The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 83: Floral Dew

Chapter 83: Floral Dew

When the imperial decree from Emperor Yuanhua arrived in Xiangping Prefecture, more than half of April had already passed.

Qiu Huanian changed into the formal attire of a County Lord to receive the decree. Later that night, when everything was quiet, he vented to Du Yunse.

“I thought imperial rewards were always measured in gold.”

Du Yunse chuckled. “Whether the reward is silver or gold is determined by the Ministry of Rites. Even princes and dukes rarely receive gold rewards. As for other reward items, it all depends on His Majesty’s mood.”

Thinking of those ten boxes of high-quality tribute medicine, Qiu Huanian felt a bit more satisfied.

With the tribute medicine and the jade ruyi, the total value exceeded a thousand taels. With them, Qiu Huanian wouldn’t need to purchase expensive medicinal herbs and could continue treatment up to next year’s palace examination.

Unfortunately, Bingqi and Bingba, the two brothers, did not receive any additional rewards—only ten taels of silver each.

Because they had once been craftsmen in the palace and were granted to Qiu Huanian by Emperor Yuanhua, helping Qiu Huanian was considered their duty. Therefore, they were rewarded but not merited.

Qiu Huanian handed over all the silver from the emperor’s reward to the Mu family brothers and added another five taels to each of them. He didn’t give more because the amount couldn’t exceed the emperor’s.

With fifteen taels of silver each, Bingqi and Bingba suddenly found life much more comfortable.

Emperor Yuanhua handed the farming tools to the Crown Prince and the mathematics book to the Second Prince, dragging these items into the struggle for the throne—something Qiu Huanian had not anticipated.

All he had wanted was for his inventions to benefit the common people and improve the lives of the Yu Dynasty’s citizens, but once in the hands of those in power, he no longer had control.

After realizing what he was thinking, Du Yunse consoled him, “Although His Majesty has other intentions, he has issued a decree for others to study and promote them. The princes’ prestige and influence, if used properly, can also be a great help.”

Qiu Huanian nodded. “That’s all we can do for now.”

The Imperial Library began studying mathematics and equations, and the grassroots promotion in Liaozhou didn’t lag behind.

Books from Qimin Bookstore were released one after another. With the enthusiastic praise of Liaozhou Education Commissioner Feng Mingjun, these books were eagerly bought by many, and Su Xinbai became widely known.

Some book merchants even came specially, hoping to purchase large quantities and ship them south for sale.

Although compared to Confucian classics, practical subjects like mathematics were still considered minor paths, once seeds of civil study were sown, they would one day break through the soil.

Over the past month or two, Qiu Huanian’s household welcomed a frequent guest every few days—the young master of the head of Qingfeng Academy, Min Leyi.

When Min Leyi came, he usually didn’t bring any servants. As soon as he entered, he went straight for Milk Frost.

While playing with the cat, he would chat, eat snacks, and casually share amusing stories from Xiangping Prefecture.

Min Leyi was playful by nature, disliked restraints, was inherently cheerful, and astonishingly bold.

According to the Min family servant who brought him, Min Leyi often thought of ways to cover the red birthmark on his forehead, dressed in outlandish clothes, and sneaked out to play.

After losing his wife in middle age, his father Min Taikang never remarried and couldn’t manage him. So he asked Qiu Huanian to guide Min Leyi properly.

To those unfamiliar with Qiu Huanian, he was the very model of a “virtuous and kind” ge’er.

He fully supported his husband Du Yunse’s civil service pursuit, carefully took care of Du’s younger siblings, was skillful and capable of earning money, and even had an imperial title of County Lord granted by the emperor himself.

So Min Taikang thought that by putting Min Leyi under Qiu Huanian’s wing, his son’s temperament might be corrected.

Qiu Huanian felt rather helpless about this. He himself was full of rebellious thoughts—how could he teach Min Leyi any of that?

Moreover, in Qiu Huanian’s eyes, Min Leyi’s temperament wasn’t bad at all. Forcibly disciplining him into change was actually a kind of cruelty.

Min Leyi, knowing that Qiu Huanian wasn’t the type to scold him right away, grew increasingly fond of clinging to him and would even use Qiu Huanian as an excuse to go out and have fun.

“Hua-ge’er, have you heard? The birthday of Liaozhou’s Commander-in-Chief is coming up. Lots of military officials have been coming to Xiangping Prefecture to offer congratulations.”

The Liaozhou Commander-in-Chief, also known as the General of Liaozhou, was equivalent to a provincial military commander.

