Chapter 20: Soil and Fertilizer

Chapter 20: Soil and Fertilizer

On the kang (a traditional heated bed) in the left side room, Jiu Jiu carefully spread out a few feet of cotton cloth that Qiu Huanian had bought in the county town. She held a pair of scissors and hesitated for a long time, not daring to make the first cut.

Qiu Huanian encouraged her, "Don't be nervous. Start by practicing on the clothes we wear. Everything has a first time. Your needlework is much better than mine."

Jiu Jiu still didn't seem reassured. Being better at needlework than Brother Hua wasn't exactly a badge of honor, after all, what Brother Hua made now could hardly be called needlework!

Seeing her hesitation, Qiu Huanian didn't push her. "If it's really too difficult, I can hire someone to make the clothes. It won't cost much."

Qiu Huanian had inquired about it. Hiring someone to sew clothes cost twenty wen (a unit of currency) per piece. If you wanted to add embroidery, the price would increase by five to thirty wen depending on the size and complexity of the pattern.

In the countryside, every household sewed their own clothes, and it was rare to need someone else's help.

Jiu Jiu shook her head vigorously. "That's too expensive. Four pieces of clothing would cost eighty wen, almost enough to buy a dou of white rice! I'll try again."

Seeing her pacing around the cotton cloth again, Qiu Huanian could only sigh and step outside, chatting with Hu Qiuyan, who had come to send Yun Kang to school.

"It's a shame my needlework is just so-so, so I don't dare take on this task," Hu Qiuyan said. "But, Brother Hua, you have other talents. At Jiu Jiu's age, she should still practice her needlework."

Back then, Li the Widow was too ill to teach Jiu Jiu needlework, so what Jiu Jiu knew now was self-taught. She could manage small items, but when it came to larger pieces, she was at a loss.

Qiu Huanian thought about it and agreed with Hu Qiuyan. Needlework was an important skill for making a living, and Jiu Jiu was interested in it. He should find a way to get her a suitable teacher.

If they were going to hire someone, they should hire the best. Qiu Huanian asked Hu Qiuyan, "Auntie, who in our village is the best at needlework?"

"If you're asking about that, it's definitely Wei Liuhua, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Baoquan family. Not only can she sew fashionable clothes, but her embroidery is also excellent. Baoquan's eldest daughter, Qiaoxing, who married into the county, occasionally brings back some work for her to do in the village. They say she earns about one or two qian (a unit of currency) of silver a month, but Zhao takes it all and doesn't leave her a single wen."

Hu Qiuyan enthusiastically shared this gossip with Qiu Huanian.

Qiu Huanian hadn't expected it to be Wei Liuhua. He could easily ask most people in the village to teach Jiu Jiu, but dealing with Zhao's family was troublesome.

"After Wei Liuhua, there are some young wives and lads in the village who are skilled at needlework, but they are just village-level craftsmen and can't compare to Wei Liuhua, who can take on work from the county."

After Hu Qiuyan left, the family of one adult and three children started their studies. The breeding trays were all ready, but the single-handed plow was still a mystery. Qiu Huanian wandered around with nothing to do and decided to go to the back mountain to pick some wild vegetables.

Carrying a basket on the mountain path, Qiu Huanian was identifying the seasonal wild vegetables when he suddenly saw someone coming down the mountain, hesitating as if trying to avoid him.

Qiu Huanian squinted and recognized the person as Li Guer, the niece of Du Baoquan.

Qiu Huanian remembered that Hu Qiuyan had told him that the news of Du Yunse's teacher being imprisoned might have spread in the village because of Li Guer. He couldn't help but sigh at this unexpected encounter.

"Sister Guer, have you finished picking wild vegetables so early?"

Li Guer glanced at Qiu Huanian's smiling, handsome face with jealousy and resentment, hiding her hands behind her back. "I'm just wandering around. You pick yours, don't mind me."

Qiu Huanian sensed her hostility and glanced lightly at Li Guer's hidden hands, guessing she was holding something.

Beyond the back mountain of Du Village, there was a path leading to the outside. If someone wanted to meet someone without being noticed by the villagers, that was the best place.

Qiu Huanian deliberately said, "I thought you were going to meet your family."

