Chapter 16

What should have been a joyful spring outing was overshadowed by the milk incident.

Hu Zhenzhen controlled her emotions and did not show any abnormality in front of the children.

The morning passed quickly; she took them on a picnic, then had someone find some small fishing rods so the three little boys could experience the joy of fishing.

After two hours of work by the four people, only Quan Shiqian managed to catch a small fish.

The little fish was only the length of a little finger, and Quan Shiqian, who was so happy that he showed his teeth, carefully put it into the bucket.

Hu Zhenzhen brought a large bucket, but there was only this one small fish in it.

To see the little fish in the dark bucket, you have to lie on the edge of the bucket and observe it for a while.

Why isn't my fishing rod moving?

Xu Bo was getting impatient and asked Hu Zhenzhen, "Auntie, is my fishing rod broken?"

With his habit of constantly lifting his fishing rod to check on things, it's no wonder he can't catch any fish.

Hu Zhenzhen thought to herself, "Fishing is the sport that tests your patience the most. Only when it looks like food can you lure small fish to bite. Xiao Xu Bo, you keep lifting your rod. The fish can sense the danger too."

"Then I can't move?"

"Yes, you have to wait until you feel a tug on the fishing rod before you lift it up to check."

Hu Zhenzhen thought he was an impatient child, but to her surprise, after she finished speaking, Xu Bo actually sat quietly next to her for an hour.

When they left, their catch had increased to two small fish.

The second one was caught by Jiang Chen. It was slightly bigger than Quan Shiqian's, about the length of an index finger.

Two fish swimming in a bucket are always a little more attractive than one fish.

"Xiao Chen, are you planning to take the fish home and raise them?"

Jiang Chen looked up at her. "Is it okay?"

"Of course you can, but we need to do some preparation before we take it home to keep it, since we don't have a fish tank at home yet."

Quan Shiqian listened with envy, "Auntie, I've also thought about taking one home to raise."

"Okay, how about Auntie gives you a fish tank too?"

The little boy nodded excitedly, highlighting the dejection in Xu Bo's expression.

He was the only one who didn't catch any fish, and naturally, he didn't receive the fish tank as a gift.

Hu Zhenzhen noticed his expression and immediately felt a headache coming on.

Fortunately, she only had to support Jiang Chen, and Jiang Chen was a very well-behaved child. If there were two more, she really wouldn't be able to take care of them.

"Little Xu Bo didn't catch any fish either, just like Auntie. Would you like to raise a pretty little goldfish? Auntie will give it to you."

Xu Bo, who was always the most outgoing and talkative of the three children, simply pursed his lips and nodded, "Thank you, Auntie."

It was past four o'clock when I finished fishing.

Hu Zhenzhen didn't want to take the two children out of the neighborhood to play, so she asked the caregiver to take them home first.

She and Jiang Chen stood there, waiting for the driver to pick them up so they could go to the flower and bird market.

While waiting for the bus, Hu Zhenzhen opened the parent supervision group she had just joined two days ago and sent a message.

[Hu Zhenzhen, representative of Class 3, Grade 2: Please contact the parents of each class and ask them to stop the children from drinking the milk distributed during breaks.]

Her message immediately sparked discussion in the group chat.

[Liu Bin, representative of Class 4, Grade 2: Is there a problem with the pure milk?]

[Li Aihua, representative of Class 1, Grade 3: What happened? My child drinks that milk every day, and now something's wrong?]

[Qian Zhu, representative of Class 1, Grade 1: Is the news confirmed? Is there any evidence? We can't convince other parents with just empty words.]

...

The message was posted hundreds of times within minutes, with many people tagging Hu Zhenzhen, hoping she would give an explanation immediately.

Once the group chat had become lively and more than half of the members were online, Hu Zhenzhen sent over a milk inspection report.

[Hu Zhenzhen, representative of Class 3, Grade 2: The substance highlighted in red is propylene glycol, which is prohibited from being added to milk by the state.]

That one sentence is enough.

Every child is a precious treasure in their parents' eyes.

If they themselves drank milk with additives, they might vent their anger and curse a few times, but many people would let it go easily.

But if it harms their children, even the most timid person will raise their thorns and reveal an aggressive side.

Hu Zhenzhen doesn't need to emphasize what to do; parents have an innate instinct to protect their children.

[Hu Zhenzhen, representative of Class 3, Grade 2: I have scheduled a meeting with the principal tomorrow to discuss the milk issue.]

The group admin directly posted about refusing to drink school milk in the group description and even tagged everyone.

Hu Zhenzhen didn't read much of the subsequent chat.

Liu An had already arrived and picked her up in a discreet minivan.

"Boss, should we go to the nearest flower and bird market or the biggest one?"

Hu Zhenzhen wasn't really sure either. "Have you been there? Where can I buy a better fish tank? And those underwater plants for landscaping?"

“You’ve come to the right person,” Liu An chuckled. “I have a parrot at home and I go there quite often. As for fish, the flower and bird market nearby has a much wider variety.”

The flower and bird market specializes in selling flowers, birds, fish, and insects, and Hu Zhenzhen can basically buy everything she needs in one store.

However, this was Jiang Chen's first time visiting such a place.

Children are naturally curious, and seeing his interest in these things, Hu Zhenzhen took him to visit several more stores.

