Protect Our Clan Leader

“Wang Zhong, Wang Yong, both of you have done well.” Wang Shouzhe was quite pleased with the performance of these two heads of household—both their combative strength and their administrative capabilities were commendable.

Immediately, he awarded each of them 10 Qian Gold.

Overjoyed, the two heads of household knelt down in gratitude, “Thank you, Family Head, for your generous reward.”

During this period, accompanying the Family Head and performing various tasks had indeed made them quite a fortune, and their hearts were filled with vigour and enthusiasm.

They were the top commanders among the heads of the household, and the support they received each year was far from meagre. The yearly sustenance just for their clothing and food was about 2 Qian Gold, and they would also receive cultivation resources worth 20 Qian Gold, as well as an additional annual stipend of 12 Qian Gold.

Compared to the common folk, their earnings were considered exceptionally high.

Hence, when Wang Shouzhe bestowed 10 Qian Gold, it was indeed a substantial reward. Particularly for Wang Zhong, who had, a few days ago, taken the role of bait to catch the rogue disciple of the Yinsha Sect with a magnificent end, was rewarded with an additional 20 Qian Gold, indeed making a small fortune.

‘¹ Keep working hard, and also keep cultivating diligently,’¹ Wang Shouzhe encouraged them before retreating to his cabin to rest.

Being generous with them was also meant to promote and support them. Although the heads of households were supported well, the resources they were provided with were not as much as those of the current generation of the family. Both were in their thirties, and it was not easy for them to cultivate to Level Four or Level Five of the Qi Refinement Realm.

Afterward, they journeyed without exchanging many words.

Upon reaching the Fenggu Sluice, they traveled to the main house by a small boat on the inland river. The round trip was quite smooth and took about ten days…

Inside the awning boat…

Wang Shouzhe saw the tremendous change in the Fenggu Farm. Thousands of acres of wheat had been harvested, and the threshing floor was full of shelled wheat, resembling small hillocks.

It was a bumper harvest.

The busy tenant farmers had satisfied smiles on their faces. This harvest year would notably ease their lives.

Most farms in this world operated on the tenant farmer’s fixed rent sharing pattern. The larger the grain yield, the more the tenants earned. Apart from their portion of grain for their families, the remaining grain could be exchanged for Copper Coins to save.

Once enough money had been saved, they could send their children to learn a craft at the Town Academy. Once the children had mastered the craft and could support themselves, they could start their own families.

If more money was saved, they could purchase ten to twenty acres of good farmland. Then, with a house built by the farmland, they would be independent farmers.

However, to transition from a tenant farmer family to an independent farmer family was not an easy task. It usually required the effort and diligent saving of one or even two generations.

In this world, there were quite a few tenant farmer families who gradually became independent farmers. At the same time, there were independent farmer families whose fortunes had declined, and they ended up as tenant farmers in various farms. These situations, like the ebb and flow of the tide and the waxing and waning of the moon, were all regular occurrences.

By the same token, in this world, there were also abundant Profound Martial prominent families that had declined and ultimately collapsed, and there were likewise rising, increasingly powerful Profound Martial prominent families.

In the eyes of these tenant farmers, the Ping’an Wang Family was akin to their sky.

However, at that moment, Wang Shouzhe came to a realization. Essentially, there was not much difference between the Wang family and tenant farmer families or independent farmer families. Everyone strived and accumulated resources with the hope of making their respective family stronger and better.

The awning boat passed through the Fenggu Farm and continued along the winding river towards the main house. On the way, they passed several villages. These villages varied in size, ranging from forty households to two or three hundred households, primarily made up of independent farmers and various small farms.

When their Old Ancestor Zhou Xuan held the Expansion Order and traveled south to open up new lands, he did not only bring along his small family. There were also hundreds of collateral branches of the Wang family who followed him. However, these collaterals had separated from the main bloodline of the Wang family for too long. The bloodline from their Old Ancestor was extremely diluted, making it challenging for any cultivation talent to inherit it.

Nevertheless, these collateral branches of the Wang family followed Zhou Xuan and took root in Ping’an Town, growing and branching out generation after generation. Now, just in one generation, the collaterals of the Wang family in Ping’an Town had grown to over a thousand in number.

Due to the vast population, two individuals with cultivation talent had emerged in the recent generation. One was Wang Shouzhe’s servant Wang Gui, and the other was the maid Wang Xiaoyu, who followed Wang Luoyi.

In this Profound Martial world, bloodline inheritance was of utmost importance. The main bloodline would not intermarry with the collateral branches. Because such marriages could dilute the Profound Martial bloodline of their descendants, there was a chance that offsprings without Profound Martial talent would be born.

