Industry began in 1937

In the mountains, it gets light late, and people get up late too.

As autumn deepens and there's no more important farm work to do, in order to save precious food, except for those who have to gather firewood and carry water, every household gets used to getting up late and staying on the kang (heated brick bed) a little longer, which is the most practical way to "save money."

But Mr. Han's family made an exception that day.

As dawn broke, a fire lit up the stove in the outer room.

Chen Yuan woke up to the rustling noises. Through the gap in the curtain, he saw Old Man Han's wife, her figure hunched over, carefully adding water to a pot by the dim light. She then scooped out a small half-bowl of mixed flour from the earthenware pot and stirred it into the water, which was just about to boil, to make a thicker porridge than the day before.

There were no vegetables or sweet potatoes, only the pure aroma of grains rising with the rising steam.

Chen Yuan quickly got up.

Old Han also put on his coat and came out. When he saw Chen Yuan, he only said, "You're awake?"

"Eat it while it's hot," he said, then squatted down by the door to smoke his pipe. The woman silently ladled out a large bowl of thick porridge and broke off most of a multigrain pancake, clearly saving it for him.

She placed the small wooden stool in front of Chen Yuan, then turned around to clean the stove, leaving him with only a silent back view.

Holding the bowl of piping hot, hearty porridge, Chen Yuan felt as if something was stuck in his throat.

He knew that this bowl of porridge and the large piece of flatbread were probably scraped together from the family's meager food supplies, and that they were treating him as a proper guest, or even as "one of their own."

In an era where a full meal is the greatest act of kindness, this simple and unspoken care weighed heavily on his heart and warmly burned in his chest.

He didn't say anything extra. He lowered his head and ate the porridge and pancakes in small bites, carefully cleaning the bowl thoroughly, even scrambling the rim of the bowl.

After finishing his meal, he solemnly said to Uncle Han and his wife, "Uncle Han, Auntie, I'll remember this meal."

Old Han waved his hand, knocking off his cigarette ash: "A full stomach gives you energy to work. Have you decided where to go today?"

"I've thought it through," Chen Yuan said, his eyes clear. "I need to go back to my place and make some more things. Today I want to go to a village further away and use ironware to exchange for as much copper as possible, and also see if I can exchange for some cotton or old cloth, even just a little bit. My cave... is really freezing at night, I want to make a thin quilt."

"Yes, we need to get some bedding. It's cold in the mountains." Old Han expressed his understanding. "Alright, I don't have much to do today. Once you're done, I'll take you a little further in, to Liujia Taizi in Hougou. The village there is scattered, but there are many old households. Maybe we can find the odds and ends you need."

Without further delay, Chen Yuan bid farewell to Old Man Han and, enduring the still-stingling pain in his feet, quickened his pace to return to the cave.

It was already early morning, and he had to complete a new round of manufacturing and exchange before noon.

Back at the "Flint" platform, he immediately put all the supplies he had obtained from Shipenyu the day before—the bag of copper, the small piece of animal hide, and the jar of homemade rust-preventing ointment—into the materials area.

Together with the remaining steel, lead-tin alloy, etc., the command platform was ordered to perform a final summary scan.

He pressed his palm down, and the light screen lit up. Energy display: 0.42%. Roughly estimated, about 40 hours had passed since he arrived in this era. There were approximately 32 hours remaining until the platform's 72-hour warning deadline.

Final material tallying completed

Steel: 15.05 kg remaining (surplus) from the previous day. Status: Usable for manufacturing.

Copper and copper alloys:

Results obtained from Gouzi Village: 0.58 kg.

0.6 kg obtained from Shipenyu.

Total copper: approximately 1.18 kg.

Target gap: At least 0.32 kg is still needed.

Lead-tin alloy: Originally 0.32 kg, approximately 0.08 kg of lead-tin impurities were separated from the Shipenyu copper material. Total: Approximately 0.4 kg.

Leather: Original rabbit skin 0.5 kg, additional small animal skins approximately 0.4 kg. Total: approximately 0.9 catties, shortfall 1.1 kg.

