The ranch's house is equipped with a fireplace, and to be precise, every house on the ranch is equipped with a fireplace, which is a must-have for spending the Texas winter. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Although the temperature in New Bronfels is not as cold as in the north, it is not to be underestimated, and the scenes in the movie where you sit around the fire and drink to keep warm are not made up. However, in big cities like Dallas and Austin, apartment buildings are now equipped with heating, and expensive and cumbersome amenities like fireplaces can only be seen in high society and retro mansions.

After Lu Li came to Texas, he had not had the opportunity to use a fireplace. Cole had shown him how to show him out of curiosity, but he didn't actually light the firewood. I didn't expect that the first attempt would come so quickly.

It was late autumn, and Brandon had prepared a large amount of firewood and placed it next to the fireplace, all of which was dry, chopped firewood. Meticulously neatly stacked, it looks like a Christmas gift.

Lu Li felt that he was opening Christmas gifts now.

This kind of fireplace is not seen in the Oriental world, and for Lu Li, it is not only interesting, but also very magical, how does such a fireplace keep the whole house warm? Ever since I came to the ranch, I have always wanted to try it - but the timing has never been right.

Until today, so, this is his Christmas present.

Standing in front of the fireplace, Lu Li was not in a hurry and immediately started to light the fire.

This job seems simple, but it actually requires skill, just like building a campfire, if you don't master the technique, you can try casually and can't light it, it's just a small thing, it produces a lot of smoke, and even causes a disaster, which is the real big thing.

Therefore, Lu Li is carefully recalling the steps that Cole said at the beginning.

"Hula, hula", the wind outside the window was raging, pulling the branches of the oak trees in the garden fiercely, and the branches full of green leaves snapped against the windows, mixed with some creaking scratches, outlining the walking tracks of those invisible storms, and glimpsing the work of nature.

The sound of the storm, with glass, doors and walls, hollow and solid, is like an impassioned African drum, even if you stay indoors, you can't help but shiver. This interrupted Lu Li's train of thought, and he only then did he react - he was still soaking wet, and they were not in the deep mountains and old forests now, at least, he could let the guests go over to bathe and take care of them first.

Standing up straight, turning around, and then I saw that Richard was banging on his thighs, as if he was attending a music festival, catering to the rhythm and shaking his body, instead of just escaping from the storm, the attitude of immersion made people really laugh, and the other three people standing next to him, although trying to maintain their composure and maintain their demeanor, but the gradually darkening faces still revealed the true reaction of the body.

"I think I might need some more time. Otherwise, you should go and take a shower, change into dry clothes, and then see if I set the house on fire. Lu Li said half-jokingly, and the teasing tone successfully resolved the temporary embarrassment and made everyone chuckle.

"You'd better be careful, we're going to need this place for dinner too. Richard had long been familiar with Lu Li's style, and took the conversation freely, continuing the relaxed atmosphere.

Under the leadership of Lu Li, the group came to the villa area. The villa has never been put into use since it was completed, but the cowboys have kept the space clean and the basic toiletries in the bathrooms are all complete and brand new. The peripheral eye of the eye noticed the expressions of Robinson and the others, and it was obvious that the frowning brow had stretched slightly.

Leaving the matter of allocating the room to the four of them to settle internally, Lu Li returned to the first floor.

The only fly in the ointment of the whole villa is that the fireplace here has been cleaned, but no firewood and ignition have been moved, and the hall on the first floor is still completely empty, because it has not been inhabited for a long time, it is empty and unpopular, which also seems more and more deserted, and the pervasive cold slowly seeps in.

It seems that as the master, he still has a lot of work to do today.

Back in the main house, Lu Li stood in front of the fireplace again.

After sorting out his thoughts, Lu Li didn't hesitate any longer, standing in place, the fire would not be ignited automatically. However, a minute ago, he had confirmed that he had no superpowers for the time being.

I rolled up my wet sleeves, wiped my hands clean, then opened the damper first, and then began to check the smoothness of the pipes, lit a match, placed it under the chimney, and found that the air flow was from top to bottom, which was obviously not right, once the firewood was lit, it was estimated that the whole house would start to smoke billowing black.

What should I do?

As long as the temperature of the air in the room exceeds the temperature outside, the airflow will naturally discharge the cold air outward, and then the airflow can change direction and become from the bottom to the top.

