Chapter 256 Chapter 256 Heavy Fog
"arrive."
"Let's go sell the mushrooms first."
The amount of food in the residential building was far less than that in the supermarket. Everyone found very little supplies and had to use gray mushrooms to fill the large bags they had specially prepared.
But the children were not depressed at all. They jumped and chattered all the way - after living in the shelter for so long, this was the first time they left the safe area and went farther.
Even though the collected supplies are not much, if you go directly to the trading market to buy them, it will cost a lot of money.
It takes at least half a month to pick mushrooms.
A dozen or so little kids lined up in a row, creating a rather spectacular scene that attracted many people's attention and comments.
"Whose children are these, and where are their parents?"
"Keep your voice down, it's from the orphanage."
"No wonder he's so young and has to support himself. He's much more sensible than my little brat."
"Children from poor families have to grow up early."
"Hey, kids, where did you get all these mushrooms? I've been searching for hours and only found this much. Did you guys run out of mushrooms? That's amazing!"
The person who was speaking had a warm smile on his face, but his words were full of sarcasm. Even a child could sense the obvious malice.
The scene suddenly became quiet.
Xuan Jun stared at her, no emotion visible in her black eyes. Zong Kangping was about to go over to smooth things over, but he heard her speak in a wronged tone.
"We picked these mushrooms outside the safe zone. Last time, you said the mushrooms in the safe zone were all grown by your son and told us not to pick them, so we didn't."
The crowd exploded like boiling water, and countless condemning glances were cast at the protagonist of the words.
"Who is her son?"
"Her son is the one responsible for spreading spores in the safe zone to the east. He seems like a very honest person. Why is her mother..."
"You even bully the children in the orphanage. You're doing something that will be punished by God. You'll be punished in the future."
"Her son was paid to do this, and the mushroom spores were produced by the mushroom factory. How can he have the nerve to say such things?"
"shameless."
…
The whispers of the crowd cut through the false smile on the woman's face like a knife.
She said fiercely: "You little kid, you're just talking nonsense. When did I ever say those words?"
Xuan Jun wiped away her tears.
"You said it yourself on the afternoon of the 15th. You also said that if we stole mushrooms from the safe zone, your son would arrest us."
"We really picked these mushrooms outside the safe zone. Don't let your son arrest us."
Seeing the security team approaching after hearing the noise, the woman became anxious and accused them, "You're lying! I only told you not to come to the safe zone to pick mushrooms. I didn't tell my son to arrest you."
"I'm not lying."
The girl's voice was choked with sobs, and her face was full of grievance and timidity, which made the onlookers feel even more distressed.
Looking at the other children, they also had a mixture of anger, fear and grievance that they could not speak of. How could they be lying?
Moreover, the woman's reputation among mushroom pickers was not very good. She often showed off her son, looked down on others by making indirect accusations, and said sour words to those who picked more mushrooms.
The balance in my heart kept tilting towards the other side, and everyone's eyes became more contemptuous.
An auntie spoke up for the children: "Little sister, don't be afraid. You haven't broken any laws. The mushrooms in the safe zone belong to everyone. Anyone can pick them."
Xuan Jun's eyes welled up with tears: "Are you really not going to arrest us?"
"Of course it's true."
"Who dares to arrest you? Everyone is watching. Some shameless people are bullying others without fear of retribution."
At this time, the guards also came over.
Without waiting for them to ask, everyone started talking at once and took the initiative to explain the situation, and their words were full of dissatisfaction with the person who started the trouble.
The woman continued to shout, saying that she just thought the children picked too many mushrooms and was not threatening to arrest them.
The three guards frowned slightly.
The leader said, "The mushrooms in the safe zone are not private property. There's no limit on how many mushrooms a person can pick. Everyone picks based on their own ability."
"If you think you've picked too few mushrooms, you can spend a little more time. Can a child be faster than an adult?"
Isn't it just that you think kids are easy to bully?
"Children, from now on, pick mushrooms in the safe zone. Don't go outside. It's too dangerous."
"Tell me who comes to arrest you."
"The Guards clear out mutants from the safe zone every day to protect everyone's lives, not to allow some to take advantage of the situation and abuse their power."
The girl sniffed and looked at the guards gratefully: "Thank you, police officer."
She smiled. "But the mushrooms in the safe zone can be left to those who need them more. We are brave enough not to be afraid of mutant insects, so we can pick mushrooms outside."
As soon as she finished speaking, the other man glared at her with a few more sharp eyes. She looked left and right, shielding her face as she slumped down into the underground passage, not even wanting to sell the mushrooms in her bag.
