181: Chapter 181 The Xu Family Head's Visit (Part 2)

Compared to Xu Youcai's lamentation, the others' moods were much more complex.

Especially Xu Jianpeng; he had thought his son-in-law was quite decent.

But even so, the Jinhuai Wang Clan's business cooperation with the Xu Clan had never attracted such attention from the Clan Head.

Let alone a simple Family visit drawing the Clan Head to visit in person.

How could they compare?

Clearly, no matter how he tried to justify it to himself, he couldn't fool himself.

The others didn't think quite like Xu Jianpeng, but their jealousy grew even stronger.

Because of this, Xu Youcai exhorted his children once again.

On the other side, after leaving, Xu Jianye returned to the Clan Head's courtyard.

At this time, a handsome young man with an extraordinary temperament came forward from the courtyard to greet him.

From his appearance, the young man bore some resemblance to Xu Jianye and looked to be around thirty years old.

The young man was named Xu Weian; he ranked third in the Wei generation. He was also the eldest son of the Jinhuai Xu Clan's direct line and the successor to the position of Clan Head.

"Father, weren't you going to see Cousin Yu Wei and Pei Tianlin? Why are you back so soon?"

Xu Jianye said expressionlessly, "I didn't see them."

A flash of surprise crossed Xu Weian's eyes.

He had received word the moment Pei Tianlin entered the gates of the Jinhuai Xu Clan.

His father's timing for this personal visit should have been perfect; how could he have missed them?

Before he could ask further, Xu Jianye began to explain, "After lunch, follow me to visit your Uncle Jianhua. At that time, you two young people can communicate better while together."

"Yes, Father," Xu Weian replied respectfully.

...

As the Head of the Jinhuai Xu Clan, Xu Jianye not only handled Family affairs but also needed to monitor the dynamics of the major Great Families in the prefecture city.

A Family's development is not just internal; the external aspect is also exceptionally important.

In recent years, the overall situation of the major Great Families in Jinhuai Prefecture City hadn't changed much. A few third-rate families had declined, while others were flourishing.

Generally speaking, the impact wasn't great; this was the normal state of development in Jinhuai Prefecture.

The appearance of a Grandmaster wouldn't necessarily cause a sensation.

After all, a new Grandmaster was born in Jinhuai Prefecture every two years or so.

But the experience of the Wuyang Pei Clan was too legendary.

A Great Family from a backward county reaching the summit of Grandmaster at over eighty years old was definitely unique.

It was precisely because of this that Xu Jianye had paid attention to the Wuyang Pei Clan.

It was fine if he hadn't looked into it.

But once he did, Xu Jianye was completely shocked into silence.

This was absolutely the model template for an Old Ancestor.

In the past two years, the Pei Clan had developed too quickly. According to the information he had gathered, the Pei Clan's industries had expanded several times over in just two years.

The famous Yuanhang Trade Caravan in Jinhuai Prefecture originated from the Wuyang Pei Clan.

Recently, he had even used his connections to find out a piece of news sufficient to shake Jinhuai Prefecture.

The Wuyang Pei Clan was going to establish a branch of the Yuanhang Trade Caravan in the prefecture city, and with the direct lines of the Jinhuai Chen Clan and He Clan taking the lead, many Great Families had already invested in this "great ship."

Upon hearing this news, Xu Jianye was greatly shocked.

It was foreseeable that the Yuanhang Trade Caravan would inevitably become a behemoth in Jinhuai City.

If the Xu Clan could join it, just based on the network of relationships between these Great Families, the Xu Clan would benefit immensely.

Not to mention, this was a real piece of the pie.

If the news hadn't spread yet, his Xu Clan might not have lacked a chance to enter. But after the direct lines of the Chen and He Clans took the lead, there were simply too many Great Families willing to invest.

Compared to the ordinary third-rate families of various counties, his Jinhuai Xu Clan...

...was quite a bit stronger.

But placed within this prefecture city, his Jinhuai Xu Clan was somewhat ordinary.

While it wasn't the case that any random Great Family was stronger than his Xu Clan, they were still one of the bottom-tier Great Families.

It was also under Xu Weian's reminder that he remembered a member of their Xu Clan's direct line had married into the Wuyang Pei Clan.

After some investigation, he learned that this son-in-law of his cousin Jianhua was not simple; he was not only the current Grand Elder of the Pei Clan but also the second-ranked in the Tian generation and deeply trusted by the Pei Clan's Old Ancestor, Pei Qingyun.

With such a layer of relationship...

If Pei Tianlin were willing to step forward, their Xu Clan might not be unable to join the Yuanhang Trade Caravan.

Time quickly reached lunch, and Xu Jianhua prepared a sumptuous meal for Pei Tianlin's Family of three.

There were spiritual fish, large shrimp, second-grade exotic beast yak meat, and fruit pastries; there were over a dozen varieties, and this table must have cost at least several hundred taels.

Even with Pei Tianlin's salary in the Pei Clan, he could only occasionally enjoy such a meal.

Of course, even if Pei Tianlin had the salary, he couldn't eat like this regularly.

These foods were all high-energy.

With his digestive capacity as a Five-Viscera Martial Artist, he couldn't handle such nourishment every day.

In contrast, Pei Siping was overjoyed, eating until his face was covered in grease.

Beside him, Pei Tianlin watched, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

With his son's eating manner...

Those who didn't know would think he was stingy with food.

Xu Yuwei really couldn't stand it and spoke up, "Alright, eat a bit slower."

Pei Siping talked back and then buried his head in eating again, "Grandfather and Grandmother's cooking is too delicious."

"Yu Wei, if Siping likes to eat, let him eat more. He's at the age where he's growing; it's fine to eat more. If you like it, Grandmother will make it for you again tomorrow," Mother Xu said with a doting look.

Seeing Mother Xu's expression, Xu Yuwei knew anything more she said would be redundant.

"Thank you, Grandmother," Pei Siping said.

The more Mother Xu looked, the more satisfied she became, her face beaming with joy, "What a good grandson of mine."

She only had one daughter, Xu Yuwei, so in her eyes, Pei Siping was no different from her own grandson.

Shortly after lunch, Xu Jianye and Xu Weian arrived at the small courtyard.

Immediately after, a hearty voice rang out in the small courtyard.

"Sister-in-law, Tianlin and Yu Wei are back, why didn't you inform me?"

Surprise appeared in Xu Jianhua's eyes; Xu Jianye's sudden visit was beyond their expectations.

But he performed a standard Great Family salute, "Jianhua greets the Clan Head."

Mother Xu said, "Yingfang greets the Clan Head."

Xu Jianye hurried forward to support her, "Sister-in-law, you're being too distant. There's no need for this within the Family."

At the same time, Xu Weian behind Xu Jianye also spoke, "Weian greets Uncle and Aunt."

After saying this, Xu Weian then spoke to the couple, Pei Tianlin and his wife, "Cousin Yu Wei, long time no see."

Xu Yuwei was slightly stunned and responded, "Cousin Weian, long time no see."

The next moment, Xu Weian's gaze shifted to Pei Tianlin by the side, his eyes full of praise, "It's said that Yu Wei married a good husband; this must be Brother Tianlin. Seeing you today, you truly are a man of striking appearance and extraordinary bearing."