Chapter 55: Sweet Beetroots

Chapter 55: Sweet Beetroots

Wei Liuhua's hometown village is nestled in a mountain hollow, lacking large tracts of easily irrigated land. The villagers are accustomed to planting beetroots in small, scattered plots.

Qiu Huanian, who makes Sorghum Candy, requires a large quantity of beetroots, many of which are purchased from Wei Liuhua's hometown village. At that time, Qiu Huanian noticed that a few of the beetroots produced in this village were sweeter than the normal ones.

Currently, the common beetroots in the Yu Dynasty are quite different from the cash crops used for sugar extraction in modern times, with a much lower sugar content, and cannot be used to extract sugar like sugarcane.

Qiu Huanian remembers that the modern cash crop beetroots were first selectively bred abroad.

Therefore, after discovering that some beetroots from Wei Liuhua's hometown village had improved in quality, Qiu Huanian asked Wei Liuhua to inform her family to select the seeds of the mutated beetroots this year and plant a field of beetroots on the original land with good fertilizer for experimentation.

Now, in autumn, all the beetroots have been harvested, and they reported good news: more than half of the specially planted beetroots are sweeter than the ordinary ones.

"Have all the seeds been kept?" Qiu Huanian asked.

"All the seeds have been kept. My younger brother is in charge of this. He is thorough and has collected the seeds of all the beetroots that are sweeter than the ordinary ones, and even set aside the seeds of the sweetest ones separately."

Qiu Huanian became interested. After all, he is not an agriculture expert and cannot know everything about farming.

But his biggest advantage lies in the strategic thinking and organizational skills cultivated in modern times. He can grasp the direction and find farmers skilled in planting methods to explore and experiment with more efficient and high-yield agricultural methods together.

"If it's convenient, please ask your brother to bring the beetroots and seeds to my house. I want to ask him some questions."

"There's no inconvenience. The work in the fields is almost done. I'll go back to my hometown in a couple of days and bring him over."

Wei Liuhua happily agreed. After Zhao and others left, she started managing the household and wanted to help her poor but loving hometown family more.

However, since she is already married, it's not appropriate to send too many things from the Du Village to her hometown. After much thought, she decided it would be more permanent to find some income-generating opportunities for her hometown family.

Among the people Wei Liuhua knows, the one who is best at thinking of ways to make money is undoubtedly Qiu Huanian.

Sorghum Candy, red fermented tofu, cotton... each of these new products is a big money-maker! In less than a year, Brother Hua's main house has been built so grandly!

If she can establish a connection with Brother Hua, Wei Liuhua won't have to worry about her parents and brothers in her hometown. So, for the past half year, she has repeatedly reminded her hometown family to plant sweeter beetroots, and finally, in autumn, they achieved results.

Wei Liuhua became more and more excited and brought her brother over the next day. Wei Liuhua's brother is named Wei Mai. In their family, girls are named after flowers, and boys are named after grains.

Wei Mai is in his early twenties, got married last year, and this year his wife gave birth to a pair of twins, one boy and one girl. While happy, Wei Mai also feels the increased responsibilities.

Before coming, his sister repeatedly instructed him, so Wei Mai carefully introduced the situation of the beetroots to Qiu Huanian.

Wei Liuhua said Wei Mai is detail-oriented, and it's not an exaggeration.

Although he is unable to read or write, he remembers the growth of the beetroots this year, the amount of watering, and the effects of fertilization clearly. It's obvious he has put thought into farming, and he answered all of Qiu Huanian's questions.

Qiu Huanian has been dealing with beetroots for almost a year. Just by cutting open the beetroots Wei Mai brought, he could tell they were indeed much sweeter than the ordinary ones.

Qiu Huanian took out paper and pen, taking notes as Wei Mai spoke.

Wei Mai never thought that the labor-intensive farming tasks could be recorded on white paper. He felt both nervous and pleased.

Finally, Qiu Huanian kept some of the seeds Wei Mai brought, wrote a contract, called for witnesses, and gave Wei Mai two taels of silver to buy an acre of land in their village for Wei Mai to focus on cultivating beetroots.

"Currently, the traits of these seeds are variable, and the sweetness is not high enough. You plant another acre according to the methods you summarized this year and the ideas I mentioned, and see if you can grow better ones next year."

Wei Mai could barely understand the term "variable traits." Sometimes, the seeds from particularly good crops are not necessarily good seeds; it takes at least several generations to stabilize.

