Chapter 46: The Problematic Neighbor

Chapter 46: The Problematic Neighbor

Qiu Huanian saw determination in Jiu Jiu's eyes. He hesitated briefly but decided to trust her, giving her the space to manage her friendships independently.

The work in the cotton fields had been hectic these past few days. Qiu Huanian had hired three workers. Besides pruning excess branches and controlling the growth of the cotton plants, they also had to regularly spray bio-enzymes and kill bollworms near the vinegar residue piles. Additionally, they had to irrigate the fields.

Qiu Huanian wasn’t idle either. Though he didn’t work in the fields, he had to record the cotton’s growth daily, design controlled experiments to explore the best planting methods, and his study was filled with stacks of bamboo paper manuscripts.

This was a new experience for Qiu Huanian as well. Without the internet, everything had to be figured out step by step. In these matters, he relied most on the systematic thinking skills he had developed in the modern era.

Qiu Huanian created numerous tables to collect data and identify patterns, using line graphs and bar charts to visually track the cotton’s growth. Du Yunse was fascinated by this and eagerly learned a great deal from Qiu Huanian.

"If these methods were adopted across counties and prefectures, government efficiency could improve significantly, and the court’s financial inspections would become far simpler," thought Qiu Huanian about cotton farming, while Du Yunse was thinking further ahead.

"Unless someone actively pushes for it, it won’t be easy."

Since coming to this ancient era, Qiu Huanian had grown increasingly aware of how crucial modern information technology was. If productivity is the foundation of civilization, then information dissemination is the key to building upon it.

For instance, they were in Zhang County. A letter to Wu Shen in Liao Province took three to four days, while one to the capital took half a month. Sending a letter to the south was nearly impossible due to the lack of routes. The imperial courier system was quicker, but not significantly so.

Throughout history, few ancient reformers achieved lasting success. This might be due to the challenge of spreading policies nationwide. No matter how well a plan is designed, if it can’t be fully implemented, it’s pointless.

Reforms require a capable, visionary leader, like-minded colleagues, and a resolute, open-minded monarch. However, all of this was still beyond their reach.

But distance didn’t mean delusion or surrender. Qiu Huanian never forgot the dreams Du Yunse had shared with him by the village stream when he first returned.

"Cultivate oneself, manage the family—govern the state, bring peace to the world."

Du Yunse had grand ambitions, and Qiu Huanian also wished to contribute to this world. They would move step by step toward this distant goal.

...

In the following days, Jiu Jiu was picked up by the Song family's carriage every three days to learn the guqin. Mrs. Song had found the guqin her daughter used when she was young and gifted it to Jiu Jiu. This guqin was made by a famous craftsman from the south. The body was slightly shorter, with a faint green hue. The left side of the surface was inlaid with mother-of-pearl dots marking the thirteen hui, and the tail was engraved with the name "Dian You."

Jiu Jiu cherished the guqin and practiced for half an hour each morning and evening after bringing it home. Qiu Huanian examined her sheet music and noticed that each symbol resembled Chinese characters but wasn’t actually Chinese. Some had numbers above with a "wood" below, some looked like "shao," some like "mang," and others had numbers below, and so on.

This was the distinctive notation system of the guqin. The peculiar square symbols indicated where the hands should press on the strings, and they also subtly implied which techniques to employ, such as yin (吟), rou (揉), tui (推), gou (勾), chuo (绰), zou (走), or fei (飞).

After Jiu Jiu explained, Qiu Huanian understood how to read the sheet music, but he wasn’t particularly interested in musical instruments and didn’t have the time to learn. So, after satisfying his curiosity, he kept his distance.

Although he wasn’t interested in learning an instrument, appreciating music was still enjoyable. Jiu Jiu learned quickly and could play melodies within a few days. Every day, Qiu Huanian listened to the serene and distant sounds of the guqin coming from the courtyard, and the irritations brought by the scorching summer dissipated.

After the flowering period, the cotton began to form bolls. The green, immature bolls hung heavily on the branches, a promising sight. Thanks to the good care in the early stages, each cotton plant bore at least three bolls.

