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PROTECT OUR PATRIARCH – CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2 – Where did the system go?

"Looks like I can only take one step at a time." Wang Shouzhe looked grave, but he quickly felt relieved.

Even if he didn't have a golden finger, he did have some advantages.

At least after merging the memories, he discovered that although there were many experts in this world, they were not as advanced as the humans on the earth in terms of livelihood development and sophisticated thinking, even although he was just an office worker who graduated from a normal university.

Just as he was about to summarize his advantages…

His personal servant, a panicking Wang Gui barged in, "Patriarch, Patriarch, bad news! The sixth master was beaten! He sent someone back to summon for help."

Sixth master?

Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly, his memories came flooding back, "It's sixth uncle, Wang Dinghai."

Wang Dinghai was his clan uncle, ranked sixth according to the family's generation. He has average aptitude, but was good on water, so he oversaw the fishing fleet, one of the family businesses.

Now that Wang Dinghai was beaten up, there should be some uncertainties on the side of the clan-owned fishing fleet.

Great! He would take the opportunity to personally investigate this world.

"Calm down. Why're you panicking? Where's your decorum?" Wang Shouzhe himself calmed down when he thought of checking out the xuanhuan world.

After rebuking his servant, he said, "Prepare the carriage, let's go and have a look."

"Yes, Patriarch." Wang Gui responded and rushed off to prepare for the trip.

Wang Shouzhe walked out of the door according to his memory and strolled towards to the main house's main door.

Along the way, he observed the various architectural facilities and structures of the main house, confirming them with the memories in his mind.

Along the way, he happened to see his father's official wife, Gongsun Hui. With a grave expression, she led several of the family's generals and rushed towards the main gate.　　

Wang Shouzhe bowed to Gongsun Hui, "Madam."

Wang Shouzhe knew his mother passed away when he was a child. Subsequently, his father married Gongsun Hui as his official wife. They had a daughter named Wang Luomiao, who was eight years old this year.

Although Gongsun Hui was Wang Shouzhe's official mother, she wasn't his biological mother. But her natural disposition was simple and kind. She had always treated Wang Shouzhe as if he were her own son and took good care of him in every aspect.

This was different from the other xuanhuan novels.

Gongsun Hui stepped forward and took Wang Shouzhe's hand when she saw him. She was solicitous, "Zhe'er, why did you come out? Have you eaten? Do you feel better?"

The other generals also hurriedly made their obeisance to Wang Shouzhe.

"Madam, I'm fine. I've eaten all the spiritual food which you asked the servants to prepare. Let's talk more about this later."

He gently broke free, and solemnly said, "You're leading the generals. Are you going to support sixth uncle? I'll go with you."

Gongsun Hui expression turned grim, and she hesitated before saying, "Since you've inherited the position of the patriarch, you'll face these sooner or later. Since you've recovered, let's go together and investigate what's happening."

"Yes, madam."

The two of them walked out of the main entrance of the main house. On the front entrance plaque, the characters of "Ping'an Wang" were written in a lively and vigorous calligraphy style, and the grandeur of the writing was extraordinary.

However, the flaking lacquered corridors and the white lanterns with the word "奠" (dien – signifying death in the family) which were fluttering in the wind, showed the decline and desolation of the Wang family.

"Patriarch, Madam Gongsun, the carriage is ready." Wang Gui trotted over. "The swords, bows and arrows are already on the carriage."

After a brief discussion, Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui shared a carriage, while the four family generals each rode yellow horses to escort them all the way to the Anjiang Dingpu ferry crossing.

On the way, Gongsun Hui recounted the causes and consequences.

The transmigrated Wang Shouzhe quickly understood the actual situation. Anjiang was a large river hundreds of km wide. The river was rich in distinctive aquatic biodiversity. The fishing fleets could generate long-term economic benefits.

Where there was money to be made, there would be conflicts. Naturally, none of the three prominent families in Ping'an town would be willing to give up this lucrative business.

After all kinds of fights and compromises, the three families finally demarcated their respective territories, and prohibited the crossing of the boundaries.

The territory of the Ping'an Wang clan comprised 30 miles of the river from the Dingpu ferry port to the right of the rocky shore.

It was just that in recent years, the other two families' talents continued to raise in prominence. As such, their ambitions had grown. With the limited territory, it was naturally easy to stick one's chopsticks into someone else's pot.

The piecemeal encroachment had been going on for ages. The family's territories and industries had been shrinking year after year. The smaller the territory, the scarcer the resources would be, and it would be increasingly difficult for the clan to grow. From then on, it would be a vicious circle.

The situation was dire. The clan's defining force, ancestor Longyan's health was deteriorating by the year. She had been in retreat/ seclusion for the last few years. Although such a huge incident happened at home, she didn't even appear. The outside world was bound to wildly speculate whether she could still fight!

The situation wasn't looking good, Wang Shouzhe frowned.

It is said that the main residence of the Wang family was built on the mountain and near the water, only 10 miles away from the Dingpu ferry wharf. The road was solid and maintained all year round. With the outpost general leading the way, the carriage arrived smoothly in less than half an hour.

When this wharf was first built in Ping'an town, it was already one of the outposts of Chang Ning'wei. After more than 100 years of development in Ping'an town, Dingpu Ferry has become a major transportation link connecting north and south.

All three families had docks, ferries, shops, and other infrastructure here.

There were some simple defensive facilities at the wharf. The walls were rather rudimentary, only between five or six meters high and could only withstand the impact of small-scale ferocious beasts.

After Wang Shouzhe and his party entered the terminal, they headed straight towards the deep-water pier. Under the long wooden pier, towered mammoth wooden pillars, which lifted the pier three or four zhang (1 zhang = 3.33m) above the deep-water. There were two more lateral bridges in the deep-water area, forming a berth.

Water vessels of various sizes docked at the berth. These included ferries, merchant ships, and fishing boats.

From a far-off distance, one could see two groups of people confronting each other at the end of the bridge. Both sides held clubs, knives, and spears, and were very violent.

"Wang old sixth, you're certainly bold! You dare to bring people to block your Yongzhou young master, do you think your young master hasn't beaten you hard enough?" A youth's teasing and taunting voice rang out.

"You! Liu family's son of a bitch." Another man's voice roared in agitation and anger, "Weren't you hiding under the water for a sneak attack? If you're a man, we'll rely on our own skills.

"Dive into the water, let's battle it out with knives and spears. Let your Wang family sixth master teach you, son of a bitch, how to behave like a human being."

"Wang old sixth, don't blame this little master for looking down on you. You've been living like a dog for ages, you don't have any brains."

The youth sneered, "Underwater ambush is one of the war tactics. Come on, you don't expect me to announce this in advance, do you? Why can't I use this tactic?

"Really, the older you get, the more you go to the dogs. Why don't you get out of Ping'an town earlier, so as not to waste food."

His group of men burst into raucous laughter, and followed him in heckling, get out of Ping'an town, get out of Ping'an town!

Dingpu Ferry terminal was crowded with many travellers and merchants. At this time, they had gathered around to watch the excitement, and were babbling away.

These bystanders would inevitably spread the conflict today, like a wildfire to many other places.

The Ping'an Wang family, the loser, would become a laughingstock for a while, and the butt of after dinner conversations. All these were detrimental to the Wang clan's power.

"You! Son of a bitch of the Liu family." Wang sixth uncle was boiling red in rage, "You big bully, your sixth master will fight with you!"

"Wang's old dog, come on if you've the guts!"

The two-armed groups were on the cusp of battling it out…

"Stop it!" Seeing the urgency of the situation, Gongsun Hui rushed into to the middle of the confrontation to stop them, "Wang Dinghai, Liu Yongzhou, please calm down first. It's best to talk rather than fight."

Wang Shouzhe was afraid that his official mother would be injured. With a wave of his hand, the four royal family generals rushed forward to protect Gongsun Hui. The cold-eyed Wang Shouzhe followed closely behind and continued to observe everything.

On-site observation and memory told him that the young man attired in a close-fitting wetsuit, with a short blade hanging from his waist and looking slovenly was called Liu Yongzhou, a member of Liu's family.

