Chen Lishu entered the shop and immediately saw Li Fang standing behind the counter. She frowned instinctively, scanned the shop, and finally spotted Xie Dani in a corner next to the fitting room.
"Sister Chen?"
Li Fang was tallying accounts. She looked up when she heard the door open. Upon seeing Chen Lishu, she quickly got up with a smile and went to greet her, saying with a hint of seeking praise, "Why did you come over in this cold weather? There are so many people buying clothes before the New Year. I’ve already sold three items since this morning, including a cashmere sweater."
Chen Lishu showed no reaction to Li Fang's words. Instead, she turned to Xie Dani and said, "Come here for a moment."
Hearing Chen Lishu call her, Xie Dani thought she was going to talk about firing her. Her heart tightened, and she hesitantly stepped forward to plead, "Sister Chen, I… I know I'm not good with words and I don't do a good job at work, but I promise I'll work twice as hard. I… I'm diligent, strong, and can endure hardship. Can you please not send me away?"
Besides the shop, she truly had nowhere else to go. If even Chen Lishu didn't need her, she really didn't know what else she could do. The days working in the shop were the happiest she had experienced in years. She didn't have to suffer hunger or cold, nor endure scolding and curses. She really wanted to continue staying. "I know I'm not as good as this big sister in any aspect. I can just help out with odd jobs here and don't need such a high salary. I promise not to cause any trouble for the shop."
Who is your big sister? Li Fang said impolitely, "You're already causing trouble for Sister Chen by being here. You can't even speak Mandarin properly, and you can't even read customers' expressions. Do you feel right taking an extra salary?"
"Why aren't you at your post during working hours, letting an outsider sell goods for you?" Chen Lishu said, her expression slightly stern.
Xie Dani blinked, looking at Chen Lishu with confusion, "Sister Chen, what… what do you mean?"
Li Fang's face stiffened. She forced a smile and explained, "Sister Chen, I was indeed wrong before. I said some things I shouldn't have when I heard you were going to deduct my salary. I've reflected on it at home these past few days. Your teachings were all for my own good, and I promise I'll never make that mistake again."
Chen Lishu turned her head and smiled at her, "It's alright, it's all in the past. Consider this another kind of gain from your work. Just make sure you don't repeat it when you go to other units."
Li Fang's face turned pale, "Sister Chen, what do you mean?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "I didn't expect you to come back to the shop to visit even after resigning. You can come back to reminisce anytime you're free, just don't be so polite anymore, or my sales assistants will learn to be lazy."
If Li Fang couldn't understand Chen Lishu's refusal now, she would be a fool. As expected, chasing after someone doesn't lead to a good outcome. "Sister Chen, I'm offering you a goodwill gesture, don't be unappreciative. Take a look at the kind of person you've hired. Her mouth reeks of a country bumpkin. Hearing her 'I… I… I' makes me feel sick. How is she better than me in any way?"
"Heh." Seeing her sudden change in demeanor, Chen Lishu couldn't help but chuckle, "Li Fang, being from the countryside isn't a problem. I don't need overly sophisticated people, as my shop has no shortage of fashionable clothing."
Considering she had worked at the shop for over a year and was one of the first sales assistants, Chen Lishu wasn't too angry. Instead, she kindly explained, "You're too young. You can't think someone is superior just because they wear nice clothes and speak a bit of fancy language. The most important thing in a person is their heart. No matter how flawed Xie Dani may be, she is honest, diligent, and motivated. These are the qualities I need."
Li Fang, however, did not understand her intentions at all, nor did she listen to a single word. She only knew that Chen Lishu no longer intended to employ her, and even prattled on with a string of words just to mock her indirectly. "Bah, it's just a broken shop opened by a petty capitalist. Who cares? Many places are waiting for me. If I didn't feel sorry for you and fear you'd have no one here, I wouldn't even come. Who knew you'd be so unappreciative? Let me tell you, Chen Lishu, don't regret this. Once I walk out this door today, I wouldn't come back even if carried by an eight-bearer sedan chair."
Chen Lishu drew back her smile, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes, "Your concern is completely unnecessary. Anyone who leaves my shop, for whatever reason, I will never rehire them for life." Although the choice was mutual, Chen Lishu was a person who couldn't tolerate sand in her eyes. If someone resigned due to their own reasons, it was definitely because the person had carefully considered and felt the job was no longer suitable, so there was no reason for them to feel it was suitable afterward. If they were forced to leave, it must be because they had crossed her bottom line, making rehiring even more impossible.
As soon as Chen Lishu finished speaking, Li Fang's face turned red and then white. She stared intently at Chen Lishu for a moment, then, infuriated, she flung her arm and turned to leave abruptly. As the shop door slammed shut with a bang, Xie Dani flinched instinctively.
"She came to the shop and did all that, and you just watched without stopping her?" Chen Lishu asked Xie Dani.
Xie Dani explained in a small voice, "She said she had only taken a few days off, and I was just filling in temporarily for two days."
"You believed that?" Seeing her self-reproaching expression, as if she were about to cry, Chen Lishu couldn't help but sigh, "From now on, unless it's Lin Qi or me who says something, you don't need to pay attention to anyone else. Since it's your first offense today, I won't punish you severely. I'll deduct one yuan from your salary. Be more careful next time. The counter is the most important place. As an employee of the shop, how can you allow others to get close to it?"
Xie Dani nodded, "Yes, Sister Chen, I know I was wrong. I promise I'll never do it again." She had made such a big mistake today, yet Chen Lishu didn't intend to fire her. Moreover, she had chosen her over Li Fang. Compared to that, deducting one yuan was nothing. Xie Dani felt nothing but gratitude, without any thought of complaint. Chen Lishu naturally valued this aspect of her. A grateful person, no matter when, would never have bad character.
"The New Year is approaching. Although you are new, you should still receive the same benefits and treatment. A new year, a fresh start. Choose whatever you like from the shop, or if you like something from another store, I can give you money to buy it yourself."
Xie Dani suddenly looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief, "Sister Chen, can I… can I have new clothes?" She hadn't worn new clothes for many years since her parents passed away.