Yang Linqiu and Yang Shuru thanked Zhu Xiaosuo and Zhuang Yun before returning to the Yang Clan.
Yang Shuru looked at Yang Linqiu, whose face was somewhat melancholic, and asked, "What's wrong? You haven't said a word since you discussed business with Zhu Xiaosuo."
Yang Linqiu replied, "Aunt, I always thought that a life with three husbands and four lovers was incredibly enjoyable. But after meeting Zhu Xiaosuo a few times, it's the first time I've admired a man so much... I... I actually feel an impulse to marry him."
Marrying.
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In the Yang Clan, such words would never come from a woman's mouth.
Yang Clan women were raised with the ambition to stand tall and independent.
It was well known that Yang Clan women had three husbands and four lovers.
Not just in Mountain Chicken County, but even in Immortal-Knocking Town, they were quite famous.
But now, the head of the Yang Clan wanted to get married.
If this thought were known to outsiders, the Yang Clan's status would surely be affected.
Yang Shuru said, "Child, I haven't experienced this. When I was young, I was surrounded by the likes of Niu Shilin and Zhu Fulu, who made me sick just by looking at them."
Hearing Yang Shuru's words, which ruined the mood, Yang Linqiu didn't know what to say.
"However, Zhu Xiaosuo inherited his father's handsome appearance but independently developed an admirable intellect and a graceful demeanor. If I were a few years younger, I might feel the same way as you."
"Aunt..."
"Unfortunately, I have to go to the Immortal Sect to take on a mission. At that time, you'll have to support the Yang Clan on your own. You're a head of the family with husbands, lovers, and children. You mustn't entertain the thought of marriage."
"Yes, I understand."
Yang Shuru looked at Yang Linqiu's somewhat wistful expression, her face appearing even older.
Ma Clan.
"Aunt, our Ma Clan has suffered too much this time!"
Ma Weixin was very dissatisfied.
Ma Baoying hadn't groomed her as the successor, but she never realized it due to her lack of intelligence.
Moreover, everyone around her was arranged by Ma Baoying, always flattering her, giving her the illusion that she was the next head of the family.
Naturally, she often acted from the Ma Clan's perspective, sacrificing her own interests or even her body.
Now that a large portion of her family assets had been cut away, she couldn't bear it.
"What else can we do? If we don't quickly agree, once that old man Zhou Bi leaves, we won't even be able to keep our cloth business in Mountain Chicken County."
Though Ma Baoying appeared calm during negotiations, she was inwardly ten times angrier than Ma Weixin.
Mentioning Zhou Bi, Ma Baoying showed a vicious and charming expression: "That old man Zhou Bi, when he was still a Rebirth Stage cultivator, used to flatter me a lot. After breaking through to the Bone Transformation Stage, he just pulled up his pants and pretended not to know me. Just now, he wouldn't even say a word to help us!"
"It's all because of that old hag Nanyu Fengqing. If it weren't for her, how could our Ma Clan's connections in Immortal-Knocking Town be severed by more than half? She pretends to be so pure, yet doesn't allow others to be wanton? Seeing her coquettish face, she can't be an easy person to deal with."
Thinking of Nanyu Fengqing made Ma Weixin grit her teeth in hatred.
She didn't want to live under Ma Baoying's wing forever and was also preparing to establish her own connections in Immortal-Knocking Town.
But who would have thought that Immortal-Knocking Town would have a chaste and virtuous woman like Nanyu Fengqing at the Bone Transformation Stage?
It caused her years of flirting and networking in Immortal-Knocking Town to collapse, leaving her with a bad reputation.
"The affairs between men and women, where in the world is it clean? Who looks down on whom?"
"It's all consensual transactions. She, Nanyu, dresses herself up like a white lotus, fine, but she forces others to be like her too. Never heard of someone not eating meat and then killing all the butchers!"
Ma Baoying sneered at the mention of Nanyu Fengqing: "She's just bullying the weak and fearing the strong. When Niu Shilin was young, he often served Old Lady Wang in the town, and she never said a word. Nanyu Fengqing, that venomous woman, only dresses more conservatively than us because the price wasn't right. Enough, talking about her is useless now. Let's think about how to stop the losses."
The two were silent for a long time, then Ma Baoying said, "We must redeem those cloth shops in Yellow Dog County. Otherwise, the losses will be too great."
"Seeing Zhu Xiaosuo's attitude today, he can't wait for our Ma Clan to fall. He might not be willing."
"We still have to pay taxes to those families in the town. If we don't take back the cloth shops in Yellow Dog County, we might not even have resources to cultivate."
"Aunt, should we go to the town..."
"Hmph, those old men in the town look like lustful ghosts, but they're actually monkeys with their hair plucked. In the face of real money, even if we were too busy to dress, they wouldn't relent."
"Then what should we do?"
Ma Baoying thought of something: "My silly fourth sister, who married a wild boy, had a son who seems to have a good relationship with Zhu Xiaosuo. Didn't he ask us to help him become a County Constable before?"
"Yes, I think he helped Zhu Xiaosuo get the Vein Opening Pill from the Zhu Clan. After he became County Constable, he was implicated because of Zhu Xiaosuo."
"Then let that boy build a bridge for us to meet and talk with Zhu Xiaosuo."
"Will he agree? Back then, Fourth Aunt broke ties with the family to get married. He only gave us some benefits to smooth the County Constable relationship, without further contact."
"Blood is thicker than water. Isn't her son named 'Shen Ma'?"
Ma Baoying's lips curled slightly: "How could I not know what my silly fourth sister is thinking? Shen Ma, Shen Ma, Ma is the Ma Clan's Ma. She's just too embarrassed to come back. I'll personally go find her and bring her back to the Ma Clan to fulfill her wish."
"Thank you, Aunt."
"This is nothing. If Zhu Xiaosuo is also full of vigor, we might have to work even harder to get the cloth shops back."
"Aunt, I feel Zhu Xiaosuo isn't like that..."
"I've seen many men, and there are those more hypocritical than him. Be prepared, we might need it."
Niu Clan.
"Father, our Niu Clan has lost thirty percent of our business, and Zhou Bi insists that the tribute cannot be reduced. What should we do?"
Niu Shilin's face was ashen.
He didn't expect Zhou Bi to be so adamant, demanding the original tribute of Spirit Stones despite the Niu Clan's significant business shrinkage.
Niu Daijie stood silently by, watching Niu Shilin and Niu Daihao.
"Daijie, do you have any ideas?"
Niu Daijie shook his head. "Without crushing Zhu Xiaosuo, we should have expected this day."
"Cousin, what kind of cold words are you saying?!"
Niu Daihao was also angry at Niu Daijie.
Niu Daijie didn't respond.
Niu Shilin thought for a moment and said, "We can't move against the Zhu Clan anymore. I'll think of a way to reduce the tribute."
Niu Shilin's idea of reducing the tribute was clear to both Niu Daihao and Niu Daijie: it meant going to the Wang Clan to seek Old Master Wang's help.
And the matter between Niu Shilin and Old Master Wang was something the two younger ones had heard about.
Either inherit a diminished family business or let their father's reputation suffer, leaving Niu Daihao feeling ashamed and furious. He smashed the table with a palm and left.