According to rumours, he was good at water warfare, and was exceptional at escaping in water.

He once dived with a short blade to kill a first-ranked fierce beast, a red-scaled eel which weighed more than 100 kilograms. However, he became famous at around the age of 23-24 and showed great potential for success.

The other man was lean and dark-skinned. He looked like someone who made his livelihood from the rivers. It was just that his head and arms were wounded, and he cut a sorry figure with his wounds wrapped in some linen cloth.

That was Wang Dinghai, Wang Shouzhe's clan uncle. He was responsible for the family's fishing operations within their territory. He was also very good at water combat, fishing, and hunting. He was also the main catcher of the red-tailed Linggan which Wang Shouzhe ate earlier.

"Well, well, looks like it's Madam Gongsun of the Wang family." Liu Yongzhou smiled and paid his respects.

Then, he ridiculed Wang Dinghai, "Wang old sixth, you and I, a junior, had some friction and conflicts, and you summoned your clan sister out here to support you. Yongzhou truly admire you, and feels ashamed."

"You…" Wang Dinghai's dark face turned beet red.

– End of this chapter –

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4 thoughts on "Protect our Patriarch – Chapter 2"

Sirius says:

November 28, 2021 at 1:40 AM

Is it normal there don't have a comment section for the next 2 chapters? Btw, thanks for the chapter!

enterandrejoice says:

November 28, 2021 at 7:12 PM

Hi Sirius! Thanks for letting me know, I've turned on the comments. Hope you are enjoying the novel.

Reyne says:

January 26, 2022 at 1:08 PM

Thank you for the translation, the novel is a fresh breath of air and your translation is very well written.

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PROTECT OUR PATRIARCH – CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3 – Standard countermeasures

"Enough." Gongsun Hui reprimanded and stopped them, and then said, "Sixth uncle, don't be impulsive. We'll settle things calmly."

Gongsun Hui herself was the official daughter of the Gongsun clan of Sanyang, legal wife of the late patriarch of the Wang family and the legal mother of the Wang clan's new generation patriarch. She was more than qualified to mediate between the two parties.

An agitated Wang Dinghai said, "Fifth sister-in-law, it's not that I'm impulsive, but this brat from the Liu family is just too much.

"Everyone in Ping'an town knows that the territory of our Ping'an Wang clan covers 30 miles of the Anjiang river from the Dingpu ferry port to the right of the rocky shore.

"However, Liu Yongzhou, had crossed the boundary line several times to fish. This time, he ostentatiously entered 10 miles into our territory. If I don't drive him out, our Wang family wouldn't have a leg to stand on in Anjiang."

"Yo yo yo, Wang old sixth, how can you, the guilty party, sue me?" Liu Yongzhou looked as if he was greatly wronged.

"This wind over Anjiang is very strong while the currents are swift. My Liu family's territory is in the upper reaches of the river. There'll inevitably be times when the boat veers off course.

"But when you saw us, you rammed your boat into us. You suffered but, some minor losses from our conflict but you summoned the family elders. How outrageous, are you bullying my Liu family for having no clan elders?"

Wang Shouzhe had been silently observing and trying to figure things out. He had already established that the Liu family initiated the dispute.

Their purpose was probably to test the waters while he was new to the position of patriarch. They might also be gauging his capabilities as the patriarch.

If he wasn't competent and timid, the next step would most probably be to join forces with the Zhao clan again. Subsequently, a series of conspiracies and plots would sweep in like a tidal wave.　　

"Ahem!"

Wang Shouzhe coughed twice and walked forward calmly.

"Eldest nephew Shouzhe, are you here too?" Wang Dinghai smiled and then, said angrily, "Quickly judge this. This brat carried out a sneak attack. Your sixth uncle refuses to concede and wants to have a fair fight with him."

"Well, well, looks like it's the Wang's young clan, no, no, the patriarch had arrived." Liu Yongzhou narrowed his eyes, revealing a slight look of scorn and jealousy towards Wang Shouzhe.

There was no doubt that Wang Shouzhe far surpassed Liu Yongzhou in all aspects of comprehensive strength.

Moreover, Wang Shouzhe was only 18 years old, and he had cultivated to the late sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, with great potential for growth.

Now, the Liu clan feared Wang Shouzhe. If he was given the opportunity to reach the Lingtai Realm, the set-up in Ping'an town would change dramatically.

Some of the onlookers around them began to murmur, seemingly interested in the young patriarch of the Ping'an Wang clan who had just succeeded his father.

They vaguely pointed out that the death of Wang Dingyue, the previous patriarch, was too early.

If he had lived for another 10 years, the situation of the Ping'an Wang clan would be different when Wang Shouzhe, the young patriarch, had grown up.

"Sixth uncle, victory and defeat are common in the military." Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his voice as he casually probed, " But, are you really sure you can beat him? If you lose another match in full view of the public, it'll damage my Wang's prestige."

"This…" Wang Dinghai hesitated and whispered, "I have had several conflicts with the kid. Usually, we are evenly matched and have an advantage over each other.

"Today's a bad day, and the boy's water escape technique seemed to have improved tremendously. He is as slippery as a loach in the water. I was caught off guard and defeated. But don't worry, my nephew, your sixth uncle will win this fight even if he dies."

His water escape technique seemed to have improved substantially?

Oh, this is interesting, Wang Shouzhe rubbed his nose.

He roughly understood the other party's tactics. Create a conflict to provoke Wang Dinghai's indignance, and then let Liu Yongzhou, a rising star, defeat Wang Dinghai in full view of the public, undermining the Wang clan's prestige.

It would be perfect if Liu Yongzhou could agitate Wang Dinghai intensely, so that the latter would sign a bet or something similar with the former.

By then, the Liu family would be able to bite off a large chunk of meat from the Wang's body again.

Wang Shouzhe was very clear about the situation, and immediately said, "Sixth uncle, leave this matter to me."

"This ..." Wang Dinghai hesitated again. However, after seeing Wang Shouzhe's calm and composed look, he calmed down and took two steps back, "Shouzhe, you must be more careful, Liu is the best at playing tricks."

"Sixth uncle, don't worry, I wouldn't suffer any losses."

After reassuring his uncle, Wang Shouzhe looked around and said loudly to everyone, "The Xuanwu noble families had always been founded on martial arts. If the descendants are unable to protect their ancestral land, it's only natural that they should retreat.

"Liu Yongzhou, since your Liu clan wants to encroach and annex my Wang clan's fishing and hunting region, creating conflict is just an act.

"Why don't you be more forthcoming? Let's have a battle of life-and-death between the two of us, just like our ancestors. The winner takes the loser's fishing grounds."

"What?"

There were shouts of shock all around, a battle of life-and-death! Should that young patriarch of the Wang clan be so aggressive?

Wang Shouzhe was five years younger than Liu Yongzhou, but he initiated a battle of life-and-death. Liu Yongzhou's face turned green, and then, white. He didn't dare to accept this, nor could he.

He could only sarcastically say, "Wang family patriarch, you must be joking. You're the patriarch; how can you get on the arena and fight a life-and-death battle?"

Although Liu Yongzhou stood out amongst his peers, he was way behind Wang Shouzhe, who had been groomed since young to assume the position of patriarch.

"Hehe~" Wang Shouzhe sneered and mocked, "If you don't have no guts, you don't have no guts! Why speak pretentiously?

"I, Wang Shouzhe, will stand here today. I'll take on as many as the Liu's Yongzi generation who dare to take up my challenge!"

"Good! Well said! The new patriarch of the Wang clan is heroic enough."

"The Xuanwu families founded on martial arts are rather interesting. Let's see how the Liu clan will respond. As far as I know, the oldest of the Liu's Yongzi's generation is around 36 or 37 years old, while the youngest is still learning to talk.

"When I think about it, I really can't think of anyone who can fight the Wang clan's new patriarch."

"Brother, how strong is this young man? Can he really defeat all of Liu's Yongzi generation?"

"Are you a foreigner? That's our Ping'an Wang clan's new patriarch, Wang Shouzhe. At only 18 years old, he's on the verge of reaching the senior level of Qi Refinement.

