The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 18: Enlightenment

Accompanied by the setting sun, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse drove their mule cart back to Du Family Village.

They arrived just as the villagers were finishing their work and heading home. The moment the tall and sturdy blue-flowered mule reached the village entrance, it caught everyone’s attention. Now, even those who hadn’t known they had bought a mule were aware of it.

“Hua Ge’er, is this mule yours? My goodness, such a strong mule must have cost at least seven or eight taels of silver!”

Qiu Huanian smiled and replied, “Aunt Zhuang, Yunse and I bought this together in town today. If you need help with farming this year, feel free to borrow it.”

Zhuang Shi was their next-door neighbor. Her husband had passed away early, leaving her with only one daughter, who was already married. She lived alone now and often took Jiujiu and Chunsheng with her when she went to the mountains to gather wild vegetables.

“Alright, alright.” In reality, she only had two acres of dry land left, which she could manage on her own with some effort. But an offer like this, which brought her face, was of course something she would gladly accept.

Ever since Du Yunse had returned to the village in high spirits, accompanied by his military officer friend, and as Qiu Huanian grew more capable and their family’s life improved, befriending their household had become something enviable in the village.

Hu Qiuyan only needed to watch over Hua Ge’er’s two children each day, and in return, she received an endless supply of sorghum candy. Who in the village wouldn’t be jealous of that?

Zhao Shi, leading her youngest son, Fubao, walked past. She glanced discontentedly at the blue-flowered mule and the cart full of goods, ignored the villagers who greeted her, and walked away without a word.

So what if they bought a mule? Her son, Yun Jing, would pass the county-level examination this year. Du Yunse couldn’t even take the imperial exam anymore. A man living off his spouse—what did he have to compete with her son?

Her eldest daughter-in-law, Wei Liuhua, carried a shoulder pole and smiled briefly at the surrounding villagers before hurrying to catch up with her mother-in-law.

Seeing that Hua Ge’er’s family had already bought a mule, Wei Liuhua was even more convinced that following Hua Ge’er was the right choice. She thought to herself that she needed to return to her maiden home soon and take care of the sugar beet matter.

Before leaving, Qiu Huanian had given Jiujiu the house key to ensure they wouldn’t be locked out if they needed anything.

Upon reaching the doorstep, Qiu Huanian was surprised to find the courtyard gate open, with voices coming from inside. When he entered, he saw that Jiujiu and Chunsheng had already returned. In the courtyard, they had hung out the fabric from the bedding they had removed in the morning.

“Aunt Qiuyan was going to the river to wash clothes this morning, so we came back to get the fabric and washed it with her.”

The fabric had been washed in the morning and had dried almost completely after hanging in the courtyard all day.

“Jiujiu and Chunsheng, you’re amazing!” Qiu Huanian hadn’t expected such a thoughtful surprise from the two children.

“We’ve grown up now! We can help Brother Hua with work!” Chunsheng puffed out his small chest proudly.

Jiujiu also spoke softly, “From now on, you don’t need to send us to Aunt Qiuyan’s place. Girls my age in the village are already considered laborers. The clan leader’s daughter, Cunlan, does needlework for her family every day.”

Qiu Huanian smiled, patting the two little ones on the head, feeling all his fatigue from the day disappear.

Before night fell, Qiu Huanian took out the soft and fluffy new cotton bedding core and placed it between the clean fabric.

A bedding core required two pieces of fabric—one slightly smaller on top and one slightly larger on the bottom. Folding the extra edges of the bottom piece over the top piece and sewing them together created a complete quilt.

Qiu Huanian had only sewn a few stitches when Jiujiu, unable to bear the sight any longer, snatched the needle and thread from him.

“Brother Hua, let me do it instead.”

Hua Ge’er was skilled in everything except needlework. His stitches were so crooked they almost looked like centipede legs!

Qiu Huanian could only stand aside and watch as Jiujiu deftly threaded the needle and quickly stitched up all eight quilts. In his heart, countless tearful cat memes flashed by.(😿😿)

Needlework was one of the few life skills he hadn’t picked up in his past life. Thanks to sewing machines, even when he occasionally needed to stitch something, he never had to do it by hand. Now that he had traveled back to ancient times, he was completely lost.

