Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 702 - 703: Stick and Carrot

Chapter 702: Chapter 703: Stick and Carrot

All direct descendants of the Su Family were already gathered in the main villa of the Su Family Courtyard, all except for Miao Qingqing and Miao Xuanxuan’s mother.

Watching everyone’s clearly complex expressions, Song Xiaodong pretended not to know and went straight to sit in the chair in the middle, which had always been occupied by the old master, representing the seat of authority within the Su Family.

"A few days ago, I was still your enemy, but now here I am, taking over the Su Family, which I’m sure does not sit well with everyone. I understand this," he said.

Song Xiaodong spoke a mild opening line and then his expression darkened as he continued, "I am taking over the Su Family, and this is what you all agreed upon. From now on, I don’t want to see any covert disobedience or everyone acting in their interest to the detriment of the Su Family’s well-being. The old master spared you because of kinship, but I have no such reservations. Whoever offends me will certainly be punished severely, so... you’d better brace yourselves."

The expressions on everyone’s faces were somewhat ugly.

After laying down the law, Song Xiaodong softened his tone, "However, now that I am here, we are on the same side. I will not dwell on past grievances; any misconduct in the Su Family will be cut off from the moment I took over. Privately, I do not expect your complete loyalty to me, that’s unrealistic, but when it comes to the affairs of the Su Family, you must be utterly clear and committed."

"As for the specific management of the Su Family’s assets, you all know your positions well. I will not embezzle, everything will be distributed according to a shareholding system, which is probably what you are most concerned about—I will distribute dividends monthly, computed from the profits of the whole Su Family, not the direct allocations like before. I suppose it will be more than what you received previously. The specific amounts will be audited by the finance department; after all, with such a large family business, we need to maintain adequate working capital."

"Another point, apart from the existing relationships in the Su Family, I will also utilize my connections to support those in government and military circles, and I will do everything I can to promote their faster development."

Song Xiaodong outlined these major directions and the faces of the Su Family members eased quite a bit.

These aspects were quite exciting for them, and they could feel that if these policies were implemented, they would certainly gain more than before.

The Su Family, though large in business, was run as a patriarchal system where everything was controlled by the family head. Perform well and you get more benefits, perform poorly and you get less, even losing everything if you angered the old master. But now it was different—even without ability, simply by virtue of holding shares, they could maintain a superior lifestyle through dividends alone.

Seeing everyone’s expressions soften, Song Xiaodong then said, "Now, I announce that Su Yuya will be my assistant."

The faces of the Su Family members changed slightly, and Su Tongfei, as the eldest brother, said, "Family Head, although Su Yuya is my sister, she is married off, and it may not be appropriate for her to occupy such an important position."

Song Xiaodong directly replied, "In my eyes, there is no difference between men and women if the capability is there. Any member of the Su Family, if capable enough, can take on major responsibilities. Even if it is a girl, if she is particularly outstanding in some aspect, I will also allow her to hold significant positions and provide ample resources for her development."

Su Tongfei furrowed his brow and said, "Family Head, but a girl will eventually marry, and the family expending great efforts to cultivate her only for her to benefit another family seems somewhat of a loss."

Song Xiaodong smiled slightly and replied, "What if she marries into another family? She is still working for the Su Family, striving for its prosperity."

Su Tongfei insisted, "If it were for business, it wouldn’t be much of an issue, but to cultivate her for a political role means she could be taken away, and such training definitely requires greater investment."

Song Xiaodong stroked his chin and remarked, "You make some sense. This might indeed be a loss for our Su Family. But as a member of the Su Family, even if she marries into another family in the future, she remains our daughter—that doesn’t change. Like Su Yuya, even though she married out, hasn’t she done much for the Su Family?"

Everyone fell silent; none could deny this point as Su Yuya might have considered the interests of the Su Family more than even its sons.

Song Xiaodong added, "Furthermore, I want to make it clear that the Su Family will not force girls to marry for profit. Of course, you parents still have your own thoughts, and that’s your business, but what I can ensure is that I won’t engage in such practices. As for them choosing their equals as partners, that’s their own affair."

The young girls of the Su Family perked up at this statement. As young people, most wanted to choose someone they loved rather than being forced to marry someone unfamiliar.

This was true for the boys too; they were a generation pursuing individuality. Before, they knew their wives would be arranged by the family, but now the prospect of finding someone on their own was a very happy thought.

Thus, by saying this, Song Xiaodong indeed won the good graces of many young people.

"I know there are still many issues that I cannot fully consider right now, and even the things I have considered might not be comprehensive, but these major policies will not change. Any minor flaws can be further rectified through our collective research in the future. That’s all for today; you may all leave now," he concluded.

The people of the Su Family dispersed, each needing to digest these changes; after all, for those accustomed to the large family life, many of these changes touched their very foundations.

Taking a deep breath, Song Xiaodong leaned back and said, "This really is exhausting."

Su Yuya chuckled and replied,