Protect Our Clan Leader-Chapter 673 - 80: Lead Trouble Away! Wilderness Pioneering Outside the Territory (Ask for Monthly Pass)_1
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Liaoyuan County, Seafood House.
"Seafood House" is a thousand-year-old establishment and it’s also the most luxurious, top-tier restaurant in Liaoyuan County that primarily serves a variety of seafood delicacies.
Its history can almost be traced back to when Liaoyuan County was first developed.
It has managed to stand tall all these years due to the backing of its owner, which is the Cao family of Liaoyuan, a fifth-rank Purple Abode Prominent Family.
On this day.
In the top-floor private room of Seafood House with the best view and most luxurious decoration, there were two distinguished guests.
One was a middle-aged man in a silk robe, looking cultured and refined. He was the owner of Seafood House, the family head of Liaoyuan’s Cao family, Cao Bangning.
The other one was a sharp-faced, keen-minded man with a small goatee; he was the family head of Liu Clan in Qing An Prefecture, a rank six prominent family, Liu Tianming.
The two men took their seats one after the other.
The shopkeeper of Seafood House served the dishes with the help of his staff, carefully pouring wine, and after all formalities were observed, he withdrew respectfully. He also instructed the servant at the door to guard it well and forbid anyone from approaching the room.
The servant naturally couldn’t slack off, so he made endless assurances, which can be left aside for now.
At the same time, in the room, the family head of Liaoyuan’s Cao family, Cao Bangning, began pouring wine enthusiastically for Liu Tianming, adding dishes, cordially inviting him to eat and drink with great hospitality.
"Come on~ Family head Tianming, you only come twice a year, our meetings are so rare. I’m your host today, so eat and drink as much as you can! There’s plenty of good food and wine here..."
"Family Head Tianming, try this. This is top-quality level four Blue Lobster, just delivered fresh from the sea today. It was specially prepared by the head chef using a secret technique, offering a delicate, savory and smooth taste without any fishiness. It’s a distinctive dish from the Seafood House that you can’t savor anywhere else..."
"And this one, is one of the rarest delicacies called Sea Elixir Fish. It’s only available during this season every year..."
For this single meal, Cao Bangning spared no expense. It was not about the money; the key was that many of the ingredients used were tribute items with very low yields. He usually could not bear to eat these often, but now, he served them all for Liu Tianming.
Meanwhile, the kitchen of the Seafood House has been busy since the previous evening, and it took them until now to prepare this feast of a meal that was a delight to all senses.
And Liu Tianming indeed did not disappoint as he enjoyed the banquet thoroughly.
After three rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes...
When Liu Tianming was almost finished eating, he put down his wine cup and looked at Cao Bangning: "Family head Bangning, I have indeed caused you a great expense today~ Rest assured, I will surely offer you the most favorable price for grain this year. Even if I must take a cut on my own profit, I won’t let you suffer any loss."
Liaoyuan County has a vast population but your land is scarce causing them to procure a significant portion of the grain consumed every year from other counties. Qing An Prefecture, known as the "granary of Da Qian" and which neighbours Liaoyuan County, naturally becomes its main grain source.
Liu Tianming travels between these two locations, engaged in the business of grain trading.
The Purple Abode Cao Family, being the largest among the prominent families of Liaoyuan County, naturally purchase a significant amount of grain from him each year.
However, upon hearing these words, Cao Bangning could not help but sigh inwardly and silently curse "Old Fox." Cao Bangning did not believe that Liu Tianming was unaware of the troubles his family was facing at the moment. At this moment, feigning ingnorance, he clearly wants Cao Bangning to beseech him.
Even though he knew this, he was left without a choice but to display a look of shame, get up and prepare to bow deeply to Liu Tianming: "Family head Tianming, to be honest, I invited you here today to ask a favor. Considering the wedding alliance that our two families have maintained over the years, I must ask you kindly for your assistance."
"Oh, brother Cao, do not say such things! We are all part of one big family, no need to talk about favours!" Liu Tianming quickly steadied him, saying, "please, get up. If there is anything you would like me to do, just say it, assuming it is within my power, I will definitely help."
He appeared very enthusiastic on the surface, but deep down he was smug and satisfied.
Old Cao Bangning, who usually looked down on people simply because he was the family head of a fifth-rank family, and his aunt was a core disciple of the Sacred Land, Cao Youqing, was now forced to come to him for assistance upon facing trouble, wasn’t he?
After a bit of back-and-forth negotiation, the two finally stopped their "sincere" displays of "deep affection and friendship," and got down to business.
"Brother Tianming, didn’t your daughter marry into the Zuo Qiu family? I heard she is part of the direct lineage." Cao Bangning poured a cup of wine for Liu Tianming, saying, "Could you, perhaps, help forward a message? Maybe your daughter could mediate a bit?"
" well..."
Hearing these words, Liu Tianming’s formerly hearty demeanor was instantly replaced with a troubled look on his face.
What a joke! After much difficulty, he had finally married his daughter into the direct lineage of the Zuoqiu family. It was precisely because of this connection that the Zuoqiu family was willing to allocate a portion of their high-quality grain for him to sell.
He did not have intentions of risking his hard-earned connections for the Cao family’s troubles.
Of course, he would obviously not say this directly. Instead, he euphemistically said: "Brother Cao, as you may know, the Zuoqiu family is not like our prominent families. Their family head is a Celestial being who serves at least one hundred to two hundred years, which leads to a large number of direct descendants.
Although my young daughter married into the direct lineage, she is just a direct granddaughter, not the eldest direct granddaughter..."
This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.
