Cao Thief

Chapter 31 Vulcan Song ([-])

"Ah Fu, your father told you to go back."

Cao Peng was riding a horse and walking slowly on the river beach when Wang Meng ran up suddenly and yelled at him.

"Why does my father want me?"

"Did you forget, didn't your father tell you at dinner last night that you are going to start the fire today? Don't you want to hit the first hammer?"

"what!"

Cao Peng yelled, whipped his horse and left.

According to the custom at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when a new iron furnace was built, sacrifices must be carried out to pray for the blessing of the fire god, and the business will be booming in the future.Igniting the fire is an extremely critical step. After the furnace heats up, it needs to be smelted and forged... This first hammer is usually presided over by a master master.Cao Peng has always been very interested in this, so he begged Cao Ji hard, wanting to hit this first hammer.

Logically speaking, Cao Ji refused to agree.

But Deng Ji couldn't hold back, Cao Nan pleaded for Cao Peng, and Zhang Shi also said good things.

After all, he finally agreed to let Cao Peng take the first blow.After all, before that, Cao Peng had already mastered some tricks under Cao Ji's guidance.

Wang Meng looked at Cao Peng's back and couldn't help laughing.

"Tiger head, let's go back too..."

"Father, I want to practice for a while."

Wang Meng's face sank, "You child, you are so ignorant? Do you know why Ah Fu wanted to learn blacksmithing? He just wanted to make a good knife and pay you back! Why didn't you attend the ceremony for such a big event? In the future, Ah Fu will really have a knife, are you willing to ask for it?"

In fact, Wang Meng didn't think Cao Peng could make any good swords.

But this kind of intention is still enough to move him.When Wang Mai heard this, he also panicked. He quickly grabbed his clothes and led the horse over.

"Father, let's go back then."

"You child, why do you want Ah Fu to pay you back?

It's not like you don't know why Ah Fu didn't get that knife... Besides, that knife isn't worth much, you really shouldn't. "

"I'm just talking casually, I don't know that Ah Fu is a stubborn one."

The father and son walked back in a panic, muttering as they walked.

Under a peach tree next to the river beach, a black leather bag was quietly placed.Whether Wang Meng or Wang Mai, no one noticed.

—————————————————————————————————
The home is move in ready.

In front of the molten iron furnace, there are three sacrifices.

As soon as Cao Peng entered the house, he was arrested by Cao Ji, "You kid, you kept saying you wanted to strike iron yesterday, why did you forget today?"

"I……"

"Okay, okay, get dressed quickly.

Your mother has already prepared it for you, hurry up and put it on, we are about to prepare to sacrifice to the Vulcan, and start the furnace... Don't delay the good time. "

This year, we also pay attention to an auspicious day.

Cao's melting iron furnace has been built long ago, but it has been delayed until now because no good days have been found.

Cao Ji didn't want to delay any longer!
If you miss today, you have to wait at least another seven or eight days.In another seven or eight days, it will be the New Year, and it will definitely become very busy by then. Where will there be time to start work?You know, after the beginning of spring, it is necessary to prepare the land for cultivation before the rain.The farmers of each family will also start to prepare for the rest of the farm tools from now on... This is the best time of the year.

Cao Peng quickly put on a black suit and stood behind Cao Ji.

Neither Zhang nor Cao Nan can participate in this sacrifice because they are women!According to Cao Ji, a woman will collide with Vulcan, and accidents are likely to happen in the future.The so-called yin and yang are in conflict... fire is the most yang and the most powerful, and women belong to yin, so naturally it is not good to be in the same room.

Under the incense table, a stick of incense was lit, half burned.

If the incense is burned out, it means that the good time to start the furnace has passed.

Cao Ji took Cao Peng to the incense table and chanted the ancient sacrificial words loudly.According to Cao Ji, the sacrificial speech for opening the furnace was handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.It uses a very ancient dialect, and it is also a course that every blacksmith must learn.If you don't know the sacrificial words, you can't become a master.

Anyway, Cao Peng couldn't understand, and he knelt down in front of the incense table honestly.

After singing for about five or six minutes, the sacrificial speech ended.Cao Ji and Cao Peng walked around the stove and worshiped at the same time. It is said that this is a kind of dance to open the stove.After turning around the stove three times, the initial ceremony was finally over.Cao Ji invited the incense case out of the oven shed and called Cao Peng to come over.

"Ah Fu, stand beside me and listen to my orders!"

