"What is it?" Xu Huaiqian was puzzled. He had just gotten married and hadn't even had two days of leisure with his husband; how did matters keep coming after another?
"It's about your charcoal." Duan Youyan was also helpless about Xu Huaiqian's frustration. To let them have a proper wedding, they had held back all night. Who knew things would coincidentally pile up on the same day?
"Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you all," Xu Huaiqian remembered. "Is my charcoal not good? Why hasn't any made a repeat purchase?"
Winter here wasn't short; it started freezing in October, became extremely cold by November/December, and lasted until February.
He understood ordinary families couldn't afford good charcoal, but surely a family like Duan Youyan's could? Yet after so long, there was no response.
"Not that it's not good; it's too good." Duan Youyan explained. "We used the charcoal you sent immediately. My father-in-law said the charcoal you sent us was tribute charcoal."
"What?!"
Meng Fangxun, Duan Youyan, and Zhang Bingwen at the table were all shocked upon hearing "tribute charcoal."
Could small figures like them day use tribute charcoal?
Xu Huaiqian's eyelids twitched: "For real?!"
"At the time, we weren't sure and didn't dare tell you rashly." Duan Youyan didn't hide anything. "Afterwards, my father-in-law wrote to his family branch and had them bring some real tribute charcoal."
Saying this, Duan Youyan got up and went outside to where their carriage was tied, bringing back a box.
As expected of tribute charcoal; while other charcoal used sacks, it used a box.
"We compared it carefully with your charcoal," Duan Youyan detailed. "There are still differences."
Xu Huaiqian looked at the tribute charcoal Duan Youyan gave him. It was indeed better than what he produced—more refined, more exquisite, more aesthetic, and with a faint fragrance upon close sniff.
"So this is tribute charcoal?" The delicious food on the table instantly became tasteless after the tribute charcoal appeared. Every gathered around the box.
"Shouldn't be wrong." Duan Youyan might not trust his father-in-law in other areas, but he wouldn't screw him over on this.
"As expected of something used in the palace. Even a mere piece of charcoal is so exquisite. One can only imagine the luxury elsewhere."
Every immediately saw the difference comparing the neatly block-shaped white charcoal in the box with Xu Huaiqian's irregular pieces.
This was probably the difference between luxury goods and imitations. They were very similar, but side by side, worlds apart.
"But don't lose heart," Duan Youyan knew producing tribute charcoal wasn't easy. "My father-in-law said being able to produce the white frost on the surface of silver frost charcoal is already not easy. With more refinement, you might truly produce tribute charcoal."
"And then?" Xu Huaiqian precisely caught the implication in his words. "Produce tribute charcoal and offer it as tribute to the palace?"
"Uh..." Duan Youyan was momentarily stumped. He was just a small doctor; he didn't understand business matters.
"Silver Frost Charcoal is a good name." Chen Liejiu's focus was different. When he heard Duan Youyan say "Silver Frost Charcoal," his eyes lit up.
Why hadn't he thought to give their charcoal a good name?!
Calling it white charcoal or black charcoal sounded awful. And naming wasn't just for sounding nice; it was also for making others remember it.
For example, Chen Family Charcoal, Chen Family Bricks—catchy names that would make people think of their products first next time they needed charcoal or bricks.
Chen Liejiu rubbed his hands. Missed opportunity! Too inexperienced in his first business venture, doing things superficially and muddled.
Xu Huaiqian gave Chen Liejiu a meaningful look. See how fast his husband's brain worked? Just from a name, he could associate so much. In modern times, he would definitely be the kind of tycoon who could build an empire from scratch.
"I could also make tribute charcoal, but it would be too conspicuous. Why don't we just sell imitations of Silver Frost Charcoal?" Xu Huaiqian saw the difference between his charcoal and the tribute charcoal was nothing more than the wood selection and the level of refinement during burning. Their white charcoal used ordinary hardwood, while the tribute charcoal used carefully selected wood—there was definitely a gap, but Xu Huaiqian didn't really want to pursue it.
He was just a small Xiucai now. How could he fight his way through among the powerful families and major merchants to get on the tribute goods route?