Because of the cold climate in Liao Province, cotton planting and growth were slow, so these bolls were considered "pre-summer bolls," which normally should form before the hottest part of summer. The pre-summer bolls were just the beginning, accounting for only about ten percent of the total bolls, but their appearance indicated that the cotton in the fields was developing normally, and a good harvest was in sight.

"Pre-summer bolls early, summer bolls full, autumn bolls covering the top"—only when all three waves of bolls grow and mature successfully is the ideal cotton growth scenario.

After the bolls formed, the bollworms became even more rampant. Previously, bio-enzymes were sprayed every five days, but now the interval was shortened to three days. The vinegar residue at the edge of the fields also needed to be replaced every three days, and every night they had to go out to kill the pests.

These steps didn’t cost much money, but they were labor-intensive and required meticulous work. It was even more exhausting than growing rice or wheat. Although cotton farming was more profitable, the hardships for the farmers increased several times over. Without hiring help, a typical household could only manage one or two acres.

During the flowering period, Qiu Huanian had deliberately avoided fertilizing the cotton fields because fertilizing at that time would only encourage more branch growth, reducing the number of flowers. But once the cotton began to form bolls, most of the nutrients would be absorbed by the bolls. At this stage, proper fertilization could help the cotton produce more and larger bolls.

The summer bolls that followed the pre-summer bolls would account for over seventy percent of the total cotton yield, so they couldn’t be neglected.

After discussing with Du Yunse, Qiu Huanian bought a batch of lime, mixed it with farm manure, and spent several days fertilizing the three acres of land.

In the blink of an eye, more than half of summer had passed, and the footsteps of autumn were gradually approaching. The first batch of pears on the large pear tree in the backyard had already ripened.

Qiu Huanian collected the rotten fruits that had fallen on the ground early in the morning to feed the donkeys, while the good fruits were packed into a large basket and distributed to the villagers he was on good terms with for them to taste.

Qiu Huanian sent Jiu Jiu to deliver pears to the clan leader's house and Wei Liuhua's house, while Chun Sheng was sent to Hu Qiuyan's house and a few other families. Qiu Huanian himself went to deliver pears to the neighboring houses.

As he approached the door of Widow Zhuang's house, Qiu Huanian faintly heard several voices coming from her courtyard.

Widow Zhuang had been living alone for many years, her only daughter married far away. She usually lived by herself. The extra half of the land where Qiu Huanian's current house stood was bought from her, so the doors of the two houses were very close.

Qiu Huanian knocked on the door, and a little girl with a flowered ribbon tied around her head, whom he didn't recognize, opened the cracked wooden door a slit, peeked out, and looked Qiu Huanian up and down. She then turned around and called out, "Grandma, someone's here!"

Left standing outside, Qiu Huanian switched the basket of pears to his other hand. He wasn't the type to take offense at such a small matter with a child and patiently waited for Widow Zhuang to come out.

After a short while, Widow Zhuang hurried to the door, brushing the dirt off her hands. Seeing Qiu Huanian, she quickly smiled and said, "Brother Hua, what brings you here? Come in, I was just digging up some scallions at the back of the house and didn't know you were coming."

"The pear tree at home has borne fruit, so I brought some for you and your family to taste."

It was common for close neighbors in the village to exchange their own farm produce. Widow Zhuang had also given Qiu Huanian some of her homegrown bok choy before.

Widow Zhuang gently nudged the little girl by the door and invited Qiu Huanian in, "Brother Hua, please come in and have some water before you go."

The little girl frowned, patted the dust off her pink cloth skirt, snorted, and ran away.

Widow Zhuang awkwardly smiled, "Brother Hua, don't mind her. Yuchuan has been spoiled. I'll have her mother talk to her later."

"Is this your granddaughter?"

"Yes, my son-in-law came to Zhang County for business and brought his wife and children along to visit. It's just that my place is shabby, and Yuchuan, having never suffered hardship, isn't too keen on staying."

Widow Zhuang nervously rubbed the dirt off her hands. Her hands were large-knuckled, covered in dark cracks, with layers of calluses forming a muddy yellow bulge, resembling a mutated, twisted monster.

Compared to her granddaughter's delicate skin, her hands seemed to belong to a different world.

