Protect Our Patriarch

Wang Shouzhe then noticed that there was also a girl of about thirteen or fourteen not far away.

She was at the age of blooming, with two small braids, a melon seed face, and a pretty appearance. She was very clean and refreshing, blinking her clear black and white eyes, curiously observing Wang Shouzhe.

"You must be Ruolei's younger sister, right?" Wang Shouzhe greeted with a cupped hand.

He knew that the Liu Clan's direct descendants were more prosperous in this generation. 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 Ruolei.

He just didn't expect that Liu Ruolei would also come on this trip.

Well, not long ago, he had just shown off as a brother-in-law in front of Chen Fangjie, letting Chen Fangjie experience the feeling of walking on thin ice.

Now, his future brother-in-law and sister-in-law had come, and it was his turn to be nervous.

"Ruolei has seen Brother Shouzhe." Liu Ruolei also quickly returned the greeting, with a proper demeanor, showing the style of a future lady.

Brother-in-law was just a joke for now. Wang Shouzhe and Liu Ruolan had not yet married, so he couldn't casually change the way he addressed her.

After the greetings and pleasantries, the Liu Clan's servants drove the carriage off the ferry and waited with their strong horses.

Wang Shouzhe then welcomed them at the ferry crossing.

"Brother, let's ride Brother Shouzhe's carriage, so we can listen to him introduce the customs of Ping'an Town." Liu Ruolei pulled Liu Yuanrui's sleeve and suggested.

It was obvious that Liu Ruolei was very interested in her future brother-in-law, and wanted to get to know him more.

Liu Yuanrui, although not yet sixteen years old, still had a somewhat tender face, but he was already mature in his dealings with people. He shook his head with a bitter smile and cupped his hand to Wang Shouzhe, saying, "Brother Shouzhe, please don't mind. Ruolei has been spoiled since she was young."

"No worries, Ruolei is lively and lovely, very cute. Yuanrui, if you don't mind, you can ride in my carriage with Ruolei. We are already brothers, and it's been a while since we last met. Let's have a chat together." Wang Shouzhe smiled and said, "It's also a good opportunity for you and me to learn from each other."

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

After that, the three of them got into the carriage, while the Liu Clan and Wang Clan's servants rode on horses, guarding around.

Along the way, the three of them ate fruits and casually chatted about the scenery outside the carriage.

Liu Yuanrui was also talkative. From the recent insect disaster to disaster relief, and the long-term effects of possible changes, he showed solid knowledge and insight in various aspects.

Although there were a few small ideas that Wang Shouzhe didn't agree with, it didn't affect his good impression of this future brother-in-law. The Liu Clan had done a very good job in terms of family education, unlike the Liu Clan and Zhao Clan.

In Liu Yuanrui's heart, he was even more surprised. He had interacted with Wang Shouzhe before, and at that time, he was introverted and not good at speaking. Only in cultivating the dao could he impress him.

Because of this, Liu Yuanrui was somewhat dissatisfied with this marriage. He always felt that Wang Shouzhe's abilities and knowledge, as demonstrated, surpassed even him. How could he be worthy of his sister, Liu Ruolan?

But this marriage was determined by the ancestors, and as a younger generation, even if he was dissatisfied, he had no say in it.

Unexpectedly, after just one or two years, this future brother-in-law had undergone earth-shaking changes. He was mature and composed in his speech and behavior, with a calm and confident demeanor.

When discussing some current affairs topics, his thinking was agile and his logic was clear. He could discern the essence with just a few words, reaching the heart of the matter. Even listening to him gave Liu Yuanrui a sense of enlightenment and clarity.

"Brother Shouzhe, I admire your insights. However, I have some objections to your argument about not opening up the grain prices," Liu Yuanrui said confidently. "From this recent insect disaster, we can already see the drawbacks of this national policy. How can merchants be willing to transport and sell grain from afar when they have no profit? I believe that in the near future, there is a high possibility of changes in the grain price policy."

"There is a possibility of changes in the grain price policy, but even if it changes, it will only be a minor adjustment," Wang Shouzhe shook his head and said, "Yuanrui, you only see the advantages of opening up grain prices, such as being able to quickly gather food to alleviate disasters during famine years, but you overlook human greed. Once grain prices are completely deregulated, big players will enter the market and monopolize grain production, manipulating the rise and fall of prices. At that time, small families like ours, as well as countless self-sufficient farmers and other commoners, will be at the mercy of these big players, unable to control their own lives."