"Rumours had it that he's extremely gifted in swordsmanship and had long reached the point of perfection."

With a tinge of pride, the local resident added, "In addition, Wang Shouzhe had passed the Zifu Academy's admission test and will soon be enrolled. But it's a pity that he had to give up his studies because of a major event in the family."

"Zifu Academy? Is this the Zifu Academy that claims that once you enter the academy, you're bound to enter the Lingtai Realm? Amazing, amazing but what a pity!"

The surrounding discussions reached Wang Shouzhe's ears. They reminded him that he had passed the preliminary selection for admission to the Zifu Academy not long ago.

The Zifu Academy in Longzuo county recruited new students every three years, but their requirements were extremely strict.

Every time, there would be one to three people within Chang Ning'wei who passed the preliminary selection and qualified for the re-examination. Wang Shouzhe was among them.

But it was an exaggeration to claim that Wang Shouzhe was about to enter Zifu Academy. In the entire jurisdiction of Chang Ning'wei, not even one academy student could be produced within eight or 10 years.

Although Wang Shouzhe was extraordinary, he knew the probability of passing the retest was less than 30%.

The public opinion around them began to tilt in the Wang's favour.

The previous conflict was not handled properly and would have damaged the Wang's reputation. Now, however, it had boosted the Wang's prestige.

"My nephew did a great job." Wang Dinghai said with joy, ""Let's see if that little brat of the Liu family still dares to be arrogant?"

Gongsun Hui was also slightly surprised. She didn't expect that Shouzhe would turn the bad situation which undermined the prestige of their family into an unfavourable one for the Liu's in just a few words.

Prior to this, he had always focused on his own cultivation and cared very little about other things. She had never expected that he would show his ability as soon as he became the patriarch.

"Good!"

Suddenly, a voice acclaiming him rang out, "The remarks of Wang's Patriarch have enlightened yours truly. Liu really admire them, I admire them.

"The Xuanwu noble families had always been founded on martial arts. If the descendants are unable to protect their ancestral land, it's only natural that they should retreat. Excellent, well said!"

The speaker, a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe and with an extraordinary bearing, walked out. He was surrounded by several brave generals. He stared at Wang Shouzhe, with an inscrutable expression.

As soon as the man stepped out, Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai's countenance changed, "It's Liu Shengye!"

Although in an awkward situation, Gongsun Hui reminded Wang Shouzhe, "Zhe'er, there must be something fishy about the Liu family head appearing at this time. Be careful."

Liu Shengye.

Wang Shouzhe's eyes narrowed slightly. Liu Shengye was the patriarch of the Liu family in Ping'an.

Rumours had it that his martial arts were not the best in the Liu family. He's already 40 years old but had yet to break through to the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm.

But in Wang Shouzhe's memory, this person had always been known for his cunning and deceitful ways. He was famously known as a smiling tiger.

He had repeatedly taken advantage of his clashes with Wang Dingyue, the former patriarch of the Wang clan. He was also very good in managing the clan's assets, allowing the Liu family's strength to flourish.

"Well, it turns out to be Patriarch Liu." Wang Shouzhe calmly responded, "Since Patriarch Liu agrees with me, do you agree with Liu Yongzhou and my life-and-death battle?"

Don't say anything else, let's set up Liu Shengye first.

However, Liu Shengye saw a way to exploit the weaknesses in Wang Shouzhe's tactics and counterattacked, "How can this be? Although Patriarch Wang's words are reasonable, how can you, the leader of a clan, bully the junior?"

"Since it's a life-and-death challenge, it's only natural that both fighters should be of the same status. Only then will the battle be worth watching."

All the pretty words were aimed at getting Liu Yongzhou and Wang Dinghai to fight it out.

"Patriarch Liu's remarks are very sensible." Wang Shouzhe nodded in agreement with a serious expression, "You and I, the Wang clan and the Liu clan, have had a lot of friction and accumulated grudges.

"Since we're going to have a life-and-death battle, why don't you and I, the two clan patriarchs, personally take this on since we can be considered to be of equal status."

"What?"

Liu Shengye's face twitched. The patriarch personally accepts a life-and-death challenge?

Was this brat, Wang Shouzhe crazy? First, he bit Liu Yongzhou, and now he bit him, Liu Shengye, directly! I certainly didn't mean this.

The surrounding merchants and travellers, as well as the rest of the people on the wharf, were in a state of silent shock.

This time, it was a battle to the death between two family patriarchs. Should they be so impulsive?

– End of this chapter –

Translator's musings:

Wah, only after three days of memory fusion, our hero is ready for a life-and-death battle! Transmigrators must be heaven's darlings as they adapt super-fast to their new world!

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One thought on "Protect our Patriarch – Chapter 3"

Robi says:

January 29, 2022 at 3:51 AM

I agree with translator. I haven't even digest the info dump of chapter 1 about the clan history and barely able to point at who is who.

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Ligustrum

Ligustrum is a species of privet known as "glossy privet" native to the southern part of China. Known as Nu Zhen Zi in Chinese. It is grown primarily as an ornamental shrub, but has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for some time. (Pic and text taken from https://www.gaiaherbs.com/blogs/herbs/ligustrum)

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Novels & New Adventures Await Us….

PROTECT OUR PATRIARCH – CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4 – The Patriarch is too fierce

"Eldest nephew, you absolutely cannot do this." Wang Dinghai tried to dissuade him, "Liu's family head is 40 years old and highly experienced."

"Zhe'er, you're too impulsive." Gongsun Hui was also slightly flustered, "The patriarch's status is honourable, and he is the family's pillar..."

They would be happy to see him fight Liu Yongzhou. After all, the Liu brat was way weaker than Wang Shouzhe. But it would be too risky if he challenged Liu Shengye directly.

However, the nervous Liu Shengye was sweating away in secret. Fortunately, the Wang clan still had a reasonable generation. They should be able to persuade the young patriarch of the Wang clan to not fight with him.

A death duel between two commanders of two armies would certainly turn things upside down.

What's more, Liu Shengye had lived a comfortable, luxurious, and good life for many years. He had not fought for a long time. The battle of life-and-death was not a joke.

"Eldest mother, sixth uncle." Wang Shouzhe interrupted them, "The patriarch is but a member of the family.

"Every family member has the right and obligation to shed one's blood and lay down's one life (for a just cause), for the survival of the family. Moreover, ancestor Longyan…"

At the end of the sentence, Wang Shouzhe's emotions were somewhat agitated and sad, as if he was about to explode in repression. He wanted to say more but he abruptly swallowed those words.

"Shouzhe!" Wang Dinghai panicked, and hurriedly asked in a whisper, "Ancestor Longyan, she can't be…"

"Don't worry, she's fine." Wang Shouzhe's face was slightly pale.

"It's just that my heart aches for our ancestor who has sacrificed her entire life for the family. It's time for us, the juniors, to stand up and bleed."

However, what he said seemed to be a cover-up.

Then, Wang Shouzhe turned and stared at Liu Shengye, "Liu Patriarch, since our families have many conflicts, why not take this opportunity to settle all the grudges?

"We will both sign a life-and-death duel agreement. The loser withdraws from the Anjiang fishing grounds, and the family will not pursue the matter."

There was a sense of determination in his words.

"Good, Patriarch Wang is indeed a courageous young upright hero!"

"Since there're conflicts between the two families, it's best for the two patriarchs to fight it out and settle the grudges."

Naturally, the crowd of onlookers thought it was great to watch the excitement. It was perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity to see two patriarchs personally battling it out in a life-and-death challenge.

Immediately, they clamoured for the battle to commence!

"F****! Why is this kid acting like a hungry wolf? He was evasive.. could it be… the rumours were true… so, the situation has changed."

Liu Shengye quivered, frowned, his brain cells churned, and he quickly came up with a plan.

He changed the subject and showed an amiable expression, one that had served him well as a businessman.

"My nephew, speaking of your father, we've been friends for many years. It's not too much to call you my nephew, right?

