Chapter 33

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Wang Shouzhe broke out in a cold sweat. He thought about the starving commoners. In a situation where even gold could not buy food, what would they do to survive? Sell their children? Sell their property?

"This means that the more grain the noble families have this time, the more control they will have over the situation. They can make up for their losses through other means and make their families even stronger." Qian Xue'an was indeed an excellent merchant, explaining the aftermath of the disaster in just a few words.

"Will the Dagan government and the Zifu Academy transport grain from other prefectures?" Wang Shouzhe, after all, was a穿越者 from Earth, and he could not bear to see the commoners suffer.

"They will. But they need to gather grain from various counties and transport it, as well as sell it at a fair price." Qian Xue'an said seriously, "Actually, starting today, the Zifu Academy and the government have already begun disaster relief, but it's almost impossible to help the entire Longzuo County in a short time, especially since Changning Garrison is in a remote area..."

Seeing Wang Shouzhe frown, he consoled him, "Young brother, I know you have a good heart, and I don't want to see this either. But we are just ordinary people, and at this critical moment, it's enough to take care of ourselves."

"Brother Qian is right, I was being a bit too sentimental." Wang Shouzhe naturally understood this and said, "So, according to Brother, I should demand three times the contract price from the merchant house?"

"Young brother, you need to understand. Even if you get three times the compensation, it's still the Qian family merchant house that breached the contract. If not necessary, the merchant house would never want to ruin its reputation." Qian Xue'an blinked, "I'll give you a number: I'll insist on 10,000 gold and 3,000 gold worth of grain to cancel the contract."

"What?"

Wang Shouzhe's eyelids twitched. Qian Xue'an was even more ruthless than he was. In his initial estimate, getting twice the contract price would have been more than satisfactory.

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

"Since you've already offended the current manager of the Qian family merchant house, you might as well offend them more thoroughly." Qian Xue'an chuckled, "Besides, even at this price, the Qian family won't lose money; they'll still make a profit."

Qian Xue'an made a lot of sense, but was it really a good idea to push his own family to the brink?

As if reading Wang Shouzhe's thoughts, Qian Xue'an explained seriously, "First, the Qian family is so large that a few tens of thousands of gold in compensation is just a drop in the ocean. Second, I'm just a commoner, and without your help, I would never have climbed up. This is a way to repay your kindness. Third, I very much hope that Brother Shouzhe will become stronger, which will be more beneficial for the alliance."

"Alright, let's do it." Such a huge benefit left Wang Shouzhe no choice but to agree. The Wang family was too poor now, and such a large sum of money would be a great opportunity for a rise.

"In that case, I'll handle this for you, Brother." Qian Xue'an seemed to have a plan, "When I report to the manager, I'll raise the price by another 30%, then haggle a bit to give him some comfort. Additionally, Brother Shouzhe needs to swear not to publicize this; the Qian family can't afford to lose face."

Of course, he wouldn't publicize it; keeping quiet and making a fortune was the best choice.

Wang Shouzhe stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Brother. There's one more condition: the insecticide must not be sold to the Ping'an Zhao family and the Ping'an Liu family." For Wang Shouzhe, strengthening himself was good, but weakening his enemies was even better.

"Even without mentioning this condition, I would have considered it." Qian Xue'an smiled, "Moreover, in this disaster, the insecticide is in short supply. The Ping'an Zhao family and the Ping'an Liu family are just minor noble families, and it's already very difficult for them to get a share of the insecticide. Congratulations, Brother!"

In the eyes of the Ping'an Wang family, the Liu family and the Zhao family were very troublesome and powerful. But in the eyes of the Qian family merchant house, they were just two ordinary small families.

"Congratulations, indeed."

Both of them laughed, and the matter was settled.

Immediately, Qian Xue'an slammed his cup to the ground and roared as he left, "Wang Shouzhe, you've gone too far! Do you really think the Qian family merchant house is a pushover? Just wait..."

He then stormed out, angrily leading the two guards outside who were trembling in fear.

Wang Shouzhe was quite satisfied with Qian Xue'an's reaction and methods; it seemed he had not chosen the wrong ally.

