Chapter 43

......

Wang Shuzhe's face was almost black. This big girl was so guilty and scared, she must not have studied hard at all, yet she still had the nerve to say she read and practiced every day in front of him.

"Shuzhe, don't scare the big girl anymore. Look, she's already crying." Seeing her state, the gentle Xu Zhirou held her in her arms and said with a smile, "Big girl, don't be afraid. Your Uncle is just teasing you. Think about it, if he were really going to test your studies, why would he only call you here?"

So that's how it is.

Wang Lici patted her chest and immediately relaxed. I was so scared. I need to eat some candied fruit to calm down. Immediately, she picked up a piece of candied fruit and savored it.

Seeing this, Wang Shuzhe's face turned even darker. How could this girl transform from a survivor to a foodie so quickly? She's really heartless.

What's there to test with her like this?

He originally planned to find two female relatives from the family to accompany Longyan Old Ancestor on the journey, one should be older and more mature, and the other should be younger and more energetic.

Wang Shuzhe was quite satisfied with his fourth aunt Xu Zhirou, but this big girl, Wang Lici...

Headache!

Among the younger female relatives, there were only his elder sister Wang Luoyi, his fourth sister Wang Luotong, and his niece Wang Lici. Since this journey would pass through Donggang, and his sister Wang Luoyi was already engaged to the young master of the Chen family in Donggang, it wouldn't be appropriate to bring her there.

Luotong was busy with the final leg of the grain transportation. After she completed her task, Wang Shuzhe also wanted her to follow Lady Gongsun Hui to handle the follow-up matters and get more training.

Therefore, he didn't want to interrupt Luotong's original plans.

After much consideration, the only suitable and available person was Wang Lici. Seeing her clumsy and innocent appearance, he almost wanted to replace her with a smart and clever maid.

However, this thought only flashed through his mind. Since this girl wasn't willing to study properly, it might be better to bring her along and discipline her, to tighten the reins on her.

Moreover, the current trend in the family was that girls weren't studying well, and this was true for Luotong and Luojing as well. Most of the other young girls probably weren't much better. The boys were a bit better, as they faced more pressure from the elders.

Such a poor family atmosphere must be rectified.

With this in mind, Wang Shuzhe returned to the main topic: "Fourth Aunt, this time I need you to go on a long journey, about ten days. You should go back and prepare. We will set off at the hour of Chen the day after tomorrow. Do you have any questions, Fourth Aunt?"

Although Xu Zhirou had some doubts, she still stood up and nodded, "No problem, I'll follow Shuzhe's arrangements."

Wang Lici's little head was full of curiosity and excitement. A long journey? Is Uncle taking her to Changning Wei to play? In her mind, Changning Wei was already quite far, and she had only been there twice in her life.

Time passed quickly, and two days went by.

At dawn, a black-painted boat about four to five zhang long sailed from the dock in the back yard of the Wang family's main residence into Zhuwei Lake, then headed towards Fenggu Farm.

This was the route Wang Shuzhe had arranged. For Longyan Old Ancestor's journey, he naturally had to act secretly. If they took a carriage to Dingpu Dock to board a boat, it would be too conspicuous.

It would be better to go through Fenggu Gate and board a large boat, as it was their own territory.

This time, there were not many people accompanying Longyan Old Ancestor. Wang Shuzhe brought two family guards, Wang Zhong and Wang Yong, as well as his fourth aunt Xu Zhirou and the big girl Wang Lici. Including the Old Ancestor, there were six people in total.

Wang Zhong and Wang Yong were responsible for steering the boat. Although they were not professionals, they could easily control this medium-sized black-painted boat with their Xuanwu abilities, and the speed was quite fast with both poles and oars.

Inside the black-painted boat.

Wang Lici's eyes were wide open, and she clutched her bag tightly, barely daring to breathe. Uncle didn't tell her in advance that she was accompanying Longyan Old Ancestor.

That's the family's Old Ancestor, an even more terrifying presence than Uncle.

The surprise Uncle gave her was too big, hard to digest.

"Old Ancestor, the route and arrangements are as follows. Fourth Aunt and Lici will be responsible for taking care of your daily life." Wang Shuzhe respectfully introduced the arrangements to Longyan Old Ancestor.

"Shuzhe's arrangements are satisfactory." Longyan Old Ancestor was pleased with Wang Shuzhe's thoroughness and then said to Xu Zhirou, "Zhirou, this journey will be a bit tiring for you."

Xu Zhirou humbly replied, "Serving the Old Ancestor is my duty and honor."

Then, Longyan Old Ancestor looked at Wang Lici, and for the first time, a hint of gentleness appeared in her eyes: "You, it's been two years since I last saw you. You've grown into a young lady. How have your studies been recently?"

