Lu Qiqi carried the hawthorns towards the spicy noodle shop. She had been busy all afternoon, and now it was almost dark. It was just as she had said that she wouldn't go back.
Lu Qiqi was genuinely surprised that their business was so bad because someone's spicy noodles had caused health problems.
Lu Qiqi had thought that doing business is all about two things: taste and price.
If Zhang's noodle stall were like Fatty's noodle shop, using generous portions and maintaining strict hygiene, this situation wouldn't have occurred.
But his main selling point is low prices. To achieve low prices and still make a profit, he simply uses even cheaper raw materials.
When Lu Qiqi passed by Zhang's noodle stall, the stall was still open. It was probably because the stall owner was afraid of being beaten and that Hu Jinfei was waiting for him there, so he didn't dare to come back to pack up.
This gave Lu Qiqi a perfect opportunity to investigate. She walked to the table where the dough was being made, picked up the flour that hadn't yet been mixed with water to form a dough, and gently smelled it under her nose.
The taste was a bit bland, but not enough to make someone look like Zeng Shi.
Just as Lu Qiqi was about to check the noodle soup in the pot, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the shredded pork in the bowl, which was being kept warm with cold water.
Lu Qiqi picked up the bowl and noticed that the pork shreds were the wrong color; they were dark in color with pale yellow fat.
Fresh pork is bright red, and its fat is milky white.
This noodle stall owner dared to sell inferior goods as superior ones. It's no wonder people get sick after eating pork from this diseased pig!
Lu Qiqi took the bowl and went back to her family's noodle shop.
Seeing that Lu Qiqi returned so late on Wednesday, with the city gates already closed, she must be staying at the noodle shop tonight.
On Wednesday, she ran up to Lu Qiqi with a grin and asked, "Sister Lu, you're staying here tonight, right?"
Lu Qiqi handed the bamboo jar to Zhou San, "This contains candied hawthorn and maltose. You and Uncle Liu can share it."
When Wednesday took the jar and heard that it was full of food, including the candy that Lu Qiqi had promised him, his face immediately lit up with a smile like a sunflower.
Lu Qiqi walked in front, and Zhou San followed behind her, carrying the bamboo jar.
Zhu Zi brought the last dish to the table, and the five of them sat around a square table to eat dinner.
Today, Liu Tong made twice-cooked pork with green peppers, cabbage soup, and his favorite dish, stir-fried minced pork with pickled radish.
Even Lu Qiqi, who was preoccupied with her thoughts today and had little appetite, ate a small half bowl of rice.
Dunzi cleared the dishes, and Zhou San helped out. The two of them carried the dishes and walked towards the kitchen, one in front of the other.
Liu Tong noticed that Lu Qiqi's expression was off as soon as she entered the room, but since Lu Qiqi didn't mention it, he didn't feel comfortable asking.
Lu Qiqi sighed softly and said, "Uncle Liu, I have something to tell you."
Liu Tong's heart jumped. The last time he heard Lu Qiqi talk about it, it was Zhang Shiqiang and his gang of hooligans who came to their door, and they almost had to close down.
This time, Lu Qiqi wanted to talk to him again, and judging from Lu Qiqi's expression, Liu Tong guessed that it couldn't be anything good.
Lu Qiqi placed a bowl of shredded pork from the next table onto the table. Liu Tong, by the light of the oil lamp, looked down at the shredded pork and asked in surprise, "Qiqi, where did you get this diseased pork?"
Lu Qiqi recounted her encounter with Hu Jinfei and his wife to Liu Tong that day.
Liu Tong clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the square table, cursing, "Damn it! It's all the fault of these bastards who dared to use inferior goods to make noodles for their guests, and they weren't afraid of killing people and going to jail for it."
Lu Qiqi's heart trembled violently as Liu Tong slammed the table down on her.
Liu Tong was still cursing under his breath, saying, "Let him pray he doesn't run into me, or I'll beat him to a pulp."
Liu Tong was poked in the elbow. He looked at the pillar and asked with his eyes why the pillar had poked him.
Zhu Zi gestured to Lu Qiqi with his eyes, and Liu Tong then realized that he had actually said such filthy things in front of an unmarried young girl.
Liu Tong wanted to slap himself in the face. He looked Lu Qiqi up and down and realized that she didn't care what he was cursing at all, so he felt relieved.
Seeing that Liu Tong had stopped cursing, Lu Qiqi said calmly, "It's getting late, you should get some rest."
"Zhu Zi, please use well water to insulate this bowl of pork so it doesn't spoil. I'll need it tomorrow."
“Okay,” Zhu Zi nodded in agreement, then picked up the bowl and went to the kitchen.
Lu Qiqi also went upstairs.
Lu Qiqi returned to her room, locked the door, and entered the spatial dimension.
Lu Qiqi returned to the small wooden house in the space and took a comfortable hot bath, washing away all her fatigue from the day.
Just when Lu Qiqi felt like her bones were about to melt from the heat, she got up, changed her clothes, and left the space.
Lu Qiqi cast aside all her worries, lay peacefully in bed, and drifted off to sleep with a "live for today" attitude.
...
The next morning, Lu Qiqi was awakened by the chirping of birds.
After washing up in the room, she went downstairs.
Then, Lu Qiqi asked Zhu Zi, "Where did you put that bowl of pork from last night?"
Zhu Zi went to the kitchen and handed the pork to Lu Qiqi, asking, "How about I go with you?"
Hearing Lu Qiqi and Zhu Zi's conversation, Liu Tong chimed in, "Yes, let Zhu Zi go with you. We're worried about you going alone."
Seeing the two men looking at her nervously, Lu Qiqi realized they had misunderstood something and quickly explained, "I'm not taking this bowl of meat to cause trouble. If I were to take this diseased pork, I would go to the owner of Zhang's noodle stall."
"If he denies it and tries to smear our noodle shop, then we'll suffer a great loss!"
Liu Tong didn't understand why Lu Qiqi was taking the meat but not looking for the owner of Zhang's noodle stall. Who was she going to find?
Lu Qiqi added, "I'll go first. If there's anything I can help with, I'll naturally let you do your part."
"You are now responsible for keeping the store in good condition, ensuring food safety, and paying attention to hygiene. As long as our taste and quality remain unchanged, I believe things will definitely improve."
Liu Tong and Zhu Zi were encouraged by Lu Qiqi's words and felt that Lu Qiqi was right. Those who did bad things would surely be punished.
Lu Qiqi took a piece of gauze, covered the pork, and then left the noodle shop with the bowl in her hand.
Lu Qiqi went straight to Zhu's Meat Stall and approached the owner, Mr. Zhu.
When Boss Zhu saw Lu Qiqi arrive, he smiled and said, "Miss Lu, it's been a long time since I've seen you at my meat stall."
Lu Qiqi smiled faintly, "I've been quite busy these past few days."
Mr. Zhu lowered his voice considerably and said, "You've bought far less meat from me lately, has something happened?"
Lu Qiqi didn't reply to him, but instead lifted the white gauze on the pork to show Boss Zhu.
When Boss Zhu saw the bowl of pork that Lu Qiqi was holding, his expression immediately changed. He said, "Come with me to the inner room, and we'll discuss this slowly."
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