Qiu Huanian truly hadn’t heard. He put down the account book in his hands.

“Who’s coming? Will the ones stationed at the border come too?”

“That I don’t know. I only overheard it from some students at the academy.”

Qingfeng Academy was a hub of information, and Min Leyi often caught wind of things early.

Qiu Huanian thought of Wu Shen. Their families exchanged letters monthly, but this month’s hadn’t arrived yet. The Tartars had been badly beaten last winter and hadn’t yet recovered. Recently, the border seemed relatively calm. He wondered whether Wu Shen would come.

“Hua-ge’er, why don’t we go outside the city and have some fun?” Min Leyi perked up, trying to coax him along.

There might be a chance to catch some excitement outside the city and see a few different generals.

Min Leyi had loved riding horses since childhood and enjoyed watching martial performances with swords and spears. Ever since arriving in Liaozhou, he had been longing to see what real generals were like.

Qiu Huanian said crossly, “Were you banned from going out alone by your family again?”

Min Leyi clasped his hands together pleadingly. “Please, please!”

Qiu Huanian shook his head. “I’m going to the estate. If you want to come along, suit yourself.”

Min Leyi cheered and grabbed Milk Frost from the cushion beside him and gave it a kiss.

Milk Frost, ever dignified, rolled its heterochromatic eyes and meowed twice at Qiu Huanian for help.

Qiu Huanian picked up Milk Frost. “Stop teasing it, or it’ll scratch your face.”

“Our Milk Frost would never, right? Little Milk Frost?”

Min Leyi pulled a piece of dried meat from his sleeve and offered it to Milk Frost.

Milk Frost snapped it up and curled its fluffy tail, rubbing Min Leyi’s palm to make peace.

Qiu Huanian couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’ve been stuffing strange things into your sleeve again.”

Min Leyi looked aggrieved. “Earlier, my father listened to someone and hired a governess to teach me. She made me remove all the hidden pockets in my clothes. This one I sewed back myself in secret.”

Min Leyi wanted to bring Milk Frost to the estate to play, so Qiu Huanian had to find a lightweight cage and packed Milk Frost’s little wooden bowl and cloth sandbag as well.

Once at the estate, Min Leyi showed no sign of being bothered by dirt and immediately ran off to play with the big yellow ox and the chickens and ducks.

He had grown up in his southern countryside hometown with his grandmother, who was enjoying her retirement. Though his father was a well-known scholar with ample means, Min Leyi’s childhood was not nearly as repressed as that of other young masters from wealthy families.

Two mountain goats in the pen began locking horns. Min Leyi waved his little fists beside them, cheering them on, wishing he could jump in and fight too.

If no one told you, you’d never believe he was the young master of the head of Qingfeng Academy.

He only stopped after playing until his arms could barely lift. Then he finally settled down and returned to the main residence on the estate to chat with Qiu Huanian over tea.

Min Leyi didn’t like the bitter taste of tea leaves and drank rose floral dew diluted with water, which he had brought himself. He also made a cup for Qiu Huanian.

“This is from the south?” Qiu Huanian examined the delicate bottle.

“It’s rose floral dew from Jiangnan. A bottle costs two to three taels of silver. It spoils easily in the heat, so you have to keep it chilled.”

“Your grandmother sent it from your hometown?”

“It’s not. It’s an apology gift,” Min Leyi smiled mysteriously, a hint of pride in his tone.

Qiu Huanian nodded thoughtfully. “An apology from Yu Min?”

Min Leyi immediately froze.

“H-How did you know?”

Qiu Huanian had unintentionally overheard the two arguing over a kite during the Spring Outing Festival.

Yu Min clearly couldn’t outargue Min Leyi.

Qiu Huanian recalled how Min Taikang had subtly hinted at finding a marriage match for Min Leyi, and how he’d been getting stricter with Min Leyi lately. A look of contemplation crossed his face.

“Hua-ge’er, what are you thinking about?” Min Leyi asked, blinking his big eyes.

“Your sleeve has a tear.”

“Ah! It must’ve gotten snagged while I was watching the goats fight. Hua-ge’er, help me! If I go back like this, I’ll get scolded again.”

Qiu Huanian’s needlework was even worse than Min Leyi’s, so he had to find a skilled uncle from the estate to patch the sleeve for him.

Watching Min Leyi breathe a sigh of relief and cheer up again, Qiu Huanian lowered his eyes and stared at the rose-flavored tea in his hand.

Yu Min came from the prestigious Yu family of Liaozhou, a direct descendant of a long line of officials and scholars, known for their rigid traditions.

