Chapter 17
Liu An immediately stepped in front of Hu Zhenzhen to block the man's lewd gaze.
"Sir, please show some respect."
Seeing this, the man's smile widened, revealing an indescribable sense of calculation. "It's all my fault. I won't look, I won't look."
He turned around, glanced around furtively, and spotted Jiang Chen leaning over the fish tank watching the fish.
Hu Zhenzhen has a simple hobby: she likes to be pretty.
After getting to know Jiang Chen, she developed an interest in dressing up children, and she would carefully choose Jiang Chen's clothes every time they went out.
Today was no exception; the little white dumpling was wearing a brown sun hat and mini blue overalls, looking absolutely adorable.
But the man was clearly not looking at her cuteness; he was looking at the diamond brooch on Jiang Chen's chest.
Ordinary people wouldn't put such valuable items on a child; even if they did, they'd most likely be fake.
But the woman inside looked incredibly wealthy, and the child she brought was certainly wearing expensive clothes as well.
I've heard that some rich kids' toys cost tens of thousands of yuan.
The man swallowed hard, and his phone vibrated again in his pocket.
The debt collection agency's text messages had been nonstop for the past two days, and the man was getting fed up with them. The constant vibrations were like a hypnotic pendulum, and he looked around in a daze.
Seeing that no one was paying attention, she quietly approached Jiang Chen.
"What the hell do you want?!"
Before he could do anything, the man was punched to the ground by the shop owner.
Even Liu An was a step behind. Seeing this, he simply picked up Jiang Chen and carried him back to his boss.
Why did you hit me?
The man looked aggrieved, "I didn't do anything!"
I didn't do anything...
The shop owner had heard this sentence far too many times; the youthful affection had long been worn away by one lie after another.
"Do you even know what you're doing?" He grabbed the man by the collar, his face flushed with anger.
"Your daughter is being forced to drop out of school, and your wife even sold the house to cover your debts. Now you're living in a sheep pen. Are you even human?"
He couldn't contain his emotions any longer. "You keep saying you'll quit gambling, you keep saying you won't borrow money from loan sharks anymore, but look what happened! You've almost driven your whole family to their deaths!"
"Don't be angry, Lao Xin. I may be a bad person, but I really know I was wrong this time."
The man on the ground even patted the shop owner on the back.
For a moment, the shop owner almost believed him.
But the man's next words slapped him hard in the face, shattering that last glimmer of hope.
"First, keep your rich female customer occupied and don't let her get away. I saw that the kid was wearing real diamonds. This woman is richer than I thought. Scam some more from her, and then you can lend me some more. That way, it won't interfere with your life."
He seemed to speak with utmost sincerity, if one didn't listen to the content.
The shop owner stared blankly into his eyes.
Greed, scheming, excitement...
She had everything, yet felt no remorse towards him as a friend or towards her family.
The shop owner's heart sank completely at that moment. In an instant, he had only one thought: to drive the man away and not let him ruin the opportunity to sell the cattle and sheep.
He slapped her again.
The man who had been carrying aquatic products for a long time was strong. He slapped Li Huaen without any mercy, and Li Huaen immediately fell to the ground, spitting out a tooth covered in blood.
The shop owner pointed outside and shouted, "Get out! Get out of here right now! I don't have a friend like you! How dare you try to take advantage of my customers?"
"Old Xin, you..." The man tried to struggle, but before he could finish speaking, the shop manager slapped him again, but this time the aim was off, and the slap landed on his jawbone.
"Get out! Get out of here!"
The man was terrified after being beaten; most of his face was swollen, and he slunk away, but before leaving, his eyes were full of resentment, and he cursed several times at the door.
"Damn it, just because he has a little money, he's already turning his back on his friends. What kind of person is he!"
The shop owner heard this and pretended to chase after him to hit him, which immediately scared him away.
After catching his breath, it took the shop owner several seconds to compose himself before turning to face Hu Zhenzhen.
"Please excuse my poor appearance. Rest assured, his wife has already divorced him. You can buy those cattle and sheep with confidence; there will be absolutely no problem."
"Divorced?"
Hu Zhenzhen asked in confusion, "Then why are you selling it in such a hurry? Aren't the debts from before the divorce the ones she should be responsible for?"
"Sigh," the shop owner sighed, "This guy can hide. When the loan sharks can't find him, they go after his wife and his children. The adults can take it, but the children can't. She had no choice but to sign an agreement with the debt collection company to help Li Huaen, um, that man from earlier, pay back 100,000 yuan, and to tell the debt collection company not to harass her and her daughter anymore."
"They even made a scene at the school?"
Hu Zhenzhen suddenly understood why the woman still helped him pay back the money.
"What if these people don't keep their word?"
"Don't worry about that," the shop owner said with a smile, though it was tinged with bitterness. "His ex-wife is ready to pay and leave."
"After all, the students at the school all know about this. Her daughter is only in junior high school. A young girl can't stand gossip and being ostracized."
Hu Zhenzhen fell silent.
After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Are you free tomorrow afternoon? Could you please contact this lady for me?"
"Definitely," Mr. Xin agreed excitedly. "Give me your phone number, and I'll pick you up tomorrow."
"No need to answer, just send me the address later."
Hu Zhenzhen looked down and asked Jiang Chen, "Xiao Chen, is there anything else you want to buy?"
Jiang Chen shook his head.
"Could you please help us load the fish tank and the rest of the stuff into the car?" She reached out and patted Liu An on the shoulder. "Just follow him."
Once they got home, Jiang Chen, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke.
"Mom, that person tried to take this away."
He had taken the brooch off at some point and put it in his pocket, only now carefully placing it in Hu Zhenzhen's palm.
