Su Shi'an realized she could not refuse, so she stopped protesting. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke slowly, "Grandpa Chen, and the three uncles, I have one request regarding the tree felling: once you have finished cutting down the trees, you must replant a paper mulberry sapling in the same spot."
Her reasoning was that if trees were felled without any mitigation, it could easily trigger soil erosion and other environmental issues. Thus, she made this request of the villagers, hoping they would replant new saplings as they worked.
Furthermore, to incentivize the villagers, she promised, "For every sapling you plant, I will pay one copper coin as a reward. If these trees grow large in the future and my family is still in this business, we will continue to purchase them and will pay accordingly." Seeing Su Shi'an’s generosity, the Chen Family, who had few sources of income, had no objections. They were highly cooperative and expressed their willingness to follow her instructions.
Chapter 105