Min Leyi had a free and unrestrained personality, while Yu Min still had a childish temper. Were the two really a good match?

“Hua-ge’er! Look at Naishuang, it can roll the ball now.”

Min Leyi had picked a few sour, newly formed green plums in the plum grove to tease Naishuang. When he threw them too far, Naishuang was too lazy to fetch them and only pawed at the closer ones.

“Naishuang got its fur all dirty. I’m going to make you give it a proper bath later.”

“Fine by me! I get to stay a little longer anyway.” Min Leyi grinned, his delicate face full of joy.

…

Seeing that Qiu Huanian liked rose dew, Min Leyi sent two more bottles over after returning home.

The translucent, pale-pink porcelain bottles held clear and fragrant liquid. Each bottle, about the size of a palm, cost two to three taels of silver. A specialty from Jiangnan, it wasn’t something one could easily buy in Liaozhou, even with money.

Jiujiu, Chunsheng, and Meng Yuanling all loved the taste of rose dew, drinking it mixed with water and using it to make pastries. It didn’t take long before they’d consumed it all.

Qiu Huanian craved some himself. Looking at the roses in full bloom in the courtyard’s central flowerbed, he decided to try making it on his own.

The household was already used to Qiu Huanian’s process of “sudden inspiration — experimentation — success — feasting.” When he mentioned it, everyone was already eager to taste the results.

“When Hua-ge’er finishes making it, I want to let Yuanruo try it. He’s always been curious about how rose dew tastes.”

“We always eat what Sister Zhu Xian and Xinyao bring. I want to take something to share at school, too.”

“Our Qiu’s Six Delicacies can launch a new product! This sells for more than oyster sauce. We’ll make lots of money again!”

…

Qiu Huanian laughed, “Aren’t you afraid I might fail?”

Everyone answered in unison, “Impossible!”

Qiu Huanian’s reputation as clever and talented had long been solidified. By now, he didn’t even need to make up excuses like “my mother once taught me.” Everyone simply assumed that if he set his mind to it, he could figure anything out.

Rose dew, in essence, is rose petals distilled to extract floral water.

Qiu Huanian had done something similar in modern times while filming a video, but he had used modern tools then.

In ancient times, without rubber tubes, glass containers, or thermometers, distillation was far more difficult than in later generations.

Qiu Huanian recalled his high school chemistry knowledge, pieced together the key principles of distillation, and started sketching a rudimentary distillation setup to test.

He asked Bingqi and Bingba to make a ceramic pot about the size of a water basin, with a concave, smooth lid that fit snugly on top and had a small hole about the size of a chopstick’s tip.

When the pot was delivered, Qiu Huanian rallied the whole family to help him pick rose petals.

Wilted and dried petals were discarded; only the freshest ones were picked—ten jin in total.

Qiu Huanian put the red petals in the pot in batches, added pure well water, and placed a deep bowl in the center. He then covered it with the concave lid.

Next, he lit a small stove to heat the ceramic pot.

When the water inside boiled and steam began to rise, Qiu Huanian crushed ice bought from the city icehouse and piled it onto the lid.

As the thin lid cooled rapidly, steam inside the sealed pot condensed and trickled along the curved surface of the lid toward the center, finally dripping into the bowl below.

What collected in the bowl was a mixture of rose essential oil and rose water.

Without a thermometer, Qiu Huanian had to control the temperature by judging the flame. After a few trials, he found the best combination of temperature and duration.

The refined courtyard was soon filled with a strong floral scent.

After accounting for experimental waste, the ten jin of rose petals yielded about five small bottles of rose water.

At this point, the water was clear. He then filtered the leftover rose juice from the pot and added a bit to the distilled water to tint it a light pink, closely resembling the rose dew from Jiangnan.

The clear rose water could be used in skincare or as perfume.

The pale pink rose dew could be made into tea or used in pastries.

Qiu Huanian kept three bottles each of rose water and rose dew.

It just so happened that Qingfeng Academy was on break, and that evening, Yun Cheng and Du Yunse returned home.

Qiu Huanian asked Jin Po to use the leftover rose juice in the pot to cook rose porridge.

The deep-pink porridge was cooled to just the right temperature, then sweetened with a spoonful of honey and topped with crushed peanuts. It was fragrant and delicious.

After washing up that night, Qiu Huanian sat in the room applying rose water to his hands and face.

“Yunse, come try this. They say it makes your skin glow.”

Du Yunse came over, inhaling the rich floral fragrance, his hand brushing against Qiu Huanian’s moist skin.