"Our three noble families have been in Ping'an town for many years, and we're all villagers, so we should support and care for each other. After all, it's such a minor conflict."

"Patriarch Liu, are you saying you're prepared to compensate my sixth uncle and pay his medical expenses?" Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes and sneered.

Compensation for medical expenses?

Liu Shengye's face turned black, but he was skilled at hiding a knife within a smile.

His smile became even more amiable, "Conflicts between villagers are inevitable, but since it's Yongzhou's fault this time, we'll have to acknowledge it.

"Here're 30 pieces of Qian gold, a token of reparation for Brother Dinghai."

After that, Liu Shengye took out three gold banknotes worth 30 pieces of gold and stuffed them into Wang Shouzhe's hands with a smile.

"Everyone says nephew is a dragon and phoenix among men, and your potential is as good as ancestor, Longyan in her prime. In the future, you'll be the pillar of our Ping'an town."

30 pieces of Qian gold?

Wang Shouzhe knew this was a huge sum of money. He took them as soon as he saw them.

He also smiled and said, "Patriarch Liu is the real pillar of our Ping'an. Shouzhe has just assumed the position of patriarch and will have to rely on the Liu family head to take good care of me."

Absolutely!

Liu Shengye laughed twice before leaving the deep-water dock with his family generals and Liu Yongzhou.

When the crowd of onlookers saw that the patriarchs didn't really fight, there were sighs of regret and sighs of relief, as if they had missed some great drama. Slightly disappointed, they dispersed in groups of twos and threes.

"My nephew is amazing!" Wang Dinghai exclaimed, as if he had been relieved of his anger.

Pleased, he added, "In just a few words, he turned the situation around and made that old fox, Liu Shengye, apologise willingly."

On the other hand, Gongsun Hui didn't look happy, but looked rather worried.

"Sixth uncle, madam, since we're here, so why don't we get on sixth uncle's boat and have a look around?" Wang Shouzhe smiled, "I've never been on my uncle's boat before."

"Great idea. Let's do that. Let's have a good time." Wang Dinghai said happily, "I'll demonstrate some fishing skills later."

As he was about to board the ship, Wang Shouzhe beckoned a few of his generals to his side and whispered to them. The generals understood, saluted, and dispersed to carry out their duties.

Then, Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui walked with Wang Dinghai to the deep-water berth.

At the same time.

Outside the Dingpu Ferry port, the young and arrogant Liu Yongzhou looked embarrassed and said, "Patriarch, we agreed to bite a chunk of flesh off Wang's body. How did it end up with us making amends?"

"Yongzhou, you're still too young." Liu Shengye was calm, smiling as he walked with his hands behind his back, "As the saying goes, that was then, this is now.

"In this situation, we should not take the initiative to provoke the Wang family. We should be careful everywhere we go to avoid clashing with them."

"Patriarch…" Liu Yongzhou was slightly angry and flabbergasted.

"From my deductions, the old bitch Wang Longyan will soon be dead." Liu Shengye narrowed his eyes and said with a pearl of wisdom, "Now, the Wang family is like a sick tiger which is about to die. This is the most dangerous time.

"If we push too hard, we might cause the other party to backlash crazily. Although I, Liu, am not afraid, I don't want to profit the Zhao family."

Wang Longyan!

The name was like a poisonous thorn in Liu's throat. As long as she was still alive, Liu wouldn't dare to completely fall out with the Wang clan.

"Patriarch, is this true?" Liu Yongzhou was excited.

"I guessed that when Wang Longyan didn't even come out of her seclusion for such an important event as the change of the Wang patriarch."

Liu Shengye laughed coldly, "I see that the new clan head, Wang Shouzhe, was so impatient that he wanted to fight me to the death.

"He wanted to take one last risk in a time of crisis, and that confirmed about 70 to 80% of my speculation.

"Hahaha, how can I do what he wants? If it's fast, she would be dead within two or three years. If it's slow, it'll take four or five years. Once Wang Longyan is dead ..."

"Patriarch? It's going to take that long?" Liu Yongzhou was slightly confused.

"What do you know? Can the rise and fall of a family be achieved overnight? My Liu family has been waiting for so many years. Can't we afford to endure for just a few more years?"

Liu Shengye waved his sleeves and climbed into the carriage with the support of the family's general, "What's more, our Liu family still have a lot of preparation to do before Wang Longyan dies.

"Yongzhou, you must remember you must not clash with the Wang clan without my order, or else you'll be punished with the family law!"

"Yes, Patriarch." Liu Yongzhou held his anger, but he was helpless and could only respectfully sent off Liu Shengye.

It is said that Wang Shouzhe asked several generals to stay at the wharf to perform some tasks, and boarded Wang Dinghai's medium-sized fishing boat "Dinghai" together with Gongsun Hui.

The medium-sized fishing boat was about eight or nine zhang (1 zhang = 3.33m) long and two zhang wide, all made of wood.

It was a sail-powered vessel, judging by its high mast and sails.

Wang Dinghai ordered his shipmen to sail out of the port. He enthusiastically wanted to introduce the boat's facilities to Wang Shouzhe but Gongsun Hui solemnly said, "Zhe'er, sixth uncle, let's go to the stern and talk."

The two men followed her as instructed, while the boat swayed and gradually sailed out of the deep-water port.

"Alas~ Zhe'er, you've gone a bit too far today." Gongsun Hui sighed and said, "Old ancestor Longyan has sacrificed her entire life for the family, the hardships and toil involved are innumerable.

"How can you be full of nonsense to insinuate that she was ..., and said all that before a crowd? You've also just dispatched the family generals to spread rumours!

"Your actions today will certainly reach the ears of the clan elders, and those elders will inevitably reprimand you."

"This ..." Wang Dinghai was flustered, "Fifth sister-in-law, what should we do then? The elders won't censure Shouzhe, would they?"

The old ancestor Longyan wasn't only the family's pillar, but she was also the clan's bulwark. Naturally, Wang Dinghai was in awe of her.

"Sixth uncle, calm down, calm down." Wang Shouzhe smiled calmly, "The clan elders are all elders, I believe they'll understand after they know the reason.

"Madam, Iet me ask you, how much longer does old ancestor Longyan have?"

"Zhe'er, how can you be so disrespectful to ancestor Longyan? We can't make such inappropriate comments…

"Madam, as Patriarch, I naturally must consider the development of the entire clan's interests in a holistic manner."

Wang Shouzhe interrupted Gongsun Hui, "If I can't even ask how long more the old ancestor will live and be kept in the dark, how can I plan for the future development of the clan?

"If that's the case, I'm afraid that I, Wang Shouzhe, will not be suitable for the position of patriarch, so it's best to get a replacement as soon as possible!"

– End of this chapter –

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2 thoughts on "Protect Our Patriarch – Chapter 4"

Jason Wang says:

December 26, 2021 at 2:22 AM

Pretty good MC

enterandrejoice says:

January 2, 2022 at 9:31 PM

Absolutely! Tries to be fair and impartial, and a true believer of gender equality. High EQ to boot!

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PROTECT OUR PATRIARCH – CHAPTER 5

Chapter 5 – Ancestor, Longyan! I'll release the King Bomb!

"Zhe'er, you ... how can you say such things?" Gongsun Hui didn't expect Wang Shouzhe, who had always been well-behaved, to speak so shockingly.

"Fifth sister-in-law, I think Shouzhe's words are reasonable." Wang Dinghai was somewhat convinced by Wang Shouzhe today, and immediately supported him by saying, "How long more can ancestor Longyan protect the family? We need to know so that everyone can be psychologically prepared."

Gongsun Hui's expression changed a few times, but she finally said, "This is our family's secret. The other day when I went to report to ancestor Longyan, she personally told me that if she didn't fight, she could live for 20 more years, but if she fought... I'm afraid it would shorten her life."

20 years? Wang Shouzhe was secretly thinking. It was much longer than what he thought, but there might not be an opportunity to make a comeback.

"Zhe'er, you're the only hope for the family." Gongsun Hui's expression was grave.

"Our Wang clan should continue to forbear and keep a low profile and gather the entire clan's strength to help you breakthrough to Lingtai realm within 20 years, so don't cause trouble!"

