The new house was built splendidly, with furniture and bedding all perfectly arranged. Since they had already come all this way, they decided to stay for two days and treat it as a mini-vacation.
After all, it was very close to the castle, and any ingredients they needed could be delivered from there. Wei Wei, feeling inspired, decided to cook herself. Naturally, no one dared refuse her. Not just Felix and his sister—even the servants and coachmen who accompanied them got to enjoy her max-level culinary skills.
Of course, even though it was called a break, in reality, there was no shortage of work—just a change in scenery. There was never truly any downtime.
And since the lords had come out here, those in the castle had to travel back and forth to report on official matters, which was extremely inconvenient. So after just two days, they had no choice but to return.
Once back, Felix began organizing a hunting party to head into the forest.
Spring was the season of breeding for wild animals, but food in the forest wasn't as abundant as in summer or autumn. Animals like wild boars would often leave the forest and come near human settlements to forage, trampling crops and sometimes even hurting people. As a feudal lord, Felix was obligated to drive such dangerous creatures from his lands, making regular hunts a necessity.
This was his first organized hunt of the year, and coincidentally, it was around this time last year that he had found Wei Wei in the woods.
"Wonder if I'll find another treasure this time," he joked before setting off. "I'm getting more and more excited about the spoils."
Wei Wei, helping him into his armor, frowned. "Don't tell me you're planning to bring someone else back?"
Felix immediately swore, "Of course not. You're all I need. Don't be mad."
He knew very well that his wife was particularly conservative in such matters—not something to joke about.
Seeing how flustered he was, Wei Wei suddenly laughed. "I'm teasing you. But you said it—if you dare bring someone you shouldn't, you can sleep in the next room."
Felix, who refused to sleep apart from his wife, quickly promised not to.
With that, the thoroughly wife-controlled Count left their room, regained his usual dignified demeanor, and confidently led his team into the forest.
After sending off the hunting party, Wei Wei returned to the castle to take care of business.
She summoned Qin, who wasn't currently teaching, and asked, "How are the kids doing in their studies lately?"
"You can tell some of them are less gifted academically, but they're all working hard."
Not everyone was cut out for studying. Though over two hundred children were being taught at the same time, their progress varied significantly.
These children had been purchased over three months ago. Apart from a few delays during travel, they had been studying daily for the past two months. The most talented among them had already mastered the most common words and could read, write, and do basic arithmetic quite well. The less talented ones, while able to memorize written characters, struggled greatly with numbers. They could barely manage addition and subtraction, and their error rate with multiplication and division was extremely high.
It wasn't that they were stupid. The material might seem simple, but for children being exposed to learning for the first time, mastering it all in such a short time was quite difficult. Qin thought even she might not have learned this fast.
Wei Wei walked to the window and pulled open the curtains. From there, she could see a group of children busily working in the courtyard below.
Compared to the first time she saw them, the kids now looked more like their age—cheerful, lively, yet still obedient and diligent.
Had they been older, their personalities would have already been set. Managing a large group of older children was a nightmare waiting to happen. But these kids, the oldest barely twelve or thirteen and the youngest as young as seven or eight were different.
Some of the children they bought did have minor issues, but no major bad habits. Thanks to the guidance of Father Matthew and Qin, most of those minor issues had already been corrected. Being young, they were still impressionable and far easier to teach than adults.
Of course, Wei Wei also found them easy to manage because most were girls. Compared to boys, girls matured earlier and were more aware. They knew full well that if the Count hadn't bought them, their fates would likely have been prostitution. So they were obedient and compliant.
As for the remaining boys, most of them were orphans—often with the most behavioral quirks. But it was also their survival instinct that had kept them alive. Unlike children with families, they understood how to earn favor and seize opportunities. They were often more proactive, and eager to please the adults.
Hidden behind the curtains, Wei Wei watched them for a moment. Although no one was directly supervising the children in the backyard and they were indeed quite noisy—she could hear their laughter even from several stories up—every single one of them was working.