Such a situation would result in tragedy.

This offspring isn’t likely to marry a wife with an exceptional bloodline; no family would allow a daughter with Profound Martial talent to marry a useless man with no Profound Martial talent of his own.

Or, to put it another way, no direct male descendant of any family would consider marrying a woman without bloodline talent.

Most likely this child would only be able to intermarry with a side branch of the family. Such marriage could be the beginning of another tragedy—with a high probability of producing offspring without a bloodline. As a result, his descendants wouldn’t even be recorded in the family lineage, but rather, would belong to the side branches of the family.

For this reason, the world of the Profound Martial attaches great importance to bloodlines. The direct line is treated as the direct line, and side branches as side branches—marriages cannot be arranged casually.

For a Profound Martial prominent family, the side branches are merely side branches and aren’t even considered real family members. Under normal circumstances, most of the side branches wouldn’t even be allowed to enter the main residence.

However, the side branches of the Wang family lived abundantly and comfortably under the care of the family. Positions that required trust within the family business were often left open for talented individuals from the side branches.

Furthermore, several managers and the Great Stewards’ positions in the Wang family’s main residence were also filled by outstanding talents from the side branches of the Wang family.

These regulations are not unique to the Wang family—it’s how the world operates.

Wang Shouzhe had neither the power nor the intention to change these practices. After all, how could he—an heir of his family—be expected to marry a direct-line female or a side-branch female from another family? Putting aside the issue of the family reputation, it wouldn’t be fair to his descendants.

Miss Liu is from the direct line, and so is he—their bloodlines are not inferior.

The offspring born from their union would naturally possess decent bloodline talent. There’s even a chance of incredibly good fortune, generating an offspring with a middle-grade talent. That would indeed be a blessing for both the Wang and Liu families.

The fields and villages within the Wang family’s control were somewhat cared for by Wang Luo Jing’s spiritual insects. While they were still struck by disaster, the reduction in yield wasn’t too severe. At least they could get through this year’s season without major problems, which was somewhat comforting to Wang Shouzhe.

While Wang Shouzhe was lost in his thoughts, the awning boat entered Zhuwei Lake and subsequently the rear yard of the Wang family’s main residence. By this time, the dock in the backyard was already void of transportation boats. It seemed Wang Luotong had successfully completed her task.

First, the old ancestor was taken back to the Long Yan Habitat. Then Fourth Aunt Xu Zhirou and Wang Licui finished their tasks as well. Wang Licui was so light on her feet it seemed like she was about to escape from a demon’s grasp, experiencing the joy of surviving a calamity.

Hehe!

Wang Shouzhe sneered quietly. Bowing to Xu Zhirou, he stated, “Fourth Aunt, you’ve worked hard on this journey.” She had taken excellent, gentle care of the Old Ancestor during the journey, showing great diligence.

“Shouzhe, you flatter me. This is my responsibility.” Xu Zhirou quickly returned the bow.

Afterward, Wang Shouzhe handed over five banknotes of Ten Qian Gold each as a hardship fee. Xu Zhirou was taken aback by the generous sum and promptly waved her hands, “Shouzhe, this is what I ought to do. No need, really no need.”

“Fourth Aunt, you should take it. This money came from the family treasury, not my personal account,” Wang Shouzhe insisted, pushing the banknotes into her hand, smilingly saying, “Your son Shounuo, Fourth sister Luo Tong and Fifth sister Luo Jing are at crucial moments in their cultivation. Also, you’ve worked so hard these years. Pay more attention to building up your Qi and blood. Take the time to take good care of your health.”

Xu Zhirou’s eyes welled up, and she was about to say something but was stopped by Wang Shouzhe, who told her to go back and rest.

Once Xu Zhirou left, Wang Licui anxiously watched Wang Shouzhe, not worried about the money but ogling the pile of local specialty foods Wang Shouzhe had brought back. Among them were many tasty snacks.

Dear Fourth Uncle, Licui is such a good listener. You should at least share half- your half-carriage load of food with me, or rather, a third? The idea made her mouth water.

“Good girl, you did pretty well this time.” Wang Shouzhe lovingly pinched her round cheek, pulling several books from his bosom. “Uncle knows you love to read. These are special gifts Uncle prepared for you. They are the most suitable reward for you. You must not slack off. Uncle will test you at any time.”

“What, what?”

Wang Licui felt dizzy. Heavens above, why are you being so unfair to me, Wang Licui? Why must I have such a devilish Fourth Uncle?

So infuriating!

Dear Fourth Uncle,

Haven’t you heard the saying-what goes around comes around? Don’t bully a poor girl!

When I become the Qing Emperor in the future, you will be served with divine retribution!