Chapter 11: The Hope of the Whole Family_1

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Wang Shouzhe came with a purpose today, but he was still calm and collected, casually chatting with Wang Xiaozhi about strange and interesting things. When he mentioned that he and Sixth Uncle Wang Dinghai had caught a 150-pound Red-scaled Eel by chance last night, Wang Xiaozhi excitedly smacked his thigh: "That little rascal Define the Sea wouldn't be able to catch one in two years, you two must have been lucky this time."

Although the Red-scaled Eel is not as good as the Red Tail Spirit Log, it is considered a highly nourishing food and is ranked among the spirit foods.

Spirit food is a great way to quickly replenish the vital energy of a Profound Martial cultivator and is a necessity for every Profound Martial cultivator. Even people like Wang Xiaozhi, who are over seventy years old and whose cultivation base has stagnated and even begun to regress, need to supplement with spirit food from time to time.

Otherwise, their vital energy will be insufficient, and their physical decline and loss of cultivation base will accelerate.

For the younger generation, spirit food is even more necessary for replenishing vital energy, which can help them grow faster and better.

As the two of them chatted and laughed, within half an hour, the cooks and two maids had prepared some farm dishes, including fresh chicken, duck, fish and goose, as well as a large stone bowl of braised pork belly.

"Shouzhe, you come here rarely, and your elder uncle doesn't have anything else to entertain you with." Wang Xiaozhi went into the bedroom and in a short while, brought out an antique wine pot, smiling and saying, "Taste my treasured wine, drink as much as you can and take the rest home."

As they were talking,

A tanned, mud-covered young man came in and said cheerfully: "Grandpa, you are showing favoritism. You always refuse to give me a sip of your White Jade Spiritual Wine. But today, as soon as my fourth brother arrives, you bring out the whole jar."

"You little rascal, how do you compare yourself to Shouzhe?" Wang Xiaozhi laughed and scolded as soon as he saw the young man, "I can't believe you actually made it back for dinner on time, go wash up quickly, I'll count you in for a cup."

"Third brother." Wang Shouzhe greeted with a smile. He knew this was Wang Shounuo, the third ranked among the Shou generation of the seventh generation of the Wang family.

"Four brother." Wang Shounuo quickly returned the salute respectfully, then laughed and said, "I'll go wash up now, and take care of my fourth brother later." Then he quickly excused himself.

By the time the table was set with bowls, chopsticks, wine cups and all, Wang Shounuo had already washed up and eagerly sat down to the right of Wang Shouzhe, smelling the food with a starving look in his eyes. He fervently eyed the pot of White Jade Spiritual Rice Wine, chuckling, "Thanks to brother's visit, we can have a great meal. It's been so long since we had a meal together. I'll toast you a few more cups later."

"You've worked hard enough for the family, third brother. I should be the one toasting you," Wang Shouzhe laughed.

"Luotong, go pour wine for your fourth brother." Wang Xiaozhi was in a great mood, a glowing smile on his bronzed face. He casually instructed.

"Yes, grandpa." Wang Luotong picked up the jug and filled Wang Shouzhe's cup, then Wang Xiaozhi's, and finally Wang Shounuo's cup.

The wine was pure white in color and gave off a rich, aromatic scent. Just one sniff was enough to invigorate the senses.

As the two girls, Wang Luotong and Wang Luo Jing, prepared to return to their small table in the kitchen to eat, Wang Shouzhe took the initiative to speak, "Fourth uncle, I'm not a stranger here. Let the fourth and fifth sisters sit down and eat with us."

Wang Xiaozhi was taken aback, but didn't want to let Wang Shouzhe lose face, so he laughed and said, "Since your fourth brother asked, let's eat together."

"Thank you, Grandpa, thank you, fourth brother." Wang Luotong and Wang Luo Jing both obediently sat down at the last place.

After that, the table was full of liveliness as everyone clinked their cups in joyful toasts.

The two girls ate quietly, refilling the cups when needed.

"Good wine." After downing half a cup, Wang Shouzhe already felt a burning sensation in his belly. His vital energy was surging inside his body, and his energy levels were gradually increasing.

The White Jade Spiritual Rice Wine was brewed from White Jade Spiritual Rice and a lot of valuable medicinal herbs. Its effects of replenishing vital energy and blood were far superior to ordinary spirit foods.

However, its price was also quite "impressive". A pot of White Jade Spiritual Rice Wine weighing several jin easily cost several Qian Gold coins, so even Wang Shouzhe could only afford to enjoy it once in a while.

Moreover, spiritual wine like this could only be used as an auxiliary spirit food and should be consumed only occasionally. If one became addicted and spent all day in a drunken haze, it would not turn out well.

At this moment, Wang Luo Jing, who was quietly eating her meal, looked at the wine jug from time to time, licking her lips as if she was craving a taste.

