Chapter 225: Another New Year’s Eve

Chapter 225: Another New Year's Eve

After Qiu Huanian brought back that bag of coffee beans, it was quickly taken to the kitchen.

In his previous life, Qiu Huanian usually bought ready-made coffee from coffee shops or used portable capsule coffee or drip coffee. He had never made coffee from the ground up before.

As for the hand-brewed coffee process, he only knew the basics: roasting, grinding, and brewing with filter paper. He had no idea about the specific ratios or operational details.

But as the New Year approached, with everything else being leisurely, taking some time out of daily life to research the culinary delights of his past life, even if it might not yield results, was a pleasant pastime.

Over the next few days, the inner residence of the prefect's mansion was filled with a bitter yet slightly sweet aroma. Qiu Huanian experimented with several levels of roasting and grinding, adjusting the water temperature and the ratio of coffee grounds to water multiple times, finally arriving at a recipe he found acceptable.

However, the taste of coffee was indeed too foreign for the people of Great Yu. Every time Du Yunse saw Qiu Huanian carrying a small copper pot, he would hold his breath. Chun Sheng spent all day at the training ground in the courtyard and didn't return, Meng Yuanling stopped coming to the main house for snacks, and even Jiu Jiu, who usually supported Qiu Huanian the most, began frequently accepting invitations to go out.

Qiu Huanian wasn't insisting that others drink coffee with him, but he found their reactions amusing and thus continued the act, half-jokingly.

For now, only Qiu Huanian and Yun Cheng, who was burning the midnight oil every day preparing for the metropolitan exam and desperately needed a pick-me-up, could stomach the pure coffee. The Great Yu version of "latte coffee," with plenty of milk and sugar added, had a slightly wider appeal.

What Qiu Huanian didn't expect was that Little Fish, the daughter of the head chef Auntie Yu from the inner kitchen, took quite a liking to coffee. Every time Qiu Huanian made coffee, she would peek around, clearly not pretending but genuinely enjoying it.

Compared to adults, children's tastes are more adaptable, and their acceptance of new foods is higher.

Little Fish, following in her mother's footsteps, was already quite skilled at the chopping board despite her young age. Qiu Huanian decided to entrust the remaining coffee beans to her, telling her that coffee could not only be brewed into a drink but also made into uniquely flavored pastries, candies, and other foods, allowing her to freely experiment.

In truth, compared to coffee, Qiu Huanian missed another foreign delicacy that would become popular worldwide in the future—chocolate. The smooth, sweet taste of chocolate had a much lower barrier to acceptance than coffee. Once tasted, it was hard not to love.

Logically, the appearance of corn indicated that some country had already ventured into the vast new continent of the Americas, and foods native to the Americas like chocolate and potatoes should have already been brought out.

Unfortunately, Qiu Huanian had yet to find any trace of them, but he wasn't in a hurry.

In this timeline, with the joint efforts of him and others, the Yu Dynasty would surely stand firm at the helm of the new era of globalization. As long as fleets continued to sail and nations across the seas kept exchanging, finding what he wanted was only a matter of time.

Before the New Year, Qiu Huanian met with the Persian merchant Harim once more, telling him how much he enjoyed coffee and inquiring in detail about the coffee cultivation in Persia. They also agreed that next year, Qiu Huanian would send someone to Persia to visit and purchase coffee saplings.

After listening for a while, Du Yunse seemed to have something to say but hesitated. Qiu Huanian laughed heartily before seriously explaining his plans.

"Beneath the land of Persia lies a treasure that will be extremely useful in the future. If the opportunity arises, I would like to purchase a large tract of land there for the future."

Qiu Huanian's interest in Persia wasn't for coffee but for the precious resource known as the lifeblood of modern industry and the foundation of modern civilization—oil.

The oil of the Arabian Peninsula, in another timeline, had supported countless Middle Eastern princes, making people exclaim that being born into the right family was indeed a skill.

Du Yunse never questioned Qiu Huanian's words, only saying, "The internal strife among the various factions in Persia, coupled with years of war with neighboring countries, makes it difficult to stabilize there. Establishing a foothold won't be easy."

In just a few days, Du Yunse had gained a rough understanding of the distant and unfamiliar country through various channels.

Qiu Huanian agreed with Du Yunse's assessment of the divisive situation, as in modern times, the Arabian Peninsula had split into numerous countries, and the unified Persian Empire had long since vanished into the mists of history.

"The more chaotic they are, the easier it is for us to intervene. Besides, for now, I just want to buy a large piece of land to grow coffee and engage in international trade. The treasure I mentioned won't be useful for at least three to four hundred years."

While the people of Great Yu might not accept coffee now, its potential was undeniable. As one of the three major beverages that would become popular worldwide in the future, investing in land for coffee alone wouldn't be a loss.

The buying and selling of land between nations wasn't uncommon. The most famous example was the United States purchasing over 1.7 million square kilometers of Alaska from the Russian Tsar for less than the price of a pound of cabbage per hectare.

During the Age of Exploration and colonization, many nations wouldn't even pay the price of cabbage. They simply used their ships and cannons to blast open the gates, slaughter the indigenous people, and seize entire territories. Interactions between nations, often driven by self-interest, could be brutally cruel.

In comparison, Qiu Huanian's plan to buy land to grow coffee was the most gentle and legally sound approach. Before oil became useful, the coffee plantations of Great Yu could bring centuries of stability and prosperity to the surrounding indigenous people.

This kind of thing wasn't within Qiu Huanian's expertise, so he simply wrote a letter, explaining everything except the part about oil, and asked the Azure Phoenix Lord if he was interested.