She thought about the children's tasks. The sugar beets she had purchased in the capital were nearly all processed. Once they were gone, the kids would have no more work. She needed to assign them something new.
From behind her, Qin suddenly heard Wei Wei ask, "Didn't Felix have soldiers train them before? How did that go?"
The maid quickly answered, "The boys were very eager, and while the girls weren't quite as excited, a few of them did just as well as the boys."
Qin knew the Count planned to train some female swordfighters to protect Wei Wei, so she paid close attention to that.
Wei Wei nodded. "Have the soldiers keep an eye out. If any of them show real talent, gather them for more focused training. That's the direction we'll develop them."
Wei Wei didn't plan to keep these kids around just for studying. Given the era's level of literacy, being able to read, write, and do simple math was more than enough. She bought them to be useful—not to run a charity.
She returned to her desk—the one Felix had set up beside his own so they could handle official business together. It was convenient for communication as well.
She pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Qin. "Do you think, based on their current learning progress, they can fill this out?"
Qin looked it over—it was a printed form titled Population Registration Form, with fields like name, age, physical features, address, date of birth, marital status, family situation, education level, even special skills.
There were so many detailed fields, some of which Qin had never even seen before.
If it hadn't already been filled out as a template, Qin might not have understood it at all.
"Madam, this is…"
"Doesn't it say? It's for population registration," Wei Wei tilted her chin slightly. "Since we're giving out candy, I thought—why not take this opportunity to conduct a census for Sardinson County?"
Sardinson County technically had population records, but they were full of inaccuracies. More registered people meant more taxes, especially poll tax, which was charged per person—even newborns. With high infant mortality rates, many parents preferred to hide their children and only register them once they were older.
This wasn't uncommon, especially among free citizens. Nobles didn't dig too deep—if they caught someone, they could fine them or even enslave them, but that risked driving free citizens away. Any noble with foresight wouldn't do that. Most simply turned a blind eye, allowing people to pay any owed taxes when they eventually registered.
Felix and Wei Wei had been unaware of this—until the recent recruitment of free citizens at Sardinson Castle. All new arrivals had to register, and the size of their households affected the amount of land they received. Naturally, previously hidden children were brought along and registered.
When the steward later verified identities, he found that the numbers didn't match the old records. Since he wasn't in charge of the previous census, he came to Felix for guidance—should they collect back taxes?
Felix didn't pursue the old taxes, but he also couldn't ignore the fact that many people weren't officially registered.
So Wei Wei created a simplified version of a modern census form and prepared to conduct a full-scale population count.
She asked again, "So? Do you think they can fill it out?"
Qin carefully reviewed the form again and nodded. "They should be able to manage. They've learned most of the common words by now."
Wei Wei let out a breath of relief. She had worried she wouldn't have enough literate people to complete the task.
"Then take these forms and start teaching them. Get them ready. I'll post a public notice. When the time comes, they'll need to go around registering people."
It was also for the convenience of the residents—many of whom lived far from the castle. Coming back and forth would be difficult, and few would make the effort voluntarily.
So they would organize transport, and the children would lead small teams to visit each village and have the local chiefs assist with registration.
As a final instruction, she added, "There are only a few dozen towns and villages in Sardinson County. Divide the kids into groups—older ones with younger ones, strong learners with weaker ones. Let them go together so they can look out for each other."
They'd also assign guards to each group, but the kids—especially the girls—would feel safer traveling in pairs or groups.
"Understood." Qin nodded, then hesitated slightly. "Madam, do we have enough paper? The kids' writing is still a bit messy—I'm worried they'll ruin the forms."
"There's plenty." Wei Wei nodded. "It's fine if they mess some up. We've got extras."
The paper was produced at their paper mill. Initially, they hadn't even had one. After Penny and the gardener's children figured out how to make paper, they passed the job on. Eventually, Felix found paper more convenient than parchment and set up a proper paper mill. The gardener's two eldest children worked there full-time, along with other hired laborers. After several rounds of technical improvements, the entire castle had long since stopped using parchment.
