423: Chapter 424 Let the children come!

After most people had left the hall, Ye Changge's gaze shifted, and he signaled to Lu Shiyin and Xiao Caiyue, "Shiyin, Caiyue, stay behind for a moment."

Hearing this, the two exchanged a glance and sat back down. Lu Shiyin tucked the jade slip in her hand into her sleeve, while Xiao Caiyue gently closed the thick stack of account books and placed them on her lap.

The doors closed, and the hall fell silent for a moment. A few crisp bird calls drifted in from outside the window, making the room seem all the more tranquil.

Ye Changge walked over to the main seat and sat down. He lifted his teacup and took a sip, but did not speak immediately. A thought had been lingering in his mind for some time, and today was the perfect opportunity to discuss it thoroughly with the two of them.

"Sister Shiyin, Caiyue, in terms of the Family System, what aspects do you think still need improvement?"

He set down his teacup, looked at them, and spoke with a serious tone.

Ye Changge knew clearly that although his Family was currently thriving, with Spirit Stone income flowing in like water and the Puppet Factory already in preparation, besides these "visible" gains, the Family's ethos and System had to be taken seriously as well.

Although he had risen rapidly, he always maintained a clear awareness—his Family was ultimately different from the Ye Family of Biluo Lake.

The Ye Family of Biluo Lake had been passed down for hundreds of years, with flourishing branches and intertwined roots. Since their blood relations were separated by several generations, it was inevitable that their bonds would be thin. Therefore, they emphasized rules in everything, with strict Family regulations, layer upon layer, where everything had to be precise and orderly.

But his Family was different.

How many years had his Family even been developing? Although he already had seventy or eighty children, most of them were still of a tender age. His wives and concubines were all one big Family, getting along harmoniously in their daily lives; where could there be any estrangement?

To put it bluntly, rather than a "Family," it was more like a "big household."

As for himself, the head of the household, he was either in seclusion to Cultivate or out traveling and toiling. The internal affairs were mostly handled by Lu Shiyin, Xiao Caiyue, and the others, while he managed things loosely and casually, too lazy to be fussy about many matters.

Lu Shiqing, Liu Yiyi, and the others were all gentle in nature. Watching their own children grow day by day, they only felt love for them; how could they bear to discipline them strictly?

Under such circumstances, they naturally wouldn't be too harsh with the children, nor would they follow rules for everything.

Although Ye Changge felt something was not quite right, he couldn't put his finger on it, only feeling that continuing like this would likely be inappropriate.

Now that Xiao Caiyue had newly arrived, it was the perfect time to pool their wisdom and sort these matters out.

"Husband, regarding the Family System, I believe there are a few points that need attention."

Xiao Caiyue exchanged a glance with Lu Shiyin, smiled faintly, and spoke first.

Today, she was wearing a moon-white crossed-collar dress with a light green thin shirt draped over it. Although simple, it highlighted her gentle features, bringing a sense of intellectual composure to her dignified demeanor.

"Just speak your mind, Caiyue." Ye Changge looked at her with a sincere tone, "You know that my ability in this area is not as good as yours. If you have any thoughts, feel free to bring them up."

He had always been self-aware, knowing that his Aptitude for Family management was mediocre, far less detailed and thorough than his wives. Therefore, he never put on airs; whoever offered sound advice, he would listen to them.

Xiao Caiyue nodded gently, pushed her teacup to the side, and said with a serious expression:

"Husband, I believe that matters like the spirit fields, fishery products, medicinal gardens, as well as Family shops and external cooperation, should all be handed over to the children to handle."

She paused, and seeing Ye Changge's brows twitch slightly, she continued:

"This way, all the children who have reached the appropriate age will have proper work to do. It can both temper their Heart-Nature and train their ability to handle affairs. It is far better than letting them spend their days only knowing how to Cultivate or being idle."

"Otherwise, if we continue to let Miaoyun and the others manage everything, it will likely not be a good thing for the Family ethos."

Hearing this, Ye Changge was slightly taken aback, then raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

He vaguely caught onto something in his heart, but hadn't fully thought it through yet.

Xiao Caiyue picked up her teacup, took a sip, and looked at him with a half-smile:

"Husband, let me ask you—if Yiyi and the others make a mistake while handling Family affairs, will you punish them?"

Ye Changge was stunned by her question. He thought about it seriously for a moment, then honestly shook his head: "Probably not… at most, I would just say a few words."

He was always generous and lenient toward his wives and concubines. Even if there were minor oversights, he treated them as mere slips among Family members and had never truly gotten angry or imposed punishments.

"That is exactly the point."

Xiao Caiyue put down her teacup and gently rubbed the rim with her fingertips. Her tone was unhurried but clear and logical,

"They already have to manage many internal affairs of the household, and now they also have to oversee these industries. They are busy from dawn till dusk without a moment of rest, so oversights are inevitable."

"If the harvest from the spirit fields is poor, the shop accounts don't match, or the losses in the medicinal gardens are a bit too high… you, Husband, wouldn't say anything, and naturally, no one else would dare to say anything either."

"Once or twice is fine, but if it continues for a long time, it will make people feel that—there seems to be no difference between doing well and doing poorly. Without clear rewards and punishments, it is difficult to convince the masses; without established rules, the hearts of the people will scatter."

Ye Changge's heart skipped a beat as he listened, and he immediately realized the crux of the problem.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "What you say is reasonable."

Seeing that he had taken it to heart, Xiao Caiyue picked up her teacup again, took an elegant sip, and continued:

"Now there are quite a few children in the Family. Once they reach fourteen or fifteen years of age and their minds are beginning to mature, they can be assigned tasks. It doesn't matter if they make mistakes at first—in a Family as large as ours, are we really afraid of the small cost of trial and error for the children?"

"Moreover, when children make mistakes, we as elders can teach them and give them a few words of advice. They won't hold any resentment. But if the elders make a mistake, and you feel it is inappropriate but find it inconvenient to say much, the children will be even less likely to speak up."

"As time goes by, the only thing left in the Family will be a false sense of harmony, and no one will dare to be serious about anything."

After she finished speaking, she gently placed the teacup on the table, looked up at Ye Changge, and with a warm smile in her eyes, asked: "What do you think, Husband?"

Lu Shiyin, listening from the side, also nodded gently and said softly: "Changge, Sister Xiao's words make sense."

She reached out and tugged at Ye Changge's sleeve, adding softly:

"I have also been thinking these past few days that our Family's scope has grown large now. If everything is pressed onto the shoulders of us few, it will ultimately not be a long-term solution. The children must learn to grow up; they cannot hide behind us forever."

Ye Changge listened to their words and remained silent for a long time.

All this time, he had always felt that the children were still young and there was no need to rush them into taking on responsibilities. But thinking about it carefully, hadn't he been pushed to the forefront when he had his System Awakening at eighteen, and walked step by step to where he was today?

While the children certainly didn't need to be as rushed as he was back then, they couldn't be kept in a honey pot forever either. When they needed to be toughened up, he had to let go and let them face the challenges.