My bakery started offering "Lucky Bags" in the late afternoon. Inside, I'd put a random assortment of crepe cakes, cream puffs, and mochi... I thought it would prevent waste and attract more customers, but after a few days, sales hadn't budged. Upon investigation, I discovered my cousin, whom I had hired as a shop assistant, was secretly hoarding a lot of the pastries. She hid all the ones she liked to eat for herself and stuffed cake scraps and trimmings into the Lucky Bags to give to customers. "If you can't afford to give benefits, don't do it! Being stingy like this is disgusting!" Facing the customers' scolding, my cousin acted all aggrieved: "Our boss made me do it, just for zero-cost publicity. I'm so sorry, customer..." I was furious. Fired! Fired immediately! 1 As the weather warmed up, my bakery launched a Lucky Bag promotion: Every late afternoon, we'd randomly pack some unsold pastries into bags. This way, we wouldn't waste food, and we could garner good reviews to win repeat customers. It was supposed to be a win-win strategy, but problems arose during implementation. A few days passed; there were no leftover cakes, but negative reviews flooded the platform, and sales hadn't changed a bit. I'd been busy lately, so my aunt had pushed my cousin, Mia, into the shop to manage sales. I thought the job wasn't hard, so letting her do it to relieve some of my pressure would be fine, since I couldn't be in the shop all day every day. But now, sensing something was wrong, I hurriedly finished my product research out of town and rushed back to see what was going on. Pushing open the door, I saw Mia leaning against the counter playing on her phone. Seeing me enter, she hurriedly put away her phone and put on a professional smile. "Hey Sis, you're here." I ignored her greeting and walked straight to the surveillance room. Opening the recordings from the past few days, I was more shocked the more I watched. Every day around 3 PM, when there were no customers, Mia would secretly take the pastries meant for the Lucky Bags and put them into food containers she brought herself. Then, she'd take cake scraps and trimmings from the back kitchen, stuff them haphazardly into the Lucky Bags, and place them at the shop entrance. When customers came back to complain, she pushed the blame onto me: "I'm sorry, our boss made me do this for zero-cost publicity. I'm just an employee; I don't have the authority to make decisions..." Walking out of the surveillance room, Mia was already busy at the counter, as if nothing had happened. "Mia, come here for a sec." My voice was calm. Mia put down the piping bag, wiped her hands, and walked over: "What's up, Sis?" "Do you know why I launched the Lucky Bag promotion?" She blinked, looking innocent: "To get rid of stale cakes, of course." "Who told you it was to get rid of stale cakes?" I stared into her eyes. "The Lucky Bags contain pastries made that same day. They just have a short shelf life, which is why they're sold at a discount." Mia's expression changed slightly, but she quickly put a smile back on. "Oh, I thought it was just to get rid of scraps. I'll be careful next time." "Besides... if these pastries aren't sold today, they get thrown away anyway. Instead of giving them to customers, I might as well take them home to eat. Keep the goodies within the family, right?" "You have the nerve to say that?" I took out my phone and opened a review site. "Look at these comments!" "'The bakery sells kitchen waste under the guise of Lucky Bags,' 'No sincerity at all,' 'The boss has a black heart'..." I read out the bad reviews almost word for word. With each one, Mia's face grew paler. "I..." "And yesterday, that customer who complained—you actually pushed the responsibility onto me? Said I ordered you to do it?" Mia lowered her head, afraid to look at me: "I just panicked in the moment..." "Do you know how much effort I put into opening this shop? Do you know how many good reviews it takes to offset one bad review? Because of your selfishness, these customers might never come back!" Hearing my tone become increasingly severe, she suddenly looked up, defiance in her eyes. "Isn't it just cheap stuff? Those customers looking for bargains, what good stuff can they expect to get?" I was stunned by her words, a greater anger surging in my heart. "You think customers deserve to be deceived because they spend money on Lucky Bags? Is this your professional ethics?" "I..." "No need to explain." I took a deep breath. "You're fired. Pack your things and leave right now." Mia's face changed: "Sis, you can't do this! We're relatives!" "It's precisely because we're relatives that I'm even more disappointed." I turned and walked