Cao Peng grinned secretly, there are so many rules for opening an iron melting furnace?

Cao Ji washed his hands with clean water, and then dried them with a dry cloth.He took out a piece of mountain numbness and placed it on the fire shelf.Under the shelf, the dry grass is piled up, which is the material used to ignite the fire.What Cao Ji wants to do is to make fire by drilling wood.Don't underestimate this method of drilling wood to make fire. The tools needed are all specially treated.For example, this mountain numbness must grow beside a stream.

The wood is soft, has a large coefficient of friction, generates heat quickly, and is not easy to lose heat.

This kind of mountain is numb, and it is very difficult to find. It is often found in deep mountains and old forests, and it takes several days to find anything.After finding mountain numbness, some processing must be done.For example, the middle of Shanma must be hollow, and there must be a fine wood core.Only this kind of wood can drill high-temperature sawdust...Of course, there was no such scientific statement in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, only that the god of fire was coming.

Cao Ji put the drilling wood away and picked up the drill pipe.

This drill pipe is also exquisite, about fifty centimeters long, and one end is slightly tapered.

There is a small hole on the hemp drill plate, which can fix the drill pipe.At the same time, a groove is carved on the side of the pit, which is called a fire flume.The sparks produced by drilling flow out from the fire trough and land on the firelighter.The technique of drilling wood must also be exquisite, without some contact, it is difficult to grasp the mystery.

I saw Cao Ji holding the drill pipe, and after finding a balance point, he pressed down slightly.

After taking two deep breaths, he looked at Cao Peng and said, "It's time to start!"

I beg you, get started...the incense is burning out!
These words can only be said in the heart, Cao Peng nodded solemnly with a serious face, "Father, let's start."

"Fire, sun, the light you gave me... Fire is like the sun, fire, you gave me a light..."

Cao Ji suddenly raised his voice and sang loudly.

This is "Vulcan Song", and it is also a ballad that must be sung when welcoming the Vulcan.It is said that this Vulcan song has been passed down since ancient times, and it has almost disappeared in later generations. Only some areas of the Li nationality still retain this ancient ballad.The Nanyang County dialect used by Cao Ji sings, if translated, the general meaning is this.Because some words and sentences sounded very jerky, even Cao Peng stood aside and listened carefully, some dialects could not be understood, so he could only translate the content more or less.

Cao Ji sang while rubbing the drill pipe very rhythmically.

Gradually, a wisp of green smoke rose from the mountain numb...

The newly drilled Mars cannot be seen with the naked eye, because it is just some black charcoal.Cao Peng clearly saw some black particles flying out and entering the furnace along the fire chute.The hay in the hearth is the kindling material.But don't think this will start a fire.

"Friend, blow the fire!"

"Ah, how do you blow it?"

Cao Ji hurriedly said between singing, "Liao!"

"Understood!"

Cao Peng quickly squatted down, grabbed the lever of the stove, and pushed it lightly.

"Slow down, don't rush!"

The weight of this stove is not light, and it is very difficult to pull it up.If it were Cao Peng from before, it would be impossible to pull the lever...

Under Cao Ji's guidance, Cao Peng gently pushed and pulled to send air into the furnace.

Gradually, the black charcoal particles that fell on the thatch began to glow red, and became brighter and brighter under the continuous air supply from the stove.

In the hearth, smoke began to appear.

Cao Ji didn't dare to stop, and continued to drill the drill pipe, singing loudly.

"Friend, push hard!"

With Cao Ji's shout, Cao Peng pulled out the pole with all his strength, and then gave it away with all his strength.In the hearth, a ball of flame suddenly rose up, instantly igniting the drilling board.Cao Ji quickly let go, pushed Cao Peng aside, and shouted: "Peng'er, add charcoal, add charcoal!"

Wang Meng and his son brought in two barrels of charcoal from outside the shed.

Under Cao Ji's guidance, Cao Peng poured it into the furnace very rhythmically.

To fill the furnace, and maintain the temperature of the furnace.When the charcoal fire appeared, Cao Ji let go of the lever and signaled Cao Peng to back down.

Cao Peng was so tired and drenched in sweat after only a short while of effort.

Not only physically tired, but also mentally tired... This ceremony of welcoming the coming of the Vulcan created an extremely solemn environment.Working in this environment, using one part of the force is equivalent to using three or four parts of the force in normal times... How can Cao Peng not be tired?
(End of this chapter)