Defines an expression and explains its metaphorical meaning.
My daughter brought home a few silkworms, which wriggled on the mulberry leaves like a colony of ants. Since there are no mulberry trees in the city, she buys mulberry leaves from the school gate every day, washes them, and keeps them in the refrigerator. From then on, my life, besides reading, writing, raising my daughter, and caring for my cats, also included the joy of tending to these silkworms.
The little silkworms grow incredibly fast, changing noticeably every day. Within a few days, they grow half an inch long and turn grayish-white. As soon as mulberry leaves are scattered, they swarm toward the food, lifting their heads and devouring the leaves edge by edge. The term 'silkworm eating' is indeed an incredibly accurate description of their voracious appetite.
As they eat, they continuously excrete green, granular droppings. I once heard that some people use these to fill pillows, claiming it helps clear heat and improve vision, though I am unsure what elegant name Chinese medicine gives this practice. As the silkworms grow, they eventually become as thick as my finger, and their backs begin to look translucent. Finding a corner in the box, they sway their heads and begin to spin silk.
I remember hearing as a child that silkworms spin silk into whatever shape they are resting upon. When on a cardboard surface, they weave a thin, paper-like layer, which people in my hometown used to sandwich patterns or shoe designs between, ensuring they remained untouched by insects. Others placed them in inkstones, where the silk, being soft and absorbent, served well for scholars to moisten their brushes. Mr. Sun Li once described it this way in his writings.
女儿买回了几条蚕，在一片片桑叶上蠢蠢蠕动，宛如蚁群。城里没有桑树，女儿便每日从校门口买来桑叶，洗净后存放在冰箱里。自那以后，我的生活除了读书、写作文、养女儿和养猫，便又多了一项“养蚕”的乐趣。
小蚕长得极快，一日一个模样。短短几天便长到了半寸，身躯呈现出灰白色。撒上新桑叶，它们便如潮水般涌向食物，昂起头，沿着桑叶的边缘一缕一缕地大吞大咽，“蚕食”一词用在此处，委实贴切到了极点。
蚕儿进食时，会不断排出绿色的颗粒状粪便。曾听闻有人将其用于填充枕头，说是能清火明目，不知中药里对此有何雅称。随着蚕儿渐渐长大，身躯终于有了我手指般粗细，背部开始变得透亮。它们在盒中寻觅一个角落，头颈摇摆，开始吐丝。
小时候听人说，蚕儿会在停留之处吐出特定形状的丝。若是在纸板上，它们会结成一层薄如绵纸的丝茧，家乡人常在其中夹入花样或鞋样，既美观又永不招虫。也有人将其放在砚台中，丝质柔软且吸水，便于文人润笔。孙犁先生在文章中也曾这样写道。