Suddenly, the sky in Changnan was clear and bright. Who would have thought that all this happened just because a scholar sold some charcoal?
By the time Xu Huaiqian learned the truth, it was already autumn—their busiest time.
Last year's imitation silver frost charcoal had become hugely popular in the capital, and because it involved many officials, although some were extremely uncomfortable with the term "imitation silver frost charcoal," they still had to come to Yong'an to buy it to save money.
For a time, the new dock in Taoyuan County was densely packed with official ships coming to buy charcoal.
At this time, Gu Fengchao, now promoted to prefect, found Xu Huaiqian to discuss three matters.
The first was to inform Xu Huaiqian that the former prefect had been executed.
The second was to invite Xu Huaiqian and his family to join the Changnan Chamber of Commerce.
It was only then that Xu Huaiqian learned that Gu Fengchao had helped bring down the former prefect.
Xu Huaiqian politely bowed: "Thank you, Prefect."
"Nothing to thank." Gu Fengchao waved his hand. Helping them was helping himself. "What do you think about the second matter?"
"Why invite us to join the chamber?" Chen Liejiu had only been learning business for the past two years and didn't fully understand the significance of joining a chamber.
Gu Fengchao smiled: "Because your imitation silver frost charcoal is too famous. In just two years, it has already built a reputation. It's foreseeable that it will only grow bigger. Joining the chamber isn't to restrict you but to give you a voice."
Since many Changnan officials had been purged because of their imitation silver frost charcoal, the newly appointed officials didn't dare displease them but were afraid of accidentally offending them. So they could only bring them into the chamber.
"What kind of voice?" Xu Huaiqian hadn't done much business either and didn't quite understand.
Gu Fengchao used terms Xu Huaiqian could understand: "Regulating supplies, controlling prices, supervision and management, etc."
Having been married to Xu Huaiqian for three years, Chen Liejiu could barely understand these simple terms. He thought and asked: "If we join the chamber, can we regulate the distribution of exam compound supplies?"
"Pretty much." Gu Fengchao didn't understand why Chen Liejiu suddenly jumped to exam compounds, but joining the Changnan Chamber would indeed allow direct coordination with the government on exam supplies.
"Then I'll join." As soon as Chen Liejiu heard this, he agreed immediately.
Seeing that his wife had agreed and there were no drawbacks to joining, Xu Huaiqian didn't object and instead asked Gu Fengchao: "What's the third matter?"
Gu Fengchao coughed and said slowly: "Do you accept pig manure?"
"Pig manure?!" Xu Huaiqian raised an eyebrow.
After thinking, he thought of the fields: "For fertilizer?"
Gu Fengchao nodded: "I see your ginger yield could still increase, but it's stuck at fifteen hundred jin due to insufficient fertilizer. So I opened a pig farm in Yong'an."
He actually wanted to promote pig farming among the people in Yong'an, but after searching the entire prefecture, he found few piglets, and they were expensive. Few people were willing to raise them.
Finally, he could only gather the sows and piglets he found, enclose them on a plot of land, and start a pig farm. Few people were willing to raise pigs, but many were willing to eat meat—the pigs wouldn't be hard to sell.
Unexpectedly, raising too many pigs caused trouble—pig manure piled up day by day. Ordinary farmers relied on their own household waste for thin fertilization.
Asking them to spend money on fertilizer was absolutely impossible.
Finally, he thought of Xinghua Village, the wealthiest village in Yong'an, which was growing ginger and needed fertilizer. So he came to ask Xu Huaiqian.
"Yes, of course we want it." Pig manure was a good thing. In an era without chemical fertilizers, pig manure was essential for solving fertilizer problems.
Last year, Xu Huaiqian's five mu of land had been fertilized with human waste that Chen Liejiu bought in the city. Now, having large quantities of pig manure was like having cheap fertilizer—why wouldn't they want it?
Having become prefect, Gu Fengchao was more shrewd: "You'll have to transport it yourselves."
" Okay." Xu Huaiqian nodded. Last year, the Chen clansmen who earned money had added oxen. After the charcoal was sold, the free ox carts could go to the prefectural city to transport pig manure.
Speaking of which, the number of ox vendors in Mishan County had increased significantly over the past two years. Perhaps in a few years, every household in Xinghua Village could afford an ox—a sign of prosperity.
"Then I'll take my leave." As prefect, shouldering the Emperor's task of doubling Yong'an's taxes in two years, he was very busy every day.
Xu Huaiqian and Chen Liejiu saw him out. At the courtyard gate, Xu Huaiqian suddenly remembered: "Did Prefect open the pig farm to promote pig farming?"
Otherwise, why would a prefect raise pigs?
Gu Fengchao nodded, somewhat embarrassed: "It was also inspired by your hatching chicks."
"But," Gu Fengchao shook his head, "I didn't expect promoting pig farming to be so difficult."
Pigs aren't like chickens—they don't grow quickly, aren't cheap, and can't lay eggs to sell for income. They get sick easily, die easily, and are expensive. No common people are willing to raise them.