The farce finally ended, and the mushroom pickers in the team comforted these unfortunate children.
Some people also asked about the situation outside the safe zone, and the children answered truthfully, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
"Hey, look, that guy picked up a green mushroom. He's so lucky."
"Did he go outside too? I don't think I've seen him in the safe zone."
Everyone's attention was quickly drawn to the green mushrooms that He Junxia brought out, and they forgot about the previous minor dispute.
However, a lucky person who finds a special mushroom will appear from time to time, but the beautiful and lively scene does not happen every day.
I think it won't be long, maybe by tonight, before the previous dispute spreads throughout the shelter.
…
After returning to the shelter, He Junxia first went to the bank and transferred the 750 points he earned from selling green mushrooms equally to the two children.
They are the real masters of mushrooms.
It's just that there are a lot of people out there, and two children without parental protection suddenly get a large sum of money, so it's inevitable that they will be noticed - the woman who spoke in a sarcastic tone before is the best proof of this.
He Junxia looked at Xuan Jun again: "When did that person threaten you?" He was completely unaware of it.
Xuan Jun hesitated: "It's the 15th."
Another younger child said, "That old woman is so mean! She stole the mushrooms from our bag and even tried to hit Sister Xuan."
Lu Yushi lowered his head: "I'm sorry, Grandpa Zong, we didn't mean to hide it from you."
They just didn't want to cause trouble for Grandpa Zong.
"I know." He Junxia patted the boy's shoulder and said gently, "Xuan Jun, you did a good job just now. You know how to use your vulnerable position to protect yourself. But I hope you won't hide it from me next time you encounter something like this, okay?"
"Some things should be left to adults to handle."
There was a hint of coldness in the old man's eyes.
He won't take the initiative to target others, but if someone deliberately bullies the person he is protecting, don't blame him for being rude.
…
The incident of a mother who works at a mushroom factory abusing her power to bully orphans has become increasingly serious, and many people have stepped forward to say that her mother has also snatched mushrooms from their own children.
For a moment, the crowd was excited.
The mushroom factory responded quickly and issued a statement with its official seal the next morning.
The statement solemnly stated that the mushrooms in the ground safety zone belong to the shelter and can be picked by all residents of the shelter.
The employee involved was a temporary worker and has been dismissed after the incident. They are investigating the matter...
Of course, not many people were satisfied with this statement.
However, this employee was also dragged down by his family, and everyone's attention was more focused on his mother Zhu Chuncao.
A fierce quarrel broke out in the small dormitory.
"Mom, why did you steal the kid's mushrooms? Now I'm going to lose my job and break up with my girlfriend."
"Are you happy?"
"Son, that's not what I meant. I just want our family to live a better life."
"If you're feeling better, you're going to steal the kids' things?"
"But you agreed to it. I did all this for you. And you said I was smart and asked me to bring back more mushrooms to sell for money."
Zhu Chuncao felt that Dou E was not as wronged as she was.
"Besides, those kids don't have to support their families, and they're deliberately trying to steal our jobs. What's wrong with me taking a few mushrooms?"
Those people are bullying them, orphans and widows!
The young man, of medium build, medium height, and ordinary appearance, was now filled with anger: "I asked you to take it, not to snatch it."
"What's wrong? What's wrong? My boss told me to take a good rest and not go to work for now. What's wrong?!"
Zhu Chuncao said confidently: "Rest well. Don't you feel tired from work? Rest in the dormitory for a few days first. I will talk to your leader."
"I did this, why should I blame you?"
The young man was choked and speechless.
Someone hiding under the quilt on the upper bunk, pretending not to exist, rolled his eyes speechlessly as he listened to the conversation between the two.
Originally, she felt a little sympathetic towards the man being dragged down by his mother, but now it seems that people of the same family are alike.
You deserve it.
"Dong Dong Dong"
There was a sudden knock on the door. The man opened the door angrily and was about to curse, but the words froze in his mouth.
"Zhu Chuncao, come with us to the police station."
The person who came was the sheriff who was responsible for maintaining order in the shelter, and Zhu Chuncao suddenly panicked.
"Comrade police officer, you, why are you looking for me? I won't go. I haven't done anything wrong."
"Whether a crime has been committed or not will be determined by the court."
Several people broke in and forcibly took Zhu Chuncao away, without any courtesy at all.
There weren't many surveillance cameras in the ground security zone, but there were several. One of them clearly captured her snatching the child's belongings.
This kind of thing can be considered small or big, but if you really want to investigate it, it can be considered a serious crime of robbery.
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