That night, Song Liyun and her party returned to Baolin Residence. The next day, they went to the garrison to pay for the goods and did not go out again.

Song Zhenping lay motionless on the kang like a lump of flesh, and began to enjoy the close care of Xiao An and Hei Jin again.

He fled for dozens of miles on horseback, and didn't feel anything that day. He even went to the garrison early the next morning, but by the afternoon he was too weak to move.

Not only do my arms and thighs hurt, but my buttocks hurt, my chest and ribs hurt, even my skin hurts. Just moving my arm makes me wince in pain.

Song Liyun was both annoyed and amused by what she saw, so she had no choice but to go to the garrison to ask for help.

Zhou Xiaoqi and Wang Qi brought the medics from the garrison to see him, laughing so hard they almost fell over.

It turned out that Song Zhenping had never ridden a horse before, and he was exhausted from the first time. He would recover on his own in a few days.

Song Liyun hasn't gone out these days either.

The Wan family will definitely need to rest for a long time, and the aftermath will also take time, so they need to lay low for now.

Inside the garrison, quartermaster Wang Zhong, realizing that they had almost been robbed and double-crossed, immediately became serious.

He told Song Zhenping not to worry.

No matter what happens, as long as the Song family doesn't leave any witnesses or incriminating evidence, the garrison will find a way to resolve the situation.

Even if the Zhenbei Army swallowed their anger, it was only in the face of the government; they had no reason to be bullied by local thugs.

The garrison needs to suspend operations, but it's inconvenient to ship goods these days.

The garrison received news of the city's reunification.

The situation on the grasslands has changed drastically. The three royal merchants of the Wu Dynasty who traded with the grasslands in Hecheng have severed their previous trade routes and have not found new suppliers for their furs.

The price of furs in Wuchaoli may be about to rise.

When a partner runs into trouble at this time, it's a good time to stop and observe the situation.

Luo Baihu has not been going out to wander around during this time, and things in Pingliang Fort are becoming more and more complicated.

It was already spring planting season, but things were still in a state of flux around Pingliangbao.

Those in the court wanted the Xuanwei Army to achieve merit and gain military power from Marquis Zhao Yanjiao of Zhenbei, and they also wanted the Zhenbei Army to take the lead in suppressing bandits.

This kind of thankless task would be something even a fool wouldn't agree to, but the Zhenbei Army had no choice but to go because the emperor had sent a supervisor to oversee it.

Therefore, in the process of subduing Pingliang Fort, the Xuanwei Army took charge of suppressing the bandits, with the Zhenbei Army assisting.

It's unclear which garrison of the Zhenbei Army took on this task, but they played the "delaying" card very well.

I followed orders and ran non-stop every day, but I still didn't see any results.

Tang Ying and the supervising officer were extremely anxious, issuing orders non-stop, but they just couldn't find any reason for the Zhenbei Army to be lax.

When gods fight, ordinary people suffer.

If no seeds are sown in spring, no grain will be stored in the granary in autumn.

This delay will definitely ruin a year's harvest.

Anyone with eyes to see could tell that this was a harbinger of an impending famine.

Song Liyun wasn't idle during this time either, as she focused all her attention on working on her paper.

Whether it's pulping wood or making paper from a water tank, both are technically demanding and physically demanding tasks.

Fortunately, Mu the carpenter built a wooden cradle to save effort, and now she also has Han Ming at her beck and call.

The low, sparsely wooded area outside Baolin Residence was cleared away, but the area of ​​Black Gold Paradise actually increased.

Some time ago, Song Liyun asked the people from the vermicelli workshop to buy acorns for her when they went to the village to collect acorns, without haggling over the price.

In addition to established flowering and fruit trees, some large, attractive trees are also needed.

Having money and power is great; with just a few words and a handful of silver, trees will arrive one after another.

There are peach, plum, pear, and jujube trees, as well as osmanthus and magnolia trees. The largest tree is so big that it takes two people to hug it.

It's tree planting season now, and each tree is still covered with a large clump of soil for easier planting.

Planting trees also requires people, and all the farmers in the town came.

Xue Zhuang, Hu Qing, and Old Master Zhang were all afraid that the big boss would mess up his first job, so they kept a close eye on the quality of the tree planting.

Without Song Liyun's supervision, the tree pit was dug deep, with plenty of base fertilizer placed in it, and then the tree was placed in and watered thoroughly to ensure that the branches not only survived but also sprouted new leaves smoothly.

In a short period of time, the original low, sparse trees have been transformed into a forest, where Black Gold happily frolics and jumps around every day.

As we entered mid-March, temperatures rose, and the vegetables in the backyard no longer needed to be cooked over a fire for extended periods. Rows of beans, vegetables, gourds, and eggplants grew very well, saving us a lot of time.

Another section of the low wall was added to the rabbit hutch, and the number of rabbits inside increased to twenty-three. As expected of their reproductive ability, they can become mothers in three months. In just over four months, the number of rabbits increased exponentially.

Xiao An spends half a day feeding the rabbits and cleaning their enclosures all by herself.

Mu the carpenter is very responsible and conscientious in his work.

The main gate of Baolin Residence has been repaired beautifully, but it took half a month to install the door frame. It looks like it will take at least another month to complete the project.

At first, when the Song family moved into the Ji residence, they felt as if the house was alone in a wasteland.

I can't understand why the Ji family, being wealthy, doesn't live in town but instead has to live in a separate house by the river, with an empty lot outside the house and no view at all.

Now, Song Liyun finally understood why the Ji family built their house outside the town.

This made it convenient for each gold miner to come ashore from the river and deliver the gold particles to Ji's residence.

By guarding the entrance to the river, they can control the number of gold miners allowed to go into the water.

This was a true gold mine boss; no wonder when the Di barbarians came in, the bandit sand miners were the first to rush into the Ji family's house.

Now, the people of Suijin Town soak acorns in the Huangsha River, and every day, oxcarts go to the riverbank from the main road outside Baolinju.

Song Liyun only needed to stand at the gate to see the acorn baskets coming and going clearly... uh! It felt a bit like counting money.

The acorn processing plant was managed by the townspeople, so she didn't have to do anything but wait for her share of the profits. It felt great!

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye. The branches are covered with tiny green leaves, and the town and surrounding areas are lush with green hills and clear waters.

The food factory's large stoves worked day and night, producing loads of vermicelli that were dried and spread throughout the streets and courtyards. Everywhere was a dark brown color, but to the people of Suijin, it looked like shiny gold.

There was no news from the Wan family, as if nothing had happened.

The fire outside Baolin Residence, where tree bark and withered grass were being boiled, never stopped, as Song Liyun and Han Ming repeatedly experimented with new production processes.

On this day, Song Liyun called over Mu the carpenter, who was carving patterns on the gate, and asked him to assemble a yellow board laid flat on the ground according to the lines drawn on it.

The board is rectangular and looks quite thick.

Without thinking, Mu the carpenter grabbed a piece of wood and lifted it up with all his might, nearly straining his back.

"Oh my, what is this thing? It's so light!"

"Master Mu, please be careful when you handle this. It's cardboard, not wood."

Han Ming laughed heartily, picked up the cardboard with two fingers, and tapped it with his bent fingers. Three muffled "bang bang bang" sounds indicated the thickness of the cardboard.

"Paper? Cardboard?" Mu the carpenter, abandoning his slow pace, quickly picked up a piece of cardboard and examined it from all angles. It was the same thickness as the wooden board, but several times lighter, so it was definitely not wood.

He even imitated Han Ming's way of hammering, and the sound was different from that of the wood.