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Of course, Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui should not randomly get involved, or else they would bring not a boost to morale, but anxiety and unease among the household soldiers and servants.
The entire transportation route has already been initially established, so Wang Shouzhe no longer participates in it. Such a massive grain transport operation is not something that can be accomplished in a short time.
This is not some game world where you can complete the grain transport task with a few quick mouse clicks.
Moreover, as the head of his family, he should naturally focus on the big picture and not get bogged down in minor details. If he were to personally get involved in every matter from start to finish, what's the point of having clan members and household generals?
Even his aunt Gongsun Hui was called along with him. The last segment of the transportation line was fully entrusted to Wang Luotong to oversee, as the young women in the family should also take responsibility.
While chatting with Gongsun Hui, they strolled through the vast rear garden and into the backyard of the Wang Family's Main Residence, eventually making their way to the Young Clan Leader's courtyard where he grew up.
His close servant Wang Gui was overseeing two household servants in maintaining the courtyard. Upon seeing Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui, he immediately approached to pay his respects: "Greetings, Patriarch, Lady."
Wang Gui was an attendant to Wang Shouzhe, having a clear family background, originally being a descendant of a collateral branch of the Wang Family. Most importantly, he was a young man with a Lower Grade C talent among the collateral branch descendants.
Though he was just a servant, having served the Young Clan Leader from a young age, he was destined to become a trusted confidant to Wang Shouzhe. Once he married and established himself, producing offspring with notable talent could lead to being included in the family's Direct Vein sequence, with his name entering the clan genealogy.
"Wang Gui, make a pot of Shanyang Small Spirit Species tea for me and my aunt." Wang Shouzhe handed the spirit tea brought with him to Wang Gui.
"Spirit tea?" Wang Gui was slightly taken aback, having served Wang Shouzhe for ten years but had only seen spirit tea twice.
"Zhe'er, you mustn't. This spirit tea was given to you by your grandfather for your personal use," Gongsun Hui immediately refused, "These are crucial growth years for you, and you need to quickly reach the Eighth Layer, or even the Ninth Layer, of the Qi Refining Realm to match your clan leader status!"
"Aunt, please don't decline. Weren't you curious about the source of this batch of old grain? Let's drink some spirit tea, and I'll tell you slowly." Wang Shouzhe invited firmly and rebuked Wang Gui, "What are you standing there for? Go make the tea."
"Yes, yes." Wang Gui, suddenly spirited, quickly retreated.
With Wang Shouzhe so resolute, Gongsun Hui found it hard to refuse. They sat across each other at a square table in the side hall of the courtyard. Before long, Wang Gui brought over a pot of spirit tea and some nuts, fruits, and preserved snacks, before bowing and departing.
"Zhe'er, this courtyard no longer fits your status as a clan leader." Gongsun Hui looked around and said, "After I finish the mourning period in the main estate for a year, I'll move out to make room for you, making it convenient for you to marry Miss Liua."
"Aunt, there's no need for that." Wang Shouzhe laughed nonchalantly, pouring each of them a cup of tea, "This courtyard is quite good, and I'm used to living here. You and sister Luomiao just stay comfortably and don't worry about moving."
"How can that be considered unnecessary trouble? You are now the head of the family and should live in the main residence." Gongsun Hui said, "Furthermore, while you might be accustomed to it here, Miss Liua might not be. Once she enters the Wang Family, I'll have to hand over this account and finance management to her, as per the noble family rules."
Wang Shouzhe shook his head and said: "When Miss Liua marries into the family, she is your daughter-in-law; how can she overstep her bounds like that? Let's not talk about this now; aunt, have some tea first. Let me slowly recount the gains of this trip; there are many things I need to discuss with you."
To Wang Shouzhe, Aunt Gongsun Hui was mature and composed, and due to her status, her prestige in the family was extremely high. Even the prestige of several clan elders couldn't compare to hers.
If merely constant cultivation could rejuvenate the family, he wouldn't mind doing so. However, his vision and goals already far surpassed what those elders and family members could match. As a young clan leader, if he wanted to make substantial improvements in the family, he was bound to encounter resistance from the conservatives.
And Aunt Gongsun Hui should be his most formidable and steadfast ally. After all, she was the legitimate daughter of the Shanyang Gongsun Family!