toward the office. "Come get your wages in a bit." 2 Half an hour later, Mia left the bakery with her wages and luggage. Watching her retreating figure, I leaned against the doorframe, feeling incredibly exhausted. My phone rang suddenly. It was my mom. "Hello, Mom." "Lynn, I heard you fired Mia?" Mom's tone was full of reproach. "How could you? She's still a child!" So Mia had already called to complain. "Mom, she's twenty-three, not a child." I rubbed my temples. "And what she did has seriously affected the shop's reputation." "No matter what, we're family. Can't you talk it over nicely?" "I've already talked to her nicely. It's her attitude that's terrible." There was silence on the other end for a while, then Mom sighed: "Your aunt has already called me three times, saying you're too heartless." "See if you can give Mia another chance? Just do it as a favor to Mom." I almost laughed out loud: "Mom, she didn't just make a small mistake. She deceived customers and pushed the blame on me! If I keep someone like that in the shop, how can I do business?" "But..." "No buts. I've already decided." I didn't want to discuss this topic anymore. "Mom, I have things to do. Hanging up now." Hanging up the phone, I looked around the empty shop and suddenly realized another big problem— With no staff, how was I going to keep the shop running? 3 Just as I was worrying, the doorbell rang, and a young man wearing glasses walked in. "Excuse me, do you still have strawberry crepe cake?" "Yes, please wait a moment." I turned to get the cake from the display case. The man looked around and asked, "Only you today?" "Yeah, I just fired the assistant." I packed the cake into a box. "That must be tough. I come to buy your cakes every week; I've always thought they taste great." "Thank you." I handed him the cake and took the money. "Welcome back anytime." He took the cake but didn't leave immediately. "Actually, I have a cousin who just graduated from college and is looking for a job. If you need an assistant, maybe she could come for a try?" I paused, then smiled and shook my head: "Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid to hire any more 'cousins' for now." "Huh?" He looked confused. "Nothing, just a joke." I handed him a business card. "Have your cousin come for an interview tomorrow. If she fits, she can start immediately." After sending the customer off, I returned to the back kitchen, looking at the pastries prepared for the Lucky Bags. Although firing Mia meant facing family reproach, I knew I did the right thing. ... For the next few days, I held up the entire shop alone, preparing ingredients from 5 AM and working until 9 PM. Although it was hard, at least I could ensure everything was up to my standards. The Lucky Bag promotion restarted. This time, I personally selected pastries made that day with shorter shelf lives but still top quality to put into the bags. Each Lucky Bag had at least three types of pastries, priced at only 60% of the original. On the afternoon of the third day, while I was busy at the counter, a customer who had complained last week walked in. She looked at me warily: "Are you still selling Lucky Bags?" "Yes." I smiled and pointed to the sign at the door. "Buy one get one free right now. You can give it a try." She hesitated for a while, then took out her phone: "Alright, give me one." I handed her the carefully prepared Lucky Bag. "I packed this one myself. I hope you like it." She took the Lucky Bag and opened it right there in the shop. Seeing the exquisite pastries inside, her brow gradually smoothed. "This is completely different from last time." "I'm very sorry for the bad experience last time." I said sincerely, "That assistant has been fired. Similar incidents won't happen again." She tasted a cream puff and her eyes lit up: "It's really delicious!" "Thank you. If you like it, please come often." She nodded: "I'll rewrite my review on the app." Seeing the customer off, I let out a long sigh of relief. Although redeeming my reputation would take time, at least I had taken the first step. 4 While closing up shop that evening, I received a text message. It was from my mom: 【Lynn, your aunt keeps saying you're heartless. Come home for dinner this weekend, let's clear things up face to face.】 I sighed and replied: 【Okay, Mom.】 