Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Old Ancestor’s Injury Recovers
Greatlyi
Translator: 549690339
Sixth Elder Wang Xiaohan was somewhat dubious, but ultimately respected Wang Shouzhe’s decision.
He is now the clan leader, the master of a distinguished household. Naturally, if he strongly opposed selling the immature five-hundred-year-old Nine-Leaf Spirit Ginseng, no one would dare sell it.
Subsequently, Wang Shouzhe showed concern for the remaining middle-grade Spirit Fields that were still six or seven points from maturity.
Those fields were also planted with Nine-Leaf Spirit Ginsengs which ranged from low to high quality. The worst one was only ten years old, while the best had astonishingly reached seventy years.
“Nine-Leaf Spirit Ginseng is not for sale to outsiders, we use it to slowly accumulate wealth for the family.” Wang Xiaohan explained, “Therefore, although these two mu of middle-grade Spirit Fields produce a lot of value, at least half of the profit is reinvested in increasing the cultivation of Nine-Leaf Spirit Ginseng.”
“Correct,” Wang Shouzhe nodded approvingly, “If a family wants to continue to prosper, it shouldn’t rely on short-term gains but rather long-term investments and returns. This way, the family’s foundation will gradually solidify. In good years, the family can take advantage of the opportunities to rise. In times of disaster or crisis, it can rely on its foundation to survive.”
Theoretically, these two mu of middle-grade Spirit Fields, which are operating independently and in secret beyond the clan’s property, violate the taboos of the Xuanwu family.
However, this isn’t a case of an individual secretly managing private property for one’s gain. Broadly speaking, it’s still part of the clan’s property. It contributes to accumulating the clan’s wealth and occasionally infuses new blood into the family.
Operating private properties for personal gain is one of the biggest taboos in the Xuanwu family. Such behavior will lead to discord within the family, endless internal strife, and eventually, the dissolution of the family.
If a clan member truly wants to develop their own business, they can leave the family after negotiating and agreeing on the terms, and start their own family elsewhere.
This is what’s called splitting the family.
At that point, it will be recorded as a branch of the Ping’an Wang family— a collateral bloodline.
For example, the Xu Clan of Jingsha is the collateral branch of the Changning Xu family. Although both are parts of the Xu family, they’ve been separate entities for more than a hundred years.
The Ping’an Wang family is also a collateral bloodline of the Longzuo Wang family. In the ancestral family records of the Longzuo Wang family, there will inevitably be records of the branch passed down by the old ancestor Zhou Xuan.
However, how many descendants there were, and who they were, these details wouldn’t be recorded. At most, some records would note any influential individuals.
But I digress.
After visiting the family’s secret wealth, Wang Shouzhe was buoyed. With these resources, he had much more confidence.
Wang Xiaohan then led Wang Shouzhe on a tour around Prosperous Farm. Their in-depth exploration significantly enhanced his understanding of the farm.
Having accomplished his goal, Wang Shouzhe dined and then set off back to his home with Seventh Elder Wang Shouye.
On the way, within the canopy boat,
Wang Shouzhe would pull out pen and paper from time to time, sometimes lost in thought, and sometimes jotting things down. Wang Shouye, on the other hand, was curious, “Fourth Brother, what are you writing?”
“System panel.”
“Oh.” Wang Shouye didn’t understand what a system panel was, but he admired his Fourth Brother even more, his respect and admiration for him growing even deeper.
Indeed, Wang Shouzhe would never give up on gradually establishing and updating his system panel.
The canopy boat sailed all the way back to their residence.
Wang Shouzhe gave Wang Shouye a few encouraging words, then let the little servant Wang Gui take him back. Only then did he himself head towards Long Yan Habitat with a bag of fresh melons.
When he arrived outside Long Yan Habitat, Wang Shouzhe found his niece Wang Licui peeking around. He immediately put on a stern face, “Missy, what are you doing sneaking around?”
“Alt? Fourth Uncle…”
Wang Licui was so scared she could barely stand and confessed honestly, “I, I am looking for Old Ancestor.”