Jiujiu, however, was delighted to have finally found something she could be useful for.

That night, lying on the soft bedding filled with fresh cotton and covered with a light yet warm quilt, Qiu Huanian finally had a truly comfortable sleep.

Since arriving in this era, life had been getting better day by day.

The next morning, Qiu Huanian made a large batch of sorghum candy. After working with Du Yunse for a while, they set up a straw shed in the courtyard to shelter the mule and store the cart. The once barren yard was gradually becoming more filled out.

Jiujiu and Chunsheng now had an additional daily task besides gathering willow leaves—cutting fresh grass for the mule.

Without the need to set off early for a long journey, Qiu Huanian leisurely drove the mule cart to town after lunch to sell his candies.

As soon as Meng Yuanling saw him after two days apart, he rushed over excitedly.

“Hua Ge’er, I heard your husband is back?”

Qiu Huanian’s face grew warm. After actually seeing Du Yunse, those three words struck him even harder than before. Besides embarrassment, there were now many other complicated emotions he couldn’t quite describe.

“Why are you asking?” He changed the subject.

“I’m just curious!” Meng Yuanling said matter-of-factly. “My aunt praises him like he’s one of a kind, and Yun Cheng really admires him too. He keeps calling him ‘Brother Yunse’ all the time.”

“Eh? Yun Cheng admires him—what does that have to do with you? You sure take your cousin duties seriously.” Qiu Huanian teased.

“Hey! What nonsense are you talking about?” Meng Yuanling stomped his foot, his round face puffing up adorably.

This time, he was the one to change the topic. “Did you buy your mule in the county? Is the county really fun? It’s such a pity it’s too far for me to go.”

“What made you suddenly want to visit the county?”

“No reason, I just want to go.” Meng Yuanling said while helping Qiu Huanian pull the mule cart into the backyard of the tofu shop. “Come on, hurry up and sell your candies. You haven’t been here for two days, and several regular customers have been asking about you.”

Qiu Huanian skillfully started selling his sorghum candy.

At this point, the candy’s sales had stabilized at around a hundred pieces per day. Though it brought in about three taels of silver a month, it was still far from enough if he wanted to eat well, dress well, study, and build a house.

He had already inquired about the cost—given the size of their courtyard, building a bright and sturdy brick house would require at least fifteen taels of silver.

Qiu Huanian didn’t want to spend another winter in a straw hut. Before winter came, he had to settle the matter of the house, ensuring it wouldn’t be drafty and that it had an indoor kitchen.

To earn more money, he had two options: explore new ventures or expand the reach of his current business.

The former was constrained by the availability of raw materials, market purchasing power, and personal connections, making it difficult to come up with a viable idea in the short term. The latter wasn’t easy either.

As for painting, there was no upcoming holiday like Qingming to bring in a quick fortune. He had asked Wang Cheng, who estimated the next opportunity wouldn’t come until the Zhongyuan Festival in autumn.

The sorghum candy market in Qingfu Town was already saturated. As for other places…

Qiu Huanian was deep in thought when he suddenly saw Meng Yuangling’s second brother, Meng Wudong, driving a mule cart back from delivering tofu. His eyes lit up.

“Wudong-ge, I wanted to ask you something.”

Meng Wudong took the cloth that Meng Yuangling handed him and wiped his sweat. “Hua-ge’er, go ahead.”

Over the past few days, Qiu Huanian had become quite familiar with the Meng family.

“Which places usually order the most tofu from your tofu shop?”

Meng Wudong didn’t even need to think before answering fluently, “Among the eight villages under Qingfu Town, families hosting large banquets always buy tofu from us. Some villages near the neighboring town also place orders. Additionally, there are families who moved to the city after becoming successful but still miss the taste of our tofu and continue ordering from us.”

The Meng family’s tofu shop had been in business for three generations, accumulating many regular customers and repeat buyers. Meng Wudong frequently went out to deliver large tofu orders, bringing in a lot of money for the shop.

“Would you be interested in selling sorghum candy while delivering tofu?”

