Sun Bo furrowed his brow.
He had been the one in charge of the elder branch for over a decade, and naturally, he didn't want to share power with the mistress. Moreover, he had skimmed eight figures in kickbacks—if that ever came to light...
The heat leave had three more days, and the mistress and the young lady had gone back to their maternal family's home today.
Qiuyun hadn't gone. She stayed at the estate with a more important task on her hands.
The people sent to Rong City for background checks had returned from their business trip, confirming that what Yu Aide and Yu Heng had said was true. They had also found Yu Heng's mother, Yu Ailing, explained the situation to her, and obtained the guardian's approval.
Qiuyun handed the dossier of the companion candidate she had selected to the mistress. After asking about grades, personality, and what the girl's elders did at the estate, the mistress let her daughter decide if she felt a connection.
Jiang Chuling had no objections. Honestly, in her entire life, apart from Jiang Chuyun, there had never been a companion she couldn't get along with.
So, Qiuyun's task for the next two days was to conduct onboarding training for the young lady's companion.
At one in the afternoon.
Yu Heng arrived.
"Congratulations. Once you pass the three-month probation period, you'll officially become the Seventh Miss's companion."
Qiuyun stepped forward and patted Yu Heng on the back, bending slightly. "Our main task now is to finish the onboarding training while the mistress and the young lady are away."
"Mm!" Yu Heng nodded solemnly.
She had originally come to her uncle's place for summer break to play and help out a bit. She never expected to run into a benefactor like Sister Qiu and become the young lady's companion, studying in the capital city!
In their small county town, no more than five people got into universities in the capital each year. And if things went smoothly for her, she could enjoy the capital's education all the way until she went to college there!
This was truly an opportunity that could change the course of her life.
The two of them arrived at the little pavilion outside the back garden, and Qiuyun handed Yu Heng a bottle of mineral water.
"Thanks, Sister Qiu." Yu Heng took it with both hands.
"No problem." Qiuyun twisted open her own cap and moistened her throat. "Before I go over the rules, I want to ask you a question first."
Yu Heng sat up a little straighter. "Go ahead, Sister Qiu."
"Being a companion at the young lady's side—does it make you feel like you're beneath her?" Qiuyun asked.
Hearing this, Yu Heng lowered her head hesitantly.
At home, her uncle had drilled into her over and over to obey the young lady, to be humble and subservient in every way, to act like an ancient servant girl.
She was still young, and having her uncle harp on it like that inevitably affected her judgment.
"You think it might?" Qiuyun asked gently.
A conflicted look crossed Yu Heng's face. "The young lady can let me go to school in the capital. Listening to her is the least I should do."
"Then what if the young lady asks you to do something you don't want to do?"
Yu Heng fell silent again.
"Just endure it?" Qiuyun asked.
The back garden was very quiet. The landscaping was beautiful.
Qiuyun spoke slowly. "Actually, I like you a lot."
Yu Heng looked up in surprise.
"You're young, you've got guts, you're smart about how you do things, and you're willing to take the first step—these traits already put you ahead of most kids your age."
Qiuyun smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, before you got here, your uncle almost never received any orders for extra meals, did he?"
Yu Heng nodded sheepishly.
Extra meals were a tacitly permitted thing at the estate—the fresh meat and vegetables purchased daily included portions for everyone. If you wanted a special dish, you'd pay the chef extra, and they'd just make a few fewer boxed lunches. The main family wasn't large, and they weren't home for every meal anyway, so there were plenty of idle chefs. As a result, competition for extra meal orders was fierce. Her uncle was from a small town, not tall, and looked pretty unimpressive among a kitchen full of head chefs.
"So it's those traits of yours that made me notice you. It's your own ability to shine that earned you this opportunity," Qiuyun said directly. "Before this, HR gave me files on eleven kids. I went out of my way to bump into them casually, and they were all too childish—none of them met my standards."
Listening, the weight of those words made Yu Heng straighten her back without even realizing it.
Qiuyun wasn't lying.
She had gone to meet all of those kids. Perhaps because one of their parents worked at the estate with a decent salary and good treatment, they were also very generous with their children. Kids spoiled at home might briefly accept the companion job under orders from their parents, but it wouldn't last.
Qiuyun took a sip of water. "I've said all this just to tell you—don't sell yourself short, and don't think you can't do the job. The first lesson of our training today is: be a useful person."
"Useful?" Yu Heng pressed. "What does it mean to be a useful person?"
After the praise, the girl's sharpness had finally returned.
"A useful person to the young lady."
Qiuyun explained gently, trying to use words a child could understand. "You need to know clearly what value you bring to the young lady. Is it ease in her daily life, comfort for her spirit, help with her career, and so on... Once you understand that, and you know that your relationship with the young lady is one of employment—she pays, you work—would you still feel like you're beneath her?"
"No," Yu Heng said immediately. "If I don't do my job well, the young lady won't keep me just because I'm groveling."
"Exactly."
Qiuyun was increasingly impressed with her—this girl was teachable.
It was a lesson she herself had learned in her previous life.
Her thinking was simple: she handled affairs for the madam, and the madam gave her a stable place to live. Over time, as things changed, their relationship gradually moved beyond that of mistress and servant, becoming one of trusted confidante and lifelong friend.
"A person has to recognize their own worth first before others will respect them," Qiuyun reminded her. "If you do your job to the best of your ability, you don't need to flatter anyone. You'll naturally earn more respect from the family."
Yu Heng committed every word to memory, then said seriously, "I understand."
Now that the most important mindset had been adjusted, everything else was simple.
Qiuyun stood up. "Come on, I'll have Sister Yuan walk you through the young lady's daily habits and her likes and dislikes."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Qiuyun still had institutional reforms and game set design to handle, so she only planned to randomly quiz Yu Heng at the end of each workday.
Right after the onboarding training wrapped up, Sun Assistant Manager stormed over, fuming.
"Assistant Qiu! New rules and reforms for the household, and no one even bothered to inform me, the assistant manager?!"
Qiuyun quickly handed him a bottle of mineral water and said with concern, "It's so hot out. Don't work yourself up and give yourself heatstroke. Have some water to cool down, and we can talk through any issues slowly."
As the saying goes, you don't slap a smiling face. He knew there was a hidden camera in this spot, and so did that Qiu woman.
As much as he wanted to throw the water in her face, doing so would put him completely in the wrong!
If this reached the master, knowing his temperament, he'd probably get transferred out of the elder branch and sent to some remote post.
"Th-thanks."
Sun Assistant Manager gritted out the words through clenched teeth, took the cup, and gulped down a few mouthfuls. The cool, minty taste did manage to douse some of the fury in his chest.
His reason also started to creep back in.
