Making ice

 

In early May, the weather became unbearably hot, and the thick air seemed to solidify. Emerging from the Ningxia Pavilion in the evening, the heat slightly subsided, yet a wave of hot air still greeted them.

 

Feeling stuffy and slightly dizzy, Chuxia swayed and stopped, reluctant to take another step. Reflecting on the scorching summer, he sighed, “This summer is really hot.”

 

After a brief pause, he noticed Jing Yi running towards him from the east side of the street.

 

“Xiaxia, what’s wrong? Feeling uncomfortable?” Jing Yi anxiously half-embraced Chuxia.

 

“It’s okay, Husband. It’s just too hot. I haven’t adapted to the sun right after coming out,” Chuxia reassured him.

 

“The sun has been intense lately. Be careful not to get heatstroke. From now on, I’ll come to pick you up with the carriage,” Jing Yi suggested, seeing Chuxia feeling better. They returned to the shop, drank some water, and took a break before leaving again.

 

In these hot days, Chuxia was concerned about his elderly parents. He advised mother Jing and mother Lin not to come to the shop for now. Being younger, he felt obligated to run around.

 

After sitting down in the shop, Jing Yi carefully observed Chuxia, sensing a recent change. Others might not notice, but as his close partner, Jing Yi was sensitive to Chuxia’s transformations.

 

“Xiaxia, let’s spend some time at the estate. There’s a garden and a pond. It’ll be cooler there, and you can avoid the heat. You’ve lost your appetite in this heat recently,” Jing Yi held Chuxia’s hand, expressing his worry.

 

“It’s not as exaggerated as you say. Besides, who doesn’t work under the sun? I’m already much better,” Chuxia downplayed it, not wanting Jing Yi to worry too much. He suggested, “How about this? I’ll come out earlier in the morning, take a nap in the backyard at noon, and you can pick me up in the afternoon. How does that sound?”

 

“Okay, if it makes you happy,” Jing Yi sighed. Dealing with his workaholic wife, he could only pamper him.

 

“Give me a smile!” Chuxia coaxed, shaking Jing Yi’s hand, dripping with sweat.

 

Jing Yi: Can’t resist, why is he so adorable and clingy? Loves me so much!

 

Back in the backyard of the hot pot shop, they saw Jing’s mother and Aunt Cui arranging the food. Spotting them, Jing’s mother called out, “Perfect timing! Go back to your room, wash up, change into something comfortable, and then come. Today, it’s hot, so we’ll have cold chicken noodle.”

 

Jing Yi and Chuxia agreed and went back to their room to freshen up and change clothes.

 

When they returned to the dining hall, the four family members were already seated, waiting for them.

 

“Strange weather these days. How did it get so hot? I’ve noticed Xiaxia and Xiao Shu haven’t had much appetite lately. I hope it’s not a tough summer for them. Today, I specially made cold chicken noodles,” Jing’s mother remarked. Tonight, the Jing family enjoyed a meal together, discussing and bonding as a family.

 

“Thank you, Mother. I was craving something cold today,” Chuxia expressed gratitude to Jing’s mother. Initially, he didn’t feel like eating dinner due to the heat, but seeing the cold noodles, his appetite returned.

 

“Yeah, thanks, Mother. It’s so hot today. Teacher said if it gets any hotter, we’ll have to cancel classes. A classmate fainted in the school today, and the physician said it’s heatstroke,” Xiao Shu chatted animatedly about the school while enjoying the cold noodles.

 

Since last year, Jing Shu had been attending the private school in town. Since starting school, he had become noticeably more cheerful.

 

Originally, Jing Yi thought of sending him to a specialized school in the county. Later, he found out there was one in town as well, although not open to the public. Jing Yi, using Second Brother Huang’s connections, took Jing Shu for an interview and unexpectedly got him admitted.

 

The teaching was done by a talented scholar, proficient not only in academics but also renowned for his painting skills, gaining some fame in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture.

 

The scholar’s husband was the head of the private school in town, and he was also an accomplished and knowledgeable person.

 

Originally from Fuyang Town, he was one of the few scholars in the town. After serving as an official and reaching the fifth rank before the age of forty, he suddenly resigned and returned to Fuyang Town with his family.

 

Although he managed to withdraw from the complex officialdom in Zhejiang unscathed, it indicated that he was a formidable individual.

 

With a strong background and capabilities, the couple engaged in the respectable work of educating others. They were generous and well-regarded by both the common people and officials in town.

 

Now, children from both the Jing and Lin families attended the couple’s private school. Hearing about someone fainting at school, everyone was concerned.

 

“Xiao Shu, Xiao An, both of you must be careful. Drink more water at school, and don’t stand in the sun for too long, understand?” Jing’s mother, startled by the news of a child fainting, hurriedly advised.

