Chapter 87 Does your flour blow bubbles?
Because it was a communal meal, it wasn't easy to prepare, and several people volunteered to help.
But everyone was either tending the fire or helping out, chatting in small groups.
It was strange that Old Lady Cui, who didn't get along with Shen Wanjun, would immediately try to help Song Juan.
"Show me your hand?" Shen Wanjun commanded.
Old Mrs. Cui, of course, refused: "Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you?"
"You don't have to listen to me, but we don't need your help on our side."
For the first few days, the women were the ones doing all the work while the men slept soundly. Cooking was like a battle; they were incredibly busy.
But today is different. Huang Ya and Song Zhan are also helping out, so there's no shortage of people to do the work this morning.
"Go away, don't block my way," Song Juan urged.
She's busy, what kind of trouble is she up to now?
Old Mrs. Cui came with a purpose, and she wasn't about to leave until she got what she wanted.
"Comrade Shen, I know you don't like me, but you don't have to target me at every turn."
When Dang Xianghong saw this, he realized that this person was indeed up to cause trouble again.
He stood up and said, "Grandma Cui, is your family's money overflowing?"
Grandma Cui didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
Her family is so poor they're practically starving; where would they get the money?
It's all Shen Wanjun's fault. If it weren't for her, their family wouldn't have lost 620 yuan for nothing.
The son will not be suspended from his job and will lose his source of income.
“Doing bad things comes at a financial price,” Shen Wanjun said.
It seems that the lesson learned last time still didn't make Grandma Cui understand this principle.
She couldn't be taught by people, nor could she be taught by events; Old Lady Cui was truly impervious to reason.
Grandma Cui reached out, wanting to sprinkle something onto the already rolled-out dough.
Dang Xianghong reacted quickly, grabbing her hand and sternly saying, "Open your hand."
Old Cui refused, but he couldn't resist Dang Xianghong's incredible strength.
The rough hand was pried open, revealing a clump of white powder.
"What is this?" Song Juan asked fearfully, clutching the noodles.
Did Old Mrs. Cui want to poison everyone?
The people tending the fire gathered around, their faces grim.
Some even clamored to go find Political Commissar Hao, because poisoning is a criminal offense.
Grandma Cui panicked and hurriedly said, "This...this is flour."
“If it’s flour, I’ll eat it.” Dang Xianghong looked at the thing; it contained many granular things.
She didn't know what it was, but it certainly wasn't flour.
"Political Commissar Hao is here," someone said.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Cui became visibly nervous.
Her thin, bony fingers clenched the hem of her clothes tightly, her eyes flickered, and she swallowed hard.
Suddenly, he exclaimed excitedly, "This is flour!"
With lightning speed, he swallowed the white powder in his hand.
Political Commissar Hao thought she was going to commit suicide by poisoning herself, and was so frightened that he hurriedly ordered someone to gag her throat.
Poor old lady Cui, the food she had intended to use to destroy the evidence was vomited up as soon as she ate it.
YUE——
"Look, what's that?"
Shen Wanjun was surprised to find that Old Lady Cui was actually blowing bubbles.
After a few seconds of silence, someone burst out, "Old Mrs. Cui, are you trying to kill us?"
Adding laundry detergent to noodles? How could she even think of that?
Grandma Cui would never admit it: "Who said it was laundry detergent? It's flour."
The evidence was already mixed with her vomit, so what did she have to fear?
"Does your flour blow bubbles?" Shen Wanjun said irritably.
Old Mrs. Cui glared at her fiercely, "You little slut, you just wait."
She will not let Shen Wanjun go. As long as she is alive, Shen Wanjun's child will never be born safely.
Old Mrs. Cui's gaze was like poison, glaring fiercely at Shen Wanjun.
Song Juan spread her arms to shield Shen Wanjun, and Song Zhan held her hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Huang Ya also came to comfort her: "Sister-in-law, don't worry."
Shen Wanjun smiled but didn't say anything. She said she wasn't afraid, but no one believed her.
They were just trying to comfort her, and she couldn't help but appreciate it.
Boss Cui silently cursed Shen Wanjun in his heart, when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and his face turned as white as paper.
Hao Zheng clasped his hands in a fist salute and looked at her, asking, "What's wrong with you now?"
What kind of underhanded tricks are they up to now?
Huang Ya explained to everyone: "Eating people who wash clothes can cause nausea and vomiting, and in severe cases, stomach pain."
She stared wide-eyed and said, "Grandma Cui, you...you didn't eat laundry detergent, did you?"
Dang Xianghong frowned and said coldly, "I knew that what she was holding just now was laundry detergent."
Although the evidence was destroyed, everyone understood what had happened.
Some people cursed loudly, some clenched their fists, and many more felt a sense of lingering fear.
If Dang Xianghong and Shen Wanjun hadn't noticed the anomaly in time, they would be the ones who have been infected now.
Old Mrs. Cui was stubborn and refused to admit it no matter what.
After exchanging a few words with someone, she clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground.
The group took her to the hospital, and Huang Ya gave her a stomach lavage package.
As the cold instrument was inserted into her throat, Grandma Cui struggled and gagged, tears streaming down her face.
The medic pressed down on her shoulder, saying, "Don't move around, it'll be even more uncomfortable if the tube is inserted crookedly."
Huang Ya stood to the side, hands in his pockets, a smile playing on his lips, and asked, "What did you eat that you shouldn't have? Was it laundry detergent?"
Grandma Cui's eyes were brimming with tears, and she was too distressed to speak.
Lying on the cold hospital bed, she stared intently at the ceiling, inwardly lamenting what terrible things she had done.
Old Liu rushed over, and after only glancing at his elderly mother, he said, "We have no money left at home. You'll have to figure out the medical expenses yourself."
After saying that, he got up and left, and was not seen for several days.
Having exhausted all other options, Old Lady Cui pleaded with Huang Ya until he finally agreed to pay the medical expenses later.
"I'll introduce you to a job."
Huang Ya arranged for Mrs. Cui to clean the hospital's dry toilets for three months, with her wages deducted from her medical expenses.
Old Mrs. Cui's face darkened further. Her son was away, and she was penniless. She could only grit her teeth and agree.
Three days later, the grain in the courtyard was gone.
The snow is still falling on and off, and I don't know when it will stop.
Political Commissar Hao rallied everyone to come up with a solution, urging them to bring out all their belongings from home, just like last time.
Everyone instinctively looked at Shen Wanjun, and they all felt that she must have a solution.
She definitely didn't take out all her grain.
Shen Wanjun said, "There's nothing I can do."
She couldn't touch the things in the space; she'd only take them if the situation truly became so dire that people were starving.
Seeing that the crowd seemed somewhat skeptical, she said, "How about we search my house?"
Seeing that Shen Wanjun was somewhat unhappy, Political Commissar Hao quickly said, "How could that be?"
"How about this, we'll just have thin porridge and rice gruel for the next few days."
They're hanging on, waiting for the organization to come up with a solution.
"I believe the bridge will be repaired soon."
Hao Mei wasn't sure herself, but as the political commissar, she still had to comfort everyone and encourage them to think positively.
"Little sister, your uncle is here."
Dang Xianghong rushed over excitedly and said, "Quick, find a few carts to load the grain."
Hao Mei asked excitedly, "Has the bridge been repaired? Has the food been delivered?"
Dang Xianghong immediately poured cold water on her enthusiasm: "No, it's Comrade Shen's uncle who's here."
"Didn't you just say the food had arrived?"
Hao Mei rubbed her ears. Was she hallucinating?
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