Chapter 59: The Leaked Formula

Chapter 59: The Leaked Formula

A few days later, Fang Cai came back with five handpicked weavers who had signed contracts to learn wool knitting in Du Village.

These five weavers were all under thirty years old, including two men and three women. While chatting with them, Qiu Huanian learned that all five were from artisan households, where everyone in their families was engaged in handicraft production, a family tradition for generations.

The Yu Dynasty's household registration system was strict. Once registered as merchants, military households, or artisan households, it was difficult to change, unless the court granted a special favor. Otherwise, the entire household would be bound to the same occupation for generations.

Ordinary farmers who dabbled in handicrafts alongside farming and sold some of their agricultural products were not considered merchants or artisans. However, if they made a living entirely from this without farming, the government would step in to "reclassify" their household.

There was no hiding or escaping. In ancient times, there was a system of collective responsibility. If you really violated the law, neighbors and relatives, fearing implication, would often report it to the authorities. In addition, those who did not reclassify their households could not obtain travel permits and business licenses from the government, making a decent living impossible.

Artisan households were more common in large cities, where residents did not have enough land to support their families and had to turn to handicraft production. This was Qiu Huanian's first encounter with artisan households since his time travel, and through chatting with them, he gained a lot of understanding about ancient urban life.

His previous trip to Xiangping Prefecture for the exam was a brief stay of over ten days. Living there permanently would bring new concerns.

For example, how to buy water, dispose of waste, handle garbage, and purchase fresh produce. Each of these required money.

Both merchants and artisans were not allowed to take the imperial exams. Since Du Yunse was pursuing the imperial exams, Qiu Huanian had to abandon the idea of opening a small shop in the prefecture.

High-ranking officials and nobles who could use servants could place shops and other properties under the names of their servants to evade the household registration system. However, Qiu Huanian's family were still commoners and would have to wait until Du Yunse passed the provincial examination before they could do so.

Fortunately, he had exchanged the wool knitting method with Zhu Jingcheng for a very suitable main house, saving the cost of buying a house. As long as they did not spend extravagantly, the family's hundred taels of silver would last a long time in the prefecture.

When Fang Cai left with the weavers who had mastered the method, the first snow of the winter of the 21st year of Yuanhua fell.

Qiu Huanian woke up feeling the room was a bit chilly. The corner of his quilt was firmly tucked in, so he didn't freeze in his sleep.

As usual, Du Yunse got up at dawn to read in the study. Qiu Huanian lazily yawned and saw the white light reflecting off the paper-covered window.

He dressed and opened the door. The cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in, making him shiver and wake up instantly.

Qiu Huanian quickly closed the door, found a thick coat and small boots made of wild boar skin to put on, and also wore a wind cap lined with rabbit fur. The cap's skirt hung over his shoulders, and the snow-white fur flipped out from inside, looking quite beautiful.

After bundling up, Qiu Huanian took a deep breath and opened the door again. The cold was blocked by the warm and soft clothing, unable to invade at all.

The yard was already covered with three inches of snow. The white light on the window was the reflection of the snow. The snow on the small cross path in the center of the yard was only a thin layer, with snow piles beside it, probably cleared by Du Yunse early in the morning.

Qiu Huanian walked along the covered corridor to the west wing where Jiu Jiu lived. The corridor roof shielded them from the wind and snow, so they did not have to get wet or dirty their shoes.

Jiu Jiu was already up, having just washed and tidied up, and was organizing her music scores.

"It's snowing today, and the roads are unsafe. The Song family's carriage probably won't come to pick anyone up," Qiu Huanian said as he entered.

Jiu Jiu nodded, "I'll organize the music scores and practice by myself. Even if I don't go to the Song family to study, I can't fall behind in practice."

Qiu Huanian looked at her music scores. The complex and abstract notations were hard to understand, but he could still recognize the characters of the song titles.

Qiu Huanian pointed to a music score and said, "It's the first snow today, why not play this seasonal piece 'Plum Blossoms in the Snow'?"

Jiu Jiu gladly agreed. Under Qiu Huanian's supervision, she changed into a set of warm clothes no less than Qiu Huanian's, moved the piano stool to the corridor, laid the piano flat on her legs, and played the melodious music facing the wind and snow.