"Yes, yes, sixth uncle will find ways to catch more spirit fish and sell them for money to raise resources for you."

He added, "As long as you can breakthrough to the Lingtai realm, our Wang clan will be saved."

"Breakthrough to the Lingtai realm? Then what?" Wang Shouzhe sneered and scoffed.

"Let's not mention whether I can make it, even if I had the chance to do so, would the Liu and Zhao clan stand by idly and watch me succeed?

"Would they give me 20 years? What's more, even if I was lucky enough to breakthrough, I'd still be just another ancestor Longyan!"

Wang Shouzhe was a transmigrator so naturally, he was able to think outside the box, beyond the Wang clan's prevailing thoughts.

His words sent a chill down the spines of Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai, who had previously lived under the protection of ancestor Longyan. They had always believed that the Liu's and Zhao's wouldn't completely fall out with the Wang clan.

But if Wang Shouzhe, on whom they had pinned all their hopes, was really expected to breakthrough to the Lingtai realm, would the Liu and Zhao clans just sit back and do nothing?

"I've just deliberately hinted that the old ancestor will not live long. I believe that with the old fox Liu Shengye's scheming, he would never choose this time to be the first mover to attack my Wang clan.

"Therefore, I asked my family generals to secretly let the word out, giving the Liu's and Zhao's a countdown of about a five-year period."

Wang Shouzhe grunted, "Whoever dares to provoke us within these five years, we'll fight them to death, and kill their families. At the critical moments, we can release … err…invite ancestor Longyan to stabilise the situation."

In Wang Shouzhe's opinion, the ancestor of Longyan was a King Bomb*. The greatest effect of the bomb was not in the moment it exploded, but the deterrent effect it had before detonation.

"The patriarch's plan is excellent. We're now a beast which is on the verge of death. They're afraid we'll desperately counterattack before we die.

"This way, not only will they not dare to bully us, but they'll also have to find ways to befriend and humour us. No wonder that old fox, Liu Shengye, obediently offered 30 gold pieces as compensation."

"Not only that, because there is now a clear 'death date' for our Wang clan, and with such a large piece of enticing fat meat in front of them, wouldn't the Liu and Zhao clans, who were previously allied because of the same enemy, not have other thoughts while waiting?"

Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, "You know, greed and dissatisfaction are the fundamentals of human nature. The subsequent situation is bound to become very interesting. If we can find a way to secretly add fuel to the fire…hahaha."

After listening to Wang Shouzhe's analysis, both Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai drew in a cold breath and looked at each other. They were slightly terrified.

However, at the same time, they had a glimmer of hope, a glimmer of hope that the family would have a chance to make a comeback!

"Madam, sixth uncle, this is a great secret for the survival of the Wang clan." Wang Shouzhe solemnly said.

"Firstly, I hope you can keep the secret, and secondly, I hope you can trust and support me unconditionally."

This was Wang Shouzhe's real intention. He was just too young. Even with the identity of the patriarch, he would inevitably be criticized. As such, he could only first throw out some amazing ideas to convince a couple of key people and win allies.

Gongsun Hui was his official mother, while he was her son whom she would be dependent on in the future. Meanwhile, sixth uncle, Wang Dinghai had a straightforward and gregarious personality which was easy to win over.

Gongsun Hui and Wang Dinghai took a deep breath each and solemnly vowed to keep the secret.

As the three family members continued their discussion, the medium-sized fishing boat, under the control of the boatmen, left the deep-water wharf and entered the center of Anjiang, where the current was swift.

The Anjiang was wide, far beyond Wang Shouzhe's imagination. As far as the eye could see, it was all water while the Dingpu ferry wharf was getting smaller and smaller, and gradually become less and less clear.

As they sailed further out, the wind and waves grew stronger, and the ship rocked more violently. Even Wang Shouzhe, with his physical fitness at the peak of the sixth level of the Qi Refining realm, felt slightly nauseous.

Gongsun Hui, who grew up and lived in comfort, also turned pale and became uncomfortable.

"Haha, fifth sister-in-law, Shouzhe, fishing boats are not as robust as ferries. When the boat is rocking, don't resist the tilt but go with the flow like an unstable man." Wang Dinghai patiently taught the two of them how to deal with the wind and waves.

Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui were both martial artists, with profound energy and physical strength. They adapted to the rocking movements in just a couple of minutes.

Wang Shouzhe, in particular, followed Wang Dinghai's example and nailed his feet to the deck like stakes, his body swaying rhythmically with the wind and waves, and his posture gradually became more relaxed.

"Shouzhe is really talented. Sixth uncle will show you how he usually fish." Wang Dinghai was excited and ready to show off.

There were but only a few people in the family who would enjoy coming on the fishing boat and watch him fish.

"Sixth uncle, I'm sure your skills are extraordinary, but let's allow the ordinary fishermen to try it first," Wang Shouzhe suggested.

Wang Dinghai was taken aback, but he immediately laughed, "Shouzhe, you're here to assess our skills.

"Wonderful! All the fishermen on sixth uncle's lead fishing boat are highly skilled. Wang Goudan (literally dog egg), come and demonstrate to the patriarch."

"Yes, Master Hai." A young lad of 20 years old leapt down from the mast, moving as nimbly as a monkey.

He picked up a fishing net and, after sorting it out, twisted and flung it from his waist. It flew over the side of the ship, spreading out in the air in a nice big arch.　

Wow!　

The net, buckled and heavy, smashed into the water like a large upside-down ocean bowl and sank to the bottom in a few seconds.

"Excellent!"

The surrounding fishermen praised the young man's skills.

Wang Shouzhe also judged to the lad to be skilled. Before transmigrating, he was an ordinary office worker. Occasionally, he goes fishing with friends. When browsing videos on apps, the algorithm would recommend fishing videos including live broadcasts of experts in casting fishing nets.

Although Wang Shouzhe himself didn't know how to cast nets, he could judge whether the caster's skills were good or otherwise. He acknowledged that Goudan's skills were pretty good.

After waiting for the net to sink to the bottom of the river, Wang Guodian began to carefully reel in the rope, gathering the net against the bottom of the river and then gradually pulling it upwards.

Finally, he yanked, and pulled the entire fishing net onto the boat in an instant.

Bingo!

The fishing net caught a large fish with a gray dorsal fin. Wang Goudan removed the fish from the net. After catching it, he happily came over to show off, "Brother Hai, it's a nine-star perch, which weighs 2.5kg."

"Good job! Throw it into the live tank." Wang Dinghai patted his shoulder and praised him.

He turned around to Wang Shouzhe and explained, "Although the nine-star perch is not a spirit fish, it has a smooth and refreshing taste and is a top-grade fish. Even if you sell it to a fishmonger, you can get one big copper coin.

"But our family runs a fishmonger shop in Chang Ning city, we catch and sell our own products, so that we can earn a few more cents."

Wang Shouzhe nodded his head in appreciation. The currency of the Grand Qian kingdom was calculated in terms of cents, big copper and Qian gold.

Normally, 0.5kg of rice was only worth between five and 10 cents while 100 cents could be exchanged for one big copper. This fish was expensive and it was worth one big copper.

Wang Goudan placed the catch in the running water hold in the center of the boat. This hold was connected to the river water, which was paramount in keeping the catch alive and active.

However, according to Wang Dinghai, only some of the higher value catches were treated as such. The running water compartment was also divided into several areas dedicated to different types of fish.　　

With Wang Goudan's dedication, the rest of the fishermen also performed their tricks, each with great skill, casting large and round nets, but one may not necessarily catch any fish.

Most of the nets that were pulled up were empty, with some occasional surprises.

After slightly more than an hour, various catches gradually increased. There were three nine-star bass, and a more expensive leopard mandarin fish.

Although it was only around two catties, Wang Dinghai said that this fish cost at least 1 large copper and 60 cents. All the best catch was reserved for the patriarch.

Wang Shouzhe was smiling, but he was calculating inwardly. The 30-mile fishing and hunting grounds were the scope of the Ping'an Wang clan's fishing and hunting activities, and the family valued this asset as an important source of income.

