Chapter 10: Fenggu Farm
"This isn't it, Grandfather said that Sister will get married in less than two years." Wang Luojing pouted, "It's better to help Brother improve his cultivation instead."
"I'm willing to give it. Please, don't blame him," Wang Ruotong explained anxiously.
According to the clan rules, those who occupy others' resources within the clan will be severely punished. However, voluntary gifts are not subject to punishment.
"Sigh!"
Wang Shoujie let out a heavy sigh, it seemed that the Fourth Elder had a bias towards males, but this was a common phenomenon in the Wang Clan, and it was all because of a single word "poor" that caused all the trouble.
Wang Shoujie was not like him, as the legitimate younger generation leader, with excellent innate abilities, and was considered a first-class talent to be cultivated. He could normally allocate far more resources.
However, for martial artists, the younger they started cultivating, the higher they could reach, otherwise, as they grew older, their physical strength would decline, and it would become increasingly difficult to make progress. The Fourth Elder probably had no choice but to advise Wang Ruotong to help Wang Shoujie.
"It's nothing, it's all my fault," Wang Shoujie sighed, "I've occupied too many resources, indirectly reducing the share of my brothers and sisters."
"Fourth Brother is the legitimate heir, with excellent innate abilities, and is the pillar of the family, so he should be allocated more resources," Wang Luotong's eyes revealed a hint of admiration and expectation, "I heard Grandfather say that Fourth Brother's innate abilities are only slightly inferior to Ancestor Longyan, and he has a great chance of breaking through to the Spirit Realm in the future. As long as Fourth Brother becomes a Spirit Realm expert, our Wang Clan's days will be better."
"That's right, I also heard that Fourth Brother has been admitted to the Purple Palace Academy," Wang Luojing exclaimed, "If it weren't for Fifth Uncle's incident, Fourth Brother would not have to take over as the clan leader, and you would have already gone to the Purple Palace Academy. I heard that the Purple Palace Academy is full of beautiful sisters, and Fourth Brother will definitely be able to bring one back."Purple Palace Academy!
This was a holy land in the dreams of young people in the entire Changning region, an unattainable dream.
"Don't talk nonsense, what's in your little head?" Wang Shoujie laughed and glared at her, handing her a few pieces of honey cake, "I haven't even passed the final exam yet, and I might not make it."
Amidst the laughter, Wang Shoujie felt a heavy pressure, the pressure of the entire clan's hopes resting on his shoulders.
"After all, Fourth Brother is the strongest," Wang Luojing clearly had blind admiration for him.
"The family's prosperity doesn't rely on one person," Wang Shoujie smiled and looked at Wang Luojing, "You're also a member of the family, and you need to work hard too. I think your talent is pretty good, and you've already reached the first layer of the Qi Refining Realm at a young age. Work hard, and who knows, you might be admitted to the Purple Palace Academy and become as excellent as Ancestor Longyan."
"Yes, I'll definitely work hard," Wang Luojing's eyes were filled with expectation, "At least I won't let Sister Luoqiu surpass me again."
Luoqiu?
"Is it Wang Luoqiu from the Third Uncle's family?" Wang Shoujie asked with some curiosity, "Has she already reached the peak of the first layer and is about to break through?"
"She's already broken through," Wang Luojing pouted, looking unhappy, "She came to show off to me a while ago."
"This talent is really good," Wang Shoujie was surprised, "I remember she's only eleven years old?" This talent seemed to be comparable to Wang Shoujie's.
It seemed that the young generation of the Wang Clan was not inferior to the Liu Clan or the Zhao Clan, but due to resource constraints, everyone's growth was limited. He furrowed his brow, thinking deeply.
Take Liu Yongzhou of the Liu Clan, for example, who was already at the fifth layer of the high rank at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four, and was considered excellent among the young generation. If Wang Luotong were given more abundant cultivation resources, her future achievements might not be inferior to Liu Yongzhou's.
Unfortunately, she was a woman, and the family was too poor.
Later, Wang Shoujie intentionally or unintentionally tested their cultural knowledge, but found that they were all average, especially in arithmetic, which they were terrible at.
This made Wang Shoujie's face turn black, and he scolded them directly, "You're all so disappointing, with empty heads. Although the Martial Clan values martial arts, cultural and knowledge foundations are also the roots of a family's heritage."