The guqin's serene sound echoed in the yard with the cold wind and snow. Du Yunse put down the book in his hand, stood up, and silently appreciated it outside the study. Chun Sheng was awakened by the music, hurriedly put on his clothes, and went out. Seeing his sister playing the piano opposite, he quieted down.

When the piece ended, Qiu Huanian clapped first, "Jiu Jiu is playing better and better. I think she's not far from those masters."

Jiu Jiu said shyly, "I'm just a beginner, still far from the masters."

She looked up at her brother by the study door. Du Yunse nodded in approval, "The technique is still a bit rough, but it has captured some of the essence."

Chun Sheng, seeing that his sister had finally finished playing the instrument, eagerly ran over and asked, "Brother Hua, what are we having for breakfast?"

Qiu Huanian tapped his forehead and said, "Why did you come out wearing just thin shoes? Go back and put on some clothes. We'll start with some porridge in the morning, and then we'll go to the village to see if there's any meat to buy."

Qiu Huanian went to the kitchen, took half a bowl of white rice, washed it clean, lit the stove fire, and started cooking porridge. Once the fire in the stove was lit, the temperature inside the room rose immediately, and his hands were no longer cold. He took a small handful of dried shrimp, chopped them up, and also chopped half a head of napa cabbage stored in the pantry, adding it all to the pot to make a pot of cabbage and dried shrimp porridge.

After the snow, the village was busy. They needed to take care of the livestock and prepare warm measures for everyone.

Qiu Huanian's family only had a few chickens and a mule, so it wasn't as urgent. After putting the porridge on the stove, he went to the backyard to check on things.

The chicken coop and the stable were newly built during the summer when the house was constructed, so a winter snow wouldn't collapse them. When Qiu Huanian arrived, the sturdy black-and-white mule was cleverly standing at the very back of the stable to avoid the snow blown in by the wind. Seeing Qiu Huanian, it flicked its tail and snorted.

Qiu Huanian's family had less work to do, and the fodder was plentiful, so the mule had grown stronger than when it was first bought. Its glossy black-and-white fur stood out strikingly against the snowy backdrop.

Qiu Huanian smiled as he added some dried grass stored before winter to the feeding trough and patted the mule's ears as it came over to eat. Then he continued to check on the chicken coop.

The frame of the chicken coop was sturdy, but the straw padding on the walls had been blown open by the wind, leaving a gap. Several hens were huddled together in a corner to keep warm.

Qiu Huanian brought a large bundle of dried straw from the woodshed. His family hadn't grown rice this year, so during the autumn harvest, he spent a dozen coins to buy several cartloads of straw from the villagers, preparing for winter.

He spread the thick straw over the chicken coop to make sure the chickens wouldn't freeze, then scattered some feed and collected a few freshly laid eggs.

When he returned to the front yard, Jiu Jiu had already found the thick door curtains she had sewn earlier in the cabinet.

They were all made of red cloth with green trim, filled with two jin of cotton, and hung on the doors, completely blocking out the winter wind and cold.

Qiu Huanian's family managed things with ease, but not every household was as fortunate. Several families lost livestock because their pens were old and in disrepair, and they hadn't prepared in advance.

To cut their losses, they had to quickly butcher the frozen animals for meat and go door-to-door in the village to see if anyone was willing to buy it.

The most common animals that froze to death were chickens and ducks. These small animals had limited resistance to the cold and would stiffen after a few hours in the snow. Farmers worked hard all year to raise a few animals, which were valuable assets, so not everyone could afford to keep and eat the frozen ones themselves.

Qiu Huanian bought one chicken and one duck. Wealthier families, such as the village chief's, Hu Qiuyan's, and Wei Liuhua's, also bought some to help their fellow villagers reduce losses as much as possible.

In addition to chickens and ducks, a large animal had also frozen to death in the village—an old sheep from Bao Zhen's family had died in a drafty pen after breaking its leg.

Sheep are much hardier in the cold than poultry like chickens and ducks. If this old sheep hadn't been too old and hadn't broken its leg, preventing it from finding shelter, it wouldn't have frozen to death in the collapsed pen.

Bao Zhen's family had been in a gloomy state ever since their youngest son lost an arm while serving on the frontier. Now, with winter just starting, losing a sheep was another blow.

