Chapter 491

Until he encountered pirates on the high seas and let them witness the power of a Hand Grenade, causing them to abandon their ship and flee one by one, leaving behind their pirate ship and the supplies on board; this made him so happy that his seasickness was cured instantly.

"The return journey was smooth sailing with favorable winds, and not a single pirate appeared."

Xie Jing gazed at the calm, waveless sea surface and let out a sigh of relief.

Although the Hand Grenade had only been used once, and only two had been thrown, it had scared those pirates out of their wits, which hadn't been satisfying enough.

But the returning merchant ship was loaded with goods purchased in Nanyang, and if they had truly encountered a great storm or opportunistic pirates, he worried he wouldn't be able to protect the full ship of cargo, nor his little sister.

To return to the Great Ye Dynasty safe and sound with nothing happening was the best thing possible.

"Yang Er, why must we stay in Jiaozhou Fu for a few days? Wouldn't it be better to return directly to Peking University? Jiaozhou Fu is not far from Nanyang, and the treasures from Nanyang cannot be sold for a high price here."

Hearing his little sister say she wanted to stay in Jiaozhou Fu for a few days, Xie Jing was full of confusion.

Xie Yang: "Yang Er wants to eat the seafood of Jiaozhou Fu. Master said Niter can be used to make ice. With ice cubes, Yang Er wants to bring some fresh sea Fish, Shrimp, and big Crabs to Father and Mother."

Xie Jing was incredibly moved after hearing this, and he patted the two small hair buns on his sister's head: "Yang Er is truly a filial child! Alright then, we shall rest in Jiaozhou Fu for two days and find a fishing boat to trade for some fresh seafood."

The grand cargo ship docked at the Jiaozhou Fu pier.

Xie Jing first took his sister to stroll around the Fucheng and had a sumptuous lunch; after sending his little sister back to the ship, he took his servants out to make purchases.

After nightfall, Xie Yang took her Robot Bodyguard, boarded a Small Flying Saucer, and headed straight for the pirate den locked onto by the Main System, wiping out all the pirates on the island in one fell swoop.

Although she had spent most of her time on the ship over the past half year, she had not fallen behind in her training.

Facing the sunrise at sea in the morning and the bright moon at night, after half a year, she had broken through to the Eighth Layer.

Taking a Robot Bodyguard to deal with a group of pirates who only had brute force could be said to be as easy as pie.

She wiped out the pirates and, while she was at it, looted a wave of treasure to take back and continue donating to impoverished families.

An even bigger surprise was that this small island occupied by pirates actually had very rich coal resources.

Who wouldn't want a good thing picked up for free!

With abundant coal resources, their merchant ship could be upgraded into a Steamship with a deeper draft and larger tonnage!

Unfortunately, the remaining points were not enough to buy a Cargo Flying Vehicle, and the existing Aircraft Cargo Hold was already packed to the brim, so even if the coal was mined, it could not be taken away; they could only send people to mine it later.

……

"Master! Madam! Eldest Young Mistress! The Eldest Young Master and the Young Miss have returned!"

"It is good that they have returned! It is good that they have returned!"

"Quick, quick! Sweep the dust! Set the banquet! Welcome the Eldest Young Master and the Young Miss back!"

"Yes!"

The gates of the Xie Family Third Branch were thrown wide open, and it was quite lively.

This was Xie Jing's first time going to Nanyang by sea, and not only did he return safely, but he also returned fully loaded.

It was said that he had traded for many locally renowned medicinal herbs with the Nanyang natives; it was said that the exquisite Nanyang Pearl trade volume was so large it had to be measured by the hu; it was said that the Nanyang Spice he bought was more complete than any spice shop in Peking University; it was said that the famous Nanyang Bird's Nest had to be packed in sacks; it was said...

The First Branch and Second Branch were green with envy just hearing about it.

A thought flashed through all their minds simultaneously: If only the family hadn't divided!

A whole ship full of Nanyang treasures—wouldn't they all belong to the public estate?

However, even if the family had divided, as the younger brother, Lao San should still send some Nanyang specialties to his brothers' households, right?