By "family," he naturally meant Li Guer's father's family, the Li family.

Qiu Huanian's simple probe made Li Guer's face instantly turn even uglier.

"What nonsense are you talking about! I have nothing to do with that family anymore!"

She hurried down the mountain, brushing past Qiu Huanian. In that brief moment, Qiu Huanian saw that the hand she had hidden seemed to be holding a paper package.

Qiu Huanian frowned, feeling uneasy, and decided to remind Wei Liuhua the next time she had the chance to see her.

Li Guer returned home, where Zhao was assigning tasks to Wei Liuhua. "These are five pieces of clothing sent by Qiaoxing. Three of them need embroidery, and they must be done by the end of the month. Hurry up and get to work!"

Wei Liuhua's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing this. "Mother, Yunhu and I have to tend to the family's fields this month. With twenty acres of land and this workload, I'm afraid I won't be able to finish."

"Do as you're told. Cutting back on sleep is better than anything else. Old customers are already reaching out to Qiaoxing. How can she turn down the money?"

Wei Liuhua was dissatisfied but didn't dare to speak up. Her sister-in-law Qiaoxing only took on the work and split the earnings with Zhao, never caring whether Wei Liuhua could handle it. In their eyes, she was just a beast of burden—fed and worked without rest!

But even a mule needs sleep!

After assigning the tasks, Zhao added, "Yun Jing is taking the academy exam this year. The prefectural city is far away, and he sent a message saying he wants to go a month early to rent a place and settle in. You should accompany him to take care of him."

Wei Liuhua panicked. "Youge is still young. I’m worried he can’t manage without me for that long."

Zhao's face darkened. "A country boy doesn’t need to be coddled. Leaving him at home for a month won't kill him."

Wei Liuhua thought to herself, if it were someone else's family, it might be fine, but if it were left to you, I'm afraid Youge might not survive by the time I return.

She had worked so hard to improve Youge's health and couldn't let all that effort go to waste!

Seeing Wei Liuhua's reluctance, Li Guer felt a surge of joy and said to Zhao, "Aunt, I think sister-in-law really doesn't want to go. Why not let me go instead?"

Zhao glanced at her but didn't agree. She knew very well who in the family could work and who couldn't. Sending Li Guer would only make it unclear who’d be taking care of whom.

"This matter is settled. No more discussion!"

After saying this, Zhao went to lie down in the main room to rest. Li Guer glared fiercely at Wei Liuhua before turning and leaving.

Wei Liuhua thought over Li Guer’s behavior, sensing something wasn’t right. Given Li Guer's usual laziness—she wouldn't even lift a finger to pick up a fallen broom, fearing she might do more than her share—why was she suddenly so interested in Du Yunjing's affairs?

At Qiu Huanian's home, Qiu Huanian was discussing with Du Yunse the timing of their trip to the prefectural city for the academy exam.

"Aunt Fuyue mentioned yesterday that Yun Cheng has passed the county exam, ranking eleventh in the entire county. The clan leader's family is especially happy. He plans to go to the prefectural city for the prefectural exam in half a month and asked what our plans are."

The scholar exam consists of three parts: the county exam, held in the county; the prefectural exam and the academy exam, both held in the prefectural city, with a month between them.

Yun Cheng only plans to take the prefectural exam this year. If he passes and becomes a student scholar, he will return. He’s not confident about the academy exam yet and doesn’t want to waste his time.

"I heard from the clan leader that many student scholars planning to take the exam move to the prefectural city one or two months early to familiarize themselves with the environment and prepare."

Du Yunse passed the prefectural exam and became a student scholar at the age of ten, even topping the list twice. For him, taking the scholar exam only requires the final academy exam.

Meng Fuyue suggested that if Du Yunse planned to go early, the two families could travel together.

Du Yunse put down the book "Academy Exam Essentials" sent by the county magistrate and shook his head. "I'll go a few days early. The prefectural city is too costly, and staying home lets me help you with some chores."

"Are you sure you don't need to go early? Don't try to save money where it shouldn't be saved."

"No need." Seeing Qiu Huanian's disbelief, Du Yunse could only smile helplessly. "It’s only an academy exam."