They had planned to sell the sheep in winter when mutton prices were high, using the money to help their youngest son settle down and marry when he returned. Now, they could only make the best of a bad situation and sell what they could.

After butchering the old sheep, they got thirty jin of meat, a sheepskin, and some less valuable offal and bones.

Normally, selling the whole sheep would fetch three taels of silver, but now it was uncertain if they could even get half that—a jin of mutton sold for sixty coins, and not everyone in the countryside could afford it. Selling it outside the village wasn't easy either.

Ye Taohong, whose husband Bao Yi was also serving on the frontier, sympathized with Bao Zhen's family's plight. After discussing with her father-in-law, she bought six jin of mutton. With a large family, they could finish it in two or three days of indulgence.

Qiu Huanian bought two jin of mutton, but he had his eye on the sheepskin and directly spent one tael of silver to buy it, significantly reducing Bao Zhen's family's loss.

Once winter arrived, with no work in the fields and the cold weather keeping everyone indoors with nothing to do, Qiu Huanian focused his energy on studying food. In less than a month, he had gained a noticeable roundness.

Before going to bed at night, he took off his outer clothes, leaving only his undergarments, and pinched the soft flesh on his waist, sighing deeply.

Du Yunse lifted a corner of the door curtain and entered, carefully restoring it to prevent cold air from reaching Qiu Huanian.

"Why are you sighing, Brother Hua?"

Qiu Huanian said with a serious expression, "I've discovered a very serious problem."

Du Yunse, thinking something was amiss, quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"I think I've put on some weight; there's fat around my waist."

"..."

After a moment, Du Yunse laughed and sighed, "Where's the fat? You've just been taking better care of yourself. If this is fat, then who isn't thin?"

Qiu Huanian shook his head, "You don't believe me? It's just not obvious when I'm dressed. Look at my waist, there really is fat."

Qiu Huanian turned to the side and pinched the thin layer of fat on his waist, his shirt slightly lifting to reveal a glimpse of his fair and beautiful waistline.

Du Yunse's breath caught, and he instinctively stepped closer to his oblivious husband.

"Let me take a look," Du Yunse said, his voice husky.

His large hand covered Qiu Huanian's, gently rubbing over the fabric in the same spot. Caught off guard, Qiu Huanian's waist went limp, and his face flushed instantly.

"You..."

"Didn't Brother Hua ask me to check if he's gained weight around his waist?" Du Yunse retorted with a normal expression.

Qiu Huanian opened his mouth, then lay down on the kang, pulling a quilt over his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.

Du Yunse's hand remained on Qiu Huanian's waist, gently kneading as if scratching an itch through a boot. Qiu Huanian clutched the quilt tightly and softly chided, "Du Yunse, you've turned naughty."

Du Yunse chuckled, his hand gripping his husband's slender, elastic waist, kneading the soft flesh over his bones until it warmed. The hem of his underclothes revealed slightly flushed, tender skin, glistening with a thin layer of sweat, filling the warm room with a vibrant, sensual atmosphere.

Qiu Huanian curled his plump toes, whimpering softly, issuing a half-hearted warning, "If you keep this up, I won't let you stop halfway."

Du Yunse masked his desire, feigning innocence as he said, "What are you talking about, Brother Hua? I'm just making sure you haven't gained weight."

As he spoke, he gave a couple of gentle pinches, "Just a little extra padding, but it looks even better, and it feels great."

Qiu Huanian gritted his molars. He's turned naughty, Du Yunse has truly turned naughty. That once self-restrained and polite gentleman has become a 'seasoned pro' who stays cool and collected!

If he ever truly lets loose, Qiu Huanian can't even imagine what Du Yunse would be like.

Qiu Huanian narrowed his eyes, then suddenly lunged at Du Yunse, knocking him onto the kang, burying his face in his chest and nipping at his thin, pale lips.

Du Yunse's eyes sparkled with amusement, offering no resistance, yielding to Qiu Huanian's movements to prevent any harm. One hand encircled Qiu Huanian's waist, the other cradling the back of his head, subtly drawing them closer together.

Outside, the cold wind howled, battering the window paper and door curtains with a rhythmic thud. The firewood in the stove burned warmly and brightly, occasionally crackling, casting a faint glow over the intimate scene in the room.

