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...
"Spot goods mean goods that can be delivered on the spot, and futures refer to goods that can only be delivered on a specified date. Old Qian, didn't you say you need to adjust the goods and can only deliver them in ten days?" Wang Shouzhe casually shared that knowledge with him.
"That makes sense, now that Brother Shouzhe mentions it, I see the difference," Qian Zhushi's spirits lifted, his eyes rolled, and he whispered, "Brother Shouzhe, these five thousand bags of Insecticide Powder couldn't possibly be from your own stock. Could it be, you've found a new business opportunity?"
"Haha, since Old Qian calls it a new business opportunity," Wang Shouzhe smiled and sipped his tea, "I help your firm clear the inventory, and I also make a modest profit from it, it's a win-win, right? Old Qian, give me a fair price."
"Hahaha, win-win, Brother Shouzhe's words are indeed intriguing. In that case, I won't pry further. As such, for these five thousand bags of Insecticide Powder, I'll give you a 10% discount, a total of four thousand five hundred Qian Gold."
"Four thousand!"
"Four thousand two is the lowest, brother."
"Then four thousand two it is, but I'll be paying with the credibility of the Ping'an Wang Family." Wang Shouzhe stated calmly, "In one month, I'll deliver exactly four thousand two hundred Qian Gold."
Qian Zhushi paused for a moment but then smiled, "That's workable, but we need to make a contract. If the payment can't be made on time, our firm has the right to undertake any measures to collect the debt."
Though the Wang family had fallen on hard times, they remained a Profound Martial Prominent Family and still had some assets, just the sale from Fenggu Farm alone is worth at least tens of thousands of Qian Gold. Once there is a contract, the powerful Qian Family's firm has plenty of means to retrieve their debt.
"Old Qian, even if you didn't mention the contract, I would have insisted on drafting one," Wang Shouzhe stated earnestly, "I've already contacted the ships, and three days from now, I will send someone to pick up two thousand bags of Insecticide Powder from your warehouse; the second batch will follow ten days later. If your firm breaks the contract and refuses or fails to deliver the goods, you will have to pay triple the order price as compensation."
"Little brother, rest assured, credibility is the foundation of our Qian Family's enterprise for hundreds of years," Qian Zhushi stated gravely, "No matter what, we will deliver the goods on time and in full."
"I trust your firm's credibility, but for a small entity like our Ping'an Wang Family, this deal is crucial," Wang Shouzhe also spoke solemnly, "With the contract written in black and white, I too can be at ease."
"In that case, let's write it down." Qian Zhushi saw no reason for his side to violate the contract, and it was just a matter of thousands of Qian Gold—a trivial sum for the entire Qian Family.
The two spent two hours under Wang Shouzhe's scrupulous attention to detail, fine-tuning every clause of the contract.
When both parties finally signed and each held their copy of the contract, Qian Zhushi was sweating profusely; he wiped his sweat and chuckled, "In my twenty years of business, this is the first time I've encountered such detailed contract terms and meticulous wording. However, that said, such detailed terms do prevent pointless disputes in the future, broadening my horizons and teaching me quite a lesson."
Hehe~
Wang Shouzhe just smiled—it's nothing; some complex commercial contracts on Earth are a hundred times more sophisticated than this rough contract, incomprehensible to the layman.
Having finally secured the contract, a big weight was lifted from Wang Shouzhe's heart.
Given his understanding of the Qian Family's business practices, even if the contract had not been so detailed, they would not have violated their integrity. Decades of accumulated credibility are the most valuable asset of a firm.
As for dispatching experts for something as minor as killing off a family for this bit of money, that was even less likely.
Their own Longyan Old Ancestor might be nearing the end of his life, but he was, after all, an old-brand Spiritual Platform Ancestor who graduated from the Purple Abode Academic Palace; what trump cards he had up his sleeve, no one knew. Should he choose to unleash everything in a life-risking burst, it's very likely he could take a Spiritual Platform Realm with him.
Such considerations weighed upon making Wang Shouzhe's risky decision; there was no helping it—the Wang family was too poor, so poor that they counted every "Little Pei Yuan Dan," and continuing this way would only spiral into a vicious cycle.
The only one he felt sorry for was probably this Qian Zhushi.
Reaching middle age just to be a minor principal in a remote branch office, he obviously didn't come from a prominent lineage within the thriving Qian Family. Chances are the branch manager might force him to take the fall for this unprofitable move.
"Old Qian, it was a pleasure doing business this time," Wang Shouzhe stood up to leave, then whispered, "If all goes well, I might bring a great merit to Old Brother soon."
