Timely snow heralded a bountiful year.
When the first snow of the new year fell from the sky, the He Family Manor was filled with cheers and laughter.
The new year had a special meaning to everyone in the manor. The young people were a year older and had become more mature, while the old people were getting older. However, the two old people of the He Family Manor were still filled with joy because their younger generation had grown to the point where they could replace them.
The days when they had sheltered the He Family Manor from the wind and rain had gradually passed.
Perhaps this was the final wish of all the old people!
"The New Year Competition officially begins..."
As the third uncle, He Quanyi, spoke, the entire field was filled with enthusiastic applause.
What was different from the previous years was that there was one more person in the He Family who had reached Stage Six Internal Strength.
He Yiling was the eldest daughter of the third uncle, He Quanyi. She had just turned 20 this year and was considered a female expert among the third generation of the younger generation. Most peasant girls would have gotten married at this age. However, compared to cultivators, a 20-year-old girl would definitely not become an old lady. Instead, she would be at the prime of her youth.
Therefore, when He Yiling went on the field for the first time, she immediately received the loudest cheers. Her opponent was the second brother, He Yihai. Facing his sister's attacks, He Yihai had a bitter smile on his face as he fought with her for a long time before he "luckily" won by one move. This made all the elders of the He Clan beam with smiles.
After that, He Yixuan and He Yitian went on the field one after another. Their martial arts skills were getting better and better.
Under the stimulation of He Yiming, the freak, everyone's expectations of themselves were raised to a new level. The overall combat power of the third generation of the He Family had reached a new level.
Although they didn't break through their respective limits this year, the results they achieved were enough to satisfy the elders.
As for He Yiming, when he stood up, the younger generation in the field immediately dispersed. No one would take the initiative to embarrass themselves when they knew that they would lose.
With He Yiming's strength, even if everyone in the He Family Manor swarmed him, they would not be able to cause him much trouble, let alone the younger generation.
When He Wude and the other elders saw this, they all shook their heads and smiled bitterly. However, in their hearts, they were extremely happy.
With a son like this in the future, the He Family Manor would not decline at all for at least a few decades.
During the New Year Competition this year, He Yitian and Cheng Yanli separated from the elders and sat alone. It could be said that they had started a family and had left He Quanxin's family.
They had been married for a year. Even if they did not love each other very much, they at least treated each other like guests..
However, He Yiming vaguely felt that the couple was a little too polite to each other.
Perhaps, as time passed, they would truly accept each other.
Of course, not everything was perfect.
The only thing in the family that criticized the two of them after their marriage was that after a year of marriage, they didn't give birth to a fourth generation descendant for the He family.
Although He Wude and the other elders didn't say it explicitly, some clues could be found from their expressions. However, they were all very good at concealing themselves, so He Yitian and Cheng Yanli did not notice anything.
After the New Year Competition, everyone had dinner together and then went their separate ways.
However, in the He Family Manor, He Wude, the He Family's second generation, He Yitian, and He Yiming gathered together.
They were going to discuss the He Family's development plan for the next year after the beginning of spring.
In the past, among the third generation, even He Yitian did not participate. However, today, He Wude called the two third generation over. His intention was obvious.
The third generation of the He Family began to officially participate in the operation of the manor.
There was a round table with tea on it. He Yiming and He Yitian were in charge of pouring tea for the elders. At the same time, they were also in charge of listening. Of course, they could also give their own opinions.
He Quanyi placed a year's worth of accounts on the table and said, "Father, this year's income is not bad. After deducting the costs and other expenses of the shops, we have a total profit of 2000 taels of silver."
He Quanyi also threw out an account book and said, "The fields around the manor have been reclaimed. The income from the grains is also not bad. In addition to the hunting in the mountains and the local specialties from the mountains, we can also make a lot of profit by selling them through the shops in the city." He paused for a moment, then continued, "But there are hundreds of people in the manor, people eating and horses chewing. In addition to the monthly stipend, there are unexpected rewards, and so on. All of these are not cheap expenses. Although there is a slight surplus, it is not too much. However, the construction and renovation of the buildings and the collection of building materials for the future castle are all large sums. In total, we spent 5000 taels of silver. "
He Yitian and He Yiming looked at each other. Their eyes revealed a trace of surprise. It turned out that everyone in the family had worked hard for a year, but they still couldn't make ends meet.
He Wude nodded slightly. There was no expression on his face. It was as if he had expected this.
"Second Brother, how is the Yuan Family's business?" The old man calmly asked.
He Quanming's face was instantly filled with a smile and said, "Father, our cooperation with the Yuan Family this year is still very smooth. All the goods were successfully sold and we earned a total of 1000 taels of gold."
He Yitian and his brother both opened their mouths. They almost did not dare to believe their ears.
Although gold and silver were both precious metals, the price of the two was very different. One tael of gold could definitely be exchanged for ten taels of silver in the Northwest.
The profit of 1000 taels of gold was equivalent to 10,000 taels of silver. In comparison, the manor's loss of 5000 taels of silver was not worth mentioning.