But he didn't understand why they weren't sweet enough. These beetroots are already half again as sweet as the ordinary ones. If that's not sweet enough, how much sweeter do they need to be?

"You should know that white sugar is made from sugarcane grown in the south. In fact, if sugar beets are sweet enough, they can also be used to produce white sugar."

"If we can cultivate such sweet sugar beets, you can imagine how much money we could make."

Qiu Huanian smiled and painted a rosy picture.

Wei Mai's breath quickened, and his eyes widened. Sugar beets can be used to make white sugar? If it weren't for the fact that the person saying this was Qiu Huanian, whom his sister highly respected, Wei Mai would have thought he was lying.

"I will definitely plant sugar beets well when I go back, and next year I will grow even sweeter ones!" Wei Mai repeatedly assured.

Qiu Huanian gave two taels of silver. Buying the land would cost no more than one tael, and the remaining one tael was Wei Mai's labor fee. Making money in the mountain hollows isn't easy, and taking care of an extra acre of land for a year to earn one tael of silver is already very cost-effective. Wei Mai wouldn't be at a disadvantage in any way.

But now Wei Mai had a stronger motivation. To earn money to support his family and to grow sugar beets that could produce white sugar, he would definitely put all his effort into farming!

...

Most people in the northeast make pickled cabbage before the New Year, filling a large vat to last through the winter and early spring. Last year, Qiu Huanian's family didn't make pickled cabbage because Li the Widow was unwell, so the pickled cabbage they later ate was sent by Ye Taohong, Cun Lan's mother.

Ye Taohong had some unique skills in making pickled cabbage, and everyone in Qiu Huanian's family loved her pickled cabbage. This year, Qiu Huanian decided to invite her to help with the pickling.

Pickled cabbage is eaten more often than salted vegetables, so Qiu Huanian decided to use the largest deep vat for pickling. The cabbage harvested from the family garden weighed over thirty pounds, and Qiu Huanian bought another hundred pounds. Cabbage is not expensive, and a hundred pounds filled a cart for just eighty wen.

Cun Lan came to Qiu Huanian's house every day to study, and Ye Taohong and Qiu Huanian grew closer. Hearing that Qiu Huanian wanted to make pickled cabbage, she gladly came to help.

The newly purchased cabbage needed to sit for three to five days to let some of the moisture evaporate, ensuring the pickled cabbage would have a good texture. When the cabbage was semi-dry, they could start pickling.

They heated water in two large pots in the kitchen, peeled off the rotten outer leaves of the cabbage, and soaked the remaining parts whole in the hot water. After filling a pot, they covered it and blanched the cabbage for a few minutes before fishing it all out and immediately placing it into the vat without waiting for it to cool.

Jiu Jiu and Cun Lan helped on the side, putting the blanched cabbage into the vat and pressing it down with a long rolling pin to leave no gaps. After pressing a few layers, they sprinkled a handful of salt.

The cabbage taken out of the pot was still hot, so they had to handle it quickly, inhaling sharply. Jiu Jiu and Cun Lan laughed and shouted about the heat as they worked.

Ye Taohong had a lot of experience making pickled cabbage. After confirming that the vat was tightly packed, she covered the top with the previously peeled outer cabbage leaves and placed two or three large, clean stones from the back river on top.

The key to making pickled cabbage is to press it firmly; otherwise, the fermentation won't go well, and it could spoil or produce gas.

The large pickled cabbage vat and the small salted vegetable vat were placed in the corner of the kitchen for easy access during cooking.

After working all morning, Qiu Huanian invited Ye Taohong and Cun Lan to stay for lunch. Ye Taohong declined a few times but eventually agreed.

She wasn't too concerned about leaving her youngest son at home, as her sister-in-law, Meng Fuyue, would look after him. This was one advantage of having a large family—if everyone got along, they could always look out for each other.

During lunch, Ye Taohong mentioned Bao Yi. Previously, the border conflicts were severe, and the court kept conscripting laborers. Even the county magistrate, Wang Cuci, believed Zhang County would face a second wave of conscription.

Fortunately, in the past month or two, the war had eased slightly. The Yu Dynasty paid a heavy price but managed to block the Tatars at the border, stopping them from advancing further and disrupting the autumn harvest.

Those who had been conscripted earlier hadn't returned, but there was no need for a second conscription for now.

"A couple of days ago, someone from our Du Village sent a letter back. Bao Zhen's youngest son lost an arm, but thankfully he's still alive. I wonder if he can come back for the New Year this year."

