Vol.1 – Chapter 40 – Obsession with Cheating Devices


 

The next five or six days passed calmly and without incident.

 

On the grain transportation line, Gongsun Qiang and Sixth Uncle Wang Dinghai were the first to complete their tasks. In return, Wang Shouzhe promised Gongsun Qiang that the last batch of Chen grain could be transported back to the Gongsun Clan. Of course, there was a fee for that, sold to the Gongsun Clan at a fair price.

 

As a result, that "cheap uncle" was also a "shrewd man", overloading the carts and carrying the mining slaves on their shoulders to bring back a whopping three thousand carts of grain. The next day, they eagerly sent two hundred Top Gold worth of payment for the grain, looking afraid that Wang Shouzhe would back out of the deal.

 

It was no wonder that he was shrewd, as the disaster in Changning Wei was becoming more and more intense. Those who had the ability to hire Lingchongshi or had connections to buy large amounts of insecticide from the Xuanwu Clan could still hold on.

 

But most of the lower-class clans were not so lucky, with insect infestations spreading in their fields. They could only rely on large amounts of grass and wood ash to kill the insects, but facing the increasing number of honey insects, their efforts were limited, and a large reduction in production was inevitable.

 

And Wang Shouzhe had also heard some even worse news, that this disaster was likely to spread beyond Longzuo Commandery. So, from now on, having grain in hand would be even more "valuable."

 

At the same time, Wang Shouzhe was not idle.

 

Daily cultivation was essential, and because he had been eating well recently, his body was full of vitality, and he could feel his progress every day, steadily moving towards the seventh level of Qi Refining.

 

Of course, the road of cultivation was not easy. It was a process of gradually transforming and strengthening the body, and it required a lot of time and effort to make progress.

 

He also wanted to be like those protagonists in the fantasy worlds of novels, popping pills and easily advancing through the levels one by one. Or wielding a sword to kill chickens and dogs, and gaining experience points quickly.

 

But in his world, these were all just fantasies. No matter whose cultivation level it was, it was achieved through continuous cultivation and hard work.

 

In addition to cultivation, Wang Shouzhe was also tinkering with his system panel.

 

Since he didn't bring a system with him when he crossed over, he could only create some basic system panels himself.

 

First, he tackled the issue of clan expenses.

 

Before he sorted out the panel, Wang Shouzhe was quite unclear about the clan's expenses. But after checking the books with Madam, he was truly shocked to find out how enormous the expenses of a clan could be.

 

Taking into account the resources and offerings enjoyed by Wang Shouzhe as the clan leader:

 

Annual allocation of ordinary resources:300 catties of refined rice (24 copper coins), 150 catties of refined flour (15 copper coins), 200 catties of various vegetables (8 copper coins), 400 catties of fruits and melons (48 copper coins), 20 catties of preserved fruits (20 copper coins), 250 catties of pig and boar meat (75 copper coins), 150 catties of ordinary beef and mutton (60 copper coins), 100 chickens and ducks (60 copper coins), 30 geese (45 copper coins), 100 catties of eggs (20 copper coins), 20 catties of pig fat (8 copper coins), 20 catties of refined soybean oil (12 copper coins), 10 catties of premium soy sauce (20 copper coins), 5 catties of premium refined salt (20 copper coins), 1 catty of snowflake salt (10 copper coins), 10 catties of rock sugar (20 copper coins), 1 catty of seasoning (10 copper coins), 5 catties of incense (25 copper coins), 500 catties of refined charcoal (15 copper coins), 30 baskets of firewood (6 copper coins), expenses for clothing, bedding, and other daily necessities (100 copper coins), and other miscellaneous expenses (20 copper coins).

 

Just the ordinary daily necessities of Wang Shouzhe alone cost a total of 6 Top Gold and 51 copper coins per year. Looking at the list, he felt like he ate too much, but upon closer inspection, he realized that he really had a large appetite.

 

He was about to reach the seventh level of Qi Refining, and his appetite was far beyond that of an ordinary person. Moreover, cultivation was not just about meditating to refine Qi, but also required the cultivation of Xuanwu martial arts, body techniques, swordsmanship, string control, and equestrian skills, all of which consumed a lot of physical energy.

 

These ordinary foods could barely satisfy him for the time being. Madam Gongsun Hui often diverted some of her own salary to Wang Shouzhe.

 

Of course, this was just the small portion. The larger portion was the allocation of cultivation resources for Wang Shouzhe each year.

 

60 catties of spiritual rice (12 Top Gold), 60 catties of spiritual fish (20 Top Gold), 60 catties of spiritual meat (20 Top Gold), and 12 small Peiyuan pills (120 Top Gold).

 

A total of 172 Top Gold of cultivation resources were provided for him alone each year. And as his cultivation level increased, this amount would need to continue to increase, otherwise, it would not be able to keep up with his consumption.

 

This was also why Wang Shouzhe, at such a young age, was about to reach the seventh level of Qi Refining. It was definitely not just because his cultivation talent was exceptional, but because the clan poured resources into him.

 

Imagine, although the clan's spiritual fish were produced by their own fishing team, they only produced an average of about 400 catties per year, and Wang Shouzhe alone needed 60 catties.

 

As for the source of spiritual meat, there were more options. Usually, it was obtained through hunting or purchasing, as the Wang Clan did not have the financial resources or ability to raise spiritual horned oxen. For hunting, the clan would organize an autumn and winter hunt one month after the autumn harvest each year, mainly to cultivate the abilities of the clan's offspring and supplement their meat intake.

