The next day.
Jiang Xuan made the guanbing (a type of flatbread) early in the morning and went to the entrance of the courtyard with a basket.
Today, she made 30 pancakes, intending to sell them all for 4 mao (0.4 yuan), as a way to celebrate her upcoming university studies.
The news had spread throughout the entire courtyard.
More people came to patronize the business today than usual, but most of them were actually driven by some selfish motives.
"Jiang Xuan, when you have some free time, please give my son some guidance. I'm so worried."
"I'll be buying guanbing (a type of Chinese pancake) from now on every day. Could you help tutor my daughter?"
Jiang Xuan smiled and said, "Sure, sure, I'm free this weekend. Just have the kids come see me."
Besides some regular customers, a young girl also came today.
The little girl was about seven or eight years old, with two pigtails.
I hadn't seen Jiang Xuan before.
The little girl squeezed to the front of the stall and said in a clear voice, "Sister, I want two guanbing (a type of flatbread)."
When the little girl took out eight cents, her wrist, half of which was exposed from her sleeve, was covered in red rashes.
"Eat it while it's hot, it's fresh out of the pancake." Jiang Xuan smiled and handed over the pancake.
"Thank you, sister."
The pancakes sold out quickly.
When Jiang Xuan returned home, Ma Xiaolan was standing by the sink washing her face.
"Sister Lan?"
Ma Xiaolan wiped her face with a smile, "Looks like business was good today, sold out so quickly?"
"Hmm, things are cheaper today. Sister Lan, are you working the early shift or the afternoon shift today?"
"I'm on the middle shift, I only go at noon."
"By the way, Sister Lan, I'd like to ask if something's happened to your factory's design department?"
Ma Xiaolan thought for a moment and shook her head: "Nothing happened, what's wrong?"
“Yesterday I went to Xiguan Road and saw someone holding a newspaper. The newspaper had a notice published by the Provincial Military Region, they were soliciting costume design drafts from the public. Doesn’t the Provincial Military Region always cooperate with you?”
"Oh, you mean this? I remember now, one of the designers in the design department resigned. He was a college graduate, and I heard he went to work on the coast with his uncle."
"Does that mean the provincial and military regions don't even consider the other designers' skills?"
“I don’t know about that. We’re a sewing workshop, only responsible for sewing. Last time I took your design to them, they didn’t even look at it and just put it aside. I feel really bad about that.”
Jiang Xuan smiled and said, "It's okay, they'll come looking for us sooner or later."
"By the way, Jiang Xuan, thank you and Platoon Leader Lu for last night, otherwise I wouldn't have known that Xiuxiu was in such a serious condition."
Jiang Xuan lowered her voice: "How is Xiuxiu now? What was the final outcome last night?"
“I feel much better today, and I don’t have a headache anymore. I gave Sun Jianjun some options: either get a divorce or have his parents move to the eldest son’s house. Anyway, they’ve always liked the eldest son and his wife.”
What did he say?
"I was so angry that I smashed the bowls on the table, but I'm not afraid now. At worst, I'll get a divorce. My salary alone can support me and Xiuxiu."
"And what about your sister-in-law?"
"They've already fallen out, so they're too embarrassed to stay here now. They said they'll go to the neighborhood office today to see if they can help them find a place to stay."
"That's good. You'll be free soon, so don't be soft-hearted now."
Ma Xiaolan smiled and said, "Don't worry, that family has always been bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. I won't tolerate them this time."
As the two were chatting, Zhang Junrui suddenly shouted from outside the door: "Everyone, stop eating the egg pancakes that Jiang Xuan made! They're poisonous!"
Immediately afterwards, the door was kicked open with a bang.
Zhang Junrui stormed in angrily and shouted, "Jiang Xuan, you heartless bastard, I'm asking you, what exactly did you put in the egg pancake?"
Jiang Xuan looked at her coldly: "What do you mean?"
"My granddaughter ate your pancake and then vomited and had diarrhea, and she also developed a rash. What should I do?"
Jiang Xuan remained calm and composed. She even washed her hands before making packaging bags and washed all the vegetables three times, so there was no way she could have any hygiene issues.
At this moment, some neighbors who enjoy watching a spectacle also gathered around.
Guo Caiyun said, "No way, Auntie, I eat guanbing (a type of Chinese pancake) every day and I've never had a problem. Is your granddaughter allergic to something?"
Ma Jinhua: "Yes, I ate it today too, and I didn't have diarrhea."
"Do you guys think this is interesting? What if only one or two pancakes have problems this time?"
Everyone fell silent.
Jiang Xuan glanced at her. "Are you sure she got like this because she ate a savory pancake?"
"Of course, otherwise why would I call you? Just now, she bought two pancakes, ate one herself, and then she acted like she was poisoned. Her whole body was covered in red rashes, and she was vomiting and having diarrhea. She had to go to the toilet every few minutes, and she even vomited bile. If the baby hadn't been unable to come out, I would have brought her here to see you."
Jiang Xuan remembered the little girl with pigtails.
She noticed red rashes on the little girl's wrist.
It seems that Zhang Junrui did this on purpose.
"Auntie, all the ingredients in the pancakes were bought from the state-run store this morning, so there shouldn't be any problems. If your child has the symptoms you described, it might really be some kind of allergic disease. I suggest you take her to the hospital for a checkup."
"You're trying to renege on your promise, aren't you? She's always been perfectly fine. It was only after she ate your pancake that she developed those symptoms."
Ma Xiaolan couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Auntie, I trust Jiang Xuan's character. There's no way there could be a problem with her pancakes. Besides, she's a business that caters to a large number of people. How could it be just one or two pancakes that have a problem? You used to sell steamed buns too. Do you think you would do something like that?"
Zhang Junrui choked, "You two live next door, of course you'll speak up for her. If she doesn't give me an explanation today, this isn't over."
As she spoke, she sat down on the steps, crossed her legs, and looked like she wanted to explain herself.
Guo Caiyun shook her head, "You don't have any evidence to prove that the problem lies with the pancakes, isn't that just lying?"
Jiang Xuan looked at Zhang Junrui with amusement and said, "So what kind of explanation do you want? Or what are your demands?"
"Give me five yuan, and we'll call it even."
Jiang Xuan sneered, "You old donkey eating cucumbers, you've got a pretty sharp mind."
Several people laughed.
Zhang Junrui's face contorted instantly, and she stood up abruptly. "You dare to insult me?"
"Trying to extort money from me? Don't you even know your own limitations? Go to the hospital for a checkup. If your granddaughter developed a rash or diarrhea because she ate the pancake, I'll give you a hundred yuan."
"My child has these symptoms, what other tests are needed?"
"Let me tell you the truth, when your granddaughter came to buy guanbing today, I saw that she had a red rash on her wrist. You're so petty, just because my guanbing business is good, you deliberately tried to frame me. Do you want Director Liu from the neighborhood office to have a talk with you again?"
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