Wang Shouzhe had come today with a purpose, yet he remained unhurried and composed. He casually chatted with Wang Xiaozhi about strange tales and curiosities. When he mentioned how he and Sixth Uncle Wang Dinghai had happened to catch a 150-pound Red-Scaled Eel the previous night, Wang Xiaozhi excitedly slapped his thigh. "That little brat Dinghai might not catch one in two years. This time, he must have basked in your good fortune."
Though the Red-Scaled Eel was inferior to the Red-Tailed Spirit Mandarin Fish, it was still a great tonic and ranked among Spirit Food.
Spirit Food was excellent for swiftly replenishing a Profound Warrior's vital blood, a necessity for every Profound Warrior's survival. Even an old man like Wang Xiaozhi, whose cultivation had stagnated after passing seventy and was even gradually declining, needed to replenish himself with Spirit Food from time to time.
Otherwise, insufficient vital blood would hasten the body's decline and the dissipation of cultivation.
The younger generation needed Spirit Food even more to replenish their vital blood, allowing them to grow faster and better.
As the two chatted and laughed, less than half an hour passed before the cook and the two younger sisters laid out several rustic dishes: fresh chicken, duck, fish, and goose, along with a large stone basin of red-braised pork.
"Shouzhe, you rarely come by. Fourth Grand-Uncle has nothing special to entertain you with." Wang Xiaozhi ran into the bedroom and soon emerged carrying an ancient-looking wine jug. Smiling broadly, he said, "Try this fine wine I've treasured for a long time. Drink as much as you can from this jug. If you can't finish it, take it home."
Just as he finished speaking.
A dark-skinned young man covered from head to toe in mud walked in. In a hearty voice, he said, "Grandfather, you're playing favorites. I usually beg for a sip of your White Jade Spirit Wine, and you refuse. Yet the moment Fourth Brother arrives today, you bring out the entire jug."
"You little brat, what are you worth? How can you compare with Shouzhe?" The moment Wang Xiaozhi saw the young man, he laughed and scolded him. "You really do know how to time your return for mealtime. Hurry up and wash yourself. You can have a cup."
"Third Brother." Wang Shouzhe smiled and cupped his hands. He knew this was Wang Shounuo, third in rank among the Wang Clan's seventh-generation Shou Generation.
"Fourth Brother." Wang Shounuo hurriedly returned the salute with great solemnity, then smiled. "I'll wash up first. I'll be back shortly to keep Fourth Brother company." With that, he swiftly excused himself.
By the time the bowls, chopsticks, wine cups, and the rest had been placed on the table, Wang Shounuo had already washed up at lightning speed. He dropped into the seat below Wang Shouzhe, sniffed the aroma of the dishes, and stared greedily at the jug of White Jade Spirit Rice Wine. "Today, I'm benefiting from Fourth Brother's presence. It's been a long time since us brothers last shared a meal. Later, I'll toast you a few more cups."
"Third Brother has worked hard enough for the clan. It should be me toasting you a few cups later." Wang Shouzhe smiled.
"Tong'er, hurry and pour wine for your Fourth Brother." Wang Xiaozhi was in excellent spirits, his dark face glowing with vigor as he gave the order casually.
"Yes, Grandfather." Wang Luotong picked up the wine jug and filled the cups of Wang Shouzhe, Wang Xiaozhi, and then Wang Shounuo in turn.
The wine was pure white in color and gave off a clear, mellow fragrance. Just one sniff made one feel invigorated.
Just as the two girls, Wang Luotong and Wang Luojing, were preparing to return to the small table in the kitchen to eat, Wang Shouzhe spoke first. "Fourth Grand-Uncle, I'm not an outsider. Let Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister sit down and eat with us."
Wang Xiaozhi was stunned for a moment, but he did not wish to deny Wang Shouzhe face. He smiled and said, "Since your Fourth Brother has spoken, then eat together."
"Thank you, Grandfather. Thank you, Fourth Brother." Wang Luotong and Wang Luojing obediently took seats at the very bottom of the table.
After that, naturally, came another round of cups raised and exchanged.
The two girls obediently ate in silence, occasionally pouring more wine.
"Fine wine." After half a cup went down, Wang Shouzhe could already feel his lower abdomen beginning to burn. The vital blood within his body surged endlessly, and his energy gradually flourished.
This White Jade Spirit Rice Wine was brewed from White Jade Spirit Rice supplemented with many precious medicinal herbs. Its effects in replenishing qi and nourishing blood far surpassed ordinary Spirit Food.
Its price, however, was equally "touching." A jug of White Jade Spirit Rice Wine weighing several pounds could easily cost several Qian Gold. Even Wang Shouzhe could only indulge in it on rare occasions.
Moreover, Spirit Wine could only serve as supplementary Spirit Food and should only be drunk occasionally. Once one became addicted, spending every day drunk and muddleheaded would be no good.
At this moment, little Wang Luojing, who had been quietly eating, kept glancing at the wine jug from time to time. She pursed her lips, looking as though she were craving a taste.
"Luotong can have half a cup. Luojing is too young, so she can only have the bottom of a cup." Wang Shouzhe picked up the wine jug and poured some for each of his two younger sisters.