This little gesture softened Hu Zhenzhen's heart. "It's okay, Mom won't let him take it away."
She put the brooch back on him.
Jiang Chen pursed his lips and asked again, "What if you lose it?"
He can't repay such an expensive thing.
Hu Zhenzhen didn't know what he was thinking, but she could sense the child's low spirits, so she patted his head and said...
"It's okay, Mom has already given this to Xiaochen. It belongs to Xiaochen, so even if you lose it, Mom won't blame you."
It belongs to him now.
Jiang Chen looked down at the brooch, then at Hu Zhenzhen, and couldn't help but think to himself.
Fortunately, it was his stepmother who raised him. If it had been someone with bad intentions, and given his stepmother's mental state, she would have definitely swindled him out of everything, leaving him penniless, and his condition would have been even worse.
He gripped the brooch tightly.
He will keep this for his stepmother to prevent it from being stolen by others!
Jiang Chen's mood suddenly lifted, and before going upstairs, he specifically told Hu Zhenzhen to take her medicine properly and take care of her health.
Hu Zhenzhen was stunned and turned to ask Chen Kai.
Do I need to take any medicine?
Chen Kai reacted quickly, "Perhaps the young master saw today's menu from the kitchen. There are two medicinal dishes that help with metabolism."
After all, Jiang Chen had been drinking milk with additives for a long time, and it was unknown how much was still in his body. This was the menu that Hu Zhenzhen had instructed her to give, and she remembered it as soon as Chen Kai mentioned it.
Hu Zhenzhen felt something was wrong, but children's words are sometimes incomprehensible to adults, so there was no need to delve into it.
The next day, after seeing Jiang Chen off, Hu Zhenzhen went straight into the teaching building.
The principal's office door was open, and soothing voices could be heard coming from inside.
"Don't worry, our milk is from a well-known brand that you can buy in the market. If there are problems with milk like this, then there is no safe milk to drink on the market."
The voice didn't sound like the principal's.
Hu Zhenzhen peeked out and saw that the person speaking was Director Zhou from the school.
"Don't worry, we will definitely investigate the milk matter thoroughly, but I assure the parents that this milk is absolutely safe and the children can drink it without worry."
After he finished speaking, Hu Zhenzhen knocked on the door twice heavily.
Is the principal in?
Upon hearing her voice, a reply came from the direction of the restroom.
"Please wait a moment."
The principal wiped his hands and came out from inside. "You must be Mrs. Hu, please have a seat."
There was a set of sofas in the principal's office, one long and two short. Director Zhou sat on the long sofa, and Hu Zhenzhen naturally sat on the single sofa a little further away from him.
Chen Kai stood behind her.
"I'm sure you've heard why I'm here today," Hu Zhenzhen said directly. "I'm here about the students' milk during breaks."
As soon as she opened her mouth, Director Zhou tried to interrupt her.
"Ms. Hu, I think you must have misunderstood this matter. Our school uses Sanniu milk, which is a well-known brand in China, and the milk source is guaranteed."
"I don't know who instigated you to think there's a problem with the milk, but you can't just say things like that, especially as an adult. You need to be responsible for what you say. I think we should be more careful with our words and not speak without evidence."
Even after being rebuked for so long, Hu Zhenzhen wasn't angry.
Only after saying this did she slowly speak, "Who said I have no evidence?"
"Do you have evidence?" Director Zhou's voice suddenly became sharp, like a rooster being strangled.
Then he thought of something and lowered his voice, "Impossible, Madam Hu. They are a big company. How could ordinary citizens like us possibly find evidence against them?"
Hu Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow. "Can't ordinary citizens be capable? Ordinary citizens have donated a building to the school."
Director Zhou was stunned when she realized that the library undergoing major construction these past two days was donated by her.
Can someone who can afford to donate to a library be an ordinary citizen?
His eyes instinctively glanced at the principal, and seeing the principal's expression sent a chill down his spine.
It's true...
If someone like this reports it, can the milk issue really be suppressed?
He suddenly became uncertain.
Seeing that he was silent, the principal smiled slightly. "Xiao Zhou is still too impatient. As soon as he heard the news, he rushed here to explain the milk issue to you. After all, the milk is something he has always been in charge of, so it's normal for him to be worried."
"Since Mrs. Hu has evidence, could you show it to us first?"
The materials had already been printed. Chen Kai took out two copies and placed them in front of the principal and the director, respectively.
"Propylene glycol is something that is strictly prohibited from being added to milk. After seeing this test report, the principal should know how much of an impact this has on health."
The principal's expression also turned serious.
"Ms. Hu, is this test report of yours authoritative?"
Hu Zhenzhen knew what he meant by asking that question and nodded.
The principal turned to Director Zhou and said, "Starting tomorrow, we will switch the school's milk source to another brand, write an apology letter to the parents, and consider the milk that has been left unsold as a loss."
“But Principal,” Director Zhou glanced at Hu Zhenzhen with a hint of dissatisfaction, “this is already a well-known brand on the market. Even if we switch to another brand, how can we guarantee that it will contain fewer additives than this one?”
"Moreover, propylene glycol has only trace amounts of toxicity and is added to other foods. I don't think we can completely deny its value just because there are small amounts of additives in milk."
"Changing milk suppliers also requires negotiation. Our budget is limited to begin with, and we can't just squeeze money out of parents by changing all the milk for the students in the school. That would probably result in a huge unexpected loss. What if we switch to another brand, but that brand also adds propylene glycol?"
He seemed to have finally gotten his revenge, and his voice grew louder and louder, "Do you think we can raise a few cows to produce milk ourselves?"
Hu Zhenzhen couldn't help but applaud him.
Under Director Zhou's surprised gaze, she smiled.
"Hmm, why not?"
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