At that time, the master gave a lot of money, and because he said that he only needed to do it until the end of autumn, in fact, it did not delay them from planting shiitake mushrooms, and many people wanted to go.

Later, the other party only chose one person in the village, and that was Zhang Erlang.

Zhang Wuqi was still thinking about it, only to hear the surrounding clansmen respond one after another, and they all said that they remembered it.

Zhang Erlang said again: "I was hired by them, and I did it for a year, so that I knew what the master's family was doing when he bought this mountain!" ”

"Isn't it insect farming?" Someone asked, "What worms?" Isn't it silkworm breeding? I didn't plant any mulberry trees! ”

Zhang Erlang didn't answer, only lifted the oiled paper on the top of the branches in his hand.

There was a "boom" of discussion when he landed down.

"What is this?"

"Like silk?"

"How can there be such a thing as silk? Human silk is spit silk, winding into a silkworm chrysalis to make a circle, one by one yellow, white, yellow and white balls, where like this. You haven't seen it anymore, like an old man who has never been out of the village! ”

"Isn't it spider silk? This spider web is too dense! ”

"It's kind of like it, it's like a flower."

"It's a bit like a flower, but it's not a flower, you see there's also on that branch."

Zhang Wuqi looked at the branch in Zhang Erlang's hand for a long time, and only felt that it really looked like a flower and like spider silk.

The branches were full of silver-white filaments, and the filaments wrapped the leaves, branches, and even a small section of the trunk at the bottom, so tightly that it was impossible to make out what it was.

Zhang Erlang stuck the branch in his hand on the ground, and said: "The head of the family bought those two mountains to raise this kind of insect." As he spoke, he pulled down a small grain from a leaf, held it in his hand, and motioned for the person below, "They call it an ash worm, which means white candle." ”

For a while, people gathered around, trying to take a closer look at what this "ash worm" was.

"It's a little familiar......"

"Didn't we have this insect on the mountain next to us, it seems to grow on the privet tree, and I have seen some white silk growing on the tree in summer and autumn, so I can look at it once, but the tree on the mountain will be gone in two days."

Zhang Erlang has continued: "This insect is divided into male and female, the male has wings, and he can give birth to this white silk, and the white silk is almost long, cut off the branches, and collect the white silk on the top, and boil it with water, and this thing will come out." ”

As he spoke, he took out a small handkerchief from his sleeve and carefully uncovered it—there was still a veil in it!

Zhang Erlang's action simply whetted everyone's appetite.

Zhang Afu couldn't help but say to Zhang Wuqi next to him: "Be so careful, isn't it gold?" Could it be that the worm will produce gold?

Zhang Wuqi will also be skeptical.

He also went to the next mountain to chop wood and catch rabbits to find pheasants, and naturally he also saw those insects, a small one, lying on the privet tree, when it was dense, when it was less, it looked strange and disgusting.

Zhang Erlang opened three handkerchiefs in a row, and the things inside were revealed, which was a white thing.

Zhang Wuqi worked as a part-time worker in a grocery store in Ganzhou City, and he had seen a lot of things, but he only felt that this square was a bit similar to gypsum.

"Is it plaster?"

He blurted out.

Because he was far away, Zhang Erlang didn't hear him speak, but looked down to himself: "This is the candle lit by the rich man's house." ”

Zhang Wuqi was stunned.

He had seen candles, but he didn't recognize them for a while, because the ones he had seen in the past were all one by one, with a wick in the middle, which was a little far from the shape of this wax block.

The crowd was quiet for a while, and then there was a commotion again.

Zhang Erlang handed the handkerchief to a person next to him and let everyone take turns to look at it.

The thing was very close to Zhang Wuqi's hand, he looked at it for a while, and then reached out to touch it.

Zhang Afu hurriedly said: "Don't touch it, what if it melts?" ”

Zhang Wuqi shook his head and said: "The candle won't melt, it's just that the candles I saw in the past were all yellow, I heard that it was beeswax, why this candle is white, I don't know if it can't help but burn." ”

He still wanted to take a closer look, and someone next to you was already anxiously taking the handkerchief.

Everyone quickly took turns to pass around.

Someone couldn't wait to shout: "Erlang, how many insects can produce a piece of wax from this thing?" How many times a year can a bug produce silk? This wax can't help but burn? The money for candles in the city is expensive, can we keep them? ”

Zhang Wuqi also involuntarily held his breath and looked at Zhang Erlang who was standing on a high place.

Unlike the people next to him, he had sold goods in the shop, so he naturally knew where the price of the candle was.

This small piece in his hand, if he is divided and melted, can be sold for two dollars.

I don't know how much wax a worm can grow, whether it is good or not, and how many times a year it can spit silk.

Today's wax is beeswax, which is expensive to die, and the purchase costs more than 200 yuan, and the price is around 300 yuan.

If the village can make wax......

Thinking of this, Zhang Wuqi's heart beat hard.

It's all money!

It's not copper, it's silver!

Looking at the insect at this time, Zhang Wuqi didn't feel disgusting at all.

He just wanted to give the worm up.

For a while, he actually felt that Sister Chun, who was the most clever in the village next door, was not as good as this ugly and infiltrating insect!

Zhang Erlang stood on the top and answered everyone's questions one by one, saying: "This is the first year of raising, raising two mountains, groping for it, and more than 2,000 catties of wax ......"

The people on the side still didn't think that Zhang Wuqi had already gasped after a conversion in his heart.

He couldn't help but say: "A candle is less than half a tael, and it can be sold for at least two hundred ......."

Zhang Wuqi's voice was not loud or small, but at this time, no one in the audience spoke, just waiting for Zhang Erlang to continue to go down, and many people heard it.

One person passed the other, and soon, the field began to be chaotic.

"Half a tael can be sold for 200 wen, how much is 2,000 catties?"

"Don't think too well, I heard that the owner's family has hired a lot of people to take care of it, and I don't know how much one person can raise...... Erlang, how many people are taking care of you? ”

"Erlang, is this insect the same as the one on our mountain? Can we raise it?! ”

"Do the others know but you? Are there the rest of the people who are still employed in the mountains, and will they go back and raise them? ”

"Whether they can raise or not, each eats according to his ability, and sees who is fast! Whoever raises it early will make quick money. ”

"Let's eat the first prize, just like when we sold shiitake mushrooms, which one is fast, which one eats meat, which one is slow, and which one eats!"

"Let's ask Erlang first to ask if that worm is the kind on our mountain, if not, can you buy some from that place."

"You can't buy it, it's you, you sell it? This is a tree of fortune, and it must be eager to harvest it, so don't let others know about it! ”