"Phew~" He let out a long sigh. "Assistant Qiu, in our estate, the responsibilities of stewards and assistants are absolutely clearly defined. Even if the Madam wants to push through reforms, she may not know our exact job distribution, but how could you, as an assistant, not know? Haven't you read the work manual?"
Qiuyun gave a wry smile. "Sun Assistant Manager, you're really misunderstanding me."
Sun Bo: ?
She sighed. "Yesterday, the Madam assigned you a task, and you fainted on the spot. Anyone would've thought you were unhappy with the Madam's arrangement and were staging a silent protest against her."
Sun Assistant Manager was startled. "That's not what I meant!"
He really did pass out!
"But you were already unconscious at the time—who could explain that on your behalf?" Qiuyun said helplessly. "So the Madam directly handed me the authority to implement the new reform policies. I did decline, saying I was young and inexperienced, but unfortunately, the Madam is heading back to school in half a month, and no one knows when you'll be discharged from the hospital. The sooner the new rules take effect, the better."
Here, Qiuyun casually glossed over the fact that the Madam had only learned about the new rules yesterday.
Seeing that Sun Assistant Manager's face remained stiff as a dead fish, Qiuyun kindly suggested, "How about this—once the Madam and Miss return from the Madam's mother's place in a couple of days, you go have a word with her?"
Talk?
How?
Should he say the Madam's arrangements were poor, and that all household affairs ought to be under his sole control?
"No need." Sun Assistant Manager said stiffly. "The Master and Madam trust you, so I won't meddle with the masters' decisions. It's just that I'm not used to being idle. Leave the basement floor to me."
Sun Bo figured that as the chief assistant manager of the main branch, he'd already stepped back to give up the Ming Si, Ming Yuan, and Ming Yue buildings. Surely holding on to his home turf wouldn't be too much to ask.
Who would've thought that this young assistant, with her endlessly gentle words and relentlessly firm attitude, would say: "I'm afraid not. I just went to HR this morning and had them update the personnel records. Until the new rules are fully implemented, all check-ins, leave requests, and reports for the entire main branch must go through me for unified adjustment and scheduling."
She'd covered every possible angle, saying both the positive and the negative.
What more could he say!
Qiuyun ignored his face—twisted almost to the point of an exploding rage—and said with genuine concern: "Sun Assistant Manager, as the saying goes, health is no small matter. We work hard our whole lives just for a smooth, secure retirement, right? If you ask me, now's the perfect window during the reform to focus on getting your body back in shape. Once you're recovered and healthy, you'll be even more fit to serve the Master and Madam, wouldn't you say?"
Well, then.
She'd polished off the face-saving act too.
What else could he do?
"How long until the new rules are fully rolled out?" Sun Bo finally conceded.
Qiuyun's smiling face remained warm and friendly. "Don't worry, Sun Assistant Manager. At most, three months. If we don't see results within three months, I can't even face the Master myself."
Ha, pulling out the Master's name too now.
"You'd better be quick." Sun Assistant Manager couldn't resist firing off a not-quite-threatening threat before leaving.
Qiuyun beamed at his retreating back and assured him, "Don't worry, Sun Assistant Manager, I'll do a great job!"
Beside her, Sister Fang found it odd. "Why does Sun Assistant Manager look so furious?"
And the key part—Xiaoqiu was still grinning! It was just too strange!
Qiuyun said calmly, "Sun Assistant Manager was encouraging me to work hard. He said he'd take this time to focus on getting his health back in order."
"Really?" Sister Fang was surprised. "So Sun Assistant Manager isn't even handling the basement floor anymore?"
"Didn't we say we're all under unified management now? Of course, the basement can't be left out." Qiuyun pulled Sister Fang aside. "But honestly, I'm young and don't carry much authority. At a time like this, our Ming Yue building needs to step up and set a good example!"
She lowered her voice. "Between you and me, the building that completes the reform fastest and best gets a bonus from the Madam."
"Really!?" Sister Fang got excited.
Qiuyun tightened her grip on Sister Fang's arm. "Would I lie to our own people? But this is a secret. The Madam wants everyone to throw themselves into their work willingly, not to kill themselves for a bonus. So Sister Fang, let's keep this to ourselves—don't tell anyone else."
"Do I look stupid?" The Madam had always been generous, after all. Sister Fang's face lit up. "Don't worry, our Ming Yue building's got your back, rock solid! We'll be the first to respond to everything!"
Qiuyun smiled with narrowed eyes. "Then thank you, Sister Fang."
As the old saying goes: conquering the land is easy, ruling it is hard.
Announcing new rules is easy; implementing them is hard.
There's plenty of work in the finer details ahead.
Three days later.
Yu Heng, who had successfully passed her training period, formally met with the young miss, who had just returned from her mother's place.
Jiang Chuling studied this new companion who would be going to and from school with her, and remarked to herself that she really was just like what Sister Qiu had chosen—clear-eyed, calm, and steady.
"Miss." Yu Heng greeted the young miss with composure.
"Hello," Jiang Chuling said, taking an instant liking to her new study partner. "What's your name?"
"Yu Heng. 'Yu' as in 'hence,' 'Heng' as in 'balance.'"
"That's a nice name. Do you have any likes? Or favorite snacks or drinks? I'll have the household stock them for you."
Yu Heng glanced at Sister Qiu and answered honestly, "I like spicy food. And I don't dislike any drinks."
"You can eat spicy food! That's impressive!" Jiang Chuling complimented sincerely. "I can't do spicy at all. There are so many tasty snacks I just can't enjoy."
Yu Heng gradually relaxed. "You can start with something mildly spicy, or rinse it in water first. In my hometown, that's what people who can't handle spice do."
Seeing the two young girls getting along well, Qiuyun turned to the Madam and reported on the recent reform progress over the last two days.
"Madam, I've organized everyone to study the new app's management system, and we're re-registering and cataloguing all valuables in the house. Please give me your phone, and I'll download it and log you into master mode."
"Alright." Yu Xiang handed over her phone.
"I've also scheduled new reporting times and formats with the two finance managers and their respective teams, and I've had the lawyer redraft the custody agreements for bonds and interest according to the new rules. They're ready for your signature."
"Alright, hand them to me."
Yu Xiang reviewed the documents, found no issues, and signed with her fingerprint.
"I've also commissioned the lawyer to handle the account linking with the family office's finance and trust departments. Once that's done, any interest and dividends can be remitted directly to Manager Li's account without passing through the main branch's private ledger anymore. However, we will need to hire a new accountant to keep books specifically for these transactions."
"Fine, you handle it as you see fit."
With many tedious matters taken care of, Yu Xiang felt at ease.
Seizing the moment, Qiuyun said with a smile, "Also, with all the recent reform work, perhaps because you've been residing in Ming Yue building, our building has adapted to the new rules the fastest—both in speed and familiarity compared to the rest. I was thinking, to spur everyone on, maybe we could implement a rewards-and-penalties system?"
