Chapter 115 This is a good day
Shen Yuchuan smiled nonchalantly: "Dad, it's okay. We're just eating at home. It's normal to mix some old stuff in. It will be more fragrant if we roast it more."
Father Shen nodded and said nothing more, but there was a hint of imperceptible doubt in his eyes.
He deals with medicinal herbs and food ingredients all year round and is particularly sensitive to their appearance.
The mooncakes are finally out of the oven!
The golden crust exudes an enticing blend of burnt and nutty aromas.
The children couldn't wait to gather around and watch eagerly.
Wang Xiulan smiled and distributed the mooncakes to everyone. The first bite was crispy and sweet, and everyone praised it.
"Mmm! Smells good! Aunt Wang's cooking skills are amazing!"
“Delicious, delicious!”
But not every mooncake is sweet and delicious!
First, the stubborn old man frowned and smacked his lips: "Huh? This peanut flavor... seems a bit rancid?"
Then, Zhao Xiangdong also stopped chewing: "It seems... a little weird?"
Suddenly, a little boy from the neighbor's house who came to help vomited with a "wow" sound, his little face wrinkled up: "Bitter! My stomach hurts!"
The scene instantly became quiet! Everyone's eyes were focused on the mooncakes in their hands!
Shen Lingning's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately picked up half a mooncake, smelled it carefully, and then broke it open to look at the filling carefully.
Sure enough, among some walnut and peanut pieces, there were some kernels that were obviously dark brown in color and had a faint greasy and rancid smell!
Because it is wrapped in a mixture of sugar and oil, it is difficult to detect without careful identification!
"Stop eating! Stop eating!"
Shen Lingning immediately stopped him loudly, his face becoming serious.
The joyful atmosphere disappeared, replaced by panic and confusion.
The children were frightened and the adults looked at each other in confusion.
Wang Xiulan's face turned pale, she was at a loss: "Impossible! I picked out only the best ingredients... How could it be..."
"Mom! This Guoguo is bad! It gives me a stomachache! It's just as bad as the stinky soap last time!"
Fubao ran over and pointed at the mooncake filling, his little face showing fear and anger.
Zhou Weiguo immediately stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, don't panic. It could be that some of the ingredients weren't stored properly. Is anyone feeling unwell? Besides that kid just now?"
Fortunately, except for the little boy who was slightly unwell, everyone else was fine.
But the atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was completely ruined.
Shen Lingning calmed down quickly.
She first comforted Wang Xiulan: "Godmother, it's not your fault. There may be something wrong with the source of the ingredients."
Then he turned to Zhou Weiguo and Shen Yuchuan and said, "Weiguo, please take the child to the clinic. Yuchuan, please help me put away these mooncakes, the remaining fillings, and the raw materials. Don't let anyone touch them again."
Her eyes sharpened.
This is by no means a simple case of "improper storage"!
The New Year's materials supplied to the families of the base are all sourced through strict channels. The large-scale inclusion of inferior products is by no means accidental!
News came from the health center that the child only had mild gastrointestinal discomfort and just needed to rest and observe. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the joyful atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival became much less joyful.
Shen Lingning did not say anything. She asked Zhou Weiguo and Shen Yuchuan for help and quietly invited the comrade in charge of procurement in the base logistics and the officer of the security department.
She placed the problematic mooncakes and the remaining raw materials on the table.
"Director Li, Purchaser Zhang."
Shen Lingning's tone was calm but carried an unquestionable strength.
"Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, and we shouldn't have disturbed them. But this incident, at the very least, has ruined everyone's festive mood. At the most serious level, someone has fed low-quality, and potentially even harmful, food to the families of those at the base!
Luckily we discovered it early today. If something serious had happened after eating it, who would be responsible?"
The purchasing officer looked at the spoiled nuts, sweat on his forehead: "Director Shen, this... this batch of dried fruits just came in from the county supply and marketing cooperative. They said it was new arrival... How could it be..."
Security Officer Li's face was grim. He picked up a discolored walnut and sniffed it. "This smell isn't right. It doesn't seem like it's just been stored for too long. It's like... inferior stuff, or worse."
He thought of the recent cases of speculation, using inferior products or even processed goods to pass off as genuine goods in some places.
Shen Lingning said in a deep voice: "I suspect this is not an isolated case. Please immediately seal all the remaining similar ingredients in this batch and ask the comrades at the health center to help inspect them.
At the same time, I'm afraid I'd have to trouble Director Li to investigate the source of this batch of goods from the county supply and marketing cooperative."
She paused and added, "It's best to conduct the investigation secretly to avoid alerting the suspects. Also, my family will come up with a plan for tonight's reunion dinner. We can't let the elderly and children go hungry during the holiday."
"Mom! The fruits in the space are big and fragrant! And there are sweet jujubes!"
Fubao’s voice is a timely reminder.
Shen Lingning's heart moved. She used the excuse of going to the cellar to get something and quickly took out high-quality walnuts, red dates, and some excellent preserved fruits from the space.
Then we found Wang Xiulan and several military wives who came to help.
"Godmother, sisters-in-law, don't get angry. I see there's some good stuff in the cellar that I prepared earlier. I originally planned to use it for the New Year, so it's just right for an emergency."
Let's reopen the shop and make another batch! We can't let everyone go hungry today!"
Seeing the obviously high-quality ingredients that Shen Lingning took out, Wang Xiulan and others were surprised and delighted, and immediately rekindled their enthusiasm.
With everyone's concerted efforts, the second batch of mooncakes came out of the oven quickly. When the stove door was opened, the whole yard was filled with fragrance.
This time, the aroma is pure and the taste is crispy and sweet, without any strange taste from before.
The children smiled again and the atmosphere in the yard gradually warmed up.
Despite the twists and turns, the moon is still big and round on this Mid-Autumn Night.
Everyone sat together in the courtyard, eating freshly made mooncakes and the sweet fruits and vegetables from Shen Lingning's space. Each family brought out their own specialties and gifts and placed them on the long table in the courtyard...
Your braised pork, her spicy chicken, that one's braised carp with tofu...
Men, women, young and old, regardless of age or position, ate heartily, drank the osmanthus tea made by the old stubborn man, and chatted, finally feeling the taste of reunion.
Political Commissar Zhang invited Zhao Changhe, Shen Zhizhi, Shen Yuchuan, and Zhao Xiangdong to a drinking contest, saying they hadn't experienced such a day in years.
This is the good old days of socialism!
Under Wang Xiulan's instruction, Shen Lingning and Fubao set up the incense table, on which were placed three-colored dried fruits, apples from Xifu, oranges grown on the tea mountain, and today's freshly baked mooncakes...
Facing the big, round moon in the sky, we worship the moon god and pray for blessings and good health.
After the reunion dinner, Shen's father whispered to Shen Lingning: "Lingning, today is thanks to you. You are calm and thoughtful."
There was admiration and a hint of inquiry in his eyes. The "good stuff" that suddenly appeared was of such good quality that it was unlike anything you could buy normally.
Zhao Changhe raised his glass and took a sip of Qin Nan's unique corn stew, then warned, "We must also pay attention to whether there are any enemy infiltrations. Food supply is also a big issue."
Shen Lingning smiled slightly: "Well, uncle, godfather, don't worry, we have already checked it out."
As the night deepened, people dispersed and the children fell asleep.
Zhou Weiguo helped Shen Lingning clean up the mess and held her hand: “Are you scared today?”
Shen Lingning shook her head, leaned on his shoulder, and looked at the moon in the sky.
He whispered, "It's okay. It's just... the tree wants to be still but the wind doesn't stop.
It seems that someone doesn’t want us to live in peace.”
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