Chapter 33: The Turning Point of Fate (Patreon)

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Wang Shoujie broke out in a cold sweat, thinking about the common people who were struggling to survive. Without enough food, they would do anything to live, even sell their children or properties?

"This means that the more grain the aristocratic families hold, the more they can control the situation. They can use other means to compensate for their losses and make their families even stronger." Qian Xue'an was indeed an excellent businessman, and with just a few words, he clearly explained the consequences of this disaster.

"Will the Daqian Government and Purple Palace Academy transport grain from other states?" Wang Shoujie, who was originally from Earth, couldn't bear to see the common people suffer.

"They will. However, the grain needs to be procured from various counties, transported, and sold at a fair price." Qian Xue'an said seriously, "In fact, from today on, Purple Palace Academy and the government have already started relief efforts, but it's almost impossible to rescue the entire Longzu County in a short time, especially since our Changning Guard is located in a remote area..."

He saw Wang Shoujie's furrowed brow and advised, "Brother, I know you're kind-hearted, but we should focus on taking care of ourselves in this critical moment."

"Mr. Qian is right, I was being too sentimental," Wang Shoujie said, releasing his concerns, "So, according to your plan, I should let the trading company compensate me with three times the contract price?"

"Brother, you need to understand. Even if they compensate three times, it's still a breach of contract by Qian's Trading Company. If not necessary, the company would never want to tarnish its reputation by breaching contracts." Qian Xue'an said with a wink, "I'll give you a number: 10,000 gold coins and grain worth 3,000 gold coins to cancel the contract."

"What?"

Wang Shoujie's eyes widened, and Qian Xue'an was indeed ruthless. In his initial estimate, the other party would be satisfied with a two-fold return on the contract.

This price had already exceeded three times the compensation, and the additional 3,000 gold coins' worth of grain was even more valuable.

"Anyway, you've already offended the current head of Qian's Trading Company, so you might as well go all out and offend them even more." Qian Xue'an laughed, "Besides, even at this price, Qian's Trading Company won't lose money and can still make a profit."

Qian Xue'an's words made sense, but was it really good to push his family to the brink of death like this?

As if he had seen through Wang Shoujie's thoughts, Qian Xue'an explained seriously, "First, Qian's Trading Company is too big, and a compensation of 10,000 to 20,000 gold coins is just a small fraction. Second, I'm just a illegitimate son, and without your help, I would have a hard time rising to the top. Third, I hope you, Guardian Wang, can become even stronger, which would be beneficial to our alliance."

"Alright, let's do it." With such a huge benefit, Wang Shoujie couldn't refuse. The Wang Clan was too poor, and with such a large sum of money, it would be a turning point for their rise.

"Then, I'll take care of this matter for you," Qian Xue'an said, as if he had already made up his mind, "I'll report to the head of the company and raise the price by 30%, and then give them a psychological comfort. Moreover, Guardian Wang, you need to promise not to reveal this to the outside world, or Qian's Trading Company will lose face."

Of course, he wouldn't reveal it; making a fortune quietly was the best choice.

Wang Shoujie stood up and bowed, "Then, I'll trouble you, Brother Qian. I also need to add a condition: the insecticide powder cannot be sold to Ping'an's Zhao Clan and Ping'an Liu Clan, two aristocratic families." For Wang Shoujie, becoming stronger was a good thing, but being able to weaken his enemies at the same time was even better.

"This condition would have been considered even if you didn't mention it," Qian Xue'an replied with a smile, "Moreover, in this disaster, the demand for insecticide powder is high, and the supply is low. Ping'an's Zhao Clan and Ping'an Liu Clan are just two small, ordinary families who would have a hard time getting a share of the insecticide powder. Congratulations, Brother!"

In the eyes of Ping'an Wang Clan, Liu Clan and Zhao Clan were very difficult to deal with and powerful. But in the eyes of Qian's Trading Company, they were just two ordinary small families.

"Congratulations to us both."

The two of them laughed, and the deal was settled.

Immediately, Qian Xue'an slammed his cup on the ground and stormed out, shouting, "Wang Shoujie, you're too much Do you think we're Qian's Trading Company are vegetarians? You just wait..."

Then, he left with two guards who were as silent as cicadas in winter.

Wang Shoujie was also very satisfied with Qian Xue'an's reaction and methods, and it seemed that he hadn't chosen the wrong ally.

At this moment, Second Brother Wang Shouyi walked in, looking worried, "Master Qian has come to see you several times these past two days. Is something wrong?"

