Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

The mulberry fields stretch for dozens of acres to the west of Zhiyun Village.

The season is perfect; it should be the time when mulberry leaves are at their most lush and tender. Yet, the mulberry fields before us appear sparse and withered.

"The man surnamed Zhang embezzled most of the money meant for fertilizer, and bought only inferior fertilizer. As a result, the mulberry trees' roots couldn't grow deep, and naturally, the leaves didn't grow well."

Granny Wang plucked a mulberry leaf.

"Look, the leaves are thin and yellow with curled edges. Silkworms that eat these leaves don't get enough nutrition and naturally become weak and sickly."

Liu Wenying squatted down to observe; the soil was compacted and infertile.

Granny Wang sighed, "Have you come up with a plan?"

We can't just let things drag on like this, otherwise there'll be no hope for silk reeling and weaving in the second half of the year.

"Destroying trees is easy, but growing them is difficult. The mulberry trees are declining, and it will take at least one or two years to recover. It's too late to fix them now."

"To solve the immediate problem, we have no choice but to buy fresh mulberry leaves from elsewhere and purchase a batch of high-quality silkworm eggs to feed them again. Although the cost is high, it will help to recover some of the losses."

Granny Wang nodded, "That's all we can do for now. Buying mulberry leaves and silkworm eggs is quite expensive, but fortunately the Duke's mansion has delegated the authority."

The two walked along the ridge of the field, discussing the details of buying mulberry leaves and silkworm eggs.

Before I knew it, I had come to an open space. There were only a few thatched huts in front of me, all alone, surrounded by a few crooked trees, which looked rather desolate.

Liu Wenying asked curiously, "What's that place for?"

"Those are the homes of several elderly people living alone in the neighborhood. Most of them lost their children at a young age or their spouses, leaving them all alone."

So they huddled together and built a few thatched huts, so that they could at least look after each other when they were sick.

"How do they live on a daily basis?" They are all elderly people living alone, so their lives must be very difficult and arduous.

Granny Wang said, "Kind-hearted people in the village and the surrounding area would send some of their harvested rice or leftover pickled vegetables to help out."

Liu Wenying thought for a moment, "There are some old cloths piling up in the storeroom. The patterns are outdated and they can't be sold. Leaving them there will only make them more susceptible to being eaten by insects."

"In a few days, we should take inventory and send it over to them for tailoring."

A smile appeared in Granny Wang's eyes.

"My lady is kind-hearted. Now that you are the head of the estate, you can make the decisions on these small matters."

As dusk settled, the two turned back.

At night, Liu Wenying coaxed Luoluo to sleep, but she herself tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She simply put on her clothes, got up, picked up a lamp, and went to the mulberry fields again.

The moonlight was cool and clear, illuminating the mulberry fields with a silvery white glow.

Liu Wenying walked for a long time, and further ahead was a thatched hut. The lights were off inside, so the old people must have been asleep.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly tripped over something, stumbled a few steps, and the lantern slipped from his hand and rolled to the ground.

Liu Wenying steadied herself and looked down, only to see a person lying motionless in the field.

Pick up the lantern and hold it close to illuminate the room.

He was an extremely robust man, dressed in coarse linen shorts, with bare arms. His exposed arms were as strong as cast iron, and his upper arms were almost as thick as her waist.

He must have intended to lean against a tree root by the field, but he fainted due to exhaustion and rolled into the field.

"Wake up, wake up, are you okay?"

Liu Wenying called out softly twice, but there was no response.

He parted the other person's black hair, revealing a face with distinct features.

His skin was a deep tan from years of sun exposure, with high brow bones and a straight nose.

Even when unconscious, his tightly pursed lips still held a wild and fierce air.

Liu Wenying checked his carotid artery; thankfully, it was still beating.

Then, after saying something offensive, Liu Wenying peeled off his shirt.

He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and his pectoral muscles were unusually full and firm. There was a fresh wound on his left chest, with the skin turned outward, the blood congealed into dark red, and the edges rough. It must have been caused by an animal claw.

Liu Wenying frowned and couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"Wounded like this, I don't know who this person is, not even treating their own injury, thinking they have skin of iron and thick flesh..."

Liu Wenying untied her belt and took out a silk handkerchief to tightly wrap his wound to prevent further infection.

After bandaging him up, she tried to take him back, but he wouldn't budge.

The man was pulled and injured by her dragging motion, and opened his eyes in pain before passing out again.

Liu Wenying was exhausted. This person was as heavy as a boulder. If she were to drag him forcibly, it might tear her wounds apart.

We can't just leave him here to fend for himself in this desolate wilderness.

Liu Wenying ran back to call for help.

The man woke up shortly after she left.

A sharp pain shot through his chest. He frowned and clutched his chest, but touched layers of cloth and froze.

The wound was tightly bandaged with clean strips of cloth and a silk handkerchief, and the hazy memories gradually returned.

Late at night, in the mulberry grove, the lanterns cast a dim yellow glow.

The woman in green bent down to treat his wounds; her appearance was hazy, like looking at the moon's reflection in water, indistinct.

But she must be extremely beautiful, like a fairy in a painting.

Lu Ye looked around. The mulberry grove was deserted, the moonlight was like water, and there was not a single person in sight.

He must have met a fairy...

Meanwhile, Liu Wenying ran back to wake up the sleepy-eyed Granny Wang.

When the two arrived, the field was deserted.

Granny Wang snapped awake, completely jolted awake. "Didn't they say someone fainted? Where is he? Could it be a ghost...?"

Liu Wenying didn't believe it, so she bent down to check and found bloodstains on the ground.

"It wasn't a ghost. My handkerchief is gone, and there are trampled marks on the grass. He must have left on his own..."

Granny Wang breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. He's probably just a villager from the surrounding area. The fact that he can walk means he's alright and his injuries aren't serious."

Liu Wenying thought about it and agreed, so she said nothing more.

After returning home, she didn't dwell on what happened that night. She did everything she could, and as for the other person being able to sober up and leave on their own, she figured it was probably nothing serious.

As the days went by, Liu Wenying spent every day in the silkworm house. The silkworm nurses went from initially being hesitant and observing to gradually becoming close to and trusting her.

They discovered that this young village head wasn't there to put on airs; he was genuinely willing to work alongside them.

With Liu Wenying taking the lead, the village gradually took on a new look, and the silkworms grew fatter and stronger day by day.

Early in the morning, Liu Wenying had just stepped out of the manor gate, wanting to go and take a look at the fields.

Then a woman dressed in red and green peeked out, looking around. She was about forty years old, with fair skin and bright, darting eyes.

Upon seeing Liu Wenying emerge, the woman immediately put on a smile and went to greet her.

"Is this the new head of Zhiyun Manor, Madam Liu?"

Liu Wenying paused, "It's me, and you are...?"

The woman warmly grasped her wrist.

"Oh, I've finally found you! I'm the most famous matchmaker in this whole area, you can just call me Golden Matchmaker! There's not a single eligible young man or woman around here that I don't know!"

Liu Wenying tried to withdraw her hand without showing any emotion, but to no avail. She could only smile and ask, "What brings you here?"

"Of course, I want to find a husband for Lady Liu. It's not easy for you to raise a child alone and manage such a large estate at such a young age."

"I feel most sorry for women like you, and I'm determined to find a home for every woman. Besides, you can rest assured of my matchmaking skills; no one who goes through my matchmaking process is unhappy!"

…………