Chapter 47 I didn't want to come either, second update

  "Brother Mingyue, Brother Haoshi, Brother Feiyang, how did you come?" Before long, Wan Xichen came out to greet them, but his face was full of fatigue and his eyes were bloodshot.

  "It's been a few days since I've seen you, and I was getting worried, so I came over to take a look." said Zhuge Mingyue.

  "Let's go, we'll talk inside." Wan Xi Chen led the three people into the courtyard.

  As soon as they entered the Wan family's mansion, Zhuge Mingyue and Xue Zihao could clearly feel a depressing atmosphere. Every single member of the Wan family or servant they saw along the way had an unmistakable look of worry and tension on their faces.

  "Right, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?" asked Wan Xi Chen.

  "As soon as I left the academy, I came right away, and didn't even have time to eat." Xue Zihao replied.

  "Just in time, I haven't eaten yet either." Wan Xi Chen said as he beckoned to a servant.

  The servant hurried over to listen for orders.

  "Tell the kitchen to prepare a separate table for us, remember to have braised pork belly, lion's head, and sauce-glazed pork knuckle, and they can decide on the rest." said Wan Qi Chen.

  "Yes, young master!" The servant turned and left.

  "Alas!" Wan Xi Chen looked at the departing back of the servant and let out a sigh, revealing a hint of worry.

  "Is the situation serious?" Xue Zihao asked. From the heavily guarded entrance and the expressions of the people since entering, it's likely that most of the rumors outside are true, and this time the Wan Qi clan is facing a not-so-small crisis.

  "It's probably even more serious than you know." Wan Xi Chen smiled wryly and continued, "You all know that something happened at our Mine Shaft Market and Sala District, right?"

  "Hmm." Zhuge Mingyue and Xue Zihao nodded simultaneously.

  "These are nothing, with the foundation of our Wan family, this little action can't hurt us. As for the injury to the disciples in the clan, it's just a attempt to distract our attention, it doesn't count as anything." As the heir of the clan, Wan Qi Chen has been influenced by his surroundings and naturally understands more than others, seeing further than others. These crises that seem so serious to outsiders are not even worth mentioning in his eyes.

  "What is the real trouble?" Zhuge Mingyue asked immediately.

  "Many people don't know that, apart from mining and taverns, our Wan family's most profitable business is also the forging workshop. The weapons and armor forged by our Wan family workshop are among the best in the entire Danling country, but because our family's strength was not enough, we have never been able to take on the imperial merchant's business." Speaking of this, Wan Qi Chen proudly puffed out his chest and continued, "Recently, we mobilized the entire clan's strength, mortgaging half of our family's assets, and finally signed a contract with the military procurement department of Cang Feng City and several nearby cities to be responsible for forging heavy cavalry equipment for the armory over the next three years. Once this contract is completed, our Wan Qi family will be the dominant force in Cang Feng City."

  "Is... there a problem with the military supplies? Or is it the mortgage that's gone wrong?" There was no need for Wan Qichen to continue, as Zhuge Mingyue had already guessed that something must have gone wrong with this matter.

  "It's not them, it's our own problem. These past few days, the craftsmen from the forging workshop have been leaving one after another. At first, it was just the apprentices, but now even the old masters who have worked for the Wan family for a lifetime are asking to leave. If this continues, forget about the imperial armory orders, I'm afraid we'll have to shut down the forging workshop directly." said Wan Qi Chen with worry.

  "Was it done by the Pong family and the Wu family?" Xue Zihao asked.

  "This goes without saying, I don't even know what methods they used, but they actually managed to poach even those old craftsmen. There's only a month left until the delivery deadline, and if we can't deliver on time, half of our family's business will be ruined. If we're lucky, our strength will decline by several levels and we'll become the weakest family in Cangfeng City. If we're unlucky, there won't even be a place for us to stand in this city." Wan Qi Chen shook his head. Even he himself knew that since the Pang and Wu families had already gone this far, they definitely wouldn't give them any chance to catch their breath, and would surely eliminate them completely without leaving any future troubles.

  "Haven't you thought of other ways? Ask other families or business associations for help. At worst, you can give up some profit and first recover the mortgage."

  "This has certainly been considered, and in the past few days my grandfather and father have gone to other families and merchant associations for help. However, anyone with eyes can see that our family's situation is not good, who would dare to help? Even if they are willing to help, it's not certain that they have the necessary forging abilities." said Wan Qi Chen.

  "Master, the meal is ready, where would you like to dine?" The servant who had come in earlier asked.

  "Take me back to my room, oh, by the way, has my grandfather returned?" asked Wan Xizhen.

  "The old man just came back, but it seems like he's in a bad mood."

  "Uh-huh, got it, you can go." Wan Xi Chen's expression was clearly somewhat disheartened, and he sat down weakly.

  "It seems like we've failed again. As expected, the Lin Clan's merchant guild is the best in the country, there's no reason they'd be willing to help us." Wan Qi Chen sighed.