As time passed, Wang Shouzhe gradually became impatient, and said, "Sixth uncle, I think we are done with the performance?

"All the fishermen's netting skills are very strong. Can we quickly get to the main event and demonstrate the real fishing operations?"

Wang Dinghai's originally red and glowing expression instantly froze. Somewhat puzzled, he said, "Shouzhe, aren't we already demonstrating real fishing?

"Could it be that you want to see how spirit fish are caught? Some of the smaller spirit fish are caught through luck, while some of the larger spirit fish are very fierce and require fishing and hunting arrows to deal with."

Is this professional fishing?

Wang Shouzhe was dissatisfied. In his previous life, he was curious and freeloaded off his colleague's relative to experience professional fishing. The commercial fishing vessel caught over 40,000 catties but that was considered a poor harvest.

As for casting nets, it was just a fishing tool on earth, just slightly better than using a fishing rod and reel. The fishing enthusiasts were just trying to have fun. Whoever wants to cast a net as a professional fisherman to support their family would starve to death.

– End of the chapter –

References:

King Bomb is a card in the "Fighting the Landlord" card game – http://gambiter.com/cards/Dou_dizhu.html

Translator's musings:

If I ever transmigrate into a clan building novel, my new family will really starve to death. My translation and pet rearing skills will not earn a single cent!

How about you? What skills would you bring into a clan building world?

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2 thoughts on "Protect Our Patriarch – Chapter 5"

Laandra says:

November 29, 2021 at 5:31 AM

Thanks for translating this amazing novel.

It's really a pleasure to read well translated chapters after killing my braincels with mtl.

enterandrejoice says:

November 29, 2021 at 9:08 AM

Thank YOU! I enjoy translating the novel although it is killing my brain cells! Mandarin is a beautiful language. I grew up speaking Cantonese, and only started to learn Mandarin a couple of years back after being inspired by the novels in Novel Updates. Best decision ever!

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PROTECT OUR PATRIARCH – CHAPTER 6

Chapter 6 – Learning prohibited fishing methods

"This… Shouzhe, are you dissatisfied with our fishing team?" Wang Dinghai asked apprehensively.

Am I dissatisfied? The discontent grew. Wang Shouzhe muttered to himself and he solemnly asked, "Sixth uncle, what's the annual output of our fishing and hunting fleet? What're the expenditure and profit?"

When he asked this, Wang Dinghai immediately looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. How could he answer this kind of question?

"Zhe'er, let me answer this." Gongsun Hui said.

"In recent years, I've been managing the family's general accounts. There are nine small fishing boats and one medium-sized fishing boat in the fleet.

"The average annual catch over the last five years was about 6,700 quintal, yielding an income of 486 Qian gold. The average annual catch of spirit fish over the same period is 400 jin, yielding an income of 120 Qian gold, for a total average annual return of 606 Qian gold."

This time, it was Wang Shouzhe's turn to look at Gongsun Hui in surprise.

Although he knew she was managing the accounts, he didn't expect her to be so familiar with the data. He opened his mouth and was about to say something…

But the amount of catch was too small. A total of 10 fishing boats, only averaged 20 quintals or about two thousand jin (1,000 kg) of daily catch!

"Zhe'er, why do you have such a look?"

Gongsun Hui added calmly, "Although I'm not talented in cultivating martial arts, but as the official daughter of the Shanyang Gongsun clan, it's imperative to know the Nine Chapters of Arithmetic. As your father was the patriarch, I should naturally assist him in keeping the accounts."

After she said this, Gongsun Hui couldn't help but felt slightly lost. Over the years, she made the accounts extremely clear, and she knew every datum by heart but, wasn't taken seriously by her husband, Wang Dingyue.

Then, Wang Shouzhe recalled the customs of the Xuanwu world. Amongst the aristocratic families, those born from the first (legal/ official) bloodline could only marry those of the same bloodline. The same applied for the direct bloodline marriages as well. (I assume these are concubine born children).

His official mother, Gongsun Hui, being a legal daughter, was bound to marry the young patriarch of a certain family.

The same applied for him. If he was to marry a wife in the future, he must marry the legal daughter of a certain clan.

He was drifting further and further away from his original topic.

Since Gongsun Hui was so clear about the accounts, Wang Shouzhe was immediately energised, "The value of the fish that sixth uncle mentioned just now was very expensive. Why is the total value of the annual catch of around 6,700 quintals only 486 Qian gold?"

"In order to please you, your sixth uncle pointed out the high-value catches, which the noble clans love and enjoy. Most of the catches are not so valuable.

"In addition, our clan has a fish stall business where they reprocess and sell the catch in different categories such as chilled, cured and smoked. This part of the proceeds needs to be counted as part of the fish stall, which is a different matter."

Gongsun Hui explained clearly and distinctly, "The Wang family's internal consumption will also flow into the accounts through Qian gold procurement."

"Madam, please continue." Wang Shouzhe said respectfully, "For example, expenditure and net profit, etc."

This was a first for Gongsun Hui, for someone to place such importance on the accounts.

In high spirits, she said, "In terms of expenditure, calculated based on the current 46 fishermen, the annual expenses and monthly allowances are 151 Qian gold.

"The annual maintenance of 10 fishing boats, including the repair and maintenance of all kinds of tools, and other expenses, is 92 Qian gold. In addition, the average annual tax is 72 Qian gold, and the annual pension for the disabled due to work-related injuries and deaths is 60 Qian gold.

"After all the expenses are deducted, the combined average annual net income is 221 Qian gold, which excludes contributions to your sixth uncle, which is a separate account."

When he heard this, Wang Dinghai blushed and embarrassedly said, "How can the net income be so little? I thought I'll bring the family an annual net income of at least 400 or 500 Qian gold."

"If sixth uncle has any doubts about the accounts, you can come and check them any time," Gongsun Hui calmly said.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant, fifth sister-in-law." Wang Dinghai hurriedly waved off her offer, "I'm just an uncouth fella who only knows how to catch fish.

"Shouzhe, what's so good about these boring accounts? Sixth uncle will show you my unique skills…"

"Don't be anxious, sixth uncle." After pacifying Wang Shouzhe, he frowned at Gongsun Hui, "Two questions. Firstly, what is the basis for the tax? Secondly, what about the pension?"

"Shouzhe, Anjiang has strong winds, waves, and undercurrents. Occasionally, some difficult to tackle aquatic beasts will appear."

Wang Dinghai hurriedly tried to justify the expenses, "Even if sixth uncle is careful, it is inevitable that some boatmen and fishermen will be buried in Anjiang. Without a high monthly allowance and pension, no one would be willing to join the fishing and hunting team."

"Taxes are calculated based on the size of the fishing boat. Small fishing boats need to pay 6 Qian gold each year, while medium-sized fishing boats need to pay 18 Qian gold annually," Gongsun Hui explained.

Fixed taxation.

However, Wang Shouzhe also understood that in a world where the economic system was underdeveloped, fixed taxation was the best approach.

After absorbing all the information, Wang Shouzhe paid his respects to Wang Dinghai, "Sixth uncle, I didn't expect the Anjiang fishing industry to be so dangerous. It has been hard on sixth uncle to make such contributions to the family over these years."

Wang Dinghai was relieved and managed a forced laugh, "We're glad that Shouzhe doesn't blame the fishing fleet for making so little money.

"Frankly speaking, when fifth brother was the patriarch, I proposed the idea of expanding the fishing fleet. I can manage 10 boats, and I can also manage more than 20.

"I'll also find ways to recruit fishermen, so that I can also earn more gold for the clan. In any case, our territory can accommodate more than 20 fishing boats. By the way, Liu's fleet has more than 20 boats…"

"10 more boats?" Wang Shouzhe asked with interest, "Tell me more about it." If the family wants to grow, the most important resource was money.

"Allow me explain." Gongsun Hui knew Wang Dinghai wasn't familiar with the accounts," "I also know sixth uncle's vision. He wants to add two medium-sized fishing boats and 10 small fishing boats.

