Chapter 1330: What Should We Choose?

Xun controlled his emotions, finished reading the document sentence by sentence, and only then did he turn his head to look at his father's expression.

Shisigui saw his son looking at him and said irritably, "Why are you looking at me? Is there writing on my face? Now that you've finished reading the material, speak up. Is the matter the King spoke of the same as what you were thinking?"

Xun lowered his head: "No, it's that I thought of it too simply."

Naturally, Xun dared not say that it was his father who hadn't explained it clearly; Baifeng's policy could certainly not be considered buying and selling official posts. It looked like a very formidable policy, but when spoken of in his father's mouth, it was the same as selling offices.

The other brothers who had read more books also felt that what their father said was problematic, but none of them dared to express their opinions.

"Good, since there is no problem with what I said, then you tell me, what should we do now? The King did say that if that orphanage is run well, one can obtain a Nobility."

"I obtain a Nobility, and you all become Nobles. Right now, our family relies on my status, but that still doesn't compare to a Nobility. A Nobility is the most important thing."

Xun followed his father's line of thought: "Father, this document says that there will be competition, so it doesn't mean that whatever we choose, we will definitely be able to accomplish. As it stands, this orphanage project should be the one most highly valued."

"Father, if you think this way, then others will certainly think this way too. Everyone will scramble for this opportunity, so the difficulty is very high."

Shisigui's tone was slightly dissatisfied: "So isn't that why I came to find you all? You have read so many books and are also serving as Clerks; could it be that you are not as good as the others?"

"Other families don't have as many capable children as our family. It all depends on how you all come up with a good plan for us."

"Don't think this is just for me. I am a Noble, and you are all Nobles too. You can all secure a surname, so put some heart into it."

"The orphanage, I must compete for it. Our family has such a large estate, with so much land and grain, why can't we compete against others?"

The brothers all remained silent, deep in thought. Of course, Shisigui's family did not only have sons and no daughters; he had a daughter who became a doctor, but once a daughter reached a certain age, she would marry and no longer be in the home.

Those who remained in the home now were just little brats who were of no use, so they were not called. Those sitting at the table now were all men of sufficient age; when there was a matter, everyone had to discuss it together.

Now that the father had asked, the brothers looked at one another, not knowing how to speak, so they had to look toward the Legitimate Son, the eldest brother, Tuhai. Although Tuhai was just a farmer, he had built up this family estate together with his father Shisigui, and everyone in the family was very submissive to Tuhai.

Shisigui also had a slightly better tone toward Tuhai; after all, Tuhai was indeed quite old, and he himself could not easily beat or scold him. In the future, this family would still have to rely on Tuhai to hold it up.

Tuhai did not state his own opinion, but instead smiled at Xun: "Brother Xun, you say it. What should we do? I haven't read books and don't understand these things. Anyway, as long as it requires land and grain, Father and I will give our support and get it done for us."

Xun looked at his father again. Shisigui gave a look, signaling that Xun could state his opinion. As someone struggling at the bottom level of officials in Huaxia, Xun could indeed offer an opinion on these matters, so he now spoke his thoughts quite bluntly.

"Father, Eldest Brother, my view is that we should first focus on handling this orphanage. As for the plan, we will discuss together over these next few days how it should be run. After summarizing the ideas, I will write it into a plan, make it more standardized, and submit it."

"Then, we must prepare for the possibility that the orphanage competition might not succeed, and go compete for other projects."

"I have looked into it; as for the Retired Servicemen Service Center, it is better for us to touch that less."

Shisigui suddenly tapped the table: "Explain this to me clearly. Why touch it less? Is being a soldier not good? You don't want to manage our soldiers?"

Xun hurriedly explained: "Father, no, no. This is what I think: because this is already described very clearly, the Retired Servicemen Service Center is to be co-managed with the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War has many rules, and if it is related to the military, it will be managed very strictly."

"In our family, not one person was selected to be a soldier. We don't understand the affairs of retired soldiers at all. Aside from providing grain, we can't do anything. Father, even if you took the post, it would certainly be an empty position. You would be managed by those military officers, or even sidelined by the Clerks, with no power at all."

"It would even be of no benefit to our family, because there isn't a single soldier among us. Father, it is almost impossible for you to obtain real power in the Retired Servicemen Service Center, which is to say, it is difficult to obtain an official post."

"Even if you obtained an official post, it would always be hollow and impossible to rise further. You could only enjoy some of the benefits brought by that position, but compared to our investment, it is still far too little."

"Father, this is my thought on why we cannot compete for the Retired Servicemen Service Center."

After listening, Shisigui was indeed not angry; instead, he pondered for a moment: "Hmm, what you say makes sense. If that is the case, I think this job should be left for Kao to do. Kao's family has the most soldiers, and he even has a son who is a Deputy Regiment Commander. This is the thing he feels most honored by."

"His family doing this is most appropriate. We won't compete for this one, then. Tell me about the others."

Xun let out a long breath and continued: "The nursing home can be competed for, but it is clear that the King wants to build the nursing home into an institution that can be profitable, just like a shop."

"Hey, hey, what nonsense are you spouting? Could it be that you want to take us old men and sell us?" Shisigui's tone was very displeased.

Xun hurriedly explained: "No, no, Father, it is not to buy the elderly, but to obtain profit through the act of caring for the elderly."

"This matter is hard to explain clearly in a moment. Anyway, it is that if someone wants to send the elderly in their home to a nursing home, they have to pay grain. But in a nursing home, perhaps one person can take care of several elderly people, and that can save a lot of grain. These savings are the profit."

"This institution, I see, is actually quite suitable for us, but there is also a problem. I received the notification document regarding the Establishment System. The nursing home is not an Administrative Establishment, and it is not explicitly stated as a Public Institution Establishment, so one cannot become an official through the nursing home."

"Even if you achieve results, it might be difficult to obtain a Nobility. So, Father, this might need to be thought over carefully. This matter is not difficult, and our investment will be relatively small, but the things you might obtain will not be that satisfying to you."