Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 42 Making Buns with Rotten Meat
After only a few days of making money, Jiang He became somewhat dissatisfied.

I'm not earning enough.

I heard that Jiang Man used to earn several hundred yuan a month when she sold steamed buns, but if they continue like this, they can only earn a maximum of seventy yuan a month.

"Mom, I've thought of a way to increase our profits significantly."

Sun Meifen looked at her suspiciously and asked, "What method? Don't do anything reckless."

Jiang He leaned closer to Sun Meifen and whispered, "We can use cheap, rotten meat instead of fresh meat for the filling, which will significantly reduce the cost. As long as we season it well, who will be able to tell the difference?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Meifen's face immediately turned pale with shock, and she waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "This won't do! This is a scam! If people find out, our reputation will be ruined, and how will we ever be able to live in this village again?"

Jiang He curled her lip in disdain and said, "Mom, you're just too timid. Look at society these days, everyone's busy making money, who has the time to care what kind of meat we use? Besides, if we do it discreetly, nothing will happen."

Sun Meifen was still somewhat hesitant. She rubbed her hands nervously and said, "I don't feel at ease. This isn't the right way."

Seeing that Sun Meifen was unwilling to agree easily, Jiang He began to coax and plead. She held her mother's hand and said coquettishly, "Mom, please believe me this time. Business is so difficult right now. If we don't find a way, how will we survive in the future? Once we make money, we can get a bigger shop, and then you won't have to work so hard."

After being persuaded by Jiang He, Sun Meifen's defenses gradually crumbled. She sighed and said helplessly, "Well... let's give it a try, but you have to be very careful."

At first, the two of them didn't dare to go too far, only daring to add a little bit of rotten meat. But as time went on, the customers didn't notice anything unusual, and Jiang He and Sun Meifen gradually became bolder.

"Mom, we made an extra five yuan today. I told you to listen to me, right?"

Jiang He counted the money, talking happily to Sun Meifen who was packing up her stall.

Sun Meifen was also happy, but before she could speak, she was interrupted by a sharp voice.

"That's it! My husband ended up in the hospital after eating their steamed buns!"

"You heartless bastards! My husband is still lying in the hospital! How could you do such a thing?"

The woman's shrill voice shattered the morning's tranquility and disrupted the town's usual harmony.

She arrived at the breakfast stall with a group of relatives and friends, demanding justice.

At this moment, the breakfast stall was surrounded by onlookers.

"Oh dear, what happened?"

"Something seems to have gone wrong. I knew these steamed buns weren't clean, right?"

Jiang He and Sun Meifen stood in front of their stall, their faces ashen as they looked at the angry crowd.

Jiang He forced a calm expression and said, "Why do you say it's our problem? Maybe he ate something else."

But the woman was not about to give up. She showed them the hospital's diagnosis, the evidence was irrefutable, and there was no room for them to make any excuses.

"If you don't pay me compensation, I'll call the police and let them decide this case!"

"Hurry up and pay up, then get out of here and never come back to sell steamed buns again!"

The people around him joined in the jeering, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Do NOT call the police!
This was Jiang He's only thought. "Mom, where's the money? Take the money out, or we'll be in big trouble if they call the police!" Sun Meifen panicked when she heard that the police had been called and quickly took out the money.

"This is enough to pay your man's medical bills, so let's just call it even. Otherwise, I'm not afraid of you. We might as well die together!"

Jiang He stuffed the money into the woman's hand, and then added a harsh threat.

The two of them slunk back to the village like stray dogs.

Lin Yanqing happened to be on his way home to pick up something when he overheard the story on the street. His face immediately darkened, and he rushed home.

Upon entering, seeing Jiang He's guilty look, his face flushed red, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment.

"Jiang He, how could you do such a thing? Do you know how serious this is? You're putting someone in danger!"

Lin Yanqing's voice trembled slightly with anger. His hands were clenched into fists, as if he was trying his best to control his emotions.

Jiang He lowered her head, unable to look her husband in the eye, tears welling up in her eyes. She stammered, "I just wanted to earn more money, I never expected this..."

“Didn’t expect that? You shouldn’t have had such thoughts! From today onwards, stop doing this business. Stay home and study hard, and reflect on your actions. Also, stay away from your parents’ home, and don’t let them lead you astray.”

Lin Yanqing's words struck Jiang He's heart like heavy hammer blows. Jiang He felt wronged; she felt she was only thinking of her family, but she had used the wrong methods.

Lin Yanqing's harsh criticism was still hard for her to accept.

She cried and said, "I know I was wrong, but I just wanted our family to have a better life."

Looking at his weeping wife, Lin Yanqing's anger did not subside. He said sternly, "If you want your family to live well, you can't use such harmful methods. You've not only ruined our family's reputation, but you may also cause someone else to have lifelong health problems. Think carefully about how serious your actions are."

Sun Meifen stood aside, unable to bear seeing her daughter being scolded by a man like this: "Yan Qing, it's all my fault. I didn't stop Jiang He. Don't be angry with her. Blame me instead."

Lin Yanqing looked at his mother-in-law and sighed helplessly, saying, "Mom, this isn't about blaming anyone. We should all learn from this experience. We can't let ourselves lose our moral compass for a little bit of profit in the future."

Jiang Man was washing vegetables in the yard, Shi Ning was taking eggs from the chicken coop, and Shi An was squatting by the basin helping Jiang Man wash the vegetables.

"Sister-in-law, guess what I overheard?"

Wang Xiu hurried in, carrying a bamboo basket, her face beaming with joy.

"What's the matter?"

Jiang Man looked up at her. Wang Xiu took the chili peppers out of the bamboo basket and threw them into the basin of water. While washing them, she said, "I heard that Jiang He and Sun Meifen made dumplings with rotten meat and ended up in the hospital!"

"The results of it?"

"As a result, the man's wife brought her relatives to confront them. At first, they denied everything, but when they heard that the man was going to call the police, they gave him money. I said they would definitely get their comeuppance, and here they are."

Wang Xiu snorted, and Jiang Man shook his head helplessly.

Looking at her like this, Wang Xiu asked curiously, "Sister-in-law, why do you seem not surprised at all?"

"What's so surprising? Those two have always been impatient for quick success and greedy for small gains. How good can their steamed buns be?"