The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

In the past, Gu’er would have believed what Li Hua said. But after hearing from Zheng Xinghua, she watched her mother’s expression intently. She noticed a flicker of hesitation as Li Hua spoke. ’It seems Xinghua wasn’t lying,’ she thought. ’Mom didn’t tell me because she was afraid I’d worry.’

"Mom, after you started working here, the reason I didn’t tell anyone our relationship was so you could help me see if people act the same in public as they do in private. I hand out so many bonuses each month not because I have money to burn, but because I want to reward the employees who work hard and diligently. But what if some employees don’t do their jobs properly? They slack off, cut corners, and even cheat the system to win the outstanding employee award and take the bonus money. Isn’t that unfair? If one person gets away with it, a second one will follow. It’s not fair to the people who are actually doing their work. They’ll start to complain, think we’re being unjust, and then they’ll get demoralized and stop working hard. Plus, when they see this happening, others will start to copy them. Over time, if everyone is like that, no one will be doing any real work. If they don’t do a good job, the store’s business will suffer. And if business is bad, we won’t be able to stay open and we’ll lose a lot of money. Don’t you agree, Mom?"

Gu’er knew her mother was a kind person who was generally unwilling to speak ill of others. The reason she would talk to someone like Lin Shuying was that they were birds of a feather and could gossip freely. Li Hua just saw it as idle chatter. But Gu’er was the one managing these people. Her mother was likely afraid that if she reported her coworkers, they would resent her. That’s why she kept quiet, not because she didn’t trust her own daughter.

"Is it really that serious?"

Li Hua was clearly alarmed by what Gu’er said.

"Of course it is. I wouldn’t have brought it up if it wasn’t. But as long as you aren’t being bullied and things like that aren’t happening, it’s fine."

Gu’er smiled at Li Hua.

"Gu... Gu’er, let me tell you. I didn’t want to say anything because I was afraid people would accuse me of badmouthing them. But now that you’ve put it that way, I have to tell you. There are five of us on the cleaning crew, and each of us is responsible for one floor. It should be a perfectly fair arrangement. But your Aunt Chun’er, Aunt Xiuxiu, and Sister-in-law Yu Hua are lazy. They’re always claiming they have something else to do and then making me and your Aunt Fengzhi clean the bathrooms and everything on their floors. They even make us do their mopping. They say since they were here first and we came later, we should do more work. They also claimed they know people who can ’take care of us,’ and if we don’t listen, they’ll have someone dock our pay. I just figured that since this is your store, it was only right for me to do a little extra, so I did their work for them. But now that you mention it, I realize... Your Aunt Fengzhi has a real problem with it. She’s complained to me several times that it’s unfair. She said Aunt Chun’er is related to the person who picks the outstanding employees, which is why they always win the award while we get nothing. Thinking about it now, you’re the ones who pay our salaries and give out the bonuses. But to hear them talk, you’d think the money was coming from them. It’s just not right."

’So they’re relatives,’ Gu’er thought, nodding to herself.

"Mom, besides this, have you heard if something similar is happening with the sales staff or in other departments?"

Gu’er asked.

"Well, I’ve overheard talk about a couple of others, Song Ming and Feng Juan. Apparently, they aren’t very good at their jobs either, but they still always get the outstanding employee award. I heard some people gossiping in the bathroom that they give a portion of their bonus money each month to the person who selects the winners, which is how they get picked. I don’t know if it’s true, though. Gu’er, can’t we just get rid of this whole outstanding employee award? You spend so much extra money every month, and what do you get for it? Some people say you have poor judgment, giving the awards to slackers. You’re just throwing money away and getting criticized for it. We should just stop."

Li Hua’s heart ached for Gu’er, and she felt indignant on her behalf.

"Thank you, Mom. If you hadn’t told me, I would have been completely in the dark. I’m so glad you spoke up. If you hear anything else like this in the future, you have to tell me, okay? As for the bonus for outstanding employees, we can’t get rid of it. It’s what motivates people. The ones cheating the system are in the minority. Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve got it handled."

Gu’er knew her mother meant well, but she had no intention of canceling the bonuses. In fact, she planned to increase them in the future. The person in charge of the selection process, however, was another matter. It was time for a change.

"As long as you have a plan, that’s all that matters. I don’t understand all this business stuff. If I hear anything else, I’ll come and tell you."

That was one of the good things about Li Hua. She was reasonable and wouldn’t try to meddle in things she didn’t understand.

That evening, Gu’er told Sun Jiaming what she had learned. He was just as surprised as she was that such a thing could be happening. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"What are you thinking?"

Sun Jiaming asked Gu’er.

"My idea is to expand the selection panel for the outstanding employee award to three people. That way, they can keep an eye on each other. If one of them is found to be corrupt or unfair, the other two can report them. If the report is substantiated, the whistleblowers get a reward. I believe that will stop anyone from daring to cheat. As for those who have already been cheating, we’ll gather evidence first. Then we’ll dock three months of their bonuses and redistribute that money to the employees who actually work hard. That will send a clear message: cheat to get one month’s bonus, and you’ll lose three. I doubt anyone would dare to try it after that. If they want the bonus, they’ll have to work for it. And for the employees who don’t win the main award but still work diligently, we can give them smaller, occasional bonuses to show our appreciation. This will foster healthy competition and, over time, get rid of this toxic culture. What do you think, Brother Jia Ming?"

"That’s more or less what I was thinking, too. Let’s get Li Zhi and the others together in the next couple of days to discuss it. If there are no issues, we’ll set up a meeting with Qu Feng and implement the new regulations starting next month."

Sun Jiaming agreed with Gu’er’s plan.

"Gu’er, do you suspect Qu Feng?"

Sun Jiaming asked.

"No, not at all. He’s the general manager, and I think he runs things quite well. He’s incredibly busy every day, focused on how to best operate the store and dealing with all kinds of issues. He probably just hasn’t noticed what’s been going on. I’m sure he’s unaware. Besides, we pay him a very high salary. He wouldn’t risk his position for such a small amount of bonus money."

Gu’er answered after a moment of thought. Qu Feng was a good manager. With the store in his and Liu Yuan’s hands, she and Sun Jiaming had much less to worry about. She truly didn’t suspect him.

Sun Jiaming pulled Gu’er into his arms. ’Her judgment of people is always spot on.’

"Now that we’re done talking about the store," he murmured, "shouldn’t we get down to some real business?"

As he spoke, he began to nibble on her ear, his hand slipping inside her clothes.

"Isn’t store business real business?"

Gu’er knew exactly what he meant, and she felt her cheeks grow warm.