Shopkeeper Li just thought that he was driven crazy, and his tears couldn't stop flowing down. The two of them were called master and servant, but in fact they had been together for more than ten years and were already like relatives. Otherwise, shopkeeper Li wouldn't have worked so hard for him.
He ran: "Master, I will definitely take you back. We don't do business anymore, we study!"
"Don't." Unexpectedly, Cui Yuzhe declined his kindness, looked at the distant mountains leisurely, and said: "Now I just want to do my own work, sweat my own food, live my life down-to-earth, and then
I don’t want to think about the past anymore.”
Cui Yuzhe didn't know how to explain his current state. Anyway, he felt very peaceful and peaceful now, and he didn't want any changes in his heart.
No matter how shopkeeper Li persuaded him, Cui Yuzhe insisted on his own idea. In the end, he was annoyed and gave shopkeeper Li two choices, either to stay and pour night incense with him, or everyone could go about their own business. The Cui family's business used to be
Shopkeeper Li is in charge, and he will still be in charge from now on. No matter what he does, it's fine, just don't disturb yourself.
It was really difficult for Shopkeeper Li to understand his thoughts. He could only look at him blankly and smile bitterly. Looking at the figure of the young master picking up the manure and walking away, Shopkeeper Li clicked his lips. Suddenly he was stunned and raised his hand to touch it.
The lower lip suddenly spit out.
How did you get this into your mouth?!
After the conversation was divided, Li Mu and others came to the cement field at the foot of the mountain.
I saw that around the cement field, a one-foot-long wall had almost been erected. Judging from the progress of the project, it would be completed in less than three days. At the base of the wall, I don't know when, a pile of iron caltrops was prepared. It looked like
To be mounted on the wall.
"So exaggerated?" Li Mu was a little surprised. He called Yu Wengui, who was in charge of the project, to ask, but Yu Wengui was very serious and said, "There are core secrets of cement here, Mr. Hou."
I saw his righteous words: "Not everyone in the world is as honest and trustworthy as Mr. Hou. There are too many despicable people. You must not have the intention to harm others, and you must have the intention to guard against others. How many pairs are there every day?"
They have their eyes on our cement factory, so why don't we keep a close eye on it?"
"It's not necessary, just go ahead and learn." Li Mu said nonchalantly: "I'm afraid that they're going to paint a tiger instead of a dog, and learn half-assedly, and end up with tofu, not only harming the people, but also bad.
Cement’s reputation.”
That's what he said, but Li Mu also thought so in his heart. It's better to own good things yourself, and technical barriers must exist for a period of time. Putting aside the benefits, if someone learns the formula of cement, his plan will be better.
It's all messed up.
If a concrete fortress was built, it would really be impossible to blow it open with the black powder I currently have at my disposal. Although this is a bit far-fetched, there is really no need to set up obstacles for yourself in the future.
He thought for a moment, and finally said cautiously: "Then let's keep it a secret for now."
The heavy door of the cement yard slowly opened, and rows of gray factory buildings appeared in front of him. Three tall chimneys stood upright, forming a strong contrast with the surrounding mountains and beautiful waters. Sun Fujia was confused and pointed at the three
A chimney asked: "What is this for?"
"The chimney is used for exhaust. It is used when making cement." Li Mu did not explain much, but he was very excited. If there is any iconic image of the industrial revolution, trains and chimneys must be the ones with the most votes.
Two options.
Think about the Industrial Revolution. What kind of factory could live without a chimney?
This is a sign of bidding farewell to the agricultural era and starting modern civilization!
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Li Mu put on a thick mask.
Yu Wengui and others also quickly followed suit. Sun Fujia didn't have a mask and was a little at a loss. Yu Wengui handed him a mask and he also put it on his mouth.
At the beginning of the construction of the cement plant, Li Mu set a rule that everyone who comes into direct contact with the cement must wear a mask. Although the workers feel that this is not necessary, and they have been wearing masks for a long time, and they are a little panicked, but
Li Mu made a mandatory request, and everyone had no choice but to obey the order without understanding.
Who allowed this rule to be linked to their wages? If they don’t take it once, half a month’s wages will be deducted. If they don’t take it twice, they will be sent home directly. There is no place in Lantian County where the treatment is better than here, unless you are
You idiot, otherwise no one would be able to compete with this.
