Chapter 134 Hua Gui Apologizes to Tian Luo

Upon hearing this, the patients' families quickly gathered around, preventing them from sneaking home.

Zhao Si saw his wife being stopped in the crowd, and took advantage of everyone's inattention to quietly run home.

Wang Yuqing led a group of people to Hua Gui's house first. There were seven or eight basins in Hua Gui's yard, filled with snails, and the water inside was filthy.

He Ruhua was squatting nearby, holding a brush in her hand. She casually brushed the water in the basin a few times, then scooped it out and placed it on a bamboo sieve before taking it into the kitchen.

Yang Hui, who was helping out, couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Ruhua, you're still not clean... you need to wash it again..."

He Ruhua glared at him: "I asked you to help with the work, not to give orders."

Yang Hui lowered his head and stopped talking, instead carefully cleaning his basin of snails.

Then, the two saw Wang Yuqing leading a large group of people into the courtyard.

He Ruhua quickly stood up to stop him, still holding a dirty brush in her hand, and pointed her nose at Wang Yuqing: "What are you doing? Why did you bring so many people here? Who gave you permission to come to my house?"

Because this is her own home, she feels very confident.

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw her parents, the old Party Secretary, and several other cadres behind her, and vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Wang Shuo roared, "Get out of here!"

He Ruhua trembled with fright and stood obediently to the side. She was scolded by the new militia instructor, and her face burned with shame.

Wang Shuo led several militiamen forward, glanced at each basin, and said, "This is all sand and mud. No wonder everyone got diarrhea after eating it."

Wang Yuqing picked out a large number of snails from each basin that she didn't recognize: "I don't recognize these snails, and I usually don't dare to touch them."

She then picked up two snails and said, "These snails should be called Oncomelania snails. If they are not thoroughly cooked, they will cause diarrhea. Moreover, these snails can transmit schistosomiasis. Eating too many can have serious consequences."

This startled Yuan Fang, Liu Liu, Shi Feng, and Qian Juan, and they all looked at Hua Gui.

Feeling guilty, Hua Gui cleared her throat and said, "You think you can just say these snails can't be eaten? Are you an expert? Or a doctor?"

Wang Yuqing looked at the patients' families and said, "You can take these snails to the hospital and have the doctor take a look at them."

Chen Wei, a former educated youth, squeezed out of the crowd, picked up a snail, examined it, and said, "These snails are edible, but the risk is very high, especially if they are not fully cooked. Bacteria and parasites may remain, and eating them can cause diarrhea or, in severe cases, food poisoning."

"Although I have a sweet tooth, I don't eat these kinds of snails."

He was a sent-down youth from a big city, so he knew a lot and had a lot of experience. No one doubted what he said.

Upon hearing this, Hua Gui lowered her head in a guilty and timid manner.

Seeing her like this, Yuan Fang and the others standing nearby became uneasy and frightened.

Lei Yongxia glanced at the several large basins on the ground, then shifted her gaze to the bamboo sieve, pointing at everyone: "Look at this, it's not clean at all. Qing'er said that these snails should be kept in the basin for at least several days after being caught, with the water constantly changed. It looks like they're planning to just stir-fry them and sell them... This water is filthy and smells terrible."

A clever woman immediately stepped forward, holding a basin, and said, "This is the evidence. Everyone, go to the police station to report this..."

Some people said, "This is murder for money! Who knew she was feeding our family such filthy food..."

The middle-aged man with the hoe said, "The educated youth in your brigade all said that eating these snails will cause diarrhea. How can you still argue with that? I'm taking these snails to the county hospital!"

After saying that, he scooped a few snails out of the basin and stuffed them into his pocket.

Hua Gui was at a loss and couldn't explain a single word.

He Guangliang, standing beside him, still had his hands behind his back, but his brows were furrowed and his face was grim.

He Ruhua, oblivious to the immensity of the world, retorted: "What evidence? So what if it wasn't washed properly? Didn't you buy it voluntarily? Besides, it was only one cent per pound. What kind of food do you expect? You're greedy for cheap things but complain about the quality. What kind of people are you?"

She practically jumped up and said, "Go report it to the police! What are you afraid of?"

He Guangliang roared angrily, "Shut up!"

The shout startled He Ruhua. She didn't know what she had said wrong. She turned to look at Hua Gui next to her, who was also looking down and not saying a word.

Wang Shuo said, "Director, you have to resolve this matter. So many families have suffered from diarrhea after eating these snails. The evidence is conclusive. As the director of the brigade, you shouldn't continue to cover it up."

With so many eyes watching, He Guangliang dared not cover it up, and he never imagined that the snails his wife prepared would cause everyone to have diarrhea.

Knowing they were in the right, the patients' families became increasingly confident, demanding an explanation from He Guangliang. Otherwise, they threatened to cause trouble at the commune and the county public security bureau.

One person even mocked, "Is this how people and things are in your brigade? No wonder it's the poorest brigade in our commune. With cadres and leaders like these, how could it not be the poorest?"

He Guangliang was immediately humiliated.

Wang Yuqing deliberately said, "Actually, this isn't our director's fault. Although our director isn't very capable, he would never cover up for his wife. He would definitely handle it fairly and impartially, compensating those who deserve it and apologizing those who need an apology..."

Upon hearing this, those who didn't know the situation were astonished. It turned out that the ruthless and unreasonable shrew in front of them was actually the wife of the director of the Golden Bull Brigade.

Wang Yuqing added, "And then there's Comrade Hua Gui. She's our brigade's women's director, after all. She's highly conscious, hardworking, sets a good example, and has an upright character. She leads the women of our brigade to play a vital role. Otherwise, how could she have become the women's director? This time, selling snails was just because she was momentarily blinded by greed and did something immoral. However, she will definitely apologize to everyone. She won't refuse any requests you may have."

"Whether it's the brigade director or the women's director, they are all elected by the masses, which shows that they are fair and just in their dealings and have a friendly and approachable personality. After all, they are expected to play an exemplary role in everything they do."

These words made He Guangliang and Hua Gui feel extremely ashamed.

When the patient's family heard this, they exclaimed, "Good heavens, this is the women's director of Jinniu Brigade! Putting aside the fact that she sold unclean snails, her behavior just now was like that of a shrew. She has no demeanor whatsoever as a women's director!"

The people in the Golden Bull Brigade had a clear sense of right and wrong; they had long felt that the couple were unworthy of their positions, and Wang Yuqing's words only reinforced that feeling.

The patient's family members were from other brigades and even other communes. Because of this incident, they all despised He Guangliang and Hua Gui. Some couldn't help but complain: "They are the brigade director and women's director, how could they do such a thing? No wonder they are the poorest brigade."

He Guangliang and Hua Gui were both afraid of losing their jobs, so they let everyone ridicule them.

He Guangliang ordered Hua Gui to apologize to each of the patients' families.

Hua Gui was unwilling, but she knew that if this matter got out of hand, the consequences would be serious. She went to each patient's family member and bowed her head to apologize. In particular, she went to the old lady and the middle-aged man and said sorry four or five times in a row.

The middle-aged man snorted and ignored her.

The old woman said angrily, "Your face just now almost scared me to death! You think you're so capable? I was wondering why you were so arrogant. So your husband is the brigade director and you're the brigade women's director."