He was a sturdy adult man in coarse hemp clothes, hard at work. With a clang, he tossed down a crate of salted fish from his shoulder and happily came forward to greet them.
Wang Shouzhe steadied himself and recognized him as Wang Shouyi, the second eldest of the Shou Generation. He immediately cupped his hands with a smile. "Second Brother, why are you dressed like this? You're actually doing the labor yourself?"
Wang Shouyi gave a helpless, honest laugh. "Who knows what madness Sixth Uncle has come down with? He actually had people send over all the salted fish stored in the Dingpu warehouse and ordered me to sell it off quickly. The shop hands can't handle it all at once, so here I am unloading the goods."
As he spoke, he pointed at the several cargo carriages queued up behind him, nearly blocking the entire road.
Uh... hehe.
Naturally, Wang Shouzhe knew the reason. With his suggestions and plans, the Fishing Brigade's catch this year would absolutely explode. If they did not clear out the stockpiled salted fish soon, once the massive later catch hit the market, the old salted fish would rot in their hands.
"Wang Zhong, Wang Yong, help unload the goods," Wang Shouzhe said with a wave of his hand.
"Yes, Patriarch." The two family retainers immediately set down their bundles and went to help. One was at the Fourth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, the other at the Fifth Layer; their strength and physique surpassed those of ordinary people many times over.
With Wang Shouyi himself at the Fifth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, the three Profound Warriors worked together, and the unloading speed shot up by leaps and bounds.
Of course, Wang Shouzhe was already at the upper stage of the Sixth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm. If he joined in, they would move even faster. But how could the dignified head of a clan go around carrying salted fish? Would that not damage the family's prestige if word got out?
In less than half an hour, all the fish from the carriages had been moved into the warehouse, and the road was clear again.
Afterward, the cleaned-up Wang Shouyi had originally intended to entertain Wang Shouzhe in the rear courtyard. Wang Shouzhe declined, and they instead found a spot inside the fish stall to drink tea and chat.
"Fourth Brother, our fish stall mainly sells salted fish and smoked dried fish, fresh fish, and live fish." Wang Shouyi personally poured the tea as he spoke. "Most salted fish and other dried goods are purchased in bulk by traveling merchants, then sold toward the northwest."
"Fresh fish is sold, firstly, to the vendors in Changning Guard City. They come to our fish stall every day before dawn to collect their goods. Secondly, we supply fresh fish and live fish to several restaurants in the city. We handle deliveries for that portion, but the prices are slightly higher."
"Then there are the aristocratic families and wealthy merchant households. They also have a considerable daily demand for fresh fish and live fish. Thus, from before dawn until late morning is the busiest time for our fish stall every day."
In just a few words, Wang Shouzhe understood how the Wang Clan Fish Stall operated. Its main purpose was to sell the Fishing Brigade's catch at the highest possible prices. Altogether, it only brought the clan a net income of a little over two hundred Qian Gold each year.
Precisely because the net profit was not particularly high, the clan had assigned Wang Shouyi of the seventh generation to manage it.
Wang Shouyi's aptitude was not especially good, merely low-grade Ding. As a result, the family resources he had enjoyed from childhood to adulthood were nowhere near comparable to Wang Dingyue's or Wang Shouzhe's. At thirty-three, he had only just reached the early stage of the Fifth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm.
Fortunately, Wang Shouyi had a steady temperament and could endure hardship. He held no resentment whatsoever over the clan's allocation of resources. Instead, he diligently took on one of the family businesses and contributed to the clan.
"Second Brother, you've worked hard all these years." Wang Shouzhe solemnly cupped his hands.
"What are you saying, Fourth Brother?" Wang Shouyi hurriedly rose and returned the salute. "As a direct-bloodline member of the Wang Clan, managing the family's assets is my duty. What hardship is there to speak of? So long as you can one day break through to the Spirit Platform Realm, all of us Wang clansmen will surely live good lives."
The Spirit Platform Realm! The Spirit Platform Realm!
Wang Shouzhe sighed inwardly. Right now, every clansman had placed all their hopes upon him. It was precisely that hope that made them labor tirelessly without complaint.
"Rest assured, Second Brother. Our Wang Clan will only grow better and better." Wang Shouzhe smiled confidently. "By the way, I heard that Nephew Zongsheng has quite good aptitude, around low-grade Bing?"
At the mention of Zongsheng, joy appeared on Wang Shouyi's honest face. He scratched his head and said, "That boy's not bad. He's better than his father. Looks like my bloodline is pretty good after all."
