"Shaojie and Meishu, you are the children of the Huo family. Each of you has a 5% equity stake in the company. You know how much you receive annually from the company."
"Compared to the 25% I'm giving Rong Rong, this is nothing."
The Old Madam spoke with a strong tone and a very dignified manner.
"As for Lu Zheng, when Jingzhi passed away, he left you a sum of wealth. Although the company did not allocate equity to you, you are aware of the fixed annual dividends you receive from the company."
"This 40% is not much compared to your dividends, but it's not something an ordinary family can afford."
"Why am I giving Rong Rong such a large share? It's because of your older brother. You all have been able to live a stable life these years, and I don't need to say how hard Shaoting has worked."
The Old Madam's gaze mostly fell on Lu Zheng.
She did this out of helplessness. This family needed a capable mistress in the future.
Neither Lu Zheng nor Huo Meishu possessed the qualities required for this role, but Rong Rong is an exceptional child.
For the stability of the Huo family, there needs to be a pillar at the helm of this large household.
She is doing this for the sake of the Huo family.
Although the Huo family currently enjoys a respectable status and position in Shengjing, Lu Zheng lacks the necessary means to handle certain matters. After all, women hold influence wherever they are.
Lu Zheng may not possess the art of charming everyone, but Rong Rong does.
The Huo family can only feel at ease when entrusted to Shaoting and his wife. Only then can they peacefully live out their old age a century later.
She still has time now and can handle this situation. She has time to teach and groom Rong Rong.
Shaojie, being a director, has a quick mind. As soon as the Old Madam spoke, he knew what the old lady was thinking.
He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and exchanged a helpless look with Huo Shaoting.
The burden on the shoulders of the eldest brother and sister-in-law is heavy.
Rong Dai is not foolish either. Although the Old Madam's words were not explicit, she already understood what was implied.
The Old Madam wants her to take over the position of the Huo family's mistress.
That means becoming the head of the household, in charge of managing the family's affairs. It's not an easy task.
Rong Dai is well aware that the prosperity of a family is closely related to the role of the mistress.
Sometimes, the women in the inner courtyard are more well-informed, and unexpected information can be obtained.
Although in modern times, she doesn't need to inquire about official matters like in her past life, in any era, resources and connections need to be accumulated and maintained.
Her mother-in-law is not suited for socializing, so the Old Madam is intentionally grooming her.
From this perspective, she feels no guilt in holding this 25% share.
However, this means that in the future, she will have to juggle her career and manage the interpersonal relationships of the Huo family. It will be busy indeed.
"You'll have to work hard, my dear wife."
Huo Shaoting was perceptive. When the Old Madam gave the necklace, he already guessed her intentions.
He held Rong Dai's hand, leaned over, and gently kissed her hair. His voice was low, tinged with a hint of apology.
"But you don't need to feel too pressured. Just attend gatherings, have meals, and listen to their idle talk. If you don't like it, just show your face."
He was in charge of the Huo Family's enterprise and naturally understood the importance of maintaining connections.
Women nowadays could hold up half the sky. Although the Old Madam seemed to be willing to relinquish some power in maintaining the Huo Family's connections, it was clear to him that she, being his own birth mother, had limited capabilities.
Rong Dai found it somewhat amusing and perplexing. While it was true that things were as he described, in this era, which family would be lacking in opportunities? Maintaining connections was not as simple as sharing a meal.
In her past life, she had been the Empress for thirty years, from the Prince's residence to the Imperial Palace, from being the head of the household to the mother of the nation. She knew all too well how challenging it was to maintain connections. Mishandling it would invite hatred and trouble for oneself.
Among the wealthy and noble families, gatherings were never in short supply. These gatherings were not just about enjoying good food and conversation; they were primarily for gathering information and safeguarding each other's interests.
But doing this well was not easy. There are no permanent friends; interests reign supreme. The accumulation of connections was, in fact, a covert accumulation of resources.
She didn't respond to Huo Shaoting's words. After all, his mother-in-law was sitting right there. If she agreed, it would be a slap in the face to the mother-in-law.
The Old Madam's actions today were undoubtedly disrespectful to the mother-in-law.
"You don't have any abilities yourself, so I won't say much. Neither you nor Meishu are skilled at socializing, and I have indeed tried to cultivate you," the Old Madam said.
"Now that I'm old, the young daughters-in-law in the wealthy families are like leeks, one batch after another. In many situations, people give face, and that's all."
"Maintaining connections is necessary. When you were a girl in the Lu family, you should have known that. Take the Lunar New Year this year, for example. I estimate that just the New Year's gifts from those who visited the Lu family would be enough to sustain them from the beginning to the end of the year."
The Old Madam explained with great emphasis.
Lu Zheng's face turned from pale to red, and she was well aware of this.
"You can see for yourself. Last year, I didn't attend many occasions. So, this year, how many people do you think will come to give New Year's gifts to the Huo Family?" the Old Madam asked her.
Rong Dai saw the mother-in-law bowing her head, her mouth tightly pursed, not saying a word.
"These matters were originally the responsibility of us women, but now there's only me, you, Meishu, and Rong Rong in this family."
"I'm old, and you don't have the same social connections as others. You can't handle some of the social aspects. Meishu is your daughter, and you know her personality yourself."
"This family needs a mistress."
The Old Madam spoke out, at an age when she should be enjoying her twilight years, but her kind face still held deep concern.
"This 25% is the hard-earned fee I'm giving to Rong Rong."
The Old Madam looked at Rong Dai, her gaze earnest, tinged with some guilt.
She hadn't told this child in advance, but today, in front of her mother-in-law, she brought up the topic.
This was, in fact, a forced move, compelling the child to accept.
But she had no other choice.
Looking at the Qiao Family's situation now, she felt a sense of lingering fear.
Although the Qiao Family had a background, they were only wealthy for three generations and poor for five. On the surface, the Qiao Family still appeared prosperous, but she had experienced storms and waves and could see through it all very clearly.
The Qiao Family was already on a decline.
Although it's said that a thin camel is still bigger than a horse, once you fall from this level, it's difficult to climb back up.
As the saying goes, it's easy to transition from frugality to luxury, but difficult to transition from luxury to frugality.
Old Madam Qiao's illness came suddenly this time, and she was afraid that one day she might suddenly collapse without even having the chance to explain her final wishes.
"If that's the case, and you still insist on this 25% share, then I, as an old woman, have nothing more to say. You can handle it yourselves."
As Old Madam spoke, she even started to exhibit a childlike temper.