They waited and waited, and by the time of the midday meal, they finally heard a servant come in to report that the Third Master had sent someone over with a full barrel of iced Fish, Shrimp, and Crab, as well as two jars of wine.

Just this? Nothing else?

The First Branch and Second Branch were extremely disappointed.

However, they heard that the Old Matriarch had not only received the iced Fish, Shrimp, Crab, and Three-Flower Wine, but had also obtained two boxes of Nanyang Bird's Nest, two boxes of Nanyang Ginseng, a string of Agarwood Buddha Beads, a South Sea Guanyin Jade Carving, and several types of Nanyang-produced Sleep-Aid Incense; while she was annoyed that the Third Branch lacked social graces, she was also somewhat restless.

The First Madam asked the Master to go to the Third Branch to look around and see if he could get some good things, while she herself went to the Old Matriarch's place, wanting to beg for some rewards for her daughter in the palace.

Not long ago, Yan'er had sent word again, saying she lacked Silver for bribes and asking the family to raise as much as possible.

But ever since the family divided, there were a pile of places that needed money:

Yan'er's wedding date was near, and her dowry needed to be increased, which required Silver; Zhang'er's wife was pregnant and wanted to set up a small kitchen in her own courtyard, which also required Silver; the Master's two concubines, as well as his sons and daughters by concubines, were all holding out their hands asking her for their monthly allowance...

In short, money was needed everywhere.

The salary the Master received from inheriting his title was barely enough to support the family; where could he raise Silver for Yan'er?

If the Old Matriarch could let some slip through her fingers and reward her with one or two Nanyang specialties, she could find a buyer who offered a high price later, which would be a gain.

The Second Madam's thoughts were the same.

She had one more legitimate son than the First Branch, and what's more, he was still studying; the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone alone cost quite a bit of Silver each month.

Her biological daughter had been found, but her adopted daughter hadn't been sent away; not only did she have to support one more person, but she also had to support several more maids and nannies.

Although the Second Branch didn't have a daughter who asked her maiden family for subsidies every few days, they hadn't saved much more money than the First Branch.

Now they could only count on the Old Matriarch to let some slip through her fingers to subsidize their household expenses.

But the Old Matriarch was just old, not stupid; she saw the intentions of the two daughters-in-law with one glance of her aged eyes.

Who hadn't been a daughter-in-law themselves?

She knew exactly what these daughters-in-law were planning.

Moreover, when Lao San sent the things over, he specifically stated: these were all for her to eat and for her to use.

Whether it was the Nanyang Bird's Nest, Nanyang Ginseng, the Agarwood Buddha Beads, the South Sea Guanyin Jade Carving, or the Sleep-Aid Incense... they were all treasures that Jing and Yang Er had spent energy and heart to find, and they were expensive even in Nanyang itself.

So how could she bear to share them with the First Branch and Second Branch?

The eldest and second sons didn't show her filial piety themselves, yet they wanted to ask for the things Lao San used to show his filial piety to her?

In their dreams!

In the end, she distributed some Crabs to each house.

She wasn't used to eating this stuff, so she let the First Branch and Second Branch take them to give to her grandsons and granddaughters.

The First Madam: "..."

Pay-to-Win Palace Intrigue System (26)

The Second Mistress: "..."

Did they want to eat Crab?

They wanted those Nanyang specialties that could not be bought outside!

But the Third Branch spent half a year building ships and buying servants to train in swimming, all of which required capital.

After finishing all that, they braved unknown risks and spent another half a year or more to bring back a ship of Nanyang specialties, which were certainly not meant for giving away as gifts.

Giving them to the Old Matriarch was the Third Branch's filial piety, but the First Branch and Second Branch had already separated from the family; what kind of behavior was it to reach out and demand things?

The First Master and Second Master went to the Third Branch for a turn, listened to their nephew vividly describe the sea tornadoes, and heard how they resisted sharks and fought pirates; it was so heart-stopping to listen to that they could not bring themselves to open their mouths, and instead stuffed a purse into their nephew's hand, thanking him for the fresh seafood and liquor he had brought back from thousands of miles away.