A few days ago, Zhenniang had already obtained some coal cinders from Water Uncle, mixed them with yellow clay, and made them into coal balls which she stored in the firewood shed.

Now she scurried into the firewood shed, took out the coal balls, and went to the kitchen to gather some small tree branches and leaves. She lit the coal stove and placed a copper kettle filled with cold water on it.

By dinnertime, the kettle was merrily boiling away.

At this point, without Zhenniang needing to explain, its usefulness was obvious.

“Zhenniang, could we sell this coal stove like we did with the thermos?” Madam Zhao asked, her eyes gleaming.

“Mother, your daughter-in-law thinks it’s bound to succeed,” Madam Du said with pursed lips, her face equally excited.

“But we can’t make these things ourselves, Big Brother needs to make them,” young Xi’er remarked wisely, immediately pointing out the key issue.

“That’s right, Big Lang is already exhausted every day, I’m afraid he can’t handle this additional work,” Madam Zhao said with furrowed brows.

“Mother, a single chopstick breaks easily, but ten chopsticks bundled together are unbreakable. Brothers fight together, and fathers and sons battle as one. This business is different from the thermos venture. That was just simple craftwork that couldn’t amount to much, but if this coal stove business develops well, it could become a family enterprise. However, Big Brother alone is too vulnerable, and others might steal the business. I think Big Brother should consider partnering with Cousin Zhengsheng or Cousin Zhengyan from Ninth Uncle’s family, and have them join the venture,” Zhenniang suggested.

Madam Zhao and Madam Du exchanged glances, both looking at Old Shopkeeper Li and Madam Wu, who sat silently drinking tea at the eight-immortals table.

There was a deep-seated feud between the eighth and ninth branches of the family.

“You troublemaker, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Are you asking for a beating?” Madam Zhao glared at Zhenniang, seeing that her in-laws remained silent.

“Mother, I think working with Zhengsheng might work. He’s probably not doing well either, and he came to borrow money from me a few days ago,” Li Dalang said honestly, true to his straightforward nature.

“Did you lend him any?” Madam Zhao’s eyes widened, while Madam Du also looked exasperated.

Ninth Uncle’s son Li Zhengsheng, though not a gambling addict like Zhenniang’s father, had become obsessed with alchemy and Daoist cultivation at a young age. He spent his days mixing with Daoist priests, infuriating his father Jing Dongbo who wanted to break his legs every time he saw him. Ninth Uncle had even declared that Li Zhengsheng wouldn’t be allowed home unless he took off his Daoist robes.

As a result, Li Zhengsheng spent all his time wandering outside, rarely setting foot at home.

Therefore, lending money to Zhengsheng meant never seeing it again. How could Madam Zhao, who counted every coin, not be angry?

Moreover, Ninth Uncle had already told everyone not to lend money to Zhengsheng, intending to force him to give up his impractical pursuit of alchemy.

Thus, lending money to Li Zhengsheng would only lead to trouble.

“It was payday that day, so I gave him my wages,” Li Dalang mumbled, while Madam Du pinched him in anger, muttering, “I asked you about your wages a few days ago, wondering why you hadn’t brought any money home. So you gave it all to Zhengsheng? How are we supposed to get by?”

“Well, the money’s lent and that’s that, but forget about partnering with him. Zhengsheng is completely absorbed in his alchemy now, not even listening to his parents, how could he listen to you? Besides, if he causes any trouble, it would only worsen the relationship between our families,” Madam Zhao frowned.

“Mother, we shouldn’t look at it that way. The daughter thinks that for the sake of both families’ relationship, we should especially bring Brother Zhengsheng into the business. Though he’s obsessed with alchemy now, he needs money. We can use this point to bring him in, and once he enters the business world, he won’t be able to resist its pull. With Big Brother watching over him, we might be able to pull him back from the path of alchemy. By then, wouldn’t Ninth Uncle be grateful to our family?” Zhenniang argued persistently.

The reality was that being a Daoist priest would become a high-risk occupation in the future. One misstep could endanger the entire Li clan.

The current Jiajing Emperor was obsessed with alchemy and greatly favored the alchemists, but the problem was that Jiajing would die the next year, and the new Longqing Emperor despised these alchemists and Daoist priests. His first act upon ascending the throne would be to unleash a purge against them.

