Chapter 56: If I Were the Green Emperor in the Future, I Would Make Your Peach Blossoms Bloom All Over Your Face

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“Wang Zhong, Wang Yong, you two have done well.” Wang Shouzhe was quite satisfied with these two family guards. Their combat strength was not weak, and their ability to handle affairs was also strong.

Immediately, he rewarded each of them with 10 gold coins.

The two family guards were overjoyed and knelt down to thank him, “Thank you, Master of the Family, for your reward.”

Over this period, following the Master of the Family in handling affairs had truly been very profitable, and they were filled with enthusiasm.

They were among the first-tier family guards, and the annual allowance they could enjoy was not low, reaching about 2 gold coins per year for clothing, food, and daily expenses. Additionally, they received 20 gold coins worth of cultivation resources and 12 gold coins in extra allowance each year.

Compared to ordinary civilians, their income was already very high.

Therefore, when Wang Shouzhe rewarded them with 10 gold coins, it was naturally a substantial amount. Especially for Wang Zhong, who had recently served as bait to lure out the external disciples of the Yinsha Sect, completing the task very well and receiving an additional 20 gold coins, he truly earned a fortune.

“Work hard and cultivate well.” After encouraging them, Wang Shouzhe returned to the cabin to rest.

Being generous to them was also a way to support them. Although the allowance for family guards was not low, the resources they could enjoy were ultimately not as good as those for bloodline clan members. Both of them were in their thirties, and it was quite difficult for them to cultivate to the fourth or fifth level of the Qi Condensation stage.

Subsequently, the journey was uneventful.

Upon reaching the Fenggu Gate, they transferred to a small boat to travel along the inner river to the main residence. The round trip was quite smooth, taking about ten days in total.

In the black-roofed boat.

Wang Shouzhe saw the significant changes in the Fenggu Farm. Thousands of acres of wheat had been harvested, and the threshing grounds were piled high with wheat, like small hills.

It was a bountiful harvest.

The busy tenant farmers had satisfied smiles on their faces. This bountiful year would make their lives much better.

Most farms in this world adopted a tenant farming system with a guaranteed minimum share. The larger the grain yield, the more benefits they could share. Besides their own consumption, the surplus grain could be exchanged for large copper coins.

Once they saved enough money, they could send their children to Ping'an Town to learn a trade. When the children became skilled and could support themselves, they could start a family and establish a household.

If they saved even more money, they could buy ten or twenty acres of good land. Building a house next to the farmland would make them self-cultivating farmers.

However, jumping from a tenant farmer family to a self-cultivating farmer family was not an easy task. It often required the efforts of one or even two generations.

In this world, there were not a few tenant farmer households that gradually became self-cultivating farmers. At the same time, there were also self-cultivating farmer families that fell into decline and became tenant farmer households in various farms. This was like the ebb and flow of the tide, the waxing and waning of the moon, all normal phenomena.

Similarly, in this world, there were not a few declining and ultimately collapsing Xuanwu families. There were also many Xuanwu families that were thriving and becoming increasingly powerful.

To the tenant farmers, the Wang family of Ping'an was like the sky.

However, at this moment, Wang Shouzhe had a sudden realization. The Wang family and each tenant farmer or self-cultivating farmer family were not fundamentally different. Everyone wanted to improve and strengthen their family or clan through hard work and accumulation.

The black-roofed boat passed through the Fenggu Farm, following the winding and meandering river towards the main residence. Along the way, it passed through several villages. These villages had anywhere from thirty to four hundred households, mostly self-cultivating farmers, and some small farms.

When the old ancestor Zouxuan held the pioneering order and moved south to reclaim the land, he brought not only his small family but also a group of over a hundred Wang family collateral relatives. However, this group of collateral relatives had been separated from the main bloodline for too long, and the bloodline passed down by the ancestors had become extremely diluted, making it difficult for them to produce qualified cultivators.

However, this group of Wang family collateral relatives settled down in Ping'an Town with the old ancestor Zouxuan and branched out generation by generation. Now, the number of Wang family collateral relatives in Ping'an Town alone had exceeded a thousand.

Due to the large population base, even in recent generations, two individuals with cultivation potential had emerged. One was Wang Shouzhe's servant, Wang Gui, and the other was the attendant Wang Xiaoyu, who followed Wang Luoyi.

In this Xuanwu world, bloodline inheritance was the most important matter. The main bloodline would not intermarry with the collateral relatives, as it would dilute the Xuanwu bloodline in their offspring, possibly resulting in children without Xuanwu potential.

