Lu Changsheng nodded and then said.
âBeast Number One, Bird Number One, Humanoid Number Oneâ were the three blueprints he provided to Lu Xianzhi, instructing him to bring people up to speed on them.
The follow-up plan was to continuously upgrade these puppets and create advanced models.
âYes, Father.â
Lu Xianzhi bowed respectfully and then sat down.
Standing to the side, his daughter Lu Ruyi got up and said crisply, âDaddy, the main business of the Talisman-Making Factory currently revolves around subcontracting work to produce ordinary talisman paper and spirit ink for Qingzhu Mountain. This year, we produced a total of nine hundred sixty-two sheets of ordinary talisman paper and one hundred fifteen boxes of spirit ink, earning a total of sixty-three spirit stones.â
âHaha, not bad, to have made money in the first year.â
Lu Changsheng couldnât help but laugh cheerfully when he heard this.
However, if labor and production costs were deducted, there was actually no profit, and in fact, it was operating at a loss.
âFather, the wine-making workshop produced nine hundred fifty catties of White Jade Wine and four hundred sixty catties of Spirit Mulberry Wine this year.â
âThese drinks used up four thousand nine hundred twenty catties of white jade rice and two thousand one hundred catties of spirit mulberry leaves, with the remaining ingredients costing a total of eight hundred sixty-three spirit stonesâŠâ
âIf all the alcohol was sold, the expected revenue would be one thousand four hundred spirit stones.â
At that moment, Lu Quanzhen reported.
âMm, not bad, next year we should be able to break even and start making a profit.â
Lu Changsheng nodded in approval upon hearing Lu Quanzhenâs words.
âHusband, the family currently has two hundred forty-one members, including three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, three at the Late Stage of Qi Refinement, twenty at the Middle Stage of Qi Refinement, and twelve at the Early Stage of Qi Refinement.â
âAccording to family rules, for the birth of newborns, the family provides encouragement. This year, thirty-one newborns have been born in the familyâŠ.â
Xiao Yueru said aloud.
The duties she was responsible for were relatively simple, involving the management of family juniorsâ conditions, providing rewards for family concubines and children. đ«đÎĂČáĂĆ
Her main focus currently was distributing rewards for newborns.
âMm, not bad.â
Lu Changsheng nodded slightly.
Out of the thirty-three newborns, besides the eight that were his own, the remaining twenty-five were all from the third generation of the Lu Family.
Through the system, he knew that none of these twenty-five individuals possessed a Spiritual Root.
He wasnât too concerned about this.
After all, aside from Lu Xianzhi, none of his children had a Spiritual Root.
The chances of giving birth to offspring with a Spiritual Root were incredibly slim.
In fact, once the offspring reached twenty, the system ceased to provide any âChild Money,â leaving Lu Changsheng feeling slightly disappointed.
He had thought he could earn a substantial amount of âChild Moneyâ through his children.
âThis year, the familyâs profit was fifty-four thousand six hundred eighty-eight spirit stones.â
After everyone had finished reporting, Ling Zixiao, holding a jade scroll and looking graceful and dignified, began to speak.
Her first sentence instantly surprised everyone present, as they had not expected the familyâs profit to be so high this year.
âAside from talismans, fishery products, mines, shop rentals, and marketplace fees, the primary income came from the sale of assets, garnering thirty-one thousand five hundred spirit stones.â
Ling Zixiao continued, âThis year, the family expenditure was eighty thousand six hundred forty-nine spirit stones.â
âThis includes one purchase of the Ji Family Spirit Land which cost sixteen thousand spirit stones, tribute to the Qingyun Sect at twelve thousand spirit stones, family membersâ salaries and rewards at twelve thousand seven hundred sixty spirit stones.â
âThe family Guest Eldersâ offerings amounted to one thousand two hundred spirit stones, and recruiting apprentices, spiritual farmers, and fishermen, amounted to a total of one hundred twenty-three people, altogether costing one thousand eight hundred thirty-nine spirit stones.â
âIn terms of family construction, the Great Formation cost twenty-four thousand eight hundred ninety-one spirit stones; the fisheries cost one thousand five hundred sixty-one spirit stones; the Spiritual Medicine cost two thousand three hundred spirit stones; the workshops cost three thousand six hundred ninety-two spirit stones; external purchases cost one thousand two hundred fifty-one spirit stones; and social interactions cost three thousand one hundred fifty-two spirit stones.â
Ling Zixiao spoke in a clear and melodious voice, calmly and elegantly.
âHiss!â
âWe spent so much this year!â
âWe lost over ten thousand spirit stones!â
âIf it werenât for the sale of assets, wouldnât we have lost over fifty thousand!â
âThis, this, thisâŠ.â
In the meeting hall, all the concubines and children were stunned upon hearing this.
They had not expected that after establishing the Bi Lake Mountain, the spending and consumption would be so significant.
Not only were they shocked, but Lu Miaoyun, Lu Miaohuan, and even Lu Miaoge were taken aback upon seeing the expenditure of spirit stones.
The costs were simply too extravagant.
âHehe, I didnât expect us to spend so much this year.â
âHowever, it is mostly due to the expenses of the Ji Family Spirit Land and the familyâs Great Formation. Next year, once the family stabilizes, and we reduce overhead for labor and family construction, and as the fishery and workshops start to profit, things will gradually improve.â
Lu Changsheng chuckled lightly upon seeing this.
His approach to spending money was always extravagant and carefree, without a notion of frugality and never bothered with meticulous calculations or awareness of the amount spent.
Additionally, during this period, he had privately commissioned the Ji Family and Xiao Xiyue to purchase Spiritual Materials for his personal use; many such transactions did not go through the familyâs ledger.
Otherwise, the expenditure would have been even more exaggerated.
âOf course, this year I made quite a sum selling Second Rank Talismans, but that income also went into my private coffers.â
âYou all should strive harder, too. The wealth I have accumulated over the years is almost depleted.â
âIf we keep incurring losses, the family will struggle to function with such a deficit.â
Lu Changsheng turned to his children Lu Pingâan, Lu Xianzhi, Lu Ruyi, and others as he continued.
âFather, the family is currently in the initial stages of development, and there are many areas where money is needed.â
âWe siblings are not yet able to create a stable income. You may consider adjusting and reducing the familyâs expenses until the family stabilizes and gradually becomes profitable, after which we can readjust.â