“Since Tong Yuwu had decided to challenge the task and didn’t want to waste time, as there were only less than forty-eight hours left until midnight on the eighth, she thought of the astute and capable Liu Jie. In the afternoon, just like usual, Liu Jie prepared an exquisite afternoon tea for her. Even though Tong Yuwu might only take a few sips of black tea and hardly touch the desserts, Liu Jie diligently prepared everything.
‘Liu Jie, sit down and have tea with me,’ Tong Yuwu said with a smile.
Occasionally, when Tong Yuwu was in the mood, she would invite Liu Jie for afternoon tea. However, in the two years of their marriage, this had happened only a few times.
Liu Jie wasn’t naive. Both the master and mistress of the house were not easy to deceive. Although the husband seemed gentle and indifferent, he was rarely at home. Their interactions were limited, and the mistress appeared approachable but was no simpleton.
Could someone without any ability marry the husband?
Thus, Liu Jie felt a sense of foreboding upon Tong Yuwu’s invitation.
With her inner amusement slightly restrained, Liu Jie sat down opposite Tong Yuwu. She didn’t dare touch the exquisite dessert on the table.
‘Liu Jie, I’m curious. How much is the monthly expenditure for an average household?’ Tong Yuwu picked up her teacup, took a sip, then looked up with an elegant smile.
Now, Liu Jie really didn’t know what to say.
Her soul trembled.
She was the most senior employee here, having served the madam before the mistress married the master. She played the role of a housekeeper in this household.
A housekeeper’s responsibility was managing the household affairs.
The household expenses usually came from the mistress’s account, and the mistress seldom checked the accounts.
Based on what she knew, the mistress almost bought bags and clothes every month, often costing hundreds of thousands without batting an eye.
Bags worth hundreds of thousands in comparison to the so-called household expenses were like a drop in the bucket. The mistress simply couldn’t be bothered to manage it.
In their line of work, they often took what they could without the employer noticing. If the employer was very shrewd, they’d only take a small advantage. If the employer didn’t care much about these matters, they’d test the boundaries.
Liu Jie knew a retired senior in their circle who had bought a house and a car in Beijing solely based on the advantages from the employer. Liu Jie was also an honest person. Although she dared to take some advantage in household expenses, it wasn’t excessive.
Even though she took some advantage, it was definitely not much. She kept it in check, and even if the mistress checked, she would likely turn a blind eye.
Now, the mistress was asking…
Liu Jie didn’t dare to be careless. Her mind raced, deciding to confess. She rubbed her hands, looking somewhat flustered. ‘Madam, I really have no choice. My father-in-law has kidney failure and requires a lot of money for treatment every month.’
Tong Yuwu was stunned. At first, she didn’t understand Liu Jie’s meaning. After she realized, her expression softened.
Without trust, now it’s not feudal times where servants had contracts with the employer.
To put it plainly, it’s the relationship between the boss and the employee. Who would expect absolute loyalty from whom?
Liu Jie was efficient in her work and managed her subordinates well. Even if Tong Yuwu knew she took some money, she wouldn’t ask her to pack her bags and leave.
‘Liu Jie, this is not right of you.’ Tong Yuwu’s tone remained calm. ‘Even before I married Liheng, you were with the madam. You’re considered an old member of the Fu family. That’s not an ordinary bond. If your family has difficulties, why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I…’ Liu Jie looked at Tong Yuwu in surprise.
‘Don’t make a fuss about this matter. Next time you face difficulties, just tell me,’ Tong Yuwu paused. ‘The madam values you for a reason—to take care of our daily lives. You know, the madam doesn’t tolerate any shortcomings. If she finds out, it will hurt her. I remember before the wedding, the madam told me that you are trustworthy and reliable, and she trusts you a lot.’
Even if Liu Jie wanted to be honest, she couldn’t pull off such a thing. She knew who was in charge of the Fu family. Hence, she didn’t dare to be careless in her answers to the mistress’s inquiries. A household could only have one mistress! Tong Yuwu was certain of this. It wasn’t the old estate; this was her own home. Could she tolerate someone under her treating her as second fiddle?
If Liu Jie wasn’t sent by the Madam and wasn’t capable herself, Tong Yuwu would have dismissed her long ago.
Once Liu Jie was subdued and had shown regret, Tong Yuwu started talking business, ‘Liu Jie, I want to know the average monthly expenses for an ordinary family. Just tell me straightforwardly.’
‘An ordinary family?’ Liu Jie was still somewhat nervous. ‘Some spend more, some spend less. I know a friend whose family of four spends over four thousand a month.’
Tong Yuwu helplessly rubbed her forehead. Over four thousand for a family of four for a month—it was hard to imagine.
Now the system asked her to challenge spending only a thousand for a week…
Difficult. It was too difficult for her.
***
When Fu Liheng returned, Tong Yuwu was watering the flowers in the villa’s small garden.
Normally, the servants would handle such tasks, but today Tong Yuwu was in a good mood. The flowers in this garden weren’t that expensive, but they were her favorites. From their master bedroom’s balcony, one could see the garden.
In Fu Liheng’s eyes, Tong Yuwu wasn’t dressed in exquisite and beautiful attire today, but there was a different charm.
Perhaps because they were at home, she wore only a loose white T-shirt that reached her thighs and light blue denim shorts. Her black hair was casually tied up in a loose bun, simple yet fresh and beautiful.
‘You’re back?’ Tong Yuwu heard the sound and turned around, placing down the watering can, her face beaming with a radiant smile as she approached him.
Fu Liheng only just noticed she had a natural look without makeup. Comparatively, she seemed a bit more natural than usual. It made him, who had worked all day, inexplicably feel much more relaxed seeing her in this state.
‘Yes.’ Fu Liheng nodded. ‘You didn’t go out today?’
‘How could I go out? I slept almost until noon.’ She instinctively covered her collarbone with her hand.
Fu Liheng knew Tong Yuwu wasn’t someone who idled at home.
He glanced at his watch, proposing something rare, ‘It’s still early. If you’re interested, shall we go out for dinner?’
Some people were self-aware, while others weren’t. Fu Liheng was
an unscrupulous capitalist. Most of the time, he lacked self-awareness. Only when he was in an extremely good mood did he have a nearly negligible hint of self-awareness.
During the year when Fu Liheng was engaged to Tong Yuwu, he had only recently taken over the Fu family. They barely met once a month during that period. Before marriage, they’d met a total of seven or eight times.
After marriage, the situation didn’t improve. He was still very busy. The Fu family was undergoing a transition, and he had several international mergers and acquisitions on his plate. He was extremely busy, naturally unable to tend to marital relations. Thus, in the past two years, they met infrequently.
Tong Yuwu had no objections, and Fu Liheng didn’t feel sorry.
Sometimes when they had time and both were at home, Fu Liheng’s ‘having time’ was different from others. When others had time, it meant plenty of free time to spend with their wives. His having time meant barely having time for dinner when he returned home.
Tong Yuwu wasn’t afraid of meeting acquaintances. However, she felt that after yesterday’s incident, she could assert her favoured status a bit. With this in mind, she tilted her head and smiled at him, ‘If I change my clothes and put on makeup, it’ll definitely take some time. But with me dressed casually like this and you in a suit, it doesn’t quite match. How about you change your clothes?’
