6kv Chapter 4 Arguments
Chapter 4 Arguments
Feng Xiu felt that his reasoning seemed to be wrong. The way to make money in the business world is to either make a steady, long-term profit or to make a big quick buck.
It is extremely rare for someone to be so exhausted in just a few days.
As Feng Xiu was pondering, Feng Shouzhuo uttered a muttered word.
"Wantang, Wantang, where are you? I miss you so much, please don't go~"
The scene, accompanied by a dazed smile on a pale face, was incredibly eerie.
"..."
"Wake him up," Feng Xiu said calmly.
The maidservant quickly did as she was told, reaching out to shake Feng Shouzhuo's arm, "Second Young Master, wake up."
In his sleep, Feng Shouzhuo slowly opened his eyes. He was still immersed in the dream of meeting his wife when he saw Feng Xiu with a gloomy face in the room.
"Big...Big brother?"
Feng Shouzhuo's eyes cleared instantly, and he sat up, making a sound.
"Are you awake?" Feng Xiu asked calmly, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
"woke up."
Feng Shouzhou struggled to sit up straight, but his body went limp, and he could only support himself with his arms on the soft pillow, his expression revealing a hint of unease.
Feng Xiu stared at him for a long time before slowly speaking, "Feng Shouzhuo, what can I say about you?"
"You've become so infatuated with a prostitute, second brother? Have I been too lenient with you?"
Feng Xiu's tone was not harsh, and instantly, the room fell into a deathly silence.
"She's not a prostitute, Wan Tang is different."
"Wantang is well-educated and reasonable, with a tragic past, and her feelings for me are genuine!"
Feng Shouzhuo's face showed a defiant expression. His posture was somewhat unsteady, but he still held his head high, a flush flashing across his face, and argued his case forcefully.
After saying that, he burst into a violent cough.
Zheng Bo raised his eyes, looked at the two brothers facing each other, and finally sighed softly.
"It's different, huh." Feng Xiu chuckled and interrupted.
"Is your true intention to make me worry about you while you lie in bed, drained of your energy? To defy your father, disgrace the family, and marry a woman of unknown origin?"
"Do you really expect me to abandon the drought on the farm to deal with your shady business at the brothel?"
Feng Xiu spoke in a calm tone, changing his manner as he launched into a series of questions.
"Okay, you say she's well-educated and reasonable, then let me ask you, has she ever written you any love letters? What handwriting did she use? What's her favorite piece of music to play? Besides you, has she been close to any other men?"
Feng Shouzhou was taken aback, but didn't catch the hidden meaning in her words. His eyes were confused for a moment. "Her...her hands were very cold, and her handwriting was delicate...the song...I can't remember it, it seems to be Linghua Ji from Taizhou. It makes people feel at ease when they hear it."
Before he could finish speaking, Feng Shouzhou coughed violently again, his face flushed with a sickly redness, and he looked up at Feng Xiu.
"Big brother, I really like her. She's a very good person."
Seeing that he couldn't get any information out of him, Feng Xiu's tone grew colder, which was a way of calming him down. "We'll talk about this later. You should focus on getting better first. If she really wants to marry into the Feng family, I'll speak to Father."
Feng Shouzhuo was overjoyed and struggled to sit up. Overwhelmed by his excitement, he grabbed Feng Xiu's arm.
Feng Shouzhou gripped the arm through the clothes with great strength and intense emotion.
Feng Xiu almost thought he was about to have a final burst of energy before death.
"Big brother, are you... are you telling the truth?!"
Then, Feng Xiu patted his withered hand.
"Of course it's true."
Upon hearing this, Feng Shouzhou could no longer suppress the overwhelming happiness welling up inside him.
His face was flushed, he was breathing heavily, his eyes rolled back, and he suddenly fainted.
"Second Young Master!" exclaimed the maid beside him.
Feng Xiu felt a great sense of relief as he pushed Feng Shouzhuo's arm away and rubbed his forearm, which had been clenched so tightly that it left red marks.
Then he turned around and said to Uncle Zheng, "Let's go."
Feng Xiu was extremely annoyed and said to the maid, "Take good care of him. Write down every single word he says in his sleep."
"Okay, okay," the maid replied haltingly, her voice faltering.
Then, he left the room with Zheng Bo.
In the courtyard, the afternoon sun was very dazzling.
Feng Xiu was exasperated and resigned. How could someone in another world have such a romantic mindset?
Judging from Feng Shouzhou's demeanor, he's probably genuinely interested.
Isn't this just deliberately creating trouble for oneself?
They treated a mere opera singer like a treasure.
If word gets out, the blame for lax family discipline will fall on you, and your Feng family ancestors for eight generations will be utterly disgraced!
Feng Xiu shook his head.
"Young Master, the Second Young Master has only suffered a loss of yang energy. This old servant has already had the doctor examine him, and he only needs to rest for a few days to recover."
Noticing the change in Feng Xiu's expression, Zheng Bo's voice rang out.
The second young master is bewitched and blinded by a woman. He can be persuaded to change his mind, but his health is the most important thing.
"Did it damage your yang energy?"