He Wude smiled with satisfaction and suddenly said, "Yitian, Yiming, now you know. Although we have shops in the city, because of the continuous expansion of the manor, I am afraid that we will not be able to fill this hole in the next few decades. If we want to continuously expand the manor and accumulate family assets, then the business with the Yuan Family is the true lifeline of our He Family. "
He Yitian hesitated and said, "Grandfather, the Yuan Family you are talking about, is it the Yuan Family in Jinlin Country?"
"That's right, it is the Yuan Family in Jinlin Country." He Wude nodded slightly and said, "Although they do not have much power in Jinlin Country, they have a wide network. Also, the current head of the Yuan Family, Yuan Zeyu, is a companion who has traveled the world with me when I was young. They are definitely the best partners to cooperate with our He Family."
He Yiming looked at everyone and asked, "Father, what business do we do with the Yuan Family? They actually make money like this. "
He Quanming hesitated and said, "Smuggling."
"Smuggling?" He Yiming said in shock, "Our He Family still needs to rely on smuggling to survive?"
"Of course." He Quanming said in a low voice, "Actually, all the large families are secretly operating all kinds of illegal businesses. We are only smuggling, which is the cleanest."
He Yiming laughed bitterly. He did not expect that in his father's heart, smuggling would become a matter of course.
He Wude coughed lightly and said, "Yiming, if our He Family Village can one day build a castle like the Xu Family Fort, then we can save on the annual deficit."
He Yiming responded. He thought in his heart that the Xu Family Fort's hundred years of foundation was indeed much stronger than the current He Family Village.
He Quanyi lightly patted the table in front of him and said, "Yiming, the Xu and Cheng Families are the same as us. They are actually doing the same thing. It is just that their hands and feet are much more restrained now. But if it was a hundred years ago, when they had just developed, they would be much crazier than us. If that wasn't the case, where do you think their huge family business came from? "
He Yiming thought for a moment and finally nodded. The grudge in his heart completely disappeared.
"Alright." He Wude waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about Yiming."
Upon hearing this, everyone's brows immediately furrowed.
Although He Yiming was a cultivator, her cultivation talent was not very good. Before the age of 20, she had just successfully broken through to the sixth level of inner strength.
It could be seen that her future achievements would be very limited. Moreover, the cultivation of a woman was more difficult than that of a man. The possibility of her continuing to advance in the future was very low.
Under such circumstances, most female cultivators would give up on the arduous cultivation. If they were in an aristocratic family, they could even talk about marriage.
The elders of the He Family Village had been having a headache because of this.
Regardless of whether it was the Xu Family or the Cheng Family, they had sent people to propose marriage. Their target was He Yiming.
If it was in the past, He Yiming would definitely not have cared about this. However, after this trip, He Yiming understood many things.
It was definitely not an easy thing to let a family gain a firm foothold in a certain place and pass it down for generations.
Even though the He Family Village was unprecedentedly powerful, it was impossible to push all the powers in the county to the opposite side. Otherwise, if there was a day when the He Family Village's power declined, then the counterattack would be enough to completely wipe out the He Family.
The Xu Family and the Cheng Family were the two oldest aristocratic families in Taicang County. In the past, there were a few other families that were on the same level as them. Some of them even dominated Taicang County for a period of time. However, after a hundred years, those few families had all declined. Some of them had even completely lost their roots.
Only the Xu and Cheng Clans, who had been quietly developing, had become deeply rooted in Taicang County.
This situation was similar to the four aristocratic families in the Fire Crow Country. In any place, if any family wanted to establish an aristocratic family that would not fall for a thousand years, it was impossible to do so with just the strength of one family.
The faster they rose, the faster they would fall.
Only by spreading their branches and leaves, continuously establishing their own connections, and forming good relations with the surrounding powers, would they be able to completely integrate their roots into the local area.
As such, if the family's power was at its peak, it would naturally be able to gather the power of the local area and absorb all the powers under its banner.
Similarly, if the family's power declined, then it would retreat into the wilderness and rely on a stronger power. All in all, as long as the bloodline did not die out, there would be the possibility of a phoenix undergoing nirvana and being reborn from the ashes.
Before the He Family's third generation disciples grew up, although they were known as one of the three great families in Taicang County, their foundation and connections could not be mentioned on equal terms with the other two families. If it was not because they were powerful and were second to none in martial arts, they would not be qualified.
However, when the He Family's third generation slowly revealed themselves and showed signs of prosperity, they finally gained the recognition of the other two families.
After the marriage alliance with the Cheng Family, the other two families threw an olive branch at them at the same time.
Seeing that everyone was silent, He Wude could not help but sigh and said, "Quan Yi, you're Yiling's father. Say it yourself. Between the Xu Family and the Cheng Family, which one will you choose?"
Once the old man said that, the tone was instantly set. He Yiling's future husband could only be chosen from the other two families.
He Quan Yi smiled bitterly and said, "Father, I'll leave this matter to you."
He Wude was about to speak when he suddenly shut his mouth and looked outside. A moment later, everyone heard a burst of hurried footsteps coming from afar.
The few of them exchanged puzzled looks. Since the person dared to disturb them at this time, did something big happen?
He Quanyi immediately stood up and walked out with large strides.