 

However, because they dared not venture deep into the wilderness outside of their territory, they rarely hunted ferocious beasts. At least, the Wang Clan had not hunted any ferocious beasts in the past five years of autumn and winter hunts. Therefore, the main source of spiritual meat for the Wang Clan was obtained through external procurement, which was also a huge expense.

 

In addition, Wang Shouzhe was now the clan leader, with a monthly allowance of 5 Top Gold, totaling 60 Top Gold per year. He could use this private money as he pleased. As the clan leader, there were many areas where he needed personal funds.Therefore, Wang Shouzhe's direct annual consumption alone amounts to about 240 Top Gold. This does not include the expenses for repairing and maintaining buildings, the cost of carriages and horses, and the expenses for the dedicated servants, as these are all considered part of the clan's other expenses.

 

As a result, when the accounts are calculated, the numbers are astronomical.

 

If he marries a proper wife, the amount of resources for cultivation will definitely be reduced, to about one-third. However, the consumption and upkeep of the clan leader's proper wife are comparable to that of the clan leader, which amounts to over one hundred Top Gold of expenses.

 

In addition, the other expenses of the clan are also staggering.

 

The average annual expenditure of all bloodline clan members, including Wang Shouzhe, is about 1800 Top Gold. The expenses and treatment of the nine family generals and their families add up to nearly 350 Top Gold of gold.

 

There are also seven underage or young family generals being trained, which costs about 80 Top Gold of gold. In addition, there are over one hundred family servants and slaves, divided into several levels, with a total annual expenditure of about 170 Top Gold of gold.

 

Just the personnel in the main mansion of the clan consume a total of 2400 Top Gold of gold each year. Of course, this 2400 Top Gold is not all actual gold expenditure, as a considerable portion is resources provided, measured in Top Gold.

 

For example, the white jade spirit rice produced in the Lingtian of the prosperous farm of the clan will be included in the farm's income account when this resource enters the clan. When it is distributed to someone in the form of resources, it will ultimately be reflected in the value of Top Gold.

 

Similarly, when some live fish, fresh fish, and spirit fish produced by Sixth Uncle Wang Dinghai's fishing team enter the clan, that side will also record the income account, and the clan will record the expenditure account.

 

Of course, such accounts only involve the exchange of goods, and there will not be actual Top Gold involved. Therefore, the so-called profit of the fishing team is usually a book profit, not actual gold and silver earned in Top Gold. This profit has already been turned into resources supplied to the clan.

 

However, for such a large Xuanwu clan, huge material expenses are inevitable. In fact, the overall expenses of the Ping'an Wang clan are considered low because they are too poor. Ancestor Long Yan and the clan elders of the Xiaozibei are already living frugally and trying to save expenses.

 

Fortunately, there are still three major pillar industries in the clan's industry.

 

Among them, the Fenggu Farm, which is purely a normal agriculture, is currently the lowest income industry on the books, while the Xingsheng Farm has a larger output because of its 20 mu of Lingtian.

 

In addition, the Xinmao Silkworm Farm mainly produces cocoons and provides long-term stable supply to the Xu clan of Changning, with most of the income in Top Gold.

 

The other two clan industries, the Ping'an Wang Fish Stall and the Fishing Team, are managed by the younger generation and have lower earnings than the three major pillar industries in previous years.

 

However, after Wang Shouzhe's efforts this year, the Fishing Team and the Wang Fish Stall are bound to take off, and even surpassing the earnings of the pillar industries is not surprising.

 

Moreover, this year, as the largest grain-producing farm, the Fenggu Farm will usher in a glorious moment due to the arrival of the pestilence.

 

More importantly, Wang Shouzhe, relying on some intelligence during the pestilence, boldly took action and made a big move. The pure income of over ten thousand Top Gold is enough to bring a qualitative change to the Wang clan, who were living a tight life.As soon as Wang Shouzhe thought of the large stack of Top Gold tickets and the piles of food in the backyard, his heart was filled with a sense of pride!

 

The Wang's Clan of Ping'an County will surely soar to new heights!

 

After calming his mind, Wang Shouzhe focused on the self-built land system panel.

 

First was the main interface.

 

【Family Name】: Wang's Clan of Longzhou Changning Ping'an County

 

【Family Level】: Ninth Rank

 

【Family Prestige】: 【Town Prestige (75) Renowned】【County Prestige (21) Somewhat Famous】【Commandery Prestige (00) Unknown】

 

【Family Industry】: 5 items (click to view details)

 

【Family Members】: 【In Clan (35)】【Married Out (10)】(click to view details)

 

【Family In-laws】: 6 people (click to view details)

 

【Family Retainers】: 【Adult (9)】【Minor (7)】(click to view details)

 

【Family Servants】: 【Adult (112)】【Minor (32)】(click to view details)

 

【Income and Expenditure List】: (click to view details)

 

After finishing this, even Wang Shouzhe felt like he had played too many games and read too many system novels in his past life. If he didn't create a "system panel," he would feel uncomfortable.

 

However, this system was still relatively simple, made up of paper panels, and there were still many templates that needed to be added slowly.

 

"Click to view details." Wang Shouzhe pretended to click on the family industry item, and then jumped to the 【Family Industry】 details page.

 

In fact, he just took out the small book of family industries… that he had sewn the binding himself…

 


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