Chapter 18 Enlightenment

Chapter 18 Enlightenment

As the sun set, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse drove their own mule cart back to Du Village.

It was just the time when the villagers were returning home after finishing their work. The tall and sturdy blue-and-white mule caught everyone's attention as soon as it reached the village entrance. Now, even those who hadn’t known about the mule were aware.

"Brother Hua, is this mule bought by your family? Goodness, such a strong mule must have cost at least seven or eight taels of silver."

Qiu Huanian smiled and replied, "Auntie Zhao, Yunse and I went to the city today to buy it. Feel free to borrow it when you need to plow your fields this year."

Auntie Zhao was Qiu Huanian's next-door neighbor. Her husband had passed away early, and she had only one daughter who was already married. She now lived alone. When she went up the mountain to pick wild vegetables, she often took Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng with her.

"Good, good." In fact, Auntie Zhao only had two acres of dry land left, and she could manage to plow it herself if she worked hard. But such a face-saving offer was something she naturally couldn’t refuse.

After Du Yunse returned to the village in glory with the company of his military officers, and Qiu Huanian became more and more capable, the family's life improved day by day. Being on good terms with this family had become an enviable thing in the village.

Hu Qiuyan only needed to casually take care of Brother Hua's two children every day to have an endless supply of Sorghum Candy. Who in the village wouldn't be envious!

Zhao walked by, holding her youngest son Fu Bao, and glanced unhappily at the blue-and-white mule and the cart full of goods. She ignored the villagers who greeted her and walked straight away.

So what if they bought a mule? Her son Yun Jing would pass the imperial examination this year. Du Yunse couldn’t even take the imperial exams anymore. What could a freeloader compare to her son!

The eldest daughter-in-law, Wei Liuhua, carrying a load, smiled at the people around her and hurried to keep up with her mother-in-law's pace.

Seeing that Brother Hua's family had already bought a mule, Wei Liuhua became even more convinced that following Brother Hua was the right choice. She thought she must quickly find an opportunity to return to her parents' home. She needed to settle the matter of the sugar beet roots.

Before leaving, Qiu Huanian had left the key with Jiu Jiu in case they needed to get something and couldn't get in.

When they arrived home, Qiu Huanian was surprised to find the courtyard gate open and voices inside. Upon opening the door, he saw that Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng were already back. The cloth from the bedding they had dismantled that morning was drying in the yard.

"Auntie Qiuyan went to the river to wash clothes this morning. We came back to get the cloth and washed it with her."

The cloth had been washed in the morning and had been hanging in the yard all day, almost dry by now.

"Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng are amazing!" Qiu Huanian didn't expect the two children to give him such a pleasant surprise.

"We've grown up and can help Brother Hua with work now!" Chun Sheng puffed out his little chest.

Jiu Jiu also whispered, "Brother doesn't need to send us to Auntie Qiuyan's house anymore. Girls my age in the village are already laborers. Cun Lan from the clan leader's family helps with needlework at home every day!"

Qiu Huanian smiled and patted the heads of the two little ones, feeling the day’s weariness vanish.

Before it got dark, Qiu Huanian took out the soft and fluffy new cotton bedding cores and placed them between the clean cloth.

One core and two pieces of cloth, the top one slightly smaller and the bottom one slightly larger. The edges of the bottom cloth were folded up and sewn together with the top cloth to form a whole.

Qiu Huanian had only sewn a few stitches when Jiu Jiu, unable to bear watching, took the needle and thread from him.

"Brother Hua, let me do the sewing."

Brother Hua could do everything, but his needlework was terrible. He hadn't done it for years, and the stitches were almost as crooked as a centipede!

Qiu Huanian could only watch as Jiu Jiu skillfully threaded the needle and quickly sewed up eight bedding sets, while he felt utterly defeated.

Needlework was indeed one of the few life skills he hadn't mastered in his previous life. With a sewing machine, even if he occasionally needed to sew something, he didn't have to do it by hand. Now, having traveled to ancient times, he was completely at a loss.

Jiu Jiu, however, was delighted to have finally found a useful skill.

That night, sleeping on the soft bedding with new cotton and covered by a light but warm quilt, Qiu Huanian finally had a comfortable sleep.

Since arriving here, life has been getting better day by day.

The next morning, Qiu Huanian made a large pot of Sorghum Candy and worked with Du Yunse for a long time to set up a shed in the yard to keep the mule and the cart. The once empty and barren yard was gradually becoming more lively and functional.

Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng now had an extra chore every day—cutting fresh grass for the mule—on top of picking willow leaves.

With no need to rush off early, Qiu Huanian took his time driving the mule cart to town after lunch to sell candy. Meng Yuanling, whom he hadn’t seen in two days, came right up to him.

"Brother Hua, I heard your man is back?"

Qiu Huanian's face flushed. After actually seeing Du Yunse, these three words hit him even harder, bringing not only embarrassment but also many indescribable emotions.

"Why do you ask?" he deflected.

"Just curious!" Meng Yuanling said matter-of-factly, "My aunt can’t stop singing his praises, and Yun Cheng thinks the world of him, always calling him 'Brother Yun Se.'"

"Huh, Yun Cheng respects him, but what’s it to you? You’re such a busybody," Qiu Huanian teased.

"Hey! What are you talking about?" Meng Yuanling stomped her foot, her cute round face puffing up.

Now it was his turn to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Did you get this mule in the county? Is it fun there? Too bad it’s too far for me to visit."

"Why do you suddenly want to go to the county?"

"No reason, just wanna have some fun," Meng Yuanling said, helping Qiu Huanian haul the mule cart into the tofu shop’s backyard. "Come in and sell your candy. You haven’t been here for two days, and several regular customers have been asking about you."

