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Chapter 107: Chapter 107: The Farmer and the Snake
Tong Yao remained silent, directing Si Xiaohui to unload the things. He Fang stood awkwardly to the side, wanting to help but unsure where to start, relegated to the level of bystander.
From brewing the milk tea to packaging it, Tong Yao and Si Xiaohui worked smoothly together, leaving He Fang sidelined and ignored. Lost and unsure of what to do, this situation was not as she had anticipated. She was expecting Tong Yao to arrive late and vent out her anger by saying some harsh words, giving her a chance to voice her displeasure.
But the tables turned now; she was the one caught off guard instead.
He Fang started questioning whether Tong Yao had somehow caught on to her plans. Indecision twisted her face as though tied with hemp rope. Finally, unable to contain herself, she forced a strained smile and pulled Tong Yao aside.
"Girl, come here for a moment, I have something to discuss with you."
Tong Yao handed the ladle to Si Xiaohui and followed He Fang under a large tree, "Sister Fang, just say whatever you want to say!"
"Girl, I want to discuss something with you," He Fang began, buying herself a moment with a few uneasy chuckles. With a troubled expression, she continued, "Girl, when I got home yesterday, my husband had a talk with me. He mentioned you renting the house and my wages. He feels that the pay is unreasonable and hopes that you could increase it a bit."
She wasn’t sure why, but He Fang always felt nervous when talking with Tong Yao, even though Tong Yao was younger than her. She nervously fiddled with her shirt collar, her limbs rigid and frozen in place.
Tong Yao pondered silently for a moment before raising an eyebrow and asking, "Sister Fang, what are your thoughts?"
"Girl, I know you’ve been treating me well this past while, but ’clear accounts make for good friends’, and life isn’t easy for my family either. You make so much money every month, and your husband must earn a lot working in the hospital as well. Even if you gave me a small pay raise, it wouldn’t make much of a difference to you. You have seen the amount of work that I do every day..."
He Fang’s words became more disjointed as she continued, but Tong Yao understood her meaning. She interrupted He Fang, "Sister Fang, just tell me directly how much more you want me to pay you!"
He Fang looked at Tong Yao, but couldn’t read any emotion on her face. Unsure whether Tong Yao was angry, and unable to guess what Tong Yao was thinking, she could only say what her husband had told her to say.
"Girl, I don’t want much, just raise my salary to one hundred yuan. I’ve calculated it for you. Your gross income for the month is over one thousand five hundred yuan. Even after deducting costs, you can still earn around one thousand two hundred. Giving me a hundred yuan won’t hurt you at all, and from now on, you can use as much water as you like, I won’t charge you."
The offer about the water was entirely from He Fang. Water was cheap, and even if Tong Yao used as much as she liked, it wouldn’t come to even five yuan a month.
After listening to He Fang’s proposal, Tong Yao almost laughed with frustration. So, after all this, He Fang thinks she’s earning a lot, and therefore should increase her wages.
It’s her business, and He Fang doesn’t own shares in it, nor has she invested any money. He Fang is just her hired worker. But now, the worker thinks that because the boss is making a good profit, she should share it. What kind of logic is that?
In other words, if she wasn’t making a profit, if she was losing money instead, would He Fang be willing to shoulder a tenth of the loss?
She felt pity for He Fang and always wanted to help her more. But who would have guessed that her kindness would invite a greedy wolf! It seemed true that in business, one cannot be too compassionate. Today, she has learned a lesson from He Fang.
The human mind is never satisfied, it’s like a snake that can swallow an elephant. Tong Yao was certain that if she agreed to increase the wage to one hundred, in no time at all, He Fang would surely come up with even more demands.
"Sister Fang, what’s your plan if I refuse to increase your wage?"
Caught off guard by Tong Yao’s response, He Fang struggled to find words, finally stammering embarrassedly, "Girl, I, I didn’t go to school for many years, and I’m not good with words. Don’t get upset. The method to prepare this milk tea is simple.... if I want, I can set up this stall anywhere and make money. I, I remembered your kindness towards me and just asked for an increase of one hundred yuan."
"You put your things in my house and use water from my house. I have to do all the work inside and outside. With all these tasks that I do for you, you just wait for the money to come in. Considering the proportion of our contributions, it wouldn’t be too much if you shared half of your earnings with me, right?"
These were all lessons from Aqiang. However, lacking confidence, He Fang’s words didn’t carry weight; her voice got progressively softer. By the end of it, with a noticeable gritting of her teeth, she increased her volume slightly.
Having spoken her piece, and crossed swords with Tong Yao, things had reached a point of no return. He Fang swept aside all considerations of face, hoping in her heart that Tong Yao would agree. A monthly increase of one hundred yuan was more than satisfactory for her, far better than her having to invest anything. As long as Tong Yao agreed, she would be willing to do anything later.
"Sister Fang, are these your husband’s words?" Tong Yao was genuinely amused this time. She wondered if He Fang had been struck dumb by Aqiang, to say such nonsensical words, "You think because I earn more and you work more, you should get more money. But did you consider what I went through for this stall, my fight with Yuan Erhua, and the subsequent police station visit?"
"Also, did you pay a cent towards the purchasing costs of these items? You didn’t contribute to any of that, so why do you feel entitled to a bigger share of the earnings?"
"That’s not the point," He Fang blanched, flustered, and muttered some weak rebuttal: "Even though I didn’t help with the things you mentioned, I still contribute with my work. Anyway, I’m not asking for half of your earnings, I just asked for a hundred yuan raise in my wages."
"Just?" Tong Yao laughed coldly, "Based on what you’re saying, since I’m renting your house, should I be entitled to ownership as well?"
The remark fired He Fang up, "Girl, I don’t mind if you don’t want to raise my wage, but I kindly rented you the house and now you have an eye on my property?"
"You are well aware that my money goes into renting, not purchasing the house. So why are you taking interest in my savings since you’re working for me?" Tong Yao asked coolly. "Sister Fang, we were doing fine, each earning what belonged to us. But since you broke this rule, I don’t suppose you are interested in working here any longer. I’ll give you the wages for the work you’ve done these days and the cost of water, and then you can head home."
This was a real-life version of the Farmer and the Viper story. Tong Yao was always decisive. He Fang acted ruthlessly to her first, so she shouldn’t be blamed for returning the favor. They’ll settle the accounts and part ways.
Moreover, she didn’t allow He Fang to take advantage of her this time, and if she continued to let He Fang work here, more troubles were certain to follow. It was better to nip the problem in the bud.
"Girl, are you sure about your decision?" He Fang was left without a shred of dignity after Tang Yao’s words. She could hardly meet Tong Yao’s eyes and stuttered, "You, if you stop renting my house, these things will have nowhere to go at night."
"No need to worry about that." Tong Yao took out thirty-five yuan from her pocket and handed it to He Fang. "Here is thirty-five yuan, which should be enough to cover fuel, water, and labor costs, right?"
"Enough, enough." He Fang took the money. It felt unsettlingly hot in her hand.
For some reason, she felt that she would regret this.
