Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 24: Cracking Down on Bad Practices

’How could he be with this plainly dressed girl who looks like she’s from the countryside?’

Unfazed, Song Qingya calmly said to Fei Jin, "Yes, I was trying to buy something, but they simply refuse to sell to me."

Fei Jin’s brow furrowed. He asked gravely, "What’s going on?"

"Who said they wouldn’t sell?"

Luo Fuman, who was carrying some sugar, heard this and was about to explode, his cheeks puffing out in anger.

"These are state-allocated goods! As long as you have the money and the ration tickets, anyone can buy them! This isn’t a place where we care about social status. You can’t just change the rules because you look down on someone!"

His gaze quickly swept across the room.

It landed on Xiao Chen, who had a guilty expression and shifty eyes.

Luo Fuman immediately understood what was going on, and a cold sneer touched his lips.

"Xiao Chen, is this your doing again? Last time, you got into an argument with an old lady over some eggs. What is it this time?"

Luo Fuman questioned her bluntly, his tone full of reproach.

Called out by name, Xiao Chen’s face changed. She tried to argue, but her words came out in a stutter.

"Di... Director, no, listen to me..."

She tried to defend herself, but she clearly lacked confidence.

"Explain what? Isn’t it just that you thought this young lady was dressed too plainly and couldn’t afford anything?!"

Luo Fuman mercilessly exposed the truth.

"That’s right! We all saw it. She was speaking to you perfectly politely, but you rolled your eyes at her. Your attitude was terrible!"

Someone in the crowd said, filled with righteous indignation.

"What’s wrong with wearing coarse cloth? We’re all supposed to be advocating for thrift and hard work. Are you discriminating against the working class?"

Luo Fuman continued to berate her.

"This Xiao Chen is the slyest of them all. Last time, I asked her to weigh something for me, and she said they were out. But not long after, I saw her taking a bag of sugar home for herself! It’s so unfair!"

An older woman added indignantly.

The people nearby also began to murmur among themselves, a chorus of noisy chatter rising and falling.

Those who hadn’t dared to speak up at first now grew bolder.

An impassioned woman directly confronted Luo Fuman.

"You must be her director, right? You really need to get this sort of thing under control. We come here to shop, and we just want a pleasant experience! But now, you’ve got us customers walking on eggshells, worried about who’s going to bully us next."

Luo Fuman wiped the sweat beading on his forehead.

"Absolutely, absolutely. We will definitely listen carefully to everyone’s feedback! Oh, right, there’s a suggestion box outside. If you have any more feedback, you can write us a letter!"

Standing to the side, Song Qingya smiled and shook her head.

"Director Luo, you know that many people around here aren’t highly educated; some might not even be able to read. Even with a suggestion box, I doubt many people would actually write a letter to report a problem."

"Ah, yes... You’re absolutely right."

Luo Fuman nodded hastily.

He recalled learning from a previous chat with Fei Jin that he had come with his partner.

Luo Fuman had been curious what kind of woman could make the usually serious Fei Jin so considerate.

He never expected their first meeting to be so awkward.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and the crowd’s anger seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

For the moment, Luo Fuman couldn’t break away to deal with the troublemaker, Xiao Chen.

’But he had already made a silent vow: he would use this as an opportunity next week to completely stamp out the unprofessional conduct at the cooperative.’

So, Luo Fuman took the initiative to calm everyone down.

"Everyone, listen to me. From now on, if you have any trouble, you can come directly to me. I’ll be right here, and I won’t let anyone be wronged again!"

The moment he said this, it ignited the passion of the surrounding crowd.

Luo Fuman was quickly swarmed by people wanting to voice their issues.

The villagers’ emotions flared up. They surged toward Luo Fuman, surrounding him completely.

People waiting in line at other counters forgot their places and abandoned what they were doing to crowd around.

Some just wanted to see what was going on.

Others were simply joining in on the commotion.

For a moment, the small cooperative was as chaotic as a boiling pot.

"This is getting out of hand. Why don’t we all help Director Luo and take some pressure off him?"

someone suggested.

"Right, right! Everyone, stop pushing! Let’s go one by one! We have to follow the rules, don’t we?"

another person shouted immediately after.

Seeing this, Song Qingya and Fei Jin also began to help maintain order.

Especially Song Qingya.

Although she had been the victim of the cooperative’s unfair treatment just moments before,

at this moment, she chose to step up.

Even though her voice wasn’t loud, it surprisingly resonated with many people.

"She’s right. The young lady has a point. We should follow the rules. Being reasonable and orderly is the key to solving problems."

Someone agreed, their voice tinged with admiration.

"Yeah, let’s hurry up and get back in line. Stop crowding the director. He needs a break, too..."

another voice immediately chimed in, urging everyone to stay calm.

Watching the scene gradually return to order, a flicker of relief appeared in Luo Fuman’s eyes.

He silently gave Song Qingya credit.

This young woman wasn’t just beautiful; she was also level-headed and handled things thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, the sales clerk, who had been completely ignored amid the chaos, stood frozen in place, not daring to move.

’She knew that Director Luo was usually kind and never used his position to intimidate people.

But everyone had their limits.

Treating a customer so rudely today, especially in front of so many people... she guessed that when she got back to the office, this incident would surely become a hot topic of gossip among her colleagues.

This job meant a great deal to her.

If she lost it, she wouldn’t just face criticism from her family.

In the future, she’d probably have to endure people’s glares and gossip whenever she walked down the street.’

Seeing Song Qingya was like spotting a lifeline. Xiao Chen hurried over to apologize—

"Ma’am, I am so sorry. It was my fault. I was truly in the wrong. Please, don’t hold this against me. I formally apologize! I’m begging you, please forgive me!"

As she spoke, she gave three consecutive deep bows.

"Please don’t. I really don’t deserve such a gesture."

The corner of Song Qingya’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

The person before her had been so haughty one moment, only to become this humble the next.

Her years of experience dealing with people allowed Song Qingya to see through it at a glance.

Xiao Chen’s attitude wasn’t born from genuine remorse.

Song Qingya said coolly, "Just follow normal procedure. Handle it however it’s supposed to be handled. Just pack up the things I asked for earlier and ring me up."

"Yes, yes, of course! I’ll pack it for you right away!"

Xiao Chen acted as if she’d had an epiphany, but then she froze, her eyes filled with confusion.

"But... just now... what was it you wanted?"

The onlookers could no longer stand it and began to murmur amongst themselves again.