Chapter 174 - Chapter 174: Chapter 169 Master Mo's Attitude Changed 1

Chapter 174: Chapter 169 Master Mo’s Attitude Changed 1

Translator: 549690339 |

In the face of interest, everything else is insubstantial.

In the eyes of the Young Master of the Yan Family, Master Mo Sang’s strength surpassed both Qin Niu and Shi Doudan, so naturally, Master Mo Sang took precedence.

After leaving the Yan Family, Steward Yan Qi personally escorted Qin Niu to the fields to show him the way.

“These 180 acres of mulberry fields are of utmost importance, for their leaves are sweet and tender, making them severely susceptible to locust infestations. If the locusts consume all the leaves, the silkworms we are raising will starve to death, and we will be unable to fulfill our orders. Then we will face substantial compensation fees. Please, Master Qin, prioritize pest control for these mulberry fields.”

Weaving has always been one of many important industries for large landlords.

It’s much more profitable than growing food crops.

The climate of Jade Stream Town is conducive to sericulture, and the Yan Family was one of the early adopters in the industry.

It’s said that the Yan Family’s initial capital came from silkworm breeding and weaving, earning their first pot of gold before gradually expanding their business to the scale it is today.

In recent years, with the rise of sericulture and weaving in many places, the profits have started to decline.

Having noticed the market trends, the Yan Family has consciously reduced the number of mulberry fields. At their peak, at least half of their land was used for mulberry planting.

Now, it has been reduced to 180 acres, not even half of what it used to be.

That’s why the Yan Family has started expanding their tea plantations in recent years; they want to diversify into multiple industries to make the family’s economy more stable and more resilient to risks.

Even so, the weaving industry remains the Yan Family’s largest economic venture.

If these mulberry leaves are devoured by locusts, the Yan Family’s weaving industry will immediately suffer the most severe blow in history.

The young silkworms will quickly starve to death, and the half-grown silkworms will cocoon and transform into moths rapidly due to the lack of food.

The quality of these cocoons is very poor, and the silk they produce will be substandard goods.

Moreover, the yield will greatly decrease.

Normally, a high-quality cocoon weighs about 3 grams with smooth, thick, and lustrous silk.

But the cocoons spun by the half-grown silkworms are purely for survival and reproduction. The cocoons might weigh less than 1 gram, with silk that’s dull yellow and breaks easily upon pulling, which is very poor quality.

And the impact goes far beyond that.

The quantity of silkworm eggs produced will also significantly reduce, and the silkworm hatchlings, due to poor prenatal nutrition, will lead to a decline in the species’ quality.

That is to say, if the Yan Family fails to protect these 180 acres of mulberry trees, their weaving industry will struggle to rebound for at least two years.

“Steward Qi, you can go back and rest! I’ll take care of things here. It would be best if you could prepare some gauze or fishing nets. I can’t eliminate all the locusts in the mulberry fields at once; it will need to be done over several days. Set up the fishing nets at the edge of the cleared fields to prevent other locusts from migrating over.”

After sending Steward Yan Qi away, Qin Niu set his termites to work.

They moved swiftly, especially those Grade Three soldier ants and worker ants —they were incredibly strong.

As their master, he found himself with little to do.

Once the moon rose into the sky, he simply sat down in the field to practice the Everlasting Spring Technique.

By dawn the next day, Qin Niu checked the termites’ overnight achievements, having eradicated the locusts in twenty-three acres of mulberry fields.

They worked even harder than bees.

As the Termite Army continued to grow and with more Grade Three termites, their work efficiency exponentially increased.

For pest control in one acre of land, he received seventy wen as pay.

For twenty-three acres, that made one tael and six coins of silver money.

Earning half a year’s income for an ordinary person after a night’s work, being an Insect Master really wasn’t bad.