Back in Du Family Village, some wealthier families had directly bought candy from Qiu Huanian for their children. He could sell about ten sticks a day this way. The number wasn’t large, but if he could reach more places, it could add up to a considerable sum.

“Hua-ge’er, are you saying…” Meng Wudong was much more business-minded than his eldest brother and quickly understood the opportunity.

“Of course, I’m interested! Why wouldn’t I be? This mule cart is just sitting idle when I’m not using it. Since I’m the only one who drives it, even if I’m not delivering tofu, I can take it to the villages to sell candy. I could even bring it to the big market in the neighboring town.”

Some village roads were difficult to traverse, and some villagers preferred to buy from people they were familiar with. But none of this was an issue for Meng Wudong, as he had already established connections through his tofu deliveries.

The more Meng Wudong thought about it, the more he felt this was a great business opportunity. He couldn’t wait to ask Qiu Huanian, “Hua-ge’er, how exactly do we do this? Explain it to me.”

Meng Yuangling, feeling exasperated, snatched the sweat cloth from his brother’s waving hand. “Second brother, calm down! You’re acting like you’re younger than me.”

Meng Wudong smiled at his younger brother without explaining himself.

Over the past two years, he had indeed been feeling a sense of urgency. He was already over twenty and still hadn’t gotten engaged, nor did he have a business of his own.

Their parents had made it clear that the tofu shop would be passed down to their eldest brother. Though he and his brother got along well, his brother was already married, and once he had children, dividing the household would be inevitable. Wudong couldn’t just keep relying on the tofu shop, making a living off deliveries forever.

A few matchmakers had come by recently, but Meng Wudong had turned them all down. He had his own plans—if he couldn’t establish himself first, what was the point of starting a family?

Seeing that Meng Wudong was eager to take on the job, Qiu Huanian smiled and nodded. He valued Meng Wudong’s familiarity with the local villages and appreciated his ambition and drive, making him a good business partner.

“The selling method is simple. You buy the candy from me at half price and then sell it outside the town for one wen per stick. I won’t interfere with how or how much you sell each day—when you pick up the goods, we settle accounts on the spot.”

It might seem like he was giving up a lot of profit, but once the extra candy was made, Qiu Huanian could immediately receive payment without the hassle of selling it himself. By giving Meng Wudong a generous share of the profits, he could motivate him to find ways to expand the market for sorghum candy.

Qiu Huanian had no doubt about the ingenuity of the locals—he was hoping for some unexpected surprises. Even if none came, he wouldn’t lose anything.

Meng Yuangling noticed how excited his second brother was and felt happy for him. After a moment, he propped his chin on his hand and sighed, “Should I also start thinking about how to make money?”

Qiu Huanian looked at him. “What’s going on with you now?”

“You’re so good at making money, and we’re both ge’er. We’re close, too. If I can’t keep up with you, I’ll probably be looked down upon by my future in-laws when I get married.”

Qiu Huanian found it strange to hear a fifteen-year-old boy talking about marriage like this—especially when he himself was only seventeen.

“Just focus on helping your family sell tofu for now. Don’t rush. Besides, earning money should first be about supporting yourself, not just about impressing your future in-laws.”

He sensed that Meng Yuangling had something on his mind, but he couldn’t quite figure out what it was yet.

With the current weather, freshly made sorghum candy could be stored in a covered basket and remain fresh for seven days. Meng Wudong used his savings to buy 200 sticks of candy from Qiu Huanian, and within two days, he had sold them all. This made Qiu Huanian view him in a new light.

At home, the main room had been tidied up, and a few refurbished small tables were set up inside. Every day, Du Yunse studied there and also took the opportunity to teach the two children to read.

He had no plans to open a private school, but since Hu Qiuyan’s family had helped them so much, he invited her son, Yun Kang, to join the lessons for free.

Hu Qiuyan was overjoyed and frequently brought fish over as a thank-you, further strengthening the bond between their families.

That evening, Qiu Huanian had just finished washing his hair and was using a cloth to dry it when he heard a small knock at the door.

When he opened it, he saw Baoquan’s eldest son, Yun Hu, and his wife, Wei Liuhua, standing outside with several large burlap sacks at their feet.