“Nonsense.” Wang Shouzhe frowned and scolded, “Long Yan Habitat is a forbidden place. Without the Old Ancestor’s summons, how dare you randomly disturb Her meditation.”
“I, I…” Wang Licui was so scared she turned pale, her eyes watering, “Fourth, Fourth Uncle. I just wanted, wanted to ask the Old Ancestor for guidance, guidance on movement technique and fighting skills.”
“Movement technique and fighting skills?” Wang Shouzhe looked at her suspiciously, “Are you sure you’re not here to beg for food from the Old Ancestor?”
“Fourth, Fourth Uncle. How, how could you say such a thing about me.” Wang Licui was so offended her face was full of grievance. She weakly retorted, “You, you’re allowed to have ambitions? I, I also want to get stronger.”
Upon hearing this,
Wang Shouzhe softened his stern look somewhat, apologizing as he ruffled her hair, “So, my Lici does have ambitions. I misunderstood, sorry.”
Humph, I’m angry, I’m not talking to you.
Wang Licui turned her head away, pouting her lips, her eyes welling up with tears. She looked so pitiful, it goes without saying.
“By the way, I just made a trip to Prosperous Farm.” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, “Here are some freshly picked sweet melons. The weather has been good this year, and the melons are crisp and sweet. Do you want one?”
As he said this, he pulled out a bright green melon from the bag.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Wang Licui’s eyes lit up at once. She took the melon, wiped it, and started eating it with big bites. She was so satisfied that her eyes narrowed into slits, and she sang praises as she ate, “This melon is so sweet and delicious, thank you, Fourth Uncle.”
“Lici, it’s a good thing to be ambitious. However, the Old Ancestor isn’t in good health, so we should avoid bothering her as much as possible.” Wang Shouzhe said gratifyingly, “At your current level, my guidance is already enough. From tomorrow onwards, wait for me at my training ground at dawn. I will train with you. Eat it slowly, here, have another melon.”
Wang Licui found the first half of his speech acceptable, but the second half made her shudder. She was so frightened that she couldn’t eat her melon. While she instinctively took the next one, she said weakly: “Fourth, Fourth Uncle. Isn’t, isn’t dawn a little early?”
“It’s not early. Now that it’s summer, dawn breaks early.” Wang Shouzhe said, slightly frowning, “It’s the perfect time to practice fighting techniques and movement techniques. Are you finding it difficult?”
“I, I mean, is there a Profound Martial technique that does not require practice, one that allows me to become very powerful by just eating and drinking every day?” Wang Licui blinked curiously and asked, “Or, could Fourth Uncle ask Old Ancestor for me?”
Hehe!
Wang Shouzhe’s face began to twitch uncontrollably. So this was her ambition all along! He had been fooled!
Wang Shouzhe, Wang Shouzhe, you were too naive in the end.
Immediately, he silently snatched her melon and stuffed it back into the bag, then made his way toward Long Yan Habitat without looking back.
“Hey, Fourth Uncle, that’s my melon. How can you just steal it?” Wang Licui chased after him, “Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, the world is vast and everything’s possible, maybe the Profound Martial fighting technique does exist?”
Wang Shouzhe snorted coldly. Was she insinuating that he was narrowminded?
“Everyone come inside, stop making a ruckus outside.”
Just then, from within the Long Yan Habitat echoed a voice of the Old Ancestor.
Wang Shouzhe responded to the call and walked through the entrance. Wang Licui followed behind joyfully. Upon seeing the sour look on her Fourth Uncle’s face, she contracted slightly and said, “The Old Ancestor asked everyone to come inside.” She emphasized the word ‘everyone’ heavily.
“Hehe~ ” Wang Shouzhe gave her a stern look and walked in to pay his respects to the Old Ancestor.
At this time, the Old Ancestor had already moved to the pavilion, waiting for them.
“Shouzhe pays his respects to the Old Ancestor.” As Wang Shouzhe made his salutations, he noticed that the Old Ancestor’s vitality seemed exceptionally strong. Even the specks of white in her hair were shining, hinting at some invisible luster. Elated, he immediately said, “Congratulations on your excellent health, Old Ancestor.”
