Seeing that she still hadn't realized her mistake, Chen Lishu shook her head helplessly.
"Li Fang, docking your pay isn't the point. Lin Qi probably comes every day, right? You could have asked for leave in advance if you had something, or even closed the shop, and I wouldn't have said anything. But you casually left the store to a stranger. That's completely irresponsible. What if that person had malicious intentions? Would I lose all this clothing? I just checked, and you didn't even lock the cash drawer."
Li Fang didn't think it was a big problem. "How could I make such a mistake? De You isn't just anyone. He's my boyfriend, that's why I felt comfortable letting him help watch the store. Besides, I know his character. How could he steal clothes and money like you said, Sister Chen?"
Chen Lishu took a deep breath. "He's your boyfriend, not mine. Your understanding of him has nothing to do with me. What I saw was him rudely driving all my customers away. I hired you because I trusted you, but you've now betrayed that trust."
Li Fang bit her lip and looked up. "After all this, you're still going to dock my wages?"
Chen Lishu nodded. "Yes."
Zhao Deyou chimed in, "An idiotic boss like this, you might as well quit. I told you long ago not to do this job, but you wouldn't listen. Look at you now? They're docking your pay for a trivial matter. Fang, let's quit this job. When we go back, I'll tell my parents to arrange a formal position for you at the factory. Let's see who serves her then!"
Li Fang's heart stirred at his words. It wasn't a big deal in the first place, and now it was being blown out of proportion. She was the only one at the store now. If she really left, Chen Lishu would definitely panic and might even beg her to stay.
Zhao Deyou came from a well-off family, and his parents already looked down on her current job. Although she'd earn less at the factory, it was a formal position, and she had saved quite a bit of money over the past year. Now that Chen Lishu had wronged her, there was nothing worth staying for.
"Sister Chen, I've worked diligently in the store for a year. If you're going to dock my salary for such a small matter, then I can only say you've truly disappointed me."
Li Fang looked directly at Chen Lishu. "If that's the case, then I resign."
If she couldn't make Li Fang clearly recognize her mistake, Li Fang might repeat it next time. But Chen Lishu hadn't expected her to directly resign.
"Have you really thought it through?"
Li Fang didn't reply.
Zhao Deyou scoffed, "Without this job, will Fang starve?"
"Alright then." Chen Lishu didn't try to persuade her. "Give me a week. I'll find someone to take over your job as soon as possible in these few days."
Li Fang hadn't expected Chen Lishu to be so calm, not even trying to keep her. A trace of regret suddenly surfaced in her heart.
She had been at the store for a year. Although she had no days off, Lin Qi would always grant her leave if she asked and covered for her. Not only was the work easy, but the holiday benefits were even better than those in some factories. It would be difficult to find such a good place again after leaving.
But Zhao Deyou was her boyfriend, and Chen Lishu's criticism of him was like criticism of her. Furthermore, her wages were going to be docked by so much. Li Fang was also upset. "Since I'm leaving, I definitely won't be coming in from tomorrow."
Chen Lishu's eyes couldn't hide her disappointment in Li Fang, and she didn't force the issue. "Alright then, when Lin Qi comes this afternoon, I'll have him calculate your wages. You can come by to pick them up then."
Soon, Li Fang packed her belongings and left the store with Zhao Deyou, walking away without looking back.
Chen Lishu stood in place for a moment, then walked to the counter, took out paper and pen, wrote "Hiring" in large characters, and posted it in a conspicuous position at the entrance.
When Lin Qi arrived in the afternoon and heard about Li Fang, he frowned. "It's the beginning of the month, and she's only worked a few days, so calculating her wages is easy. However, finding someone to work in the store might be difficult."
"Please keep an eye on things for these few days. I'll ask others to help look around."
It was already past two in the afternoon. It would take nearly two hours to walk back, and it would be unsafe to be out after dark. After informing Lin Qi, Chen Lishu first went to the grocery store to buy two pieces of meat before returning to the village.
Before going home, Chen Lishu detoured to her parents' home.
After a year, her younger sisters had grown considerably, especially the youngest, Chen Lizi, who was now taller than the table.
"The team will be distributing meat in a few days. Why did you buy meat, child?" Wu Chunmei said with some heartache when she saw the large piece of meat her daughter handed her.
This meat must have weighed at least two catties and cost quite a bit of money.
"Normally, you and Father would be reluctant to buy it. I see Little Sister and the others have gotten thinner."
Chen Lizi tilted her head up. "Big Sister, Mother says I'm just growing, about to get taller."
Chen Lishu chuckled. She was only a few years old and already "growing."
She lowered her head, stroked her sparse yellow hair, and smiled. "Our Lizi is so pretty, you'll definitely grow tall."
Chen Lizi immediately grinned, a faint dimple appearing on her cheek.
"Father, I see the family pig hasn't been sold yet?" It was especially cold in winter, and pigs were reluctant to gain weight. Some families sold their pigs as soon as winter arrived, but the Gu family's pigs had already been sold. Chen Lishu couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Your father heard that the purchasing station would provide more fertilizer quotas this year for pigs sent to that place. The village is arguing about land distribution, so your father wants to keep it for a few more days. If the land is really to be divided among individuals, fertilizer and urea are good things, so we need to stock up."
In the past two years, many farmers had been selling pigs privately, and the quotas collected by the purchasing station were insufficient. So, they came up with a solution: for every pig sold, they would reward two more fertilizer tickets, which could then be used to purchase fertilizer at the commune.
Chen Lishu hadn't expected Chen Mandun to be so thoughtful. She nodded in agreement. "It's only a few days' difference. It's right to wait."
After chatting with her family for a while longer, Chen Lishu got up to leave. As she passed by the Liu family's house, she suddenly heard shouting from the courtyard. Chen Lishu peered inside curiously and saw that it was the widow Liu arguing with a plump woman. Foul language filled the air. Chen Lishu didn't listen further and quickly walked into her own home.
"Third Sister-in-law, is the Liu family fighting again?" Liu Yuemin, who was nursing a baby, asked curiously when she saw her return.
Chen Lishu nodded. "I saw a rather plump woman standing in their courtyard. She looked unfamiliar, not from our village."
Speaking of this matter, Liu Yuemin's spirits immediately picked up. "You definitely don't know her. That's Liu Dabao's wife, whom he married two months ago. She's a second wife with a child. Even then, it took the widow Liu a year to find her. Who knew the other party wasn't easy either, and she found herself a jinx!"
Chen Lishu really didn't know that Liu Dabao was married.