"She's still young; maybe she'll get used to it after a few more days," Qiu Huanian comforted Widow Zhuang. "I won't come in. With more people at your house now, take these pears to share. Just return the basket later."

Widow Zhuang carried the half-basket of fresh pears back into the courtyard, where her daughter Zirong, combing her hair, came out from the main room.

"Who was it?"

"It was Brother Hua from your Uncle Baoyan's family, bringing us some pears," Widow Zhuang explained with a smile.

Zirong asked, "The one living next to that big mansion?"

"Yes, you haven't been back for many years, so you wouldn't know. Brother Hua is really capable."

Zirong glanced at the basket in Widow Zhuang's hands, "What does his capability have to do with me? So rich, yet he only brings such trivial things?"

Widow Zhuang's smile stiffened, and she opened her mouth to advise, "This is just a neighborly gesture. We haven't done any big favors for Brother Hua, so even if he brought something valuable, I wouldn't feel right accepting it."

"That's why you lack vision," Zirong snorted. "Not to mention, half of his new house is built on our land. I've looked around; if he wants to expand, buying our garden would be the most suitable. You didn't even ask for more money, just one and a half taels of silver—what can that do?"

Widow Zhuang murmured, "That was already a very fair price. A mu of irrigated land only costs three taels of silver. I didn't expect Brother Hua to offer one and a half taels for our dilapidated little garden."

Zirong rolled her eyes, "Think about it, if he wasn't in a hurry, why would he offer one and a half taels? Judging by the look of his house, he must have at least twenty or thirty taels of silver. If you had held out, you might have gotten three or four taels more."

Widow Zhuang quickly interrupted her, "Zirong, stop talking like that. If the other villagers hear, they'll gossip about us!"

Zirong pouted, tossed the comb in her hand back onto the kang in the room, picked a pear from the basket, rinsed it with water, took a few bites, and then threw it into the chicken coop by the wall.

"Thought it was some rare fruit, worth the trip to deliver."

At around ten in the morning, the Song family's carriage arrived at the gate with Chi Qinghe. Qiaoyin first jumped off the carriage, placed the step stool, and helped Chi Qinghe down. The coachman then skillfully drove the carriage to the back garden to park it.

Du Yunse usually only set aside an hour and a half in the afternoon to teach the children. After her morning arrival, Chi Qinghe first went to the west wing with Jiu Jiu to play the qin and embroider, chatting and playing together. Qiaoyin took the ingredients to the kitchen to help Qiu Huanian with the cooking.

As she spent more time with Chi Qinghe, Qiu Huanian found that she was indeed a very intelligent and talented young lady, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and knowledgeable about many southern customs. Jiu Jiu learned many new and interesting things from Chi Qinghe that she had never seen before, and gradually grew closer to her. Chi Qinghe was already grateful to Jiu Jiu for having saved her life, and after getting to know her better, she liked Jiu Jiu's mature and sensible personality even more, starting to care for Jiu Jiu like an older sister.

Whether it was chess, the qin, riddles, or grass games, whenever Jiu Jiu wanted to learn, Chi Qinghe would teach her. Only when it came to composing poetry, no matter how Jiu Jiu asked, Chi Qinghe insisted she was not good at it and refused to elaborate.

But during regular reading and writing, Chi Qinghe clearly seemed very skilled in poetry.

Jiu Jiu had known for some time that Chi Qinghe had many secrets. She originally didn't pry into things that didn't concern her, but now that she was growing closer to Chi Qinghe, she couldn't help but worry about her.

Unfortunately, since Chi Qinghe remained silent, Jiu Jiu didn't dare to investigate and could only keep her worries to herself, doing her best to keep Chi Qinghe at ease and happy in daily life.

After practicing the qin, Jiu Jiu refined a few fingering techniques with Chi Qinghe's guidance, covered the Dian You qin with a silk bag, and carefully placed the qin on the shelf.

"Brother Hua picked some fresh pears earlier today. Let's eat a few and then go to the study to find some books to read."

Jiu Jiu washed a few pears and placed them on the table in the main room, so they could be easily taken later. Chi Qinghe picked up a pear and took a bite. The sweet and slightly sour juice of the fresh pear burst in her mouth, and the crisp texture urged her to take another bite.

