The women were all honest and not like Loudspeaker with her big mouth, prone to laziness; they shook their heads in unison and pointed towards the drain, speaking with one voice, "We all poured it into the drain."
What they called a drain was actually just a small ditch that connected directly to a wastewater pond outside, which had been specially dug at Lin Yuan’s request after she took over the estate. Making tofu generates quite a bit of wastewater, and with this pond, things would be much cleaner.
Lin Yuan narrowed her eyes as she looked at Loudspeaker, her voice growing even colder, "What’s this? It’s too far for you? We’re all workers here, all women. Do you think you’re more delicate and precious than the others? If that’s truly the case, then someone like you, a spoiled rich girl, has no place in my tofu shop."
Loudspeaker had never expected Lin Yuan to come through the door and immediately seize on her wrongdoing, and now she had even spoken of dismissing her.
When Lan Hua had said these things just moments before, she wasn’t that afraid. After all, Lan Hua was just a worker like her, but Lin Yuan was different—she was the boss, and a boss who was able to run a shop and do business at just twelve years old. On her first day working here, she had realized that this young girl was no ordinary woman.
Loudspeaker knew when to bow and when to stand tall; she quickly put on a mournful face and began to plead, "Boss, boss, I know I was wrong, please don’t fire me. I... I rely on this job to feed my family! Boss, I’m begging you, I won’t do it again, I promise, I swear! If I dare to be lazy again, may I... may I drown or suffocate in the drain!"
Looking at Loudspeaker and how quickly her tears came, evoking pity, Lin Yuan turned her face away in disgust. If it weren’t for the repulsive words she had heard earlier, based solely on her current performance, she might have been moved by compassion to let her off. However, a woman , who refused to take instruction, acted as she pleased, and harbored a deeply vile heart, could not be allowed to stay.
"You needn’t beg me; since I walked in the door, you have already made quite a few mistakes," Lin Yuan said, not wanting to make the situation too embarrassing. She turned to Lan Hua and continued, "In this tofu room, I am the boss, my word is final. In this kitchen, Lan Hua is the steward, and her word is final. She told you to pour the dirty water into the drain, and you didn’t. She told you not to chatter during work, and you didn’t listen. She said she didn’t need you anymore and told you to go, but you didn’t take her seriously."
Lin Yuan stepped closer, and although she was shorter than Loudspeaker, her presence was overwhelmingly more commanding, "Loudspeaker, you should know what is the most taboo for workers, right? That’s right, it’s disobedience. Since you can’t take instruction, then my small tofu shop cannot accommodate a big Buddha like you. Off you go, back where you came from!"
Loudspeaker felt uncomfortable under her gaze; how could a girl much younger than herself look at someone with such a dominating presence?
Seeing that Loudspeaker still had not moved, Lin Yuan slowly walked over to the shelf where the tofu was drying and lifted up the slab of tofu that had been moved there earlier. At one corner, there was a palm-sized chunk missing, along with the faint imprint of a few fingers.
"Is this the slab of tofu you just stole a bite of?"
Loudspeaker’s lips twitched, struggling to speak. She knew about the tofu theft—when had this young girl arrived? After coming here, she could actually keep her cool and watch the drama for so long; such composure was astounding.
Seeing her silence, Lin Yuan let out a cold laugh. In full view of everyone, she waved her hand and swept the entire slab of tofu, along with its board, onto the floor. The smooth and soft tofu fell silently to the ground, shattering into countless pieces.
Loudspeaker couldn’t help but make a sound, and her hands began to tremble. She might not have known the exact figures from working here for so long, but she vaguely understood that the tofu sold particularly well at the Fuman Building, and for a particularly high price.