"Why not lend piglets to the people on credit?" Hearing this, Xu Huaiqian instantly thought of a solution.
"Lend piglets on credit?" Gu Fengchao had already mounted his horse and was about to ride off when he heard Xu Huaiqian's words. He paused.
"Yes, lend piglets to the people in spring. In winter, when the piglets have grown up, the villagers can sell the pigs and then repay the piglet money." This method was called "credit chicks" in the 1980s in his era.
Lend chicks in spring, and when they grow up and lay eggs in autumn, earning money, collect the chick money.
Xu Huaiqian had once wanted to do this in the village, but seeing how hard Chen Liejiu worked to collect debts, he thought it wouldn't be worth it to run around for just a few coins or over ten coins if they lent chicks on credit. So he gave up.
But piglets were different. Piglets were expensive, and selling grown pigs earned more money. With the government leading, lending on credit would be profitable no matter how you looked at it.
Gu Fengchao's eyes lit up: "That's a great idea! I'll go back and try it."
You see, to promote pig farming, Gu Fengchao had raised over fifty sows on his pig farm. These sows would give birth to at least four to five hundred piglets at a time. He was worried about how to sell so many piglets.
His pig farm could handle dozens or even a hundred pigs, but raising hundreds or thousands risked swine fever. Hearing Xu Huaiqian's suggestion, he immediately thought: he didn't have to sell them—he could lend the piglets on credit to villagers across the counties, spreading them out.
"Heaven gifted you a mind for people's livelihoods." Gu Fengchao looked at Xu Huaiqian's handsome head, the more he looked, the more he felt it was filled with concern for the people. "Do well in next year's imperial exams. Many in the capital are expecting you."
Besides Lord Song, who else in the capital would be waiting for him?
Gu Fengchao rode away on his horse, leaving Xu Huaiqian confused by his ambiguous words.
A year passed in the blink of an eye. It was autumn again. Xu Huaiqian was now twenty-one—time for him to take the provincial exams.
"Hurry, hurry! Are you dressed yet? I'm waiting to see!" As soon as Chen Liejiu returned home from the academy on break, he dragged Xu Huaiqian into the room to change clothes.
The silks and satins bought from Suzhou Prefecture two years ago had never been worn—mainly because wearing such expensive fabric in the countryside felt like a waste.
This time was different. He was going to Changnan Prefecture, to a city more prosperous than Yong'an for the provincial exams. Chen Liejiu had repeatedly insisted that he must wear the silks and satins bought for him.
He couldn't embarrass Chen Liejiu in Changnan!
Xu Huaiqian felt that whether he wore them or not, he wouldn't embarrass him—after all, he was really handsome!
Two years had passed. The family wasn't short of money; income flowed in like water. Chen Liejiu spared no expense feeding him well.
Anything that flew in the sky or swam in the sea, as long as he could eat it, Chen Liejiu would get it for him.
Now, not only was his health better—he could go twice in one night without coughing up blood—but he had also grown taller.
With the height came improved looks. Although his innate sickly pallor couldn't be removed, his features had matured.
He looked exactly like his modern self, even because of his illness, he was even more handsome than his modern face.
Xu Huaiqian often admired himself in the mirror in the morning, mesmerized. He would pinch his delicate, collagen-full face and sigh.
Youth is wonderful!
Much better than his twenty-seven-year-old face in modern times! No wonder his wife had to kiss and touch him every night to fall asleep.
But his wife was also very good-looking—especially during intimacy, both seductive and spicy. Just lying there watching was unbearable for Xu Huaiqian, let alone looking down.
Buddha relies on gold adornment; people rely on fine clothes. Changing into the silk clothes his wife bought for him, with a jade crown on his head and a jade pendant at his waist, Xu Huaiqian checked himself in the mirror. Finding nothing amiss, he gracefully walked out of the room.
"Wow!" Twelve-year-old Chen Xiaomei immediately exclaimed. "Second Brother is so handsome!"
"Handsome!" Wang Wanwan also nodded. "Like a celestial being from heaven!"
"Handsome." Chen Liejiu pulled Xu Huaiqian over, turning him by the waist to look left and right. "My little husband should dress like this."
As he spoke, Xu Huaiqian noticed him swallowing several times—clearly thinking about indescribable things again.
"Not just me!" Xu Huaiqian was quite satisfied himself. With a fan, he'd be the perfect noble young master—though fans didn't suit a sickly person like him. "You all have to dress up too!"
"The fabric was bought for Second Brother! What would we wear?!" Chen Xiaomei shook her head like a rattle drum. The fabric was too precious; she was afraid her rough-and-tumble self would ruin it in less than a day.
"No, you must wear it." If he was the only one dressed up, people might think they were his servants. "If you don't wear it, I won't either."
Just as Chen Liejiu was about to refuse, Xu Huaiqian retorted: "No refusing. I want to see you dressed up too, okay?" He couldn't be the only one having indecent thoughts; he wanted to have them about his wife too.
"Alright." Chen Liejiu reluctantly agreed.