Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading-Chapter 305: Fifty? I Want Five Hundred Bucks
A crowd gathered, three layers in and three out. Zhao Fumin looked at this situation and secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead. What rotten luck he had, for this to happen just when Director Liu came by. It’s a disaster!
"Everyone, please make way, I’m the general manager of the First Department Store."
There were too many people, and he struggled to push forward for a long time but still couldn’t get through, so he had to shout loudly.
However, the sentence had little effect. Everyone was eager to rush to the front for the spectacle, regardless of whether he was a manager or a director.
"Oh dear, our Haining City’s First Department Store actually substitutes inferior goods, selling expired items to us common folk. It has caused my granddaughter to be lying in the hospital now. My poor little granddaughter is just five years old this year..."
The sobbing voice came from within the crowd, and Su Xiaoxiao understood that this was about expired food someone bought, which caused a problem for a child.
This is a big deal!
The faces of several leaders from the First Department Store changed dramatically.
Zhao Fumin was a bit anxious after struggling to get through, with Director Liu still watching from behind. If he doesn’t handle today’s matter well, he might get transferred on the spot.
Su Xiaoxiao also wanted to go in and see what’s going on, as everyone has their curiosity.
From what she knew, the management of food items in their department store was quite strict, with each batch of goods on shelves being carefully checked for dates to prevent any incidents.
She just wasn’t sure if Haining City’s procedures were the same.
As such a big incident occurred, none of the First Department Store’s leaders could squeeze in and could only fret outside.
Unnoticed, Su Xiaoxiao took a dime out of her pocket and threw it on the ground, exclaiming, "Oh, whose money has dropped?"
The crowd pushing forward all turned to look, allowing Su Xiaoxiao to quickly squeeze in amid the chaos.
Seeing her manage to get inside, Director Liu and a few others quickly followed suit, squeezing into the crowd.
This time, they finally saw the scene inside clearly.
An elderly lady with gray hair was sitting on the ground, sobbing and lamenting about the evil deeds of the department store. She looked utterly miserable.
"My poor granddaughter, who finally got to eat the long-awaited treats, ended up right in the hospital. If anything happens to my granddaughter, I’ll hang myself in front of your department store!"
Zhao Fumin hurried forward, "Madam, I’m the general manager of the First Department Store. Let’s get up and talk about whatever issue we have."
But unexpectedly, the old lady refused to get up, and cried even harder instead.
"I won’t get up, I won’t get up. Don’t think you can make me leave. If this isn’t resolved today, I’m staying here."
"Rest assured, ma’am, I will definitely solve this matter for you. Let’s get up first, this ground is so cold."
Zhao Fumin smiled and tried to persuade her, but to no avail—the old lady wouldn’t budge.
It seemed she was determined; unless the problem was resolved, she wouldn’t get up from the ground.
If she continued to make a scene like this, the department store wouldn’t be able to open today.
Zhao Fumin inwardly groaned. She was elderly, taking advantage of her age, and he couldn’t forcibly drive her away. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
The only solution was to take some losses and get through this matter first.
Thinking of this, he leaned towards the old lady with a courteous tone, "Ma’am, how about this? Our department store will cover your granddaughter’s medical expenses, whether it’s our product’s fault or not. Let’s treat the child first."
Upon hearing this, the old lady’s eyes lit up, and she clutched Zhao Fumin’s coat, "You are a big leader; you must keep your word. My granddaughter is still lying in the hospital. If anything happens to her, I’ll hang myself with a belt at the entrance of your department store."
The old lady kept saying she’d hang herself, causing Zhao Fumin’s brow to twitch.
Afraid that the old lady would do something drastic, he hurriedly assured, "Ma’am, don’t worry, I’m in charge here at the department store. I can promise you right now. How much do you need for the medical bills? I can approve it for you right away."
He had barely finished when the old lady stretched out five fingers towards him.
Zhao Fumin immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright, fifty yuan. I can approve that for you now."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, the old lady glared and said, "What fifty? I want five hundred."
Zhao Fuming took a deep, cold breath on the spot. Where would food poisoning require that much money? This old lady was clearly extorting.
Many people didn’t even make five hundred yuan a year, and this old lady dared to ask for it?
If she had asked for about a hundred or eighty yuan, he could have agreed immediately, but five hundred was no small amount.
Seeing his hesitance, the old lady snorted coldly, "And you call yourself a general manager, can’t even handle this little bit of money. Hurry up, get your top leader over here, I want to talk to them."
Su Xiaoxiao stood behind Zhao Fumin, listening to the old lady’s words, and felt that something wasn’t quite right.
Normally, if your granddaughter was on the brink of death, the old lady should be at the hospital, not here demanding compensation.
Could it be that her granddaughter’s life was less important than the money?
On another thought, during these times, many families prioritized boys over girls. It’s possible the old lady purposely fed her granddaughter something bad and then took the opportunity to extort money from the department store.
Back then, many thought that a girl’s life was worth less than grass. Some extreme ones might even drown a newborn girl.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t want to suspect others with the greatest malice, but the old lady’s behavior clearly showed she only cared about money and demanded such a large amount at once.
Zhao Fumin was unsure how to handle it when a pleasant female voice came from behind him.
"Ma’am, you said your granddaughter got food poisoning from the treats bought at our department store. Can you tell me when you bought these treats? And who did you buy them from?"
If the treats were bought recently, the salesperson who sold them should remember this old lady and help confirm the sale date.
If it was purchased a long time ago, then perhaps it wasn’t an issue from their department store; it’s possible that the old lady let them spoil.
Seeing a young girl standing behind Zhao Fumin, the old lady showed some impatience, "How would I remember? Anyway, it was bought in the past few days. The items were sold by your department store. Are you trying to deny responsibility?"
With Su Xiaoxiao’s reminder, Zhao Fumin quickly realized that finding the salesperson who sold the items to the old lady could determine whether the batch of treats had an issue.
He had just made a mistake in his haste and forgot such an important thing.
Calmed down now, he looked at the old lady and asked, "Ma’am, please think carefully. Who sold you the items? What specific day did you purchase them? This way, we can serve justice for you."
