In the past, Aunt Yu would often respond with activities like taking walks or embroidering, but today she seemed a bit mysterious: “Young Lady made something today that i can’t tell the General about. He’ll find out soon enough.”

She was referring to the potato and sweet potato starch, which Yang Haiyan was keeping secret from Qin Fang, hoping to surprise him.

This piqued Qin Fang’s curiosity.

Aunt Yu was typically a very straightforward person who seldom spoke more than ten words, and those were usually only when necessary.

Hearing her say something like this was quite unexpected.

Qin Fang thought to himself, what on earth had Yanyan made today that could elicit such a response from Aunt Yu?

Since he was curious, Qin Fang decided not to ask Aunt Yu any more questions and went to find Yang Haiyan himself.

However, he couldn’t find her in the courtyard.

Yang Haiyan’s courtyard had no other servants, only Granny Lian and Aunt Yu.

Aunt Yu was responsible for the cleaning, while Lian Mama handled other tasks.

There weren’t many chores, so she hadn’t hired any extra help.

Moreover, she didn’t like having too many people moving about in her private space.

Not finding Yang Haiyan, Qin Fang went to ask Aunt Yu: “Aunt Yu, where’s Yanyan?”

Aunt Yu replied, “The Young Lady is in the small kitchen.”

Even though there was a small kitchen in the courtyard, it was tucked away in a corner to prevent any smells from spreading.

Therefore, Qin Fang hadn’t thought to look for Yang Haiyan there when he searched the places he expected.

Upon hearing that Yang Haiyan was in the small kitchen, Qin Fang figured she must be cooking something.

After all, his wife sometimes made snacks.

However, since Aunt Yu had mentioned that his wife was preparing a surprise for him, Qin Fang realized that she was likely making him something special.

While it wasn’t exactly a grand surprise, he was still pleased that she was cooking for him.

When Qin Fang entered the kitchen, he indeed found Yang Haiyan busy with Lian Mama assisting her.

He tiptoed in quietly, and it seemed that both Yang Haiyan and Lian Mama were so absorbed in their tasks that they didn’t notice him until Granny Lian turned to check on the fire and saw him.

She quickly greeted, “Greetings, General.”

Yang Haiyan turned around and smiled when she saw Qin Fang: “You’re back?”

The way she called him was different from her usual gentle “my husband”; just those four simple words made him feel the tenderness behind them.

Qin Fang couldn’t help but smile back: “Yes, I’m back. What are you making?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “I’m making noodles using two different kinds of flour to create different flavors. I thought you had a big appetite, so you could finish two plates.”

Qin Fang quickly said, “I can definitely finish it; you’ve really surprised me.”

Since Aunt Yu had said she wanted to give him a surprise, he thought she would be pleased by his response.

Yang Haiyan smiled again: “Then you go to the hall and wait. I’ll bring it over once it’s ready.”

Qin Fang asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”

They usually only spent time together in the evenings, since he had to attend to matters concerning the sulfur and saltpeter mines.

Even on his days off, he would be at the Shoushan Temple.

He was glad to have the chance to spend a little more time alone with her.

Yang Haiyan said, “I’ll be done soon. Granny Lian is here to help, so I don’t need you.”

Qin Fang looked at Granny Lian.

Granny Lian quickly said, “Young Lady, I’m feeling a bit unwell and would like to step out for a moment.”

Qin Fang gave Granny Lian an appreciative glance: “You go ahead; take your time. There’s no rush. I’ll be here.”

Granny Lian didn’t wait for Yang Haiyan to respond and quickly bowed to Qin Fang before leaving.

Yang Haiyan was left feeling amused and exasperated: “What’s so great about staying in the kitchen? You’ve been busy all day; why not take a break? Dinner will be ready soon.”

Qin Fang replied, “Being with you is enjoyable no matter where we are.”

Yang Haiyan couldn’t help but smile at his words: “You’re so smooth with your words. You’d better eat a lot today.”

Qin Fang chuckled, and seeing her happy made him feel good too.

Granny Lian, however, didn’t go far; she waited outside.

She knew that the master wanted to be alone with the mistress, so she wisely stepped back.

Once Yang Haiyan finished preparing the noodles, Granny Lian came in to help.

In the dining hall, only Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan were present.

They didn’t need anyone to serve them while they ate; they enjoyed their meal at ease.

In addition to the fried potato starch and sweet potato cold noodles, there were several side dishes, all of which were fragrant and mouthwatering.

When Qin Fang ate, he was fully focused and displayed an impressive appetite, taking big bites and eating a lot.

In the past, while stationed at the border, he needed to eat a lot due to heavy training, but even now, he continued to have a big appetite from all the hiking he did every day.

After a few bites, Qin Fang noticed something unusual: “This noodle is different from the ones I’ve eaten before.”

Yang Haiyan thought to herself, this is the key point. “So, how does it taste?”

Even though Qin Fang didn’t have strict requirements about food, after two years of eating delicious dishes, he had become a bit picky.

