Chapter 2615: East Guangdong Eight Silkworms

Zhao Hening approached him. "How much for mulberry leaves?"

"Seven mace of silver per dan," Guan Zongbao replied.

She clicked her tongue. "Not cheap."

Seeing her hesitation, Guan Zongbao offered an alternative. "That's the market price, Sister. But if you're short on silver for turnover, you can take mulberry leaves on credit. Pay back after harvest, plus three percent interest."

Zhao Hening shook her head and stepped aside. Before long, other farmers arrived to negotiate with Guan Zongbao, each buying small quantities until his stock was depleted. The transactions took place in the trading room, where a public scale presided over all business. The scale master weighed goods after buyer and seller agreed on price, announcing the figures aloud for a clerk to calculate. This third-party confirmation ensured fair dealing. Upon completion, the clerk collected a small commission—the exact percentage varied from market to market.

With his mulberry leaves sold, Guan Zongbao had intended to visit Jiujiang Great Market and find Australian officials to inquire about divorce proceedings. But the strange behavior of Zhao Hening's group caught his attention.

Rural communities in ancient times were typically insular places. Though Jiujiang sat along a major thoroughfare with thriving commerce, the vast majority of villagers never ventured beyond twenty li of their birthplace in their entire lives. It remained an acquaintance society—people from villages within ten miles knew each other by sight, if not by name. Yet these faces before him were strangers, asking questions about the Mulberry Market without any apparent intention to buy.

They spoke Cantonese Mandarin well enough, but they were clearly not locals.

Before long, someone recognized Le Ziren. After two years as the resident police officer of Jiujiang Great Market, most locals who frequented the area had seen him at least once.

"Officer Le! What brings you down to the countryside for patrol today?"

"Ah, Old Liu. Catching thieves, patrolling, maintaining order—that's my duty. The Senate has shown me great trust. I dare not slack off." Le Ziren lowered his voice. "Have any strangers been through the village recently?"

"Rest assured, Officer. If any strangers come through, I'll report it right away." Old Liu glanced at the unfamiliar pair behind Le Ziren. "These two don't look familiar though. Relatives of yours?"

Le Ziren seized the opening. "Yes, distant relatives. My cousin and her husband are thinking of opening a shop in the Great Market. I had some free time today, so I'm showing them around, seeing if there are any business opportunities."

"Ah, Officer Le's relatives! No wonder they look so distinguished—truly a pair of Golden Boy and Jade Girl." Old Liu's face creased with an obsequious smile.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while longer, Old Liu departed. The moment he was out of earshot, Zhao Hening pinched Le Ziren's back. "Who's your cousin? And who's my husband?"

Her coquettish tone made Zhang Jiayu's expression remain carefully neutral even as his heart hammered in his chest.

Le Ziren hastily begged for mercy, whispering, "Miss Zhao, I'm innocent! Chief Li specifically instructed me to adapt to circumstances and not expose your identities. Country folk gossip terribly—they can't keep secrets. Anything that happens spreads through the whole village in half a day. I was just adjusting to circumstances!"

Zhao Hening rolled her eyes at him. In truth, she felt a small flutter of pleasure, but she crossed her arms and said, "Fine. I'm too tired to argue with you."

Guan Zongbao observed all of this quietly. Though Le Ziren and Zhao Hening had spoken softly, Old Liu's greeting had confirmed the man was the Great Market's resident police officer—that was why he'd looked familiar. The other two unfamiliar faces were likely officials from Guangzhou. And the leader was obviously this young woman who could command such deference from a police officer. People said the Australians employed many female officials; seeing it now, he knew the rumors were true.

He approached Zhao Hening. "Little Sister, I notice you keep asking questions but never buy any mulberry leaves. Are you looking to learn silkworm raising?"

Zhao Hening answered smoothly. "That's right. I heard Jiujiang is the heartland of sericulture—the silkworms, silk, and fabrics here are unmatched anywhere else. I came hoping to learn. Master the craft, and it's easier to find a good husband in the future."

Guan Zongbao's gaze flicked toward Le Ziren. "This gentleman looks familiar. Someone just called him Officer Le—I'm guessing he must be an official of the Great Market. Since you're his relative, why not come to my home? My mother is an expert in the silkworm industry. I'm sure she could answer your questions."

Zhao Hening glanced at Zhang Jiayu, seeking his opinion. He gave a slight nod. They weren't far from the Great Market, and before leaving, the Chief had issued Zhao Hening a hand cannon. With him and Le Ziren alongside her, the danger was minimal.

"Mom, I'm back!" Guan Zongbao set down his empty carrying pole and called into the house. "Look who I brought!"

Huang Shi had just finished feeding mulberry leaves to the silkworms. She emerged at the sound of his voice to find two men and one woman following her son. The young woman looked about fifteen or sixteen. Despite her simple attire, she was strikingly beautiful—whose family had the fortune to produce such a girl? Beside her stood a handsome young man with the bearing of a scholar. The other man provided sharp contrast: dark-skinned and lean, yet radiating an impression of power.

"Who are these guests?" Huang Shi asked, puzzled. Her son had said he was going to the Great Market—how had he returned so quickly?

"Mom, this is Officer Le from the Great Market. I met him at the Mulberry Market. His relative wants to learn silkworm raising, so I brought them home."

"Oh! Officer Le—please, sit down, sit!" Huang Shi grew flustered. She had never dealt with officials in her life. She hurried inside and retrieved two small stools, nearly all the furniture her home possessed.

