Agnes looked at her granddaughter and spoke upon seeing her son had left the room. "You may continue."
"We have been too focussed on silkworms as our families foundation that we have missed a chance to expand our range in which we can trade." Ki sighed. "Although the mulberry tree we have grown for a long time was mainly for to feed the silkworms and improve their habitat there have been times when the previous heads notes briefly mentioned various trials and failed businesses. One former head had tried selling the mulberries but made very little profit so we only use this today as a small side business with other traders or restaurants. They missed the opportunity to use the mulberries as a product that officially comes from our land. A signature dish or beverage that would only come from our family could be used to promote the restaurants I spoke of before. Since the dishes won't cost a lot they can be targeted towards the general population so the restaurant does not need to be too big and can start off in the smaller cities then expand into the bigger ones once they are stable."
"What sort of products do you have in mind?" Agnes looked intrigued. 'I wonder what ideas she has, I know some of those notes which I had seen myself but the timing wasn't right for me to make any changes to the family business.'
"First for the mulberries I believe they can be used in pies, salads, jams, fruit drinks, wines and deserts. The other option was to use the tree leaves as it is stated that they are edible for humans and beneficial for the heart, lungs and skin. They can be eaten as they are, cooked or dried to be prepared for making tea but can only be consumed in moderation so they would have to be a specialty dish with certain rules upon purchasing it so to avoid future problems. We do not have to immediately sell the teas and deserts as this can be used later to open a tea pavilion in the larger cities as a test once we are stable with our other businesses." Ki shrugged thinking. 'Maybe I am getting too far ahead of myself for now but I have to show my grandmother I am committed and will not be satisfied with just one successful project but am able to see a bigger picture.'
'This is definitely way beyond a normal 7 year old girls capabilities, even myself at her age struggled to learn and put what I had learnt into action as well as she has described. Still I will need to see later the final products to be able to make a wise judgement.' Agnes nodded upon her granddaughters ideas but was a little suspicious in her heart, if anyone knew Ki's capabilities the most it would be her but her granddaughter seemed to have grown tremendously that it was somewhat shocking. 'Either she was hiding her real self or something must have happened to make her grow in such a way. If she had been hiding herself then why would she do so and why would she only reveal it now? If that isn't it then I just have to quietly watch to the side and support her so that she can smoothly grow up without too many difficulties.'
Agnes had already begun to pick up some telltale signs from Ki's habits which she had picked up from many others that worked for the family business.
There were quite a few who suffered from heavy stress and insomnia that Agnes knew who had a habit of pinching their fingers between the bridge of their nose. 'A feeling of loss of control often accompanies stress. Holding the bridge of the nose could also be an attempt to regain a feeling of control. It's can also be an attempt to block out information from the environment and go deep into one's own mind to deal with the overwhelming information. She may not have noticed that she is doing it but it has definitely become a habit of hers since the last time I had time to spend with her.'
The more she thought, the more Agnes began to worry about her granddaughter.
"Ahem.." Ki cleared her throat at seeing her grandmother had fell deep in thought. "Another idea for a signature dish would be to wrap grounded meat in the leaves when cooking, preferably chicken or lamb wrapped mulberry leaves. Although we focussed on the silkworm side of things for years I believe that our future stems from the mulberry tree, it's the source of the silkworms living and feeding environment but also full of potential to be used in different ways. There were also notes on one of the previous heads who used the mulberries to make pigments and paints for painting and writing, the branches or the wood from the tree can be used to make brushes, wooden practice swords or be used to craft ornaments and furniture. So there are many business opportunities we have not looked into." Ki who had finished her proposal began to lower her head, closed the eyes and a let out deep sigh.
'Indeed I was right, In fact her symptoms and habits seem to be more deeply ingrained than I had thought. So…' Agnes noticing her granddaughters mental exhaustion spoke in a gentle tone. "Little Ki, I am proud of what you have come up with but from now on can you leave all of this to the adults to handle? I don't know what has made you so stressed lately but no matter what it is your parents and I am always there for you. I promise I will do what I can to grant your requests so give me your plan and I will begin working on it but during the next few months I want you to do something for me."
'So she noticed… of course grandmother would notice a difference.' Ki shook her head helplessly. "What do you wish for me to do?"
"I hope you can take some time for yourself to enjoy life a little more and find a way to put your mind at peace. Most kids your age do not have to worry about the families affairs and grow up in ignorance, I have done my best to educate you from an early age so that you can one day inherit the family but I do not wish for you to bear the families weight this early on so leave the business matters to me and your dad while you focus on being a little more carefree during your younger years. Everything you have planned will be passed onto you when you reach the appropriate age so let me do the hard work and you can give some feedback at times." Agnes knew her granddaughter was thinking deeply about the future and her place within the family as the eldest daughter, no even her place in the big wide world so Agnes wished for Ki to be able to not be too burdened and not feel so pressured by her lack of control over everything around her. 'What she needs is her own peace of mind and quiet and gentle support from behind.'
Ki handed the plan to her grandmother before receiving a warm hug, she then left the room under her grandmothers worried face.
Agnes looked at the detailed report of her granddaughter and began to shed tears of grief. 'When most people learn about their own helplessness within this unpredictable world, they begin to act in different ways in order for them to cope with life. Most people would organise the things they have no control over and then work on the things they can do. However in more extreme cases I have personally seen a person giving up on life, no longer putting effort into their daily life including work, hobbies, health or socially. The other extreme was having an extreme desire to control the things that could not be controlled, taking extreme actions to the point that would damage oneself or others in order to gain a feeling of control or to not have the feeling of helplessness or weakness. I believe Ki should be going through the first one and also be leaning towards the third, so I hope this break can help to get her to take more care of herself.'
Agnes grew up with a high emotional intelligence which helped her greatly during her many years as a merchant family head, she was experienced at reading others emotions and thoughts from their body language and slightest facial expressions.
Upon reading her granddaughters report and reading her body language and habits she noticed many telltale signs of her desire for control bordering on the side of the need to control everything to the point that it may cause her granddaughter emotional and physical harm.
"I need to talk to Adam and Elizabeth to give their daughter more of their time, love and care. The child cannot go down such an extreme path." Agnes wiped the tears from her face. "There are far too many tyrannical people out in the world that can only suppress and hurt others for their need for control and far too many reckless fools out in the world who would end up causing harm to others or themselves because of their own lack of understanding of the world. At least little Ki has a good head on her shoulders and has been brought up well otherwise I would worry more about her future. My only hope is that she can grow up safely and happily."
In truth Agnes was not far from the truth, Ki did harm herself and others in her past life in order to accomplish her goals.
The extreme stress and desire for control after the loss of her family did keep her alive but at the same time separated her from others.
Although she did grow close to some individuals or clans she limited her involvement with others to the point of not passing a relationship of those with benefits
She kept a bigger distance from others and was especially cold in her treatment towards her subordinates.
This made it easier to not feel the grief of losing a loved one again but at the same time made it easier to use the lives of her subordinates for her plans.
While her beneficial relationships were based on promises, contracts and mutual trust based on each sides needs she looked at those people as trading partners while her subordinates were more like the pieces on the chessboard which she could move at will without an emotional attachment.