Longyan Old Ancestor was usually gentle with the younger generation. She was the third-generation granddaughter of Zouxuan Old Ancestor, while Wang Lici was already the eighth-generation descendant of the family.

"Huh?" Wang Lici was taken aback. Another question about her studies?

Fortunately, she had prepared for this after the previous test from Uncle.

Wang Lici's eyes darted around, and she quickly said, "I've been quite diligent recently. I can recite some articles for the Old Ancestor to listen to..." She then eagerly recited an article, "Ascending the Heavenly Ridge to Observe the Heavens," written by a literary master and a powerful figure from a thousand years ago. The article was rich in vocabulary and grand in style, and was much loved by later generations.

Literature was an important layer in any civilization, serving to cultivate one's character and cultural depth. If humans only knew how to fight and kill, without cultivating their character, and spent their entire lives pursuing power and slaughter, they would be no different from savage beasts.

Wang Shuzhe listened to her recite fluently and with some emotion, and felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. Her so-called recent diligence probably only referred to the last two days of cramming. She probably could only fluently recite this one article.

However, he didn't expose her, as the Old Ancestor seemed quite pleased and praised her a few times.

The black-painted boat continued its winding journey to Fenggu Farm, and after arriving, it didn't stop but passed through the Fenggu Gate. There, a medium-sized river boat was waiting.

This river boat was a medium-sized sailboat, capable of carrying a carriage steadily. It was unclear where Wang Dinghai had borrowed it from.

"Shuzhe, as you instructed." Uncle Wang Dinghai came forward, "The cabin has been slightly modified to create a temporary resting room. You're being so secretive, are you preparing... hmm?"

Wang Dinghai suddenly noticed Longyan Old Ancestor behind Wang Shuzhe, and his eyes nearly popped out. Is this a joke? The Old Ancestor is actually traveling...

He was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. Just as he was about to bow, Wang Shuzhe stopped him, "Uncle, stop. Just steer the boat to Donggang."

"Yes, yes, I will steer the boat well." Wang Dinghai's face was pale, and he quickly led Wang Shuzhe and the others into the temporary resting room in the cabin, then silently went out to steer the boat.

The Old Ancestor's journey was a big deal.

But no matter how big the matter, the Old Ancestor's safety was the most important. Therefore, under his command, the boat slowly left the deep water area outside Fenggu Gate and steadily reached the middle of An River.

As they reached the middle of the river, the wind and waves gradually increased. The sails were neatly unfurled, and the dense canvas filled with wind, making the boat speed up.

On Earth, the speed of boats is measured in knots.

However, in this world of Dagan, the speed is measured in li per hour. Today, there was a southeast wind, and the current was strong and fast, so the speed was about 50 to 60 li per hour, which is equivalent to about 10 to 15 kilometers per hour, or two to three times the normal walking speed of a person.

Uncle Wang Dinghai, a seasoned expert on An River, steered the boat steadily and smoothly. Wang Shuzhe and the others in the cabin's resting room felt only slight discomfort.

However, Wang Shuzhe, being young and strong, found it boring to stay in the cabin. He asked the Old Ancestor for permission and went up to the deck to enjoy the scenery. He then saw Wang Dinghai steering the boat and went to check it out.

"Uncle, this boat seems pretty good. It looks like a merchant ship. Where did you borrow it from?" Wang Shuzhe examined the boat, and the crew members were clearly not from the Wang family's fishing fleet.

Wang Dinghai steered the boat while saying, "You sent someone to tell me to find a good boat, so I borrowed one from a friend at the Changning branch of the Jiaolong Merchant Association. That old guy owes me a favor. Last time, his fleet had an accident in our territory, and I risked my life to save him."

Jiaolong Merchant Association?

Wang Shuzhe had heard of this merchant association. They operated along the entire An River, from the westernmost Dahuang County to Longzuo County, spanning several counties, and had branches in every city along the river.

This was a merchant association with overall strength not inferior to the Qian family's merchant association. However, they only operated along the river and did not conflict with local powers, maintaining a peaceful coexistence.

"Shuzhe, don't even think about entering the river trade." Wang Dinghai warned solemnly, "The Jiaolong Merchant Association is not to be trifled with. They used to be called the Jiaolong Gang, a gang secretly supported by several powerful families. In recent decades, as their business grew, they changed their name to a merchant association. They have signed non-aggression treaties with local families in various regions."

Got it! So it's a gang that has been whitewashed into a merchant association. No wonder they have the power to control the An River, a key waterway.

However, Wang Shuzhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In the fantasy novels he read on Earth, the Jiaolong Gang and the Nulong Association were minor forces, just places for the protagonist to gain experience in the early stages.

How did they become such formidable giants here!

...