NOVEL WEB Chapter 416: Ice Making
Completely oblivious, they kept asking one question after another, leaving no time for old Hua to speak.
"Speak, speak, speak, come on, uncle, Qi Shan, don't be so anxious, have some tea to relax first."
Noticing his father's look, Hua Chengtian hurriedly handed a bowl of tea to each person.
It's just that in their valley, water isn't scarce. Even though the water level in the central lake has dropped a bit, it's not enough to worry about, otherwise they wouldn't be so extravagant, pouring a bowl of water for each person.
Still, each household has stored plenty of water in their cellars just in case.
Although they weren't aware of the outside world's situation, they knew the temperature outside the valley, and could easily imagine the situation was extremely harsh.
They gulped down their tea in one go, then waited for Hua Man to start talking.
Old Hua: "..."
Alright! Better get talking quickly, or these old family uncles might start brandishing their canes.
"...Here's the thing, the ice blocks aren't from somewhere else, we made them ourselves."
"What?" The clan elder agilely stood up from his armchair, showing no signs of his near-septuagenarian age.
"Don't interrupt, listen to Hua Man," Hua Huai glared at the impatient Hua Li, signaling Hua Man to continue.
"Well…"
In short, these ice blocks were accidentally made by some kids when they were bored, using ingredients like saltpeter.
Young people are often whimsical, creating new and unusual things isn't surprising.
"That's why Chengtian went up the mountain a few days ago—to look for saltpeter."
Everyone now understood; no wonder, despite the heat, Hua Chengtian took the kids up the mountain, it was all for making ice.
"Yes, although we had some saltpeter at home, it wasn't much. Once Chengtian found out it could make ice, he couldn't wait to go."
"Good, good, good, wonderful, the kids are amazing. If it were us, we'd also be restless. Was the saltpeter collected?"
Adding up their ages, the few elders were so excited that they couldn't sit still, circling the ice blocks in delight. If they weren't too old to jump, they probably would have leapt for joy.
"Yes, it was collected," old Hua pointed to several tightly covered wooden barrels under the table.
"So... you called us over..."
"Yes... I wanted to share the ice-making method, with these, uncles, you can at least get a good night's sleep..." old Hua said with a smile.
"You rascal, on behalf of the entire village, thank you. Having this ice truly saves our lives."
Though the temperature in the valley is much better than outside, you can walk outside just fine as long as it's not for too long. Nights are more comfortable too, but comparatively, it's still hotter than in past summers. It's impossible to have a good night's sleep; one is bound to wake up from the heat several times.
These old men were extremely touched, their gaze toward the ice was more affectionate than for their own sons.
"Uncles, there's no need for thanks. We are one family, one village, naturally sharing blessings and bearing hardships together..." Old Hua quickly waved his hand.
"Good, good, good..."
Old Hua: "Next, there's another matter. We have the ice-making method, but everyone will need to collect the saltpeter themselves..."
Hua Huai nodded: "That's fair, that's fair, leave this matter to us old folks, there are plenty of strong men in the village, we'll send them out when it cools down at night."
After all, they couldn't expect the Hua Man household to provide both the recipe and the materials; the over hundred families in the valley couldn't afford it.
"Yes, leave this to us," Hua Li and his group nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's have Yun Ao and Yun Xiang lead the others when the time comes. As long as there's enough saltpeter, we'll have an endless supply of ice, and after it melts, the ice can be reused, so there's no worry of waste."
Having resolved this matter, old Hua felt relieved, his speech became much lighter.
In the future, there'd be no need to sneak around using ice at home.
"Why wait? We'll start tonight," said the clan elder along with Hua Qishan and his group, all eager to begin.
Sooner the ice is made, sooner everyone can enjoy, right?
They were about to leave when they halted at the doorway, their eyes drawn to the tubs of ice in the main room, their gaze bursting with such fervor it was impossible to pretend not to notice.
Regardless of their capability to walk, each of these soon-to-be seventy-years-old elders wanted to grab a tub of ice, discarding their canes to the side, as if they suddenly became a decade younger, scaring old Hua and Hua Chengtian into stopping them.
"What are you doing, clan uncles? Careful with your health," said old Hua, amused but anxious, quickly taking a tub of ice from the hands of clan elder Hua Li, while Hua Chengtian, Hua Yunao, and Hua Yunxiang hurried to take the wooden tubs from the other elders.
Outside, with the heat being so unbearable, not to mention whether the elders could walk steadily, the weight of a single tub of ice was enough to exhaust them, they couldn't let them carry it back.
"Why not let us carry it?" Upon seeing the Hua father and sons trying to take the ice from them, the elders became displeased, glaring with puffed cheeks, refusing to back down.
"No, even if you didn't want them, I'd still prepare to send them over, but these are too heavy to let you carry back, might strain your backs, let Chengtian and the kids take it over," old Hua quickly said with a smile.
"That's more like it, Hua Man, you're not too cautious," the clan elders were appeased immediately, "no need for Chengtian to deliver, I'll have my grandsons pick it up."
"Right, we'll come to pick it up," others nodded in agreement.
With so many families, having the Hua father and sons deliver wouldn't be fitting, especially in this heat, they lacked such thick skin.
"Alright, come pick it up then," old Hua didn't mind, whether delivered or picked up, as long as the elders weren't carrying it themselves.
The elders were satisfied, no longer casting lingering glances at the ice tubs, they waved and eagerly headed out.
Old Hua promptly escorted the elders to the door, gesturing to his sons and grandsons to send the clan elders home.
Once Hua Chengtian and the others returned, they were followed by a crowd. Upon entering the village chief's house, each person sighed with relief, then, like starving wolves seeing meat, clutched onto a wooden tub without hesitation, not embarrassed at all, grabbed one or several, thanked the village chief, briskly ran home.
In no time, dozens of ice tubs were largely divided up, though some had the decency to leave a few.
Then, in the middle of the night, the Hua family's door was knocked on, outside had gathered several hundred people, eager beyond belief, leaving old Hua both exasperated and amused.
Still, he understood their urgency, after all, the heat could indeed kill someone, quickly had his two grandsons take enough water and lighting torches, leading the crowd up the mountain, with Big Black and Grey Two following, to help keep watch.
This was, after all, the Qinggu Mountain range, though temperatures were high, one mustn't underestimate animals' adaptability, especially those deep in the mountain.
Under the sun's scorching rays, they certainly wouldn't come out, but at night, to survive they'd surely come looking for food and water, having Big Black there eased old Hua's worries.