Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading-Chapter 378: Punishing Zhang Dongmei

A woman from the hardware counter was at the door, delivering a message from the general manager.

"Manager Su, the general manager needs to see you."

What’s the general manager looking for her for now? Su Xiaoxiao wondered.

When she arrived at the general manager’s office door, she immediately understood why Yan Guohua wanted her there.

At this moment, the office door was open, and Zhang Dongmei was inside crying her eyes out, looking utterly miserable.

What kind of drama is she putting on now?

Su Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow.

Zhang Dongmei met her gaze, rolled her eyes, and shouted, "General Manager, Manager Su is bullying me with her authority. If you don’t give me justice today, I’ll kill myself here today."

Zhang Dongmei was crying loudly but with little sincerity, acting without commitment.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but click her tongue, and looked up just in time to see Zhang Dongmei starting to run towards the wall.

Su Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and watched, wanting to see what Zhang Dongmei was up to.

With her life-preserving instinct, would she really dare to hit her head and die?

Yan Guohua hurriedly called out, "Why are you all just watching? Hurry up and help! Stop her!"

The office door was wide open, and it was the lunch break, so quite a few people had unknowingly gathered outside to watch the commotion.

Upon hearing Yan Guohua’s call, everyone rushed inside.

Initially thinking no one would stop her, Zhang Dongmei’s dash towards the wall had slowed to a crawl.

Seeing the crowd coming to hold her back, she immediately accelerated in place and yelled as she dashed out, "The sales manager is abusing her power, oh, I can’t live anymore..."

She sped past, when suddenly a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard jumped out, his teeth stained with green onion particularly eye-catching amidst the crowd.

Zhang Dongmei was shocked. If this old man hugged her, how would she face people afterward?

At this point, the man spread his arms, intending to catch her, but unexpectedly, Zhang Dongmei made a sharp stop and lost control, falling forward.

"Bang!"

"Clang!"

"Ouch!"

A cry of surprise rang out as Zhang Dongmei’s forehead hit the floor, and she had a close encounter with the ground.

She raised her head, her forehead slowly swelling into a large bump.

If she were to cosplay the God of Longevity, she’d save on special effects makeup.

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

Several helpers around her seemed to have caught a seizure, each pinching their palms to suppress their laughter.

Yan Guohua approached with a dark face, "Comrade Zhang Dongmei, what are you doing? Seeking death over a small matter, your mental fortitude is really lacking."

Zhang Dongmei lifted her head, tears streaming down as she said, "General Manager, I’m not causing trouble, it’s Manager Su who’s giving me no way to live. I’ll admit we have some private disagreements, but she’s using public power for personal gain, not behaving like a leader."

Yan Guohua frowned, ready to say something when his eyes met the bump on Zhang Dongmei’s head, his lips twitched, and he forced himself to think of all the saddest things in life just to maintain his leadership dignity.

"Cough cough, Xiao Su, explain what’s going on here."

Yan Guohua turned his face away, avoiding the sight of Zhang Dongmei’s swollen head, and looked elsewhere.

With her name called, Su Xiaoxiao straightened her back and stood out, "General Manager, it’s like this: Mr. Zhang has repeatedly been late and left early without reason. I wanted to remind her, and she insulted me. It’s true I may have overreacted by suggesting her dismissal, but I was thinking for the good of our department store. Everyone works earnestly, yet there are people like Mr. Zhang dodging responsibilities and still getting paid, what would the diligent comrades think?"

As soon as she finished speaking, murmurs arose all around.

"Exactly, why do those who come late and leave early get their full salary?"

"Right, if that’s the case, I won’t come early either, arriving late now and then won’t affect my pay."

"For just a few dollars of full attendance bonus, it’s not worth it. Getting up late and going home early for dinner sure sounds nice."

Hearing the murmuring veering off course, Yan Guohua cleared his throat and interrupted their thoughts of exploiting work rules.

"Comrade Xiao Su, as the sales department manager, how do you think this should be handled?"

Su Xiaoxiao replied with full conviction, "General Manager, I think Mr. Zhang should reflect at home as an example. Only after deeply realizing her problem should she come back. Besides, we should establish a clock-in system and daily roll call to prevent exploitation of loopholes in the rules. Furthermore, we should implement a reward and punishment system, offering material rewards to diligent workers, while penalizing those who shirk work."

Her words ended, and applause immediately erupted from the crowd, "We support Manager Su’s idea." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Yan Guohua announced decisively, "Alright, we’ll do that!"

In these state-owned units, salaries are fixed regardless of effort or shirking, which indeed isn’t fair to those who work seriously.

He looked sternly at Zhang Dongmei, "Mr. Zhang, starting tomorrow, you don’t need to come to work. Come back when you’ve reflected enough."

Zhang Dongmei hurriedly defended, "General Manager, you can’t just listen to Su Xiaoxiao’s side. I was just trying to find more time to rehearse for the show. The year-end party is coming up, and it’s for the department store’s collective honor..."

Before she finished, a scoff came from the crowd, "Hah, still have the audacity to claim it’s for collective honor? Manager Su’s team rehearsed ages ago, while you keep doing your own thing, rehearsing a program as slow as Nezha’s mom in labor. How long has it been without any result?"

Laughter erupted across the room.

Zhang Dongmei’s face turned pale and green, feeling as if her chest was stuffed with cotton, unable to speak.

"Alright, that’s decided. Xiao Su, coordinate with Director Chen on how to implement the new regulations. If there’s nothing else, everyone can disperse."

Yan Guohua rubbed his brows, another day not letting him rest easily.

Just as the end of the year approaches, there’s a new batch of sales tasks from above, giving him a headache.

As the commotion ended, Su Xiaoxiao rubbed her rumbling stomach and picked up her lunch box to head to the cafeteria.

Along the way, many greeted her warmly, making her feel like a silent minor celebrity who suddenly rose to fame overnight.

"Manager Su, here’s a seat."

"Manager Su, want some homemade pickled vegetables? My mom fried them with eggs, they’re delicious."

"Manager Su, I ordered an extra dish, if you don’t mind, you can have it."

Entering the cafeteria, people were enthusiastic upon seeing her.

Su Xiaoxiao felt a bit overwhelmed, "Thank you, I’ll just get my own."

Zhang Yulan and Qin Shuang followed beside her, their eyes resentful, like spouses whose partner was seduced by a mistress.

At this moment, someone came charging at them with a steel basin, looking particularly unfriendly.