Ye Taohong looked worried. "Bao Yi didn't expect to be away for so long when he left and didn't bring many thick clothes. My father-in-law plans to find a way to send him some things in half a month. I've already sewn winter cotton clothes, but I'm not sure what else to send."

Bao Yi was alone in such a dangerous place, out of sight and reach. Ye Taohong couldn't stop worrying about whether he was cold, hungry, or injured but not telling the family.

She wanted to send him something useful but couldn't think of anything besides clothes.

"How about making some jerky? The weather is cool now, and jerky can last for a month or two without spoiling. It can be eaten dry or cooked in porridge, and it can also be used to build relationships with others," Qiu Huanian suggested.

Ye Taohong's eyes lit up. "I've never made jerky before. In a couple of days, I'll ask my father-in-law for some money to buy meat and learn how to make it from you, Brother Hua."

Ye Taohong also brought up the topic of household chores. After getting to know Qiu Huanian better, she no longer held back her words.

"We've harvested ten acres of wheat and rice, along with a few acres of corn, sorghum, and soybeans. Our yard is pretty big, but it still can't handle all this grain. We have to dry it in batches, and there's still a lot left to do."

The freshly harvested grain needs to be sun-dried before storing, otherwise it’s prone to mold. Harvesting the grain is just the beginning; there's still plenty of farm work to do.

The clan leader's family has a lot of land and grain, and they're still busy with the harvest.

"At first, the household chores were split among the three branches of the family, and each branch got an equal share. After Bao Yi left, his share wasn't passed on to me and Cun Lan but was assigned to the third branch by my father-in-law, which is as it should be."

"But the third branch is always complaining, gossiping behind our backs. I ignore them and just focus on the work Cun Lan and I are responsible for."

"When I came over this morning, my heavily pregnant third sister-in-law glared at me like she wanted to kill me. She didn't even think about how I'm still working, while she hasn't done a thing this harvest."

"They really have some nerve. I won't say anything about the mother being pregnant, but those teenage boys are also faking illness and slacking off every day. In the end, Yun Cheng ended up doing the work."

Yun Cheng has been back from the county school for a few days, taking time off for the harvest. Every day, he rolls up his sleeves, tightens his belt, and works hard for the family, not looking like a scholar at all.

He's visited Qiu Huanian's house a few times to see Du Yunse, using his free time to ask for academic advice. Once, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he bit his tongue.

Qiu Huanian, now with some free time, started observing the people around him. He wanted to see if he could play matchmaker for Yun Cheng and Meng Yuanling, but Meng Yuanling, maybe too shy, hasn't come to Du Village yet.

Just as he was thinking about this, Yun Cheng showed up at the house, with Meng Yuanling in tow.

"What brings Brother Ling here, and with Yun Cheng of all people?" Qiu Huanian deliberately asked with a smile.

Meng Yuanling maintained a solemn expression, "I came to visit my aunt, and顺便to see you, Brother Hua. It just so happens that Yun Cheng wished to seek some guidance, so we came together."

Qiu Huanian nodded and asked Yun Cheng, "Did you know your cousin Brother Ling has also started studying? Now that he's just starting, you should enjoy watching him struggle."

Yun Cheng looked at Meng Yuanling in surprise, for some reason not daring to look too long. He quickly averted his gaze.

Both of their eyes glanced away.

"I just met Cousin Brother Ling and haven't had the chance to mention this."

"Well, now you know. It's good that you're home these days; he can ask you if he doesn't understand something."

Meng Yuanling stood behind Yun Cheng, anxiously waving at Qiu Huanian, who pretended not to see.

Yun Cheng nodded seriously, "It's good that Cousin Brother Ling is studying. I will share everything I know."

Qiu Huanian smiled, "Then you two cousins study well. If Brother Ling doesn't learn anything from you, I'll have to laugh at both of you."

Meng Yuanling seemed nervous and unwilling, but in fact, he decided to stay in Du Village for a few days that very night. Qiu Huanian teased him, but he didn't argue. Every day, he helped Yun Cheng with work during the day and asked for academic advice with books at noon and in the evening.

Perhaps it was the power of love at work, but in just a few days, he actually recognized a few characters and could recite some simple poems.

Qiu Huanian saw that the two of them were getting along naturally and intimately, and no one around them noticed anything amiss or objected. So he decided to let them develop normally for now and see how things go later.

After all the cotton in the fields was harvested, Qiu Huanian called the other two families to finish fluffing the remaining cotton in one go.

