Chapter 20: Tuo (1)

  Originally planned to go to Chengdu today, but it snowed heavily...

  The airport is closed and the trip was blocked. It's a bit tired from the hustle and bustle. Originally planned to update after midnight, but uploaded it in advance, which counts as tomorrow's first update.

  Also, I'd like to ask for some recommended votes!

  ——————————————————

  Kuai Zheng drank a cup of wine, thought for a moment, and then bid farewell and left.

  No one is clear about the purpose of his trip. However, in the eyes of outsiders, Kuai Zheng's arrival seems to also herald Deng Ji's rise. Especially seeing Kuai Zheng and Cao Peng's cordial conversation, it makes people confirm their previous thoughts, and looking at Cao Peng's gaze, there is also a hint of respect.

  Although Kuai Zheng was just a county magistrate, behind him was a huge entity, the Kuai family.

  "See that? Cao Langjun and Qu Xianling are on equal footing... when have you ever seen Qu Xianling being so familiar with someone?"

  "Yes, Old Man Deng also showed great respect when he met County Magistrate Kuai."

  I've never seen County Magistrate Kuai treat Deng Lao Taigong with such courtesy. Third Brother is really going to make it big this time! With the relationship between Cao Lang Jun and County Magistrate Kuai, he's not someone that can be compared to Deng Cai. Haha, yesterday I saw Big Wife at the village entrance, still with a band-aid on her face, she was walking with her head down when she saw people, where's the elegance of Big Wife from before? It's really laughable.

  "If I had known this earlier, why bother with what happened in the beginning?"

  "That's right, Old Man Li seems to be the same as before, but I think he can't bear to lose face. If it were someone else, they would have already given Ma Dandan a slap in the face... This old man is all right, just too soft-hearted and indulgent towards Deng Cai..."

  The villagers' topic of conversation gradually shifted from Deng Jie's body to Old Man Deng.

  Then from Old Man Deng, it shifted to General Deng... From General Deng, it mentioned Zhang Zhuo, and finally returned to next year's farming.

  Cao Peng sent away Kuai Zheng and then went back home to rest!

  Cao Qu and Deng Ji were in charge of receiving guests outside. This banquet lasted until dusk, only when the cups and plates were scattered all over the place did it come to an end.

  Hong's daughter found someone to clean up the courtyard.

  Zhang and Cao Nannan took Hong Niangzi into the house, forced her to accept some money, and then chatted idly... until the moon was high in the sky, Hong Niangzi left with a full heart. The Cao family, who had been busy all day, were also exhausted. Deng Jie planned to return to the county government office the next day, so he went to rest early. Zhang Shi and her daughter were a bit tired, but their spirits were high. The two of them had endless whispers to share, so they slept together in the same bed, whispering to each other in the room.

  Cao Peng is also tired!

  But his fatigue was not just physical, but also mental stress.

  To others, he seems invincible. But as for his own affairs, only he knows the pressure he bears, which is beyond outsiders' imagination.

  Cao Peng gambled while also deeply believing that Pang Ji would approve of his actions. Even if Pang Ji didn't agree, wasn't there still Sima Dekao?

  As long as one of them nods, the fake Lu Men disciple affair can be settled.

  Cao Peng has this confidence, but before getting a definite answer, he is still a bit nervous... Qu Zheng's purpose for coming today, he can see very clearly. On the surface, Qu Zheng came to congratulate him, in fact, it was also the last attempt to probe. Wanting to see Cao Peng's reaction.

  Fortunately, Cao Peng replied appropriately at that time: I sent someone to Xiangyang three days ago!

  At least for now, Kuo Zheng will not have any reaction.

  Now, all he can do is wait, wait and wait...

  In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, private schools were very popular. From the famous scholars like Zheng Xuan to those discontented officials who returned home to teach, people had many more opportunities to learn than before. The prevailing fashion was to find talented individuals and teach them, which was a delightful thing to do. Presumably, in the eyes of Sima Dechao and others, they themselves were also considered talented individuals. With this alone, Cao Peng felt very confident.

  These days have been tough, tempering my body and strengthening my muscles and bones.

  So as soon as it got dark, Cao Peng fell asleep!

  I don't know how long I slept, but I vaguely heard some noise outside.

  Cao Peng rubbed his eyes, got up, put on his cotton-padded jacket and walked out of the room.

  The sound seemed to be coming from the front yard. Cao Peng walked through the middle hall and stood on the steps, looking out. All he saw was a burly figure in one corner of the front yard, busily going back and forth. The moonlight was bright, and Cao Peng recognized at a glance that the person was his father, Cao Jin.