This was because Jiajing had believed the alchemists’ talk about “two kings cannot meet,” and thus after Longqing became Crown Prince, Jiajing never saw him again.

Imagine being a Crown Prince unable to see his father emperor, caught in the vortex of royal power struggles. Losing the Crown Prince position would be the least of his worries; he might lose his life without even knowing how. Living in such constant fear and trepidation, he had probably mentally executed those alchemists a thousand times over.

Therefore, they couldn’t let Brother Zhengsheng continue down this wayward path of alchemy.

Moreover, her brother was too honest, while Brother Zhengsheng knew all sorts of characters both good and bad. In business, having wide connections is crucial for success. Bringing Brother Zhengsheng into the venture would be mutually beneficial.

“Let Zhengliang handle this matter as he sees fit. It’s worth trying,” Old Shopkeeper Li finally spoke up.

Old Shopkeeper Li’s word was final, and so the matter was settled. Li Dalang went out that night to find Zhengsheng, as he had worked at the oil press during the day. The coal stove business was still uncertain, so he couldn’t abandon his job at the oil press yet, and Li Zhengsheng was always wandering in some mountain corner during the day. Therefore, nighttime was the surest time to find him.

The next day, Zhenniang rose early again. Last night’s coal stove had maintained its fire, and the copper kettle still held scalding hot water, eliminating the need to fetch water from the Tiger Stove early in the morning. However, Zhenniang was used to rising early, and once she woke up at her usual time, she couldn’t fall back asleep.

After getting up, she went out toward the Tiger Stove to help Water Uncle with some work, treating it as her morning exercise.

When she arrived at the Tiger Stove, it was indeed the busiest time. Zhenniang, familiar with the routine, squeezed in front of the stove and sat on a small stool to tend the fire.

“Zhenniang, where’s your copper kettle?” Water Uncle asked, noticing she came empty-handed.

“We have hot water at home. Water Uncle, remember the coal-burning stove I mentioned to you before? We’ve made a prototype now. In a few days, I’ll have my Big Brother make one for you,” Zhenniang said with a smile.

“Good, good, good,” Water Uncle replied cheerfully before busying himself with fetching water for others.

Zhenniang sat by the stove, adding firewood while listening to the gossip of those coming to fetch water.

“Sister Fu, what happened to your eye?” someone asked a woman wearing a blue gown.

“What else? Beaten by my husband. These men are all black-hearted, taking out their frustrations on their wives and children when they come home after being upset outside or drinking too much,” a quick-tongued older woman said indignantly.

“Nothing we can do about it. This is a woman’s fate. Unless you’re wealthy enough to take in a married-in husband, then see if he dares raise his hand,” someone else added.

“Pah! Do you think taking in a married-in husband means he’ll obey? No way, you might end up losing both your money and your person. You know the Zheng family?” the quick-tongued woman continued.

“Which Zheng family?” someone asked.

“The Zheng family that owns the Zheng’s Goods Shop at the street corner,” she replied.

“What about them?”

“Nothing about them directly, but yesterday I heard some news at their place. One of their daughters-in-law is the second daughter of Old Master Li Six from Li Village. Her younger sister was too gentle-natured, so her family worried and had her take in a married-in husband. Old Master Li Six from Li Village is wealthy, and the son-in-law who married in was always hardworking. But who would have thought, a couple of years ago when that married-in son-in-law went to Suzhou with some Zheng family members to do business, he secretly took another wife there. I heard that wife even has a son now. Old Master Li Six only recently got wind of it and asked the Zheng family to investigate, which is how they found out. Isn’t that just devastating? So what’s so reliable about taking in a married-in husband? All men are the same,” the quick-tongued woman sneered.

“That must have made Old Master Li Six furious,” someone shook their head and sighed.

Zhenniang listened carefully and realized they were talking about her Sixth Granduncle’s family matters, about Uncle Jin Hua’s situation which she had only recently reminded them about during her visit to her Sixth Granduncle’s home.

She had thought Sixth Granduncle wouldn’t get information so quickly, but unexpectedly, the news was already flying all over the city.

She wondered how Sixth Granduncle would handle this matter.