Lin He felt that her father was kind to everyone, except that he was perhaps too soft-hearted. If he were truly provoked or if someone was excessively unreasonable, he would indeed lose his temper and show his displeasure, but when things were amicable, he simply couldn't bring himself to speak harshly.

Lin He spoke up, "We agreed from the start that when we dismiss staff, as long as we pay the full monthly wage, no reason is required. You can just let her go."

"Ah? No reason given? That doesn't seem quite right. She is, after all, a relative," Er Niu voiced his concern.

Lin He said, exasperated, "Dad, she must be dismissed today. You treat her like a relative, but would a relative do such a thing? If that item she's making gets completed, our family's source of income will be cut off. Furthermore, it will implicate Uncle Wen; they’d practically wish death upon us. Did they ever treat you like family? Why don't I go talk to her?"

"I'll go then. Right now?" Er Niu asked.

"Forget it, I'll go with you." Seeing Er Niu's demeanor, Lin He had little confidence in how resolute he would be on this matter.

With that, Lin He and Er Niu walked toward the old courtyard. When they arrived, everyone was still busy working. Lin He asked Ziqing to call Sister Sanxi out. Lin He nudged Er Niu, who, upon seeing Sister Sanxi, said, "Sister Sanxi, after you finish today, you don't need to come tomorrow. I'll calculate your wages for this month and give them to you shortly."

"Why? Er Niu, haven't I always done my work well? Why don't you need me anymore?" Sister Sanxi cried out.

"It's nothing, it's just that we have enough people now. I thought it might be hard for you, traveling back and forth every day since your home is far from here, so..." Er Niu said awkwardly.

"Er Niu, I don't mind the distance. I arrive on time every day to work and have never left early. I’m the same as everyone else. You can't dismiss me over that," Sister Sanxi immediately seized the loophole in Er Niu's explanation.

"This..." Er Niu was rendered speechless by Sister Sanxi's rebuttal.

Lin He glanced at Er Niu, then stepped forward and said, "Auntie Sanxi, when we hired you, it was agreed that if the employer dismisses you, we don't owe you an explanation beyond paying your outstanding wages."

Although Er Niu was the head of the household, Lin He had been managing the ointment workshop for several years and overseeing the staff. It wasn't strange for Sister Sanxi to yield to Lin He speaking, but Lin He's words did make Sister Sanxi somewhat speechless; they had indeed agreed to those terms when they started working.

Seeing she offered no reply, Lin He continued, "This month is half over, so I will calculate half a month's wages for you. You can go with Ziqing to collect it now."

"He'er, although what you say is true, I have worked here for quite some time. Why are you dismissing me and not others? Is it because I'm not from this village? If so, why did your family agree to hire me in the first place?" Sister Sanxi pondered aloud.

Honestly, Lin He did not want to drag the matter out; endless back-and-forth argument would only obscure the truth. She stated directly, "Auntie Sanxi, you know what you've done. Compared to the others, have you put your full effort into your work? There is another, more crucial reason: haven't you found work elsewhere? The owner of Yazhi Cosmetics Shop in town said they would welcome you anytime."

As expected, upon hearing Lin He's words, Sister Sanxi's expression shifted, and she stopped arguing. Lin He figured since the truth was out, she might as well say it all: "Auntie Sanxi, please tell the owner of Yazhi Shop that he shouldn't touch things he doesn't know how to make; otherwise, he'll be the one suffering in the end. Also, tell your relatives to stop harboring ulterior motives in the future, or things won't be as easy to talk through as this time."

Sister Sanxi knew perfectly well what she had done. Now that Lin He had exposed it, she understood that Lin He's family must also know about her actions, and there was no point in continuing the discussion. She followed Ziqing to settle the wages for the half-month and left.

Lin He instructed Ziqing to inform the remaining workers that Sister Sanxi had some personal matters at home and wouldn't be returning to work, saying nothing else. The working women were actually quite pleased to hear Sister Sanxi was leaving. They worked together, and if everyone worked diligently, they could finish early. But Sister Sanxi usually liked to slack off, so no one liked her. Her departure made everyone feel that it was for the best.

Lin He also had Ziqing ask everyone for their opinion: either hire another person to replace her, or the current group would share her workload, meaning everyone would have a bit more to do, but their wages would increase accordingly. Everyone agreed, preferring to take on slightly more work for higher pay. Lin He also thought this was better; adding a newcomer would involve training a novice and vetting their background, so maintaining the current roster was ideal.

Having settled these household affairs, Lin He headed to town the next day. She definitely needed to inform Uncle Wen about the situation. Arriving at Uncle Wen's shop, Lin He explained everything. Uncle Wen mentioned that he had mostly resolved matters in town. He presumed that Yazhi's products wouldn't sell much, and ultimately, they would have to be taken back.

Leaving Uncle Wen's shop, Lin He went to the pastry shop. Since it was mid-morning, the business was surprisingly brisk. Lin He went straight to the side room to check the account books, while Ziqing and Ziyu went to the kitchen to help. To guarantee freshness, almost everything at the pastry shop was made and sold on the same day. Whenever a customer bought pastries, they were still warm—this unique approach was one of the key attractions for clientele.

Lin He ate lunch at the pastry shop and remembered she had promised her mother some jewelry. She called Dabao to go to the silversmith to make a purchase. Actually, Lin He had intended to buy the items last time, but since Wen Ningmo and his brother were present, the discount offered was very steep. While the Wen family certainly wouldn't quibble over small amounts, Lin He felt slightly uncomfortable buying too much then. Now that she was here, she decided to handle it herself.

Dabao led Lin He directly toward the Jinfu Silversmith. Lin He was slightly hesitant to shop there, but Dabao insisted it was fine and urged her to go in. Inside the shop, the same clerk from last time recognized Lin He immediately and was exceedingly attentive, bringing out many items for them to choose from.

Lin He selected a set of jewelry for Huang Shi and some trinkets for Chen'er. After a moment's thought, she bought a few more pieces. When they were all wrapped up, the total was just over twenty taels. Dabao thought the calculation might be wrong and asked, "How much? Are you sure that's right?"

"Young Master Dabao, the total is twenty-five taels. That is already the lowest price," the clerk quickly added, assuming they found it expensive.