Chapter 18

The summer heat was intense, and it was not until evening that the air began to cool. Ji Chu was in the courtyard, guiding his wife and nephew in their calligraphy practice before spending some time playing with the wolf cub. When he heard that the party from the prefectural city had returned, he immediately stood up to attend to his duties.

The team responsible for delivering the grain tax had departed in late June. Now, in early July, they had finally returned. The group, led by Master Fan and Clerk Ma, looked rather wilted. They drank several bowls of cool water, their faces clouded with gloom. Master Li, assuming they were simply exhausted, hurriedly said, "The kitchen will have food ready soon. Rest a while; official business is never easy. You have worked hard."

Master Fan sighed, "Exhaustion is the least of it." Once he started, he could not stop. As Ji Chu poured them water, he listened to their account of the tax delivery. It could be said that while the people of Anqiu County were joyful, the runners sent to deliver the grain were deeply troubled. The journey there had been fine, as they traveled alongside runners from other counties. However, once they reached the Bureau of Households to pay the tax, the disparity became clear.

"Are you the ones from Anqiu County?"
"Out of the seventeen counties under Quxia Prefecture, your grain yield is the lowest, and your tax contribution is the smallest. How are you officials managing things?"
"Because of you, Quxia Prefecture is ranked at the bottom among the five prefectures of the Longxi Right Circuit! You haven't even paid the full amount."

Other regions averaged two hundred and ninety catties per mu. Anqiu County lagged behind with an average yield of two hundred and fifty. Naturally, they were frustrated.

Ji Chu raised an eyebrow. He had not expected that this year's good harvest would lead to such comparisons between regions. Master Fan and his team had long ago received Ji Chu's instructions: no matter what others said, they were not to say much themselves. As long as the tax was paid in full, the matter would be settled. The summer tax had already been paid, and the remainder was deferred to the autumn tax, amounting to about twenty-seven thousand taels of silver. Adding in the autumn poll tax and miscellaneous levies, they were effectively short by thirty-one thousand taels of silver. With such a "debt," it was no wonder their superiors were displeased.

Ji Chu consoled them, "We reported based on the reality of our county. We did not seek unearned merit, and there is nothing wrong with that. Every county knows its own situation." It was better than those places that pretended to be prosperous when they were struggling. The runners, all locals, chuckled. Indeed, the reality in Anqiu County was actually quite good. In other places, officials either suffered from delayed salaries or were beaten and scolded by their superiors, and the common people cursed them whenever they went out. But they were different. The people of Anqiu County greeted them with smiles; the feeling was entirely different. Furthermore, every family had their own land; while the tax paid to the imperial court was not high, they kept more grain for themselves.

Master Fan also brought a letter from the former Magistrate, Mr. Zhang. This former judge was Ji Chu's only "connection" in Quxia Prefecture, so he had to maintain the relationship. The content of Mr. Zhang's letter was similar to what the runners had reported—the prefectural office was indeed unhappy with Anqiu’s harvest. However, the Prefect had not said much, and the dissatisfaction was mostly coming from the Bureau of Households. Yet, the final lines of the letter were written with great deliberation: "If there is any need, I shall do my utmost to assist." This was a solemn promise; it seemed he realized Ji Chu was balancing the accounts for the reclaimed wasteland and felt grateful for this significant favor.

Ji Chu was not surprised. He had worked hard to balance the books; these people would be fools not to appreciate it. He knew that as long as the reported average yield was not absurd, no one would come to verify it, and they might even secretly help him cover things up. Thus, he had passed this hurdle.

After reading the letter, Clerk Ma, who had finished his meal, requested an audience. "The books and stationery needed for the county school have all been purchased; the prices are listed here. There are other supplies waiting to be checked in the warehouse." Clerk Ma presented a clear ledger. Ji Chu sent it to Zhen'er to have him and Master Li count the inventory. But these were secondary matters. The most important issue had not yet been addressed. Clerk Ma continued, "The hundred catties of honey we brought were not well-received."

The ninety catties of honey had been divided into eighteen small jars for transport to the city, in hopes of finding buyers. Despite their caution, several jars had broken on the way. By the time they reached the city, only sixteen jars remained, their mouths sticky and messy, requiring constant cleaning before they could be presented. A few shops admitted the honey was good, but it was not cost-effective for them to travel five or six days to buy it from Anqiu County, and they could not purchase in large quantities anyway. Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhang had arranged for some familiar shops to buy a few hundred catties, to be delivered with the autumn tax. However, this was purely a favor, and repeat business was unlikely.

Ji Chu listened and summarized the problems: first, it was difficult to transport; second, the distance was too great. Clerk Ma suggested, "Perhaps we don't necessarily have to sell it. Our county’s elders and children enjoy it; we can just keep some bees and use it as a snack."

Ji Chu shook his head. "If there is no suitable income, then next year, many beekeepers will quit." It was not just about the profit from honey. Bee pollination was a crucial link in crop growth. If pollination was insufficient, it would inevitably affect the yield of all crops. If they failed to develop the side business of rapeseed and delayed the main grain harvest instead, it would be putting the cart before the horse. People outside might think their yields were low and laugh at them, which was a minor matter. But the reality could not be that way. If the effort required for beekeeping was not proportional to the income, many would stop keeping bees and return solely to farming. With too few bees and insufficient pollination, yields would drop directly. Besides, successfully selling the honey would increase the local people's income.