Qiu Huanian clicked his tongue, remembering that this person had promised to win the top scholar title for him. If he dared to promise the national first place, a city-level exam was clearly nothing to him.

Qiu Huanian picked up the "Academy Exam Essentials" from Du Yunse's side and flipped through a few pages, once again realizing how difficult it would be for him to take the exam.

In Qiu Huanian's words, this book was like a collection of past exam papers with excellent sample answers, recording the questions and top three answers from recent years' academy exams in Xiangping Prefecture.

The academy exam consists of two rounds: the first tests essays and poetry, while the second focuses on advanced topics. The first round tests two essays and one poem, with essay topics drawn from the Four Books and the Classic of Filial Piety, and the poem being a five-character, six-rhyme verse. The second round tests one essay and one poem, with the essay topic drawn from the Four Books.

In simple terms, one needs to thoroughly read the Four Books and the *Classic of Filial Piety*, possess the ability to think critically and write eight-legged essays (a highly structured form of essay writing required in imperial examinations) that closely adhere to the topic, and also have the talent to compose poetry.

For Du Yunse, who is well-traveled and naturally gifted, these requirements are child's play. However, as the saying goes, "In literature, there's no clear winner; in martial arts, there's no runner-up." Just as a PhD in Chinese literature might struggle with a high school Chinese exam without knowing the question types and scope in advance, it is still necessary to carefully study the *Academy Exam Compendium* to secure a stable performance in the Academy Exam.

Du Yunse watched Qiu Huanian flipping through the book and asked with a smile, "Brother Hua, would you like to study with me?"

Qiu Huanian quickly shook his head. When Du Yunse returned, he brought about twenty books, most of which were handwritten by himself. Qiu Huanian had skimmed through them out of curiosity but couldn't make it through a single book.

Although he recognized traditional Chinese characters, the top-to-bottom, right-to-left layout combined with the dense and obscure classical language filled with archaic expressions like "zhi hu zhe ye" and references to classics, history, and philosophy quickly extinguished his interest in reading.

Du Yunse regretfully withdrew his invitation, resolving to find books Brother Hua might enjoy.

A few days later, as the weather grew warmer, Qiu Huanian estimated it was time to start germinating cotton seeds and specifically called Meng Fuyue, her husband, and Hu Qiuyan.

As soon as she entered, Hu Qiuyan asked, seeing Qiu Huanian stirring a basin of bean dregs, "Brother Hua, what are you doing with all this bean dregs?"

Qiu Huanian looked up, "I'm making some agricultural fertilizer to soak the seeds. It helps the cotton seedlings sprout faster and grow better."

The first step in cotton seedling breeding is to soak the seeds in a solution to improve germination rates and seedling survival. In modern times, a common fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium is used. In ancient times, lacking ready-made chemical solutions, Qiu Huanian had to devise his own method.

Bean dregs contain a lot of phosphorus, and wood ash contains many potassium elements, which can serve as substitutes.

Qiu Huanian bought a lot of bean dregs from the Meng family's tofu shop and conducted several control experiments with a small number of seeds, finally determining the most suitable ratio.

He mixed the bean dregs and wood ash in proportion, added water, and pounded them with a wooden mallet to extract the juice. After fermenting for a few days, he filtered out the liquid without residue.

Then, he soaked the cotton seeds in the liquid, ensuring they were fully immersed. The soaking time should not be too long; after half an hour, he fished them out and wrapped each seed in a mixture of dry soil and wood ash. He then placed each seed into a prepared moistened fertile soil in a willow-woven breeding tray, one seed per small compartment.

Hu Qiuyan and the others watched, wide-eyed with amazement, "Brother Hua, will the cotton seedlings grow like this?"

Qiu Huanian clapped his hands and stood up, "Yes, they will sprout in three to five days and can be transplanted to the field in about twenty days. The cotton seedlings must not get cold, so the breeding trays should be moved indoors at night. If the weather turns bad, you can heat the kang—a traditional heated bed—indoors to keep the temperature steady."

**Author's Note:**

*Note 1*: The Academy Exam process is sourced from the internet.

*Note 2*: The cotton breeding technique is sourced from online video tutorials.

(Minor note: The homemade soil fertilizer has not been personally tested and is likely not reliable.)