Chapter 341: I Got Sick From Using Your Brand’s Sanitary Pads
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
As the paper-making business expanded, Mu Jingzhe didn’t idle around. Previously, she had specifically rented a neighboring mountain long-term. Most of the mountains were filled with bamboo. With this mountain and a new cotton production ground, she could further expand her production.
Mu Jingzhe felt that she could ride this momentum and advertise her products.
It had been a while since she had gone to the paper manufacturing factory. She now had to use some of the paper manufacturing factory’s money and discuss their advertising strategy, so Mu Jingzhe drove there.
Since she was just heading to her own factory, Mu Jingzhe didn’t call before going over.
Her previous trips had been very normal, but this time, when she reached the entrance, she realized that someone was causing trouble. They were saying that the sanitary pads were bad.
Mu Jingzhe had originally been quite happy to see the newly built factory, but now, her joy was immediately reduced.
“You lied to us and said that this was the cleanest sanitary pad. Why did I fall sick after using it then?”
“Me too. I used to be fine, but ever since I began to use your sanitary pads, I’ve been diagnosed with gynecological diseases. I just came back from the hospital, and the medical records are all here. How are you going to take responsibility?”
A few people were gathered at the entrance of the factory. There were both men and women present. The ones who had spoken were a few middle-aged women holding sanitary pads in their hands and clamoring for an explanation.
“Don’t get agitated. Let’s talk calmly. Let’s go in and talk.”
“We refuse to go in. We’ll talk outside. Who knows what you’re going to do?”
Mu Jingzhe looked at the people making a fuss and frowned as she parked the car and got out. Because of the commotion over there, no one paid attention to her. Two people in business attire were whispering next to her.
“Why have people been coming over in the past few days to say that there’s something wrong with our product? I use the product myself, and there’s no problem with it at all.”
“I suspect that it’s Lanfang’s doing. I’ve met them before.”
Lanfang was another sanitary pad brand that had a factory in the coastal city.
“Not necessarily. Besides, they were fine before, yet they’ve been coming to see us recently. There’s indeed something wrong. I don’t know why.”
“No matter the reason, we have to deal with it as soon as possible. Otherwise, if word gets around, everyone will think that there’s something wrong with our sanitary pads. If we get reported by the newspapers or something, it will be problematic.”
They were worried. Mu Jingzhe stopped beside them but didn’t react.
“Has anyone come looking for us before? How many times? What was wrong?” Mu Jingzhe asked them directly.
The two of them turned around and were shocked to see Mu Jingzhe. “Boss!”
“Boss, when did you arrive?”
These two had been working for Mu Jingzhe for a long time and knew her. After all, Mu Jingzhe was the one who had trained them.
“I just came. What happened?” Mu Jingzhe asked.
“Previously, someone came to the convenience store to make a fuss. Two days ago, someone also came to the factory to make a fuss. They all claimed that they faced problems after using the product.” The salesperson looked at Mu Jingzhe and didn’t hide anything. “Manager Lei said that it looks like someone is behind this, but there’s no evidence yet.”
While Mu Jingzhe was asking these questions, the protesters had finally been convinced to go inside.
Manager Lei heaved a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to bring his men in, he suddenly turned around and saw Mu Jingzhe. Shocked, he shouted, “Boss!”
Delight flashed across his eyes, but he was also a little nervous. “Why are you here? You didn’t even inform me.”
When Mu Jingzhe wasn’t at the paper manufacturing factory, Manager Lei handled everything at the factory. He was quite capable, nice, and basically pretty good in all aspects.
Mu Jingzhe was about to answer when the woman wearing a checkered jacket beside her immediately looked over. “You’re the boss? Great. You must give us an explanation today.”
Manager Lei looked a little nervous, but Mu Jingzhe nodded. “Alright, let’s go.” This matter had to be resolved.
On the way, Manager Lei told Mu Jingzhe about the situation in detail. Previously, he hadn’t informed Mu Jingzhe because he had handled everything and thought that it was fine.
Mu Jingzhe nodded. When they arrived at the meeting room, she carefully looked at the sanitary pads that the woman in the checkered jacket had brought over. After confirming that they had been produced by their factory, she asked the men to leave, leaving only the female employees behind. She patiently listened to their complaints and read the medical records and the doctor’s conclusion.
Overall, they had gynecological conditions. Furthermore, they confirmed that it was because they’d used this brand’s sanitary pads.
“My skin itches, and it stinks when I use this product. That rarely happened in the past.”
Mu Jingzhe grasped the main points. Since it had rarely happened in the past, it meant that there had been some small problems before.
It was impossible to tell if this was a scheme, but the medical records weren’t fake either. Mu Jingzhe listened for a moment and suddenly asked, “Can I ask how often you change sanitary pads?”
“That depends on whether the flow is heavy or not. Why?”
“Nothing, I just want to know more. Is it convenient to talk about it?”
Mu Jingzhe’s attitude was quite nice, so they were willing to share. “When the flow is heavy, I’ll change it when it’s soaked. When it’s not, I’ll change it after using it for half a day. I can’t remember the details either.”
Mu Jingzhe nodded and looked at another person. That person said, “Me too. If the flow isn’t heavy, I’ll use it for a longer period of time, about half a day to a whole day. I originally thought it was quite useful, but I didn’t expect a problem to arise. The pad is also expensive.”
Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that she had guessed correctly. After hearing their questions just now, she’d had a nagging feeling that this shouldn’t be a product problem. After all, she had always emphasized hygiene. As a woman, she used it herself. She didn’t want to feel uneasy using the products produced by her factory.
She had also used the pad for a long time, but there had never been any problems. Furthermore, her products had been tested all along. Everything had been done in accordance with the rules. This had led her to suspect the problems had arisen due to inappropriate use. Unexpectedly, that was indeed the case.
“It’s best to change the sanitary pads every two to three hours. Even if the flow is light, the use shouldn’t exceed four to five hours. This is because if you wear it for too long, it might produce bacteria and cause symptoms such as itchy skin and inflammation. There are instructions outside the sanitary pads. I’ve also been asking the salespeople to emphasize this to everyone when promoting the product. Have you heard the instructions before?”
This was common knowledge in the modern era, but because this was a new product for everyone in this era, they might not understand its correct usage. That was why Mu Jingzhe had specifically explained it on the packaging and instructed the salespeople to make this clear.
But now, it seemed like there were people who hadn’t heard that.
Mu Jingzhe’s words made them look at each other. “You mean we’re sick because we used it for too long? Why didn’t I hear this before?”
“It’s because we didn’t publicize it well. When the pad gets stuffy, there might be bacteria. That’s why we said you have to change it frequently,” Mu Jingzhe explained patiently.
“If we change it frequently, we’ll have to use up a lot of pads in a month. How can we have so many pads to change? These sanitary pads aren’t cheap either,” the person who had said that she typically used the pad for a day said.
“That’s right. I’ve heard this before, but if we were to do what you said, wouldn’t it be appalling? My period lasts five to six days a month. Even three packets wouldn’t be enough, and it’s quite expensive to begin with. We didn’t change because we wanted to save money and sanitary pads.”
Mu Jingzhe had guessed that they were trying to save money and pads, but she still felt quite upset when she heard that.