vrcanaries Chapter 198 The Xiao family members were excited.
Chapter 198 The Xiao family members were excited.
Xiao Qinian felt a warmth in his heart as he listened to his family members talking. Although his family was large, it was very warm and harmonious. Everyone worked together without having their own selfish thoughts.
If this happened in any other family, and someone like me hadn't been home for years, with my older brother and sister-in-law taking care of my elderly parents, there would have been a huge uproar long ago.
But his family comforted him instead, which moved him deeply.
"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I've come back this time mainly to discuss something with you."
Seeing that everyone had stopped talking and turned their attention to him, Xiao Qinian continued, "Here's the thing, I'm being transferred to the capital next year, and I'll probably be in the capital from now on. So the main reason I came back this time is to let you pack up and get ready so that we can move our home to the capital."
Xiao Qinian's words caused a huge uproar in the Xiao family. The capital city, what a place that was! It was right under the emperor's nose, the most prosperous place in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Third son, you mean..." Old Master Xiao still couldn't quite believe it. He knew that his son would come to the capital sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.
"Father, it's exactly what you mean. We'll settle our family in the capital." I learned from Shen Junru that his official position in the capital shouldn't be low, and he'll likely be promoted several ranks.
All of this is due to his achievements over the past few years. In fact, he was supposed to be promoted a few years ago, but he wanted to stay in Qianyuan County, so he didn't get the promotion.
But all these achievements have been accumulated.
"That's wonderful, but is our whole family going to the capital?" Old Master Xiao was a little worried. He wondered if going to the capital, a place of power and wealth, would cause trouble for Xiao Qinian, since they were just country folk.
"Of course, who else could we leave behind?" Xiao Qinian knew about Old Master Xiao's worries, but what did it matter? He trusted his family.
"Third brother, how about we don't go?" Xiao Qiren suddenly said.
"Why? Is there something you're worried about, brother?" Xiao Qinian asked, puzzled.
“Our business is basically all here. If we go to the capital, it’s too far. If something happens in the business, we won’t be able to get back in time.” He has been managing the business for many years, and he is somewhat reluctant to leave.
"Uncle, you can hand the business over to Bai Zhong when the time comes, so you don't need to worry. Besides, we can continue to open shops in Beijing when we go there," Xiao Siyue quickly said upon hearing her uncle's words. She was planning to expand her business all over the country in the future.
It won't do if my uncle stays here forever.
"Will this work?" Xiao Qiren was still somewhat hesitant. Bai Zhong was indeed a good man, but what if something went wrong?
"Why not? We can have Bai Zhong come to the capital every six months to report. Although the capital is far from here, it's not impossible for him to come back. You can come back to inspect every year." It takes about seven days to travel from the capital to Anyuan County, so coming back once a year is not a problem at all.
"Yes, Yue'er is right. Why are you still hesitating?" Aunt Xiao glared at Uncle Xiao. Such a good opportunity, why don't you seize it? Can Anyuan County compare to the capital?
She longed to go to the capital. If Uncle Xiao didn't go, she definitely wouldn't be able to go either. Besides, her two remaining sons were not young anymore. If they stayed in Anyuan County, they would only be able to marry into small families in the future.
If they went to the capital, with Xiao Qinian as their third uncle, their two sons might be able to marry daughters of powerful and wealthy families. Even if they couldn't, the daughters of ordinary families in the capital would be far superior to those from Anyuan County.
And then there's his little grandson, who's now reached the age for early education. He's heard that there are great academies in the capital, and the teachers there are all incredibly learned and talented—something they can't compare to here.
"Alright then, Bai Zhong and I will hand over everything here." Xiao Qiren was persuaded by Xiao Siyue.
“That’s right. Besides, there are many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, and the population is huge. Once we go there, we can open a shop and do business there. The business will definitely be very good.” Xiao Siyue painted a rosy picture for Xiao Qiren, but this was exactly what she had planned to do.
Upon hearing Xiao Siyue's words, Xiao Qiren's eyes lit up: "Yue'er, are you serious? But the capital is such a prosperous place, I wonder if we can buy a shop there."
"Uncle, don't worry, it'll definitely work. As long as the price is right, someone will be willing to sell." Even in bustling areas, there are shops that don't do well. She didn't believe that all shops were making a fortune every day.
"Okay, that's good." Xiao Qinian was instantly filled with excitement, wishing he could go right now.
Hearing that Xiao Qiren was willing, Aunt Xiao was also satisfied and stopped talking, sitting quietly and listening to everyone speak.
As for the second branch of the Xiao family, they had no objections and naturally went wherever the others went.
Especially Aunt Xiao, she was very happy, as she could go and see for herself.
"Third brother, when are we going to the capital? What do we need to prepare?" Seeing that everyone had accepted the idea of going to the capital next year, Old Lady Xiao asked.
After all, their family roots are in Xiaojia Village, and there are many things to take care of. If time is too tight, they need to make arrangements quickly.
"As the teacher said in his letter, I will probably return to Qianyuan County after the New Year to handle all the affairs and hand over the reins to the new magistrate before I leave."
"Hmm, it should be around May or June." Xiao Qinian roughly estimated the time.
"May or June? That's still early. We can take our time." Old Mrs. Xiao wasn't in a hurry when she heard that there was still plenty of time.
Xiao Siyue thought about her plans, realizing that it might be too late.
"Father, didn't I plan to build a paper mill in our Anyuan County? It might not be ready in time. You guys go first, and I'll go to the capital after I'm done here." This time, she plans to build a larger workshop in Xiaojia Village, where all the villagers are her own people, so she feels more at ease.
"Hmm, that's fine. I'll leave a few more people for you then." Xiao Qinian knew about Xiao Siyue's idea, so he wasn't surprised. He was just a little worried about Xiao Siyue's safety, afraid that those people would come again. Although not all of the people he had trained had graduated, some of them were already useful.
Since the incident, Xiao Qinian has had Li Bing train those people. They have made great progress in the past few months, and some of them are quite good. He plans to leave them all to Xiao Siyue later.