Chapter 207: Crying and Complaining
Translator: Lonelytree
After hearing Xiao Lingye’s story, the people present all had angry expressions on their faces.
“Xinxin, tomorrow mom will go to those people and seek justice for you. I refuse to believe the world is so lawless!” Auntie Zhou said angrily.
Her daughter had worked in that supermarket for more than half a year. Xiao Xinxin always sent money home so she thought her daughter was faring well. Auntie Zhou had no idea her daughter was living such a horrible life. And she wasn’t even paid much for it!
“They are too much!” Xiao Chengbang was also unusually angry. “Xinxin, tomorrow your Dad and Mom will go to look for that pair of black-hearted bosses and get back all your money back!”
Xiao Mingyang heard them and said, “Chengbang, you need to calm down. We definitely have to do something about this, but we can’t do this rashly. Otherwise, we will definitely be at a disadvantage.”
Since ancient times, the common people had always been bullied by the rich, the rich colluded with the officials, and the officials protected each other!
Since the Madam Boss said they had connections, even if they went to make a scene, they wouldn’t get anything done. Plus, the Madam Boss knew people in the underworld. It was easy for her to deal with country people like them.
Xiao Lingyu said, “Uncle Chengbang, Auntie Zhou, my fourth uncle is right. We will seek justice, but we can’t do this rashly. We must be reasonable and make sure that we have justice on our side.”
“Lingyu, you’re right. But what should we do?” Xiao Chengbang asked anxiously. Their daughter had been bullied. Other than heartache, they were also furious. They had to avenge their daughter!
However, they were illiterate, and they didn’t know what to do.
Xiao Lingyu thought for a moment and asked, “Xinxin, you didn’t sign a labor contract, but do you have any evidence to prove that you worked in that supermarket? For example, a payslip, work badge, or a colleague’s testimony.”
Xiao Xinxin thought for a moment and shook her head, “No. The Madam Boss would give us cash for our salary. There are no payslip or work badges. As for the colleague, I have a friend still working there, but I’m not sure if she’ll cooperate with us or not.”
After all, most of the people who worked there also came from the countryside. Their family conditions were not good and they were uneducated. It was difficult for them to find jobs in the county. That was why they chose to endure and continue working under the pressure of the supermarket boss and the Lady Boss. Even though their salary was constantly deducted, it was better than working the fields at home.
Xiao Lingyu thought for a moment. Her eyes shone with a fierce light as she said, “The boss and his wife rely on the fact that there’s no labor contract to squeeze and bully their employees. However, this will also be their downfall.”
No one understood Xiao Lingyu.
Xiao Chengbang frowned and asked, “Lingyu, what do you mean by that?”
Xiao Lingye explained, “Uncle Chengbang, these two black-hearted bosses oppress their employees because there is no labor contract. In that case, we’ll focus on the lack of a labor contract and attack that point.”
Other than Xiao Lingyu, others were still confused.
…
There were quite a number of pedestrians at 6 or 7 am in the morning. It was summer and the weather was hot. Many people took the opportunity to walk around and breathe in the fresh air.
Businesspeople were afraid people would come to create trouble when they just opened.
“Xinxin, is this the place?” Xiao Lingyu and the rest came to the place where she used to work under Xiao Xinxin’s lead.
Xiao Xinxin nodded and said, “Yes, De Wang supermarket! The Boss is Lei Zhenhu, and his is Gu Qingjiao! Both of them are horrible!”
Xiao Lingyu nodded. She gave Xiao Lingye the signal. He grabbed a wooden swing and knocked on the door. The door crashed loudly, causing the passersby to stop in their tracks curiously.
Xiao Lingyu gestured to Auntie Zhou.
Auntie Zhou shouted, “Everyone, please help a poor woman!”
Aunt Zhou was a rural woman, and her voice was loud. With her loud voice, the pedestrians around her stopped in their tracks.
“Everyone, the boss of this supermarket is black-hearted and vicious. They do not treat their employees as human beings and instead work them like animals. At first, they promised their employees 1000 RMB a month, but the employees would only get around 600 RMB!”
