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Chapter 7
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The $2.50 Lunch Service Chapter 1
“You’re nothing but a thief! You've been ripping us off for two months. Why don’t you just go die!” The insults kept coming. As I looked at the angry faces in front of me, I realized I had been reborn. In my previous life, after the school cafeteria closed down, I had started a lunch catering service for all the elementary school kids in our apartment building. With my flexible schedule, I charged each child $5 per meal for convenience.For the first six months, everything went smoothly, and no one complained. But then, at the end of the month, when it came time to settle the bill, my neighbor, Mrs. Peterson, showed up with an army of angry parents, accusing me of overcharging. She stood with her hands on her hips, pointing a finger at me, and shouted, “Emily Haber, the lunch catering service in the next neighborhood only charges $2.50 a meal, but you charge us $5! That’s an extra $75 per kid per month! Have you no shame?” I quickly explained, “Mrs. Peterson, $5 is absolut
The $2.50 Lunch Service Chapter 2
I nodded. "Yes, I'll refund everyone's money, but let me be clear—once I do, I won't be providing meals or childcare anymore."Looking after ten elementary school kids was exhausting. My day started at 5 AM with grocery shopping, then making breakfast for my daughter before school. By 9 AM, I was already preparing meals for over ten people. At 11:30, I'd walk to school to collect the kids. Even though the school was just down the street, managing ten energetic children was no easy task. After lunch, they'd all take their afternoon nap at my place. Once the dishes were done, I'd walk them back to school.Unlike the school cafeteria with its full staff, I ran this service completely on my own. I'd always believed neighbors were like family. Knowing most parents worked full-time, I didn't mind the extra effort. Never did I imagine my kindness would be met with such ingratitude, eventually affecting my whole family.When I finished speaking, the room went quiet. The parents exchanged un
The $2.50 Lunch Service Chapter 3
Though I’d managed to end the situation, I was still worried about how it would affect my husband and daughter. To my surprise, when I mentioned it to them, both of them let out a sigh of relief.My husband said, “If we lose a little money, so be it. I’ve never wanted you to do this thankless, tiring job. The neighbors, when something goes wrong, they run far away, but when it’s time to take advantage, they’re the first to jump in. There’s no need to maintain those kinds of relationships.”“Exactly,” my daughter nodded. “Mom, you’ve been working so hard to cook for those kids, and they haven’t even said ‘thank you.’ They act like you’re their servant. I’ve been wanting to stop dealing with them for a long time.”Their words brought tears to my eyes. It turned out I wasn’t the only one who could see things clearly.Finally free from cooking for the neighborhood kids, I could sleep peacefully. But the next morning, I woke to commotion downstairs.Mrs. Peterson had propped her door o
The $2.50 Lunch Service Chapter 4
I forced a smile, though my eyes remained cold. “Mrs. Peterson, that’s not very nice. If you want to do business here, it’s better to compete fairly. Spreading rumors behind my back isn’t the way to go.” Once I exposed her, Mrs. Peterson stopped pretending. “What do you mean I’m spreading rumors? I’m just telling the truth. Sarah, her kitchen isn't even properly licensed. If something goes wrong, you'll have no recourse. We're a legitimate business cooking for children—do you think we'd risk serving unsafe food?"I sneered. “Whether you would or not, only you know. A $2.50 meal with meat every day? Any decent cook would tell you that meat shouldn't smell quite so... interesting."“You little bitch, you have no right to say that. I'll make you regret this!"Her anger flared, and she lunged at me. But before she could get to me, one of the employees stepped in and stopped her. Once Mrs. Peterson calmed down, Sarah smiled and said to her, “Our company really likes Miss Haber’s
The $2.50 Lunch Service Chapter 5
Mrs. Peterson said she wouldn’t let me off, but I didn’t take her seriously. In my previous life, she had reported me for running an unlicensed business. But this time, after signing the contract with Sarah, I went ahead and took care of all the necessary permits. But instead of filing complaints, Mrs. Peterson took a different approach—she tried to turn the community against me.During my next lunch delivery, I found a group of parents blocking my way, with Mrs. Thompson at the front. I frowned."What's this about?"“Emily, you need to stop your lunch service," Mrs. Thompson began accusingly. "With all these kids in the building, you can't have strangers coming up to our floor. It's not safe."I nearly laughed from frustration. "Mrs. Thompson, have you actually looked into this? I'm the only one delivering meals—no strangers involved. And if you're so worried about building security, why are you still ordering from food delivery apps?”Someone scoffed, "Delivery apps are norma
The $2.50 Lunch Service Chapter 6
Mrs. Thompson and the other parents rushed to the hospital. They found that, in addition to their own children, many others had also been admitted to the emergency room. This large-scale food poisoning incident caught the attention of the police. After an investigation, it was discovered that all the children who fell ill had been eating at Mrs. Peterson’s lunch service. The authorities quickly sealed off the lunch service. When they entered the kitchen, they were nearly overwhelmed by the smell. The place was filthy, like a sewer, with oil stains everywhere. The oil used for cooking was stored carelessly, and when they scooped some out, they found dead mice in it. They also found illegal food additives scattered around. Lab tests of the leftover food showed the meat wasn't just low-grade—it contained harmful chemicals that made it addictive.As the investigation continued, the police discovered that the lunch service had no valid permits. Every claim Mrs. Peterson had made was
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