Still, whether the food was tasty or not, as long as it filled his stomach, he would eat it. “It’s good; it has a bit of chewiness and is quite…”

Yang Haiyan picked up on his words, “You mean it’s chewy, right?”

Qin Fang blinked, not quite understanding. However, that didn’t affect his eating speed.

Yang Haiyan explained, “It means it has a bit of elasticity.”

Qin Fang nodded, “Yes, yes, it’s delicious. Wife, what you make is even better than what the chef does.”

Then he fell silent.

Yang Haiyan knew he didn’t understand the ingredients, so she prompted him, “What do you think about the flour used to make these noodles? It’s not the same flour we used before; it’s a new flour that Lian Mama and I developed.”

Qin Fang paused.

He usually just focused on eating and didn’t ask about the ingredients.

After all, he wouldn’t understand even if they told him.

But hearing his wife say this was a new kind of flour left him stunned.

“This is made with new flour?”

Then he remembered Aunt Yu’s words, realizing that the surprise Aunt Yu mentioned was about this. “Wife, you can research flour too? Isn’t flour made by grinding corn and barley?”

Yang Haiyan explained, “The flour we ate before was made from barley and corn, but the noodles you’re eating now are made from potatoes and sweet potatoes.”

Can potatoes and sweet potatoes really be turned into flour?

Qin Fang set aside his food, “Potatoes and sweet potatoes can make flour? I noticed you hadn’t done much these past few days, so making flour from potatoes and sweet potatoes shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something. “Yunxiang County has plenty of land but a small population, and the grain is abundant to the point that it goes to waste. If we planted more potatoes and sweet potatoes, and then made flour from them to sell elsewhere, wouldn’t that solve the surplus grain problem in Yunxiang County?”

Sweet potatoes and potatoes are inexpensive staples for common folks, which is why the people of Yunxiang County wouldn’t sell them; the transportation costs would be high, and they wouldn’t know if they could sell them.

That’s why many households had increasing amounts of dried sweet potatoes.

But now, if potatoes and sweet potatoes could be turned into flour, it would be different.

Flour is something both commoners and wealthy families would buy, and it’s more expensive than rice.

Plus, flour is lighter than potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Yang Haiyan didn’t expect Qin Fang to think of this so quickly: “Indeed, that could solve the issue. I was originally thinking that since potatoes and sweet potatoes can indeed be made into flour, we could procure them ourselves and sell the flour we make.

But now that I think about it, that’s not feasible.

The country is so vast, and even if we know how to make it, our production quantity would be limited, and so would our market. If we could promote it nationwide, that would be even better. So, I thought of someone.”

Qin Fang immediately understood, “Lord Du?”

Yang Haiyan shook her head: “No. If we promote the idea of making flour from potatoes and sweet potatoes nationwide, it might not be good for Lord Du either. I thought of someone even more powerful.”

Qin Fang’s heart skipped a beat: “You’re not talking about the Emperor, are you?”

He felt it was too unbelievable; his wife was incredibly bold to even think about involving the Emperor.

Yang Haiyan, being familiar with the script, set aside the matter of establishing a crown prince.

For the nation and the people, the current Emperor was a good ruler.

Moreover, if she mentioned the Emperor, she was likely thinking of obtaining a patent for the potato and sweet potato flour, similar to modern practices.

This would mean prohibiting others from making potato and sweet potato flour, whether they were common folks, merchants, or influential people.

Potato and sweet potato flour are relatively easy to make; if others could replicate it, how would they make money?

Thus, her idea was for each state to produce potato flour, with Renzhou being responsible for it.

They would then purchase potatoes and sweet potatoes from the commoners, ensuring that both the commoners and they could profit.

For instance, in Yongzhou, they could choose the Yonghe Marquis family.

In other states, they could select another reputable family.

However, whether it was the Yonghe Marquis family or other noble families, they would join in as franchisees.

In simple terms, they would pay a franchise fee to be allowed to produce potato and sweet potato flour.

Yet, she realized she lacked the ability to execute this plan and couldn’t control others from making potato and sweet potato flour, but the Emperor could.

The Emperor could issue a royal decree to solicit business, with the franchise fees going to the state treasury.

Each state would only be allowed one potato flour merchant and one sweet potato flour merchant.

In this way, who would dare go against the Emperor?

Yang Haiyan smiled, “Exactly. The Emperor told us about the reusability of saltpeter; we should give him something in return too.”

Although Qin Fang had his own thoughts and schemes when doing things, one thing remained unchanged: he always left himself a way out and never rushed into risky ventures.

Without a powerful backing, he wouldn’t engage in dangerous activities.

For instance, he never considered hiding the sulfur mine or the saltpeter mine.

He immediately presented the method of making ice from saltpeter to the emperor.

He was well aware that, for someone in his position, the greatest support was the emperor.

Therefore, when Yang Haiyan mentioned giving the potato flour and sweet potato flour to the emperor, he agreed.