"Luotong can have half a glass, and Luo Jing, being too young, can only taste the bottom of it." Wang Shouzhe picked up the jug and poured some for his two sisters.

"Thank you, Fourth Brother," said the two girls gleefully expressing gratitude. It was clear they had been pining for spiritual wine for quite a while.

At that moment, the older Wang Xiaozhi's face twitched as if he felt some sort of pain. He muttered quietly, "Shouzhe, isn't it a waste to let these two girls sip on that spiritual wine?"

Wang Shouzhe responded with a twitch of the eyelid; the unabashed gender bias of his Great Uncle, valuing males over females, was indeed something to be reckoned with.

"Great Uncle, they are our children all the same," Wang Shouzhe replied, smiling.

"Not the same, not the same, girls will get married sooner or later," Wang Xiaozhi continued to grumble, "Shouzhe, you're at the crucial stage of attacking the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm. You should drink more; Shounuo, you should sip less, and leave more for Shouzhe."

Wang Shounuo quickly put down his cup with an embarrassed grin.

In the eyes of old folk like Wang Xiaozhi, Wang Shouzhe, the direct-line Clan Leader, is the hope and future pillar of the family. His value is much higher than even his own grandson, Wang Shounuo, let alone two "monetary loss" granddaughters.

Lucky for him, his grandchildren were used to this and managed to enjoy the meal. However, under Wang Xiaozhi's guidance, plenty of spiritual wine remained, along with half a tenderloin. Preparations were made to send both back to Wang Shouzhe's courtyard for his private consumption.

Witnessing Wang Xiaozhi's blatant favoritism, Wang Shouzhe felt rather helpless and decided to let him be for now.

After the meal, Wang Shouzhe proposed, "Great Uncle, the primary reason for my visit to Fenggu Farm was to learn about agriculture from you."

"Agriculture?" Wang Xiaozhi asked, his forehead creasing into a frown, "Shouzhe, you are the Clan Leader. At present, the most important thing is to focus on your cultivation, striving to advance to the Spirit Platform Realm. You must not let farming and other miscellaneous matters distract you. Great Uncle and your third brother will handle all of it."

Wang Shouzhe's aim was to learn more about Fenggu farm and its operations. If possible, he wished to infuse some modern thinking into the farming practices. However, he realized after interacting with Wang Xiaozhi that the old man, despite his loyalty to the family, held stubborn and outdated beliefs.

Unlike Sixth Uncle Wang Dinghai, who was always obedient, Wang Shouzhe feared to upset Wang Xiaozhi with even a casual mention of his plans. He decided to change the topic, "Great Uncle, you're mistaken. As Clan Leader, I should at least know a bit about our family's business operations. How about this? I'll take a tour around the farm accompanied by Third Brother to appreciate the pastoral scenery."

"You.....alright, let Shounuo keep you company for half a day. The wheat is in its grain-filling stage now and there are many tasks to be done in the field; I won't be able to accompany you." Saying this, Wang Xiaozhi picked up his farming tools and rushed off to the field.

Hehe~

Even though he was the Clan Leader, these old men in the family still treated him like a child, hoping that he would utilise his talents and cultivate to attain the Spirit Platform Realm.

It kind of felt like they saw him as a good luck charm or lucky pet, didn't it?

Actually, if everything were comfortable and peaceful, Wang Shouzhe himself was quite keen to be a 'lucky pet'. However, the weakening power of the Wang clan over the years left them vulnerable. If this trend continued, the Ping'an Wang family might soon be wiped out, disappearing from the pages of history.

While the Wang family still had its foundation, it was crucial to rise, even if it meant having the most basic self-protection ability.

"Fourth Brother, I'll take you around; if there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me," Wang Shounuo stood up and bowed, showing courtesy and a bit of awe towards Wang Shouzhe.

On one hand, Wang Shouzhe was the head of the direct line, and on the other, his personal strength was many times greater than his.

"Thank you, Third Brother," Wang Shouzhe replied politely.

"We're going too," Wang Luotong and Wang Luo Jing chimed in and they followed enthusiastically. Wang Gui came after them, carrying Wang Shouzhe's sword and bow and arrows, followed by four armed household guards.

The siblings strolled leisurely on the farm. It was early summer and quite hot. Hot, humid wind blowing on the face made the air feel thick and heavy.

"Our Fenggu Farm was an industry personally opened by our ancestor, Zhou Xuan, a hundred years ago," Wang Shounuo said proudly, "Our ancestor, at that time, organized the redirection of tributaries, dredged silt, reinforced the riverbank, and constructed a water sluice gate at the upper reaches of the Fen Gu tributary, thus forming the embryonic form of Fenggu Farm. In the following years, our people continued to rectify and cultivate the barren land, transforming this arable, semi-dry wasteland into fertile farmland. With their dedicated efforts over generations, today we have 3,567 acres of top-quality farmland and 200 tenant farmers!"

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