Ji Chu couldn't help but ask, "Do people not like sweets?" That was impossible. Clerk Ma immediately replied, "Who wouldn't like sugar? Not just the old and young, even the adults love it."

Indeed, the people of Anqiu liked it, and those outside would too. The problem was the distance from the prefectural city and the lack of merchants, making it hard to transport. Ji Chu took this to heart and told Clerk Ma to go home and rest. He had been working hard for many days.

After finishing his tasks, Ji Chu strolled toward the inner quarters. Tao Luowei had just come out of the kitchen. She had made some honey-peppermint candies, using honey and peppermint juice, as her husband had mentioned that peppermint candy was most refreshing in the summer. Ji Chu froze when he saw the candies. A brilliant method! How had he not thought of it?

The honey that was difficult to transport could be made into hard candies, which would be easy to carry. They wouldn't sell honey in Anqiu County; they would sell honey hard candy. They could even make hard candies in various flavors. He would have the militia, led by Gong Chunrong, load up a cart to take to the prefectural city—he didn't believe no one would buy them.

Ji Chu instinctively grabbed Tao Luowei's hand. "Wife, thank you so much." His burning gaze startled Tao Luowei. What had she done? When Ji Chu realized, he saw his wife's cheeks and fingertips were flushed. He immediately withdrew his hand, not wanting to appear disrespectful by ancient standards. But after a moment, he thought, she is my wife, what is wrong with holding hands?

When they lay in bed, Ji Chu was still thinking about the honey candy. Tao Luowei turned to look at him, then turned away, feeling even more uneasy. Ji Chu spoke up, "Wife."
"What is it?" Tao Luowei asked, feeling nervous.
"I saw that the way you made the candy is different; is there a special technique?"
"Oh, that," Tao Luowei nodded. "I learned it from my mother when I was a child. To make honey into hard candy requires a certain level of heat and technique."
"Starting tomorrow, how about you work with Mistress Li to make honey candy? Since the local honey doesn't sell well and is hard to transport, we will make it into candy blocks, which are easier to store and carry." Ji Chu spoke with enthusiasm, having already devised a concrete plan.

Tao Luowei, who had spent her time in the inner quarters, nodded. "That's fine, I can do that." Since arriving in Anqiu, she had been the Magistrate's wife, but other than managing the household, she had nothing to do and felt quite idle.

"If this works, perhaps we can build a hard candy factory in the county." Again, no one disliked sugar! As long as they could transport it, there would be no shortage of buyers. It was unlikely anyone would believe that a couple married for nearly a year would spend their private time discussing how to manufacture sugar and help the local people make money. Ji Chu watched his wife, her eyes sparkling, and his throat moved slightly. Surely a kiss wouldn't be disrespectful. Previously, he had been busy with his health and the many tasks of reclaiming land and farming. Now that he had some leisure, he remembered these personal matters.

Their gazes met, and Ji Chu leaned in, kissing his wife’s rosy lips gently. Since he arrived in this world, it was Luowei who had been by his side; to him, she was truly his wife. "When this busy period is over, let's hold a proper wedding," Ji Chu thought aloud. "We don't need many people to know; we'll just have a small banquet for those close to us." He remembered that the original owner's wedding to Luowei had been rushed, without a lucky date or bridal clothes. He wanted to hold a simple, sincere wedding to give them both a real, joyous occasion. He just didn't know if Luowei would be willing.

Tao Luowei instinctively sat up. In ancient times, a twenty-year-old girl might already be a mother, but to Ji Chu, she was still a young woman. She was surprised and perhaps a bit childlike in her reaction. She nodded. She was certainly willing. And she always felt that since her husband had recovered from his illness, he had become increasingly different.

With the small banquet settled, Ji Chu took some money from his salary. He still needed to prepare a bride-price, something he had set aside himself, different from what the family had provided.

The next day, when he went to the main hall to work, Master Li couldn't help but ask, "Magistrate Ji, is there some good news?"
Ji Chu smiled. "There is." He shifted the topic to the honey. "Our honey is difficult to transport. Yesterday, I saw my wife making it into hard candy. Why don't we have each family make candy, and the government will send people to collect it and take it to the prefectural city to sell?" This would solve both the transportation problem and the issue of who would handle it. The transport costs would be covered by the yamen. Once it achieved a certain scale, the tax revenue from this would cover the costs. In short, the yamen would help solve the issue of sluggish honey sales, ensuring the beekeepers could earn money.

Master Li listened to the plan and nodded. "That's excellent. Every bit sold is extra money." Indeed. The key was to have enough bees to pollinate the crops. To ensure a good harvest, the Magistrate had thought of everything.

The news that honey would be made into candy made the beekeeping families rejoice. They had been worried because beekeeping was hard work and the honey didn't fetch a good price. Before they could worry for long, the Magistrate and his wife had found a solution. Make it into hard candy! And the yamen would help sell it!

At the same time, Gong Chunrong and Village Head Luo from Luoyu Village were summoned to the county seat. Ji Chu said, "The county wants to pilot the sugar production in your village. Considering your village has plenty of honey and the people are united, I want the first batch of Anqiu County's candy to be made and collected in your village. How does that sound?" Village Head Luo and Gong Chunrong had no reason to refuse. Working with Magistrate Ji meant they didn't have to worry about anything. Ji Chu had his reasons for choosing their village; at the beginning of the year, the militia from their village had been the first to come forward to plant rapeseed, so they had the most rapeseed fields. Since that was the case, the candy business would start in Luoyu Village—and it would start immediately.