However, his agreement was one thing; his wife’s boldness was another matter.

But then again, it made sense, considering his wife came from the family of Master Yang, who was involved in the power struggles.

It was normal for someone from the Yang family to be bold.

When Qin Fang heard Yang Haiyan say she wanted to repay the emperor, he couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

His smirk clearly conveyed to Yang Haiyan that he didn’t believe her words; they were both smart people, and such talk could only deceive his parents.

Yang Haiyan noticed his somewhat mischievous smile and asked, “Husband, what are you laughing at?”

Qin Fang immediately replied, “I’m laughing at how smart my wife is.”

How could he tell the truth?

Would he really say, “Wife, I know why you want to repay the emperor? The emperor is a wise ruler; even if what he gives you isn’t as good as you expected, he wouldn’t let anyone suffer losses. As a wise monarch, how could he take advantage of his subjects?”

Yang Haiyan didn’t know his thoughts.

The two had been married for almost two years, and in her heart, Qin Fang had always been an honest and straightforward person.

Initially, her impression of Qin Fang was influenced by characters in books; in those stories, he was a responsible person.

No matter how the original character behaved, he never spoke harshly to her or laid a hand on her.

So, Qin Fang left a good impression on her.

When they met again, she was very satisfied with his appearance and physique, which was her preferred type.

Thus, she tried to get along with him, to interact with him, and to flirt a bit to make him care about her.

She knew very well that whether in the modern world or in ancient times, for a woman to live happily, winning a man’s heart was the most important thing.

Unless a woman planned to live her own life, she wouldn’t care about men.

However, as their time together lengthened, she further understood Qin Fang; he was meticulous and had plans for the future.

When General Ao mentioned that they might have to go to the capital, he considered that Yang Haiyan didn’t want to go, so he decided to retire and open a security agency.

This way, life would surely be better than going back to farming.

This incident showed that he was someone who thought ahead and didn’t wait until the last minute to act in a panic.

Yet, Yang Haiyan never knew that Qin Fang had another side to him.

In front of her, he would hide his little thoughts and his darker side.

Just like now, she didn’t know that Qin Fang had seen through her yet still spoke sweetly to keep her unaware.

Qin Fang wasn’t hiding himself; he simply wanted her to be happy and to live easily.

After being praised, Yang Haiyan was naturally pleased, so she proudly talked to him about her plans, from joining to the franchise fees and management, etc.

Qin Fang attentively poured her some tea: “Take your time, first have a sip of tea.”

Yang Haiyan nodded; she was indeed feeling thirsty.

While she drank her tea, Qin Fang asked, “So you mean that the profit from both potato flour and sweet potato flour is double that of potatoes and sweet potatoes?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Yes, this is based on the pricing of flour. If the pricing for potato flour and sweet potato flour is higher than flour, then the profit will be even greater. Moreover, potatoes and sweet potatoes sell for one wen per two pounds, but if bought in bulk, it might be possible to get one wen for three pounds. I think this is a good thing; the common people grow crops while the aristocracy makes potato flour, and everyone can earn money together.”

She didn’t suggest that the common people join in because they wouldn’t be able to afford the expensive franchise fees.

The money had to come from the aristocracy.

Secondly, common people lacked power and influence.

Even if they obtained a franchise, they couldn’t hold onto it locally; if something went wrong, others might cause trouble, and it would collapse in no time.

Thus, this franchise definitely had to involve the aristocracy, particularly families that were influential yet virtuous.

Finally, the emperor’s involvement was necessary because if this was his plan, no one would dare to tarnish his reputation.

The Emperor, who emerged from the power struggle, wielded a sharp sword that no one would want to test.

Qin Fang said, “Then write the plan down, and I’ll have Tao Shan send the memorial to the capital.”

Yang Haiyan couldn’t help but laugh and ask, “This time, we’re not sending the letter to Lord Du?”

Qin Fang also chuckled: “In the letter from the emperor that was passed through Grand Eunuch Chi, it mentioned that if there was something on my side, I could report directly.”

This was mainly a precaution against any accidents with the sulfur mine and saltpeter mine. “However, I will also mention it to Lord Du since he has been kind to me.”

Although they didn’t have the title of master and disciple, there was still a master-disciple bond.

Furthermore, Lord Du’s recent letter had provided him with a lot of guidance.

Yang Haiyan said, “Then let Tao Shan send some potato flour and sweet potato flour to Lord Du’s residence. I’ll write down the methods for making the potato flour and sweet potato flour. However, we haven’t made much of it yet.

These were just small amounts made by me and Granny Lian, but now we need to send some to the emperor and to Lord Du. These small batches won’t be enough.”

Qin Fang replied, “Alright.”

After discussing important matters, the couple bathed and went to bed.

Speaking of which, Yang Haiyan was very happy lately because Qin Fang no longer pressured her about having children.

Although Yang Haiyan didn’t know why, she didn’t ask, fearing that if she did, Qin Fang would become obsessed with the topic of children again.