Cai Yong calmly reached into the tray and took a handful of paper mulberry spikes.

Then, he walked a couple of steps towards Qiao Yan and said, “Marquis Qiao’s choice of paper mulberry is truly visionary. These paper mulberry spikes, though lacking elegance in appearance, are no less flavorful than meat.”

After finishing his words, Cai Yong seemed to want to verify that his praise for Qiao Yan was indeed heartfelt, so he ate two pieces of the steamed paper mulberry spikes in his hand.

Cai Zhaohui widened her eyes and looked at her father.

She hadn’t expected that her father, in such a serious manner of finding reasons for himself, actually had some skill.

Using this skill to grab food made her unable to help but cover her head in embarrassment.

Out of sight, out of mind—she simply followed suit and grabbed a handful herself.

Of course, Cai Yong was right.

These paper mulberry spikes did indeed lack a bit of elegance in appearance, looking somewhat like bugs.

Before this, it was unimaginable that anyone would place such a thing in front of Cai Yong, a great scholar of the time.

Relying on their connection to the prestigious Yang clan, they wouldn’t even collect such items for consumption.

But from Cai Zhaohui’s perspective, in today’s season, what mattered more was satisfying one’s hunger, without worrying too much about losing elegance.

Paper mulberry spikes are the flowers of the paper mulberry tree.

According to Qin Yu’s instructions, some were left on the tree while others were picked and distributed to various households, even to the labor reform team ( Bandits Group ), without exception.

The remaining spikes were kept to ensure a good harvest this year.

Before Qiao Yan returned, Qin Yu had already prepared a pot of cold mixed dishes.

With their immediate boss absent and the recent completion of most of the work that needed to be done in Le Ping, everyone took advantage of the break and gathered around here.

While they were sitting together, Qin Yu mentioned that these paper mulberry spikes were not picked bare because the trees were dioecious, and the remaining spikes were needed for pollination and the growth of fruits afterwards.

Although these spikes were a bit astringent to eat, they also had the effect of improving eyesight.

In addition, it’s easy for seeds to grow into trees and survive once planted, so the people of Leping couldn’t completely take them away if they wanted to continue their business of making paper from mulberry bark for the next few years.

But just having half of the flowers was enough to satisfy their craving.

So they decided to try a different approach.

As they waited for the freshly steamed mulberry tree buds, they listened to Qin Yu continue talking.

She said that mulberry trees could even cure athlete’s foot, and mulberry juice was used as paste by local officials.

Cai Zhaohui ( Yan ) couldn’t help but ask why no one had used mulberry trees like Marquis Qiao before.

It seemed like this tree was actually quite valuable.

Cai Yong interjected, “There are many people here, and they use it to make clothes and paper.”

Especially clothes.

There is no greater demand in the world than for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

In many places before, mulberry trees were considered bad trees because they grew too fast and didn’t have any corresponding uses.

But Leping was different.

The naturalization of the Black Mountain bandits had made the population density here almost as high as in a big city, and the demand for making clothes, paper, and burning fire was enough to quickly consume and clear out the wild parts of the mulberry trees.

Then mulberry leaves were used as medicine, mulberry buds were eaten as food, and when autumn came, mulberry fruits were used as medicine.

This was a complete chain of utilization.

This “bad tree” and the Black Mountain bandits, who were equally notorious in L Leping Town, actually complemented each other quite well.

So what Cai Yong said just now about Qiao Yan’s foresight couldn’t just be an excuse he casually made.

Of course, in his opinion, the greatest value of mulberry trees was still in paper.

Could he really not leave now? Not exactly.

The inscriptions for Qiao Xuan have long been completed.

He participated in funerals, helped erect stone tablets and temples.

As a former official, his efforts could be described as extremely thoughtful.

Even if he were concerned about the descendants of his old superiors—

Just by seeing Qiao Yan thriving in Leping, he knew there was no need for him to worry.

While he could have blamed the heavy snow for the past two months for keeping him here, this month there was no such trouble.