Looking at the list, Chen Yuan felt both pressure and hope.

Copper is still a little short, but the switching network has been initially established.

There's a bit too much leather, but it's still far from meeting the requirement of 2 kilograms.

The most important thing now is to use the last of our surplus steel and energy to produce the most appealing "hard currency" that can be exchanged for urgently needed supplies.

"Flint, based on the current surplus of steel and energy, design the final manufacturing plan." He calmly ordered, "Objective: maximize exchange value, focusing on obtaining loose copper coins, small copper parts, cotton, old cloth, and rope. The products must be extremely tailored to the most pressing daily needs of the mountain village. Optimize the list based on the experience of the previous two exchanges."

The light screen flickers:

[Optimize Manufacturing Solution Generation]:

Core strategy: Precisely address the core needs of families, focusing on "sewing," "keeping warm," and "cooking."

Recommended list:

Sewing needles: 30.

Household scissors: 2 pairs.

Iron sewing thimbles: 5.

Standard machete head: 1 piece.

Large/medium size nails: 30 each.

Spatula/Stir-fry spoon: 1 piece.

Material estimates:

Steel: Approximately 2.2 kg.

Energy consumption estimate: 0.08%.

Post-execution estimates:

Remaining energy: 0.34%.

Surplus steel: approximately 12.85 kg.

"Confirm manufacturing!" Chen Yuan said without hesitation.

The addition of the thimble and spatula was based on his observations over the past two days.

A thimble protects the fingers and is essential for long-term sewing; a good spatula is of great appeal to any housewife.

These can all leverage farmers' assets from different angles.

The manufacturing process is smooth and rapid.

When the new batch of artifacts was presented, still slightly warm, Chen Yuan examined them carefully.

The needles are sharp, the thimble is smooth and easy to hold, and the spatula is of uniform thickness and feels solid.

He carefully wrapped up these "hopes," along with the thirty needles, two pairs of scissors, and a machete head he had left over from yesterday, and packed them into his bag, sorting them into categories.

He shouldered the heavy pack and glanced at the "Flint" platform. Energy: 0.34%.

There are 30 hours left.

Copper, less than a pound short.

There is still no bedding available.

But this time, his anxiety gradually subsided, replaced by a calm and resolute determination.

He turned around and strode resolutely toward Gouzi Village, toward Old Man Han who was waiting there. The final sprint had begun.

……

Chen Yuan carried a heavy bundle on his back and hurried back to Gouzi Village with great speed.

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, Old Han was already waiting under the old locust tree at the village entrance, pipe in hand.

"Uncle Han, have you been waiting long?" Chen Yuan said, panting, his face showing urgency.

"Just arrived. Come on, let's go to Liujia Taizi. The road is a bit roundabout, so we need to hurry." Old Han didn't say much and turned to lead the way.

"Wait," Chen Yuan called out to him, quickly opened the package, and took out the remaining pair of scissors, three thimbles, and a small handful of about seven or eight sewing needles. "Uncle Han, please give these to my aunt. See if any family in the village has any extra old cotton or scraps of cloth, even the worst kind, as long as it's big enough to make a thin quilt. Please ask my aunt to sew it up for me. As for the payment... I'll make her a good piece of iron when I get back."

Lu Weimin figured that he might not be able to get much cotton cloth and cotton from other villages, so he decided to start doing it in Gouzi Village first.

Old Han glanced at the things in Chen Yuan's hands, then at the barely concealed urgency in his eyes, took the things, and nodded: "Alright, leave this to your aunt. Every family should be able to scrape together some old cotton cloth. Don't worry about wages, it's just a matter of lending a hand."

"Oh! Thank you so much, Uncle Han!" Chen Yuan felt relieved. With Uncle Han and his wife's help, the matter was mostly settled.

Giving these things means I won't ask for their help for nothing.

Old Han took the things home and explained them to his wife.

Some of these household items could be traded with other villagers for scraps of cloth and cotton.

When Old Man Han returned, Chen Yuan didn't linger and followed him along the mountain path to Liujia Taizi.