The place for fluffing cotton had been prepared long ago, and Qiu Huanian made three cotton bows to ensure efficiency.

The ancient invention of a complete cotton bow consists of a cotton bow, a back bow, and a fluffing hammer.

When fluffing cotton, first tie the back bow vertically to the waist with a cloth strap, with the back bow standing high above the head. The hanging rope is tied to the nearly two-meter-long cotton bow, allowing the heavy cotton bow to remain at a height with little effort.

The person fluffing the cotton holds the outside of the cotton bow with one hand, moving slowly over the spread-out cotton, while the other hand uses the fluffing hammer to rhythmically strike the bowstring. The tightly packed cotton flies up and down on the bowstring, gradually becoming fluffy.

Since the cotton fluffing was being done indoors, Qiu Huanian didn’t make a back bow but instead hung the cotton bow directly from the roof beam, which saved more energy.

Though cotton fluffing is labor-intensive, it’s not complicated to do. After Qiu Huanian demonstrated it briefly, everyone quickly learned how to do it.

A bunch of families got together in the back room, first spreading the cotton in batches on large wooden boards and beating it loose with mallets. Then, they applied beeswax to the bowstrings of the cotton bows to make them more effective and took turns using the three cotton bows to fluff the cotton.

With everyone pitching in, it took only a day or two to fluff over a hundred pounds of cotton.

After fluffing, the cotton expanded significantly. The hundred pounds of cotton Qiu Huanian kept took up more than half the back room. Fortunately, the house now had plenty of space; otherwise, there would have been no place to store it.

Previously, when Qiu Huanian was busy with cotton-related tasks, the villagers were merely curious but didn’t interfere much.

Since the cotton harvest brought in a hefty profit, the villagers became highly interested. While Qiu Huanian was fluffing cotton, several families volunteered to help, and people kept dropping by to ask about his plans, hoping to learn cotton farming from him the following year.

Next year, Qiu Huanian would no longer be in Du Village. He handed everything over to the clan leader, who would make the arrangements. This year, he had already put in great effort to teach the clan leader’s family and Hu Qiuyan’s family how to grow cotton, so they could teach others next year.

But there were a few things he needed to get out of the way first.

“Previously, cotton was expensive in Zhang County because the county didn’t produce cotton. Merchants transported it from the south, raking in a good profit. If more people in Zhang County start growing cotton, the price will inevitably drop.”

“Moreover, only a few folks around here can afford cotton. Even if you grow it, selling it all at a good price isn’t a sure thing.”

“Also, everyone in the village has seen how my family grew cotton this year.”

“Growing cotton requires high-quality irrigated land, expensive seeds, regular fertilization, pesticide spraying, and frequent growth control. It demands a lot of money and hard work. Everyone needs to think hard about whether to grow cotton and how much land to set aside.”

After Qiu Huanian spelled all this out, a lot of the eager ones backed off. For anyone still on the fence, the clan leader would step in to put a stop to it.

Qiu Huanian made his position clear so that if any issues arose in the future, no one could blame him.

After clarifying and delegating these matters, Qiu Huanian finally had time to look into wool and knitting.

Yun Ting’s new husband, Xia Xing, had been looking forward to this. As soon as Qiu Huanian had a moment to spare, Xia Xing, with Yun Ting’s help, hauled his dowry spinning machine over to Qiu Huanian’s place.

Xia Xing was a shy young guy. Before he and Yun Ting were married, he had been frightened to tears by Yun Ting during their first meeting, a story that folks loved to tease him about.

Both Xia Xing and Qiu Huanian were originally from Shangliang Village, but they’d never crossed paths before, so there was no old bond to talk about.

Before truly getting to know Qiu Huanian, Xia Xing had been somewhat afraid of him due to the rumors in Shangliang Village about this super skilled young guy. However, after spending time together, Xia Xing found Qiu Huanian not only sharp but also really easy to get along with. Gradually, his fear faded, replaced by admiration and respect for Qiu Huanian.

Somehow, from Meng Yuanling to Xia Xing, Qiu Huanian always seemed to win over his peers.

Qiu Huanian didn’t know how to make wool yarn, so he decided to let Xia Xing demonstrate making hemp yarn first.

Hemp was dirt cheap and all over the mountains, but turning it into thread was a real chore. The fibers had to be extracted one by one from the hemp and then spun into thread using the spinning machine.

