Bai Jing's Scheme

Inside the main hall.

Bai Jing was playing with Xu Dezhao in her arms, while Yang Ronghua stood beside her.

Bai Fu stepped forward, craning his neck to look at Xu Dezhao.

Xu Dezhao, as if spotting something amusing, babbled and stretched out his chubby little arms, seemingly wanting the tobacco pipe in Bai Fu's hand.

"This isn't something you can play with," Bai Fu said with a chuckle, his eyes full of affection.

"Father, you're getting on in years. Smoke less," Bai Jing said.

"I know."

"Did something happen? Did that brat Bai Hua stir up trouble?"

Sensing something off, Bai Jing half-guessed.

"Not exactly, it's just—"

Bai Fu found it hard to speak.

His family's poor judgment and eagerness for quick gains had led to losses, and now he had to ask his daughter to make up for it—this truly embarrassed him, an honest man.

As for telling Xu Chuan, he had even less face for that.

"Father, why hold back with me? If there's trouble, just say it outright."

Yang Ronghua, sharp-witted, smiled and said, "Mother, I think Zhao'er is hungry. I'll take him back to nurse."

"Mm." Bai Jing nodded.

After she left, Bai En said, "You picked a good wife for Shitou."

"She wasn't my choice; Shitou picked her himself. Ronghua comes from a noble family, and the Yang Family's upbringing is excellent—they raised her outstandingly. Not like Xue Ji, who's been a wild girl since childhood, now training in martial arts all day like a boy."

"Xue Ji was taught by Sanshu. She won't be bad."

Bai Fu was silent for a moment before finally telling Bai Jing about the matter with Bai Fang's family.

"A Yuan never told me. This is the first I've heard of the Xu Family taking in people and land on a large scale. A hundred mu of farmland isn't a huge sum either."

Bai Jing said with a smile, "I still have some private savings. I'll cover this expense."

"Do you have that much money? No need to go through the Xu Family's accounts?"

"Going to Qingjiang County to buy things, having tea with those noble ladies—all of that requires spending, so I do have a sum of money. Besides, A Yuan sends me one or two hundred taels every couple of months."

"Right now, I probably have around seven or eight thousand taels left."

"A Yuan is truly a filial and good child."

Bai Fu's mouth twitched slightly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.

Different levels, different perspectives.

What the Bai and Zeng Families worried about was trivial in his daughter's eyes, and even less significant to the Xu Family.

"A Yuan manages all the Xu Family's assets. The money that passes through his hands for approval every day is incalculable," Bai Jing said as she stood up and walked toward her dressing table. "Father, wait for me a moment."

Bai Jing took a gold-lacquered red wooden box from the drawer, opened it, and withdrew two thousand taels, handing them to Bai Fu.

Bai Fu glanced at it and immediately tried to return part of it. "This is too much."

"Keep the rest. Let yourself and Mother live more comfortably. Consider it a token of your daughter's affection."

"Alright, then. And don't tell Sanshu about this."

Bai Jing chuckled softly at that. "Father, do you think my husband would look down on the Bai Family because of this? You're overthinking. My husband is still the same as before."

"By the way, Father, do you have any plans for the future?"

"Me? At my age, it's good enough to enjoy my remaining years in peace."

"And the Bai Family? My younger brother is the only son in our family. What will he do from now on?"

Bai Fu fell into thought, silent for a long time.

"How about this: once this matter is settled, talk to my brother. Let him do as the Chen Family did and attach himself to the Xu Family. With my help, the Bai Family can surely develop within one or two decades.

If the Bai Family's descendants receive training from the Xu Family, they might even produce a Martial Arts Expert, and perhaps an Innate Martial Artist in the future.

Even if I'm no longer around later, my brother is still Shitou and A Yuan's own uncle. They'll lend a hand.

Within three generations, as long as I'm here, the Bai Family will have no worries."

"Well then, I'll go back and ask your brother. After all, he's the one making the decisions. As for me, I don't have many days left to look forward to."

Bai Fu returned home.

After taking the land deed from the Zeng Family Son-in-Law, he divided the silver and gave it to him, and the couple took their leave.