"Fourth Brother, we dare not anymore, we dare not anymore."
"This time, after we go back, I'll study hard and take the school exam again in three months."
"Oh!"
Wang Luotong and Wang Luojing both hung their heads in shame.
……
From the Wang Clan's main residence to Fenggu Farm, it was only about 1.5 miles away. The road was a compacted earth path wide enough for two horse-drawn carriages to pass each other, with wheat fields on both sides. The journey was very smooth.
It was early summer, and the vegetation on both sides was lush and vibrant. The wheat fields swayed in the wind, like a vast blue sea. This was the time when the wheat was ripening, and the weather was fine, with plenty of sunshine, making it a good omen.
Wang Shoujie and his two sisters chatted for about half an hour before arriving at Fenggu Farm.
Most farms were located in areas with fertile soil. This land was about 7-8 miles away from the main stream of the An River, with a small tributary about 10-15 yards wide that flowed through the farm.
Their ancestors had diverted the tributary and dug several canals about 3 yards wide, making the water area resemble the Chinese character "丰" (abundance) from above. Therefore, their ancestors named it Fenggu Farm.
Along the winding waterways, there were rows of houses, although simple, each with a small front and back courtyard, where they could grow some fruits and vegetables, raise chickens, and had simple stone steps leading to the canals for washing and cooking.
In the canals, there were many ducks and geese playing and foraging, quacking loudly.
In front of the houses were well-cultivated fields, with wheat fields swaying in the wind, exceptionally majestic and beautiful.
What a picturesque rural scene.
Wang Shoujie, who had lived in the city for a long time, was immediately attracted to this idyllic and leisurely scene. He had just crossed over into this world and was still stuck in the mindset of fighting and killing.
But he never thought there would be such a beautiful rural scene.
Although they had already sent someone to report their arrival, Wang Shoujie and his sisters waited for about 20 minutes by the riverbank before Wang Xiaozhi emerged from the depths of the farm.
He was over 70 years old, with skin tanned dark, but still full of energy. He took off his straw hat and greeted Wang Shoujie with a smile, saying, "Shoujie, how did you find the time to come over today?"
"Fourth Grandfather," Wang Shoujie politely bowed.
"Grandfather," Wang Luotong and Wang Luojing, the two girls, obediently bowed to Wang Xiaozhi.
"What are you two girls doing here? Why aren't you at home studying and practicing?" Wang Xiaozhi, the fourth elder, slightly furrowed his brow in reprimand. "There are many snakes, rats, and ants in the fields, what's fun about that?"
The two girls were scolded, their faces turned white, and they didn't dare to speak, looking down weakly.
"Fourth Grandfather," Wang Shoujie helped to mediate, "Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister missed you, so I brought them to visit you. It's not their fault."
"Shoujie, don't spoil them too much. Otherwise, they'll feel wronged when they get married and go to their husbands' families." Wang Xiaozhi's tone towards Wang Shoujie was much more gentle. "You came at a good time today. Yesterday, a group of wild boars came to the wheat fields at night, and we've been cooking the big one since morning. Come, Fourth Grandfather invites you to eat and drink."
"I was saying, I had a sudden urge to come to the farm this morning, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I could smell the good food from afar." Wang Shoujie laughed and said, "It seems I'm really quite lucky."
"You're the pillar of our family, of course, you're lucky." Wang Xiaozhi smiled and led Wang Shoujie into the main courtyard of the farm, with the two girls following closely behind.
The main courtyard of the farm was a simple and rustic structure made of brick, wood, and tile, mainly for the family members, servants, and farmhands to live in. There were some farming tools in the corner, and they also raised some free-range chickens, giving off a strong rural flavor.
Wang Xiaozhi invited Wang Shoujie to sit down at a stone table, surrounded by five or six stone stools. Some farm women had laid out some fruits and tea, and then went to the kitchen to start cooking.
During this time, the two girls were also sent to the kitchen to help, according to Wang Xiaozhi's reasoning, that girls should be exposed to kitchen work, so they wouldn't be at a disadvantage in their future husbands' families.
Wang Shoujie knew that this was a tradition in the martial arts world, although Martial Clans would have specialized cooks, but cooking some food personally represented a kind of affection.
Just like mother Gong Sunhui, who often personally cooked delicious dishes for Wang Dingyue and Wang Shoujie, representing a close relationship.
[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]