"Sister Yuan, you're amazing!"
Even through the screen, Xie Yuan could almost see the word "admiration" clearly written in Li Baozhu's bright eyes.
Haha, impressive?
Having four babies in one pregnancy? What's so great about that?
Xie Yuan always felt inexplicably embarrassed whenever he heard others praise his abilities.
I'm neither a sow nor a rabbit. Does having more babies make me more powerful?
But they were genuinely offering their congratulations; they weren't being sarcastic.
Xie Yuan could only mutter a few complaints in his heart.
"fine!"
Xie Yuan gave a vague reply.
To prevent Li Baozhu from continuing the topic of "being able to have children," Xie Yuan took the initiative and asked, "By the way, how's everything in the village lately?"
"Did the hurricane a while ago still have any impact on you?"
"We're fine!"
When Xie Yuan mentioned his mountain stronghold, Li Baozhu put away her joking mood and said seriously, "Thanks to Sister Yuan for sending us a lot of supplies."
"This hurricane wasn't very big, and since we're in the mountains, we weren't affected too much."
However, even while staying in the mountain village, they could see the hurricane howling across the horizon.
That fierce aura was truly terrifying.
Fortunately, their mountain village was far from the sea and surrounded by mountains, which made it relatively safe.
Even so, the counterfeit products were still somewhat affected.
The nearby farmland was destroyed. If it weren't for the "disaster relief supplies" provided by the Yue King's Palace, the people of Li tribe might have gone hungry.
"Sister Yuan, thank you so much!"
Initially, Li Baozhu's friendship with Xie Yuan and her cooperation with the Prince of Yue were primarily driven by self-interest.
However, as time went by and their interactions deepened, Li Baozhu realized that the Yue King's Mansion genuinely regarded them, the Li people, as his "subjects."
They are neither uncivilized barbarians nor monkeys from the mountains.
In the eyes of the Yue King's Palace, they were human beings, no different from the common people at the foot of the mountain.
Li Baozhu thus developed a sense of belonging to the Prince of Yue's mansion.
"Don't mention it, we're all family."
Xie Yuan kept in mind the great unity of the nation in future generations, so she truly recognized the Li and Liao people of Lingnan from the bottom of her heart.
"..."
Verbal thanks shouldn't be said too often, otherwise it seems too cheap.
Lai Po-chu knew the proper way to express gratitude.
Remembering the purpose of her trip, she quickly said, "By the way, Sister Yuan, didn't you tell me to keep an eye on the crops in the mountains?"
"Let me tell you, in the rainforest south of the mountain village, I discovered a strange tree."
Xie Yuan asked curiously, "What kind of tree?"
Lingnan is rich in natural resources and has a wide variety of flora and fauna.
In later years, Xie Yuan would find it fascinating when he saw food bloggers from Guangdong and Guangxi using local ingredients to create delicious dishes.
Huh? What's this? I've never seen it before.
Even in the information-rich era of later generations, Xie Yuan had never seen ingredients before, let alone in the even more ancient times.
In the present day, before the erosion of historical changes and wars, there may be some crops that do not exist in later generations.
“I don’t know it. I asked the old people in the village, but they didn’t pay any attention to it.”
"A white, sticky substance oozes from the trunk of this tree."
"Here, I brought another one with me. Sister Yuan, take a look, is this thing useful?"
As Li Baozhu spoke, she took out a milky white object from the basket placed at her feet.
Ruyi, who was serving outside the screen, saw this and quickly took the object, went around the screen, and presented it to Xie Yuan.
In fact, when Li Baozhu said that "a white substance would ooze from the tree trunk," Xie Yuan already had a vague suspicion in his mind—
Could it be a rubber tree?
Isn't this an invasive species native to the Amazon?
Could it be that in ancient times, in this fictional dynasty, in the primitive jungles of Lingnan, there also existed?
Xie Yuan's doubts were immediately answered when he saw the milky white object that Ruyi was holding.
Natural latex!
Perhaps due to the passage of time, the latex has turned yellowish and has some small dark brown spots.
Xie Yuan let Ruyi take it closer and look carefully before he could see that the small black dots were probably insects or leaves.
Extending a finger, Xie Yuan gently poked it; it was quite hard, but elastic.
It was the kind of rubber she knew.
"Baozhu, rubber trees, oh no, I mean, are there many of these trees?"
Xie Yuan was somewhat excited; she had to be excited.
Rubber plays a vital role; it is practically an indispensable raw material in the process of industrialization.
Shoe soles, tires, tarpaulins, plastics, and various rubber pads and rings that can be used to achieve a sealing effect.
Of course, most of these items cannot be made with the current level of productivity.
However, Xie Yuan believed in the great wisdom of the ancient people.
As long as we have the raw materials, as long as Xie Yuan provides the "creativity," and given more time, we can always develop rubber products suitable for this era.
If a few months isn't enough, then a few years; if a few years isn't enough, then more than ten years.
She has a lifetime ahead of her, plenty of time to wait.
"Sister Yuan, so this is called a rubber tree!"
Li Baozhu was very clever; she overheard the words "rubber tree" from Xie Yuan's slip of the tongue.
"As expected of Sister Yuan, she is indeed knowledgeable and experienced."
"Rubber tree? Although the name is a bit strange, it sounds wonderful!"
Li Baozhu is almost becoming Xie Yuan's little fan.
They just blindly praise their idols.
Xie Yuan was a little embarrassed by the praise.
She does know a lot, but that's not something to be particularly proud of.
She stands on the shoulders of giants, which is why she is so "powerful".
"There are quite a lot of rubber trees here. I went for a walk, and there's a whole patch of them."
While praising her idol, young fan Lai Po-chu didn't forget about the idol's problems.
She answered earnestly, and when she said "a large area," she unconsciously raised both hands and made a forceful gesture in front of her.
"Sister Yuan, is this rubber useful? Can it be sold for money?"
After becoming the head of the household, Li Baozhu began to realize the importance of "firewood and rice being expensive".
Her people lived in the mountains, farming and hunting, barely making ends meet.
Li Baozhu frequently visited the county town and had also been to Guangcheng.
Therefore, she knew how vast and prosperous the outside world was.
As the village head, Li Baozhu hopes that her villagers can also live a good life with no worries about food and clothing, and enjoy wealth and health.
Especially after getting to know Xie Yuan, she came to understand the meaning of "living in luxury".
The distinguished guests from the capital truly have an appetite for the finest and most exquisite food.
The taro that they used to fill their stomachs in their village could be transformed into exquisite and delicious snacks by the cooks at the Yue King's Mansion.
Having witnessed the prosperity and refinement of the outside world, Li Baozhu was also determined to make her own fortune...
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