Gongsun Hui took a sip of spirit tea, her eyes filled with curiosity as the legitimate son of the family, since taking charge, had become increasingly sophisticated, to the extent that even she couldn't comprehend many of his methods.
Pausing for a moment, Wang Shouzhe eloquently recounted how he managed to acquire substantial funds and grain from Qiaan's Trading Company. Of course, he concealed his secret alliance with Qiaan Xue'an.
Gongsun Hui's mouth gradually opened wide, and her eyes widened. This, this was simply unbelievable and audacious. By relying on some foresight about the insect disaster outbreak, he decisively acted and manipulated the Qiaan Family as if playing with them.
Such an operation was beyond Gongsun Hui's wildest imagination. Moreover, it gave her quite a scare, as Shouzhe had staked the family reputation on securing 4,200 Qian Gold! If his prediction failed, he could have become the first squanderer in the Ping'an Wang Family's history!
Even though this matter had succeeded, Gongsun Hui's mind was still agitated and unsettled. Bold, truly bold!
"Aunt, please don't blame Zhe'er for not consulting you beforehand. This matter had a fleeting opportunity and couldn't afford the family to deliberate slowly," Wang Shouzhe calmly said while sipping tea, "These funds can be injected into the family accounts, but to the internal elders, we should announce that the funds were borrowed from the Shanyang Gongsun Family and the Yingxiu Lua Family. This is to avoid the old gentlemen from being unable to comprehend the news and causing trouble."
"I understand," Gongsun Hui replied, drinking two cups of spirit tea to steady her mind and dispel chaotic thoughts. She finally realized why her legitimate son wanted her to drink tea and receive the news. The impact of the news was too significant for fear she might not handle it well.
With her mind settled, Gongsun Hui slowly said, "Zhe'er, inviting me to drink spirit tea isn't just for sharing news, right?"
"Haha, Aunt, your insight is impeccable; it's hard to hide my little thoughts from you." Wang Shouzhe chuckled, "I just see some flaws in the family's system, especially in the sequence ranking which is merely based on bloodline, talent, and gender. There's a lack of competitive mechanisms and an over-reliance on free-range nurturing for the younger generation, among other issues."
Gongsun Hui furrowed her brows and said, "You're referring to that child, Zongwei, aren't you? I've heard his story, and he's been brought back by Shouyi's men. When Shouxin heard about it, he was furious and rushed back from the Silkworm Manor, almost breaking Wang Zongwei's legs. I heard he's still locked in the woodshed."
"What do you think about this, Aunt?" Wang Shouzhe asked casually while sipping spirit tea.
After some contemplation, Gongsun Hui pondered, "That child indeed behaved inappropriately. As the clan leader and elder, it's right for you to discipline him. It's also acceptable to temporarily revoke his cultivation resources as punishment. However, you must consider the face of Second Elder and Uncle Dingchuan, and your brother Shouxin, who all have been working hard for the family throughout their lives. You can't forever transfer his due resources to Luotong, can you?"
"Aunt, see, this is exactly why I invited you for tea." Wang Shouzhe smiled confidently, "As you think this way, so will others, right?"
"Are you really going to permanently strip Wang Zongwei of his resources?" Gongsun Hui exclaimed, "Wouldn't that antagonize your brother Shouxin's line?"
"It's not about permanently stripping him. But for him to reclaim his share, nobody, including myself, can decide that." Wang Shouzhe stated calmly.
Gongsun Hui was puzzled, "Even you can't decide? Then who can?"
As he was about to reply, a middle-aged woman's voice came from outside: "Fourth Uncle, is Fourth Uncle Shouzhe at home?"
Gongsun Hui's face subtly changed: "That's Zongwei's mother from the Xu Family. She's a proud and difficult woman to deal with. Shouzhe, you must handle this carefully."
Wang Shouzhe confidently smiled, "Aunt, you're joking. Xu Family is my sister-in-law, so we're all family. There's no need to talk about dealing with anything."
Immediately, he personally went to open the door, a refreshing spring-like smile on his face as he cupped his hands, "Sister-in-law, if you were coming to visit in person, you should have informed me in advance so I could welcome you."
Such a smooth, adaptable demeanor even left Gongsun Hui a bit surprised. This legitimate son of hers is truly remarkable. Not only was her brother Gongsun Qiang far inferior to him, even her late husband Wang Dingyue couldn't compare.
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