She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

"But Man'er, the villagers in our village know nothing about silkworm farming, what should we do?"

“Grandpa Village Head, don’t worry. We can learn if we don’t know how. Just like they didn’t know how to collect herbs before, they all know how now,” Shen Man comforted him.

"That's true, but we haven't heard of anyone around here raising silkworms. Otherwise, they wouldn't be leaving so many treasures on the mountain untouched."

“When the steward from Master Zhu’s family came over last time, I heard him mention that they were going to Linxian to collect silkworm silk, which means that there must be people raising silkworms in Linxian. Let’s send a few young people with strong learning abilities to Linxian to learn from them for a while. However, I need to find out more about this from Steward Liu so that we don’t make a wasted trip.”

"Okay, let's do it your way. Man'er, where do you plan to raise the silkworms?"

"After we buy this year's silkworm eggs, we release them all at Wild Boar Ridge, where there are readily available oak leaves for the silkworms to eat. There are several mountains near our village with relatively sparse vegetation, so we can plant more oak or chestnut trees on those mountains. Next year, we can raise them on those mountains without having to travel so far."

"Well, the mountains are all for village use, so there's no problem. But how do we calculate the cost of the silkworm eggs and the saplings?"

"Grandpa Village Head, our silkworm farming cooperative uses a shareholding system. For example, ten coins make up one share. Everyone can invest according to their family's circumstances, and at the end of the year, dividends will be distributed according to the proportion of shares held. We will use the villagers' investment money to purchase silkworm eggs and quantities. In this way, villagers who have invested can be more dedicated to silkworm farming and won't be inconsistent in their efforts," Shen Man said earnestly.

The village head nodded, thinking this method was good.

"If the investment isn't enough to cover the cost of silkworm eggs and saplings, my family will cover the shortfall first, and you can pay us back when we have a profit," Shen Man continued.

The village head looked at her with some surprise, "Man'er, wouldn't you be taking a huge risk?"

Shen Man smiled and said, "Grandpa Village Head, I believe that as long as we work together, we will definitely succeed. Besides, this is also for the development of our village."

The village head patted Shen Man on the shoulder with emotion, "Good girl, Grandpa supports you!"

After discussing the details with the village head, Shen Man returned home in a good mood. She planned to first find out more about the silkworm farmers in Lin County from Manager Liu, and then tell the villagers about the plan to establish a silkworm farming cooperative.

The next morning, Lanxiang, carrying a bag of silkworm cocoons they had picked on the mountain the day before, took the village head's oxcart and arrived in town. They bought some gifts at the shops on the street before heading to Master Zhu's house.

The mother and daughter chatted idly along the way and soon arrived at the Zhu family's door. Lanxiang stepped forward and knocked on the door, which opened shortly afterward.

"Who are you looking for?" An old woman opened the door.

"We'd like to find Steward Liu. Is he staying at this residence?" Lanxiang asked with a smile.

"Manager Liu doesn't live here; his home is in Tongling Lane. But at this hour, he should be at his shop. You can go to the Zhu Family Trading Company to find him," the old woman patiently replied.

"Thank you, Grandma." Lanxiang said, then led Shen Man to the Zhu Family Trading Company.

Upon arriving at the shop, they found it bustling with people coming and going. Lanxiang pulled Shen Man inside and asked the shop assistant, Manager Liu, where he was.

The waiter pointed upstairs and said that Manager Liu was doing accounts in his room on the second floor.

Lanxiang then led Shen Man upstairs. In the first room near the stairs, they saw Manager Liu engrossed in calculating accounts.

Lanxiang knocked on the door and said softly, "Manager Liu, we need to speak with you about something. May we come in?"

Manager Liu looked up and saw that the people who came were Lanxiang and her daughter Shen Man. He immediately got up and came out.

A hint of a smile flashed in his eyes as he said to them, "I still have some accounts to settle. Could you wait for me next door for a while? Shuangxi, bring some tea and snacks up to the young master and his daughter!"

"Okay, you go ahead with your work!"

Manager Liu led the mother and daughter to the next room and then returned to his seat to continue his work.

Soon, the waiter named Shuangxi brought them a pot of tea and two plates of snacks.

Lanxiang and Shenman ate their snacks while observing the furnishings in the room.

The room was decorated quite elegantly, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls and a pot of lush green plants placed by the window.

Shen Man guessed that this must be where Steward Liu usually entertained guests.

Worried that their conversation would disturb Manager Liu's accounting, the mother and daughter finished their pastry and sat there quietly waiting.

After a while, Manager Liu walked in, smiling broadly, and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. What brings you here today?"

Lanxiang quickly stood up. "Manager Liu, we've come to ask you some questions about silkworm farming."

Manager Liu invited them to sit down. "Oh, you want to raise silkworms? But as far as I know, no one in Qiufeng Town has ever raised silkworms before. I don't know if it's possible to raise them here."

Lanxiang placed the bundle she had brought on the table, opened it, and showed the silkworm cocoons inside to Steward Liu.

"Manager Liu, look, these are the silkworm cocoons we picked on the mountain yesterday," Shen Man said.

"What? There are silkworm cocoons on the mountains over there?"

Manager Liu was very curious, so he picked up a silkworm cocoon and examined it carefully.

The cocoon was a regular oval shape, with a uniform thickness of the cocoon layer. The color and wrinkles were normal, and there were no flaws on the surface. It was almost no different from the silkworms he had seen in the silkworm farm in Linxian County.

"These silkworm cocoons are indeed quite good," Manager Liu nodded. "However, raising silkworms is not an easy task. It requires a sufficient supply of leaves and careful control of temperature and humidity. Have you considered these issues?"

Lanxiang and Shenman smiled at each other. "We haven't thought about that yet. We think that since there are wild silkworms on that mountain, it means that the climate and temperature there are suitable for silkworms to grow. We plan to buy a batch of silkworm eggs first and send them to the mountain to raise. Once we have learned the techniques for raising silkworms, we will expand the scale of our breeding."

Manager Liu looked at them approvingly, "That's not a bad idea. What do you need me to do?"

"We would like to ask you if you are acquainted with that silkworm-raising family in Lin County. We would like to buy some silkworm eggs from them. In addition, we would like to learn silkworm-raising techniques and methods for processing silkworm cocoons from them."

“Oh, I know them very well. If you want to learn silkworm breeding techniques from them, I can write to them and ask them to send someone to guide you.”

"That's great, but there's no need for him to send anyone over. After all, we have nothing right now. It would be better if we went to their place to learn," Lanxiang said with a smile.

"That will do. Please wait a moment, I'll write to them right away!"