The large, fat woman screamed as she was whipped, as if she were a pig being slaughtered.
Tao Hongying showed no mercy and really put in a lot of effort.
Fortunately, it was only early spring, and everyone was dressed fairly warmly. The plump woman was even wearing two or three layers, including an inner garment and an outer garment.
But this is actually more advantageous for Tao Hongying, because the broom strikes without leaving a mark, yet it hurts just as much.
Fearing things would escalate, Zhao Yuru stopped her sister-in-law and advised, "Hongying, just teach them a lesson. It's not worth getting angry with people like that."
Tao Hongying then threw down the broom and scolded, "Next time you try to be a scoundrel, remember to open your eyes! Don't you know you can't afford to mess with our family?!"
"You're lucky you ran into me today. If my husband were here, he'd grab you and throw you against the wall, and your head would be smashed like an egg!"
The fat woman cried and tried to get up, but her whole body ached!
Tao Hongying then looked at the remaining three people, who were so frightened that they quickly shrank back.
The woman whispered, "We...we dare not slack off anymore, we will definitely work hard!"
"No need!" Tao Hongying sneered. "As long as you're paid, you can find good people anywhere. What are you doing in the canteen, scheming and plotting behind my back?"
"Get out of here! If you dare show your face in the cafeteria again, I'll break your legs!"
The three of them looked grim upon hearing this, and finally panicked.
They can't afford to lose their jobs; they're counting on this job to earn a living.
I had to pull a lot of strings to get a job in the cafeteria.
However, the cafeteria has been quite busy these past two years. Apart from students coming to buy pancakes and steamed buns in the morning, no one comes at noon or in the evening.
They developed a habit of being lazy and only taking money without doing any work...
This time, the Li family took over the canteen. Upon hearing that they would be selling meals morning, noon, and night and serving the students food and drink, they knew their workload would be several times greater than before.
None of them wanted to work, but they wanted to use the excuse of having more work to raise their wages. So, they discussed it together and decided on this strategy of dragging things out.
Thinking that the Li family was unfamiliar with the cafeteria and would be wary of their powerful backers, they knew there was nothing they could do about it.
They not only demanded high wages but also gained an unfair advantage over their employers, allowing them to continue being lazy and unwilling to work.
It must be said that the plan was good and the idea was beautiful, but unfortunately, reality is cruel.
At this moment, the three of them were filled with remorse. They looked at each other and quickly knelt down.
The woman practically wanted to cling to Tao Hongying's leg, pleading tearfully, "Madam, please, forgive us this time. We'll never dare to do it again! We promise to work hard from now on! I have a three-year-old child at home. If the men drink and don't work, and I lose my job, my family will definitely starve."
The two men also kowtowed, one of them saying, "Madam, we were wrong. We really didn't want this to happen; it was all those two women's fault!"
The large, fat woman struggled to her feet, and was somewhat bewildered to see her companion in this state.
We agreed to charge into battle together, but I ended up being shot at. Not only did you not offer any help, but you also defected to the enemy!
She couldn't help but yell, "Didn't we agree to stick together and take down the new employer?"
The two men wanted to spit in her face. One of them cursed, "It's all because of you, you stupid pig, that you instigated us to cause trouble! You're from the same clan as the director, you have someone backing you up, but we don't! If you want to cause trouble, keep causing trouble, we're not playing along, we need to get back to work!"
Tao Hongying was too lazy to listen to their bickering, so she called Uncle Wu for help and took the dirty bowl and chopsticks to the front gate. She also called the four men to stand aside.
The dining hall was located near the residences of the gentlemen, and many of their families and servants were out and about.
They were already curious about the clattering and bustling activity in the cafeteria, and would often take a look, especially now that several handymen had been brought out along with their basins.
Within moments, a dozen or so people had gathered at the entrance.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru were standing on the steps when Tao Hongying secretly pushed Zhao Yuru.
Her meaning was clear: she could help stand up for Zhao Yuru, but only temporarily. In the future, Zhao Yuru would still have to run the cafeteria, and she couldn't keep hiding behind her forever.
Zhao Yuru understood this principle, so she took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "Brothers and sisters, we have been instructed by the dean to reopen the cafeteria. We have been cleaning and wiping it down and making some new arrangements these past few days."
"I originally wanted to keep these handymen, since they were more familiar with the cafeteria and I was hoping they could lend a hand. But I didn't expect them to be so shameless. The four of them only washed one basin of dishes in three days, and they were so dirty. It's just too much!"
"From now on, how can students eat with bowls and plates like these? Even if they do eat, they'll get an upset stomach, which will interfere with their studies. And yet, they're still demanding a raise, threatening to shut down our canteen if we don't give them one!"
"Our school is a place for nurturing students, and the canteen is where students can focus on their studies. These scoundrels really can't be allowed to stay! Otherwise, if they harbor resentment one day and put something in their food, it will truly ruin the academy!"
The onlookers nodded in agreement. They lived nearby and had seen firsthand what kind of people the cafeteria staff were like; they were hardly diligent.
Now that he couldn't bully his new employer, it's only right that he's being kicked out.
Just as Zhao Yuru said, if they resort to underhanded tactics, the entire academy will suffer.
Someone shouted, "People like this shouldn't be kept around."
Some people joked, "They took the wages but didn't do any work before, so they won't get any benefits from them now!"
The four laborers' faces turned ashen; they had thought that after the new employer had dragged them out and scolded them, he would still keep them.
He got scolded, but he still lost the job.
The large, fat woman, in particular, immediately exploded, jumping up and down and yelling, "You just wait! I'm going to find the dean and kick you all out! The academy can do without you, or with me, you can't!"
Just then, Old Lady Li and Li Laosan returned.
After hearing her daughter-in-law's brief explanation, Old Lady Li completely ignored the four handymen and instead instructed her son, "These dishes are no longer needed. They're so dirty that even if you scald them with hot water, they're unusable."
"What if the kids get sick? Tell the third brother that we need to have a fresh start for the opening, so we should get all the pots and pans new!"
Zhao Yuru immediately replied, "Yes, Mother, we originally wanted to get new ones. But it would be a waste to leave these old ones lying around, so we washed them clean and kept them for future use. Who would have thought they would make them even dirtier?"
Grandma Li nodded, then turned and went into the yard with her son and daughter-in-law.
The large woman and the three handymen were left standing there, unable to believe that the matter was over just like that.
They were indeed kicked out of the cafeteria, and they never got any work again. They didn't even get compensation for the wages they had earned over the past few days...
The fat woman was furious and ran away, covering her face.
No need to guess, they've gone to complain.
The other three also wanted to file a complaint and find someone to back them up, but they didn't dare.
Firstly, the Li family acted too aggressively, and finding someone to help them might not be effective.
Secondly, they were truly in the wrong...
The only thing we can count on now is the fat old woman!
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