Chapter 242: The Great Victory of Annam

Chapter 242: Annam's Decisive Victory

Nature is the world's most relentless power. No one escapes the cycle of seasons or the march of time.

The cold deepened, and in the blink of an eye, the yellow leaves on the treetops fell all at once, leaving only bare branches.

The lattice-patterned windows were covered with thick yet translucent new cotton paper, and a few days prior, heating chambers had been installed in every room. The bright sun overhead brought little warmth, and a layer of frost had formed on the window frames and sills, reflecting light into the interior.

Inside a waist-high bronze incense burner adorned with intricate silver filigree, smokeless lychee charcoal burned quietly. Qiu Huanian, holding a hand warmer, sat by the burner, poring over ledgers.

As winter tightened its grip, he grew even more reluctant to go outside, spending most of his time by the burner, staking out prime warm spots with his cat, Nai Shuang.

The ledger in Qiu Huanian’s hands recorded the results of this year’s trial planting of Champa rice in the southern imperial estates. Another book beside him documented the cultivation of sweet potatoes across various regions of the Great Yu.

Neither Champa rice nor sweet potatoes had long growing periods. After the seeds were brought back by the trading fleet in May, the court spared no effort in distributing these foreign crops to suitable regions.

Over the past few years, influenced by Qiu Huanian, the Yu Dynasty had placed increasing emphasis on agricultural methods and techniques. On a grand scale, there was the example of Qiu Huanian himself, who had risen from farming to the rank of county lord. On a smaller scale, commoners like Wei Mai had earned official positions by cultivating sugar beets. More and more people began actively studying agriculture, hoping to make a name for themselves through it.

The agricultural standards of the Great Yu had improved significantly in just a few years. For a traditional agrarian powerhouse, widespread advancements in agriculture could almost directly translate into national strength.

The Champa rice, a tribute from Champa, was already a superior variety refined over a century of selective breeding. Planted in May, most of the rice in the southern regions matured by late August. Based on this timeline, many areas could achieve two or even three harvests per year with Champa rice.

Meanwhile, the sweet potatoes retrieved by Zhu Jingcheng under Qiu Huanian’s guidance were nothing short of miraculous. Not only did they yield over two thousand catties per mu (about 1,300 pounds per acre), producing large clusters with a single hoe stroke, but they also didn’t require fertile land—they could grow even in the most neglected corners.

When these two crops were combined with the Great Yu’s advanced agricultural techniques, the effect was like spring thunder across the land, bursting forth with countless blossoms of prosperity.

Qiu Huanian flipped through the tax records and examined the statistics from various trial planting regions, noting the farmers' winter grain reserves before the cold set in.

On average, each household had at least ninety catties (about 120 pounds) of staple grain per adult. Families in better conditions kept more fine rice and wheat flour, while those in poorer circumstances replaced refined grains with cheaper alternatives like corn and sweet potatoes.

Regardless, one hundred twenty pounds of staple grain were enough to feed one person for half a year, sustaining them until the next fast-maturing harvest or until warmer weather allowed for other means of subsistence.

Qiu Huanian recalled his early days in this world—living in a dilapidated thatched hut with drafty windows and uneven floors, the storeroom holding only a few pecks of grain, the children gaunt with hunger, going months without a taste of meat.

If the Du family of that time were placed in the present, even if they still only had widowed mothers and orphans and three meager acres of land, they could now work to feed and clothe themselves adequately.

His efforts, everything he had done, were making the lives of ordinary people in this world better. The realization brought a faint smile to Qiu Huanian’s lips.

Of course, he knew this wasn’t achieved by him alone. Du Yunse’s tireless efforts in establishing the new governance system, along with the unwavering support of two successive emperors—from Emperor Yuanhua to Emperor Zhaoxin—were equally crucial.

Beyond that, countless others had contributed silently, working diligently to create the current prosperity—granaries filled to the brim across the land, every household with surplus grain in their cabinets.

In his happiness, Qiu Huanian’s thoughts drifted to the delicacies of his village days.

Back then, they had been strapped for cash, their grand future only just beginning. Every coin had to be spent carefully. Whenever they scraped together enough to buy a catty of meat, the sheer joy that filled their thatched home was almost tangible.

Their most common dish was "rendered pork." After buying a catty of fatty pork, they would slice it, stir-fry it with scallions and ginger to temper the strong flavor and render the fat, then simmer it over low heat until all the fat had melted away, leaving the meat crispy and chewy. The clear lard would pool in the pan, and they would store both the meat and the congealed fat together in an earthen jar.

When cooking, they would scoop out a generous spoonful of the solidified fat and meat, stir-frying it with seasonal vegetables to create a substantial meat dish.

The more Qiu Huanian reminisced, the more his appetite was teased, as if Nai Shuang's paws were kneading his heart. Suddenly, he craved a steaming, savory bite of that rendered pork on this cold day.

He glanced at the European clock in the warm chamber—a new purchase, as the original, more delicate one had been donated to Tianjin’s new school for use as a teaching aid.

The new school currently offered introductory mechanics courses, taught by Bing Ba, who excelled in such subjects. Bing Qi, less outgoing and sociable than Bing Ba, preferred not to teach children and instead focused his efforts on shipyard administration.

The clock’s hands pointed to eleven in the morning. The kitchen would already be preparing lunch, and there was still time to make a request.

Qiu Huanian tidied the items on the table, stood up, and stretched. Nai Shuang, who had been comfortably dozing with half-closed eyes, was startled awake and gave a startled meow before bounding off the cushion.