"Father, I really can't stand the Zeng Family's attitude. When they want benefits, they shamelessly call me 'brother,' but when trouble comes, they're aggressive and pushy."

Bai Hua said, "By the way, this won't affect Sister, will it?"

"You don't need to worry about your sister."

Bai Fu thought for a moment and then told Bai Hua what Bai Jing had said.

"Merge into the Xu Family? Become an Affiliated Family of the Xu Family?" Bai Hua murmured under his breath.

"Don't look at the Chen Family running around for the Xu Family now—they're keeping their eyes on the future. A family like the Xu Family that can rise in a single generation is something Qingjiang County sees only once in several hundred years."

"Without the resources and nurturing of a great clan, producing a true genius is far too difficult."

"But if we ride the Xu Family's wind, perhaps my Bai Family could stand out decades from now and seize the opportunity to rise."

Bai Fu stopped there, leaving the rest unsaid.

Bai Hua listened, then thought it over seriously for a long moment before saying, "Alright. In a few days, I'll go to the Xu Family and bring this up."

If he hadn't encountered this once-in-a-century Great Drought, Bai Hua wouldn't have been willing in his heart.

But the current situation had made things clear to him.

Ordinary Common Folk families simply didn't have the ability to withstand natural disasters or man-made calamities.

Unless they also produced a great talent like the Xu Family—but whether that could be sustained was unknown.

Not to mention the entire Great Wei—just in Qingjiang County alone, countless families had risen and fallen.

Every hundred years, a batch was washed away.

Even Qingjiang's Top Clan, the Wu Family, had only close to two centuries of Foundation. Whether they would endure or decline in the next hundred years remained to be seen.

If the Chen Family didn't have their bond with Xu Chuan, the Xu Family probably wouldn't have accepted them as an Affiliated Family.

The same went for his Bai Family.

In the eyes of the great clans, they simply didn't qualify.

A few days later.

Bai Hua went to the Xu Family and brought up the matter with Xu Mingwei, who was quite surprised.

For the maternal family of Bai Jing, the Xu Family would naturally lend some support, but only to a measured extent.

"Uncle, I still need to ask my Father about this. I'll give you an answer tomorrow—how does that sound?"

"Fine. Do it the way you, Shitou, say."

During the day, aside from training, Xu Chuan would head to the Jade Cold Pond to tend to the Medicinal Herbs.

He only returned home when the Golden Crow set in the west.

Xu Mingwei told him about the matter.

"Out of nowhere, why would your uncle bring up becoming our Affiliated Family?"

"I asked around. This drought hit the Bai Family hard. A few months ago, they bought the hundred mu of farmland they'd been leasing, then rented another hundred mu. But when the Great Drought came, they were helpless."

"Mother paid that money for them and bought all the land. Maybe it was Mother's suggestion."

Xu Chuan pinched his short beard, pondered for a moment, then looked up with a light smile. "Your Mother's vision has broadened. She's starting to plan for her maternal family."

"Let's fulfill your Mother's wishes, then."

"Yes, Father."

Two days later, the Bai Family was also merged into the Xu Family.

Bai Hua's six-year-old youngest son was sent to the Dragon Elephant Martial Arts School, to be trained alongside the Xu Family's selected youths with good Bone Structure.

The Dragon Elephant Martial Arts School's training was divided into three tiers.

The first tier was naturally the Xu Family Direct Lineage, like Xu Mingxuan, who now consumed the secret medicinal diet developed by Xu Chuan.

The second tier was for the children of Guards and servants who had decent Bone Structure and a hope of reaching Xiantian—they used the Dragon Elephant Sect's secret medicinal diet.

The third tier was for the children of other families and wealthy merchants who paid Tuition Fees—they consumed the ordinary medicinal diet collected by the Xu Family.

Under the Great Drought, every major clan was only trying to avoid losses.

Only the Xu Family kept accumulating strength.

From now on, I'll switch to posting two chapters at noon for the convenience of Fellow Daoists reading. Also, I'm asking for votes, for investments, and for continued reading.