Chapter 230: Qishu Cake

Chapter 230: Qishu County Princess's Cake

After the Palace Examination outcomes were announced, Qiu Huanian was also getting ready to head back to Tianjin.

Before his departure, he was concerned about the young couple, Yun Cheng and Meng Yuanling, so he specially sent someone to invite Uncle Putao, who had been hired when Gu Gu and Yang Yang were born.

Uncle Putao was thorough and careful, with rich experience in taking care of infants. Additionally, Bao Ren and Meng Fuyue would soon set off to Beijing to visit their son's family, so there was no chance this pair of rookie dads would mess things up.

On the day of his return to Tianjin, Liao Cang, who was still waiting for news from the Ministry of Personnel, lingered around.

After mulling it over for a few days, he felt that he should have a good talk with Her Highness the County Princess. Even if the position was already set, he could still strive for better treatment!

His family was poor, and he had dependents to support. It was only in the past two or three years, after becoming a teacher at the Du Village clan school, that he had earned some money. After pinching pennies for a long time, he had managed to save up less than a hundred taels of silver. Buying a decent house was tough enough, let alone getting married.

Therefore, it was both necessary and justified for him to ask Her Highness the County Princess for a raise.

After hearing Liao Cang go on about his situation, Qiu Huanian nearly burst out laughing when he came to such a resolute conclusion.

Even though Liao Cang had gone from being a scholar to a jinshi and was about to become an imperial official, his usual tactics of pleading poverty and asking for a raise hadn't changed a bit.

Qiu Huanian crossed his arms, playing the part of a 'tough boss.'

"Since Brother Liao has asked, I'll be upfront. I do have a very suitable position in mind to recommend to you."

Liao Cang asked warily, "Is it still teaching, at the Tianjin Prefecture's Examination Hall?"

Although Liao Cang was a bit stingy and money-minded, he was quite sharp. He knew that in Qiu Huanian's eyes, his most outstanding and valuable trait was having served as a teacher at the Du Village clan school for several years, implementing a 'new-style' teaching method. Therefore, if Qiu Huanian had other plans for him, they would definitely be related to this.

Qiu Huanian smiled, "It is related to teaching, but not at the Examination Hall."

"You know, our new-style school and the imperial examination are on different paths."

Liao Cang pursed his lips, distancing himself, "I am a proper jinshi who has reached the top of the imperial examination. What do you mean by 'not the same path'?"

Although he said this, Liao Cang wasn't really angry. Instead, he felt somewhat proud because of Qiu Huanian's use of the word "our."

Liao Cang was not a traditional scholar. He had long realized the flaws in the educational model under the imperial examination system. While serving as a teacher at the Du Village clan school, he gradually came to accept the new educational model proposed by Qiu Huanian.

If this more practical educational model were to become mainstream in the future, he, Liao Cang, would be the first teacher to practice it, ensuring his name would be remembered for generations!

Pride aside, to haggle for better treatment and salary, Liao Cang still maintained the dignity of a jinshi.

Qiu Huanian shrugged, choosing to cut to the chase, "I must remind you that the top of the imperial examination path is my husband, Du Yunse. He supports my reforms, so you shouldn't cling to outdated ways."

"..." Liao Cang hissed, caught off guard by this unexpected flex.

"Tianjin Prefecture's Office of Records, a seventh-rank official, with a monthly salary of fifteen taels. Simultaneously, you will serve as a professor at Tianjin Prefecture's new school, with an additional monthly salary of fifteen taels. This money will come from me, just like at the Du Village clan school. Besides the salary, there will be performance bonuses based on student achievements."

Qiu Huanian smiled confidently, "How about it, Brother Liao? Are you satisfied? If not, I won't force you. I can find someone else."

As soon as he finished speaking, a quick voice followed, "Thank you for your favor, Her Highness the County Princess. Who else but me is suited for this position?"

Liao Cang's face was full of solemnity, exuding an air of righteousness, while his mind was already calculating how much he could save each month.

