Chapter 15: Ah, My Precious Granddaughter! (Patreon)

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"Besides, the Yingxiu's Lu Clan, Jinsha's Xu Clan, and Donggang's Chen Clan are also families that need our active support," Wang Shoujie said seriously. "Over the past forty to fifty years, our Wang Clan has intermarried with them, establishing a deep relationship."

These three families are not particularly powerful. However, it's precisely because of this that they are willing to form marital alliances with the now-declined Ping'an Wang Clan. Among them, the relationship with Yingxiu's Lu Clan is the closest, and Wang Shoujie's birth mother is from the Lu Clan's direct lineage.

At the same time, the current head of Yingxiu's Lu Clan, Wang Liuling, is also the sixth-generation direct daughter of the Wang Clan and Wang Shoujie's aunt, making their relationship extremely complex and close.

"No mistake, our relationship with these three families is very close, so what do you think, Guardian?" Wang Xiaozhi nodded in agreement. His two daughters are married to the Shanyang Gongsun Clan and Donggang's Chen Clan, respectively, while his deceased son, Wang Dingbang, married Jinsha Xu Clan's direct lineage.

"Fourth Grandfather needs to quickly investigate the cause and harm of this pest outbreak. I'll dispatch our family's troops to notify these six families tonight," Wang Shoujie said swiftly. "Among them, the Shanyin Liu Clan and Changning Xu Clan have already cultivated Spirit Insect Masters. As long as we provide a solution, they should be able to resolve this crisis on their own. Additionally, the Jinsha Xu Clan and Donggang's Chen Clan's main business is not in agriculture, so we'll fulfill our notification duties and minimize their losses."

After a pause, Wang Shoujie continued, "The more troublesome ones are Yingxiu's Lu Clan and Shanyang Gongsun Clan. First, we need to notify them as soon as possible, and then we need to actively provide aid, showing our goodwill to the fullest. Even if they suffer significant losses in the pest outbreak, they will only be grateful to us, not resentful."

This calculation and speech left Wang Xiaozhi stunned. He never thought that a sudden pest outbreak would involve such a complex situation.

More importantly, Wang Shoujie was able to arrange everything so meticulously in such a short time, considering all aspects.

"Nephew, you underestimate Fourth Grandfather and Luo Jing," Wang Xiaozhi sighed bitterly. "You young people of this generation are indeed more excellent. We old folks are really old."

"Fourth Grandfather is too humble. If not for your generation holding down the family business, where would we younger generations stand?" Wang Shoujie replied humbly, then coldly laughed. "Besides those six families, especially the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan..."

Wang Xiaozhi's expression suddenly turned serious: "Don't worry, Guardian. Within the next ten days, our Wang Clan's three large farms will completely seal off the news."

But Wang Shoujie smiled slyly: "The pest outbreak can't be hidden. Every family has agricultural experts. Within three days, the entire Changning Guard region will be in an uproar. By the way, Fourth Grandfather, didn't you stockpile a batch of insecticide powder at a low price?"

As soon as this was mentioned, Wang Xiaozhi's expression was filled with regret: "Yes, last winter's insecticide powder was the cheapest in years, and the quantity was large with preferential treatment. I thought that our three large farms couldn't do without insecticide powder, so I discussed it with several elders and stockpiled a large batch, enough for our family to use for three years. Alas, there's still over three hundred taels of gold worth of goods left. What a huge loss With this pest outbreak, those insecticide powders are useless!"

The family is already so strapped for cash, and suddenly losing over three hundred taels of gold is enough to make Wang Xiaozhi feel guilty to the grave.

"Has the insecticide powder not lost its effectiveness yet?" Wang Shoujie pondered for a moment, his brain racing with thoughts.

"It's not that, it's just that dealing with adult aphids is more difficult than with aphid eggs," Wang Xiaozhi's face was extremely solemn. "I tried it earlier, and I had to mix double the dosage with plant ash juice to quickly get rid of these insect, and that doesn't even include the subsequent aphids that will continue to hatch."

Then, Wang Shoujie fired off one question after another like a machine gun.

Wang Xiaozhi, who had been intimidated earlier, didn't dare underestimate Wang Shoujie again and patiently answered each question. At 75 years old, he had been involved in farming for 60 years, starting at the age of 15, and his experience was truly unparalleled.

"So, in an average year, the yield of winter wheat per acre is around 15 taels," Wang Shoujie's brain quickly processed the data. "After deducting taxes, labor costs, farming tools, cattle feed, and insecticide powder, the cost of insecticide powder is around 1 tael, leaving a gross profit of 8 taels per acre. If this pest disaster is not controlled, according to a 50% reduction in yield, the farm will enter a slight deficit phase, and the more the yield is reduced, the greater the loss..."

"If we don't do anything, we might have to reduce production by around 70%," Wang Xiaozhi's body trembled, and he roughly understood Wang Shoujie's point. "If we increase the investment in insecticide powder by 2 taels during the pest outbreak, we can control the disaster to within a 20% reduction in yield compared to previous years."

"The Da Qian Kingdom currently implements a unified grain reserve system, and any family or merchant who dares to manipulate grain prices during times of abundance or famine will be committing a serious crime," Wang Shoujie continued to analyze the various conditions. "Therefore, based on a 70% reduction in yield, every 1% reduction in yield means a loss of 1 tael and 50 coins, and a 50% reduction in yield would be worth 7 taels and 50 coins. So, the question is, is the 2-tael investment in insecticide powder worth it without the Spirit Insect Master to control the honeybees?"

"It's worth it!" As soon as Wang Shoujie finished his analysis, Wang Xiaozhi immediately nodded vigorously. "Even if it's 4 taels, I'd invest." At the same time, his eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed. "I see what you mean, our family's stockpile of 300 kilograms of insecticide powder not only won't lose money but can also be worth 600 kilograms. Ha ha ha, those people who laughed at me for stockpiling insecticide powder will be the ones who lose out."

"At least it's worth 600 kilograms," Wang Shoujie smiled calmly. "Our family has Fifth Sister Luo Jing, a novice Spirit Insect Master who specializes in treating honeybees, so those insecticide powders are no longer needed. However, compared to the entire Changning Guard region, Spirit Insect Masters are like a drop in the ocean, and most families still have to rely on insecticide powder to mitigate disasters."

Wang Xiaozhi's face turned red with laughter. "My granddaughter Luo Jing is truly a treasure, and she's not a waste like I thought."

Wang Shoujie's mouth twitched, and he thought that this Fourth Elder was really thick-skinned, having previously looked down on girls to the point of saying they were a waste. But now, Luo Jing had become a treasure.

However, it was true that Luo Jing, a future Spirit Insect Master, was a treasure. Even if insecticide powders continued to evolve and remain effective in the future, she could save the family 100-200 kilograms of expensive "pesticide fees" every year, and the money saved would be pure profit.

"But all of this is thanks to your blessing, Shoujie," Wang Xiaozhi laughed so hard his mouth couldn't close. "You're a lucky charm, and when you become the clan leader, our Wang Clan will definitely become better and better."

Although superstition was not desirable, Wang Xiaozhi's superstition about him was something Wang Shoujie appreciated.

Moreover, with his forward-thinking, if he didn't seize the business opportunity in this pest disaster, he would be foolish. The government strictly controlled grain prices and didn't allow speculation, but it didn't prohibit speculation on insecticide powder, did it?

A plan was gradually taking shape in his mind...

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 16: Qian's Trading Company