The woman who rushed in was the manager of the chicken farm in Gao Family Village.
She was one of the earliest beneficiaries of the women's liberation movement in the village. Back then, when Dao Xuan Tianzun had provided guidance on poultry raising, she seized the opportunity without hesitation. Starting from a handful of hens and a broken shed, she slowly built what she proudly called a "chicken farm."
Of course, the name was modest. The place also raised ducks and geese.
Year after year, under her careful management, the farm expanded. Coops multiplied. Incubators improved. Feed storage grew standardized. What had once been a humble yard was now a large-scale, well-organized operation that impressed even the male administrators.
Perhaps because of the difference in temperament between men and women, whenever a problem arose, she did not like reporting to San Shier or Tan Liwen. Instead, she preferred to speak directly with Gao Yiye.
And Gao Yiye always listened.
This time, she burst in like someone delivering wartime intelligence.
"There are mountains of feathers," she said dramatically. "Chicken feathers, duck feathers, goose feathers. They're piling up higher and higher. I have no idea what to do with them."
Gao Yiye blinked. "Ah? You too?"
She had just finished speaking with Mrs. San earlier that day.
"Even the small batch of feathers from Mrs. San's household can't be sold," Gao Yiye continued. "She just came to me complaining about it."
The chicken farm manager looked embarrassed. "My situation is worse. Much worse."
Feathers were a byproduct of prosperity. The more poultry they raised, the more waste they produced. What once had been a trivial matter had now become a logistical crisis.
Gao Yiye thought for a moment, then brightened. "It's fine. I've already discussed it with Mrs. San. We can make feather dusters and shuttlecocks. Sell them as handicrafts."
The manager coughed awkwardly. "Saintess… her household produces a small amount. That may work. But my farm…"
She raised both hands helplessly.
"There's simply too much. Making shuttlecocks won't even dent the pile."
That stopped Gao Yiye cold.
"Oh."
Silence fell between them.
Two capable women. Two leaders of industry. Completely defeated by feathers.
After a long pause, someone suggested, "Should we ask Tan Liwen?"
Another voice added, "Or the high school students. The smartest ones."
That idea lit up their faces.
Thirty-Two Middle School had already expanded into a high school department. The first batch of self-taught students had mastered the advanced curriculum. They became teachers themselves, passing knowledge onward.
Now, the intellectual ceiling of Gao Family Village had officially risen.
The smartest people were no longer middle schoolers.
They were high school students.
The women hurried over and cornered a top student in the high school section.
With the Saintess present, the boy stood ramrod straight.
After listening carefully, he pushed up his glasses and coughed lightly. "Saintess, I specialize in mathematics. This problem… falls outside my field."
They thanked him and went hunting for another.
The second top student listened, then gave an awkward smile. "Saintess, my major is mechanics."
Feathers, apparently, did not obey mechanical equations today.
They asked a third.
This one tilted his head and chuckled cheerfully. "I study history, geography, local customs, and cultural records. Regarding this matter… I do recall something."
Gao Yiye's eyes lit up. "Quickly. Tell us."
The student swayed slightly as he recited, as though delivering a lecture.
"Liu Xun of the Tang Dynasty, while serving as Sima of Guangzhou, recorded observations of Lingnan's products and customs in his book Lingbiao Luyi. It mentions that wealthy chieftains would select fine goose down, layer it between cloth, and sew it into quilts. When layered repeatedly, the warmth was no less than cotton-padded garments."
The three women stared blankly.
"What does that mean in normal speech?" the chicken farm manager asked.
"It means," the student translated patiently, "they stuffed goose down between layers of fabric to make quilts. Very warm."
Gao Yiye inhaled sharply. "So goose feathers can keep people warm?"
"Yes," the student nodded. "Goose down has excellent insulation. Duck down is slightly inferior but still good. Chicken feathers… less so."
He grinned mischievously. "You could make clothing. Compete with the Warm and Sleepy Textile Factory."
Gao Yiye hesitated. "Compete with Handsome Enough to Bubble's wool sweaters? That feels wrong."
The student laughed. "Competition is healthy. His wool sweaters grow more expensive every year. If someone challenges him, prices may fall. Then common people can afford warm clothing."
There was logic in that.
The three women exchanged looks.
"Let's try."
They rushed to the textile factory.
The general manager there was Chun Hong, once Gao Yiye's secretary, one of the four redeemed courtesans. She had transformed into a capable industrial leader.
After hearing the proposal, Chun Hong clapped her hands. "We'll experiment."
She ordered a skilled young artisan, a recognized Labor Model, to sew a hollow cotton garment. The chicken farm manager delivered sacks of goose feathers and down. They stuffed them inside.
Soon, a bulky prototype emerged.
A "down jacket."
They admired it with excitement.
Then Gao Yiye put it on.
Her smile faded.
"It's uncomfortable," she admitted. "The feathers shift around. The quills poke. And… it's not even that warm."
They had stuffed everything randomly. No structure. No layering. No distribution control. Inside, it was chaos.
The three women fell into awkward silence.
That evening.
Li Daoxuan finished scanning the world with Co-sensing, confirming that no emergencies required divine intervention. Satisfied, he focused on Gao Family Village while slurping his black chicken broth rice noodles.
He casually tapped the move view option, checking development progress.
Then he paused.
On the third-floor balcony of the fortress watchtower, four women sat surrounding a strange, bloated garment.
His interest rose immediately.
He activated focus.
"Oh dear, still not comfortable," Gao Yiye said, shaking the jacket. "The feathers move everywhere."
"It feels like it should be warm," the farm manager added, "but somehow it isn't."
Chun Hong frowned thoughtfully. "The quills poking through remain a problem. Perhaps thicker fabric?"
They were so absorbed in research that they did not notice the mass-produced statue of Dao Xuan Tianzun in Gao Yiye's room twitch.
With a pulse of Co-sensing, Li Daoxuan descended into the box.
The statue flexed its hands and feet and came alive.
The women were still arguing about fabric density when Li Daoxuan walked up beside them.
Only then did they sense someone standing there.
All four jumped.
"Ah! Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
"You startled us!"