Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 22 Three Generations of Noble Families
"Xiao Mei, go down to Manager He's place and get 1,200 taels of silver notes," Chang Haowen said casually, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes, son."

The maidservant left the room and returned shortly afterward.

The money and goods are both settled.

Xu Mingwei breathed a sigh of relief, having witnessed his younger brother's abilities once again.

With just a few words, you can sell for an extra two hundred taels.

This is no small sum for the Xu family.

"Young Master Chang," Xu Mingyuan said, cupping his fists, "My family will be opening a fruit and vegetable shop on Changle Street in the West District in a few days. If you have time, you are welcome to come and attend the ceremony."

"There will be jade pears for sale at that time. Young Master Chang may buy some to try."

"If I hadn't left Qingjiang yet, I would definitely have gone to join them."

Xu Mingyuan nodded. "My brother and I have many things to attend to, so we'll be leaving now."

As soon as the two of them left.

The maid named Xiaomei glanced at the tiger skin and suddenly said, "Young master, we don't lack such things in our mansion, why should we give them such a big face?"

"As for the jade pears, there is an entire orchard there."

"It may be precious in their Qingjiang County, but in our county, the Qingyu pear is not considered a rare delicacy."

Chang Haowen chuckled, “Different places, different levels, so it’s impossible to generalize.”

"The Xu family has grown from ordinary people to its current size in just over a decade; their methods are extraordinary."

"Isn't he just a nouveau riche?"

Xiao Mei was somewhat dismissive and continued to gently wave her jade fan.

"Whether someone is a nouveau riche can be determined by their descendants. If all three generations of those who inherit the family business are shrewd, then a family can be established in one generation."

Chang Haowen suddenly turned his head and looked over, a slight smile on his lips, and asked, "What do you think of these two today?"

Xiao Mei tilted her head and thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "They are all quite good-looking, but not as good as you, young master."

Chang Haowen smiled and jokingly scolded, "What can I say about you, you shallow little girl?"

"whee."

Xiao Mei stuck out her tongue and laughed twice. "To be honest, Xu Mingyuan is very eloquent and has a clever streak, while his older brother is a bit dull, sitting here like a block of wood, which is quite boring."

"Xu Mingyuan is the second oldest son. His elder brother is the eldest son of the family, so the requirements are naturally different."

Look at my older brother, he's a quiet person too. When we meet, we only exchange simple pleasantries; he rarely opens up or has a real conversation.

“That’s true.” Xiao Mei nodded in surprise after thinking for a moment. “Every time Xiao Mei sees the eldest young master, she is afraid from the bottom of her heart.”

"With such a legitimate son, the Xu family is well-positioned to pass on its legacy. At least their generation will continue to prosper."

"and"

"And what, young master?"

"I do envy them a little. Although they don't have a house full of gold and jade, they treat each other with sincerity. Unlike some direct descendants of big families, who are born into brocade swaddling clothes, little do they know that scheming threads have already been sewn into their silk robes."

"We can't afford not to take precautions."

"Really? I didn't notice."

"Silly girl, if you could tell, then you would be the young lady, not the maid."

"I just want to be your maid, serving you for the rest of my life." Xiaomei chuckled twice, her hand sweeping across the back of her neck and landing on her chest.

Chang Haowen grasped her soft hand and gently pulled it.

Caught off guard, Xiaomei cried out softly and, half-heartedly resisting, fell between his thighs.

--------

"This young master Chang is quite extraordinary. He should not be from Qingjiang. With such demeanor, he may come from the county town."

Walking down the street, Xu Mingwei said in a low voice.

“I think the same way as you, brother, which is why we’ve kept in touch. I hope this connection will be of some benefit to the Xu family in the future,” Xu Mingyuan replied.

"In this respect, I am not as good as you, brother."

"Haha, big brother, you were raised and taught by Father, how could you be worse than me? Just look at how Father handles his relationships with those around him so well."

"I am not even two or three tenths as shrewd as my father."

"It's just that you focus your energy mainly on martial arts."