~~
The entire mountain is made of limestone, and the so-called factory is actually just a wall built around the entire Wonsan Mountain.
In the mountains, there is a limestone mine.
Workers crush the quarried limestone and transport it to the foot of the mountain. There is a crushing workshop at the foot of the mountain for the next step of crushing. Since the industrial revolution has not yet progressed, Li Mu cannot yet build a machine to crush the stone. The crushing process is still based on
Mainly artificial.
The workers used big hammers to smash the limestone into fist-sized pieces. Then they sifted it through a sieve to leave the lime powder and sent the remaining lime blocks to the grinding workshop next door. By repeating this process, the stones became powder.
It's like this. Limestone is not a very hard stone, so this process is relatively not that strenuous.
The grinding workshop is a large long factory building with hundreds of stone mills. The workers are bare-chested and sweating profusely, grinding lime blocks into powder.
There is a sieve under the millstone. Only the lime powder that can pass through the sieve is suitable for use. If it does not pass, it must continue to be ground. This is also the most time-consuming and labor-intensive link in the entire production process, but it is also a critical step and the requirements cannot be relaxed.
When delivering materials, there are also special quality inspectors to check to prevent anyone from being fooled.
The entire grinding workshop was grinding limestone, and no other raw materials were seen. Li Mu introduced Sun Fujia: "So far, all the processes are still limestone, and the other two main ingredients are gypsum and kaolin.
It is processed elsewhere. A different group of workers are used to prevent leaks. All the raw materials have been processed and will be transported to a specially proportioned factory. I also specially arranged for people to prepare some unrelated powders.
They are also mixed, making it difficult for people to find out the truth and reality. In this way, we can do our best to reduce the possibility of leakage.
"Cunning." Sun Fujia thought to himself, but said: "It should be, it should be, it's better to be cautious."
In fact, Li Mu is not too worried about leaking secrets.
After all, firing cement is a very scientific matter. Just knowing the formula is useless. The key to its production lies in temperature and the correct ratio of raw materials.
If these two things are not done well, the quality of the burned cement will be very poor, and the building will even collapse on its own.
It was only two hundred years after the birth of cement that humans found the so-called best ratio of cement and the most suitable temperature. It is difficult to achieve both of them if they are indispensable.
The former is easier to say, after all, all links are done by people. If a certain family really wants to know the raw materials, they will definitely know it through careful investigation and bribery.
But there is nothing we can do about the temperature. There are no thermometers in this era.
Li Mu thought about this problem for several nights, and finally found a way for him.
Firelight.
The flame that first started to glow was 500 degrees, crimson at 600 degrees, crimson at 700 degrees, cherry red at 800 degrees, cherry color at 1000 degrees...
When the fire is so white-hot that people dare not look directly at it, it has reached 1,400 degrees!
Apart from Li Mu himself, only Li Mu and a few employees in charge of the matter knew which fire color should be maintained in the furnace. But they knew it was right without knowing why, which made it difficult for others to steal the secret.
.
Moreover, the fire must be kept white-hot, which is 1,400 degrees. Coal and coke alone are completely insufficient, and firewood is completely unacceptable.
Fortunately, there is coal here. Crushing the coal and burning it can increase the temperature. But even so, it is still a little bit worse. The easiest way is to buy a catalyst from the system store, but the cost is too high, so it is better to use
Corn mortar.
These days, Li Mu, in addition to dealing with the remaining problems, spends most of his time on thinking of ways to increase the furnace temperature.
He went through almost all the drawings in the system and finally found a solution. First, he built a high kiln with automatic air suction, and added several bellows that kept pulling to allow the fuel to burn again, and then finally reached the furnace temperature.
.
The refractory bricks used to build this furnace are made of kaolin. It is very convenient to be near the water on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Bricks made from ordinary clay elsewhere cannot withstand the temperatures in high kilns...
…
After visiting the cement plant, Li Mu's hair was already white, and the others were no better. Only then did Sun Fujia understand why Li Mu insisted on wearing a mask. If he didn't wear a mask, it would fly into his mouth.
go.
Sun Fuga still wanted to stay a little longer, but Li Mu was about to get off work. He had set a rule for himself that he would not work more than four hours a day.
Sun Fuga had no choice but to come out with Li Mu.
On the way back, Li Mu took a look at the dormitories of these employees.
And it has changed drastically.