After a brief moment, he walked in with a grave expression and reported, "Father, someone from Jinlin's Yuan Family is here."
He Wude was startled. "What are the people from the Yuan Clan of Jinlin doing here? Didn't they already prepare gifts for us this year?"
He Quan Yi smiled bitterly and said, "Father, I'm not very sure either. Take a look for yourself."
With a flip of his wrist, a black leather letter appeared in his hand. After reading the letter, everyone's hearts sank.
It wasn't a lucky thing to use this kind of cover during the New Year. It was evident that the Yuan Family was in big trouble.
He Wude's face turned grave too. Jinlin's Yuan Family was their partner in the smuggling business. If something happened to the Yuan Family, it would be a rather heavy blow to the He Family. After all, it wasn't easy to find a family that wasn't the most powerful but had a wide network of connections.
Moreover, the He Family and the Yuan Family had worked together for many years and had formed a tacit understanding. At the very least, He Quan Ming was not willing to change partners randomly.
He Wude picked up the envelope and opened it, then he read it carefully.
"Father, what happened?" He Quan Ming asked first.
"Jinlin's Yuan Family is in big trouble." He Wude pondered for a while and sighed. "An aristocratic family has recently risen in Jinlin's Zhengtong County. This aristocratic family was vicious and merciless in their actions. Towards their enemies, they had always been ruthless and merciless. They've taken a fancy to the Yuan Family's network and resources, so they want to replace us. Hehe, so the Yuan Family asked us for help and promised that if we can help them get through this hurdle, we'll give them 10,000 taels of gold and give them 10% of the profits in future transactions. "
His words were said very calmly, but He Quanxin and the others were already very moved by it.
Not to mention the 10,000 taels of gold, even 10% of the profits after each transaction was a huge figure. Moreover, it was a long-term transaction. The money was too important for the He Family, who wanted to expand their influence in Taicang County.
"A new aristocratic family? How's their martial power? "He Quan Xin asked in a deep voice.
He Yitian and He Yiming looked at each other. They already knew what He Quan Xin meant.
Although their eldest uncle's cultivation base was second only to the old man in the family, he spent most of his energy on martial arts and did not interfere much with business matters.
Now, even he was paying attention to this matter. Naturally, everyone knew what he meant.
He Wude smiled lightly and said, "A family head at the peak of Stage Ten Internal Strength is not bad. If we really fall out, the Yuan Family may not be able to gain the upper hand."
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Even though a Stage Ten Internal Strength expert wasn't considered much in the He Family Manor, a Stage Ten Internal Strength expert was extremely precious to an aristocratic family that was on the rise. He was an irreplaceable Martial Saint.
This point could be seen from the fact that He Wude also built the He Clan with his bare hands, and the fact that the Fire Crow Xie Manor only had three tenth stage inner strength experts.
To be able to cultivate inner force to such a level in one's lifetime was definitely a rarity, one in ten thousand.
He Quan Xin stood up and said, "Father, let me handle this matter."
He Quan Ming and He Quan Yi nodded slightly. Since the other party was a Stage Ten Internal Strength expert, if they wanted to help, they had to be experts of the same level.
After all, He Wude was over eighty years old. In comparison, it was more appropriate for He Quan Xin to help.
He Wude pondered for a moment and said, "Quan Xin, this time, bring Yiming and Yitian with you. Let them participate and gain experience."
He Quan Xin nodded slightly and said, "Okay, with Yiming going, there will be no mistakes."
Everyone nodded. In their hearts, He Quan Xin and He Yiming were both Stage Ten Internal Strength experts. If the newly established aristocratic family only had one Stage Ten Internal Force Master, then everyone would believe it. But if the family had two or more, then it was absolutely impossible.
He Yiming sighed softly and said with a bitter face, "I just came back. Why do I have to leave again?"
Everyone smiled. He Quan Ming's face darkened and said, "Yiming, don't joke around. This matter is very important. If you can't protect the Yuan family, don't think of getting a single cent from me next year."
He Yiming hurriedly put away his bitter expression and said, "Father, don't worry. Uncle and I will solve this matter smoothly. There won't be any mistakes."
He Quan Xin hesitated and suddenly said, "Father, if by the time we arrive, the Yuan family is already unable to support itself and collapses, what will we do?"
He Wude was slightly startled and finally said, "If the Yuan family is still around, we will support them with all our strength. However, if the Yuan family is already destroyed, then we will find a way to continue cooperating with other families. In short, our relationship with Jinlinguo cannot be broken. However, there is one thing you must remember. That is to protect the Yuan family's direct descendants as much as possible. We cannot let them completely die. "
He Quan Xin respectfully acknowledged.
He Yiming's heart moved slightly and asked, "Grandfather, what kind of new family is it?"
He Wude glanced at the paper in his hand and said, "Jinlinguo Fan family."
"Fan family?" He Yiming suddenly remembered the group of people he had met on the road. It seemed that one of them had the surname Fan. A strange feeling rose in his heart. It couldn't be that coincidental, right?
PS: In two minutes, there will be one more chapter. (To be continued. If you want to know what will happen, please go to www.qidian.com. There are more chapters. Support the author. Support the original reading!)
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