Qiu Huanian watched as Xia Xing used a small wooden knife to split the hemp stalks, carefully picking out fibers thinner than a strand of hair and fixing them onto the spinning machine.

After gathering a small bundle, Xia Xing turned the handle with one hand while twisting the fibers with the other, slowly spinning a single hemp thread.

After watching, Qiu Huanian realized this task, like embroidery, wasn’t suited for him.

Fortunately, Xia Xing had been skilled at this since childhood, so Qiu Huanian could happily play the role of the client.

Qiu Huanian brought over a basket of fluffed cotton and another of degreased wool.

The degreasing powder for the wool was purchased from a hunter who also tanned hides. Qiu Huanian had previously bought several hides from the hunter, making him a valued customer, so acquiring some powder was no issue.

“Wool and cotton fibers are much shorter than hemp. Try mixing them first to spin into fine threads, then combine several fine threads to twist into softer, thicker yarn.”

The method Qiu Huanian described was different from ordinary cotton spinning, something Xia Xing had never heard of before. Hesitantly, he reached out and gently touched the soft, white new cotton. Under Qiu Huanian's encouraging and expectant gaze, Xia Xing blushed and nodded, "I... I'll do my best to try."

"Don't rush, take your time. You're so skilled, Brother Xing, I'm sure you'll get it after a few tries," Qiu Huanian reassured him, urging him to relax. "And don't worry about wasting materials; experimenting is necessary when trying something new."

"Do a good job, and I'll pay you wages, just like I did for Yun Ting before."

Encouraged by Qiu Huanian, Xia Xing enthusiastically began spinning yarn.

It took him several days to learn how to twist the shorter wool and cotton into fine threads. However, the yarn either had too much wool and was too stiff, or was too loosely twisted and fell apart with a slight twist, still far from the ideal yarn Qiu Huanian envisioned for knitting sweaters.

After using most of the materials and producing over a dozen yarns with different ratios and techniques, Xia Xing finally discovered the most suitable yarn formula.

The first batch of yarn only yielded two balls. After happily taking home the wages and bonus Qiu Huanian gave him, Xia Xing returned, and Qiu Huanian found seven or eight pre-carved thin wooden sticks to try knitting a short scarf.

The children had already dispersed, and Du Yunse was still reading in the study. Qiu Huanian also went to the study to take advantage of Du Yunse's lamp.

He brought a stool and sat opposite Du Yunse in a position that didn't block the light, knitting skillfully.

Scarves are the simplest to knit, requiring only plain stitches after casting on, unlike clothes that require constant counting and changing of stitches. As Qiu Huanian knitted, he still found time to relax.

There was no TV to watch here, so Qiu Huanian simply knitted while watching Du Yunse across from him. The handsome man was like a painting, a sight to behold.

Du Yunse, immersed in his books, suddenly looked up and met Qiu Huanian's smiling eyes behind the flickering lamp.

Outside, the sky had darkened, and everything was quiet. This small, lamp-lit space seemed to belong solely to them.

"Brother Hua, what are you looking at me for?" Du Yunse noticed Qiu Huanian's eagerness to speak.

Qiu Huanian picked up the half-knitted white scarf and gestured it towards Du Yunse's neck from a distance.

"I recalled an old saying."

"What is it?"

Qiu Huanian smiled before speaking, "They say that in a distant land overseas, people who want to express their love to their sweethearts often choose to knit them a scarf."

"But not all feelings are returned, so the scarves are often knitted in vain."

Here, Qiu Huanian suddenly stopped.

Du Yunse didn't ask where exactly this overseas land was or how Qiu Huanian knew about it.

He knew his husband had some quirks, but so what? He only knew this was the person he had chosen.

"Brother Hua, is this scarf for me?"

"I wanted to give it to you, but I ran out of yarn. It seems it can only be made into a neck warmer," Qiu Huanian pretended to complain. "Anyway, I've knitted it, so even if it's ugly, you'll have to wear it."

Du Yunse nodded seriously, "As long as it's from Brother Hua, I will definitely wear it."

Seeing that he couldn't tease Du Yunse, Qiu Huanian laughed and shook his head, "Never mind, I won't give you this ugly thing. If you don't look good, it's my loss anyway."

"Later, I'll unravel it and measure your hands to knit you a pair of fingerless gloves. The weather's getting colder, and you're in the study reading and writing every day. Don't let your hands get cold."

Du Yunse nodded again and then asked him, "Brother Hua, what are your plans for your birthday this year?"