  Cao Ju set up a simple shed in one corner of the courtyard.

  It was located right next to the well, with four pillars and a thatched roof. The shed had already been set up beforehand, but inside it was empty and bare, without any decorations. Cao Jī stood under the shed, piling something up. Cao Péng scratched his head, jumped down from the steps, and walked over.

  "Dad, what are you doing?"

  Cao Ju's face was smeared with mud and his hands were also pitch black.

  Seeing Cao Peng come over, he couldn't help but ask in puzzlement: "Peng, didn't you go to sleep a long time ago?"

  "Oh, slept enough, woke up."

  Under the dim light of the oil lamp in the shed, Cao Peng saw something like a furnace. He was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood that this must be the iron-melting furnace. On the ground, there were also scattered objects, including hammers, tongs, an anvil, and a large leather bag.

  These seem to be iron-forging tools...

  During the Western Han Dynasty, iron and steel industry began to appear on a large scale. Generally, large workshops would have equipment such as blast furnaces, bellows, tuyeres, and forges. In the early Eastern Han Dynasty, Du Shi, the governor of Nanyang, invented the water-powered bellows, which used water to drive the bellows, with an effect similar to that of later windboxes.

  Perhaps in Cao Peng's eyes, this equipment is very simple.

  But as for Cao Jiu, even if it's just a water pipe, he doesn't have the qualifications to use it.

  Cao Peng bent down and picked up the leather pouch.

  "Dad, is this the stove?"

  The shape of the bellows, with two thin ends and a bulging middle. Its appearance is similar to that of a container called "tuo" during the Spring and Autumn period, so it was directly referred to as tuo. Placing the tuo on top of an iron furnace made it a furnace tuo. Utilizing the elasticity of the tuo, when empty it would bulge outwards; there was a ceramic handle on top of the tuo, which was used to push and pull the tuo back and forth, compressing and expanding it. Some large-scale iron furnaces often had multiple tuos lined up together to blow air, known as "pai tuo".

  Cao Quan's stove obviously doesn't need to use a chimney or such tools.

  "Yes, this is the furnace."

  Cao Ju grabbed a piece of black mud, slapped it on the furnace wall, and smoothed it out with an iron scoop. As he worked, he smiled at Cao Peng and said: "We can consider ourselves settled down now... Your brother-in-law said that he could find me a shop in the city. But I thought about it, and the city is too far from the village, so it's not as convenient. Look at the big road at the entrance, there are many people coming and going from the south to the north. The villagers nearby need to repair their farm tools, they have to pass through here. It's better to be here than to spend money renting a shop in the city...

  Shu Sun is an honest man and also very sincere.

  "We have hands and feet too, we can't take advantage of him, you say isn't that right?"

  It seems like Old Dad wants to settle down here and make this place his home...

  But father, this Jiyang County is just a temporary inn for us after all!

  Although Cao Peng thought so in his heart, he expressed agreement on his mouth.

  It's rare for old dad to be so enthusiastic, and as his son, it's not good to ruin the mood. However, repairing farm tools... doesn't have much of a future, does it?

  "Dad, can you wield a knife?"

  "Sword?"

  Cao Quan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're talking about forging weapons. I've actually learned this before! It's just that my dad isn't skilled enough, so he can't make any good knives either. Your Uncle Wang asked me about it back then... but after trying a few times, I gave up."

  "Why?"

  "Well, there are many reasons."

  On the one hand, Dad's craftsmanship is not good enough and he hasn't mastered the skills. On the other hand, Dad doesn't have the necessary conditions either. Making knives is different from repairing farm tools, it requires a certain furnace temperature. Generally speaking, making swords requires at least two to three bellows to blow air into the furnace, but Dad only has one.

  The price of the stove is too high, Dad can't afford it.

  And even if I buy it, it's not necessarily going to work... wasting that money is really not worth it.

  One's own weight, one must weigh it out for oneself. At first, a fellow apprentice of mine wanted to change his profession and forge swords, so he built an iron furnace in Wan City, installed ten furnaces, but ultimately failed. The things he forged were unwanted by anyone, and in the end, he was left with a huge debt, and had no choice but to flee to another land.

  "Dad, do you still have an older martial brother?"

  "Yes, my senior fellow is indeed a talented person, he has failed, let alone me?"

  ——————————————————————

  Thank you to book friends: Ren Yue, Sigh of the Departed, Blade Thunder, Endless Flowing Water, Admiring Junyan, PP of Genius Tiger, Zhuoer Fashi, and Generous Rewards from Zhuoer Fashi's Son.