"Trust is built on the foundation of long-term cooperation. This is our first meeting, we haven't had much interaction, so how can I trust you based on nothing but empty words? If you do this first task well, I'll naturally trust you more. If you don't do it well..."

"Understood, understood!" Aunt Guo nodded and bowed. "Then without further ado, please make your way."

After saying that, he took his leave and left in a hurry.

After seeing Aunt Guo off, Steward Qian asked in bewilderment, "Madam, is this a strategy to wear down the troops?"

He Youyou rolled her eyes at him: What do you mean by "tired of soldiers"? She just didn't want to run errands and do research, so she wanted to find a data investigator.

This Aunt Guo is quite suitable.

"Don't worry, she won't dare to gossip about me again."

Now that Aunt Guo has started making money from He Youyou, she figured that He Youyou wouldn't openly talk about her anymore.

After all, if you want someone to please you, you either have to become their boss or their client.

In short, make her beg for food from you and act according to your whims.

However, He Youyou didn't try to silence her with money.

There are many ways to seal a secret; there's no need to spend money.

What He Youyou valued was Aunt Guo, a rare talent.

They are social butterflies, outgoing, and can chat with anyone for half a day.

Moreover, he has a deep passion for intelligence gathering (gossip).

Butler Qian then asked, "Why is the mistress interested in the fabric business?"

He Youyou: "No, I'm interested in any business. It's just that food, clothing, housing, and transportation are the most important things for ordinary people, so I'll start with those. There's plenty of time in the future, and I can investigate other things later."

In Zhulin Temple, the apricot blossoms are deep red and the willow buds are shallow.

A young novice monk dressed in gray robes slowly led He Youyou to the outside of the guest hall.

The young novice monk put his hands together and said, "This is the guest hall. Layman Cheng is staying here. However, he is currently seeing guests, so please wait a moment, Madam."

He Youyou smiled and nodded at him: "Thank you, little master. I'll wait for him outside for a while. You go ahead and do your work."

The young novice bowed again and left on his own.

The gray monk's robes disappeared into the depths of the bamboo shadows.

The door to the reception room was ajar, leaving a crack.

He Youyou then walked from the front door to the back, circling half of the reception hall.

As I walked to the back of the house, I suddenly heard voices coming from the living room.

There is a row of carved windows at the back of the house.

It was cold, the carved windows were covered with paper, and the windows were closed tightly, so you couldn't see inside at all.

Seeing that no one was around, she pressed herself against the carved window on the back wall and listened quietly.

Judging from the voice, it belonged to a middle-aged man.

“Nephew Tingrui, the person I'm mentioning isn't a stranger; he's your third aunt's cousin. He used to work in a large bank in Shanxi, managing seven or eight employees. He's very clever, quick-witted, honest, and kind. You see…”

"Cough cough cough..." A coughing sound suddenly came from inside the room, interrupting the man's words.

He Youyou listened carefully and realized that the cough was weak and a little hoarse, just like that of a person who had been bedridden for a long time.

I have to say, Cheng Tingrui's acting skills are quite impressive.

Who wouldn't praise such consummate skill after hearing this?

It's probably been going on for quite a few years.

Then she heard Cheng Tingrui's weak, panting voice: "Third Uncle, cough cough... Our Shengyuanxiang's rules were set by our great-grandfather... cough cough, cough cough..."

A series of violent coughs rang out, as if talking too much had strained his lungs.

He Youyou thought to herself: Minzhi's performance was very well done, with great attention to detail! He even considered the appropriate pauses.

Cheng Tingrui coughed for a while before he could barely stop, but then he started panting again.

The wheezing sound gave the impression that it was taking in more air than exhaling, as if it was about to hang on.

A true acting talent!

Undoubtedly a top-notch actor!

If we brought him back to the modern era, wouldn't he win several Best Actor awards?!

Do you have a Grand Slam title?

I'm totally impressed...

He Youyou thought she could also pretend.

In daily interactions with all sorts of people, one inevitably needs to cultivate the ability to speak appropriately to different people.

She has her own way of acting cute in front of some people and cool in front of others.

But she never pretended to be weak.

Cheng Tingrui's performance perfectly captured the essence of the word "fragility".

Brother Minzhi, you are just naturally gentle and weak.

Cheng Tingrui finally caught his breath and began to speak.

He sounded as if he were barely breathing.

He Youyou: You've gone too far, haven't you? Aren't you afraid your family will prepare a funeral shroud for you? Be careful, be careful.

"Grandfather set rules for each successor... cough... our Shengyuanxiang manager... cough cough cough... no need... Third Master..."

Cheng Tingrui managed to utter these words with difficulty.

He Youyou felt that if she were that man, she would be anxious to death.

Sure enough, the man hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by not using Third Master?"

Cheng Tingrui coughed a few more times before saying, "The so-called 'Third Master' refers to the young master, son-in-law, and maternal uncle... cough cough... There is an ancestral precept: 'Never employ a Third Master, or you will ruin your job and destroy your family'... cough cough cough cough cough... Since the person you mentioned is Third Aunt's cousin, then he must be considered a maternal uncle."

He coughed violently for a while, then, as if struggling, said, "The precepts left by our ancestor... contain methods of concealing the moon within, and precautions of avoiding conflict without fear of harming others... Where authority is exercised, power follows... Where power follows, authority becomes even more blazing... cough cough cough cough..."

The middle-aged man seemed to be not very educated, and he was completely confused, asking, "Nephew Tingrui, what does this mean?"

He Youyou didn't understand either, so she also pricked up her ears and quietly waited for Cheng Tingrui's explanation.

Cheng Tingrui's weak voice rang out again: "It means... internally, they have the means to cover up the truth; externally, they are hesitant to act due to vested interests... these people may abuse their power and do unethical things... cough cough... those in high positions must never be relied upon as confidants or entrusted with important responsibilities..."

He Youyou listened and wholeheartedly agreed.

Our ancestors were very wise.

The middle-aged man still wanted to try: "Tingrui, this uncle is a kind and honest man. He would never do such a thing."

"The laws of our ancestors... must not be abandoned..."

Cheng Tingrui shouted this at the top of his lungs, as if he had exhausted all his strength. He then finished his sentence at just the right moment, slumped onto the couch, closed his eyes, and fell down.

He Youyou immediately heard a servant's voice calling out, "Master, sir! I'll go and prepare your medicine right away..."

The servant then said to the middle-aged man, "Third Master, as you can see, the Second Master has been ill these past few days and really can't be disturbed. You should go back first and come to visit him when he's feeling better."

The middle-aged man had no choice but to sigh and leave the guest room.

The only sounds in the room were the servants busily attending to his needs.

A moment later, Cheng Tingrui's voice came from inside the room.

"Mrs. Han, please come in."