The current Wang Clan couldn't afford to take any more big blows.

"Second Brother, don't worry, this is a good thing for the family," Wang Shoujie replied with a smile, then changed the subject, "By the way, how's the research on the live fish equipment going these past two days?"

As soon as this topic was mentioned, Wang Shouyi's spirit was lifted: "Don't even mention it, your idea is truly unique and wonderful. Just the methods of increasing oxygen with sprinklers and changing water with pumps are enough to revolutionize the aquatic product storage and transportation industry. I've tried it out and the effects are very good. Next, we'll renovate the horse-drawn carriages and the breeding pools in the shops."

"That's right, Second Brother, you must speed up the progress and build more breeding pools in the backyard," Wang Shoujie said with a smile. "Otherwise, Sixth Uncle will definitely come to scold you."

"No mistake, Sixth Uncle's live fish have been increasing a lot lately..." Wang Shouyi cupped his hands in respect, "Fourth Brother, I'll take my leave first." After saying that, Wang Shouyi hurriedly ran out.

Hehe, Wang Shouyi's initiative is getting stronger and stronger, which is a good thing. It's no wonder that the family's momentum is changing for the better, which will boost the morale of the clan members.

Wang Shoujie attaches great importance to the fishing team and the fish market, two of the clan's industries. Originally, the combined annual profit of these two industries was only around 400-500 gold coins. However, after his suggestions and adjustments, it's easy to exceed 1,000 gold coins in profit.

He even has confidence that by next year, the fishing team and fish market will surpass the combined profits of the three large farms.

Grabbing the opportunity to make a fortune by selling insecticide powder is certainly a cause for celebration. However, the development of the family's industries is the true foundation of a strong family.

Moreover, the 3,000 gold coins' worth of grain mentioned by Qian Xue'an also makes Wang Shoujie feel a bit worried. Controlling food during a disaster is equivalent to controlling the initiative, and that's undeniable.

But 3,000 gold coins' worth of grain is a staggering concept. Calculated based on the current grain price, it's approximately 50,000-60,000 piculs, enough to feed 20,000 people for a year!

To know that the total population of Ping'an Town is still less than 30,000.

Such a large quantity of grain, just transporting and storing it is a big problem. The Ping'an Wang Clan's large farms naturally have granaries, but those granaries are already filled with last year's grain, and adding this year's output would be almost full, with barely enough space to squeeze in another 10,000-20,000 piculs.

However, there are always ways to think of solutions.

Ancestor Zouxuan, when building the main residence, considered the future development of the family, and there are 50 suites for important clan members to live in, with hundreds of other rooms.

Most of them are empty, and it's easy to store tens of thousands of piculs of grain after some cleaning. During a disaster, the safest place is the main residence of the clan.

Each clan's main residence is built in a location that is easy to defend and hard to attack, with the strongest defense, and storing grain there is reassuring.

Moreover, it was mentioned earlier that the Wang Clan's main residence is built by the mountain and beside the water.

The mountain is a branch of the Six Flat Mountain, and the water is a small lake called Zhuwei Lake, which was named by Ancestor Zouxuan himself, using the name of his beloved daughter Wang Zhu Wei.

Zhuwei Lake is not very large, covering an area of only about 10,000 mu, but it's the natural barrier and backyard of the Wang Clan's main residence.

Most importantly, it has a river that was originally natural but later artificially renovated, which flows for several miles before branching out, connecting to two other large farms besides the silkworm farm.

The main river of Fenggu Farm is connected to Zhuwei Lake, with a total distance of about 20 miles.

And the upper reaches of the Fenggu Farm river is the branch canal gate built by Ancestor Zouxuan, called Fenggu Gate. This gate is a water conservancy facility, mainly used to regulate the water level of the inner river, but because it uses a single-gate mode, boats cannot pass through.

However, this is not a big problem, as both the inside and outside of Fenggu Gate need to be regularly dredged to maintain the flow, so the water level is very deep...

Wang Shoujie quickly organized his thoughts, and immediately wrote two letters, then called Wang Zhong and Wang Yong over.

"Family head," the two family generals were in high spirits, clearly optimistic about the family's future development.

Wang Shoujie handed the letters to Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, instructing them, "After you deliver the letters, don't come back for the time being, stay there to help out."

After they received their orders and left, Wang Shoujie sat alone, slowly drinking tea, his eyes moving with an unquiet heart.

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 34: A Single Spark Can Set Off a Prairie Fire