Now that internal needs were met, the next step was to expand and sell paper externally.
So yes—they had plenty of forms. If they needed more, they could just print more.
Qin asked, "Can I take some back for practice? I want to let the kids get used to them."
Wei Wei had already prepared for that. She pulled out a stack of forms from the drawer. "Let them fill out their information first."
After all, serfs were included in the census too.
She had even finished drafting the announcement—just waiting to post it.
And so, the next day, a new announcement appeared in Dingle Town.
Announcements from the lord always drew the most attention. In the past, people had dreaded them, fearing tax hikes or forced labor. But now, everyone eagerly awaited notices from the castle.
So the moment a soldier posted the announcement, townsfolk surrounded him, asking, "Is it another job posting?"
"Where are they hiring this time?"
Indeed, since the new count took over, the most common notices had been job offers.
The soldier had been sent to explain the announcement, so he answered directly, "No, this time the Count is conducting a census. Every household must register. No hiding anyone. If you don't register now and try to do it later, you'll be punished."
At the mention of a census, the townsfolk's cheerful expressions vanished. The crowd went silent.
Even here, so close to the castle, people had been hiding unregistered members of their households.
After a long silence, someone finally asked, "Why the sudden census? Is it to raise the poll tax?"
As soon as that was suggested, the atmosphere turned even gloomier.
The soldier replied, "No, it's because the Lady of the Castle was touched by the wedding gifts everyone sent. She wanted to give everyone a gift in return. Since the number of new free citizens doesn't match the old records, the Count decided to combine the census with the gift distribution."
The townspeople's faces darkened again. So this was their fault for sending wedding gifts? Now the rest of the county would hate them.
No one even bothered asking what the gift was anymore.
The soldier continued, "You don't need to look so worried. The Count said anyone who hadn't paid their poll tax before wouldn't need to make it up. Just start paying on time going forward. Also, the poll tax itself has been adjusted: children under seven pay nothing, those under fifteen pay half, and everyone else stays the same."
That announcement stunned the crowd.
Someone quickly asked, "You mean we don't have to pay tax?"
The soldier repeated loudly, "Under seven, no tax. Under fifteen, half. Over fifteen, unchanged."
People still couldn't believe it. "You're not lying to us, are you? How could the Count not want poll tax money? He'd lose so much!"
The soldier scoffed, "You think the Count is that desperate for money?"
Sardinson was making plenty of profit now. What's a little poll tax? The soldier remembered that even he hadn't believed the decree at first. It took several re-readings before he accepted the shockingly good news.
He pointed to a line on the announcement. "Here, read it yourself. That line explains the poll tax adjustment. Anyone who can read—see for yourself."
Immediately, someone on the edge of the crowd raised their hand. "I can read! Let me through!"
Everyone made way.
The man didn't look local, dressed more like a traveling merchant. He stepped forward and read the notice carefully, then widened his eyes and recited the key lines aloud.
Everyone around him heard it—exactly as the soldier had said.
"My god! The poll tax is being reduced!"
What kind of kind-hearted lord was this? All they'd ever known were lords who increased taxes. Never before had anyone voluntarily reduced them—especially not poll tax!
Even those who had been skeptical couldn't deny the truth. After a stunned silence, people started to move.
Some ran straight home, shouting, "The Count is cutting taxes! The Count is cutting taxes!" More and more people came running toward the noticeboard.
Those who stayed couldn't stay calm either. They bombarded the soldier with questions, eager to register immediately.
"Don't rush, don't rush! The Count will send people around to register you soon. Please—don't push! I have to post notices in other towns!"
The notice board was swarmed. The soldier was nearly crushed under the excitement—until the town mayor showed up and rescued him.
Population registration had always been dreaded, especially since being caught with unregistered children meant fines. But now? With reduced or no tax for younger kids, what was there to fear?