At this moment, his second brother, Wang Shouyi, entered with a worried look, "Shouzhe, that Qian manager has come to see you several times these past two days. Is something wrong?"

The Wang family could not afford any more major upheavals now.

"Don't worry, Brother. It's actually good news for the family." Wang Shouzhe smiled and then changed the subject, "By the way, how's the live fish equipment research going?"

At the mention of this, Wang Shouyi immediately perked up, "To be honest, your idea is truly unique and ingenious. Just the spray to increase vitality and the water pump to refresh the water are enough to revolutionize the aquatic storage and transportation industry. My initial tests have been very successful, and next, I'll be modifying the horse carts and the breeding pools in the shops."

"Brother, you must speed up the process and build more breeding pools in the backyard." Wang Shouzhe smiled, "Otherwise, Uncle Six will definitely beat you up."

"You're right, Uncle Six's live fish supply has been increasing these past two days..." Wang Shouyi bowed, "Brother, I'll take my leave now." With that, Wang Shouyi rushed out.

Ha, Wang Shouyi's initiative was getting stronger, which was a good thing. It was no wonder; the family's momentum was improving, which boosted the morale of the clan members.

Wang Shouzhe placed great importance on the fishing fleet and the fish market, which were two of the family's assets. Originally, the combined annual net profit from these two was only about 400 to 500 gold. But after his suggestions and adjustments, a net profit of over 1,000 gold was easily achievable.

He was even confident that by next year, the fishing fleet and the fish market would surpass the combined profit of the three major farms.

Making a huge profit by hyping up the insecticide was certainly a cause for celebration. However, the development of the family's industries was the true foundation of a family's strength.

Additionally, the 3,000 gold worth of grain mentioned by Qian Xue'an was also a bit of a headache for Wang Shouzhe. Controlling grain during a famine was indeed a strategic advantage.

But what did 3,000 gold worth of grain mean? At the current grain prices, it was about 50,000 to 60,000 dan, enough to feed 20,000 people for a year!

Keep in mind, the total population of Ping'an Town was less than 30,000.

Such a large amount of grain was a big problem to transport and store. The Wang family's major farms naturally had grain warehouses, but they were already nearly full with last year's old grain and the reserved space for this year's harvest, leaving room for only another 10,000 to 20,000 dan at most.

But solutions are always found by people.

When the patriarch Zouxuan first built the main residence, he considered the family's future development. There were fifty courtyards for important clan members, and the total number of various houses was no less than several hundred.

Most of them were empty, and with a bit of cleaning, storing tens of thousands of dan of grain would be easy. In a famine, the safest place was the main residence of a noble family.

Each main residence of a noble family was built in a location that was easy to defend and hard to attack, with the strongest defensive forces. Storing grain there was reassuring.

Moreover, the Wang family's main residence was built by the mountains and the water.

The mountains were a branch of the Liuping Mountains, and the water was a small lake called Zhuwei Lake, named by the patriarch Zouxuan after his beloved daughter, Wang Zhuwei.

Zhuwei Lake was not very large, covering only about 10,000 mu of water, but it served as a natural barrier and a backyard for the Wang family's main residence.

Most importantly, it had a natural river that was later modified. The river flowed for several miles and branched off to two of the three major farms, excluding the silkworm farm.

The main river of Fenggu Farm was connected to Zhuwei Lake, winding for about 20 miles.

Upstream of the Fenggu Farm river was a branch gate built by the patriarch Zouxuan, called the Fenggu Gate. This gate was a water control facility used to regulate the water level in the internal river, but because it was a single-gate system with a winch, boats could not pass through.

However, this was not a big issue, as the river needed to be dredged and maintained regularly to keep it clear, so the water level was always deep...

Wang Shouzhe quickly sorted out his thoughts and immediately wrote two letters, then called in Wang Zhong and Wang Yong.

"Lord of the family." The two guards were in high spirits, clearly optimistic about the family's future development.

Wang Shouzhe handed the letters to Wang Zhong and Wang Yong and instructed, "After you deliver the letters, stay there and help out for a while."

After the guards left, Wang Shouzhe slowly sipped his tea, his eyes flickering with unease. If everything went smoothly, this insect disaster would be a turning point for the Wang family's decline.

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