A few days ago, the Qing Lord sent a letter saying that after the New Year, he wanted to travel to the Western Regions to visit the place where his mother was born and raised, and conveniently extend the journey to Dashi.

On the eve of New Year's Eve, the Qing Lord’s reply arrived in Tianjin. He mentioned that he was currently fishing by a small stream in the Lingnan region. Even in winter, the Lingnan region doesn't require heavy clothing, and the temperature is quite pleasant, much more comfortable than staying in the capital.

The Qing Lord did not reject Qiu Huanian's proposal to buy land in Dashi for coffee cultivation, but he did express skepticism in his letter about the coffee beans Qiu had sent, suggesting that only barbarians would enjoy such a foreign concoction.

Qiu Huanian knew that the Qing Lord was just put off by the bitterness and didn't mind the subtle jab at being called a "barbarian."

As a member of the Great Yu royal family and a legitimate Qing Lord, the Qing Lord's trip to Dashi to buy land was perfectly justified. Qiu Huanian believed that the Qing Lord understood the underlying message in his letter, and the matter of the coffee plantation was already taking shape.

On the actual day of New Year's Eve, the weather was uncooperative, with heavy snowfall throughout the day, only easing up by evening.

Du Yunse, fearing that the heavy snow might collapse the houses of the common people and cause a tragedy, went out early to inspect the outskirts of the city and sent people to inquire about the disaster situation in the surrounding towns.

The snow had accumulated to a depth of three inches, drastically reducing the number of pedestrians on the roads. Only the corvée labor was seen sweeping the snow from the main roads with large brooms.

Fortunately, over the past six months, Du Yunse had made significant efforts to improve people's livelihoods, with Qiu Huanian's full support. Thanks to the substantial financial resources of Qiu's Six Staples, all the houses in the villages within Tianjin had been reinforced and inspected, ensuring that no houses collapsed on this peaceful and happy New Year's Eve.

As the snow lightened and the sky darkened, the lanterns held by the servants ahead, covered with thin paper shades, illuminated small patches of snow, like floating light on silver.

Du Yunse strode into the inner residence, his black cloak fluttering in the wind, his dark felt boots kicking up snowflakes as he walked through the corner's snowdrifts.

In the courtyard in front of the main house of the inner residence, a row of snowmen of various sizes stood, likely built by the family during the day after he had left.

Du Yunse immediately recognized the ones made by Qiu Huanian—two large and two small snowmen huddled together, adorned with items characteristic of their family of four. The snowman representing Du Yunse even had a mustache drawn on its face.

Du Yunse was not yet at the age to grow a beard, but his rapid rise in rank made him appear too young and not sufficiently dignified without one.

Previously, someone had subtly suggested to Du Yunse that growing a beard might enhance his official authority, but Qiu Huanian had strongly opposed the idea. Du Yunse didn't care much about the beard itself, but he was very concerned about his image in Qiu Huanian's eyes, so he didn't take the advice.

Du Yunse hadn't expected that while Qiu Huanian didn't want to see a beard on his real face, he had no qualms about adding one to a snowman. He smiled at the snowmen representing their family of four, but before he could get closer to examine them, Qiu Huanian, hearing the commotion, had already come out to greet him.

Only a few steps away, Qiu Huanian hadn't changed into formal outdoor clothing, just wearing a cotton cloak with hibiscus patterns over his indoor jacket. Du Yunse quickly walked up to him and pulled his hands into his embrace.

"The snow just stopped outside, why are you dressed like this?"

"It's just a few minutes outside, not worth changing clothes for ten minutes, no—achoo!" Before Qiu Huanian could finish, he sneezed, immediately feeling embarrassed to "argue" further.

Du Yunse sighed, took off his cloak, and wrapped it around Qiu Huanian, then bent down to pick him up and carried him towards the main house.

On New Year's Eve, only the closest family and friends were at home. Although Qiu Huanian felt a bit embarrassed, he didn't struggle, instead wrapping his arms around Du Yunse's shoulders and chatting with him.

"The New Year's Eve dinner is already set on the table, everyone is waiting for you to return so we can start the feast."

"This year's dishes include beef from the New Year's sacrifice, your favorite roasted lamb, and plenty of fresh seafood caught this morning."

"Gu Gu and Yang Yang have already woken up from a nap. I don't know who taught them, but Yang Yang has learned to say 'money.' At first, I thought it was a homophone, but after confirming, I realized he really was saying 'money.' Later, this little guy will definitely ask you for a red envelope separately."

"Xin Bai brought Little Raccoon over in the afternoon. The three kids played together. Since Little Raccoon is our godson, you must treat him equally when giving red envelopes."

...

After Du Yunse picked up Qiu Huanian, the servants tactfully stepped back. The path from the inner residence gate to the main house wasn't long, and Qiu Huanian chatted about whatever came to mind along the way.

Du Yunse held the person in his arms steadily. As they reached the eaves of the main house, before putting him down, he suddenly leaned down and quickly kissed those incessantly talking lips.

Qiu Huanian's eyes widened, but the door to the main house had already opened, and all the relatives and friends inside were watching. Qiu Huanian could only grit his teeth, planning to settle the score properly when they were alone later that night.

This year's New Year's Eve dinner was as lively as ever. With two new additions to the family, along with Su Xinbai and Little Raccoon, Yun Cheng and Meng Yuanling, the siblings Yuan Jia and Yuan Ruo, Bing Qi and Bing Ba, Wei Li, and Granny Wei, the large round table was packed to the brim, almost not enough seats.

Before the meal began, Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian offered incense to heaven, earth, and their ancestors. Qiu Huanian silently prayed for the safety and success of Mei Wangshu, who was far away in a foreign land.