Chapter 77

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Wang Shouzhe only then noticed that not far away, there was a girl around thirteen or fourteen years old.

She was at the age when the first buds of youth were blooming, with two small braids, a melon-seed-shaped face, and a very clean and fresh appearance. She was blinking her large, clear eyes, looking at Wang Shouzhe with great interest.

"Are you Sister Ruo Lei?" Wang Shouzhe clasped his hands in greeting.

He knew that the current generation of the Liu family was quite prosperous. The current clan leader, Liu Gaowang, had two sons and two daughters. His fiancée, Liu Ruolan, was the eldest daughter, and she had a younger sister named Liu Ruo Lei.

He just didn't expect that Liu Ruo Lei would also be here on this trip.

Well, not long ago, he had a taste of being a brother-in-law in front of Chen Fangjie, making Chen Fangjie feel the chill of walking on thin ice.

Now, his future brother-in-law and sister-in-law were both here, and it was his turn to be on edge.

"I have seen Brother Shouzhe, Ruo Lei greets you." Liu Ruo Lei hurriedly returned the greeting, her demeanor proper, showing the potential of a future noble lady.

"Brother-in-law" was still just a playful term. Until Wang Shouzhe and Liu Ruolan were officially married, he couldn't casually change the way he addressed her.

As they exchanged greetings and pleasantries, the Liu family's guards drove the carriages and horses off the ferry.

Wang Shouzhe then welcomed them out of the Dingpu Ferry.

"Brother, let's ride in Brother Shouzhe's carriage. We can listen to Brother Shouzhe introduce the local customs and scenery of Ping'an Town." Liu Ruo Lei tugged at Liu Yuanrui's sleeve and suggested.

It was very clear that Liu Ruo Lei was very interested in her future brother-in-law and wanted to spend more time with him.

Liu Yuanrui, though not yet sixteen, still had a somewhat youthful face, but he was already quite mature in his dealings. He shook his head and smiled, clasping his hands to Wang Shouzhe and said, "Brother Shouzhe, please don't mind. Our Ruo Lei has been spoiled since childhood."

"No problem, no problem. Sister Ruo Lei is lively and lovely. Yuanrui, if you don't mind, you can ride in my carriage with Sister Ruo Lei." Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, "It's been a while since we've seen each other, and we can catch up."

"That would be great. I can also learn a lot from Brother Shouzhe."

Then, the three of them rode in one carriage back to the Wang family's main residence. The Liu and Wang family guards rode horses around them for protection.

On the way, the three of them ate fruit and chatted casually about the scenery outside the carriage.

Liu Yuanrui was also quite talkative, discussing the recent insect disaster, the relief efforts, and the potential long-term impacts. From this, it was evident that he had a solid foundation in various areas of knowledge.

Although there were a few minor points that Wang Shouzhe didn't agree with, it didn't affect his positive impression of his future brother-in-law. The Liu family's education was very good, far surpassing families like the Liu and Zhao.

In Liu Yuanrui's heart, however, he was even more surprised. In the past, he had interacted with Wang Shouzhe, who was then introverted and not good at speaking. The only thing that could impress him was Wang Shouzhe's cultivation.

Because of this, Liu Yuanrui had a slight dissatisfaction with the arranged marriage deep in his heart. He felt that with Wang Shouzhe's displayed abilities and talents, even he couldn't compare, so how could he match his sister Liu Ruolan?

But this marriage was arranged by the ancestors, and as a junior, Liu Yuanrui had no say in the matter, no matter how dissatisfied he was.

However, after not seeing each other for a year or two, his future brother-in-law had undergone a tremendous transformation. His speech and behavior were mature and steady, and his demeanor exuded a strong sense of confidence.

When discussing current affairs, his thinking was sharp, and his logic was clear. He could often get to the heart of the matter with just a few words, making Liu Yuanrui feel enlightened and refreshed.

"Brother Shouzhe's insights are truly impressive. However, I still have some reservations about your argument that grain prices should not be liberalized," Liu Yuanrui said confidently. "From this insect disaster, we can already see the flaws in this policy. If merchants see no profit, how can they be motivated to transport grain from afar? In my view, this disaster is half a natural disaster, but the other half is due to the flawed policy. I believe that the grain price policy will likely change in the near future."

"The grain price policy may change, but even if it does, it will only be a minor adjustment," Wang Shouzhe shook his head. "You only see the advantages of liberalizing grain prices, such as the ability to quickly mobilize grain during a disaster. However, you overlook human greed. If grain prices are fully liberalized, large speculators will enter the market, monopolize grain production, and manipulate prices. At that time, our small families, countless self-cultivating farmers, and millions of ordinary people will be at their mercy, with no control over their own lives."