Even if he wanted to, he'd need to find a big tree to lean on. Among their group, even if Duan Youyan had some background, Magistrate Sheng's authority wasn't great enough to intervene in the tribute goods route, right?
"Good idea," Chen Liejiu agreed. Why offend a major merchant for the sake of a tribute title? Those who could access the tribute charcoal route were surely not small figures. No matter how bold Chen Liejiu was, he knew he was still a country bully, not yet a prefectural city bully. He agreed with Xu Huaiqian: "We'll sell it as imitations of Silver Frost Charcoal, called 'Fangyin Charcoal' Imitation Silver."
Yong'an Prefecture was a small place that might not appreciate it, but what about Suzhou Prefecture? Suzhou had many scholars, many households used charcoal in winter, and there were many powerful families there. Surely some would recognize its value?
Couldn't afford tribute charcoal? Then wouldn't they use imitation tribute charcoal?
Xu Huaiqian looked at Chen Liejiu in awe. His husband was absolutely amazing.
This brain.
He instantly thought of the high-end and low-end market strategies, could use brand effect to build their reputation— amazing, amazing.
But then he remembered—this was his husband, his husband! Xu Huaiqian's lips curled up so high. Whose husband was as capable as his?!
"This is good, let's do it," Xu Huaiqian said, unable to hide his pride. "But we probably can't sell it this year; it will have to be next year."
Xu Huaiqian's birthday was the first day of the twelfth lunar month. Today was already the second. Making charcoal now and shipping it out would mean arriving in spring. Who would buy charcoal then?
" It's fine," Chen Liejiu wasn't disheartened. "If we can't sell this year, there's always next year! We can start making it now and ship it out to sell next autumn!"
Perfect. Chen Liejiu had been worrying about what to do after winter when they stopped making charcoal. Couldn't have the Chen clansmen just make bricks for him again?
Brick-making didn't need that many people either.
Now all problems were readily solved.
"Seems we still need to curry favor with the Commissir." Realizing his husband wanted to sell charcoal elsewhere, Xu Huaiqian instantly thought of Commissir Song Yunfan, who wanted his calligraphy.
He was from Suzhou Prefecture. Suzhou had many scholars; writing and reading in winter must freeze hands and feet. Using black charcoal, the smoke al would make 's eyes water. Their Fangyin Charcoal would be perfect.
If he successfully curried favor with Commissir Song and had him as a backer, his A-Jiu's business in Suzhou could also go more smoothly.
Thinking he could also do things for Chen Liejiu made Xu Huaiqian happy too.
Watching the couple, speaking back and forth, deciding the direction of a major business in just a few words, the husband leads, the husband follows—there was no present who wasn't envious.
"They seem like they were born to be a pair." Sheng Yunjin sighed.
"We are too." Duan Youyan held his hand and said softly. The heat flush brought them together; such an extremely low probability meant it was fate and destiny.
Sheng Yunjin thought so too and smiled happily at Duan Youyan.
Pei Wangshu was so jealous it hurt his eyes. Someday, someday, someday, he would also find some like this!
Zhang Bingwen didn't worry about that; there was so much good food on the table. If they didn't eat it, he would.
Only Meng Fangxun looked at this , then that , and sighed.
"Top Candidate Meng, why the sigh?" Xu Huaiqian, returning from showing off with his husband, heard his sigh and thought he also wanted to find a husband. He asked nervously.
"You all have livelihoods, but I don't." Meng Fangxun thought about it. Although he was the top candidate, his family were genuine farmers. Besides the land allotted by the government to men over eighteen, they had no other livelihood. It was hard enough supporting his studies before. Now he had passed the Xiucai exam and had rank, which could slightly improve the family.
But with the change in status, household expenses also changed. Superficially things were different, but upon closer look, nothing had really changed; they were still short of my.
"You're thinking about that?" Xu Huaiqian breathed a sigh of relief. If Meng Fangxun wanted him to find a husband, he'd truly be at a loss. But if he wanted a my-making idea, he had .
