The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 16: Buying Cotton

In the afternoon, the rain gradually stopped. Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse took Jiujiu and Chunsheng to pay respects at the graves of their parents. On the way back, Qiu Huanian noticed fresh green shoots sprouting in the fields.

Every year, when wild grass starts growing in the fields, it signals the beginning of spring plowing. After the Qingming Festival, the weather warms up, making it the perfect time for crops to sprout and grow.

Previously, the family’s two acres of paddy fields were used to plant rice, while four acres of dry land were used for sorghum and corn. After harvesting, only a small portion of the rice was kept, with the rest converted into silver, earning about four taels annually. The sorghum and corn were kept as food for the following year.

This year, Qiu Huanian didn’t plan to plant the same crops. He wanted to grow more valuable cash crops and had a few options in mind but had yet to make a final decision.

Regardless of what he planted, he first needed to buy a mule. With Du Yunse focused on preparing for his exams and the two children still young, plowing the fields alone would be exhausting.

Upon returning to the village, they stopped by to visit the clan leader. Although the scheming of the Qiu family from Shangliang Village had been temporarily thwarted, the hidden dangers remained. After weighing the pros and cons, Qiu Huanian decided to follow the clan leader’s suggestion and go to the county office to supplement their marriage certificate, thoroughly sealing any legal loopholes.

After all, whether they had an official marriage certificate or not, he and Du Yunse were bound together for the long term. A piece of paper made little difference.

As for the official wedding ceremony, that would have to wait until after his one-year mourning period ended. For now, Qiu Huanian didn’t need to think too much about it—he could take things one step at a time.

Who knows? By then, he and Du Yunse might have naturally become like a married couple already.

The clan leader had already prepared a written document, stamped by the village head and the local security officer, proving that six years ago, Qiu Huanian had been exchanged by the Qiu family of Shangliang Village for two dou of sorghum to become Du Yunse’s tongyang husband. The document also stated that he had no further ties with the Qiu family.

With this document, they only needed to visit the county office to obtain an officially notarized marriage certificate.

Du Yunse carefully read through every word of the document, then folded it neatly and tucked it into his chest.

Back home, Qiu Huanian asked Du Yunse to help him move the old wooden cart from the storage room. He planned to repair it so they could take it to the county town tomorrow. Since trips to the county town weren’t easy, he wanted to make sure they bought everything they needed in one go.

The cart had been handmade by Du Baoyan when he was alive. It was solidly built, and both the wheels and frame were still in good condition. It only needed minor repairs to the damaged planks and a broken handle.

Back in the day, Du Yunse had often helped Du Baoyan with woodworking, so he knew a bit about carpentry. With his help, Qiu Huanian managed to repair the cart in less than an hour.

After washing his hands, Qiu Huanian took out the pound of meat he had bought the previous day. Since Du Yunse had returned earlier than expected, there was no need to save it for entertaining guests—they could enjoy a welcome-home meal themselves.

Qiu Huanian cooked white rice, then cut the fatty and lean pork belly into chunks. He greased the pan with a little bean oil, stir-fried scallions, ginger, and chili for a moment, then added the pork belly and seared it until the fat was rendered. After seasoning with salt, soy sauce, and a dash of vinegar, he let the meat absorb the rich flavors before pouring in hot water, covering it, and leaving it to simmer.

Meanwhile, Du Yunse took the two children up the mountain to pick wild vegetables. Using his height advantage, he managed to gather half a basket of fresh Chinese toon. Once the rice was ready, Qiu Huanian grabbed two eggs and made a fragrant stir-fry with the Chinese toon.

The farmhouse-style braised pork simmered for a full hour. Qiu Huanian added water several times throughout, allowing the rich aroma of the meat to spread throughout the village, making passersby turn their heads.

“Is Hua-ge’er cooking meat again?”

“What kind of meat? It smells amazing!”

“Hua-ge’er is really capable—Yunse just got back, and he’s already enjoying such a feast…”

Some of the murmurs from outside reached the courtyard. Qiu Huanian was too busy tending the fire to notice, but Du Yunse, who was teaching the children under the pear tree, occasionally glanced toward the stove, his eyes filled with warmth.