"How is it? Is it good? How does it compare to the ones in the south?"

"The pears in the north are much bigger than those in the south. Although the texture is not as delicate, they are crisper, just like the northern landscape," Chi Qinghe sighed, then quickly came back to her senses and pursed her lips. "It's delicious. I'll bring some back for my aunt and uncle."

Jiu Jiu also smiled, "We can pick half a basket of these pears in a few days. I'll pack some for you when you leave."

After eating the pears and washing their hands, they went to the study to find some books to read. Du Yunse had gone out on business, and Qiu Huanian was not in the study either. Jiu Jiu lifted the cloth cover on the bookshelf. Some books were out of reach, so Chi Qinghe came over to help her.

"Brother Hua said we can read any book on the shelf, but we need to be careful. Some are ancient copies that my brother brought from the capital. If they get damaged, there's no way to replace them—"

Jiu Jiu saw Chi Qinghe standing still, her raised hand not moving for a long time, and hesitantly called out, "Sister Qinghe?"

Chi Qinghe still didn't move. Jiu Jiu stood on tiptoe to see what was on the top shelf that Chi Qinghe was looking at, but she could only see the outline of a book.

"Sister Qinghe!"

Chi Qinghe finally snapped out of it, her eyes flustered as she put the cloth cover back down. "What is it?"

"I wanted to ask if we should choose this collection of essays? I only know a limited number of characters, so I'll need you to teach me."

Chi Qinghe's eyes unfocused as she glanced at the book in Jiu Jiu's hand and agreed hastily, "Okay, let's read that then."

Jiu Jiu bit her lip and didn't ask what Chi Qinghe had been thinking about earlier, planning to wait until Chi Qinghe left before moving a stool to look at the top shelf.

In the afternoon, after studying with Du Yunse, Chi Qinghe had to leave. Peach Blossom Town was quite a distance from Du Village, and it wasn't safe for a young lady to travel back too late.

After Chi Qinghe left, Jiu Jiu found a time when the study was empty and took the book she had seen earlier from the top shelf.

"'Qingchi Xianbi'... a collection of poems?" The characters on the cover of the book were not obscure, and Jiu Jiu recognized all of them.

Although Qiu Huanian had said that all the books on the shelf could be read, Jiu Jiu knew that Brother Hua had placed this book on the top shelf, probably hoping they would read it as little as possible.

She hadn't finished reading the books on the lower shelves, so Jiu Jiu hadn't been very curious about the books on the top shelf and had never taken them down before. Now, seeing that it was a collection of poems, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

Sister Qinghe clearly kept her distance from poetry. Even when Brother Hua taught them about rhymes, she only used the most mediocre and simple sentences. Why would she have such a strong reaction to a collection of poems?

Jiu Jiu kept this in mind and put the collection of poems back.

Before it got dark, she placed the handkerchief and sewing kit she had embroidered a few days ago into a basket, intending to visit Sister-in-law Liuhua to learn more about embroidery.

Jiu Jiu carried the basket out of the gate, but after just a few steps, she was suddenly stopped by a strange girl around eleven or twelve.

"Hey, country girl, where are you off to?"

Jiu Jiu glanced in the direction the girl had come from, "Are you Aunt Zhuang's daughter?"

The girl raised her sharp chin, the red ribbon in her hair swaying, "I'm Bai Yuchuan. And you?"

Jiu Jiu's brow furrowed slightly, "I'm Jiu Jiu."

Yuchuan snorted through her nose, her chin lifting even higher, "You don't even have a proper name? That name sounds like a maid's. I thought your family's house looked quite nice, but it turns out you're still just hicks."

Jiu Jiu's face instantly turned cold, her gaze fixed on Yuchuan, "I was born on the day of 'Jiu Jiu' in the 'Counting the Nines' folk song. My family named me Jiu Jiu, inspired by the idea of 'counting through the cold winter until the peach blossoms bloom.' You don't even understand, yet you dare to criticize my name?"

"Even if someone is named 'Cat' or 'Dog,' if the elders thought it was a good name, it's a good name, and no one else should judge it. You immediately insult my name—is this how your 'sophisticated' family raised you? If so, I'd rather be a hick than associate with someone like you."