For the other two children, Hu Zhenzhen chose the smaller size fish tank.

She bought a ready-made fish tank that the shop owner usually made. The tank was only one meter long and the decorations inside were very beautiful.

Xu Bo's is a row of upward stone steps, while Quan Shiqian's is more like a miniature hill.

As for my own family.

Hu Zhenzhen squatted down and said, "Xiao Chen, let's buy some things and make a home for Xiao Yu when we get back, okay?"

That would be great!

Jiang Chen looked up in surprise, smiled briefly, and said, "Okay!"

He picked out some aquatic plants he liked, and a few ornamental fish that he liked, and he didn't forget to pick out Xu Bo's fish as well.

The shop owner was answering the phone behind the counter, leaving the customers to choose their own items inside.

Hu Zhenzhen had just picked out a completely red guppy when she heard the boss's low-pitched roar.

"Gambling, all you know is gambling. You'll lose your life sooner or later."

"What can you do if you don't sell? Do you even have the money to pay off your loan sharks? Don't expect me to lend you any more money."

“I can’t lend you any more money. You have elderly parents and young children to support. Don’t I have sons and daughters to raise? I’m only helping Fang Ping find buyers because of our years of friendship. Besides the cattle and sheep, what else can you sell for money at the farm?”

His voice was filled with unspeakable exhaustion. "Wake up. You're 40 years old. You know in your heart whether I'm helping you or hurting you."

The shop owner hung up the phone, looked up at Hu Zhenzhen who wanted to buy fish, and forced a smile.

"Customer, is there anything you like? Let me show you some options."

"I think these guppies are quite beautiful," Hu Zhenzhen said, and the shop owner immediately smiled and tried to sell them to her.

"You have excellent taste. Guppies are easy to keep, don't have high requirements for the environment, and are beautiful. They are perfect for beginners."

He stood up nimbly and scooped out the completely red one. "You want this one, right?"

Hu Zhenzhen chimed in, "Yes, please also help me pick out a few other fish that can be kept in the same tank, preferably some pretty ones."

The shop owner had clearly heard this request many times before, and directly scooped out more than a dozen fish for Hu Zhenzhen from several other fish species nearby.

"You're planning to create an aquascape in your tank, right? Then these fish are enough. Any more and it will look crowded."

Hu Zhenzhen could tell from the type of fish in the bag that the shop owner was an honest man.

Many merchants treat customers differently based on their social status. If a customer is well-dressed, they will try their best to sell them expensive fish, regardless of the customer's actual needs.

But the fish that this shop owner caught for her weren't expensive; they were simply fish that met her requirements of being pretty and easy to keep.

Hu Zhenzhen raised her hand, and Liu An, who was standing at the door, came in and very consciously took the fish that the boss had packed.

"Boss, can I talk to you about the cows and sheep we were talking about on the phone earlier?"

Hu Zhenzhen scanned the QR code to pay for the fish, and then asked, "Also, do cattle and sheep need pasture?"

The boss, who had been very calm, couldn't hold back his emotions for a moment when he heard Hu Zhenzhen's words.

He looked like he was about to cry. "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. Those were my childhood friend's cattle and sheep. That guy took out a loan and can't pay it back. His wife and children are being driven to their deaths by him. I had no other choice but to let them sell the cattle and sheep."

"I need to make things clear to you beforehand. After all, most bosses don't want to associate with this kind of person. Even if they want to buy, they back down when they hear about this situation."

Hu Zhenzhen spread her hands, "It's okay. I care more about the condition of the cattle and sheep than the seller's character."

The shopkeeper sensed that she wanted to buy, so he immediately rubbed his face and perked up.

"Don't worry, his wife and children take care of everything at home. This time, his wife was the one who did business with you to sell the cattle and sheep. It has nothing to do with that gambler. I can vouch for them. They are both trustworthy and good people."

He took out his phone and scrolled through the photo album for a while.

"Look, this is what our cattle and sheep look like. They clean them twice a day and keep them very clean. They are absolutely immune to disease."

The photo was held up in front of Hu Zhenzhen, who zoomed in and took a closer look.

It was indeed kept very clean; it was clearly carefully cared for.

"Take a look. If you're interested, I can take you to the store to pick out the best ones. I'll definitely save the best for you."

The boss spoke cautiously, clearly genuinely trying to drum up business.

The female boss in front of him looked wealthy and generous. If he could buy half of the cattle and sheep, Li Huaen's wife and children would be able to survive.

The little girl even called him "uncle," and he couldn't bear to see her forced to drop out of school.

He gritted his teeth and spoke kindly to the mother and daughter, "The cattle and sheep are in excellent condition. If it weren't for the spendthrift husband in the family, they probably wouldn't have sold all their livestock. Please think it over carefully; the prices are negotiable."

The bell hanging at the door rang as soon as the boss finished speaking.

"Old Xin, this is the last time. If you do it again... Oh, we have a guest."

Hu Zhenzhen looked up and saw that the person who came was hunched over, and although he was over 1.8 meters tall, he looked shorter than his actual height. His eyes were very lewd as he scanned her.

"Hey, you take care of the customers first," he winked at the shop owner, thinking he was whispering his advice, "This girl looks rich, rip her off as much as you can."