Early Saturday morning, I started preparing for the impending "family trial." Although it was just going home for a meal, I knew this meal wouldn't be simple. I specially selected a few of the shop's most popular cakes and boxed them up, hoping to ease the atmosphere. Before leaving, I checked the shop's setup one more time— Today was the first day my new hire, Xiao Zhang, would be working independently. Everything had to be arranged properly. "Remember, the Lucky Bags must contain these types of pastries. Absolutely no scraps allowed." I instructed repeatedly. Xiao Zhang nodded seriously: "Don't worry, Lynn, I'll definitely do as required." Seeing her reliable appearance, I felt a bit more at ease. This girl, fresh out of college, was quick and attentive. After a few days of training, I had a very good impression of her. "Call me anytime if there's a problem." I picked up the bag full of cakes and walked out of the shop. When I arrived home, the aroma of food already filled the courtyard. Pushing open the door, I immediately saw my cousin Mia sitting on the living room sofa playing on her phone. Seeing me enter, she turned her face away, looking like she had suffered a massive injustice. "Lynn is back." Mom poked her head out of the kitchen. "Go wash your hands and get ready to eat." I put the cakes on the coffee table: "Mom, I brought some cakes." My aunt heard the voice and walked out of the kitchen, her face clearly unhappy: "You're here, why bring cakes? Can't your family afford a meal to host us, planning to fob us off with cake?" This setup... looked like they were specifically waiting to interrogate me. I took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Hello Auntie, these are new products from the shop, I wanted everyone to taste them." My aunt scoffed and turned back to the kitchen. Mom quickly tried to smooth things over: "Lynn is thoughtful, we'll try them later. Let's eat first, the food is ready." At the dinner table, the atmosphere was heavy. Everyone looked down and ate; no one spoke. Until my aunt put down her chopsticks and started her attack. "Lynn, you're a business person too, you should know how important human relationships are. Mia is your cousin, and you hired her yourself. Even if she did something wrong, you should have taught her properly. How could you just fire her like that?" I put down my chopsticks: "Auntie, what Mia did wasn't just wrong; it violated basic professional ethics. She secretly withheld pastries meant for customers and pushed the blame on me, causing a string of bad reviews for the shop..." "Young people make mistakes, it's normal." Before I could finish, my aunt waved her hand. "Besides, those Lucky Bags are just for getting rid of nearly expired stuff, right? What's the difference if it goes to customers or the staff?" I held back my anger: "Big difference!" "First, those aren't 'nearly expired' items; they are fresh pastries made that day." "Second, customers paid money, so they should receive the corresponding goods. That is basic integrity." Mia suddenly looked up, saying aggrievedly: "Sis, I didn't think that much, I just thought it was a pity to leave those pastries there..." "A pity?" I interrupted her. "Those were bought by customers, not for you to take home!" "Alright, alright," Mom hurried to intercede, "don't talk about this during mealtime. Lynn, your cousin already knows she's wrong, just give her another chance." I looked at Mia; a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes. My resolve hardened. "Mom, this isn't just about personal feelings; it concerns the shop's integrity and survival. I've already hired a new assistant. I don't need manpower for now." "What?" Auntie's face changed. "You're deliberately not giving Mia a chance!" "Auntie, it's not that I'm not giving a chance, but Mia's behavior has seriously affected the shop's reputation. As the owner, I must be responsible to all customers." "A tiny cake shop, is it worth being so serious?" Auntie sneered. "It's not some big corporation!" I took a deep breath: "Precisely because it's a small shop, it needs to survive on reputation. One bad review might lose me ten potential customers." "Sis, you're just too uptight." Mia interjected. "Aren't those buying Lucky Bags just looking for cheap stuff? Giving them some scraps is no big deal." I stared at Mia: "You still don't understand where you went wrong." Uncle finally spoke: "Lynn, your cousin doesn't have a job now, we can't let her go hungry, right? Just give her another chance, so we elders can have some peace of mind." I shook my head: "Uncle, we are relatives, but work is work. I can help introduce her to other jobs, but the cake shop is really not suitable." "You..." Auntie stood up in anger. "I see you just don't treat us as relatives!" Mom quickly pulled Auntie back: "Don't be angry, let's talk nicely." The atmosphere was tense. I decided not to argue anymore and stood up: "I still have things to do at the shop, I'm going back. Mom, the cakes are on the coffee table, you guys try them."
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