Chapter 226: Used to Painting Big Pictures

Chapter 226: Habit of Overpromising

Seeing Fu Derong glaring at her again, Chen Sufen quickly coaxed, "Alright, alright, I know I was wrong. I’ll apologize to Dad and Eldest Brother tomorrow, okay? From now on, whatever Dad says goes."

Fu Derong, seeing that his wife had finally given in, snorted and turned over to sleep.

Chen Sufen: "..."

This clueless lump!

Fu Ziyao arrived at the hillside, found a secluded and relatively clean spot, laid out a mat, and lay down.

The hillside was dead silent now—frankly, it was quite spooky.

But Fu Ziyao had nerves of steel. Even if he encountered a ghost, he wouldn’t be afraid.

A clear conscience sleeps through thunder.

What could be scarier than poverty?

So those damn thieves better not let him catch them.

Because of this incident, the family had a falling-out today, and it even put off tomorrow’s delivery to Su He.

After keeping watch all night, Fu Ziyao didn’t even see a ghost, let alone a person.

Several times throughout the night, he almost nodded off, but he held on, hell-bent on catching the culprit.

Only now did he realize that big payout wasn’t so easily earned.

It wasn’t until dawn that Fu Ziyao finally passed out.

In broad daylight, only an idiot would choose to steal.

In rural areas, people usually start trekking up the mountain to work as soon as day breaks.

So, to avoid being caught, thieves wouldn’t dare wait until daylight to steal durians.

Can’t be too careful. The hillside Su He had chosen was visible from the village—anyone going up the mountain could be spotted at a glance.

By the time Fu Dajun and the others arrived to pick durians, they found Fu Ziyao out cold on his mat, sleeping like a log.

"Let him sleep a bit longer. We’ll start working first," Fu Dajun said.

Seeing how utterly exhausted her husband looked, He Fangfang realized he must have stayed up all night lying in wait. It broke her heart to see him.

When Su He opened her eyes, it was already past nine.

Dr. Fu was already out the door—probably off to work.

She followed her usual routine, cooked, and then brought the kids along to the shop.

The moment Su Shiming saw his daughter and grandchildren, his face brightened.

"You’re early today! It’s not even noon, and you’ve already brought food," Su Shiming said beaming.

"Got up early, so I started cooking earlier."

"Won’t the food be cold by the time Ting Hua gets back?" Su Shiming asked, slightly concerned.

"Relax, Dad. I saved food for Ting Hua in the pot to keep it warm. It won't get cold."

Su He found it funny. Her dad worried more about Dr. Fu not getting a hot meal than she did.

Su Shiming hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mind if I head back first? I don’t want your mom to go hungry."

Su He held back a laugh and replied, "Go ahead, go ahead. I’ve got the shop."

As soon as Su Shiming left, Su He started urging Fu Yanju to go home too.

"I’m not hungry yet, what’s the rush?" Fu Yanju sighed.

"It’s slow right now, so go home and rest. You were up early stocking inventory too."

Su He thought that if Fu Yanju weren’t her and Fu Tinghua’s sister, she would have awarded her Employee of the Month.

Fu Yanju truly was dedicated to the shop every day, even more than Su He herself was.

"Sis, I’m paying you tonight," Su He suddenly shared the good news with Fu Yanju.

Hearing this, Fu Yanju's heart leapt.

When she came to help Su He, she never expected to be paid.

After all, she and Wan Er had been eating and staying here for free—asking for pay was out of the question.

But she knew Su He would give her something.

Whatever it was, Fu Yanju would’ve been thrilled.

"But—but Ting Hua already gave me some money before," Fu Yanju hesitated before telling the truth.

"That’s between you two. As a younger brother, it’s normal for him to give his sister pocket money—I won’t interfere. But your wages are from me, so don’t lump them together," Su He said with a smile.

Hearing this, Fu Yanju was touched.

"But—but the shop’s only been open for a few days. Shouldn’t wages be paid monthly?" Fu Yanju asked in confusion.

"You’ve put in a lot of effort since the shop opened. This is your opening bonus. After this, I’ll pay you at the end of every month."

"Another paycheck at month’s end?" Fu Yanju couldn't help but be surprised. "Su He, you don’t have to give me extra."

Su He had to laugh at the honest woman before her.

Why hadn’t she ever encountered such a sincere subordinate before? Most of them were total smooth operators.

"Sis, just take it. Call it a bonus for managing the shop—it’s not something that happens all the time. No need to stand on ceremony. And also, I want to say, you’ve been killing it lately. Even though it’s your first job, you’re no worse than those with experience."

Su He meant every word. Fu Yanju was just too gentle and easily taken advantage of, but in every other aspect, she was flawless.

She was meticulous, hardworking, and quick to learn.

With the right opportunity, someone like her could shine in her field.

"Su... Su He, you... you really mean it? You really, you really think I’m doing okay?" Fu Yanju’s eyes welled up as she spoke.

Back in the Chen family, she had always been criticized. This was the first time someone had affirmed her and told her she was doing well.

"Really, you’re amazing."

"Look at you—you've got the whole store memorized!"

"I can never keep track of where everything goes on these shelves, but you remember everything so clearly."

"And you're so confident at work—you'll actually go up to complete strangers and ask if they need help."

"Really, you're so much better than most people."

Su He thought that if Fu Yanju had been in her era, she would have made an excellent salesperson.

"If you're happy with me, that's all that matters," Fu Yanju wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, tearing up with happiness.

"Come on now, sis—what's with the tears? I mean every word—you're truly amazing. Keep working with me, and I've got your back."

Encouraging employees appropriately and talking up future opportunities was something Su He had grown accustomed to in the past, so she couldn’t help but say these words now.

But thinking about it, she wasn’t wrong—she really could give Fu Yanju a leg up in life.

"Yes, I understand. I’ll definitely keep working hard," Fu Yanju became even more spirited.

This conversation with Su He gave her an extra boost of motivation at work.