The cottage was complete. It stood a respectful distance from the main hut, nestled between the herb garden and the edge of the woodland. Its wattle-and-daub walls were plastered smooth with a mix of clay and straw, its thatched roof thick and even. A small chimney promised warmth from a hearth within, and the proper wooden door, purchased by Qiao Yuelan herself, stood as a symbol of her permanent, chosen presence. It was no longer the 'herbalist's cottage' in conversation; it was Yuelan's house. The naming was subtle, but the meaning was profound. She was not a guest; she was a resident.
Her integration into the daily rhythm was seamless yet transformative. Her expertise expanded their world. The herb garden was no longer just a source of chicken feed and occasional tea; under her care, it became a commercial apothecary. Rows of lavender, chamomile, echinacea, and a newly introduced patch of peppermint thrived. She built drying racks in her attached work-shed, where bunches of herbs hung, filling the air with complex, layered scents. She began creating simple, labeled remedies: calming sachets, digestive teas, a salve for joint aches. These joined the eggs and honey as 'Lin-Yue' branded products, carrying her authority.
Her presence also changed the family dynamics. She spoke to Wang Shi and Xiaohui as equals, sharing knowledge of women's health remedies, their conversations a quiet hum of shared purpose. She treated Xiaoshan's lingering frostbite sensitivity with a new poultice that brought marked improvement. With the men, she was all business, discussing crop rotations that included medicinal plants, or the soil preferences of certain herbs.
And with Lin Yan, it was a delicate, unspoken dance of mutual respect and growing familiarity. They spent evenings reviewing the ledger together, her elegant script complementing his more utilitarian notations. They walked the fields, her observations on plant health dovetailing with his 'Passive Observation' skill, creating a richer understanding. A partnership was crystallizing, practical and deep, its emotional contours carefully unexplored but palpably present.
The 'First Node' quest guided Lin Yan's next move. Bao of Red Clay Valley was the key. The man's interest was not idle curiosity; it was the pragmatic search of a landowner facing a real problem. To formalize this into a network, the cooperation needed structure.
Lin Yan drafted a simple agreement using concepts from the 'Contract Law & Fair Barter' knowledge that would be his reward. He proposed a Knowledge-Share and Seed Exchange Pact. In essence: The Lin-Yue farm would provide Bao with a set quantity of Bluestem grass seed and stonecrop cuttings, along with detailed, written instructions (a novelty in itself) on check dam construction and pasture management. In return, Bao would pay a modest fee in copper and provide a share of his first successful hay harvest from the reclaimed land. Crucially, the pact included a clause for continued consultation—Bao could send a messenger with questions, and Lin Yan would provide advice. It was a bet on Bao's success being their own advertisement.
He sent the terms with a trader heading west. The wait for a reply was tense. This was the test of whether their model had value beyond their own desperate ingenuity.
While they waited, the season's first true delicacy was ready: the stonecrop honey. Master Hu, the beekeeper, arrived to supervise the extraction. It was a clear, cool morning. The two hives, positioned at the thriving stonecrop patch, hummed with contentment. With great care, Hu lifted a frame from one of the hives. The comb was a pale, almost translucent gold, unlike the deep amber of wildflower honey. He cut a small section, letting the thick liquid drip onto a wooden spoon.
He offered the spoon first to Qiao Yuelan, then to Lin Yan. The taste was extraordinary. It was indeed faintly mineral, clean and sharp, with a subtle floral aftertaste that was uniquely the stonecrop's. It was not cloyingly sweet; it was complex, elegant.
"This," Master Hu said, a rare smile touching his lips, "is a treasure. I have kept bees for thirty years. This is only the second time I have tasted its like. The market in the prefectural city… there are scholars, retired officials, who will pay a small silver tael for a jar this size." He held up a small ceramic pot.
They harvested modestly, taking only the surplus, leaving plenty for the bees. They ended up with ten small pots of the luminous honey. Per their agreement, five went to Master Hu. The remaining five were theirs to sell or use.
Qiao Yuelan immediately saw the potential. "This is not just food. It is a luxury good. A gift. We must package it as such." She used fine cloth from her trunk to make small drawstring bags for each pot. Lin Yan burned their 'Lin-Yue' brand onto small wooden lids. The transformation was complete: from a humble, ground-holding succulent to a pot of liquid gold, wrapped in cloth and stamped with their shared name.
They decided to send two pots to Deputy Minister Zhao with their next report—a subtle reminder of their continued innovation. One pot would go to Butcher Gao as a gift, strengthening that commercial tie. One they would keep. The final pot… they would sell.
The opportunity came sooner than expected. A well-dressed merchant from the provincial capital, a dealer in rare foodstuffs and spices, passed through Willow Creek. He stopped at Auntie Sun's tea-house, as such travelers did. Auntie Sun, now a firm ally, made sure to mention the extraordinary honey produced by the Lin-Yue farm.
The merchant, a man named Wei, sought them out. He tasted a drop on a offered spoon, his eyes closing in concentration. When he opened them, they were sharp with avarice. "I will take all you have. Name your price."
"We have only one pot for sale at present," Lin Yan said, enjoying the man's evident disappointment. "The yield is very small. It is… exclusive."
Merchant Wei's eyebrows rose. He understood scarcity value. He offered a silver tael for the single pot. It was an astronomical sum for honey. Lin Yan accepted, but under one condition. "You may have this one. If you wish for more next season, we require a contract now, for half of our yield, at a pre-agreed price per pot. This ensures you have a stable supply, and we have a guaranteed market."