The original dilapidated wooden house was completely demolished and rebuilt into a brand new brick house. The outside was painted with white dust and the walls were hung with black tiles. The yard was covered with cement and the wellhead was sealed to prevent dust from falling in.
Sun Fujia was not going back to Chang'an today. Li Mu asked him to go back to the city to live, but he had to stay in the cement factory for a day. Shopkeeper Li didn't tell his young master, so he naturally wanted to stay. Li Mu didn't force it, either.
Anyway, the secret recipe is in his head, and no one can do anything about it unless he tells it.
Wei Yingluo has been following Li Mu. Of course she knows how dirty the cement plant is. Li Mu went to the factory today, so she wisely did not follow him. She came directly to tidy up the residence, boiled water and waited for Li Mu to come back.
Seeing that he had indeed entered the courtyard in a disgraceful state, Wei Yingluo made fun of him while helping him wash his hair and take a bath.
By the time Li Mu freshened up, it was already dark.
Li Mu had someone send a table over, and Quan should invite Sun Fuga to dinner.
He originally planned to ask shopkeeper Li what he had discussed with Cui Yuzhe, but he thought it would affect his appetite too much, so he wisely did not ask.
I thought in my heart that this guy would definitely beg me anyway, and we would just talk about it then.
——
At night, the quarry finally became quiet. It is not suitable to quarry at night. The rocks are too big to avoid and can easily hit people.
From here to the grinding workshop at the foot of the mountain, people are still burning the midnight oil. The construction site is waiting for urgent needs, so they have to work overtime. Some are transporting stones, and some are breaking stones.
Overtime work is paid overtime, so the workers are very happy. Workers alone cannot do it. There are also nearby villagers who can make some extra money as long as their families have cars and livestock.
Lao Song and his son had been waiting until now, and it was their turn to drive the bullock cart to the front.
At this time, the steward of the quarry asked them to show the red ticket.
They got it from the steward at the foot of the mountain when they came, and it had a unique number on it.
The person in charge lit the torch, wrote down the number, stamped it, handed it back to Lao Song, and gave him two meal tickets. With this, he could get the steamed buns.
The steward shouted: "Six baskets!"
The farmer then carried the stones in the baskets to the couple's car. They loaded six baskets in total and stopped.
The old cow squeaked, "It's okay, I can't help it."
"Hurry up and don't block the road." The manager waved his hand and told them to leave quickly.
The two men drove the cattle carefully. The road was difficult to walk at night and they were afraid that the cattle would sprain their feet. Now for their family, people can be injured, but the cattle cannot, otherwise the whole family will not have food to eat.
There was not much distance from the mountain to the bottom of the mountain, but because it was dark, they still walked for half an hour. When they arrived outside the workshop, they unloaded the truck together, and they could earn this salary.
Running like this can last three to four times in one night, and the wages for each trip are one hundred and fifty cents. Calculated, the two of them can compare to working as laborers in Chang'an.
In Lantian County, this is definitely a high income.
When the rooster crows, this shift is over. There are three shifts every day, but they are not tired. The wages are more at night, so many people like to come at night.
Moreover, the evening shift can still have a meal here. With the meal tickets given last night, the factory has a large canteen. With two meal tickets, the two of them received a large bowl of brown rice and a piece of pickled herring.
, and a bowl of clear soup with egg droplets floating on it.
Lao Song's son had been carrying stones all night and was already very hungry. He took a half-salted fish and a bowl of rice, which made him burp until he was full.
"It's so delicious!" The half-year-old boy was bubbling with happiness. "Just for this salted fish, I would pull a stone every day."
"Looking at how promising you are, I think you are no different than salted fish." Old Song smiled and rolled his eyes at him, but the Marquis was so wealthy that he could pickle the fish so salty. Doesn't his salt cost money?
Although Datang Salt Industry has started to produce salt, the price is still very expensive. The salt used here was made by Li Mu himself. It only took one afternoon to produce 300 kilograms, so it is really not expensive.
He is willing to give salt to eat. Only with salt to eat can the workers have strength to work.
After dinner, the two men drove the bullock cart out, stopped at the roadside to feed the cows, and lay on the cart with their clothes on for a nap. After recharging their energy, they got up and put on the bullock cart and went home.
Do the housework, come back in the evening, repeat.
This is the best day that the people of Lantian County can imagine.