Chapter 112 Employees Voluntarily Work Overtime Together?
"Hey lady, are these cabbages on sale this afternoon? Can you give me a discount? I'd like to buy a few more," Su Yingxue said with a smile to a stall owner.
The stall owner looked at her and said, "Girl, this is already very cheap. If it's any cheaper, I really won't make any profit. But since you're buying a lot, I'll lower the price by two cents per pound."
Su Yingxue quickly thanked them and picked out a few fresh tomatoes. Then, she went to select lettuce, radishes, and other vegetables that store well. At each stall, she carefully inquired about the prices, trying to buy the most ingredients for the least amount of money.
While Su Yingxue was busy at the vegetable market, her colleagues in the company's break room started whispering among themselves while eating sweet potato desserts.
Mengmeng said in a slightly embarrassed voice, "The boss makes such delicious food, but he's too busy to even have a bite. I was just wondering why he didn't come and try it."
Ada nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right. Linda told me last time that the boss said the account was empty, which is why he started cooking for us. It's so kind of him. Our company is in such a tight cash flow right now, and the boss is still trying to make sure we eat well. We can't let him down."
Xiao Li chimed in, "Yeah, I heard from the finance department that the company's accounts are really low on cash lately. The boss is trying to attract investment everywhere to keep the company running, and he can't even afford a decent meal for himself. We can't be picky about food anymore; as long as it fills our stomachs, that's fine."
Xiao Li said with some guilt, "I used to complain that the food didn't suit my taste, but now that I think about it, the boss has already tried his best. The sweet potato dessert is so delicious today, the boss must have put a lot of thought into it."
Everyone chimed in with their own thoughts, and they all felt a greater sense of understanding and gratitude towards their boss, Su Yingxue.
They began to reflect on their previous behavior and realized that they had sometimes been unaware of their own good fortune.
"Actually, the company is on the verge of collapse." Wang Datou's voice was low as he stared down at the unfinished sweet potato glutinous rice ball in his hand, the rice skin still covered with a little bit of icing sugar.
"You wouldn't believe it, the boss is really anxious. There's only so little money in the account, so she's doing this to increase revenue and cut costs."
He looked up, glanced around at his colleagues, his eyes filled with worry. "But she said that everyone's wages will definitely be paid, and there won't be any delays."
Wang Datou's words were like a heavy stone, crashing into the originally relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
The air in the rest area seemed to freeze instantly. The lively discussion that had just taken place came to an abrupt halt, leaving only the soft sound of dessert forks gently touching plates.
The office was silent, with only the hum of the air conditioner echoing in the air.
Holding the sweet potato soup in her hands, Xiao Zhao felt an unusual heaviness in the once warm and sweet liquid. She recalled passing by the boss's office yesterday and seeing Su Yingxue sitting alone at her desk through the half-open door, staring at the financial statements on the computer screen, her brows furrowed, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the surface.
“Our performance last month was really bad,” Ada chimed in, her voice filled with self-reproach.
“Just one order. No wonder, the boss sold the company before.” He recalled the difficult period the company went through last month, when the once bustling office became deserted and projects were postponed or canceled one after another.
"Sigh." Linda sighed, her fingers unconsciously stirring the sweet potato filling in the bowl. "What to do?"
She looked around and saw that her colleagues' faces were filled with anxiety and confusion. They were all top graduates from prestigious universities who had joined this startup with dreams in their hearts, but they never expected to face such a predicament.
Although I've been having a lot of fun slacking off lately, I still feel anxious seeing that I have nothing to do every day.
They are all top students who graduated from university. Although they always say they like to slack off and have fun, they still want to do something to help the company.
The office clock struck five, and the bell rang precisely on time to signal the end of the workday. Xiao Li glanced at his watch, then at his colleagues around him, who were shrouded in a somber atmosphere, and said somewhat apologetically, "Everyone, it's afternoon, five o'clock..."
“But I didn’t get anything done today,” Ada interrupted Xiao Li, her voice filled with frustration.
"I felt a little uncomfortable after eating the boss's food, including braised pork and afternoon tea."
He felt a pang of guilt as he recalled that he had barely touched his work that afternoon, spending most of his time enjoying the delicious food his boss had prepared.
The atmosphere in the office grew even heavier. Xiao Li put down her bowl and said softly, "Actually... the boss is more tired than any of us every day." She recalled seeing Su Yingxue rush into the office that morning, with her obvious dark circles and slightly weary steps.
“Yes,” Linda nodded, “that boxed lunch… thirty yuan a serving, and the owner made it even better than the fancy restaurants I’ve eaten at.”
She recalled Su Yingxue in the conference room, eating her boxed lunch while attentively listening to their report. "She never complained."
In a corner of the rest area, Mengmeng muttered to herself, "I was secretly browsing job websites this morning..." She stopped abruptly, noticing the looks her colleagues were giving her, and her face flushed red.
Ada stood up, walked to the window, looked at the darkening sky outside, and took a deep breath: "How about... starting tomorrow, everyone takes on more work?"
He turned around and looked at his colleagues, "Given the current situation of the company, we can't rely on the boss alone to hold it together."
Xiao Li nodded: "I agree. Although I might not be of much help, at least I'll do my job well."
Wang Datou picked up his phone and quickly sent a message to the department group chat: "Everyone, who's free tonight? Let's work overtime together and refine that long-delayed project proposal."
As soon as the message was sent, several replies popped up in the group:
I'm free tonight!
"Me too!"
"Do I need to prepare any documents?"
Su Yingxue pushed open the door and walked into the rest area, carrying fresh ingredients she had bought from the market.
She noticed her colleagues huddled together, whispering. Although she couldn't hear the specifics, she sensed the change in atmosphere. She smiled and walked over, saying softly, "Thank you all for your hard work today. Tomorrow I'm making tomato and beef brisket soup; everyone can eat plenty to nourish themselves."
Wang Datou was the first to stand up, patted Ada on the shoulder and said, "Let's go back to our workstations! Let's finish the work we didn't complete today!" His voice was full of energy again.
Ada nodded and picked up her notebook from the table: "Yes, I'll finish writing the report for tomorrow's client first."
Xiao Li, the receptionist, also picked up her visitor log and tried to call and communicate with the interested visitors who had come earlier.
Everyone was working, and watching Su Yingxue made her feel a little excited. She started to urge everyone on.
"Come again tomorrow, go home and rest!"
Everyone was still refusing, saying, "No, no, let me work a little longer."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com