35: Two rival companies

October 3rd, 3397, Yuanhe Era of the Jingyuan Dynasty.

Since that snow disaster, Heyu Town finally welcomed a joyous occasion.

A new Noble Family had been born, and this remote village in Heyu Town ushered in the liveliest day it had seen since its founding several hundred years ago.

Carriages from the town arrived one after another, bringing invited guests to Qixia Mountain, which was next to Fuhe Village.

To prepare for this banquet, the environment around the Chu Family courtyard had undergone a major renovation.

The Chu Family courtyard was originally located on a gentle slope, but over the past few days, Chu Jingyu had the [Golden Jade Beast] completely level the slope, turning it into a very flat plaza.

There hadn't been time to rebuild the Chu Family courtyard itself, but the walls and blue tiles looked very bright, clearly having been carefully cleaned in advance.

Chu Qinhui and Chu Shengfan stood at the entrance to welcome guests. In addition to the banquet inside the main courtyard specifically for distinguished guests, thirty red mahogany round tables were neatly arranged in the plaza outside to host the rest of the invited guests.

By nine o'clock in the morning, guests had already begun to arrive one after another.

The first to arrive were some well-known merchants from the town. After all, this was a new Noble Family, and although the Chu Family had no foundation in the town, one could never be sure when they might move in.

It was never wrong to build good relations in advance.

For them, even those without invitations, Chu Qinhui and Chu Shengfan greeted them with smiles and enthusiastically arranged seating for them.

The rest were villagers from Fuhe Village who occasionally interacted with the Chu Family; Chu Qinhui also warmly hosted them.

Next to arrive were the village chiefs and respected elders from the eighteen villages under Heyu Town. Although they held a certain status, they still could not qualify for the seating inside the Chu Family courtyard.

Around ten-thirty, the ground began to rumble, and then six or seven stone giants, three to four meters tall, carried the members of the Shi Family to the front of the Chu Family courtyard.

The old villagers gathered in the plaza, along with the guests chatting at the tables, knew exactly who it was: the Shi Family, one of the two Noble Families in town, had arrived.

These stone-man-like Source Beasts were the trademark of the Shi Family, but the newly relocated residents were not very familiar with them and had to listen to those nearby explain it to them.

Regardless of the Realm of these stone men, they looked powerful and highly destructive, and their mere appearance boosted the Shi Family's reputation among the Heyu Town villagers.

The moment he saw the stone men, Chu Shengfan immediately returned to the courtyard to call Chu Jingyu out; Chu Jingyu would have to personally receive the visitors from the Shi Family.

Three people jumped down from the stone-man-like Source Beasts, led by a sturdy-looking middle-aged man.

"The location of the Chu Family really made us search for a while; this place is truly a bit too remote. I wonder when you will move to the town?"

Chu Jingyu walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking like an ordinary little old man. Hearing the Shi Family Clan Chief's obviously probing words, he curled his lips into a smile and replied:

"We Chu Family Members prefer quiet; we aren't quite used to life in the town, so we won't be moving there anytime soon."

The Shi Family Clan Chief, Shi Jinghong, wore a simple and honest smile, but internally he was noncommittal about Chu Jingyu's answer. If they really didn't want to move to the town, why would they have their grandson working in the Town Chief's Mansion?

The Chu Family had someone in the Logistics Department, and the Zhang Family had a Zhang Yu serving as a director in the Inspection and Guard Department. Since the Liu Family moved away, the Town Chief's Mansion could be considered the sole dominant power in the town.

It seemed the center of power would remain at the Town Chief's Mansion, and the Shi Family needed to plan early. After much internal deliberation, Shi Jinghong reached out and pointed to the two people behind him, introducing them:

"This is my younger brother, Shi Jinghan, and my son, Shi Yuntian."

Then he patted his brother on the shoulder, "Hurry up and meet the Chu Family Clan Chief; in the future, we might have to rely on this Old Gentleman for something."