"You—you—" Yuchuan hadn't expected Jiu Jiu to be so sharp-tongued, not only speaking quickly but also making every word count. She couldn't find a single point to interrupt or refute.

What's going on? Grandma said the Jiu Jiu next door was shy and scared of strangers, barely able to talk to them!

"Got anything else to say? I'm all ears," Jiu Jiu said, her eyes filled with anger, not backing down.

Yuchuan picked up a stone and hurled it at Jiu Jiu's face. Jiu Jiu dodged to the side, but the stone still grazed her shoulder, causing a sharp pain.

"What are you so smug about! My father works for a prince in the capital! If my father says the word, you'll all be on your knees! Just wait—you just wait—"

After her threat, Yuchuan ran back to Widow Zhuang's house in tears, slamming the rickety wooden door behind her.

...

After dinner, Du Yunse cleared the table, and Qiu Huanian was talking with him in the main room when Jiu Jiu walked in, looking worried.

"Jiu Jiu, do you need something from your brother?"

Jiu Jiu bit her lip and asked, "Big brother, do you know how many princes are in the capital?"

Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian exchanged glances, then carefully replied, "There are only two princes in the capital right now. One is Prince Pingxian, the elder brother of the current emperor, and the other is the newly enfeoffed Third Prince, Prince Jin."

Even though Du Yunse was far away in Du Village, Zhang County, he kept in touch with Wu Shen and sometimes met with Magistrate Wang and Song Juren, so he had some knowledge of major events in the capital, including the enfeoffment of the Third Prince.

"Are princes... really that powerful?"

"What do you consider powerful?"

"Like the market storytellers say, they can just take someone's head... I heard, I heard that in the neighboring county, there was a lady from the palace who was originally taken away by some prince. When she left, the family she was supposed to marry into all died..."

The story of the lady from the neighboring county was widely circulated in Zhang County. After all, an entire family dying overnight, and it being connected to the distant palace, made for perfect gossip over tea.

Under Jiu Jiu's expectant gaze, Du Yunse slowly nodded, "Although the country has its laws... for a prince to kill a few commoners would indeed be very easy."

Seeing Jiu Jiu on the verge of tears, Qiu Huanian pulled her into a hug and gently rubbed her head, "What's bothering you, Jiu Jiu? Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?"

"I—I—"

Jiu Jiu lowered her head in Qiu Huanian's embrace and recounted the events of the afternoon, ending with a worried question, "Even though that Bai Yuchuan is really annoying, what if what she said is true... Brother Hua, did I cause trouble?"

Qiu Huanian pondered for a moment, then smiled lightly, "Jiu Jiu, think about it. If Bai Yuchuan's father were really that powerful, why would Aunt Zhuang still be living in Du Village? Why hasn't she built a new house?"

"Compare Yuchuan with your Qinghe sister again, and see if she resembles a proper young lady from a prestigious household?"

"Yuchuan merely overheard something about a prince from the capital and used it to intimidate you in her frustration. Don't take her seriously!"

Seeing Jiu Jiu still worried and silent, Qiu Huanian shook his head in resignation, feigning a whisper and said with a smile, "Besides, if her father is formidable, isn't Jiu Jiu's brother also formidable? Brother Hua has a secret to share with you. Remember Uncle Sixteen, who stayed with us not long ago? Uncle Sixteen's background is just as impressive as any prince from the capital."

Uncle Sixteen's background is really that impressive?

Jiu Jiu was so astonished that her eyes widened. She had been unsettled by the elusive mention of a 'prince from the capital' by Yuchuan, but Brother Hua revealed that she had been living with someone equally impressive all along.

"Uncle Sixteen's background is a secret. Brother Hua shared this with Jiu Jiu, and Jiu Jiu won't spill the secret, right?"

"Got it, my lips are sealed!" Jiu Jiu nodded solemnly. She wouldn't blab like Yuchuan!

Jiu Jiu finally left, reassured. Qiu Huanian watched her disappear behind the west wing's door before he dropped his casual smile and frowned, turning to Du Yunse, "Yun Se, do you think there's any truth to this?"

*Author's note:*

*Note 1: References to the guqin draw from Chapter 86 of "Dream of the Red Chamber."*