"Thank you, Fourth Brother." Both girls thanked him delightedly. Clearly, they had long coveted Spirit Wine as well.
At that moment, Wang Xiaozhi's cheek twitched, as though his heart ached over it. He muttered in a low voice, "Shouzhe, isn't it a waste to give Spirit Wine to two little girls?"
Wang Shouzhe's eyelids twitched as well. This Fourth Grand-Uncle's preference for sons over daughters truly was not hidden in the slightest.
"Fourth Grand-Uncle, our own children are all the same." Wang Shouzhe smiled.
"Not the same, not the same. Girls will have to marry sooner or later." Wang Xiaozhi continued grumbling in distress. "Shouzhe, you're at the crucial juncture of breaking through to the Seventh Layer of the Qi Refining Realm. You should drink more. Shounuo, take fewer sips too. Leave more for Shouzhe."
Wang Shounuo hurriedly put down his wine cup in embarrassment and gave a foolish chuckle.
In the eyes of an elder like Wang Xiaozhi, Wang Shouzhe was the Clan Leader of the direct line, the clan's hope and future pillar. His status was far above even that of his own grandson, Wang Shounuo, let alone his two "money-losing" granddaughters.
Fortunately, his granddaughters and grandson were all accustomed to it. The meal remained fairly harmonious from beginning to end. Yet under Wang Xiaozhi's "guidance," more than half the jug of Spirit Wine was ultimately left behind, along with more than half a cleaned and trimmed pork cut, all to be sent to Wang Shouzhe's courtyard for him alone to enjoy later.
Wang Shouzhe could only feel rather helpless about Wang Xiaozhi's blatant "favoritism," and could only let him have his way for the moment.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Wang Shouzhe finally suggested, "Fourth Grand-Uncle, my main purpose in coming to Fenggu Farm this time is to properly study agriculture with you."
"Agriculture?" Wang Xiaozhi frowned deeply. "Shouzhe, you are the Clan Leader. The most urgent matter before you is to cultivate diligently and advance to the Spirit Platform Realm as soon as possible. Do not let miscellaneous matters such as agriculture distract you. Fourth Grand-Uncle and your Third Brother will handle it well."
Wang Shouzhe had naturally come to learn more about Fenggu Farm. If possible, he also wanted to use modern ways of thinking to develop it and see whether there were methods to expand the estate's productivity.
However, after dealing with Wang Xiaozhi for the first time, he found that while the old man's loyalty to the clan was beyond question, his age had ultimately hardened his thinking.
He was not like Sixth Uncle Wang Dinghai, who obeyed every word. If Wang Shouzhe casually put forward a few ideas, he feared it might provoke him. He immediately changed tack. "Fourth Grand-Uncle, you misunderstand. As the Clan Leader, I should at least know a little about the clan's industries. How about this? I'll trouble Third Brother to show me around and let me take in the pastoral scenery."
"You... Fine, fine. Let Shounuo accompany you for half a day. The wheat has entered its grain-filling stage recently, and there are countless chores in the fields. Fourth Grand-Uncle won't accompany you." As he spoke, Wang Xiaozhi grabbed his farm tools and hurried off to the fields.
Heh heh~
Though he was already the Clan Leader, these clan elders still treated him as a child. More than anything, they hoped he could make use of his talent to cultivate to the Spirit Platform Realm.
It was as though they wanted to treat him, their Clan Leader, as a lucky mascot.
Actually, if he could live a peaceful and carefree life, Wang Shouzhe would have been more than happy to be a lucky mascot and a freeloader. Unfortunately, the Wang Clan's people were not capable enough. Over just a few decades, the clan's power had steadily withered away. If things continued like this, it would not be long before the Ping'an Wang Clan was devoured clean, bones and all, and vanished completely into the long river of history.
While the Wang Clan still had some foundation left, it had to rise swiftly, even if only to possess the most basic ability to protect itself.
"Fourth Brother, I'll show you around. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me anytime." Wang Shounuo rose and cupped his hands. He was exceedingly polite to Wang Shouzhe, even somewhat reverent.
First, Wang Shouzhe was the Clan Leader of the direct line. Second, his personal strength far exceeded Wang Shounuo's.
"I'll be troubling Third Brother." Wang Shouzhe returned the salute politely.
"We're coming too." Wang Luotong and Wang Luojing eagerly trotted after them. Behind them followed the servant Wang Gui, carrying Wang Shouzhe's sword, bow, and arrows. Further behind came four fully armed family guards.
The brothers and sisters strolled leisurely through the farm. It was early summer now, and the weather had grown somewhat hot. The warm wind, mixed with moisture, blew against their faces, making the air feel slightly thick and sticky.
"Our Fenggu Farm was an estate personally established by Ancestor Zhouxuan a hundred years ago." Wang Shounuo looked rather proud as he said, "Back then, Ancestor organized the dredging and opening of tributary waterways, cleared silt and filled earth, reinforced the riverbanks, and built water-control gates upstream on the Fenggu tributary, creating the initial form of Fenggu Farm. After that, clan members continuously reclaimed and tended the wasteland, turning this half-dry, half-wet Wild Marsh into fertile fields. Through the painstaking management of generation after generation, we now have 3,567 mu of superior farmland and two hundred tenant households!"
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