Yue Mansion.
"Sir, this is this month's account book, please take a look."
Butler Wang handed the account book to Yue Jialiang respectfully.
Before Yue Jialiang opened the page, his brows furrowed.
Because he knew without even looking that he hadn't had any income in the past six months since returning to China, and he still had to maintain a considerable amount of daily expenses and social interactions, so there should be very little money left in his account.
As he turned the pages one by one and watched the number in the balance column decrease, his heart grew heavier.
When he turned to the last page of the account book and saw the balance of only a few digits, Yue Jialiang couldn't help but sigh:
"It looks like I won't be able to make it to the end of next month. Luckily, Yingying's marriage was arranged early. Now that she's married, I can finally rest easy..."
He raised his head and looked at Butler Wang who was waiting for him to speak. The words were on the tip of his tongue but he felt it was difficult to say them:
"...Old Wang, how many years have you been home?"
Steward Wang's heart skipped a beat, but he still replied humbly:
"Sir, I followed my grandfather from my hometown in Tai'an to Ning City. This year is exactly the fortieth year."
Yue Jialiang nodded with difficulty after hearing this. Forty years, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Butler Wang had dedicated his entire life to the Yue family.
When Steward Wang was young, he worked for his father and gained his father's trust. Later, his father handed over the Yue Mansion to him to manage, and he managed it for decades.
When his father passed away due to illness, he returned from overseas to attend the funeral and then left in a hurry. It was the housekeeper Wang who brought several servants to look after the Yue Mansion for him, and they stayed there for more than ten years.
How many forty years can a person have? Moreover, these forty years are the time when a person is youngest and most energetic, and are almost the best years of a person's life.
But the Yue family today is no longer the Yue family of the past with hordes of servants and unlimited glory.
Due to his failure in overseas business, he sold valuable assets in China early on to make ends meet but was still unable to recover. The Yue family's assets had been depleted to almost nothing.
The few remaining assets were two or three shops that Butler Wang had been managing and collecting rent from in China, which were also mortgaged when he first returned to China and tried to make a comeback.
Now, apart from the pitiful balance in the account book, there is no other income. I am afraid that in the end, the Yue Mansion, which serves as his residence, will not escape the fate of being sold.
Yue Jialiang felt guilty and embarrassed about this, but the fact is that he couldn't even pay next month's salary, so he could only bite the bullet and say:
"Lao Wang, you watched me grow up, and we're just like family. I won't beat around the bush..."
"You know the family's finances best. We can only barely support Yingying through her wedding. I have no idea what will happen after that, so let's release all the people we hired after they get paid this month."
"...When the time comes, you will also..."
"gentlemen!"
Unexpectedly, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the rare voice of Butler Wang.
Butler Wang said seriously:
"Sir, I just wanted to discuss this with you. Could you please give me some advice first?"
Yue Jialiang was a little surprised, but still nodded good-temperedly.
In fact, Butler Wang discovered that something was wrong as early as the third month after Yue Jialiang returned to China. Not only had there been no income for three consecutive months, but the rent collected was always immediately diverted to other uses. During this period, Yue Jialiang participated in and hosted various banquets, but there was no sign of any disturbance in his business dealings.
Butler Wang had worked in business with Yue Jialiang's father in his early years, so he naturally knew that this was not a good phenomenon. He had also kindly and tactfully reminded Yue Jialiang, but Yue Jialiang always assured him that he knew what was going on.
It seems that they felt that they could not delay it any longer, so they had this conversation today.
But as Yue Jialiang said, he watched Yue Jialiang grow up, lived in the Yue family for decades, and had long considered himself a member of the Yue family.
Of course he knew what Yue Jialiang wanted to say, but it would definitely not work for him.
"Sir, it turns out that the old man often said that ups and downs in business are normal. Things change over time. Temporary difficulties are not to be feared. What is terrible is to lose the original intention of striving in the face of difficulties."
"I know that the family's accounts have been a bit difficult in the past few months, and there are also a lot of unnecessary expenses at home, so I agree with your idea of letting the others go first."
"Normally, there are only you and the young lady in this house. After the young lady gets married and moves to the Qi family, you will be the only one left at home. My husband and I can take good care of you, and there will be no need to support so many people."
Yue Jialiang looked a little embarrassed after hearing this. Not only did he want to let the other servants go, he couldn't even afford the salaries of Butler Wang and his wife.
He smacked his lips, thinking about what words to use to make Butler Wang more receptive, and then he heard Butler Wang continue:
"I can drive and handle daily chores, and my wife can cook and clean. It's enough for you to have the two of us accompany you in Yue Mansion. When your business picks up in the future and you need more help, it won't be too late to hire more people."
"I have an old shop in my hometown of Tai'an. After I finish my work with the young lady's wedding, I'll go back and collect the money I owe to the old man. I'll also collect some old debts. I estimate that I'll make about two to three thousand yuan."
"My husband and I don't take a salary. We just want to keep you fed. We've saved a bit over the years, so if things don't work out, we can save enough to get by for another year or two."
In fact, the money saved by Butler Wang and his wife is enough for them to live a stable life for the rest of their lives based on their current living expenses.
But he knew that the two or three thousand yuan in income was nothing to Yue Jialiang, and he would spend it in the blink of an eye, so someone had to manage it for him.
Yue Jialiang was deeply moved and felt even more ashamed:
"Old Wang, following me around will only burden you. Don't close the shop. You two can go back to your hometown in Tai'an and live a good life with the shop. I'll take care of you in your old age."
Butler Wang felt sad and relieved when he heard this. Yue Jialiang was the child he watched grow up. Although he went abroad to study at the age of 18 and has lived overseas for more than 20 years, he has always been thinking about Yue Jialiang and was willing to guard the old house for the Yue family and wait for his return. Now when he heard Yue Jialiang say that he would take care of him and his wife in their old age, how could he not be moved?
He straightened his body and raised his neatly combed hair:
"Sir, I feel like I'm still in my prime, and it's still too early for me to retire! You already said that we are family, and there's no such thing as a burden between family members. If we encounter temporary difficulties, we should work together to overcome them!"
Yue Feiying, who was originally bored and unable to go out, lay on the corridor on the second floor, listening to the conversation between the two people in the living room, feeling an indescribable strange feeling in her heart.
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