Qian Zhushi paused, then laughed, "Thanks for the good words, brother. Let me see you out." As they talked and laughed, Qian Zhushi personally escorted Wang Shouzhe out the door.
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After leaving the Qian Family business, Wang Shouzhe's mood had become utterly joyful, anticipating that in just three days, he could significantly alleviate the Wang family's financial crisis.
"Family Head."
The two household guards who had always stood outside, respectfully greeted him as they led the horses over.
"Wang Zhong, Wang Yong." Wang Shouzhe smiled, "I haven't been out in a long time, accompany me for a good stroll around Guard City."
"Yes, Family Head." Both household guards replied respectfully and walked the horses, accompanying Wang Shouzhe as they leisurely strolled through Guard City.
When Zhou Xuan's Old Ancestor was alive, during the peak of the Wang family, there had been forty-seven household guards, the highest rank among them had reached Level Nine of Qi Refinement Realm.
Now, the Wang family only had nine household guards, and the highest-ranked among them was merely at Level Five of Qi Refinement Realm.
Household guards were different from household servants; they were not slaves, but rather, they belonged to the vassal class. However, they were unlike guest elders who were contractual outsiders.
Most of the household guards were trusted followers cultivated from within the family. They held high positions and received good treatment within the family but did not possess the freedom to come and go as they pleased. Born as household guards, they would die as household guards.
Their fates and life, old age, sickness, and death were all tightly bound with their masters. One prospered with the other, one suffered with the other. This was why some families often married distant or illegitimate children to exceptionally outstanding household guards. Firstly, it would bind even more tightly; secondly, it could enhance the family bloodline.
The nine household guards of today's Wang family had all been personally trained by Zhou Xuan's Old Ancestor and had been passed down generation by generation with extremely high loyalty.
"Wang Zhong, your youngest son is already around seven or eight years old, right?" Wang Shouzhe casually asked, "Has he entered the ranks of Profound Martial?"
Wang Zhong hurriedly took two steps forward to answer, "Thanks to the Family Head's concern for my son, the boy took part in this year's spring talent test and was rated as Low Grade Class C. He has now started his enlightenment in the clan school and is beginning the stage of nurturing his meridians."
While speaking, the corners of his mouth slightly curled up into a smile, obviously very satisfied with his son's talent.
Entry into Profound Martial was firstly divided into qualified and unqualified; being qualified was crucial as it indicated potential for cultivation. From within the low grades, it was further divided into four classes: A, B, C, and D. Being rated as Class C was already considered second level, worthy of significant investment for cultivation by the family.
"Like father like son," praised Wang Shouzhe, "Raise him well, he'll be stronger than you."
"Thank you for your auspicious words, Family Head," Wang Zhong grinned, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes gathering—he was thirty-six this year, had fathered two sons both with qualified Profound Martial talent. The elder son was fifteen and would be considered an adult the following year, ready to serve the family as a household guard. The younger son possessed a talent reaching Low Grade Class C, entering the key cultivation sequence.
In contrast, the expression of another household guard, Wang Yong, appeared somewhat embarrassed. He was around the same age as Wang Zhong, had married a woman from a collateral branch of the Wang family, and had a son and a daughter.
His son had not qualified in the Profound Martial talent test and could only pursue scholarly studies, currently seventeen and working at the Silkworm Manor. His daughter, only six years old, had not yet been tested for Profound Martial talent, but even if she had, she was just a girl.
"Wang Yong, you have to seize your last few years of opportunity and put in extra effort with your sister-in-law, try for another child," Wang Zhong joked with a laugh, "Who knows, the times might change, and you could have a son with Grade B talent."
"Get lost!" Wang Yong waved dismissively, his mood somewhat dampened whenever this topic came up.
The three men idled through Changning Weicheng, and for Wang Shouzhe, the memories of Changning City gradually became clearer; the city housed a steady population of about 150,000 to 160,000. Several longstanding Profound Martial prominent families resided there, among which the Xu family of Changning shared a relatively close relationship with the Ping'an Wang family.
But after all, it was only relatively close; the disparity between the sizes of the two families had become larger, putting them on different levels, thus Wang Shouzhe had no plans to visit the head of the Xu family.
Beyond managing traditional farms, Changning Xu Family's unique specialty industry was mainly centered around silk weaving.
All the cotton and raw cocoons cultivated in the Changning Guard region were supplied to the Xu family's several workshops. They produced fabrics and silk, selling throughout the entire state, making a tidy profit