Seeing there weren't enough seats, Le Ziren gave his to Zhao Hening and Zhang Jiayu, then settled himself on a medium-sized stone. Huang Shi looked embarrassed. "Forgive us, Officer. We don't have extra stools."

Guan Zongbao fetched a few pottery bowls from inside, scooped cold water from the vat, and set out some dried fruits on the small table outside. "Our home is humble—no tea to offer. If you're thirsty, please have some cold water."

Zhao Hening shook the marching canteen at her side. "Brother Guan, there's no need. We brought our own water."

Le Ziren spoke up. "Auntie, this cousin of mine wants to learn Jiujiang's method of silkworm raising."

Huang Shi smiled. "This young lady looks clever at first glance. My little tricks won't take long to learn."

Zhao Hening smiled back. "Auntie, where do you get your silkworm seeds?"

"All local seeds. Sister truly has a discerning eye—whether a silkworm crop succeeds or fails depends heavily on the seeds." Huang Shi warmed to the subject. "The silk from different places has its own strengths and weaknesses. Poshan raw silk has long threads. Fabrics woven from Longjiang silk are excellent. But Longjiang buys all its silkworm seeds from Jiujiang—that's why they can reel such fine threads. It's not a difference in the women's skill; it's the water colors."

"Water colors" meant the quality of silkworm seeds. Zhao Hening had considerable experience in this area, but she feigned ignorance. "Oh? Do you keep your own seeds?"

"Mostly not. We have specialized Seed Makers here who focus exclusively on producing silkworm seeds. Silkworm-raising households all buy from Store Families."

"Why not keep seeds yourself?"

Huang Shi assumed she had never raised silkworms before and explained patiently. "Little Sister doesn't know. Raising Silkworm Flower—that's what we call seeds—requires different conditions than raising silkworms. There are two types of seed keeping. First is upper crop seeds for the lower crop—these are the main silkworm seeds for the year. Second is Over-Year Seeds, kept for use the following year."

She continued, "For First Crop Silkworms, families often keep their own seeds. If relatives and friends know someone raised a good crop, they come to book seeds in advance—we call this 'Number Paper.' But for the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth crops, that's the domain of Store Families. The reason is that the water-bathing method is difficult, and selecting good seeds is even harder. You need to check whether the silkworms suffered any diseases before using them for seeds. If they had various illnesses, the next crop will likely turn out poorly. That's why we have specialists called Silkworm Masters."

Zhao Hening nodded inwardly. She knew the saying "East Guangdong Eight Silkworms." Within a single year, eight crops of silkworms could be raised here—yields far exceeding the Jiangnan region. Every year from March to September, spanning Pure Brightness to Frost Descent, six crops could be raised, called Regular Crops. The seventh crop, raised in September and October, was called the Cold Crop. Before the Regular Crops came a special crop raised specifically to produce seeds for the rest of the year, called the Silkworm Seed Crop.

From what Huang Shi described, First Crop Silkworms were generally raised from self-kept seeds rather than professionally produced ones. This suggested local sericulture's division of labor remained incomplete, with room for improved marketization.

"What's difficult about the water-bathing method?" Zhao Hening asked.

Huang Shi settled into her explanation. "My maiden family includes seed makers, so I understand a bit. After mother moths settle into the grid and lay eggs on silkworm paper, you place the paper in a seed-bathing wooden frame. The seed maker heats water, tests the temperature by hand, then pours it over the paper and covers the frame, moving it left and right—just like bathing. After repeating this three or four times, you hang the paper in a cool, ventilated place to dry slowly."

She went on, "After bathing, you inspect the seeds at Wei hour that same day. If the egg shells have turned light red, they're proper. Check again the second day—they should be shrimp-meat red. The inspection methods differ for each following day. By Chen hour on the eighth day, all the silkworm babies will have emerged."

Based on her experience, Zhao Hening recognized this as a high-temperature water bath method for screening silkworm seeds. In Jiangnan, they used a lime water bath instead. Such manual techniques relied heavily on the operator's experience, which was precisely why only professional seed makers could consistently produce quality seeds. They would seek out superior silkworm lines, discard diseased cocoons, and intentionally preserve excellent varieties for market. Households that kept seeds from their own silkworms risked uneven quality—one poor crop would affect the next, creating a cycle of declining yields.

"What's the difference between the two types of seed silkworms?" Zhao Hening asked.

"The first crop raises Big Silkworms, also called Big Crop Silkworms. They mature once a year. Small Silkworms mature every month—we call them Monthly Rotation Silkworms. For Over-Year Seeds, you keep Big Crop seeds in early summer and Monthly Rotation seeds in July. After collection, just hang them between the half-walls or seal them in dry bamboo tubes. No water bathing needed—they'll keep for a long time."

Zhao Hening nodded. This was the current silkworm seed combination used in Guangzhou Prefecture. "East Guangdong Eight Silkworms" didn't refer to a single variety maturing eight times per year, but rather a combination of varieties managed as an annual system. The "Yongjia Eight Silkworms" recorded in Qimin Yaoshu had been a variety combination comprising at least Ruanzhen Silkworm, Hanzhen Silkworm, and Zhe Silkworm. During the Jiajing period, locals adopted combinations of two to four silkworm types. Only in the Wanli period did the new standard combination of Big Crop and Monthly Rotation seeds become fixed.

(End of Chapter)