"The medium-sized fishing boats cost 120 gold while the small ones cost 45 gold each. A total investment of 690 gold is needed. As long as the appropriate fishermen can be recruited, the boats will pay for themselves in three years."

"Sounds like a workable idea." Wang Shouzhe nodded in agreement, "Even if we stopped fishing in the future, we wouldn't make a loss if we sell those boats."

Wang Dinghai was pleased and looked as if he had met his confidant.

He slapped his thigh and said, "Fifth sister-in-law, I told you this idea is workable. I just don't understand. I'm willing to make more contributions to the family. Why didn't fifth brother agree?"

Gongsun Hui was slightly embarrassed, "Sixth uncle, you're probably not aware that over these years, the Wang clan had been short of money in every aspect."

She sighed softly in her heart. In fact, she also agreed with the fleet expansion idea but Wang Dingyue refused. In addition, he resolutely rejected her plan to return to her natal family to borrow money.

"Shouzhe, do you agree to expand the fleet?" Wang Dinghai probed.

"Zhe'er, if you want to expand the fleet." Gongsun Hui said after a slight hesitation, "I can go back to Shanyang to raise the money."

It was humiliating to return to her natal family to borrow money, but for the sake of the family's development, she would do it.

"No, I don't agree." Wang Shouzhe said after some thought.

Huh?

Wang Dinghai's face turned slightly black in anger.

Even Gongsun Hui was baffled, didn't he just say that the idea was workable? Could it be that, like his father, he wanted to maintain his pride and refused to allow her to raise the funds?

"That was then, this is now." Wang Shouzhe frowned in thought, "The family cannot grow without money. If we want more money, we must increase the efficiency of the clan's assets."

"Isn't fleet expansion the correct way? How do we increase the efficiency without expanding the fleet?" Wang Dinghai looked at Wang Shouzhe anxiously.

Wang Shouzhe, however, smiled mysteriously, "Sixth uncle, you're a fishing expert. I've a couple of ideas to share with you.

"Have you ever thought of a fishing method called trawling? It's a way for two boats to work together to catch fish."　　

Then, Wang Shouzhe pulled Wang Dinghai down on the deck and sketched on the deck.

Trawling was a conventional and professional fishing method on earth. It was way more efficient that the recreational fishing method of casting a net.

If it wasn't for the excellent natural ecology in the river, Wang Dinghai's extremely unprofessional fishing methods would have cause him to lose his shirt!

Of course, trawling was so powerful and harmful to the natural ecosystem that Wang Shouzhe was quite resistant to using the method.

However, the clan was facing a critical situation where they would be wiped out if they didn't become stronger.

At worst, they would abandon this fishing method once the clan was stable.

"Shouzhe, this is an intriguing idea." Wang Dinghai was also a professional, and quickly understood the principle, but he frowned, "But such a big net is extremely difficult to make, and our boats might not have the power to tow the net."

Can't tow?

Wang Shouzhe suddenly understood what the problem was. Sailboats couldn't be compared to diesel-powered ships. Wind powered boats wouldn't have the power required to tow heavy nets.

"Then let's make a small net first, focusing on our ability to tow it."

Wang Shouzhe added, "Make a small, tapered trawl net. It should be three or four zhang (1 zhang = 3.33m) wide and six or seven zhang long.

"It's like a big bag, and netting/ webbing panels need to be added to prevent the fish from escaping ..."

"We can definitely give this a try." Wang Dinghai's eyes lit up, "I'll go back and find 20 net weavers to weave it. I expect the net to be ready in two months' time."

20 people, two months…

Wang Shouzhe was rendered helpless. The productivity of the Xuanwu world was indeed very low. But that was why the natural resources in this world were so well protected.　　

This was unlike Wang Shouzhe's world, where the ocean beds were almost flattened by the trawling nets, so much so that the state had to introduce various policies to ban trawling as the method was highly destructive.

"Don't worry, sixth uncle. Let's take another look at this fishing tool. Although it's not as good as a trawl… but it's better because it's easy to operate. If you get it right, ordinary people can operate it."　　

Wang Shouzhe then drew up another fishing tool for Wang Dinghai, called a purse seine. This fishing method was somewhat similar to casting a net, but while nets covered the catch from top down, purse seine is used to catch the fish from bottom up.

Purse seine was more complicated than casting a net, but once it was properly fixed and levered, it was less labour intensive and simpler. Its advantage was that once it was fixed, it could be operated by any ordinary labourer, and even by a minor.　　

In addition, there was an even more powerful evolutionary of the purse seine, the barrages. If that kind of thing can be made, it would just be slightly more lethal than the small trawling net.

"Shouzhe, you, you, you, where did you get these ingenious ideas?" Wang Dinghai was trembling with excitement, "If these can be achieved, we'll be rich!"　　

"I had nothing to do in my spare time and read these in an ancient book of miscellaneous information."

Wang Shouzhe repeated, "Sixth Uncle, come over to know more about the earth cage and maze traps…"

Naturally, these two methods were lethal passive fishing tools which were included in the national list of prohibition.

Once these traps were set, you'll just need to check on them at regular intervals. This was similar to using a cheat software for games….Don't worry about anything, just harvest regularly.　　

Wang Dinghai was going crazy. As a Xuanwu "professional fisherman", Wang Shouzhe seemed to have opened up a new world to him.

– End of this chapter –

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2 thoughts on "Protect Our Patriarch – Chapter 6"

Laandra says:

December 6, 2021 at 3:34 PM

Thanks for the chapter.

Why does your site open new tab evry time I open new chapter?

Webnovel "featured" protect your patriarch in their pilot read program https://www.webnovel.com/book/protect-our-chief_21821362306096205 aldhow they somehow translated the sinopsis worse than mtl.

enterandrejoice says:

December 6, 2021 at 8:45 PM

Hi Laandra, my SOP is new tab for new chapter! Thanks for the heads up for webnovel. Hope you are keeping well in these pandemic times.

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PROTECT OUR PATRIARCH – CHAPTER 7

Chapter 7 – Catching the red scaled eel

"Sixth uncle, these are all the secrets to the family's rise to power, and everything is to be kept confidential." Wang Shouzhe said solemnly.

He also decided to temporarily shelve his plan to share the Luya* (transliteration of the word "lure") method with his uncle.

"I understand. I'll be very careful. When the time comes, I'll ask the family to assign two family generals to me." Wang Dinghai was so excited that his entire body trembled.

"In addition, about that moving zither** method (purse seine), I've a couple of ideas. We can quickly transform the purse seine with a fishing net. Let's try it out first. If it works ..."

His eyes gleamed, and he couldn't wait to experiment.

The Wang clan's territory ranged from the Dingpu ferry port to the rocky shore. Ordinary people would not and dared not approach the riverbank. After all, the riverbanks were undeveloped, they were just simply cleared and there were hidden dangers.

Moreover, this section of the river had nine bends with an unknown number of remote and secluded places.

After being inspired by Wang Shouzhe, Wang Dinghai was bursting with plans and ideas.

With Wang Shouzhe agreement, Wang Dinghai took the boat all the way to a small hidden dock along the river. Every small dock here was a secret stronghold which can be used for a variety of purposes.

After all, the cunning rabbit had three caves, so the Wang clan's fishing fleet should be similarly clever and cunning.

There was a hidden wooden hut by the small pier, a rest place to shelter from the wind and waves, etc. Wang Dinghai placed Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui in the humble hut, left Wang Guodan to serve them, and rushed off.

"This is the first time I've seen sixth uncle acting in such an energetic and vigorous manner." Gongsun Hui sighed with emotion, "Zhe'er, it looks like the fishing ideas you provided will work very well."

"They're all from ancient books and need to be tested. I hope they'll be useful to the family." Wang Shouzhe smiled lightly, and then asked Wang Goudan, "Goudan, can you roast fish?"

"Yes." Wang Goudan smartly nodded, "Clan, Patriarch, this servant is going to grill some fish." After that, he ran out.

When only Gongsun Hui and Wang Shouzhe were left, she scrutinized him carefully, frightening him out of his wits.