"Natural disasters do not occur every year, but greed is a constant," Wang Shouzhe's expression was very serious. "When evaluating national policies, we cannot focus only on certain flaws. Even if grain prices are liberalized during a disaster, it will cause great harm. Greedy merchants will drain the last penny from the pockets of the common people, and may even force them to sell their land, property, and even their children."

"This..." Liu Yuanrui seemed skeptical but did not want to dwell on this topic, so he changed the subject, "Brother Shouzhe, is that Zhuwei Lake up ahead? I've never been to Ping'an Town before, and I hope Brother Shouzhe will take me on a boat ride."

Liu Ruo Lei had not said much, but watching the conversation between her brother and Wang Shouzhe, she could feel that Brother Shouzhe was more confident and composed, and what he said was likely correct.

It seemed that Brother Shouzhe was even more excellent than the rumors suggested.

However, she was also very interested in Zhuwei Lake: "I want to go to Zhuwei Lake too."

Hearing that both siblings wanted to go to Zhuwei Lake, Wang Shouzhe remembered that the Liu family's main line had a special connection to Zhuwei Lake.

The second daughter of the second generation of the Wang family, Wang Zhuwei, had married into the Liu family and had two sons and one daughter. The current main line of the Liu family was her descendants.

Her high status in the Liu family was largely due to the fact that the three living Lingtai Realm elders of the Liu family were all related to her. One was her son, and one was her grandson.

Her daughter was even more remarkable.

She was Liu Xuanfu, one of the Changning Duo, who was as famous as Longyan Elder.

According to everyone's speculation, Liu Xuanfu, who had developed very smoothly in the Zifu Academy, was likely already at the late Lingtai Realm. The rapid development of the Liu family in recent years was closely related to Liu Xuanfu's support and assistance.

Therefore, Ancestor Grandmother Wang Zhuwei lived a life of luxury and prosperity in the Liu family. Unfortunately, in the year 3095 of the Changlong era, when Zouxuan Elder died in battle, Ancestor Grandmother Wang Zhuwei was devastated and passed away at the age of 87.

Let's put this aside for now.

As the carriage moved forward, they saw the bustling construction site by Zhuwei Lake.

Liu Yuanrui was excited again: "Brother Shouzhe, are these sheds for building a villa by the lake?"

Wang Shouzhe smiled. Building a villa was out of the question. The Wang family's finances had improved recently, but spending money on a villa for no reason would be foolish.

"We are planning to dredge and fill the lake." Wang Shouzhe briefly explained the plan. Such a massive project could not be kept secret, nor was there any need to.

After hearing this, Liu Yuanrui was stunned. He quickly did some mental calculations, and his expression was filled with shock: "Brother Shouzhe, are you joking? Such a massive project would cost no less than 30,000 gold, and the human and material resources required would be enormous. You... you..."

It was no wonder. Such a large-scale project was comparable to the grand achievements of the ancestors when they expanded their territories. Although some Xuanwu families would organize tenant farmers or households to dredge and fill rivers and expand their farmland during the agricultural off-season, these were small-scale projects. A farm could expand by a few dozen to a hundred acres in a year, which was considered good.

"Would I joke about such a major matter?" Wang Shouzhe's expression was serious.

Liu Yuanrui's body trembled, and his expression became complex. Although he appeared humble and polite, he had a strong sense of superiority. Before coming, he had a somewhat critical attitude towards Wang Shouzhe as a future brother-in-law.

The Liu family was very powerful, and Liu Yuanrui himself was talented and had received praise from the family's elders. He always thought that his sister Liu Ruolan would be marrying down to Wang Shouzhe.

However, Wang Shouzhe, without even trying, was gradually crushing his pride. In terms of personal talent, vision, behavior, and thinking, he felt somewhat inferior.

But the strength of the Liu family was also the source of his pride.

However, the Wang family had now launched such a massive expansion project, involving thousands of people and costing tens of thousands of gold. Even the Liu family would not dare to undertake such a project lightly.

"Brother Shouzhe is only a few years older than me." Liu Yuanrui felt both admiration and bitterness. At such a young age, his "future brother-in-law" was already taking over the family business, wielding real power, and launching a massive expansion project to lay the foundation for the family's future.

He, Liu Yuanrui, was not even in the same league.

Not to mention him, even his brother, the current young clan leader of the Liu family, Liu Yuanhui, would find it hard to compare.

"Brother Shouzhe is so impressive." Liu Ruo Lei's eyes sparkled as she said happily, "He is much better than my brother, who only talks about things in theory."

Liu Yuanrui's face turned dark. Although Brother Shouzhe was indeed extraordinary, did she have to belittle her brother so much?

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