Chi Qinghe, who had come to see Qiu Huanian off, lifted the carriage curtain and saw the profile of the person talking to Qiu Huanian. Her raised hand paused slightly.

"Township Lord?"

"Her Highness the County Princess is discussing important matters with Liao Cang. Let's wait a moment and go over later."

This journey lasted over a month. Although Tianjin is close to the capital and there was almost daily correspondence between the two places, Qiu Huanian still felt a deep sense of comfort upon returning to his long-separated home.

Despite his busy official duties, Du Yunse still came to the main gate to welcome him. As soon as Qiu Huanian leaned out of the carriage, he saw a familiar, bony hand.

He smiled, took that hand for support, and jumped down from the carriage. Having sat in the carriage for too long, he lost his balance and tumbled into Du Yunse's arms.

"Ahem," Qiu Huanian quickly stood up, embarrassed, and touched his nose.

At the entrance of the prefect's official residence, there were many passersby, along with numerous officials and yamen runners coming and going. Though Qiu Huanian missed Du Yunse dearly, he didn't intend to show affection in front of strangers. After all, ancient people valued a sense of reserved beauty.

Qiu Huanian was rarely embarrassed, but the onlookers remained composed, tactfully averting their gazes. Locally, there have been seven or eight editions of storybooks about the prefect and Her Highness the County Princess, deeply in love and devoted to each other. Everyone knows they are a match made in heaven, so seeing it firsthand was no surprise.

Is this just an ordinary couple's intimacy? No, this is celestial lovers displaying their affection in the mortal world!

Du Yunse took Qiu Huanian's hand and led him into the official residence. He still had official duties to attend to, so he stayed in the second hall. Qiu Huanian visited the rear residence to see their two children, met Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng, and then returned to the front.

The County Princess brought a pile of snacks to the second hall to visit the prefect. Naturally, no one dared to comment, and all the yamen runners in the second hall discreetly withdrew.

Du Yunse was at his desk reviewing documents, while Qiu Huanian sat beside him, silently munching on snacks and occasionally feeding Du Yunse popcorn or egg custard cake.

A brief separation feels like a new honeymoon. After over a month apart, Qiu Huanian just wanted to stay where he could see Du Yunse, and Du Yunse felt the same.

If either of them were less diligent, they would likely be cuddling in the warm pavilion of the rear residence by now.

However, secretly showing affection while working in the "office" also has its unique charm.

The egg custard cake in Qiu Huanian's hand was an enhanced "Western cake" created by Yin Chuan from the kitchen. Since the International Quarter was established, more foreign merchants have come to Tianjin Prefecture, bringing exotic goods, cultures, and some magical delicacies.

Western cakes of this era were still developing, with a hard and dense texture, not as soft and tasty as modern ones. The topping wasn't cream but a hard sugar frosting.

The foreign baker likely found that sugar in the Yu Dynasty was cheap and plentiful, so he added it excessively, making the cake unbearably sweet. Qiu Huanian tried a few out of curiosity but didn't enjoy them.

Since Auntie Yu surpassed him, Yin Chuan had been determined to reclaim his position. Hearing that the County Princess was interested in the foreigners' "cake," he immediately took a day off to buy a few from outside the residence. He also learned about Qiu Huanian's taste preferences for cakes from his daughters Hong Fei and Bi Cui, who served in the main household. After tinkering for half a month, he finally created a new type of cake.

Yin Chuan's cake was not only fluffy and soft with a delicate texture, but he also managed to whip cream based on Qiu Huanian's descriptions. The white, cloud-like cream was spread on small pieces of cake, topped with a layer of crushed nuts, making it extremely tempting just to look at.

Thinking about the time and arm strength required to whip cream manually, Qiu Huanian asked a few more questions. Yin Chuan explained that Bing Qi and Bing Ba, the stewards, had helped create a cream-whipping device. By continuously turning a crank, the egg beater would spin rapidly, making the process effortless.

The former identities of Bing Qi and Bing Ba had been erased by Mei Wangshu. To maintain a low profile, they had not sought to restore their status, but their skills and contributions were undeniable, earning them great respect.

