way, the new currency is 1.85 yuan." The person in charge of selling coal briquettes explained kindly.

"Okay, please weigh them for us first. Three 100-jin pieces each." Wang Mengde said to the person in charge, and then he told Sha Zhu: "Sha Zhu, call one of the carts at the door over."

At the gate of the coal plant, there were several cart drivers waiting for work.

Soon, after the money was paid, the coal briquettes were weighed and a cart was found. When loading the cart, the cart driver was very experienced and used wooden boards to separate the coal on the cart to prevent the three people's coal from being mixed together.

Everything was ready. The cart driver pulled the cart in front, Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu followed on both sides to support it, and Wang Mengde followed behind. They returned to Yard 95 together.

After unloading the coal briquettes, Sha Zhu took the initiative to give the cart driver 1.8 cents for the fare.

When Wang Mengde saw this scene, he quickly took out his share of the fare and handed it to Sha Zhu, while Jia Dongxu went straight home without looking back.

"Hey, hey, hey, Brother Jia, you haven't paid the fare yet." Sha Zhu quickly stopped him.

"Fare? What fare?"

(End of this chapter)