...

Once winter set in, the cold weather and persistent snow caused Sorghum Candy sales to slow significantly, with monthly revenue dropping to just five or six taels, and the distribution share falling below three taels.

When Meng Wudong came to balance the books, he brought this up, his face clouded with concern. After all, during the summer when Sorghum Candy sold the best, the monthly income was close to twelve taels!

Qiu Huanian comforted him, "It's normal for sales to fluctuate with the seasons. In winter, income is less. Recently, there have been frequent reports of houses collapsing under snow and livestock freezing to death in nearby villages. Sorghum Candy is not a necessity, so naturally, people buy less when they are tight on money."

Meng Wudong shook his head, "I understand this logic, but according to my original expectations, it shouldn't drop by half all at once."

Qiu Huanian, after all, was not personally involved in sales, so he didn't understand the reasonable extent of sales fluctuations as well as Meng Wudong.

"What do you think is the reason?"

"I anticipated a drop in Sorghum Candy sales in the villages and towns, but logically, the sales at the county's distribution shops shouldn't have decreased so much."

The county town has plenty of well-off families, and weather changes don’t hit them as hard as they do rural areas.

"In the past month, those shops in the county town have cut their orders of sorghum candy from me by 70-80%. When I asked, they blamed it on bad business and fewer customers."

"I had a hunch something wasn’t right, so I spent a few days keeping an eye on things in the county town and found that those shops were doing better than they let on, with quite a few people buying sorghum candy."

"I also asked someone to buy sorghum candy from a few shops and found that, when I took a closer look, some of the sorghum candy they sold wasn’t made by Brother Hua."

"Knock-offs?"

Since Qiu Huanian started making sorghum candy, this tasty, affordable candy has taken Zhang County by storm over the past year, with signs of spreading to surrounding counties. With business booming, it’s no surprise some folks got jealous and started copying it. Several knock-offs have already appeared on the market, but none have come close to Qiu Huanian’s version.

"Brother Hua, look, this time the knock-off is really similar, almost a dead ringer for the real deal."

Meng Wudong specifically brought some of the knock-offs sold by those shops this time. Qiu Huanian took them and examined them carefully. The sorghum candy he held looked just like his own, from the color to the semi-transparent texture. When he tasted it, the texture and sweetness were also almost the same.

This was strange.

Sorghum candy is basically made from gelatinized starch, with beetroot providing sweetness and fragrance. The trick is figuring out the "starch" part.

Meng Wudong had brought Qiu Huanian some knock-offs before, most of which didn’t fully refine the starch, so they fell short in both texture and appearance.

Qiu Huanian had never doubted the wisdom of the ancients. He believed that sooner or later, someone would discover the secret of sorghum candy. But without any prior signs, suddenly breaking through the starch barrier in such a short time and completely replicating the texture and appearance of Qiu Huanian’s sorghum candy was not so simple.

This meant that the other party had easily figured out all the steps and even the material ratios of Qiu Huanian’s sorghum candy.

Meng Wudong knew something was wrong. He wasn’t one to take things lying down and had already started investigating.

"I staked out for a few days and found that those shops were also sourcing sorghum candy from a merchant named Wei Dexing. I had my sworn brother in the county town take Wei Dexing out for drinks to pump him for info. Wei Dexing, who wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, got tipsy after a few flattering words and spilled the beans."

When Qiu Huanian heard Wei Dexing’s name, he frowned slightly and let Meng Wudong continue, "What did Wei Dexing say?"

"First, he said his sorghum candy recipe was figured out by his own servants. My sworn brother deliberately said he didn’t believe it, and Wei Dexing then revealed some inside information."

"Wei Dexing said he bought information from the neighbor of the original sorghum candy maker. He knew all the materials, how they were handled, the steps, the tools, even the exact ratios. With all that info, cracking the recipe was a piece of cake!"

"..."

Qiu Huanian’s eyes went cold. He raised a hand, signaling the anxious Jiu Jiu to keep quiet.

Meng Wudong asked, "Brother Hua, I’m not trying to cause a rift between you and your neighbors, but you should look into this matter carefully."