  "Lin's Chamber of Commerce?" Zhuge Mingyue slightly furrowed her brow, could he be referring to Lin Yuhanshan.

  At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the door, and an old man with white beard came in. His steps were steady, his face was somewhat tired, and his eyes were bright and piercing.

  "Grandfather." Wan Xichen stood up. The person who came in was none other than Wan Xichen's grandfather, Wan Jiede.

  Xue Zihao and several others also stood up and greeted him.

  "Grandfather, this is Zi Hao whom you know. This is my friend Zhuge Mingyue, and this is Ling Feiyang." Wan Qi Chen smiled as he made the introductions to Wan Qi Jingde.

  When introducing Zhuge Mingyue, a hint of disgust flashed in Wan Jiede's eyes. However, when introducing Ling Feiyang, the disgust in Wan Jiede's eyes turned into surprise. He had heard that Wan Jiechen and Ling Feiyang had dealings with each other, but didn't know what kind of relationship they had. It was unclear whether he could help the Wan family break through their current predicament.

  Wan Qi Jing De looked at the group of people, revealing a smile: "Zi Hao ah, thank you for coming to see Xiao Chen. Ling Shao Ye, I really didn't expect you to visit my humble abode, it's truly an honor." He didn't speak to Zhuge Ming Yue alone.

  "Mr. Wan is exaggerating a bit. I didn't want to come either, but as Mingyue's guardian, wherever she goes, I'll follow." Ling Feiyang spoke without any courtesy. Everyone could see that Wan Jiede had an attitude of rejection towards Zhuge Mingyue. So Ling Feiyang looked down on Wan Jiede.

  The atmosphere in the house suddenly turned cold.

  Xue Zihao was somewhat anxious, and Wan Qichen also felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. The Wan family was an ancient aristocratic family, and Wan Qichen's thoughts were even more conservative, so he naturally looked down on Zhuge Mingyue's illegitimate daughter.

  "Grandpa..." Wan Qi Chen looked at Wan Qi Jing De, his tone somewhat pleading. How can Grandpa treat Ming Yue with this attitude? It's too much!

  "You eat slowly, I still have things to do." Wan Shide finally stopped talking and reluctantly said a sentence before turning around and leaving.

  Waiting for Wan Qi Jingde to leave, Wan Qi Chen hastily apologized to Zhuge Mingyue: "Mingyue, I'm sorry. My grandfather is just a bit old-fashioned in his thinking. Really sorry..."

  "It's nothing." Zhuge Mingyue smiled slightly, "I came here not because of him, but because you are my friend." Zhuge Mingyue looked at Wan Qi Chen's anxious face which had turned red, shook her head to comfort him, she didn't mind. For someone with such an embarrassing and shameful status like hers, many big families would probably despise and detest her.

  After dinner, Xue Zihao stayed behind to accompany Wan Qichen. Zhuge Mingyue and Ling Feiyang went out the door. Ling Feiyang turned his head and glanced at the gate of the Wan family's house, snorting coldly: "This old man of the Wan family really thinks he's a big deal."

  "It doesn't matter." Zhuge Mingyue shook her head slightly, "Our friend is Fatso, not Fatso's grandfather."

  "That's also true." Ling Feiyang nodded, "But it's still very annoying."

  "Aren't you also making things difficult for him? I suppose this old man, after all these years, is encountering a junior who is so sharp-tongued and sarcastic towards him for the first time." Zhuge Mingyue burst out laughing.

  "Wow, you actually said I'm stingy." Ling Feiyang glared.

  "When Flying is being sarcastic, he's the most handsome." Zhuge Mingyue said with a smile on her face, but in her heart, she felt warmth. Suddenly, she put down her smile and seriously said, "Flying, thank you." Thank you for taking care of me like this.

  "Thanks, thanks for what... it's only natural. I'm your guardian, of course I have to protect you well." Ling Feiyang spoke somewhat awkwardly.

  "Let's go, we'll look for Lin Yuhanshan." Zhuge Mingyue looked at the gradually darkening sky and made a decision.

  "Now? Are you going to..." Ling Feiyang suddenly understood what Zhuge Mingyue was about to do.

  "It's for Fatty, not for that stinky old man." Zhuge Mingyue raised an eyebrow.

  "Not bad, but not for that old stinker!" Ling Feiyang also burst out laughing.

  The two of them headed towards Lin Yuhans residence, as the sun set in the west, their silhouettes stretched out long and gradually disappeared into the distance.

  Digression

  Yesterday, I was inspired to write a Weibo post with the following content: In the past, there was a heroic woman named Weight Loss. She was always full of energy and passion, occasionally looking up at the sky and letting out a long sigh, evoking resonance from many female heroes. One day, she met a little brat called Delicious Food, and instantly turned into a greedy middle-aged woman, her eyes turning into hearts, and thus losing herself. The mother of Delicious Food was called Gluttony, and when Gluttony saw this, she shouted: "You ugly woman, let go of my son!" Weight Loss and Gluttony began their sleepless battle! Who won and who lost? To be continued...