"Didn't I hit it off with Young Master Zhao at first sight? We were having a pleasant conversation. Not to mention that Young Master Zhao is a lone traveler who has lingered at my door, a widow's house, for quite some time. Even now, aren't we a lone man and woman, crammed into the same carriage?" He Youyou deliberately taunted him.
Zhao Changqing was somewhat embarrassed: "You woman, do you never hold back with your words?"
"It depends on who that person is. If that person can give me great benefits, I'll be willing to serve them tea and water and flatter them."
She's a bigwig in the financial world; after all, no one gets up early for nothing.
What benefits do you want?
"For example, since Young Master Zhao is from the capital, he must know the Cheng family very well. Could you tell me about the Cheng family and Cheng Tingrui?"
She was genuinely curious about Cheng Tingrui.
As the highest-ranking manager in the Cheng family, why did he suddenly decide to go solo?
What exactly happened between him and the Cheng family?
Zhao Changqing relaxed his back and leaned back on the cushion with an air of arrogance, acting like a big shot.
"You want me to tell you a story? Sure, but what about the tea and water you promised to serve?"
He Youyou silently picked up her thermos.
The thermos lid was designed in the shape of a cup. She poured half a cup of hot coffee into the lid and handed it over.
"Didn't you say this was medicine?" Zhao Changqing asked doubtfully.
"You don't believe me."
Zhao Changqing choked.
She actually realized he didn't believe her?
However, he was so curious about the taste that he didn't refuse and reached out to take it.
The moment the cup was placed in front of me, I was greeted by a wonderful aroma.
He lowered his head and took a small sip from the rim of the cup.
Wow!
So bitter!
It really is medicine...
“You…” Zhao Changqing’s face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.
All the good-looking features were squeezed together, making it look quite comical.
He Youyou also generously smiled: "It's a refreshing medicine. Although it tastes bitter, you'll feel energetic in no time."
Zhao Changqing didn't want to drink, but looking at He Youyou's mocking face, he didn't want to admit defeat.
If she can drink, why can't I?
So, holding his breath, he downed all the coffee in the cup in one gulp, like taking medicine.
He Youyou took back the cup: "Another cup?"
Zhao Changqing: "...No need."
He Youyou put the thermos back into her sleeve.
Okay, I won't tease him anymore.
"Now that you've had your drinks, can you tell me about the Cheng family?"
Zhao Changqing rolled his eyes at her.
The bitter taste was still in his mouth.
I've never drunk this awful stuff before. It smells amazing and makes you want to try it, but it tastes so awful.
Seeing him like this, He Youyou clearly felt that he had been tricked and was unwilling to accept it.
Fine, she'll humble herself one more time just to hear the story.
So she reached into her sleeve and pulled out a bottle of apple juice.
"Here, drink a few sips of this to mask the bitterness in your mouth."
Zhao Changqing looked at the apple juice in her hand with some skepticism.
He has lost trust in her, and who knows what kind of trouble she might cause this time.
He Youyou knew he didn't believe her, so she had no choice but to unscrew the bottle cap herself and hand it to him.
"This is really delicious, it's sweet, I promise."
Zhao Changqing hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly took the bottle of apple juice.
I took a sniff, and sure enough, it smelled sweet and fruity.
He took a small sip with some skepticism.
It really is sweet.
Delicious!
He tilted his head back and took a big gulp, finally easing the bitterness in his mouth.
One bite after another...
After taking several large gulps, Zhao Changqing felt his arm being suddenly grabbed.
Looking down, he saw He Youyou staring at him helplessly.
"Young Master Zhao, could we talk while we drink?"
He suddenly realized his lapse in composure, reluctantly put down the bottle in his hand, and cleared his throat.
"Madam Han, have you ever heard of the term 'monthly decline'?"
He Youyou shook her head.
Although she had been working in the business world for a long time, she didn't know much about the history of ancient commerce. She only learned about some common knowledge and concepts after she arrived in the Great Gan Dynasty.
Zhao Changqing continued, "'Monthly allowance' is also called 'box allowance,' which is a system in which members of merchant clans receive a monthly living allowance."
He Youyou rested her chin on her hand, pretending to listen attentively.
She was genuinely listening, but this act was just an act.
What men love to see most is the look of admiration on someone's face.
To achieve her goal, she didn't care about sacrificing her image in front of others.
She can perform whatever the other person likes.
Seeing that she was listening attentively, Zhao Changqing continued, "The 'Monthly Allowance' system was initially established to provide relief to the clan and to support those living in poverty, the widowed, orphaned, or orphaned members. Later, it evolved into a system where all clan members without income could receive a monthly allowance from the clan. The Cheng family, a wealthy family that has accumulated wealth over generations, spanning a century, has now become a large family spanning five generations, with over a thousand members. The first generation of the Cheng family ancestors were mostly hardworking entrepreneurs. However, after two or three generations, many became idle and wasteful. These people did not engage in production or hard work, relying solely on receiving money from the clan to survive. For a large family like the Cheng family, the monthly allowance alone for its members amounted to a staggering 100,000 taels of silver. In addition to receiving the monthly allowance, there were also various other pretexts. The spoiled sons, unaware of the hardships of their ancestors' hard work, embezzled and misappropriated countless amounts of silver from the clan's public account."
He Youyou was speechless.
"By Cheng Tingrui's generation, more people had become addicted to wine and women, and outstanding members of the clan had become increasingly rare. Cheng Tingrui was the most outstanding among them. He was exceptionally talented in literature and originally intended to study for an official career, but he was burdened by his family and had no choice but to take over the family business and join the Cheng family business, single-handedly supporting the rise and fall of the entire family."
"I heard that after Cheng Tingrui took over, the Cheng family's business scale increased significantly, which shows that he is also a genius."
"From the outside, it looks glamorous, but how many people know the desolation inside?"
He Youyou suddenly realized.
"No wonder Cheng Tingrui didn't want to go home during the Spring Festival and hid in a remote temple pretending to be sick."
The reason I'm not going home is, of course, because there are too many upsetting things happening at home.
With thousands of people waiting for their money, how could they not be distressed?
They hid in the temple because the Cheng family's business in Jizhou was too crowded and noisy.
"Cheng Tingrui would be better off buying a house in Jizhou. That way, he'd have a place to stay when he wants to feign illness. Wouldn't that be much more comfortable than a temple?"
"Do you know that the Cheng family has a book called 'The Cheng Family Code'?"
"The Cheng family rules?"
"It's called family rules, but most of the content is actually about restraining the extravagant behavior of the clan's merchants. For example, they must not indulge in wine and women, must not bring in prostitutes or entertainers, must not perform songs or dances to entertain guests, must not set up vulgar music that promotes lewdness and extravagance; they must not indulge in frivolous pursuits that lead to neglect of their duties and ruin of the family; they must not undertake large-scale construction projects or purchase extravagant residences..."
Hearing this, He Youyou was truly amazed: "No entertainment, no high consumption, no luxury homes—what's the point of earning this money?"
"All these provisions are intended to help those who go out to do business to live frugally and send the money they earn back to their clan so that each member of the family can benefit from it."
VOCAL!
He Youyou couldn't help but curse in her mind.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
