Protect Our Patriarch - Chapter 17: A Done Deal
“Spot goods refer to goods that can be delivered immediately, while futures require a specified delivery date. You mentioned the need to transfer the goods and that it will take ten days for delivery, right?” Wang Shouzhe casually explained to him.
“That makes sense. With your explanation, I understand the difference,” Mr. Qian said, feeling invigorated. He then whispered, “Shouzhe, with your need for five thousand bags of insecticide, I’m sure it’s not for personal use. Could it be that you’ve found a new business opportunity?”
“He he, Brother Qian, you could say it’s a new business opportunity,” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, sipping his tea. “I’ll help your business clear out some of its inventory while making a modest profit in the process. It’s a win-win situation for both of us. So, Brother Qian, give me an honest price.”
“Ha ha ha, indeed a win-win situation, Brother Shouzhe. Your words are quite interesting,” Qian replied with a smile. “In that case, I won’t inquire further. So, for these five thousand bags of insecticide, I’ll give you a 10% discount, making it a total of 4,500 gold coins.”
“4,000!”
“4,200 is the lowest I can go, my friend.”
“4,200 it is, but I’ll need to use the reputation of our Ping’an Wang clan to pay for this current transaction,” Wang Shouzhe said calmly. “One month from now, I’ll deliver 4,200 gold coins without a single piece less.”
Mr. Qian was taken aback for a moment but then smiled and said, “That can be arranged, but we need to make a contract. If the payment cannot be made on time, our trading company has the right to use any means to reclaim the payment.”
Even in its decline, the Wang clan was still a Xuanwu household with some assets. Just the sale of their ‘Fenggu Farm’ alone could bring in at least 10,000 gold coins. As long as there was a contract, the powerful Qian Trading Firm had plenty of ways to reclaim the debt.
“Brother Qian, even if you hadn’t mentioned a contract, I would have insisted on drafting one,” Wang Shouzhe said seriously. “I am already in contact with a merchant ship, and I will send someone to your warehouse to move 2,000 bags of the insecticide powder in three days, and the second batch will follow ten days later. If your side breaches the contract and fails to deliver the goods, or cannot deliver, you must pay us a penalty of three times the goods’ price.”
“Brother, rest assured, credibility is the fundamental basis on which our Qian clan’s business has stood on for hundreds of years,” Mr. Qian said with a very solemn face. “No matter what, we will deliver the goods on time and in full.”
“I trust your company’s credibility, but this deal is of great importance to our clan,” Wang Shouzhe also said with a serious face. “Having a written contract gives me a peace of mind.”
“If that’s the case, then let’s put it in writing.” Mr. Qian didn’t think there was any reason they would breach the contract, and besides, a transaction of just a few thousand gold coins was a trivial matter for the entire Qian clan.
The two spent a full hour under Wang Shouzhe’s nitpicking attitude to finalize the contract terms.
By the time each party had signed their names and received their copies of the contract, Mr. Qian was sweating profusely. Wiping away his sweat, he gave a wry smile: “I’ve been in business for twenty years and this is the first time I’ve seen such a detailed contract and meticulous wording. However, such detailed terms do prevent needless disputes in the future, which has been quite an eye-opener for me and a learning experience.”
Heh heh~
Wang Shouzhe smiled. What was this? Some of the complex business contracts on Earth were a hundred times more complicated than this crude contract. In fact, for a common layman, it’d be so incomprehensible that they would feel like they were reading some kind of magical texts.
Having finally obtained the contract, Wang Shouzhe felt a great burden lifted from his shoulders. With his understanding of the Qian Trading Firm, even if the contract was not so detailed, they would not go against their credibility. The credibility accumulated over hundreds of years is the most valuable asset for a business firm.
As for dispatching an expert to annihilate the whole clan over such a small amount of money, that was even less likely.
Although the Wang clan’s Ancestor Longyan seemed to be nearing the end of her life, she was still a seasoned expert who had studied in the Violet Palace Academy, and no one knew what kind of cards she had up her sleeve. If she were to unleash her full power without regard for her life, it was very likely she could take down a Spirit Platform expert with her.
Weighing all these factors, this was what forged Wang Shouzhe’s decision to take a risk. There was no other way; the Wang clan was too poor, so poor that they had to count every last Small Nourishing Pill. Continuing like this would only lead to the clan’s complete downfall.
The only one he felt sorry for was probably for this Mr. Qian.
He had only become a head of affairs in this remote branch in his middle age, and it was clear he wasn’t from a high position within the flourishing Qian clan. This loss-making deal will most-likely put him in a situation where he had to shoulder the blame.
“Brother Qian, it has been a pleasure doing business with you,” Wang Shouzhe said as he rose to leave, then added in a low voice, “If nothing goes wrong, I will be sending a great favor your way in the near future.”