If this were to happen, it would be a tragedy.

Because such a child would never be able to marry a wife with excellent bloodline, and no family would allow their Xuanwu-qualified daughter to marry a waste with no Xuanwu potential.

Or, to put it another way, no main bloodline male from any family would marry a woman without bloodline potential.

In the end, such a child would most likely marry a collateral relative, which would start another tragedy, as there was a high probability of producing offspring without bloodline. In this case, the child's offspring would not even be recorded in the family genealogy and would be relegated to the collateral relatives.

Therefore, in the Xuanwu world, bloodline was extremely important. The main bloodline remained the main bloodline, the direct bloodline remained the direct bloodline, and the collateral relatives remained the collateral relatives, and they could not intermarry indiscriminately.

Even for Xuanwu families, the collateral relatives were just collateral relatives and did not count as true clan members. Under normal circumstances, ordinary collateral relatives could not even enter the main family's gate.

However, the Wang family's collateral relatives, under the care of the Wang family, lived relatively prosperous and affluent lives. Some positions in the family's enterprises that required trust were reserved for outstanding collateral relatives.

Moreover, some of the management positions in the Wang family's main residence were mostly held by outstanding collateral relatives.

These systems were not unique to the Wang family but were common in the world.

Wang Shouzhe had neither the power nor the intention to change these things. You couldn't expect him, a member of the main bloodline, to marry a direct bloodline female from another family or a collateral relative. Aside from the issue of family honor, it would also be unfair to his future descendants.

Liu family's daughter was of the main bloodline, and he was also of the main bloodline. Both of their bloodlines were excellent.

Thus, the offspring born from their union would likely have good bloodlines, and with a bit of luck, they might even produce a child with medium-grade potential, which would be a blessing for both the Wang and Liu families.

The villages and farmlands within the Wang family's sphere of influence had all benefited from Wang Luojing's spirit insects. Although they still suffered from disasters, the reduction in yield was not severe, and they could survive this season without major issues, which made Wang Shouzhe quite relieved.

While Wang Shouzhe was lost in thought, the black-roofed boat entered Zhuwei Lake and then the back courtyard of the Wang family's main residence. At this time, there were no transport boats at the back courtyard dock, indicating that Wang Luotong had completed her task excellently.

First, he sent the old ancestor back to the "Longyan Residence." Then, Aunt Xu Zhirou and Wang Lici had also completed their tasks. Wang Lici walked with a lightness, as if she were about to escape from a nightmare and was filled with joy.

Ha ha!

Wang Shouzhe secretly sneered. He first bowed to Xu Zhirou, “Aunt, you have worked hard on this journey.” She had taken very good care of the old ancestor, being very meticulous and gentle.

“Shouzhe, you flatter me. This is my duty.” Xu Zhirou hurriedly bowed in return.

Then, Wang Shouzhe handed her five 10-gold coin bills as a reward. However, Xu Zhirou, seeing such a large amount, quickly waved her hands, “Shouzhe, this is what I should do, no need, no need.”

“Aunt, please take it. The money comes from the clan treasury, not from my personal account.” Wang Shouzhe directly pushed it into her hands, smiling, “Brother Shou, Sister Luotong, and Sister Luojing are all in critical periods of cultivation. Also, you have been working too hard these years. Pay attention to your health and take good care of yourself.”

Xu Zhirou's eyes welled up with tears, and she was about to say something when Wang Shouzhe stopped her and instructed her to rest.

After Xu Zhirou left, Wang Lici looked at Wang Shouzhe with eager eyes. She didn't care about the money; she was eyeing the large pile of seafood and local specialties Wang Shouzhe had brought back, which included many delicious snacks.

Uncle, Uncle, Lici is so well-behaved and obedient. Uncle, you must share at least half, no, a third of that large pile of delicious snacks with me. Thinking of this, her mouth was almost watering.

“Big girl, you did well this time.” Wang Shouzhe pinched her round face affectionately and took out a few books from his pocket, “I know you love reading the most. These are the gifts I carefully prepared for you, the perfect reward. You mustn't slack off, and I will test you anytime.”

“What? What?”

Wang Lici felt dizzy. Oh, heaven, how unfair you are to me, Wang Lici, making me have such a devil of an uncle.

So frustrating.

Uncle, Uncle.

Have you never heard the saying, 'Thirty years on the east side of the river, thirty years on the west side of the river; don't bully a poor girl'?

If I were the Green Emperor in the future, I would make your peach blossoms bloom all over your face!

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