She sighed with emotion, "Zhe'er, you've changed. You seemed to have become unrestrained and extremely confident.

"In the past, with a heavy burden on your shoulders, you would just focus on cultivation and disregarded everything else. If I didn't watch you grow up, I would have suspected that you had been swapped."

"Madam must be joking. In the past, when my father was in charge, I could naturally ignore everything."

Wang Shouzhe said with a calm expression and sighed, "But now that my father had passed away and the family's situation had become so bad, what will happen to the Wang clan if I don't get my act together?

"Madam, let's not talk about this. You've had a long journey, take a rest, and look forward to sixth uncle's surprise later."

Wang Shouzhe took control of the situation and took the initiative to end the conversation. Then, he closed his eyes to rest.

About half an hour later, Wang Goudan returned with a few golden grilled fish which smelled delicious! Wang Shouzhe took out two large copper coins and threw them at Goudan, "Your reward, wait outside."

"Thank you, Patriarch, thank you, Patriarch." Wang Goudan ran out happily.

He shared the grilled fish with Gongsun Hui. Although Wang Goudan's cooking skills were average, and he only sprinkled some coarse salt, the ingredients were fresh and of high quality. The amazed Wang Shouzhe ate the delicious food happily.

It was a first for Gongsun Hui to eat such unrefined food. To her surprise, the food was incredibly delicious.

Just as they finished eating, they heard Wang Dinghai shouting excitedly outside the hut, "Shouzhe, fifth sister-in-law, come out and take a look."

The two of them left the hut and walked towards the small pier where they saw that Wang Dinghai had already set up a simple purse seine according to his own conceptualisation.

Good guy, Wang Shouzhe lifted his eyebrow when he saw this. The four poles were an arm's length, while the main pole was even thicker than a thigh.

This thing was too cumbersome, it was around 150 to 200 kgs, and an earthling would never be able to wield the fishing gear.

Yet, the Wang Dinghai standing on the wooden pier lifted the heavy net out of the water easily by just exerting a bit of an effort by combining the strength of his waist and legs.

Oh, I forgot he was a fifth level Qi Refining Realm Xuanwu practitioner, and his strength was 10 times greater than that of an earthling.

"Boom!"

A large fish was caught in the net. It violently blasted the water to escape but was prevented from escaping by the net. Before the fish could repeat its action, the net was pulled out of the water.

The fish laid in the middle of the net, waiting to be slaughtered. In addition, they also caught several smaller fish of between 0.5 to 1.5 kg.

"Fantastic!"

All the surrounding fishermen were shouting excitedly! Everyone lent a hand and made poles to mimic the fishing method. Although it was a worthless red carp, it weighed around 3 to 3.5 kg and could fetch 10 cents. At the same time, it also proved the effectiveness of the purse seine method.

Then, under Wang Shouzhe's personal guidance, Wang Dinghai made further improvements to the purse seine, by adding chuck and counterweights.

The principle was very simple, it was the same as a seesaw on earth. However, this seesaw was triangular in shape, with two tops connected by a cable. A suitable counterweight was placed at the other end of the seesaw. As long as light pressure was applied, the net could be lifted out of the water.

This time, it took more than two hours before everything was ready. It was already night-time, but group's enthusiasm remained high. It only took half an incense stick to get the net up once, and it doesn't require much effort.

Of course, it was impossible to avoid empty nets. However, with night-time, many fish were beginning to take advantage of the darkness to search for food along the shore, which was more plentiful than in the centre of the river.

"Boom!" "Wow!"

After a few empty nets, there would be a boom, and a big fish or something would be netted. Occasionally, there would be two or three fish in the net. These excited the fishermen and Wang Dinghai to no end.

"Shouzhe, we're rich! we're rich!" Wang Dinghai, who was holding a torch, reported ecstatically, "Just now, we set up 30 nets in an hour, five fish escaped but we caught nine big fish, and there are countless small and medium-sized catches."

In just one hour, they netted 50 kg of fish which could fetch 10 big copper.

Wang Shouzhe was slightly confused by such poor catches. After all, this was a Xuanwu world where its resources were much better than the earth.

However, subsequently, Wang Dinghai said it was currently the peak period for the fishing season, night-time was the best time to catch fish, and netting such catches was reasonable.

"This thing is much more powerful than casting nets." Wang Dinghai said excitedly, "We get quite good catches from casting nets, but a physically strong fisherman can cast at most 100 nets in a day before he runs out of energy.

"But this new tool doesn't require much physical effort or skill. Two fishermen can be arranged to work in shifts of 12 hours a day. It's way safer too, because the riverbank is less dangerous than going to the centre of the river."

"That's right but you've overlooked one advantage, that is, it's easy to replicate."

Wang Shouzhe said in a very good mood, "Sixth uncle, find a couple of skilled craftsmen from the family tomorrow to modify this simple tool, and then, gradually push it out to make more money during the fishing season this year."

"The most important thing is confidentiality." Gongsun Hui added, "Sixth uncle, don't just simply recruit anyone. Try to find reliable helpers from our kinsmen."

The 3-party conversation went on…

Suddenly!

"Boom!" there was a loud blast of water.

Wang Goudan roared, "Master Hai, quick, come quickly!"

The three of them looked over and saw a huge, long, snake-like creature trapped in the net. It was so violent that even after being lifted out of the water by two adult fishermen operating the purse seine, it continued to struggle wildly in the net, shaking the entire stand.

"It's a red-scaled eel!" Wang Dinghai was wild with joy, but in the blink of an eye, his expression changed drastically, "Not good, it's going to break the net!"

The red-scaled eel's sharp teeth bit into the hole of the net. Its body twisted and trashed wildly, and in an instant, it tore a large hole in the net. Then, the fish trashed and tried to escape.

Without a word, Wang Dinghai dived into the water, and speedily swam towards the net.

Just as the red-scaled eel was about to escape from the net, he stretched out his big hand and grabbed it by its neck. His right hand pulled out the water-splitting stinger.*** Viciously, he plunged the stinger straight into its head.

But even so, the red-scaled eel still wrapped itself around him, trashing desperately as it was extremely vigorous. It took a full incense stick before the fish finally died.

Wang Dinghai dragged it ashore and laid it on the pier. The red scaled fish was more than 6.5m long, and the thickest part was thicker than an adult man's thigh.

"An aquatic beast of the first order, the red-scaled eel. Sixth uncle, this must be an adult red-scaled eel. Does it weigh 50 kg?" Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui looked at the fish curiously.

"Hahaha, more than that, this one is at least 75 kg, worth at least 30 to 50 Qian gold." Wang Dinghai sat on the ground panting, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"If this fierce fish escaped into the river, your sixth uncle might not be able to capture it. But this red-scaled eel is full of treasures.

"Patriarch, you have brought us good fortune today! Hahaha, I'll show off at Dingpu Ferry port tomorrow!"

– End of this chapter –

Previously, I only knew how to buy, clean, cook and eat fish. Now thanks to all these fishing chapters, I've learnt many fishing methods!

Any fishing enthusiasts out there?

References:

* Luya – Luya, a transliteration of Lure, is a method of phishing, a method of imitating weak creatures to incite bigger fish to attack. This kind of fishing method pays attention to skills and requires the comprehensive operation of rods, baits and wheels.

The lure equipment is simple, clean and environmentally friendly, which is very different from the traditional fishing method. Translated from Baike.

** This is a primitive way of catching fish and can catch over 100 pounds of fish a day. http://www.manyanu.com/new/bf27a09a1e0940f79e7ed3c95f70381b.

However, Wang Shouze is probably thinking about the modern method of purse seine fishing which is prohibited due to catching bycatch which includes endangered species.

*** Water splitting stinger. This is a weapon in the online game "The Hero of the Tang Dynasty". The tail can be held, the blade is straight and narrow, which is convenient for underwater combat. Taken from Baike.

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One thought on "Protect Our Patriarch – Chapter 7"

Laandra says:

December 14, 2021 at 11:25 PM

Thanks for the chapter.

I finnaly understand what they were talking about in the fishing chapters well done.

Now that the midterms are over I can finally rest a bit.

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