51: Chapter 51 Auction: Taking Stock of the Family Fortune

"Eldest Aunt, Mother, Youngest Uncle, Su'er is finished eating. I'm going to Cultivate now!"

Chen Yansu obediently put down her chopsticks, stood up, and bowed to her elders.

In the Yan generation, Yanhu was the most talented, but in terms of diligence, none could surpass Chen Yansu.

Chen Qingtang hugged her daughter dotingly and kissed her on the cheek.

"Go on, don't practice too late. Remember to rest at the right time."

"Mm."

With Chen Yansu leading the way, the others gradually dispersed after dinner.

Before long, only Chen Qingyuan and Jiang Rou were left in the hall.

Chen Qingyuan's expression turned serious as he spoke solemnly.

"Sister-in-law, how many Spirit Stones are currently left in the Family accounts?"

Jiang Rou was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood!

"Is it for the auction at the beginning of next month?"

"Exactly."

Chen Qingyuan nodded.

"Speaking of which, the Shazhou Workshop hasn't held a decent auction for over a decade. This time, the Red Sand Gang has been preparing for years and sent out invitations far and wide; it's a rare opportunity."

"While there's still time before the auction, we can prepare early and see if we can find a Cultivation Technique to solve our urgent problem."

Jiang Rou nodded heavily upon hearing this.

The issue with the Family's Cultivation Technique was a well-known heartache.

Now that such an opportunity had arisen, she naturally understood its importance.

"Alright, I understand."

She immediately turned around and took out a thick ledger.

Currently, the Chen Family's scale was still small, and they implemented a 'centralized system'.

That meant all income—including the sale of Spirit Talismans, gains from monster hunting, and stall profits—and all expenditures—"

"—including Medicinal Pills, talisman paper, and daily expenses, were all summarized and managed by her alone. She was also primarily responsible for the procurement and scheduling of all Materials."

She had essentially become the indispensable chief manager of the Chen Family.

It was also thanks to Jiang Rou managing all the Chen Family's mundane affairs so orderly,

that Chen Qingyuan could focus daily on making talismans, his Cultivation, and teaching the Juniors, without having to worry at all about Medicinal Pills, Materials, or the market for his Spirit Talismans!

This saved him a vast amount of time and energy.

Under the lamplight, Jiang Rou opened the ledger and began to report softly based on the records within!

"Xiao Yuan, I'll first talk about the total accounts for the past year or so, calculated over eighteen months."

"Regarding income:"

"Spirit Talismans are the primary source!"

"Rejuvenation Talisman: A total of 4,280 sheets of Low Grade talisman paper were used, resulting in 2,986 talismans. The average success rate has stabilized at around 70%."

"Most of these talismans were supplied to the Monster Hunting Team at a discount, with an average price of one Spirit Stone and two Spirit Sands. The total revenue is approximately 3,583 Spirit Stones."

"golden armor talisman: Since your promotion, a total of 3,210 sheets of Medium Grade talisman paper have been used, resulting in 1,284 talismans. The average success rate has been maintained at 40%."

At this point, Jiang Rou couldn't help but look up, her eyes full of admiration and pride!

"Xiao Yuan, congratulations! In just over a year, you've become a First-tier Medium Grade Talisman Maker,"

"and you've even managed to increase the success rate of the golden armor talisman to 50% recently. Such rapid progress is probably unheard of in the entire Lifeng Plain!"

After saying that, she continued.

"The golden armor talisman sells for more, about two Spirit Stones each, with a revenue of 2,568 Spirit Stones."

"For the Spirit Talismans, the gross income is approximately 6,200 Spirit Stones."

"Subtracting the cost of talisman paper, Spirit Ink, and other Materials used to make these talismans—about 3,680 Spirit Stones—the net profit is approximately 2,520 Spirit Stones."

"Of course, this includes the inventory of Spirit Talismans that haven't been sold yet! The actual Spirit Stones on hand are definitely not that many!"

"Regarding monster hunting!"

"Your elder brother has only gone out six times in the past year or so, but the harvest was plentiful. After selling the Yao Beast Materials obtained, the total income was 830 Spirit Stones."

"Regarding the stall!"

"My stall mainly resells miscellaneous Materials, so the profit isn't much. After deducting rent, the net profit is about 120 Spirit Stones."

"In total, over the past year or so, the net income from our various sources sums up to about 3,470 Spirit Stones!"

"Regarding expenditures!"

"For Medicinal Pills: Aside from the full bottle of spirit gathering pill you take every month, for the other clansmen, the monthly stipend is temporarily set at half a bottle of yellow sprout pill or qi gathering pill."

"Over the past eighteen months, the Medicinal Pill category alone accounted for an expenditure of 1,400 Spirit Stones."

"Talisman paper experimental Materials: To support Qingtang's experiments with talisman paper, we've spent about 230 Spirit Stones on various Spirit Plants."

"Daily expenses: Including Spirit Rice, Spirit Meat, and social obligations, we've spent about 200 Spirit Stones."

"Others: Some miscellaneous expenses, about 50 Spirit Stones."

"Total expenditure is approximately 1,880 Spirit Stones."

"Adding the 400 Spirit Stones' worth of Spirit Talismans produced sporadically before..."

"The overall surplus should be around 2,000 Spirit Stones!"

"However, there are still unsold Spirit Talismans stored in the warehouse!"

"In the end, the actual usable Spirit Stones on the account are about 1,450."

Chen Qingyuan nodded slowly, his face calm.

The accounts Jiang Rou reported were clear and concise, matching his own mental estimates.

However, he had no idea how much a high-quality Cultivation Technique that could support the Family at least until Qi Refining Perfection would actually go for at auction.

These current Spirit Stones were the limit of what they could save.

"Sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work!"

Having been in charge of the Family for a longer time now, Chen Qingyuan had become more mature and steady. His voice was calm, revealing little of his emotions.

"As things stand, there's no other way but to do our best and leave the rest to fate."

"Sister-in-law, there's still one month left. Next month, suspend the supply of Medicinal Pills for everyone."

"Also, find a way to quickly sell and liquidate the unsold Spirit Talismans in the warehouse. You can make a slight concession on the price!"

"We must raise as many Spirit Stones as possible before the auction begins. For now, all we can do is our best!"

Jiang Rou's expression turned solemn, and she nodded heavily!

"Don't worry, I understand the importance. I'll get to it tomorrow!"

She then comforted him warmly.

"You don't need to be too anxious. Your elder brother has been out with the Monster Hunting Team for over a month now."

"According to past custom, he should be back soon. He'll surely have some harvest to contribute."

"Besides, isn't there still Da Ya?"

"He's been hunting monsters recently and earned quite a few Spirit Stones. He's looking at houses all over and wants to buy the one next to ours to be neighbors."

"He must have a lot of spare cash on hand! In a critical moment, it shouldn't be hard to borrow some from him for a while."

Chen Qingyuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he lowered his voice.

"Sister-in-law, really? That could work..."