Many parents now looked at their under-fifteen children and hoped the registration teams would arrive quickly—so they could save a ton on taxes.
Meanwhile, after spending two days out hunting, Felix returned with a long string of game.
Spring wasn't exactly the ideal hunting season. The animals had just made it through a harsh winter and were typically thin, with poor-quality fur. Felix's main goal was to drive out harmful beasts from his territory—like wild boars. The harmless ones were usually left alone to breed so that by autumn, they could be hunted for better meat and pelts.
So this time, Felix only brought back a few wild boars and a nest of rabbits.
Most of the wild boars were already dead, except for one particularly large sow that looked like she was about to give birth. She had been securely bound and brought back alive.
This reminded Wei Wei of the wild boars Felix had brought back last year. The large ones had been slaughtered, while the smaller ones had been kept alive. She wondered if they were still around.
She asked casually.
"The sows are all still there, raised together with the domestic pigs. They're almost due to give birth now. As for the boars, they got too aggressive as they grew, so we just butchered them," Felix replied.
Wei Wei thought about it and realized they had indeed eaten a lot of wild boar meat lately. She had just assumed it all came from Felix's hunting trips.
"Why didn't you castrate them? Castrated pigs aren't as aggressive. Plus, they taste better and fatten up more easily."
She said it without a second thought, but the men who had returned from the hunt all winced, as if a blade had been pressed somewhere sensitive, and were now imagining how to slice it.
Even Felix found himself a little unnerved. Sometimes, his wife was truly terrifying.
Wei Wei, meanwhile, had crouched down to examine the rabbits bound up in a sack. These were European hares—a relatively large species among rabbits—with grayish-yellow fur that wasn't especially cute. Judging by their sizes, there was one adult and five small ones. It looked like a mother rabbit with her babies, and judging by the size of the babies, they had probably only just been weaned.
The first thought that popped into Wei Wei's head when she saw them was: "How can something so cute be eaten?"
But cute or not, rabbits were for eating—and rabbit meat was delicious.
A list of rabbit recipes flashed through her mind. She was just about to suggest that they could try raising rabbits domestically, which would mean a steady supply of rabbit meat in the future when she looked up and noticed everyone was staring at her with strange, hard-to-read expressions.
Wei Wei blinked innocently. "What?"
Felix hesitated for a moment before asking, "You… want to raise this wild boar?"
"Of course. Just look at how big her belly is—she's sure to give birth to a bunch of piglets. Didn't you bring her back to raise?"
No, they had planned to roast her as a suckling pig later. Felix thought to himself—but wisely kept that to himself.
"So the male piglets will be castrated?" He felt a physical pang just saying the word.
Wei Wei nodded. "Yeah. Wild boars are aggressive, right? Best to castrate them so they grow more meat. Oh, are there any other boar piglets in the pen? If there are, castrate them too. Castrated pigs don't have that gamey smell—they taste much better."
At this point in history, pork wasn't considered suitable for noble cuisine because of its strong odor. It was a staple meat for commoners. That's precisely why it was often excluded from aristocratic meals.
Plus, the pigs in Europe at this time were quite different from modern ones—smaller in size, with partially regressed tusks and canine teeth. Male pigs in heat could still injure people. Castrating them solved a lot of problems.
As for the procedure itself, Wei Wei planned to read up on it and then find someone with good knife skills to try it out—perhaps one of the castle kitchen's cooks.
From the sound of it, she intended to castrate all the male pigs. The surrounding knights looked more disturbed by the second.
The Countess… was truly ruthless. She could issue such cold-blooded commands without batting an eye.
And the Count himself—he must be a brave man indeed. To marry such a terrifying woman without fear of one day angering her and… well, getting the knife.
Seeing the mixture of sympathy and fear in his subordinates' eyes, Felix suddenly felt that… maybe all those times his wife had threatened to "cut" him hadn't been jokes after all.