Mr. Qian was taken aback, but then chuckled and said, “I appreciate your kind words, Brother Shouzhe. Let me escort you out.” Amidst laughter, this head of affairs personally saw Wang Shouzhe out the door.
After leaving the Qian Trading Firm, Wang Shouzhe felt a sudden surge of joy. In just three days, he would be able to significantly alleviate the Wang clan’s financial crisis.
“Patriarch.”
Two family guards who had been waiting outside came over with horses and respectfully greeted him.
“Wang Zhong, Wang Yong,” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, “I haven’t been out for a long time. Accompany me for a stroll around this city.”
“Yes, Patriarch,” the two family guards responded respectfully and led the horses as they accompanied Wang Shouzhe on a casual walk through Changning City.
During the peak of the Wang clan under the Patriarch Zhouxuan, there were forty-seven family guards, with the highest cultivation among them reaching the ninth level of the Qi Refining realm.
Now, the Wang clan had only nine guards, and the highest level among them was only the fifth level of the Qi Refining.
Family guards are different from household servants; they are no longer slaves but vassals. However, they were not like contract-hired outsiders either.
Most family guards are trusted individuals cultivated within the family. They hold a high status and receive good treatment within the family, but they do not have the freedom to come and go as they please; born as a family guard, they die as a family guard.
Their fates and life events, including birth, aging, illness, and death, are tightly bound to the main household, sharing in its glory and its losses. It was for this reason that some clans often bind outstanding family guards with children from collateral lines or those born out of concubines. This not only strengthens the bond but also improves the clan’s lineage.
The ancestors of the current nine family guards of the Wang clan were personally trained by the late Patriarch Zhouxuan, and their unbreakable loyalty has been passed down through generations.
“Wang Zhong, I remember your youngest son is about seven or eight years old, right?” Wang Shouzhe casually asked. “Has he reached the Xuanwu aptitude threshold?”
Wang Zhong hurriedly followed along and replied, “Thanks to the patriarch’s concern for my child, he participated in this year’s aptitude test and was ranked as lower third grade, which is quite satisfactory. He has now started his enlightenment in our clan’s school and has begun the phase of tempering his meridians.”
While speaking, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile, clearly very pleased with his son’s aptitude.
The Xuanwu aptitude was first divided into those who reach the threshold and those who do not, which was extremely important as it represented whether one had the potential to be nurtured. Within the lower grade aptitude, it was divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. Being ranked as lower C grade was already considered good enough, making them worthy to be nurtured by the clan.
“Indeed, a tiger does not father a dog,” Wang Shouzhe praised. “Teach him well, and he may surpass you in the future”
“Thank you for your kind words, Patriarch,” Wang Zhong replied, his smile deepening the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He was thirty-six this year, with one older and one younger son, both of whom had achieved Xuanwu-class aptitude. His older son was fifteen and would be considered an adult in another year, ready to become a family guard and serve the clan. His younger son had even more talent, reaching the lower C grade and entering the clan’s priority training program.
In contrast, the expression of the other family guard, Wang Yong, was somewhat sheepish. He was about the same age as Wang Zhong and had married a woman from a collateral line of the Wang clan, with whom he had a son and a daughter.
His son did not qualify in the Xuanwu aptitude test and could only pursue scholarly studies; he was already seventeen and working in the Silkworm Farm. His daughter was only six years old and had not yet been tested for Xuanwu aptitude. But even if she were to have Xuanwu aptitude, in the end, she was still just a girl.
“Wang Yong, you have to seize the last few years and try harder with your wife, hoping to have another child,” Wang Zhong joked with a smile. “Maybe luck will turn, and you’ll have a son with a lower second grade aptitude.”
“Get lost!” Wang Yong waved his hand impatiently, feeling somewhat depressed whenever this topic came up.
The three of them strolled around Changning City, and Wang Shouzhe’s memories of the city became increasingly clear. The city had a permanent population of about 150,000 to 160,000 residents, including several established Xuanwu noble clans. Among them, the Xu clan of Changning had a relatively close relationship with the Ping’an Wang clan.
However, it was only a relatively close relationship. The disparity in power and influence between the two clans had grown too great; they were no longer on the same level, so Wang Shouzhe had no plans to visit the head of the Xu family.
In addition to traditional farming, the Changning Xu clan’s unique industry was primarily focused on their silk and cloth workshops.
All the cotton, hemp, and raw silk produced in the Changning Stronghold region were supplied to the several workshops owned by the Changning Xu family. They produced cloth and silk, which was sold throughout the entire state, making a very profitable business.
At the same time, one of the pillar industries of the Ping’an Wang clan — the Xinmao Silkworm Farm — supplied most of its raw silks to the Changning Xu clan.