"Hehe, Second Brother, that's because Second Sister-in-law has good bloodline." Wang Shouzhe teased with a smile. "I know that when Second Sister-in-law was still unmarried in the Jinsha Xu Clan, she was a famous beauty. Quite a few families went to propose marriage. Yet who would have thought you would fight your way out of the encirclement and win her heart in the end?"
"You still remember that, Fourth Brother? You were only a child then, weren't you?" Wang Shouyi grinned. "Your Second Sister-in-law didn't like those flashy young masters. She took a liking to your Second Brother's honesty and dependability. Being able to marry her was the greatest victory of my entire life. By the way, Fourth Brother, you're eighteen this year, right? When are you planning to bring that Liu Clan young lady home?"
The Liu Clan young lady?
Wang Shouzhe froze. Had Wang Shouyi not brought it up, he would have forgotten that he already had a marriage engagement with the Liu Clan's eldest legitimate daughter.
Logically speaking, the now-declining Wang Clan should have found it difficult to reach the Liu Clan's direct line. The relationship between the two sides had only been maintained through occasional marriages between their branch lines. It had already been more than a hundred years since the direct lines of the Wang Clan and Liu Clan last intermarried.
Back then, a legitimate daughter of the Liu Clan had married Wang Yuyou, the second son of Ancestor Zhouxuan, while Ancestor Zhouxuan's second daughter, Wang Zhuwei, had married into the Liu Clan's direct line.
It was worth mentioning that Great-Aunt Ancestor Zhuwei had borne two sons and a daughter in the Liu Clan. Of the Liu Clan's two living Spirit Platform Realm ancestors, one was Great-Aunt Ancestor Zhuwei's son, while the other was her grandson.
It was precisely because of this that the Shanyin Liu Clan had always retained a measure of old affection for the Wang Clan.
Yet the Liu Clan's most formidable figure was not those two Spirit Platform Realm ancestors, but Great-Aunt Ancestor Zhuwei's daughter, Liu Xuanfu.
Back then, Liu Xuanfu of the Liu Clan and Wang Longyan of the Wang Clan were not only cousins, but also rare daughters favored by heaven. Both were admitted to the Purple Mansion Academy, shocking the entire Changning Guard region.
They were known as the Changning Twin Beauties, their fame surpassing that of the Spirit Platform ancestors of ordinary families. Moreover, both had developed quite well within the Purple Mansion Academy, with vast futures stretching before them.
Unfortunately.
After the Wang Clan suffered a great calamity, Ancestor Longyan had no choice but to give up her status as an elite Academy disciple and return to the clan. In the end, she was left gravely wounded, with her lifespan greatly reduced. She had not left Changning since.
Liu Xuanfu, meanwhile, had continued developing within the Purple Mansion Academy, and her current circumstances were unclear. Yet seeing the Shanyin Liu Clan grow ever stronger, one could infer that Liu Xuanfu must have been progressing smoothly within the Purple Mansion Academy.
Thus, Wang Shouzhe's marriage engagement to the Liu Clan's legitimate daughter had been personally proposed by Ancestor Longyan. It was also the final safeguard she had prepared for the clan.
Perhaps Ancestor Longyan had paid some unknown price. Perhaps the Liu Clan still remembered their old ties. In any case, the engagement had been settled just like that.
"Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, what are you thinking about?" Wang Shouyi said with a grin. "Don't tell me you're thinking about that wife you haven't yet married—Miss Liu Ruolan, the Liu Clan's eldest daughter?"
"Hehe, Second Brother, let's think more about how to strengthen the clan instead." Wang Shouzhe changed the subject. "If Sixth Uncle's Fishing Brigade doubles its annual output over previous years, can your fish stall handle it?"
"What, double?" Wang Shouyi's face lit up as he cried in a low voice, "Fourth Brother, is the clan willing to expand the fishing fleet? This is a good thing that benefits the family! If it truly happens, I guarantee I won't hold us back."
"What about triple?" Wang Shouzhe said with a smile.
"Hiss—" Wang Shouyi sucked in a cold breath. "Fourth Brother, don't toy with your Second Brother."
Just as Wang Shouzhe was about to explain, a sinister laugh suddenly came from outside. "Second Wang of the Wang family, is Wang Shouyi here? I'm Ding Youde, the second manager of the Fortune Gambling House. Your nephew owes our gambling house money. When are you planning to repay it?"
Fortune Gambling House? Gambling debt? Nephew?
As Wang Shouyi's expression changed dramatically, the smile on Wang Shouzhe's face also froze, and his gaze sharpened.
Before you continue