After thinking about it, Lu Li first opened the air intake valve below to ensure that after lighting the flame, there was enough oxygen to ensure the burning of the flame, and then found a pile of expired newspapers, kneaded them into a ball, lit them with his hands, and threw them on top of the charcoal powder below.

The fireplace has been cleaned for a long time, and there is no residue left, except for the tar-like brownish-black color of the inner wall, which can be seen to be the traces left after years of use.

The newspaper was quickly burned to ashes, but Lu Li was not in a hurry, and casually lit another newspaper. That's not the point, it's just a means of warming up the air.

Then Lu Li began to look for suitable firewood. The firewood was cut by Brandon, and was not very large, arm thick, and even smaller pieces, which were used to start fires, and there were some slightly larger ones, which were used for long-lasting burning.

Five pieces of firewood were selected, staggered on the ground in the manner taught by Cole, in the shape of a pyramid, concentrated in the middle and at the back of the center, leaving enough space for oxygen to enter, and then a box was taken out of the fireplace, which contained solid alcohol blocks, which were the medium for ignition.

After completing these tasks, he took a closer look, but Lu Li had no reference object, and he didn't know if he had placed it correctly, it seemed a little strange, it seemed a little too loose, did he put it too open, and the flames were extinguished before they had time to spread? Or would the air flow disperse the flames, and the ignited object would have burned out before the small firewood was lit?

Taking two steps forward, Lu Li wanted to fiddle with the firewood tower again, but after hesitating for a moment, he finally gave up.

This is his first time, and it can be wrong anyway, but it can also be right. Therefore, it is better to try it once and then adjust it, which is more reliable. At the very least, he had confirmed the airflow, the air intake, and the ignition......

Standing in place, he seriously recalled the skills that Cole had taught at the beginning, and after confirming that there were no omissions, he was relieved.

Two sheets of newspaper were rubbed again, lit and placed at the bottom of the pyramid. But then Lu Li realized that he still lacked experience, and the space left at the bottom was too small, and there was no way to stuff the newspaper directly into it, so he could only throw the newspaper in the corner next to him, and then take out a newspaper again, stuff it first, and then light it with a match.

The newspaper soon ignited the solid chunks of alcohol, and blue flames sprang up, licking the small, dry, loose chunks of wood, and the flames gradually began to grow in size and emit black smoke.

Black smoke? That's not right. At least that's what Cole said, although Lu Li didn't know why the black smoke was wrong.

He pulled out a piece of firewood from the side, stuck it at the base of the pyramid, and picked it up slightly, guessing that it was supposed to be a lack of space left, resulting in a lack of oxygen, which produced black smoke.

Regardless of whether Lu Li's guess just now was correct or not, gradually, the color of the smoke began to fade, and it finally returned to normal. The flames burned completely, the tongues of fire burned fiercely with firewood, the bright yellow halo lit up the entire fireplace, and the faint warmth slowly vented like a waterfall, and the surface of the skin of the hands could feel the silky warmth gently gliding through.

Lu Li squatted beside him like this, watching the bright flame swaying gently, the sound in his ears was still ringing, and he could even hear the roar of the string of wind chimes stirring in the whistling wind, the kind of wind and rain shook the mountains, making the whole world turbulent, but the small flame in front of him stood still, like the backbone of the heart, firmly and resolutely dispelling the darkness and cold around him, and the world slowly settled down.

It is no wonder that in the Stone Age, people were willing to worship fire as a god. Before the advent of electricity, the warmth and stability brought by fire was the most important weapon of human beings against nature. Even now, fire is one of nature's most miraculous products.

"What are you doing there?"

There was a chilly voice behind him, and without looking back, Lu Li knew that it was Cole who had returned.

Lu Li only found out at this time that he was squatting in front of the fireplace, and he remained motionless for more than ten minutes, but he didn't shake. In this way, he looked at the dancing flames, like a child who had not grown up, and once again experienced the carefree nature of his childhood.

At one time, they could squat down like this and watch the ants on the ground for an entire afternoon without getting bored, but then they had more and more entertainment and less and less pleasure.

"You should make a cup of coffee, play a little music, then change into dry clothes, lie on the couch and enjoy an afternoon like this. You know, sitting in a room with a lit fireplace on a stormy afternoon, that's the template for middle-class petty bourgeois life. Cole teased in a smooth voice.

The corners of Lu Li's mouth rose slightly, "That's what I planned." ”