Meng Fangxun nodded. Zhang Bingwen's father being a merchant earned enough for him to study peacefully. Pei Wangshu and Duan Youyan went without saying. Xu Huaiqian had his husband to earn the family fortune. Only he had nothing and was still eating living off savings at home.
Seeing his family still eating chaff and rough vegetables even after he became a Xiucai often made him feel bad.
He could study and write essays, but making my? He really had no method.
Xu Huaiqian suddenly looked at Duan Youyan: "Duan Youyan."
Duan Youyan looked up: "Hmm?"
"When you were an apprentice at the medical clinic, did your clinic buy ginger?" Xu Huaiqian asked suddenly.
Duan Youyan nodded: "Yes. Ginger is the sacred medicine for nausea, enters the five organs, expels wind evil, cold, and heat..."
Duan Youyan's medical texts came pouring out, making Xu Huaiqian's head buzz: "Stop, stop, stop. Just tell me how your clinic bought ginger."
"Fresh ginger, about fifty coins per catty. Old ginger, about a hundred coins per catty." Mainly because old ginger is the mother ginger used for treating wind-cold, so it's more expensive.
"Hear that?" Xu Huaiqian turned to Meng Fangxun.
Meng Fangxun was dazedly not getting it: "What?"
"Grow ginger." Xu Huaiqian told him. "One catty can sell for fifty to a hundred coins. One mu of land should yield at least a hundred catties of ginger, right? Whether tender or old, mu can earn five to ten taels."
Actually, Xu Huaiqian had grown ginger in modern times; yield could be 6,000 to 8,000 catties per mu. But in this era without chemical fertilizer, he didn't dare estimate and gave the lowest value.
Meng Fangxun's eyes instantly lit up. His family had three men over eighteen: his father, his brother, and himself. The government allotted them fifteen mu of grain land and fifteen mu of mulberry land.
Originally, working these fields only barely covered their food and his studies. Now, hearing this, if he planted all thirty mu with ginger, couldn't he earn three hundred taels a year?!
How could farming ever yield three hundred taels a year?
"...Ahem, ahem," Seeing Meng Fangxun so excited, Duan Youyan hurriedly interrupted. "Clinics generally don't buy huge, huge amounts of ginger..."
" It's fine," Xu Huaiqian wasn't worried. "We'll sell to big clinics. If we can't sell it, we can always eat it ourselves."
"Eat?" Every looked at him.
" Young ginger stir-fried with meat is delicious." Just talking about food made Xu Huaiqian swallow saliva. How can you cook without scallions, ginger, and garlic?
Unfortunately, people here didn't have that awareness yet. Being able to use more oil in cooking was already luxurious. Tearful.
"Haven't heard of it." Every shook their heads.
"When it's grown, I'll treat you." Regardless of whether Meng Fangxun planted it or not, Xu Huaiqian was going to. He looked at Meng Fangxun: "Go back and think about it. Don't use too much land, just mu. Let's try growing it for a year. If it works, we can expand the next year?"
Meng Fangxun was suddenly dazed by Xu Huaiqian's words, pulled back by Duan Youyan's, then pulled again by Xu Huaiqian's. In the end, he didn't even know how he agreed or how he got back.
After discussing matters, Chen Liejiu took them for a walk on the road he built for Xu Huaiqian. After they expressed their envy and jealousy towards Xu Huaiqian, he saw them off by .
With no guests left at home, Xu Huaiqian could finally be affectionate with his husband. Closing the door, he hugged him and kissed his neck—he'd discovered last night that it was quite sensitive there.
"You really want to grow ginger?" Chen Liejiu asked, ticklish from his kisses.
"Grow it, why not?" After planting many hickeys on him, Xu Huaiqian started explaining: "I'm an adult; the government has to allot me land. Our family has the young and the sick; we can't go down and plant crops ourselves, right?"
Farming was exhausting and didn't earn much. With just a few mu, hiring people wasn't cost-effective either.
Chen Liejiu was curious: "How do you want to do it?"
Xu Huaiqian looked into his eyes and mischievously said: "Kiss me, and I'll tell you."