Police!

The police had arrived so quickly.

The woman holding the child felt her legs weaken. Her voice, previously loud while making a scene, now became stammered before Zhuo Weiping.

“No-nothing…”

Huang Guoqiang briefly explained the situation, with onlookers eagerly adding details.

Zhuo Weiping announced loudly, “Comrade, please look at my police ID carefully. I won’t let a big department store bully ordinary citizens. Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital – the child needs medical attention first!”

As she spoke, Zhuo Weiping forcefully took the crying baby girl from the woman’s arms.

No one else had dared to hold the child – if Ya Xi Ya’s employees had tried, the woman would have surely screamed about the store trying to kidnap her baby.

But when a police officer did it, there was no issue.

No one would doubt a police officer’s position, especially since Zhuo Weiping had such an upright appearance!

Holding the baby, Zhuo Weiping casually pointed to several onlookers, including the outspoken Neighborhood Committeewoman: “I’ll trouble you comrades to spare some time. Come with me to the hospital. After getting the child treated, I’ll ensure justice for this female comrade. No matter how big the department store is, they can’t bully our Commercial City’s citizens. You comrades can be witnesses!”

Excellent!

This female officer acted decisively, showing no fear of capitalists!

The onlookers broke into spontaneous applause.

If circumstances had allowed, someone would have probably presented “Officer Zhuo the Just” with an honorary banner right there.

Xia Xiaolan quickly stated her position, “Ya Xi Ya will fully cooperate with the police investigation. I’ll have cars prepared – let’s hurry to the hospital. The child’s welfare comes first!”

With her child taken away, the woman’s legs weakened.

With so many people waiting to take the child to the hospital, she stepped back a few paces, seemingly wanting to slip away.

How could Huang Guoqiang let her escape? He called two female clerks to support her on both sides, forcing her into the car.

Besides the witnesses Zhuo Weiping had randomly selected, other concerned customers wanted to go to the hospital. Zhuo Weiping gave them the hospital’s name, letting them follow.

Ya Xi Ya Plaza’s location was convenient, not far from the hospital. While Zhuo Weiping, Xia Xiaolan, and others needed to drive with the child, others could walk there in time.

The spectators were eager for drama – about a hundred people abandoned their shopping plans and marched to the hospital. Winter nights came early; what had been twilight was now completely dark.

But with streetlights illuminating their way, the group’s journey was quite lively.

This incident seemed unusual.

Everyone had their own opinions.

One customer, breathing out cold air, said, “That woman seems suspicious.”

“Maybe the store’s milk powder is problematic…”

“If there’s a problem, why fear going to the hospital or seeing the police? That woman’s face turned pale when the female officer showed her ID. I think the store employee was right – she might be trying to extort money.”

“Using her child for extortion? Surely not! Who would torment their child like that?”

“Heh, what if it’s not her daughter? Which mother shows so little care for their child? It’s freezing – adults can barely stand it, yet she brought a six-month-old baby to the store in this wind.”

“Just for extortion…”

“Shh, it might not just be about money. If it were extortion, she’d be negotiating terms. I think she’s just here to cause trouble. You ask why? Heh, there’s more to this than meets the eye.”

What kind of people were these citizens?

They liked small advantages – wherever there were discounts, that’s where they’d go.

Saving money wasn’t easy, so they had to be careful with spending. Without saving every penny, how could ordinary people afford appliances with their current average wages?

They could be attracted by state-owned department stores’ discounts, and could also be won back by Ya Xi Ya’s recharge-and-cashback offers.

Though they seemed like fence-sitters like Old Huang, they all had their judgment… They weren’t fools – how could they not feel Ya Xi Ya’s thoughtful service?

Before Ya Xi Ya came to Commercial City, a few state-owned department stores offered discounts.

Price reductions were impossible then – an item’s price five years ago would remain the same five years later, even if it sat unsold on the counter for five years!

Only after Ya Xi Ya appeared did state-owned department stores become scared enough to offer discounts.

The citizens didn’t object to the competitive price wars – they benefited from genuine bargains.

Then Ya Xi Ya introduced “recharge-and-cashback,” offering even better deals!

Ya Xi Ya carried similar main categories as state stores but different specific items.

Better service.

Better shopping environment.

Now with better prices, naturally everyone flocked to Ya Xi Ya.

The state-owned stores must be even more worried!

These enthusiastic customers following the hospital cared about how Ya Xi Ya would handle this, worried about the allergic baby girl, and wondered if this might be Ya Xi Ya’s competitors deliberately causing trouble.

Anyway, with nothing else to do tonight, why not watch the drama unfold?

Zhuo Weiping carried the baby girl to the hospital.

With police presence, the on-duty doctor acted quickly, immediately examining the child.

“This isn’t an allergy – it’s chickenpox!”

Zhuo Weiping grabbed the woman’s hands behind her back, “Since when does milk powder cause chickenpox? Come with me to the police station and explain yourself!”

The Neighborhood Committee woman berated her:

“Why bring a child with chickenpox to the store? Chickenpox is contagious, you wicked woman!”

Xia Xiaolan worried too but couldn’t ask Zhuo Weiping in front of everyone. Nobody else had touched the baby – only Zhuo Weiping had carried the child with chickenpox all the way here. If she hadn’t had chickenpox before, she might get infected!

Zhuo Weiping showed no concern and just held the woman, who was practically being dragged along.

The current situation was completely different from what had been planned. The woman looked around desperately, but no one came to her aid. In panic, she closed her eyes and started to fall, but Zhuo Weiping let her hit the ground before pressing her philtrum:

“Tell the truth – why did you falsely accuse the store? I even felt sorry for you two, but you’re despicable, exploiting everyone’s sympathy!”

Huang Guoqiang wore a worried expression, “Manager Xia, even if you dock all my wages, I must say – this must be competitors sending trouble! We’d pay for medical treatment if a child was allergic to our milk powder, but should we be responsible for chickenpox?”

Oh, he didn’t want to play the petty villain.

But without a villain, how could Manager Xia’s righteousness shine?

Sure enough, Xia Xiaolan waved her hand, “Adults might have evil intentions – the police officer can investigate the truth and clear Ya Xi Ya’s name. The child is innocent. We can’t ignore chickenpox treatment, but we can’t set this precedent, or everyone will try to extort Ya Xi Ya… Let’s do this – I’ll pay for the medical expenses from my salary.”

Song Minglan held back her laughter behind them.

Deduct it from Manager Xia’s salary.

Manager Xia did receive an annual salary from Ya Xi Ya, but that money just sat in the account – she had never withdrawn it. Manager Xia wasn’t someone who cared about salary income, yet she spoke with such righteous indignation.

The Neighborhood Committeewoman and the other customers who had come along now looked at the manager differently – this young capitalist wasn’t just heartless, she was very conscientious!