 

“Father, it’s so hot this year. Will the crops be okay?” Jing Yi asked his father.

 

He wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about farming, but he knew the peasants working in the fields depended on the heavens for a good harvest. If the weather pleased the heavens, they would have bountiful crops, but if not, it could lead to both natural disasters and man-made troubles.

 

“I went back to the village a couple of days ago, checked the fields, and everything seems fine. Although it’s hot this year, the rain has been good, and there are no signs of cracking in the soil. No need to worry,” Jing’s father reassured.

 

Thinking about this matter, Jing Yi, as an old farmer, had already thought about it. So, he went back to the village and the estate a couple of days ago, ensuring everything was okay before feeling relieved. He also informed Old Lin to take care of the crops.

 

“But I was thinking, for the estate, should we dig a well to the west of the fields? It’s convenient to fetch water from the river on the east, but it’s too far to the west. It’s quite a hardship to go back and forth for water in this weather,” Jing’s father suggested, showing empathy as someone who had experienced hardships.

 

“Sure, Father. Let’s not just dig one well. Check the village too. Find a good spot and dig one or two there as well. Let steward Tong manage it for you when the time comes,” Jing Yi agreed readily. Since it wouldn’t affect the harvest, digging wells was a minor matter.

 

“That would be great. Let’s dig two wells on the estate, one closer to the tenant households for their convenience. In the village, let’s dig two wells too—one in our land and another in the central area for the elderly and widows in the village to fetch water easily,” Jing’s father laid out his plan.

 

“I completely agree.” It’s all good things; Jing Yi has no reason to disagree.

 

“Also, what’s your plan for the hot pot restaurant?” Jing’s father asked.

 

Indeed, since the beginning of summer, the business at the hot pot restaurant had been declining day by day. The main reason was the intense heat; even before customers could start eating, they would be drenched in sweat as soon as the pot was brought to the table. Last year, the hot pot restaurant had a two-month slump, which wasn’t a big deal. This year, with this weather, it was estimated to be affected for four or five months.

 

It could be said that, except for some die-hard fans of hot pot, others weren’t visiting much.

 

Although the recent introduction of some new dishes had been successful, the profits were incomparable to those of hot pot.

 

In reality, the soap factory and the Ningxia Pavilion were the most lucrative businesses for the Jing family. However, the hot pot restaurant was Jing’s father’s favorite establishment. They lived in the courtyard behind the shop, making it very convenient.

 

Chatting with old customers, joking, and bantering in the shop were enjoyable. Now that suddenly everyone stopped coming, Jing’s father felt increasingly lonely.

 

Naturally, he was also worried about the family business.

 

“Father, don’t worry. I have some ideas recently. I’ll go to the estate in a few days to look into it.”

 

In fact, it was very simple to solve things related to the heat; having ice and wind was the key.

 

Wind was easy to solve. In the modern era, who hasn’t made a manual fan in elementary school arts and crafts class? String pulled, hand-cranked fans—these didn’t require electricity and were easy to make.

 

However, having wind alone wasn’t enough. The hot wind blowing around would be sticky and disorderly, making the heat more apparent. So, the key was ice.

 

Making ice was simple. Salt pelter was used to make ice, and it could be said to be straightforward with no technical complexity. However, Jing Yi had been reluctant to use it for the past three years, enduring the heat even in the summer, because he was afraid of being accused of harboring a banned item.

 

However, this year, he couldn’t bear it anymore. It was only May in the lunar calendar, and it was already so hot. He was concerned about his family, especially Xiaxia, his mother, and Xiao Shu.

 

So, he planned to take Xiaxia to the estate in a couple of days, thoroughly study the ice-making and fan-making processes, and then see how this ice could be marketed.

 

It was definite that he would cooperate with the Huang family, but having a monopoly was never a good thing. Being too dominant could be seen as lacking constraints even in the eyes of those in power, and Jing believed the Huang family knew this.

 

Seeing that his eldest son had a plan, Jing’s father didn’t ask further. After finishing the meal, he hurriedly went to find steward Tong, to discuss well-digging matters—looking for well-digging masters, selecting locations, surveying, construction, testing the water, seeking blessings. The process was indeed cumbersome and would keep them busy for a while.

 

As for Jing Yi, he took Chuxia back to the room. He picked up pen and paper to start brainstorming the key points of making ice and fans, contemplating the subsequent issues related to ice. He still held on to that somewhat sentimental insistence that others might find pretentious. Since he stood on the shoulders of giants, he hoped to use it for the benefit of the people.

 

It wasn’t out of a compassionate heart, which he didn’t possess. He just felt that it was fair.