“What? How can a human be so evil?”
“Actually, I’ve heard about the legendary stinginess of this supermarket’s boss and his wife. The supermarket is so big, but they only hired two people. And they have to work basically all day!”
“They promised 1000 RMB and gave only half? How can they do this? Don’t they have a conscience?”
“If they had a conscience, they wouldn’t have done that.”
Auntie Zhou continued to lament. “My daughter couldn’t stand their oppression and resigned. After she resigned last month, the Boss, Gu Qingjiao, told her she had to work for another full month before she could get her salary.
“But do you know how much the boss gave my daughter for two months of work?”
“It can’t be 500 RMB, right?” Someone joked.
“Big Sister, you’re right!” Auntie Zhou continued, “The black-hearted woman gave my daughter 550 RMB and told her that was her full salary.
“My daughter has worked for two full months, that should be 2000 RMB but she only gave her 550 RMB. What kind of evil person would do such a thing?
“Plus, that is not counting the salary they have deducted in the past! In the end, they only gave her 550 RMB and chased her out.
“This is my daughter. I raised her well but now look at her. She’s as thin as a bamboo pole. My heart aches. It’s like a knife cutting into my heart.
“This is all my fault. I thought my daughter has found a good job in the county town. Every day, I talk with my daughter on phone. She only gave us the good news so we assumed she was living well. It’s our fault for not coming over to see her.
“My poor daughter…”
“This boss is really evil. This is someone’s daughter too. How can they torture her like that?”
“They are paying people to do work, but how can they treat people like this? They obviously don’t care about their employees’ well-being!”
Xiao Xinxin wanted to cry when she heard this. Her eyes reddened. She silently swallowed the grievance.
Aunt Zhou wiped her tears, “However, what’s even more outrageous is that after the boss paid my daughter, she had her luggage thrown out. She said that she was no longer an employee of the supermarket and had no right to continue living in the dormitory.
“What was a girl supposed to do after being thrown out to the street in the middle of a night? What if something happened to my daughter?”
“What? That is just immoral!” The crowd was incensed.
“She shouldn’t have done that! What if something happened to the girl, could they bear the responsibility?”
“The supermarket is big. I didn’t think the boss would be so evil and vicious. They chase a young girl out in the middle of the night. That is just ridiculous!”
“Do they think we’re still in the slave society? They are treating their employees as their own slaves.”
Auntie Zhou cried until her eyes were red and swollen, “I don’t care if they didn’t pay my daughter well. My daughter didn’t know the law, so she didn’t sign a labor contract with them. We’ll take the loss and move on so that we won’t be fooled again in the future.
“However, I will never forgive the boss for chasing my daughter out in the middle of the night. I know I’m making a scene, but I have to seek justice for my daughter.
“My daughter met a group of bikers last night. They tried to drag her away. My heart bled just thinking about the possible consequences. Thankfully, my friend’s son came in time to save her.
“I’m sure everyone has their own children. Imagine if my daughter is your daughter. What would you do? Can you understand what I’m feeling?”
“If my daughter is treated like this, I’ll burn their shop down!”
“The bosses’ hearts are not only black, but they are also rotten! Don’t they have daughters too? What would they feel if their daughter was treated like this?”
“Sister, stop crying. We’ll support you!”
“Yes, we’re on your side!”
Auntie Zhou’s heart warmed from the words of support.
She said, “Thank you for your support. But you shouldn’t say anything to offend the bosses. I can’t drag you down with me.”
“Why is that?” The people around asked in puzzlement.
Aunt Zhou sighed heavily and said, “The Madam Boss warned my daughter that she had to stomach this loss even if she didn’t want to.
“The Madam Boss has connections with the Labor Bureau and Commerce Bureau. They are not afraid even if we sue them. She even threatened my daughter. She has people in the underworld. She wouldn’t hesitate to get them to harm my daughter!”
“What! What nonsense is this?!”