In the few months since arriving in Tianjin Prefecture, they had solved several problems for the shipyard and workshops. Now, craftsmen and officials from these places would come to seek their advice every few days.

The new cake not only suited Qiu Huanian's taste but was also widely praised by the entire family. Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng would have a small piece every afternoon. Although Du Yunse didn't say much, he would silently finish it every time the kitchen served this dessert. The disparity in treatment was enough to make coffee, another Western delicacy, weep.

The person responsible for researching coffee delicacies, Xiao Yu'er, had yet to produce any promising results. Qiu Huanian had already added the cake to the new product list of Qiu's Six Staples.

During the New Year, a new Qiu's Six Staples opened in Tianjin Prefecture, right next to the International Quarter. The shop was five rooms wide and two rooms deep, about the size of six classrooms, with a second floor and a small courtyard at the back. It was the most impressive among the three Qiu's Six Staples shops.

Since it was close to the large estate in the capital, Tianjin Prefecture did not have a supporting workshop for now. The goods sold in the shop were directly transported from the capital estate.

However, this was only temporary. In Qiu Huanian's plan, the customers of Qiu's Six Staples in Tianjin Prefecture would not only be the people of the Yu Dynasty but also merchants from all over the world and their respective countries.

By then, the amount of goods required by Qiu's Six Staples would far exceed what one or a few estates could supply. Qiu Huanian had already made arrangements in advance, and the fiefdom of Ji County would come into play.

Perhaps he could give Ji County a sign, calling it "Great Yu's First Foreign Trade Distribution Center" or "Ji County International Trade City." However, coming up with such an advanced name and convincing others would be a challenge.

Du Yunse took a bite of the cake that was fed to him and noticed the small spoon hadn't been withdrawn. He glanced sideways and realized that Brother Hua was lost in thought again.

Having been together for so long, Du Yunse was perhaps the person who understood Qiu Huanian's ever-rapidly spinning mind, which often came up with astonishing ideas, the best.

He took out the small silver spoon, scooped a piece of the cake known among the people as "Qishu County Princess Cake," and brought it to Qiu Huanian's lips.

Qiu Huanian only snapped back to reality when his lips touched the sweet and soft cream, instinctively eating the cake and smiling at Du Yunse.

"You should be fine to inscribe the characters."

"Hmm?"

"In a month or two, after the fleet returns from the Nanyang region, the various workshops and guilds in Jixian will officially start operating. I plan to hang a sign there, and I'd like to trouble Du Yunse to help with the inscription."

Du Yunse didn't ask what characters Qiu Huanian wanted inscribed and agreed directly.

Qiu Huanian laughed for a while, then turned to look at the large nautical map hanging in the central hall. The map depicted the Nanyang region, detailing the names of each country, with major mountains, rivers, and straits all drawn out, making it one of the most detailed of its time.

Last month, the Yu Dynasty's distant fleet sent a message via a Brunei merchant, stating they were about to leave Brunei for Java. After the Java trip, they would begin their return journey, stopping in Champa for supplies before heading directly back to Tianjin Port.

The letter was brief, omitting many details, but from the letters of Marquis Kang Zhong and Zhu Jingcheng, Qiu Huanian could see that the voyage had been very successful. All planned tasks were completed, and there were some unexpected gains.

Zhu Jingcheng's letter to Su Xinbai contained only one sentence, appended at the end of his page. After reading it, Su Xinbai's eyes welled up, and he hugged the now much bigger Little Raccoon, sighing in relief.

This time, Qiu Huanian didn't tease him; he too was concerned about someone.

For security reasons, Mei Wangshu's presence in the distant fleet was kept strictly confidential, not even known to Zhu Jingcheng, so Qiu Huanian didn't know in which country he had disembarked or his current situation.

Although he trusted his uncle's abilities, experience, and wisdom to protect himself, he still felt worried at times.

He hoped Mei Wangshu would return safely with the fleet.