Chapter 145: Fubao's Cleverness
The regional official's face looked a little ugly, and he wanted to refute but couldn't seem to find a suitable point to start.
The county leaders on the rostrum quickly tried to smooth things over, affirming that Shen Lingning's speech was "thoughtful" and emphasizing the need to "fully understand the policy."
The meaningful ending of the briefing and the look recorded in the corner made Shen Lingning's heart ring with alarm.
As soon as he walked out of the county party committee auditorium and exchanged brief greetings with several familiar commune cadres, Aunt Sun, who had been waiting outside, came up anxiously with Fubao and the young female manager of "Funing Tea Talk".
"Ling Ning! You finally came out!"
Aunt Sun's face turned pale and she lowered her voice.
"Something happened!"
The female store manager was so anxious that her eyes turned red. She didn't care about the occasion and reported in a low, tearful voice, "Director Shen, something bad has happened! Just now, when you were in a meeting, four or five people suddenly came into the store. They were wearing red armbands and said they were from the Regional Health Bureau!
He came in without saying a word, just touching and looking around, taking notes in a notebook, and finally insisted that our milk tea had "unknown ingredients", the milk and tea used were of unclear origin, and the snacks contained too much sugar.
It's bad for the health of young people and affects the growth of the next generation of revolutionaries! They've issued a notice demanding we suspend operations and rectify the situation!
Suspension of business for rectification?
Shen Lingning's eyes instantly became as sharp as a knife!
This excuse is really plausible!
The main ingredients of milk tea are tea leaves and milk. The tea leaves come from our own tea mountains, and the milk is supplied under a supply contract with the county dairy farm. Which one’s source is unclear?
It is clear that someone is using the name of "health inspection" to retaliate!
Considering the direction of the public opinion at the briefing just now, this is by no means an isolated incident, but a combination of measures!
She took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, and instead showed a calm smile on her face, comforting her: "Don't panic, it's okay. If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext.
You guys go back to the store and operate as usual, just pretend nothing happened. I'll go talk to the higher-ups."
As she spoke, she squatted down, took her daughter Fubao's chubby little hand, and said softly, "Fubao, Mommy has something urgent to deal with at work. You go to the old street next door with Grandma Sun and Brother Tiedan first and look at the dough figurines being made. Mommy will come find you when she's done, okay?"
Fubao is now over three years old and has become more and more mischievous. She pouted her lips, her big eyes full of attachment and reluctance: "Mommy, are you working again?
It’s been a while since I went shopping with my mom… I want to see how she makes things go smoothly!”
The little guy still remembered his mother's ability to "make trouble disappear", so he pulled the corner of Shen Lingning's clothes and stubbornly refused to let go.
Looking at her daughter's innocent yet slightly stubborn face, Shen Lingning's heart softened. Time was running out, and it was not easy to push the child away forcibly.
After a brief thought, she stood up and said apologetically to Aunt Sun and Tiedan, "Auntie, let me take Fubao with me. You take Tiedan for a walk first, and we'll meet up at the milk tea shop later."
Aunt Sun nodded in understanding and reached out to touch Fubao's nose. "Then Fubao, you must follow your mother obediently and don't make trouble. Okay?"
Fubao immediately puffed out his chest and assured with a serious face: "I'm the best! Grandma and brother are waiting for us to come back!"
Shen Lingning held Fubao in his arms, turned around and walked into the solemn and dignified county party committee compound again.
This time, she had a clear goal and walked straight towards the office on the east side of the second floor with a sign that read "Health Bureau".
Shen Lingning knocked on the door of the director of the Health Bureau’s office while holding Fubao.
A voice called "Come in" came from inside.
She pushed the door open and saw a middle-aged cadre with a serious face and glasses sitting behind the desk. It was Director Qi of the Health Bureau.
And on the sofa nearby, there were two people sitting, who were the unfamiliar faces that had just been recorded in the corner of the briefing!
When the other party saw Shen Lingning coming in with the child, he was obviously stunned.
This negotiation was full of unexpected variables from the very beginning.
Shen Lingning snorted in his heart, but a smile appeared on his face: “Director Qi.”
The atmosphere in the director's office was subtle. Director Qi frowned subconsciously when he saw Shen Lingning coming in with a child.
But due to Shen Lingning's status as the director of the military dependents factory and her fame in the county, she still managed to maintain a superficial politeness: "Comrade Shen Lingning? Why are you here? And with the child? Is there something wrong?"
There was a subtle hint of impatience in his tone.
The two comrades "from above" on the sofa exchanged meaningful glances and prepared to watch the show leisurely.
Shen Lingning seemed unaware of the subtle atmosphere. She first politely greeted him, "Director Qi, I'm sorry to bother you. I do have something urgent to report to you."
Then she naturally put Fubao on the ground and gently pushed her back: "Fubao, call Uncle Qi."
Fubao was not afraid of strangers at all. He tilted his head back and called out in a clear and sweet voice, "Hello, Uncle Qi!"
His big eyes twinkled, full of childish innocence.
The sweet "Uncle" softened Director Qi's tense facial lines a little, and he said "hmm" in response.
Shen Lingning then got to the point, his tone calm but clear: "Director Qi, I just received a report from the store saying that comrades from the regional health bureau went to our "Funing Tea Talk" for an inspection, pointed out some problems, and asked to suspend business for rectification.
I took this very seriously and came over immediately to learn more about the situation so our factory could make targeted corrections."
Director Qi adjusted his glasses and spoke in an official tone, "Oh, that's the matter. The comrades from the regional bureau are also conducting routine inspections. Strict control is for the health of the people.
Your milk tea is a new product after all, so the ingredients and standards need to be standardized..."
Shen Lingning waited patiently until Director Qi finished speaking before continuing with a smile, "Director, you are right. Food safety is paramount. Because of this, when we first opened our store, we kept a clear record of all the sources of our raw materials:
The tea is produced in our military tea plantation, with quality inspection certificates from the base and the county. The fresh milk is supplied under a formal supply contract signed with the county dairy farm.
The sugar and flour were also purchased from state-owned stores, with all receipts complete. As for your question about 'unknown ingredients,' it's probably a misunderstanding. Our recipe is very simple: a reasonable mix of tea, milk, and sugar, without any additives.
Leaders are welcome to review this at any time."
Her words were well-reasoned and left Director Qi speechless for a moment.
Someone on the sofa interjected, "Even if the ingredients are fine, this high-sugar, high-fat drink can easily lead to obesity in teenagers and doesn't align with the spirit of promoting hardship and simplicity!"
At this time, Fubao, who was signaled by his mother to stay quiet, seemed to understand the words "sugar" and "fat".
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