"Natural disasters do not happen every year, but man-made disasters can occur at any time," Wang Shouzhe's expression became extremely serious. "When looking at political policies, we cannot only focus on certain drawbacks. Moreover, even in famine years, opening up grain prices is a great disaster. Greedy merchants will exploit the common people, emptying their pockets, and even forcing them to sell their land, property, and even their children."

"This..." Liu Yuanrui seemed skeptical, but he didn't want to argue on this topic any longer. He changed the subject, "Brother Shouzhe, is that the Pearl and Wei Lake ahead? This is my first time in Ping'an Town. Brother Shouzhe, you must take me to visit the lake."

Liu Ruolei, who hadn't said much, could feel that Brother Shouzhe was even more confident and composed during the conversation. Most likely, he was more outstanding than the rumors suggested.

It seemed that Brother Shouzhe was even more excellent than she had imagined.

She was also interested in Pearl and Wei Lake. "I want to go to Pearl and Wei Lake too."

Hearing that both of them wanted to go to Pearl and Wei Lake, Wang Shouzhe suddenly remembered that the direct descendants of the Liu Clan had a different sentiment towards the lake than others.

Wang Zhuxi, the second daughter of the Wang Clan, had married into the Liu Clan and had two sons and a daughter. The current direct descendants were all her bloodline.

Her high status in the Liu Clan was more because the three Lingtai Realm Ancestors of the Liu Clan, who were still alive, were related to her. One was her son, and one was her grandson.

There was also a daughter, who was even more remarkable.

That was one of the Twin Beauties of Changning, on par with Ancestor Long Yan - Liu Xuanfu.

According to everyone's speculation, Liu Xuanfu, who had developed very smoothly in the Purple Mansion Academy, was most likely already in the late Lingtai Realm. The rapid development of the Liu Clan in recent years was also closely related to Liu Xuanfu's care and support.

Therefore, Grandmother Zhuxi had lived a prosperous life in the Liu Clan. Unfortunately, in the year when Ancestor Zhuxuan died, which was the year 3095 in the Changlong Era, Grandmother Zhuxi was heartbroken and eventually passed away, at the age of eighty-seven.

But let's not dwell on idle talk.

As the carriage moved forward, they saw the bustling construction site by the Pearl and Wei Lake.

Liu Yuanrui became interested again. "Brother Shouzhe, with so many construction sheds, are you planning to build villas by the lake?"

Wang Shouzhe smiled. Building villas was certainly impossible. The Wang Clan's recent economy had improved, but there was no reason to throw money into building villas.

"We, the Wang Clan, are planning to dredge and fill the lake." Wang Shouzhe briefly explained the plan. Such a huge project couldn't be concealed, nor was there a need to hide it.

After listening, Liu Yuanrui was stunned on the spot. He quickly calculated in his mind, his expression filled with shock. "Brother Shouzhe, are you joking? Such a huge project would cost no less than thirty thousand Top Gold, and the manpower and resources involved would be extremely vast. You...you..."

It was no wonder that such a huge project would be comparable to the feats of the ancestors when they opened up new territories. Although some Xuanwu families would organize tenant farmers or farmers to do some work on dredging and filling the river during the slack season, the scale was limited. A farm could expand tens to hundreds of acres in a year, which was considered good.

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

Liu Yuanrui's body trembled, his expression became complicated. Although he had shown humility and courtesy, he had a sense of superiority deep down. He came here with a critical attitude towards his future brother-in-law.

The Liu Clan was powerful, and Liu Yuanrui himself was also talented, praised by the ancestors many times. He always thought that his sister, Liu Ruolan, was marrying beneath her to Wang Shouzhe.

However, Wang Shouzhe unintentionally shattered his pride bit by bit. In terms of personal talent, vision, behavior, and thinking, he felt somewhat inferior.

But the strength of the Liu Clan was also his pride.

Unexpectedly, now the Wang Clan had initiated such a huge development plan, a project that even the Liu Clan would not dare to easily undertake.

"Brother Shouzhe, you are only two or three years older than me," Liu Yuanrui admired with a hint of bitterness. At such a young age, Brother Shouzhe had already started inheriting the family business, wielding real power, and initiating such a vast development project, laying the foundation for the family for a hundred years.

Compared to him, Liu Yuanrui, they were not even on the same level.

Not to mention him, even his older brother, the current young Clan Leader of the Liu Clan, Liu Yuanhui, would probably find it difficult to compare.

"Brother Shouzhe is amazing," Liu Ruolei's eyes also shone with excitement as she happily said, "He is much stronger than my older brother, who only knows how to talk on paper."

Liu Yuanrui's face darkened. Although Brother Shouzhe was indeed extraordinary, Ruolei, there's no need to belittle your brother like that, right?

...