He stayed here because, aside from supplying the county office with mulberry paper, most of it ended up with him and his daughter.

Cai Yong had it easy.

He even thought about picking up “Records of the Eastern Observatory” that Qiao Yan and Cai Zhaohui had mentioned earlier.

Compared to Caihou paper, mulberry paper was much easier to preserve and more convenient to write on than bamboo slips.

It was truly a treasure for someone like him who needed to compile historical records.

Was he praising it just because it benefited him? No, he was clearly praising the paper.

Cai Yong became even more relaxed when he thought about this, especially when he saw that Qiao Yan didn’t expose his intentions.

He just smiled and took a handful of mulberry buds from Qin Yu’s hand, sitting down on the steps like they did.

In this position, he didn’t look much older than Cai Zhaohui his daughter.

But as the local gatekeeper, she introduced Zhang Yang, who had been recently recruited in Leping, to them. “This Zhang Yang, whom I intend to appoint as Zilong’s deputy. Since there are no formalities at the moment, let’s consider this a welcoming party.”

“After we finish eating, we need to get down to business. This time, when we go to Jinyang, we’ll settle the profits from the mulberry bark clothing sold to the Tang family.

We’ve exchanged it all for pottery utensils and four thousand chopping knives.

How to distribute these knives, how to control them, and how to ensure that those who receive these sharp tools won’t think of running off with them, Yuan Zhi—”

Just as Xu Fu returned after tying up the horses, he heard his name being called by Qiao Yan.

“You and Zilong, along with Zhang Yang, need to produce a written set of regulations within five days.”

Xu Fu had learned a lot from following Qiao Yan and Cheng Li, but this was the first time he had been asked to submit a report in writing.

Suddenly entrusted with such a weighty task, he felt a bit overwhelmed inside, but then he saw Master Xi, who was usually not serious, giving him an encouraging look.

Not to mention his mother, who had taken on heavy responsibilities before him…

Without hesitation, Xu Fu immediately responded loudly, “Lord Qiao, rest assured, Xu Fu will not disappoint you.”

“Heh… that tone makes it sound like he’s not being asked to manage knives, but to suppress a rebellion,” muttered Yang Xiu under his breath.

However, he soon noticed that the large basin containing mulberry buds had been handed over to Dian Wei.

When Qiao Yan glanced over at him, his gaze seemed to say, “You can’t even keep your mouth shut when you eat; maybe you should stop eating altogether.”

“Huh…?” Yang Xiu compared his own physique to Dian Wei’s and felt like they were collectively bullying a child.

But then he quickly heard Qiao Yan ask, “Yang Xiu, how about I give you a new task?”

….

“Yang Xiu should go and bring back medical workers, visit the Black Mountain army, and record each illness… It’s quite commendable that Lord Qiao thought of this,” Qin Yu and Qiao Yan discussed casually as they walked along the field ridges.

“Previously, with the help of Master Cai Yong, Yang Xiu had already completed the long poem used for literacy education, which has been implemented in the county office.

But I’m still hesitant about expanding the scope of education.

Without ensuring basic life necessities are fully secured, such actions may be futile. It’s better to settle those already in our hands first.”

“Furthermore, the county residents in Leping can afford mulberry bark clothing to survive the winter and have some spare money for medical treatment.

However, conditions aren’t as favorable for the Black Mountain soldiers. Over the past six months, they’ve managed to save some money, but as Master Xi Zhicai reminded me, they haven’t fully transitioned their mindset from captives to county residents.”

“Sending Yang Xiu to handle this matter will help refine his character. By interacting more with the Black Mountain soldiers, he can hear different perspectives. It’s also our way of showing… let’s call it humanitarian concern from Leping County.”

Though Qin Yu hadn’t heard this term before, she could tell that Qiao Yan had taken a small step forward with Leping County’s slightly increased savings.

However, this step wasn’t a major leap—it mainly addressed basic needs.

Moreover, taking this step would undoubtedly benefit Xu Fu’s upcoming weapon control efforts.