"Yes, the doctor examined him and said it damaged his vital energy." Zheng Bo paused, "But this old servant feels that the Second Young Master is not simply bewitched by a woman this time; he may have been tricked."
"Zhu Dao, Duke Zheng, are you referring to the art of sexual cultivation?"
Feng Xiu frowned. The technique of replenishing yin and yang, and replenishing yang and yin, was something Feng Xiu had heard the guards in the mansion talk about before, mentioning some flower thieves with superb lightness skills.
At the time, Feng Xiu didn't take it too seriously; he just listened to it as a story.
Upon hearing this, Uncle Zheng shook his head. "This old servant can't say for sure, but the art of 'sexual cultivation' is considered an evil and heretical practice in martial arts. Once exposed, it would make one an enemy of the martial arts world. It is indeed rare in the martial arts world for a woman to take a man's virginity."
Zheng Bo didn't have much evidence to support his claim, and he didn't dare to draw any conclusions rashly.
Feng Xiu remained silent, but after hearing what Zheng Bo said, it seemed quite possible.
Then, his thoughts drifted, and he sighed, "Anyway, I should check it out first."
Zheng Bo nodded.
"Uncle Zheng, I feel that if I don't have some strength in my body, I won't feel at ease." At this moment, Feng Xiu said seriously.
What if it wasn't Shouzhuo lying there today, but myself?
The thought flashed through his mind, and Feng Xiu turned his gaze to Zheng Bo.
After listening, Zheng Bo looked surprised and said, "If you, young master, are willing to learn martial arts, it's not difficult. However, Yunzhou is located on a plateau..."
Now that your physical constitution is established, if you wish to learn martial arts, you will need to put in several times, even ten times, the effort. Young master, are you truly determined to learn?
If it were about learning martial arts, Feng Xiu should have started learning at the age of three.
As the future leader, Feng Xiu is not cut out for this.
Rather, in Feng Ao's overall family strategy, it is one of civil affairs and one of military affairs, complementing each other.
"It's alright, as long as you can learn, that's good. Seeing you so stubbornly clinging to your ways makes me uncomfortable too."
"In that case, young master, why don't you train with the escort team first? Chief Escort Zhou's team is at home."
Feng Xiu nodded, but then sensed something was wrong.
"Isn't Uncle Zhou going on a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) mission?"
It seems that the purpose is not simply to use the escort team to suppress the rioting tenants.
Zheng Bo explained, "Young Master, you are unaware of the situation. The head of the family is interested in engaging in martial arts business. However, Jinzhou is not peaceful, with refugees everywhere and bandits rampant. Our goods will inevitably suffer some losses."
The Feng family had been involved in some shady businesses in the past, and now they have formed an alliance with the Zhou family's escort team.
It's always good to let Feng Xiu learn some martial arts; that's also what the patriarch wanted.
Currently, Feng Xiu has not yet reached the point of taking over the family business association and does not know much about it. However, after hearing what Uncle Zheng said, he immediately understood.
Although the Great Liang Dynasty was not yet finished, uprisings continued to spring up in various places.
It is only because of the unique terrain of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the peace within the prefecture that it has maintained a respectable appearance; otherwise, war would have broken out long ago.
After some conversation, Feng Xiu asked about the specific details of the cooperation with the Zhou family.
Ultimately, it's still a grain business.
The profits from golden wheat are astonishing. Transporting it from Yunzhou to the inland areas, one round trip can bring in at least several thousand taels of net profit.
...
Back at his residence, Feng Xiu mustered his strength and quickly dealt with several important farm affairs.
He then consulted the accountant to verify the quantity of the golden ear seeds, and subsequently ordered people to count the plows and farm implements used for spring plowing, as well as the quantity of manure powder purchased.
"Send all these broken machines to Zhao's Iron Shop. Repair what needs repairing and replace what needs replacing."
Spring planting in June and harvesting in November—this timing is perfect. Golden wheat has an extremely fast growth cycle, and spring sowing is the most important event for the family.
As Feng Xiu gave his instructions, he subconsciously looked up at the blindingly blue sky outside the window.
The weather doesn't look like it's going to rain at all.
"I will obey the young master's orders."
Feng Xiu was slightly distracted.
Thinking of this, Feng Xiu sighed inwardly as his father's plan to find a respectable tenant farmer echoed in his mind.
"In addition, we should conduct a survey of the able-bodied young men and women at the Bailiu, Shihu, and Baidou farms, focusing on screening those with martial arts backgrounds or those with fierce temperaments."
With no hope of finding water from the reservoir and Feng Ao's bizarre behavior, he had no better options at the moment.
We can only focus on screening out tenants who have a tendency to cause trouble.
Then it was Blackie, no, it was himself who stepped forward.
"If it really comes down to it, just waive the rent. A living person can't be killed by holding their pee, can they?"
Upon hearing this, the old accountant was somewhat puzzled, but still nodded in agreement.
As soon as he stepped out of the tent, Uncle Zheng was already waiting beside him, his expression solemn. He said, "Young Master, the Zhou family's escort team is currently practicing martial arts in the west courtyard. The patriarch has ordered me to take you there."
Feng Xiu suppressed his thoughts and nodded.