When the braised pork had softened to the point where it could be easily torn apart with chopsticks, Jiujiu and Chunsheng were practically drooling. Qiu Huanian had Du Yunse move the dining table out into the courtyard so they could eat under the open sky.

The meal consisted of one plate of braised pork, one plate of Chinese toon stir-fried with eggs, one plate of cold-dressed wild greens, and one plate of dried tofu, all served with steaming white rice. This was an incredibly lavish meal for a rural household, leaving the two children wide-eyed.

Although the banquet at the clan leader’s house had offered more dishes and cost more, everyone still felt that this simple home-cooked meal was far more satisfying.

The salty, fragrant, and tender braised pork melted in their mouths. Jiujiu and Chunsheng had never seen such a luxurious dish with nothing but meat, so after eating a few pieces, they sensibly stopped themselves.

Qiu Huanian chuckled at their restraint. He picked up the plate and evenly divided the remaining meat into everyone’s bowls.

“From now on, we’ll have this kind of meat every five days. No need to hold back—there’s enough for everyone.”

He raised his water cup and nodded toward Du Yunse. “May the weather be favorable, and may you excel in your exams.”

Du Yunse lifted his cup in return, lightly clinking it against Qiu Huanian’s. “May we be free of worries and illness, and may we enjoy peace year after year.”

They exchanged glances, both smiling with warmth.

…

Early the next morning, Qiu Huanian woke up and prepared breakfast. Even with a horse pulling the cart, it would take four hours to reach the county town, meaning they would only arrive at noon.

With the whole family’s help, he quickly pulled out all the old cotton stuffing from their worn-out bedding and loaded it onto the cart. The cotton, though old, could still be used and could be sold to cotton merchants for some money.

He packed six strings of copper coins into a cloth bag and had Du Yunse carry the silver close to his body. After dropping the children off at Hu Qiuyan’s house, they hitched the horse to the cart and set off.

The horse, borrowed from Magistrate Wang, probably never expected to be pulling a cart like a mule. Fortunately, Du Yunse was skilled at driving, allowing their makeshift carriage to speed down the countryside roads.

Qiu Huanian sat steadily atop the pile of cotton, curiously asking Du Yunse about cart-driving techniques. Since he was about to own a mule, he needed to learn how to “drive.”

Horses were faster than mules, so by late morning, they had already reached Zhang County. Following their plan, they first went to the south side of town to the mule market.

Qiu Huanian had long planned to buy a mule. He had previously consulted Meng Yuanling’s second brother, Meng Wudong, about selecting a good one. After comparing several options, he finally settled on a tall, strong, and glossy-coated blue-spotted mule, which was among the finest in the market.

Using his sharp bargaining skills, Qiu Huanian secured the eight-year-old adult mule for seven taels of silver, along with a free sack of feed and a bridle.

After swapping the horse for the mule to pull the cart, Du Yunse led the horse while Qiu Huanian practiced driving as they headed to the cotton market.

In Zhang County, cotton was imported from the Yellow River region since it wasn’t grown locally. Merchants brought it in from other provinces and returned home once they had sold their stock.

Freshly processed cotton cost 180 wen per jin, while lower-quality cotton mixed with old fibers cost 120 wen. The batch of old cotton Qiu Huanian had brought weighed a little over nine jin, and the merchant offered 40 wen per jin to buy it.

After examining the different grades of cotton, Qiu Huanian decided to buy only the best quality. He used the money from selling the old cotton to increase his budget and purchased twelve jin of fresh cotton.

Since it was a large order, the merchant agreed to stuff the cotton evenly into tightly woven fabric covers for free. Back home, Qiu Huanian would only need to sew on the outer fabric to complete the blankets and mattresses.

Twelve jin of cotton made four thick two-jin mattresses and four light one-jin quilts—perfect as the weather warmed up.

After handing over one tael and eight qian of silver, Qiu Huanian felt a pang of pain. Cotton was truly expensive, especially since Zhang County didn’t produce any locally, making the price even higher.

Thinking of this, he suddenly had an idea. Since Zhang County’s climate was mild compared to the rest of the Northeast, wouldn’t it be possible to grow cotton here?

His heart stirred. He turned to the merchant and asked, “Do you have any cotton seeds for sale?”

The merchant did not understand his intention. He traveled to many places for trade every year and indeed carried some good-quality seeds, but he had always intended to sell them further south. He had never heard of anyone planting cotton in the northeast.