It was aggressive, leveraging their tiny supply into future security. Wei hesitated, but the unique taste was already calculating in his mind as a gift for a wealthy patron or a sale to a gourmand. He agreed. A simple contract was written (Lin Yan's new knowledge invaluable) for the following year's honey harvest. They had just secured a premium, forward contract.
The system chimed, acknowledging the savvy deal.
[Hidden Milestone: 'Luxury Branding' achieved. Host has successfully created and marketed a unique, high-value artisanal product.]
[Reward: 'Basic Sensory Evaluation' skill unlocked (enhanced ability to judge quality of food products). 15 Points.]
[Points Total: 250. Knowledge Diffusion Bonus: Inactive for this transaction.]
As the honey transaction concluded, Bao's reply arrived from Red Clay Valley. The messenger carried a bag of twenty coppers and a letter marked with Bao's personal chop (a carved seal). The letter agreed to all terms. The copper was the initial fee. The share of future hay was promised. He had already begun gathering materials for the check dams. The pact was sealed.
[Quest: 'The First Node' – COMPLETE.]
[Formal cooperation agreement established with external landholder (Bao). Documented knowledge transfer initiated.]
[Reward: 'Contract Law & Fair Barter' basics unlocked. 30 Points. Knowledge Diffusion Bonus: +3 points.]
[Total Points Awarded: 33. Points Total: 283.]
They had their first true network node. The knowledge was spreading, formalized, and carried a promise of mutual benefit. The Tier 4 hint now glowed with two nodes connected: Chen's field (informal, legacy-based) and Bao's valley (formal, contract-based). They needed one more.
It was then that the imperial summons came. Not a casual rider, but a formal messenger in the colors of the Provincial Agricultural Bureau. The message was for "Lin Yan, Freeholder, Willow Creek, re: Demonstration Farm Proposal."
Lin Yan broke the seal with careful fingers. The language was bureaucratic but clear. Deputy Minister Zhao, upon review of Undersecretary Wen's report and subsequent "product samples" (the ham, the hay, and now, implicitly, the honey), had authorized a Pilot Demonstration Farm designation for the Lin-Yue holding. It came with an annual grant of ten silver taels for three years, to be used for "continued technique development, documentation, and limited outreach." The letter also contained an invitation—or command—for Lin Yan to attend a Frontier Agricultural Symposium in the provincial capital in two months' time, to present his methods to other landowners and bureau officials.
It was everything Qiao Yuelan had hinted at, made real. Grant money. Official designation. A platform.
But it also came with scrutiny, exposure, and expectations. Ten silver taels a year was wealth beyond their dreams, but it was tied to performance. The symposium was a terrifying prospect—speaking to scholars and wealthy landowners.
The family gathered as Lin Yan read the letter aloud. A stunned silence followed, then a burst of nervous, jubilant chatter. Wang Shi wept quietly. Lin Dashan kept repeating, "Ten taels… ten taels…" as if the words were a magical incantation.
Qiao Yuelan was the first to speak practically. "The grant specifies 'technique development.' We can use it to build a proper breeding barn for the pigs and the cow. To buy more tools. To hire short-term labor for bigger earthworks." She looked at Lin Yan. "The symposium… you must go. But you will not go alone. I will accompany you. Your methods include herbal integration and value-added products. That is my domain."
Her offer was not just professional; it was a shield. They would face the wide world together.
That evening, under a sky dusted with early stars, Lin Yan and Qiao Yuelan stood outside her cottage. The scent of honey and herbs lingered in the cool air.
"A year ago," Lin Yan said softly, "I was a dying boy in a hut, trying to keep five chicks alive."
"A year ago," she replied, "I was an apprentice following a master, with no path of my own." She turned to him. "The network the system hints at… it is not just about farms. It is about us. Chen gave us trust. Bao gives us a contract. The Empire gives us a stage. And we…" she paused, "we give each other a foundation."
He nodded, words failing him. The partnership had been one of necessity, then of convenience, now of profound, shared destiny. He reached out, his work-roughened hand finding hers in the darkness. Her fingers were cool, slender, but gripped his with a strength that mirrored her spirit.
They stood there in silence, two figures anchored to a piece of land they were healing, connected by a line of warmth in the cool night, looking out at a future that was no longer about mere survival, but about influence, about legacy, about building something that could, stonecrop by stonecrop, contract by contract, change the very face of their corner of the frontier.
The first harvest of honey had been a surprise. The harvest of trust, with a neighbor, a valley away, and now with the implacable machinery of the Empire, was the real yield of the season. And it was sweeter, and far more perilous, than anything the bees could produce.
[System Note: Imperial designation acquired ('Pilot Demonstration Farm'). Significant resource influx (grant) secured. First formal network node established. Host's influence now extends to provincial bureaucratic level.]
[New Status: 'Regional Authority (Agricultural Innovation)'.]
[New Quest: 'The Symposium.' Prepare and deliver a coherent presentation on integrated, resilient farming methods at the Frontier Agricultural Symposium. Success will attract new network nodes, potential allies, and enemies. Reward: Tier 4 Unlock, 'Public Speaking & Rhetoric' skill, 100 Points.]
[Points Total: 283. Threshold of great change approaches.]