Jiang Jingxue was furious.

She simply pulled a few ten-yuan bills from her pocket and slapped them on the counter.

"Do we have enough clothes to buy here? Can I try them on now?"

The old sales clerk's eyes widened when she saw the large 10,000 yuan bill on the counter.

I never expected this seemingly ordinary woman to be so generous.

You know, my monthly salary is only one hundred yuan.

"We can try! Of course we can try!"

Just as the saleswoman was about to give Panpan some clothes to try on, Jiang Jingxue stopped her.

"No need for you! You're old and ugly, don't scare our child. Let that young girl come instead!"

Upon hearing this, the old sales clerk turned green with anger.

Unable to retaliate, she could only walk away dejectedly.

The younger sales clerks brought out several pieces of clothing for Panpan to try on.

Jiang Jingxue bought Panpan two tops, two pairs of pants, two pairs of shoes, and a skirt all at once.

"I just tried them on, this one, this one, and this one—I want them all!"

Panpan has never seen so many new clothes in her life.

She didn't want Jiang Jingxue to spend so much money, so she quickly stopped her, saying, "Sister Jiang, I only need one item. This is too much."

"Don't worry! Sister Jiang is rich! She can afford just a few pieces of clothing!"

I heard that in these privately-owned shopping malls, sales clerks' wages are linked to the number of goods sold.

When it came time to pay, the senior sales clerk was trying to fill out the form for Jiang Jingxue first, hoping to keep the commission for herself.

Jiang Jingxue refused to pay until the young sales clerk filled out the form, at which point she finally paid.

When Jiang Jingxue returned after paying the bill, she saw that Panpan had already changed back into her old clothes.

She carefully handed the new clothes to the sales clerk and asked her to wrap them up.

We left the mall.

Jiang Jingxue asked, "Panpan, why weren't you wearing your new clothes just now?"

"I want to keep it to wear for the Chinese New Year."

Panpan answered simply.

"Sister Jiang, the dress you sewed for me is so beautiful. It's the best dress I've ever worn."

Looking at her innocent face, her eyes were full of satisfaction.

Jiang Jingxue felt another pang of heartache.

Oh, this silly child.

She had suffered so much before, and even though she now has lots of snacks and new clothes, she always hesitates to eat or wear them.

Judging by her age, she should be starting school by now.

Once the formal adoption procedures are completed, she will send her to school.

afternoon.

They returned to the village.

Good news also came from Gu Pingwei.

The middle-aged man who poisoned the plants finally couldn't hold out any longer and confessed everything.

"The experts' test results came back ahead of schedule, and they basically matched what the man said. It was indeed a case of deliberate poisoning."

"So what should we do next?"

"Haicheng is about to take over this matter and investigate the gang behind him, as well as the purpose of the poisoning. The higher-ups said we have controlled cholera effectively, so we still have to stay and continue to cooperate with the rescue work."

Jiang Jingxue nodded.

"Alright, at least we can consider our mission complete once these villagers have fully recovered."

"Then, I'll go check on those patients."

Jiang Jingxue put down her things and was about to leave.

Gu Pingwei grabbed her arm.

“I just came back from there. Dr. Niu said that the patients are all in stable condition now and there is nothing to worry about.”

“We need to take some time to visit Panpan’s home, meet her parents, and talk to them about the adoption.”

Jiang Jingxue gets angry whenever Panpan's parents are mentioned.

“What’s the point of talking to them! They abandoned Panpan a long time ago. They beat and scold her every day, and throw her out when she gets sick. If it weren’t for Dr. Niu’s kindness, she would be dead!”

Jiang Jingxue felt as much heartache for Panpan as she resented her parents.

Even tigers, though fierce, don't eat their cubs!

They are Panpan's biological parents, how could they be so heartless?

"No matter what, they are Panpan's biological parents. Let's go there in person to avoid trouble in the future."

Jiang Jingxue was angry, but she also knew that what Gu Pingwei said was true.

Adopting Panpan without the consent of her biological parents could lead to complications later on, and it would be difficult to explain the situation.

As she gradually calmed down, Jiang Jingxue nodded.

"Okay, let's go together sometime."

“I’m afraid Panpan will get hurt again, so don’t take her with you when you go. We adults can talk about the adoption.”

"Okay, you decide."

Jiang Jingxue found Doctor Niu and told him she wanted to visit Panpan's parents.

Dr. Niu was happy to be the one to take the lead.

He led Jiang Jingxue and Gu Pingwei to Panpan's house.

In a dilapidated bungalow, Panpan's father was sitting in a chair, completely drunk.

Panpan's mother was cooking in the open-air kitchen, her eldest daughter was washing clothes in the yard, and her younger daughter had probably gone outside to gather pig feed and hadn't returned yet.

Panpan's mother brought the stir-fried appetizers to the table.

As Panpan's father drank, he cursed and swore, "Useless woman! Can't even give me a son! Why don't you just die? Go! Cook me two more dishes!"

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! I really don't know what use you guys are to me!"

Panpan's mother didn't dare to utter a sound and silently returned to the kitchen.

"That's just how their family is, please don't mind them."

Dr. Niu said in a slightly embarrassed voice.

"Panpan's Dad, Panpan's Mom."

Dr. Niu was the first to enter the courtyard.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!