“Hiss—it tickles!” Qiu Huanian laughed, shrinking his neck.

Du Yunse’s eyes darkened. He traced Qiu Huanian’s lips with his fingertips.

He took the rose water bottle but didn’t apply it to himself. In a husky voice, he said, “Let me apply it to other parts of Hua-ge’er.”

Qiu Huanian instinctively glanced toward the window. The sky was dark, and the courtyard quiet. Everyone had gone to their rooms for the night.

He swallowed nervously, a mix of tension and faint excitement stirring inside him.

“Where will you… apply it?”

Du Yunse smiled. He opened the bottle, letting a few drops of the clear, dewy liquid wet his long fingers.

“Where does Hua-ge’er think it should go?”

In the flickering candlelight, the noble gentleman’s face was jade-like and handsome, yet shrouded in a hazy, inexplicable sensuality.

Qiu Huanian bit his lip, clutching his collar with one hand. He half-crawled forward and leaned over to blow out the lamp.

“You… be gentle…”

The response was the rustle of movement in the dark, and a feverish, urgent kiss.

The whole room was filled with the drifting scent of roses, masking the blush-inducing sound of splashing water and skin-on-skin friction.

More than half an hour later, the main room’s lamp was lit again. Du Yunse, draped in his outer robe, got up to boil hot water.

He could have called for Jin Po, but Du Yunse knew Hua-ge’er was shy about these things and didn’t want to upset him.

Hearing the door open and close, Qiu Huanian lay face down on the kang, hugging a pillow. The light quilt barely covered him, and his long, elegant legs rubbed together subconsciously.

“Hiss—”

Qiu Huanian sucked in a sharp breath, face full of regret.

Although they still hadn’t taken the final step, Du Yunse was truly getting better and better at it.

Just now, with his legs pressed together and overwhelmed by passion, he was thrust against so hard that his heart raced uncontrollably.

The delicate skin on the inside of his thighs, though protected by the smoothness of the flower water, was still rubbed red and swollen—numb and itchy. He feared even walking might be a problem tomorrow.

Several times, Qiu Huanian felt Du Yunse’s self-control slip and he almost entered directly, but every time he managed to restrain himself at the last moment.

Qiu Huanian blushed, feeling both embarrassed and secretly relieved, but also strangely empty inside.

Yet the “wedding night and the day one makes the honor roll” was a pact he himself had made, so he could only bear with it for now.

Hopefully, they could continue holding back like this and Du Yunse wouldn’t “evolve” into a man who would turn their night into a true wedding night—leaving Qiu Huanian unable to get out of bed…

…

After confirming the method for making rose dew was feasible, Qiu Huanian began mass production.

Since both the pure dew and rose dew had lower yields and no unpleasant smell, there was no need to set up a separate workshop. Qiu Huanian started making them directly at home.

He had Bing Qi and Bing Ba make several more pots and commissioned a ceramics workshop to customize the bottles. As for the other ingredients, there were plenty of roses in the family garden, and if those ran out, they could easily buy more from outside. Buying ice in Xiangping Prefecture was also easy—there was nothing to worry about.

One shouldn’t underestimate the wisdom of the ancients. In the world Qiu Huanian came from, commoners in cities had been using ice since the Song Dynasty.

The Yu Dynasty had highly developed ice storage technology. After constructing an ice cellar, ice was transported into it during the winter and taken out for use in the summer—very convenient.

After the first batch of pure dew and rose dew was produced, Qiu Huanian sent a bottle each to his relatives and friends, and placed the rest in the Qiu’s Six Chen Store.

Compared to the previously unseen oyster sauce, rose dew was something the wealthy in Xiangping Prefecture were already familiar with.

But the more familiar something was, the more shocking it became.

Rose dew had always been a specialty of the Jiangnan region—expensive, hard to preserve, and available only if someone was sent to the south to procure it.

How did Lord Qiu make it right in Xiangping Prefecture? Was there anything he couldn’t do?

Skeptics bought rose dew from Qiu’s Six Chen to try, and found the quality wasn’t much different from Jiangnan’s.

In addition to the delicious rose dew, there was also the pure dew said to make one’s complexion glow.

Each bottle sold for two taels of silver, much cheaper than buying from the south.

However, the yield was even lower than that of oyster sauce. Every five days, only ten new bottles were released, putting even more pressure on the servants of wealthy households to line up.

Once Qiu Huanian finished arranging matters with the rose dew, Wu Shen’s letter finally arrived late.

After reading it, Qiu Huanian smiled and said, “He really is coming. It’s been over a year—time for a good reunion.”

