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

Shen Man smiled as she walked onto the platform. She took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and then shouted at the top of her lungs, "Dear uncles and aunts, I've gathered you all here today because there's a very important matter I need to discuss with you..."

Before she could finish speaking, the villagers below impatiently interrupted her: "Man'er, tell us what it is! Stop keeping us in suspense!"

Their faces beamed with anticipation, and their eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Shen Man nodded slightly, then raised her voice and continued, "Alright, since everyone is so eager, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. I plan to set up a silkworm breeding cooperative in our village. If anyone is willing to join, they can all become shareholders."

As soon as she finished speaking, the villagers below the stage began to chatter amongst themselves. Some were clearly interested in the idea, but others remained skeptical. The whole scene was lively and chaotic.

"Raising silkworms? Is that really feasible?" a villager asked, frowning in disbelief.

Another villager chimed in, "Yes, our village has never raised silkworms before! We don't even know if they're easy to raise."

Just then, another excited voice rang out: "I've heard that silk is very valuable. If we can really raise silkworms, wouldn't we be rich!"

However, someone else raised a question: "Man'er, do you know how to raise silkworms? Who will we sell the cocoons we raise? The ones we found in the mountains a few days ago are still sitting at home!"

His words cooled down the previously enthusiastic atmosphere slightly.

Shen Man smiled as she looked at everyone, and after they quieted down, she continued, "I know you may still have some concerns, but silkworm farming is truly a good way to get rich. As long as we put our hearts into it, we will definitely succeed."

I've already inquired and found out that there's a family surnamed Geng in Lin County who have been raising silkworms for generations. If we decide to raise silkworms, we can send a few young people to learn from them for a while. As for silk, there's even less to worry about; the Zhu family's trading company in our town buys it.”

After hearing Shen Man's words, most of the villagers' concerns were immediately dispelled.

However, some more cautious villagers raised questions: "We're not familiar with the Geng family, so why would they be willing to teach us silkworm farming techniques?"

“I went to town a few days ago and found Manager Liu of the Zhu Family Trading Company. He has business dealings with the Geng family, so he’s quite familiar with them. He wrote me a letter of recommendation. When we go, we should take that letter with us; they shouldn’t ignore us,” Shen Man said confidently.

At this moment, a young villager stood up and volunteered, "I am willing to go to the Geng family to learn silkworm breeding techniques!"

Then several other young people also expressed their willingness to go together.

Seeing this, Shen Man felt gratified. "However, before we decide on the people to go to Lin County for training, we need to finalize the investment agreement first. After all, we need money for the transportation to Lin County and for purchasing silkworm eggs."

"How much money do we need to invest?" the villagers asked eagerly.

Shen Man smiled and explained, "Our silkworm breeding cooperative has one thousand shares at the beginning, and each share is priced at one hundred coins."

Each family can choose the number of shares to invest based on their own financial situation, and at the end of the year, the money will be distributed according to the proportion of shares invested.

This will not only reduce the burden on the village but also benefit everyone. This time, to ensure everyone's enthusiasm, we will not accept any other forms of investment.

Shen Man roughly estimated that she would need at least one hundred taels of silver as start-up capital to avoid being held back by a lack of funds.

Upon hearing this, the villagers began whispering amongst themselves again. Some looked excited, clearly interested in this way of investing; while others seemed hesitant.

At this moment, the village head stood up and said, "Man'er, your idea is not bad. But with so many households in our village, how can we tell who has invested and who hasn't?"

Shen Man nodded and said, "I've also considered this issue. I will invite a few literate villagers from among the shareholders to help manage the cooperative's daily expenses and income. We will also try our best to be fair and just so that everyone is satisfied."

After a heated discussion, the villagers finally reached a consensus. They all expressed their willingness to invest and jointly develop the silkworm farming business.

Afterwards, Shen Man began preparing for the signing of the shareholding agreement. She asked Li Mufeng to help draft a detailed contract that clearly defined the rights and obligations of each party.

Many of the villagers were illiterate, so Tingxian would read to them. If there were any parts they didn't understand, Shen Man would patiently explain them.

Finally, all the villagers affixed their fingerprints to the contract. From then on, they became shareholders of the Xiaoyao Village Silkworm Farming Cooperative, working together for the development of the village.

In just one morning, the villagers bought 520 shares, with the village head's family alone purchasing 100 shares. Surprisingly, the second-largest buyer was Grandpa Sun, who bought 50 shares.

After confirming that no one else would buy the remaining 480 shares, Shen Man had the village head register them under Lanxiang's name. This made her family the largest shareholder of the cooperative, giving them absolute decision-making power over its affairs.

"Man'er, our family can't come up with forty-eight taels of silver right now!" Lanxiang whispered to Shen Man.

"Don't worry, Mother. If it's not enough, I'll borrow some from Mr. Li first. We'll pay him back after we sell the honey next time."

Shen Man was thinking to herself that when spring came and all the flowers were in full bloom, the dozen or so beehives at home would produce a lot of honey again.

Selling this honey would bring in a good amount of money. Therefore, she wasn't too worried about money.

As soon as she got home, Shen Man couldn't wait to find Li Mufeng. After seeing him, she explained in detail about borrowing money. After listening, Li Mufeng didn't hesitate at all and immediately had Tingxian bring the silver to Shen Man.

"Little Man'er, your idea of ​​investing is really ingenious! You actually came up with such a creative way of partnering!" Li Mufeng asked curiously.

Shen Man's eyes darted around, and she replied with a grin, "Sir, I heard it in my dream!"

Li Mufeng was amused by her and said with a smile, "Oh? Your dream is really strange and unusual, unlike anyone else's. It's really amazing!"

Shen Man blinked and replied playfully, "Maybe I'm just lucky!"

After returning to the house, Shen Man handed the money to Lan Xiang, indicating that she should take it to the village head.

Next, we need to determine who will go to Linxian to study.