THE LORD'S LADY FROM THE EAST

George's ability to handle tasks was indeed impressive. Although Wei Wei didn't personally oversee the work, she learned from the male servants who went to help with accounting and payments that progress was going very well.

From the moment the first person delivered the collected manure to Wei Wei's fields and received the promised payment, the other serfs became highly motivated. Knowing that Wei Wei's demand was limited and that she might stop accepting manure if they were too late, everyone rushed to deliver theirs as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, just as George was nearing his collection limit, news spread from the castle that the earl also wanted them to collect these waste materials. The price offered was the same as Wei Wei's, and there was no limit to the amount they could deliver. This eased the urgency, but every household sent their children out to collect manure, and those who raised livestock cleaned out their pigsties, sheep pens, and cow sheds thoroughly, piling up all the waste to deliver once the earl gave the word.

The castle didn't keep them waiting long. Although Felix hadn't returned, his orders came through a letter, instructing the butler to appoint several stewards to handle the matter. George, having done such a good job for Wei Wei, was naturally chosen by the butler without Wei Wei even needing to recommend him. Despite dealing with piles of waste every day, George was full of enthusiasm.

While the entire estate was bustling with manure-related activities, Wei Wei received a report from Ward, the male servant, informing her that the first batch of fire manure was ready.

Wei Wei went to inspect it and found that it was indeed well-prepared. The fire manure was a mix of black-grey and dark red, with the latter being of higher quality, but both types were qualified.

Most of the wheat in Wei Wei's fields hadn't sprouted yet, so spreading the fire manure in the furrows beside the wheat seeds would provide nutrients for the germinating plants.

The first batch of fire manure was delivered to Wei Wei's fields. The serfs had no objections to spreading fire manure on the land. They were already familiar with using plant ash as fertilizer or for stopping bleeding.

The effects of the fire manure would only be visible after the seedlings emerged. Wei Wei instructed Ward to continue having the slaves produce fire manure. With their growing experience, the slaves made few mistakes in subsequent batches.

Meanwhile, the corn and sweet potatoes Wei Wei had planted in the garden began to sprout one after another.

Under normal circumstances, sweet potatoes would take at least ten to fifteen days to sprout in such weather. However, the system had guaranteed that the sweet potatoes Wei Wei planted would germinate quickly, so they began sprouting alongside the corn on the third day.

Wei Wei took the time to count the sprouts and found that fewer than ten seeds of each crop had failed to germinate, resulting in a germination rate of over 99%, perfectly in line with the system's guarantee.

[This batch of seeds has a near 100% germination rate, but the germination rate of their offspring will decrease, though it won't fall below 85%.]

[Of course, if you don't carefully select seeds for future planting, falling below this standard won't be my responsibility.]

Wei Wei understood. Although the system claimed these seeds wouldn't degrade, if she chose seeds from poorly performing plants, the yield would still decrease, and degeneration would occur.

"Miss Wei Wei!"

Just as Wei Wei was delightedly observing the scattered green sprouts, Penny came running over.

"What is it, Penny?"

"Miss, didn't you say you wanted to keep cats? A farmer just brought over a few."

Wei Wei had been startled by mice on her first night at the castle and had since developed an aversion to the elusive creatures. She had immediately wanted to get a cat, but Penny had mentioned that the stray cats she'd seen before couldn't be found. According to nearby farmers, they had likely been abandoned by their mother and starved to death, so the idea had been put on hold.

Now that someone had brought cats, Wei Wei was eager to see them.

The farmer had brought two kittens, both around two months old. It was unclear where he had found them, but they were fluffy and adorable. Upon closer inspection, Wei Wei thought they resembled the British Shorthair her friend had once owned, possibly ancestors of the breed.

Both kittens were pure black with golden eyes, a combination that was decidedly unpopular in Europe at the time. By the 15th century, black fur would become a standard feature associated with witches.

But now, the small, helpless, and adorable kittens in the basket melted Wei Wei's heart, and she couldn't resist the urge to cuddle them.

However, her rationality stopped her. Kittens from the wild could carry fleas and parasites.

Wei Wei gave the farmer, who was anxiously awaiting her reaction, two large copper coins as payment for the cats. The farmer happily took the money and left.

Wei Wei wanted to give the kittens a bath to clean them, but she remembered her cat-loving friend mentioning that even two-month-old kittens were fragile and prone to illness if bathed. In this era, without blow dryers, and with the chilly weather, bathing such small kittens was almost guaranteed to end badly.

Instead, she asked Qin to fetch a fine-toothed comb from her room to groom the kittens.

Qin and Penny thought this task should fall to them, but Wei Wei insisted that since these were her cats and she had the time, she should take care of them herself.

In the warm sunlight of the garden, with the two maids watching, Wei Wei tied on an apron, placed one kitten on her lap, and began combing its fur.

At first, the kitten struggled, but when Wei Wei scratched its chin, the naturally gentle kitten—much like a British Shorthair—calmed down and began purring contentedly.

The fine-toothed comb encountered some resistance as it worked through the slightly tangled fur. Wei Wei carefully applied a bit more pressure, ensuring she didn't hurt the kitten, and successfully smoothed out the fur.

A flea was dislodged in the process.

Wei Wei swiftly crushed it through the coarse linen cloth.

Encouraged, she combed the kitten from head to tail several times, making sure no fleas remained, before handing it to Penny to hold while she groomed the second kitten.

Wei Wei's grooming skills had been honed through practice with her friend's British Shorthair. While not expert-level, her technique was enough to keep the kittens calm and comfortable throughout the process, making them as docile as house cats.

After dealing with the fleas, the kittens were much less tense. Even the one in Penny's arms didn't struggle, allowing her to excitedly pet it.

Once the grooming was done, Wei Wei used a damp cloth to carefully clean the kittens' tear stains and faces, then cleaned the dirt from their ears.

She had considered trimming their nails but decided against it, as she was keeping the cats primarily to catch mice.

The cleaned-up kittens looked much more presentable, and even Qin, who had initially been indifferent to them, couldn't resist giving one a gentle pat.

Wei Wei went to the kitchen to fetch two wooden plates to serve as the kittens' food bowls and brought back some goat's milk, pouring it into the plates for the kittens to drink.

Having been hungry for a while, the kittens eagerly approached the plates and began lapping up the milk as soon as Wei Wei stepped back.

While they drank, Wei Wei asked Qin to find an old blanket to make a cat bed.

Qin returned after a while with a pure wool carpet.

Wei Wei glanced at it, noticing that it didn't look old at all, and gave Qin a puzzled look.

Qin pointed to a corner: "The butler gave it to me. He said it was stained and no longer usable."

Wei Wei finally spotted a tiny, almost imperceptible stain in one corner.

…

Well, at least it was just an ordinary wool carpet and not some expensive piece woven with gold and silver threads.

Since the butler was willing to part with it, Wei Wei decided to accept it without guilt.

She cut the carpet into a suitable size, creating a round cushion with raised edges and a sunken centre. Without cotton to stuff it, she used dried wheat straw as a filling. The advantage was that if the cushion got dirty, she could simply replace the straw.

The cat bed was sized to accommodate two adult British Shorthairs—Wei Wei's friend's cat had been as round and sturdy as an orange tabby.

As an added touch, Wei Wei had Qin help her make a scratching post by tying straw rope to a wooden board. She placed it in front of the kittens and taught them to scratch it, hoping they would learn to use it instead of damaging the furniture.

Otherwise, if they ever damaged any of the castle's precious items, the compensation alone could bankrupt her.

Better to keep a close eye on them.