Min Leyi, who was struggling to bathe Naishuang in the courtyard, asked curiously, “Who is it?”

“A friend of Yunse and mine, a centurion stationed at the frontier, named Wu Shen. He’s coming to Xiangping Prefecture to offer birthday greetings to the Chief Commander.”

After more than a year of effort, Wu Shen had officially dropped the “acting” from his title and truly become a centurion.

Min Leyi asked excitedly, eager to know what frontier generals were like.

“Wu Shen used to be rather unruly, but after over a year of training at the frontier, he’s changed a lot. I’m not quite sure what he’s like now.”

Min Leyi nodded, a little disappointed.

Qiu Huanian smiled and said, “I thought you’d ask me to let you meet him when the time comes.”

Min Leyi was a bit tempted but still shook his head.

“I’ll be staying at home for a while—I need to behave and not run around. I can’t come here to see you anymore either.”

“What happened?”

Min Leyi hesitated, then sheepishly said, “Members of the Yu family are coming to Xiangping Prefecture.”

Was it for an engagement? Qiu Huanian speculated.

Min Taikang was Yu Min’s mentor. He was a legitimate jinshi from both the provincial and metropolitan exams. After retiring in middle age, he became the headmaster of Qingfeng Academy in Xiangping Prefecture, with both scholarly reputation and family values—suitable as an in-law for the Yu family of Liaozhou.

But knowing how particular the Yu family was, they’d likely send a senior to Xiangping Prefecture to personally meet Min Leyi before deciding.

Qiu Huanian felt a vague and inexplicable sense of foreboding.

He spoke seriously, “Since you know what’s going on and that you need to behave, then really do it—don’t let yourself suffer.”

Min Leyi was a little stunned. It was the first time he’d seen Qiu Huanian so solemn.

“I will be careful. Don’t worry,” Min Leyi said, clenching his fist.

“What does Yu Min think about all this?”

Min Leyi said awkwardly, “My father hinted to him, and he wrote home himself to ask his family to come and arrange the engagement.”

So it seemed Yu Min was willingly entering the marriage. Qiu Huanian felt somewhat reassured.

“Didn’t you two always argue when you met? When did things improve?”

“It was just at the beginning—we argued a bit, but then he couldn’t out-argue me, so he started avoiding conflict. He insists it’s because he’s yielding to me.”

Min Leyi lowered his voice. “At first, when my father asked what I thought of Yu Min, I was shocked—I never considered it.”

“Later, I thought again—he’s good at studying, has a decent temperament, and looks good. So I figured he’s not bad.” Min Leyi added grandly, “Considering he took the initiative to write home, I’ll give him some face.”

Qiu Huanian watched him smile as he picked up Naishuang from the basin and carefully dried its fur with a cloth.

“Be good, Naishuang. Big brother won’t be able to visit for a while. You must remember me!”

…

After that day, Qiu Huanian never saw Min Leyi again. Though Qingfeng Academy and Min Taikang’s residence were adjacent, they didn’t connect. Du Yunse and Yun Cheng didn’t know much about Min Leyi’s situation either.

They only knew that someone from the Yu family of Liaozhou had indeed come—it was Yu Min’s sister-in-law—and Min Leyi now barely left his own courtyard.

Soon, the day Wu Shen mentioned in his letter arrived. Du Yunse specifically asked the academy for leave to stay home and await Wu Shen’s visit.

Qiu Huanian instructed Madam Jin to prepare ingredients in advance and make a feast to welcome Wu Shen.

Just before noon, Jin San, who had been stationed at the main gate, rushed in excitedly.

“He’s here, he’s here—the honored guest of the master has arrived!”

Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse got up to greet them. Wu Shen rode on horseback, followed by several personal guards and a carriage.

“Yunse, Huanian, we finally meet again!”

Wu Shen leapt off his horse and strode quickly toward them.

Then he took half a step back and saluted.

“Little brother has been at the frontier for a year—thank you both for your constant care and concern.”

Du Yunse patted Wu Shen’s shoulder. Their eyes met, silently conveying countless hidden dangers and experiences—everything unspoken.

Qiu Huanian smiled and said, “The journey must have been tiring. Come in and have a meal. Who’s in the carriage behind you?”

Wu Shen gave a mysterious smile. “Of course it’s a surprise—want to guess?”

He was serious for a moment, then turned back into the lively young man he used to be.

There was no need for Qiu Huanian to guess—the person in the carriage had already stepped out.

“Yunse, Huanian, I’ve come to the capital with Cunlan to visit you.”