Qiu Huanian smoothly sold Sorghum Candy. The sales of Sorghum Candy had now stabilized, selling about a hundred pieces a day. Though it added up to about three taels of silver a month, it still wasn’t enough to live comfortably, study, or fix up the house.

Qiu Huanian had already inquired. Given the size of his yard, building a bright brick house would cost at least fifteen taels of silver.

Qiu Huanian wasn’t about to spend the winter in a thatched hut. He had to get the house done before this winter, building a brick house that didn’t leak and setting up an indoor kitchen.

To make more money, he’d either have to find new opportunities or boost sales of what he already had.

The former was constrained by raw materials, market purchasing power, and personal connections, making it hard to come up with a good idea quickly. The latter was also not simple.

In terms of painting, there was no special holiday like Qingming Festival in the short term to make quick money. Qiu Huanian had asked Wang Cheng, who said the next opportunity might be the Mid-Autumn Festival in the fall.

The market for Sorghum Candy in Qingfu Town had been fully developed. Other places...

As he pondered, Qiu Huanian spotted Meng Yuanling’s second brother, Meng Wudong, returning from a tofu delivery, and his face brightened.

"Brother Wudong, I want to ask you something."

Meng Wudong took the cloth handed by Meng Yuanling and wiped his sweat, "Brother Hua, go ahead."

Over these days, Qiu Huanian had become quite familiar with the Meng family.

"Which places usually order the most tofu from your tofu shop?"

Meng Wudong didn’t hesitate and answered skillfully, "The eight villages under Qingfu Town all buy tofu from us for big banquets, and some nearby villages from the neighboring town also order from us. Besides, there are families who have moved to the city but still crave our tofu."

The Meng family’s tofu shop had been operating for three generations, accumulating many regular and returning customers. Meng Wudong often went out to deliver large orders, earning a lot of money for the tofu shop.

"Would you like to sell Sorghum Candy while delivering tofu?"

When Qiu Huanian was in Du Village, some well-off villagers directly bought candy from him for their children, selling about ten pieces a day. Although the number was small, if he covered more places, it could add up.

"Brother Hua, you mean..." Meng Wudong, much more quick-witted than his elder brother, quickly understood the key point.

"Of course, I do! The mule cart at home is just sitting idle anyway, and no one else uses it except me. Even if I'm not delivering tofu, I can still go to those villages to sell, and even visit the big markets in the neighboring towns."

Some villages have rough roads, and some are reluctant to do business with strangers, but these are not problems for Meng Wudong, as he has already become familiar with the routes.

The more Meng Wudong thought about it, the more he felt this business was a good fit for him. He eagerly asked Qiu Huanian, "Brother Hua, how exactly does this selling thing work? Can you explain it to me?"

Meng Yuanling snatched the handkerchief he was waving around and said with disdain, "Second Brother, be more composed. You're acting younger than me."

Meng Wudong smiled at his younger brother but didn't explain.

He had indeed been a bit restless these past two years. After all, he was already over twenty, still unmarried, and without his own livelihood.

It was clear that the family's tofu shop would go to his eldest brother. Although they were brothers, the eldest had already married, and it was only a matter of time before they divided the family property. He couldn't rely on delivering tofu for the shop forever.

A few people had come to propose marriages, but Meng Wudong had declined after some thought. He had his own plans—if he couldn't get his act together first, getting married wouldn't mean much.

Seeing Meng Wudong willing to take on the task, Qiu Huanian nodded with a smile. He valued Meng Wudong's familiarity with the nearby villages and his resourceful, ambitious nature, which is why he chose to collaborate with him.

"The selling method is simple. You buy the goods from me at half price and sell them outside the town for one coin each. I don't care how you sell or how much you sell each day. When you take the goods, we pay upfront."

This seemed like a generous offer, but the extra candies Qiu Huanian made could be sold directly for money without the hassle of selling them himself.

By giving Meng Wudong a good profit margin, it would also motivate him to find ways to boost Sorghum Candy sales. Qiu Huanian never doubted the wisdom of the local people and hoped to reap a pleasant surprise in the future. Even if it didn't work out, there would be no loss.

Seeing his second brother's excitement, Meng Yuanling felt happy for him. After a while, he propped his chin on his hand and sighed, "Should I also find a way to earn money?"

Qiu Huanian looked at him, "What's wrong with you?"

"You're so good at making money. We're both brothers and get along great. If I don't measure up to you, I might be looked down upon by my in-laws when I get married."

Qiu Huanian looked at Meng Yuanling's still slightly chubby face and found it strange to hear a fifteen-year-old boy worrying about marriage, even though he himself was only seventeen.

"First, focus on helping your family sell tofu. Don't rush. Even if you earn money, it's primarily for yourself, not to earn the respect of your in-laws."

Qiu Huanian felt that Meng Yuanling seemed to have more on his mind, but it wasn't clear yet.

In this weather, Sorghum Candy could last up to seven days if stored in a basket covered with cloth. Meng Wudong used his savings to buy two hundred pieces of Sorghum Candy from Qiu Huanian and sold them all within two days, earning Qiu Huanian's admiration.

The main room at home was tidied up, with a few small tables Qiu Huanian had refurbished. Du Yunse studied there every day and also taught two children to read.

He had no plans to run a private school, but since Hu Qiuyan's family had helped his family a lot, he invited her son Yun Kang to join for free lessons.

Hu Qiuyan was overjoyed and often sent fish over, strengthening the bond between the two families.

One evening, as Qiu Huanian was drying his hair with a cloth after washing it, he suddenly heard a gentle knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Yunhu, the eldest son of Baoquan's family, and his wife Wei Liuhua standing outside with several large sacks at their feet.