A sense of excitement filled his heart. The healthier the Old Ancestor was, the safer the Wang family would be, which meant that some of his worries could be put to rest.
“Licui pays her respects to the Old Ancestor, congratulations on your superb well-being.” Wang Licui also rushed up to pay her respects, repeating Wang Shouzhe’s congratulatory words verbatim. This caused Wang Shouzhe’s expressions to twitch uncontrollably.
However, the Old Ancestor seemed to enjoy her company. Being in good physical health must have put her in a fantastic mood as she gestured for Wang Licui to come closer, “You child, how come you haven’t come to see the Old Ancestor for some time?”
This scene startled Wang Shouzhe slightly. What spell did this girl cast on the Old Ancestor during the visit from the Hundred Islands Guard? It seemed as if the Old Ancestor was quite fond of her.
Then, Wang Licui began to hover around the Old Ancestor attentively, giving her neck and arm massages as she chatted, “Fourth Uncle said that Long Yan Habitat is a family forbidden zone and told Licui not to disturb the Old Ancestor’s cultivation without reason. Wuu~ Old Ancestor, Licui really missed you and couldn’t even eat properly. Look, I’ve even become thinner.”
Hehe.
Wang Shouzhe glared at her, this unruly girl, was she actually trying to drive a wedge between him and the Old Ancestor right in front of his eyes?
“It seems like you’ve indeed grown thinner.” The Old Ancestor glanced at her and spoke to Wang Shouzhe, “Shouzhe, if she wants to visit in the future, just let her come.”
Upon hearing these words, Wang Licui, hiding behind the Old Ancestor, revealed a smug expression towards Wang Shouzhe.
“Old Ancestor”, Wang Shouzhe said, “I was afraid she would be too noisy and disrupt your cultivation.”
“It doesn’t matter.” The Old Ancestor seemed to be in an expansive mood due to her improved health, “Licui is gentle and thoughtful. Her company might even contribute to my speedy recovery.”
Alright then.
Wang Shouzhe admitted that Wang Licui was pretty good at currying favor. He then said, “As long as the Old Ancestor approves. These fruits have been freshly picked from the farm, please give them a try.”
“You’ve worked hard, Fourth Uncle, but I can handle this.” Wang Licui rushed forward and took over the bag. After fervently washing two melons, she naturally took one for herself and offered the other to the Old Ancestor, “Dear Old Ancestor, please enjoy this melon. I’ve tasted it, and it’s incredibly crispy and sweet.”
Then she proceeded to munch on her melon happily.
Wang Shouzhe was truly impressed by his great-niece’s bare-faced audacity.
Seeing her enjoy the melon so much, the Old Ancestor turned slightly and took a few bites of her own, commenting, “This summer has seen less rainfall, so the melons are sweeter this year than in the past.”
Seeing the Old Ancestor in such high spirits, Wang Shouzhe felt reassured. The Old Ancestor, who had lately been healing herself, had been nourished well with Spirit Food, which had even caused her gaunt frame to fill out, and her vitality seemed to have finally returned, driving away her usual cold air.
Obviously, as her condition improved, she had started to feel hopeful about her own and the family’s future.
In essence, this symbolized the end of the Wang family’s fifty-year stint of bad luck. Now, it was time for some much-needed rise to power.
Wang Shouzhe instantly felt elated.
However, before moving forward, he had to take care of his great-niece Wang Licui’s future.
This child was ambitious, loved food, was full of enthusiasm and had a vivid imagination about life. Moreover, she knew how to win over elders’ hearts.
Such an excellent child.
It could not be more appropriate to assign her the task of accompanying the sixth elder to plant the Spirit Field.
Also, this child was fond of reading and was clever; they must not deny her new texts and classics just because of family’s poverty. Even though the Wang family was poor, they could not let their children’s education suffer.
Thinking about Wang Licui laboriously working in the fields during the day and studying diligently at night under lantern light, Wang Shouzhe couldn’t help but wear a satisfied smile.
In the end, the hope of the family’s uprising rested on these excelling younger generations.
As elders, they must guide and foster these youngsters at this crucial point of their growth.
Halfway through her third melon slice, Wang Licui felt something was not quite right, a chill running down her spine.