Having just completed a large transaction, the merchant had a favorable impression of Qiu Huanian and kindly reminded him, “Young man, planting cotton is not that simple. Even if the climate allows it, issues like seedling cultivation, pest control, and boll opening are enough to give you a headache. Don’t be fooled by the high selling price—if you’re not careful, you might end up with nothing at all!”

Qiu Huanian thanked the merchant for his advice and smiled as he said, “When I was young, my mother told me how to plant cotton. My family happens to have land, so I want to give it a try. Just tell me whether you have seeds or not.”

Seeing that Qiu Huanian had a mule and horse and could afford to buy over ten pounds of cotton at once, the merchant estimated that he came from a well-off family and did not continue to dissuade him. He turned around and took out a large bag of seeds for Qiu Huanian to inspect.

“These are high-quality seeds from my hometown, one hundred wen per jin.”

Just one jin of seeds cost one qian of silver—an astronomical price compared to other crop seeds.

Qiu Huanian grabbed a small handful from deep inside the bag and examined them carefully. The seeds were large and full, with dark brown skins, confirming their quality. Cotton was one of the crops he had fully cultivated using ancient methods in modern times, from seed selection onward. He had even released a six-part video series on it, so he was quite knowledgeable.

“How is the yield of these seeds? How much does one mu of land require?”

The merchant answered, “In our region, the best fields farmed by the most experienced farmers, in good years, can yield around two hundred jin of cotton per mu. For ordinary land, if nothing goes wrong, the average yield is about one hundred eighty jin per mu.”

“To plant around three thousand cotton plants per mu, you’d need roughly three jin of seeds.”

Qiu Huanian made some quick calculations in his head. “Weigh out six jin of seeds for me.”

That would be another six qian of silver. The merchant happily weighed out the seeds and gave Qiu Huanian an additional reminder. “Cotton needs plenty of water and can only be planted in irrigated fields. If you plant it in dry fields, it will wither during the flowering period.”

More detailed planting techniques were considered trade secrets, so the merchant did not reveal them easily.

Packing the cotton into lined bags would take some time. Leaving the mule cart and horse temporarily at the cotton shop, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse set off to buy other supplies.

As they walked side by side, Du Yunse took the bag of cotton seeds from Qiu Huanian’s hands and carried it himself.

Qiu Huanian chuckled and asked, “Aren’t you curious about anything?”

“If you say it can be planted, then it can be planted,” Du Yunse replied.

Just as Qiu Huanian had unquestioningly believed Du Yunse when he said he would pass the provincial exam next year, Du Yunse had a natural trust in Qiu Huanian as well.

As they walked, Qiu Huanian explained his plans step by step.

“Cotton farming takes a lot of effort. Since we don’t have many hands, I think we should stop planting other crops this year.”

“We’ll exchange our four mu of dry land for one mu of irrigated land with the clan leader, and plant a total of three mu of cotton.”

“Three thousand plants per mu is too dense. With… with the current production techniques, two thousand plants per mu would be more suitable. That makes six jin of seeds perfect for three mu of land.”

“I believe that with my methods, each mu will definitely yield over two hundred jin of cotton—maybe even more. When we sell it in autumn, we should be able to make around a hundred taels of silver.”

For every sentence Qiu Huanian spoke, Du Yunse nodded once. After he finished speaking, Qiu Huanian was still full of enthusiasm and pulled Du Yunse along to find a restaurant to try some of the county’s food.

They found a noodle shop and were just about to order when Qiu Huanian was suddenly bumped from behind. Turning around, he saw a vaguely familiar face.

Before Qiu Huanian could recall who the person was, the young man in a blue scholar’s robe and a Confucian cap looked at him, then shifted his gaze to Du Yunse. His expression darkened as he spoke in a twisted tone, “Du Yunse, so you’ve come back.”

Author’s Note:

Since many people have asked, here’s a unified explanation:

In the story, “irrigated land” refers to fields located near water channels where water can be easily diverted for irrigation. These fields are usually in better locations and have more fertile soil. “Dry land,” on the other hand, relies entirely on rainfall or manual watering and is typically in remote, less fertile areas.

“Irrigated land” does not mean fields that are constantly flooded like rice paddies!