Qiu Huanian smiled as he scooped up Nai Shuang (a lion cat) by the waist. The five-year-old feline was hefty, with a solid weight to him.

"Come take a walk with me. If we stay this lazy any longer, we'll turn to mush." Having spent the morning reviewing the accounts of all Qiu's Six Staples shops over the past ten days, checking the first exam results of Tianjin’s new school, and going through the trial planting reports of Champa rice and sweet potatoes, Qiu Huanian made this remark.

With Nai Shuang serving as a natural, self-heating hand-warmer, Qiu Huanian arrived at the kitchen in cozy comfort, his pores buzzing from the savory aroma of cooking. Under the astonished gazes of Auntie Yu, Yin Chuan, and others, he requested a fine cut of well-marbled pork belly.

Du Yunse, who had returned early from official duties to discuss something with Qiu Huanian, found the main quarters empty. Upon inquiry, he learned that his husband was showing off his cooking in the kitchen.

The servants' expressions ranged from shock to disbelief, yet none dared to voice their thoughts or dissuade him, leaving them utterly bewildered.

Back when the family still lived in Du Village, Qiu Huanian personally cooked every meal. On busy farming days when there was no time to return home for lunch, he would prepare extra portions of packable meals to take to the fields.

His cooking skills were unmatched in the village, often drawing envious glances from others—a fact Du Yunse particularly enjoyed.

Later, when they moved to the prefectural city for Du Yunse’s studies, Qiu Huanian became occupied with new responsibilities, delegating cooking duties to others. Still, he frequently taught old lady Jin how to make new recipes and occasionally cooked himself.

After relocating to the capital, as Du Yunse achieved the title of Number-One Scholar and entered officialdom, Qiu Huanian’s business ventures expanded further. Between managing cotton, sugar beets, and saplings on the estates, his schedule grew increasingly tight, leaving no time for kitchen duties.

No wonder the recently hired staff from the capital and those assigned to the Tianjin residence reacted with such astonishment.

Du Yunse chuckled, removed his official robe, changed into well-worn clothes, and headed to the kitchen himself.

By the time he arrived, Qiu Huanian had already rendered down the fat from the plump pork belly. The sizzling slices crackled in the hot oil, gradually turning golden-brown and releasing a mouthwatering aroma.

The others quietly slipped out upon Du Yunse’s entrance, leaving the couple alone in the kitchen.

Spotting Du Yunse, Qiu Huanian raised an eyebrow and picked up a nearly crisp slice of cured pork with long chopsticks. "Ah, open up."

Du Yunse obediently opened his mouth to accept the offering.

"How is it?"

"Brother Hua, your skills are as excellent as ever. It's been so long since I've had this."

Qiu Huanian took a slice for himself, blew on it lightly, and popped it into his mouth.

"Right? I remembered how good it was. I’ll make more and store it in jars so Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng can try some when they come home from school."

Mentioning Chun Sheng made Qiu Huanian laugh. "Before school started, Chun Sheng insisted he’d stay at the academy with his friends and only come home every two weeks. Now, he complains that the five-day breaks are too few."

Chun Sheng’s pre- and post-school attitude was a classic case—students throughout history have missed school while at home and missed home while at school. But his extreme shift wasn’t just about homesickness; there was another reason.

"Yuan Ruo is practically a child we’ve watched grow up. I always thought he was gentle, refined, and quietly decisive, but actually quite clever and strong-willed. I never expected he'd turn out to be a young master."

Shortly after Tianjin’s new school opened, before students officially moved into the dormitories, Yuan Jia revealed to Qiu Huanian the secret she and her brother had kept for twelve years.

Yuan Ruo’s father had died before his birth, and his mother passed away during childbirth. To protect their father’s inheritance from being seized by uncles, Yuan Jia concealed her newborn sibling’s true gender, claiming he was a boy.

The lie persisted for years—first out of fear that their uncles would manipulate them if they knew the truth, and later because Yuan Jia believed a male identity granted more freedom, sparing her brother from societal scorn.

It wasn’t until Tianjin’s new school was established, offering hope that women and ge’er (young masters) would no longer face baseless restrictions or inherent inferiority, that Yuan Jia and Yuan Ruo decided, after discussion, to publicly reclaim his true gender.

The two families had been bound by close ties for years. Hearing the siblings’ story, Qiu Huanian and the others were moved and heartbroken for their past struggles.

Only Chun Sheng, who had grown up alongside Yuan Ruo as childhood friends, threw a fit, these days treating Yuan Ruo with the cold shoulder, angry at the years of lying.

Normally inseparable in their free time, now Yuan Ruo could speak ten sentences to Chun Sheng without getting so much as a grunt.

Though Qiu Huanian and Jiu Jiu were tempted to lecture Chun Sheng, Yuan Ruo refused their intervention, insisting on resolving the matter between them on his own terms.

"I heard Chun Sheng is still avoiding Yuan Ruo. Ah well, kids gotta figure these things out on their own. They'll grow up through these experiences."

Qiu Huanian stirred the curing meat in the large iron wok and directed Du Yunse to fetch the sterilized jars from the other stove that had been steamed at high temperature.

"By the way, you came back early today. Is there something going on?"

Du Yunse rolled up his sleeves, grabbed some thick cloth to move the hot jars from the steamer, and naturally assisted Qiu Huanian as his helper.

"We've scored a major victory in Vietnam. Wu Shen has led the army to capture the Vietnamese capital and taken the royal family prisoner."