Xu Mingyuan's eyes lit up with a sharp light, becoming bright and piercing. "If the Xu family wants to go further, it will eventually need a powerful martial artist to oversee it. Look at the Xu family. They produced a first-rate martial artist, which allowed them to run rampant in Dongxi Village for more than 20 years."

"Even with our father's wisdom and talent, he can only humble himself and act subserviently."

“However, those days are coming to an end.” Hearing this, Xu Mingwei understood and replied, “Yes.”

Xu Mingyuan offered to take him sightseeing again, but Xu Mingwei shook his head and refused, saying there was no rush.

After that, he left the city gate, mounted his horse, and returned to Dongxi Village.

Xu Mingyuan and his group recruited many small-scale fruit and vegetable vendors in the West Market, but they only agreed to sell their fruits and vegetables to them. As for paying rent or renting a stall, no one agreed.

He also knew that this matter needed to be done step by step, so he didn't force it.

The purchased shop occupies a considerable area, but more than half of it is used for stalls.

Since no one has agreed yet, it has to be temporarily sealed off.

The remaining space is enough to store all kinds of fruits and vegetables for the Xu family.

Soon, the opening date for the Xu family's shop was set.

Xu Mingyuan sent invitations to some of his contacts.

Everything else is fine, except for the jade pear.

Xu Mingyuan was afraid that if the Xu family found out that he would not sell them Qingyu Pears in the future, they would embarrass him, or even resort to force, or directly cause trouble on the opening day.

He even went home specifically to discuss this matter with Xu Chuan.

But Xu Chuan said he didn't need to worry about it and that he could just go back to the county town to prepare for the opening.

Xu Mingyuan naturally believed him and obediently returned to the county town.

He bought a two-courtyard house in the northern part of the city, near the West Market, as the Xu family's residence in the county town.

Before we knew it, it was time to harvest the green jade pears.

There is only one day left until the Xu family's shop opens.

The Xu family was naturally unaware of the Xu family's activities in the county town. As expected, Xu Mao arrived at the Xu family's residence with seven or eight servants.

Xu Mao was the eldest son of the third master of the Xu family.

As the third master of the Xu family grew older, the acquisition of Qingyu pears was handed over to him a few years ago.

We arrived at the Xu family's door.

Xu Mao sized him up for a while, a look of disdain in his eyes.

A middle-aged steward beside him leaned forward and whispered, "Young Master, the Xu family is not what it used to be. In terms of reputation in Dongxi Village, it is no less than that of my Xu family."

"Don't forget what Third Master told you before he left."

"Understood, I will treat Xu Chuan with courtesy."

Xu Mao responded impatiently, but in his mind he added: "If he knows what's good for him."

The middle-aged manager glanced at it a few times and sighed inwardly.

Both were approaching forty, but he and Xu Chuan were worlds apart.

He speaks and acts like a teenager, completely disregarding the consequences.

"Is Patriarch Xu here?" the middle-aged steward asked loudly, a smile on his face.

The voice just fell.

Two dolls, a boy and a girl, walked out. The girl was holding a white cat in her arms, and her crimson-gold eyes were looking at the people in the courtyard.

The two are Xu Mingxian and Xu Mingshu, a brother and sister.

"Who are you people?" Xu Mingxian asked cautiously.

Upon hearing the sound, Bai Jing quickly came out from the inner room. After seeing the people who came, she smiled and said, "So it's Young Master Xu and the Xu family steward."

“My husband and the others went to pick green jade pears, and they probably won’t be back for a while.”

"I see. Then we'll wait in the courtyard."

"Row."

Bai Jing nodded, then brought out two chairs for Xu Mao and the middle-aged manager.

Xu Mao stared at the docile white cat in Xu Mingshu's arms. He noticed that its eyes were reddish-gold and wondered, "Where did this exotic white cat come from? If I take it to the county town and present it to Magistrate Yang, he will surely be delighted."

"Girl, let me see the white cat in your arms."

Xu Mingshu turned her head away, ignoring it, and continued to play with the pet in her arms.

"Hey, so ill-mannered, no wonder you're born of an illegitimate child."

Upon hearing this, Bai Jing's face immediately darkened with anger, and she said sternly, "Young Master Xu, please watch your words!"

(End of this chapter)