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

"Let's take them out and dry them first. Once they're dry, we'll see how they turn out!" Jiang Qi said to everyone.

The villagers hurriedly scooped the silkworms out of the vat and let them dry in the sun.

By evening, the silkworm silk had dried completely and was stored back in the warehouse.

Jiang Qi picked up a handful of processed silk, rubbed it repeatedly with his fingers, and concluded, "Although the silk's stiffness hasn't changed much, the color has indeed turned whiter, and it looks more lustrous. This kind of silk shouldn't have any trouble selling!"

The villagers were overjoyed upon hearing this, as if they could already see the glittering silver ingots right before their eyes.

Seeing that this method was feasible, the village head immediately ordered the villagers to prepare more wood ash and process all the silk in the warehouse.

Another seven days and seven nights passed, and by the time all the silkworm silk had been processed, it was already mid-May.

Lanxiang and her daughter Shen Man once again brought silkworm silk to the Zhu Family Trading Company.

This time, they not only met Manager Liu at the Zhu Family Trading Company, but also met an unexpected person, Geng Qingsong, the eldest son of the Geng family.

When Geng Qingsong saw Lanxiang and Shen Man, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

Originally, Shen Man and her daughter wanted to wait for Manager Liu and Geng Qingsong to finish their conversation before going in, but unexpectedly, Manager Liu warmly invited them into the house.

"This is Master Geng, you've all met him before, haven't you? He's no stranger here, please come in and have a seat!"

Lanxiang and Shenman walked into the room somewhat reservedly, and Manager Liu greeted them with a smile and invited them to sit down.

Geng Qingsong spoke first: "I didn't expect to meet you again so soon. I'm truly sorry about what happened last time..."

Shen Man smiled and said, "We understand your difficulties, Mr. Geng. There's no need to take it to heart. Let bygones be bygones!"

"Haha, we're all acquaintances, and we'll run into each other often in business in the future. It's best if we can understand each other. By the way, young master, did you come to see me today still about the silkworms?"

When Geng Qingsong, who was sitting to the side, heard Manager Liu mention the word "silk," he immediately sat up straight and listened carefully to what the two were saying, afraid that he might miss some important information.

"Yes, Manager Liu, we brought it to you last time, but you said the color was too dark. After we went back, we tried to fix it. Do you think it meets your requirements now?" Shen Man replied with a smile.

"Oh, let me see it quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Lanxiang took out the silk she had brought and handed it to Steward Liu.

Manager Liu took the silk and examined it carefully. He touched the silk, feeling its texture, then unfolded it to observe its color. After a moment, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"The silk this time is much brighter in color and feels softer and more delicate. You've really gone to great lengths, boss."

Upon hearing Manager Liu's words, Geng Qingsong's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a faint look of worry.

He never expected that this seemingly ordinary mother and daughter would be so capable. In just a few months, they had mastered the skills of processing silkworm cocoons and even learned how to bleach tussah silk.

If they actually succeed in making this deal, wouldn't our family suddenly have a powerful and formidable competitor?

His mind raced, trying to come up with ways to sabotage the deal.

Shen Man was delighted. "I'm glad Manager Liu is satisfied. I wonder if this batch of silk meets your bank's procurement standards?"

Manager Liu nodded. "Indeed, the quality of this silk is quite good. I will report to my master and arrange the purchase as soon as possible. However, my master went to the prefectural city these past two days and we don't know when he will return. How about we leave the silk with me for now, and once he returns and sets a price, we can arrange for someone to come and collect the goods?"

“No problem!” Shen Man thought that the silk sample was only a pound or two, and since she was familiar with Manager Liu, it wouldn’t hurt to leave it here, so she readily agreed.

"Alright, I still have some matters to discuss with Master Geng, so I won't see you off!"

When Lanxiang and her daughter heard Steward Liu say this, they knew that he meant to see them out.

The mother and daughter quickly got up to say goodbye.

As they left the Zhu Family Trading Company, Lanxiang breathed a long sigh of relief and said to Shen Man, "Man'er, this time there shouldn't be any more problems, right?"

"I hope so," Shen Man prayed. This transaction was too important for them; they absolutely could not afford any mistakes.

However, unbeknownst to them, a conspiracy was quietly brewing behind their backs.

After Shen Man and Lan Xiang left the Zhu Family Trading Company, the smile on Geng Qingsong's face immediately disappeared, replaced by a sinister look.

He quickly pulled out a hundred-tael silver note from his sleeve and pushed it in front of Steward Liu.

“Manager Liu, we’ve been business partners for many years. You should understand what I mean, right? The silk these mother and daughter brought is of much lower quality than the silk we have…”

Manager Liu accepted the silver notes with a smile, a glint of greed in his eyes: "Haha, Master Geng, rest assured, leave this to me. These silkworms won't even reach my master!"

Geng Qingsong sneered, "Hmph, they're still too green to try and steal food from my Geng family!"

Steward Liu quickly nodded in agreement: "Master Geng is right. Within a radius of a hundred miles, everyone knows that the silk produced by the Geng family is the best."

Geng Qingsong nodded in satisfaction: "Yes, I'll leave this matter to Steward Liu."

Manager Liu readily agreed.

Meanwhile, Lanxiang and her daughter returned home and happily told the villagers that the Zhu family's business was willing to buy their silk. Everyone was overjoyed and eagerly awaited the Zhu family's visit every day.

However, as the days went by, they still hadn't received any news of the other party sending someone to collect the silk.

Lanxiang and her daughter gradually felt uneasy and decided to go to the Zhu family's business again to inquire about the situation.

They arrived at the Zhu Family Trading Company and quickly found Manager Liu.

Manager Liu looked at the mother and daughter, his eyes gleaming, and said, "Young master, I've already shown your silk to my master, and he thinks the quality is still a bit lacking, so he doesn't agree to buy it. You know, I'm just a manager, I can't make that decision..."

"How could this happen? We clearly agreed on this before!" Lanxiang said anxiously.

"Sigh, I'm at my wit's end... Why don't you try looking for other buyers?" Manager Liu said, spreading his hands with a troubled expression.

Lanxiang bit her lip, her heart filled with disappointment and resentment.

She knew that if they couldn't find other buyers, all the silk they had painstakingly reeled would be wasted.

"Manager Liu, is Master Zhu home today? Let's go and talk to him in person," Shen Man said.

Manager Liu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Unfortunately, the master is out meeting with friends today and is not at home."