The carriage traveled along the official road to the north. The advantage of Dahuai Village over Fushui Village was that the road was flat, and there was no need to cross mountains and valleys. Although it was a bit farther, the carriage was comfortable, with snacks and hot tea. By the time the sun was about to set, they had arrived at the Wei family's house.

Wei Jingnian went up and knocked on the door. The butler who came out to open the door was overjoyed when he saw him and exclaimed, "Young Master is back!"

As soon as Sun Miao'er entered the Wei family home, she was greeted by a rustic atmosphere. Unlike the merchants in Pingnan City, the Wei family lived in the countryside in their ancestral home, which had been renovated by several generations. Therefore, even the details revealed the owner's care.

Everything from the shape of the bonsai pruning to the placement of vases and porcelain is meticulously considered.

"Young Master, you must be tired after being away for so many days. Please sit down and have a cup of tea."

A young maidservant, about twelve or thirteen years old, walked towards us. She was clever and cute, especially her round eyes, with the black of her eyes taking up most of them. Her eyes curved when she smiled, which was very endearing.

Wei Jingnian took the teacup from the maid without even looking up, and said, "Qing Suo, why is it just one cup of tea? Can't you see? Your young master brought guests back. Haven't seen him for a few days, and his eyesight has deteriorated?"

Upon hearing the reprimand, the maid named Qing Suo's smile froze instantly, her eyes reddening, but she still turned around and went to pour tea.

Sun Miao'er secretly observed Wang Xueru's expression. Ever since the maid appeared, Wang Xueru's gaze had never left her, filled with wary hostility and a hint of disgust.

"Brother Jingnian, who is she?" Wang Xueru asked in a sweet voice, but her demeanor was graceful, and she sat down very naturally.

Wei Jingnian didn't understand the meaning behind her words, nor did he notice the subtle changes in her expression. He replied, "Qing Suo is a maid who has followed me since I was a child. She's good in every way, except that she's a little slow."

“I think so too.” Wang Xueru also smiled, and she understood.

Not long after, Wei Rongchang returned from the workshop. Upon hearing that his son had returned, he went straight into the front hall.

"father!"

Wei Jingnian immediately regained his serious expression, stood up straight, bowed his head, and was very respectful.

Wei Rongchang glanced around briefly to make out the guests in the house. "Hmm, you brought guests back without even telling me beforehand."

"Uncle Wei, things happened so suddenly that I didn't even have time to say hello. I brought this tea especially for you."

Wang Xueru covered for Wei Jingnian by handing over what she was holding.

"Xue Ru, you're too kind." Wei Rongchang nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before settling on Fu Yuchi.

Wang Xueru said, "Uncle Wei, to be honest, I came to Dahuai Village this time to see if any families still raise silkworms. I want to ask about something."

"Silkworm farming?" Wei Rongchang frowned. "What does Xue Ru want to know?"

"Silk reeling and cloth weaving." She didn't want to answer truthfully.

Wei Rongchang's face showed a slight surprise. "Silk reeling is not an easy task. What kind of material do you need? Let Jingnian take you to my family's warehouse and you can pick whatever you like."

"Uncle Wei, I want raw white yarn."

Wei Rongchang's expression changed. "White raw yarn? What do you need this for? Nowadays, very few people make white raw yarn. It's a weaving method that was passed down from the previous dynasty. It's been hundreds of years and is almost lost."

"Moreover, the weaving of white raw yarn is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the output is low, so it cannot be circulated in the market."

Sun Miao'er had guessed that this was the case; things that cannot be passed down are not necessarily bad, but may simply be unsuitable for the society at that time.

White cotton yarn is light and thin. Since the capital city is in the north, it is not hot all year round. The weather gets cool after August. Therefore, people in the capital city do not like to wear clothes made of white cotton yarn. Since it is not fashionable in the capital city, it is naturally not imitated in other places.

Usually, whatever is fashionable in the capital, the places below will follow suit and make slightly cheaper imitations. At the very least, they will use linen to make similar patterns and sell them to poorer families.

Sun Miao'er spoke up for Wang Xueru: "Master Wei, it's like this, we heard that many families in Dahuai Village make a living by reeling silk and weaving cloth, so we wanted to inquire whether any families still retain the craft of making raw silk yarn."

"As far as I know, these families are using the latest weaving techniques, and they use raw white yarn, which is scarce." Wei Rongchang said succinctly, hoping to dissuade them from their plans as soon as possible.

There are at least a hundred households in Dahuai Village. Are we supposed to ask them one by one?

Sun Miao'er smiled and replied, "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Master Wei."

Wei Rongchang's gaze then returned to Fu Yuchi. The young man's appearance and demeanor were truly striking as he stood in the front hall. "And who is this?"

Wei Jingnian introduced, "Father, this is Miss Sun's master, Mr. Fu."

Upon hearing this, Wei Rongchang didn't think much of it, took a sip of tea, and said, "After you've settled your guests, don't forget to pay your respects to your grandfather. He's been talking about you to me every day since we last met."

"knew."

Wei Jingnian outwardly agreed, but turned his back and revealed a helpless expression.

The thought of having to deal with a room full of women gave him a terrible headache.

"Xue Ru, how about this, let's go to the village for a walk later. I think we should ask the village elders for help with this kind of thing. According to what Master Wei just said, the younger generation certainly doesn't understand white silk yarn. If we can find a few long-lived people, maybe we can find a way."

Sun Miao'er actually had a backup plan. If she really couldn't find white raw yarn, she could use other materials instead, but it would probably be difficult to achieve the "rustling" effect.

Wei Jingnian tried to stop them, suggesting, "Xueru, Miss Sun, I need to see my grandfather first. It's getting late, so why don't we go tomorrow morning?"

Sun Miao'er turned to look at the sky outside. With the days getting shorter, it was almost dark at this hour. She said, "That's fine."

Before long, a steward led them to the side room.

"The Wei family's house is really big, much bigger than mine."

Wang Xueru wandered around for a while but couldn't reach the side room, so she couldn't help but sigh.

The Wei family's butler, standing at the front, said with a hint of smugness, "This is just the front yard. My master lives in the back yard, which is much bigger than this!"

Wang Xueru stared in surprise and then fell silent.

As Sun Miao'er walked, she had already memorized the route so she wouldn't have to bother others when coming and going. "Master, have you ever heard of white cotton yarn?"

She discovered that when she didn't need her master, he was practically nonexistent.

"I used to have a round fan in my house that was made of white cotton fabric," he said casually.

Sun Miao'er said reproachfully, "Then why didn't you say so sooner, Master?"

"You didn't ask me." Fu Yuchi shrugged. Not only did you not ask me, you also tried to sneak away. If I hadn't caught you red-handed, you probably would have run away again.

That's what he really thought.

Although he didn't say it, Sun Miao'er read all those words from his nonchalant expression.

Sun Miao'er forced a smile and said awkwardly, "Master, please tell me quickly what white raw yarn actually looks like?"