Shi Jinghan was slightly thinner, but only in comparison to his brother and nephew. Overall, he was still much more robust and burly than an ordinary person; perhaps this was the power of the Family Legacy.

He smiled with a refined air, "Greetings to the Chu Family Clan Chief. I wish the Chu Family a smooth and prosperous path as you ascend to become a Noble Family."

Shi Yuntian looked at his uncle with a strange expression, then scratched his head, "Me too."

This revealed a hint of foolishness, quite different from his father's appearance of honesty masking a shrewd mind.

"Haha." Chu Jingyu's smile became a bit more sincere, "Then I will take your kind words. Come, enter the courtyard to talk."

Saying this, Chu Jingyu stepped aside, signaling for the three members of the Shi Family to take their seats first.

Shi Jinghong waved his hand in refusal, "No need. Since the Zhang Family and the Town Chief haven't arrived yet, we will wait here. It's the same to go in together."

Chu Jingyu wanted to persuade them otherwise, but suddenly, a clear crane cry rang out from the sky.

Then, three White Cranes were seen flapping their wings, with figures standing atop them. The White Cranes did not land immediately but circled the plaza twice before slowly descending in front of the Chu Family entrance.

Shi Jinghong was very displeased with the Zhang Family's posturing, muttering under his breath, "Show-offs. All for show..."

It was only because Shi Jinghan, who was standing beside him, tugged on his arm that more unpleasant words weren't spoken.

An old man and two youths jumped down from the backs of the White Cranes. Their postures were elegant, giving them the air of worldly experts.

The old man wore a crown and had gray hair. His gaze first landed on the three members of the Shi Family, revealing faint disdain, then shifted directly onto Chu Jingyu.

"I am the Zhang Family Clan Chief, Zhang Yuhe, and I have brought my two grandsons to observe the ceremony."

"Thank you, Old Gentleman Zhang, for coming to observe the ceremony. The banquet is about to start, please take your seats."

Chu Jingyu did not understand what grievances existed between the Shi and Zhang Families, but regardless, he only hoped that these two families would not cause trouble at his Chu Family's banquet.

Zhang Yuhe scanned the entire venue with sharp eyes, then a faint smile appeared on his lips, "Since the Town Chief hasn't arrived yet, our Zhang Family will wait here as well."

Saying this, he closed his eyes and lifted his head high; his posture and movements were surprisingly identical to the White Cranes beside him.

As for the two youths beside him, since landing, they had remained indifferent and hadn't uttered a word. One could even see their disdain for the ground beneath their feet; they seemed to look down upon this village banquet.

Seeing the attitude of these two Zhang Family youths, Chu Shengfan, who had initially wanted to go up and chat because they were of similar age, lost all interest in conversing.

The rest of the plaza was as lively as usual, with eyes constantly falling on the stone men beside the Shi Family and the White Cranes beside the Zhang Family, as if comparing whose Source Beast was superior.

However, in this small area in front of the Chu Family entrance, although it was at the very center of attention, the atmosphere had turned cold ever since the Zhang Family arrived.

Shi Jinghong cast a sidelong glance at the eyes-closed Zhang Yuhe and his mouth twitched rapidly, making no sound so that no one knew what he was muttering. He quickly turned his head to the other side, looking as if he wanted to be out of sight and out of mind.

The Zhang Family acted as if they couldn't see the Shi Family; apart from that initial glance upon landing, they didn't bother to say another word.

However, the Shi and Zhang Families were clearly accustomed to this; the only ones feeling uncomfortable were the three generations of the Chu Family.

But soon, the sound of gongs and drums coming from the mountain road rescued the Chu Family.

A procession of over a dozen people emerged from the distant mountain road.

Walking at the very front was Bai Liangshu, and the rest were some of Chu Shengfan's colleagues from the Logistics Department, along with some laborers who appeared to have been hired.

Those sturdy laborers were carrying something that looked like a long wooden board covered in red cloth.

Several others were beating gongs and drums on the side, clearing the way for the laborers carrying the object, and the festive music spread throughout the mountain surroundings.