Chapter 980: Expired Bread
Chapter 980: Expired Bread
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“My son was poisoned at her house and was sent to the hospital by her. Isn’t that proof enough?” Huang Fei snapped, her face darkening. “What more evidence do you need? Are you suggesting I’d harm my own son? Gu Zi, I know you have a sharp tongue and I can’t outtalk you, but don’t think you can brush this matter aside so easily!”
The crowd stirred uneasily. After all, what mother would deliberately harm her own child? And considering the boy had indeed fallen ill after visiting the Su household, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable to suspect a connection. The whispers grew louder as doubts began to surface.
Gu Zi, however, remained unfazed. With an air of practiced composure, she addressed Huang Fei directly. “I am not brushing anything aside. You suspect I fed your son tainted food, and I am saying I did not. Naturally, I have the right to defend myself. If you don’t believe me, you should report this to the police. I’m more than willing to cooperate with an investigation. But if it turns out that I’ve been falsely accused, I hope you’re prepared to compensate me for defamation.”
Gu Zi knew exactly what kind of person Huang Fei was and had anticipated this kind of slander. She had hoped to resolve the misunderstanding quickly, without escalating the situation, but Huang Fei had crossed a line. To openly level such accusations in front of so many people? Well, Gu Zi wasn’t about to back down.
Huang Fei, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, thought Gu Zi was merely bluffing. After all, she never let her son, Xu Sheng, eat just anything. Their household exclusively stocked high-end imported groceries.
Xu Sheng had always been fine—until today. Clearly, the problem couldn’t have come from her home. It had to be something he ate at the Su household.
And even if Gu Zi hadn’t deliberately fed Xu Sheng bad food, accidents happened. Gu Zi’s children were raised in the countryside, accustomed to eating anything and everything. But Xu Sheng was different—delicate and pampered from birth. What their stomachs could handle, his certainly could not.
Huang Fei saw an opportunity. Pin the blame on Gu Zi, tarnish her reputation, and watch her crumble. No more flaunting her status in the neighborhood after this.
Determined to make Gu Zi pay, Huang Fei’s expression turned icy. “I will report this to the police. And when they confirm that my son was poisoned by the food at your house, you better be ready to compensate us. Out of consideration for our being neighbors, I won’t pursue criminal charges. But you will have to kneel before my son and apologize publicly to make amends.”
Gu Zi let out a sharp laugh. “Sure. But to be fair, if it turns out Xu Sheng wasn’t poisoned by anything from my house, I expect you to compensate me for defamation—including financial damages and a public apology. Kneeling included. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?”
Huang Fei scoffed, while Gu Zi stared back coolly. The tension crackled like fire between them, setting the crowd on edge. No one dared to speak, but many secretly questioned Huang Fei’s priorities. Her son had just undergone emergency treatment, and yet here she was, arguing instead of checking on him. Was this what a mother was supposed to be like?
Just then, the attending doctor emerged from the emergency room. His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, and he barked, “What is all this noise? Clear the area! The patient needs rest!”
Huang Fei hurried toward the doctor. “Doctor, how is my son? Could he have contracted swine fever? Is it contagious?”
The doctor blinked, momentarily taken aback by the question. To avoid repeating his earlier mistake of misjudging a situation, he asked, “You are Xu Sheng’s mother?”
Tears welled up in Huang Fei’s eyes as she nodded repeatedly. “Yes, doctor, that’s me! I rushed over as soon as I heard. My poor boy—he hadn’t had pork in so long, and just one bite landed him in this state! Someone must have given him tainted pork.” She shot Gu Zi a venomous glare.
Having confirmed her identity, the doctor’s expression darkened. His voice dropped to an icy tone. “So, you’re the irresponsible mother? The one who fed her son expired bread, causing him to suffer food poisoning? If this young lady hadn’t rushed him here in time, he might not have made it!”
Huang Fei froze, the words hitting her like a slap. “Expired bread?” she stammered. “Impossible! It must have been the diseased pork from the Su household.”
The doctor’s face darkened further. “Diseased pork? What diseased pork? Stop talking nonsense! Are you even a mother? How can you not know what your child ate?”
For the first time, Huang Fei found herself publicly humiliated. Her face burned with embarrassment as panic set in. She stammered, “Of course, I’m his mother! I just… I just stepped out for a bit, that’s all. But our household doesn’t keep expired food! Doctor, please double-check—it had to be the pork!”