"Wei Dexing has more connections in the county town than I do. With the sorghum candy recipe leaked, we’re out a lot of cash."

"If it really was a neighbor who sold the information, it’s tough to watch your back when you’re always running into each other!"

Qiu Huanian nodded, "No need to dig deeper, I’ve got a pretty good idea who it is."

Meng Wudong immediately slapped his thigh, "Who is it? Brother Hua, tell me, and I’ll go to their place and give them a piece of my mind!"

Meng Wudong was hoping to save more money in winter for his brother’s wedding dowry. The leaked recipe hit him right where it hurts, and he had been holding in his anger for a long time.

Qiu Huanian said gravely, "After all, this is a matter between villagers. Please, Brother Meng, go to the clan leader’s house first and ask someone to come over. Then we’ll go together."

After Meng Wudong hurried out, Jiu Jiu said with remorse and self-reproach, "Brother Hua, when you went to the city, I was at home making sorghum candy. Sometimes Auntie Zhuang would come over to borrow the mule or bring some snacks. When she saw me busy, she would lend a hand. I didn’t deliberately guard against her, I, I..."

After the new main house was built, Qiu Huanian made sorghum candy in the indoor kitchen. The leak of information must have happened earlier.

Auntie Zhuang was an old neighbor who had watched Jiu Jiu grow up. Previously, when Jiu Jiu went to the mountains to pick wild vegetables, she went with Auntie Zhuang. Thinking that such an elder would secretly sell the recipe, and that her own negligence had caused significant losses to the family, Jiu Jiu’s heart ached with pain.

Qiu Huanian patted Jiu Jiu's head gently and said, "These things are meant to deter honest people, but it's hard to guard against petty ones. We live next to each other, and those who are truly determined to spy will always find a way. It's not your fault."

Before the new house was built, the stove was still outdoors, and the courtyard walls were not high. Passersby could easily take a closer look, or even just set up a ladder to see how Qiu Huanian made his Sorghum Candy. What Jiu Jiu said was just one possibility.

Jiu Jiu still felt upset, "Why would Auntie Zhuang do this?"

Qiu Huanian had always been sympathetic to Auntie Zhuang's struggles as a widow, lending her the mule for free to help with her work, often sharing delicious food with her, and even paying a high price when buying her garden.

Jiu Jiu, grateful for Auntie Zhuang's past care, often helped her with chores before Yuchuan and her son arrived. Later, as Yuchuan and others kept causing trouble, the two families drifted apart, but Jiu Jiu never held any resentment towards Auntie Zhuang.

"It's hardest to guard against the human heart. Good people can turn bad for various reasons. Let's go and ask her together."

Qiu Huanian didn't let Jiu Jiu avoid the situation. This was an important life lesson that Jiu Jiu would have to learn sooner or later.

Meng Wudong brought Bao Ren, and the group knocked on Auntie Zhuang's cracked wooden door.

After a while, someone came to open the door. As soon as the door opened, Qiu Huanian smelled the aroma of stewed meat.

Auntie Zhuang's eyes flickered when she saw Qiu Huanian, and upon noticing Meng Wudong and Bao Ren, her face turned pale as she realized something.

She forced a smile, asking, "Brother Hua, what brings you here?"

Qiu Huanian patted Jiu Jiu's shoulder, "Auntie, are you stewing meat? I smell lamb, which is a luxury at sixty coins per catty. Congratulations on your good fortune."

Auntie Zhuang rubbed her hands repeatedly, "I can't compare to Brother Hua. It's just a harsh winter, and I scraped together a bit for the children to enjoy."

Qiu Huanian chuckled, "Is Wei Dexing really that stingy? That recipe could earn over ten taels of silver a month, and the money you got is only enough to buy some lamb for a treat?"

Hearing Wei Dexing's name, Auntie Zhuang's last shred of hope vanished. She stood there, mouth agape, speechless.

Hearing the commotion, Zirong stepped outside. Having stayed in the village for a few months, her face showed signs of weathering, and she no longer looked as delicate and charming as when she first returned. However, the hairpins and jewelry that had once disappeared were now adorning her again.

Zirong glanced at Qiu Huanian and the others with a raised eyebrow, unable to hide her smugness, "Instead of keeping warm at home in this freezing winter, what nonsense are you spouting here?"