Chapter 170 Inspection
Chef Zhang's arrogance froze instantly, his face paling slightly. He excelled at French cold dishes and exquisite main courses, emphasizing the art of plating and the high quality of ingredients. However, décor tricks to coax children to eat were not his forte; those cartoon designs were simply beneath his notice. But seeing Principal Li's grim face, he swallowed back the rebuttal that was on the tip of his tongue, and could only clench his fists and reluctantly agree, "I... I'll give it a try."
"You're not just trying, you have to do it." Director Li glanced at him coldly and waved her hand. "Go and prepare. Don't disappoint me."
Chef Zhang walked out of the office with his head down and his steps slightly heavy.
The moment the door closed, the anger on Principal Li's face faded, replaced by a sinister calculation. She picked up the landline again and found an unfamiliar number in her contacts labeled "Director Wang".
Her fingertip paused for a moment, then she dialed the number, her tone instantly becoming obsequious, even her voice rising a few decibels: "Director Wang, hello, hello, this is Principal Li from Xingchen Kindergarten. I'm calling to ask you for a small favor..."
After hearing what was said on the other end of the phone, Principal Li nodded repeatedly, her smile growing wider, but her eyes held a venomous glint: "Yes, yes, it's that Tongxin Kindergarten across the street. I noticed that their tuition is cheap, so their food costs must be low. Maybe the food isn't fresh, and the kitchen hygiene isn't up to standard. Could you perhaps take some time to go and check it out? Thank you so much, Director Wang. I'll definitely thank you properly afterwards."
After hanging up the phone, Principal Li leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms in front of her lower abdomen, and stared at the ceiling with a sinister look in her eyes.
She knew Su Yingxue's weakness all too well. Tongxin Kindergarten was small and short of funds, focusing on affordable education. If it really strictly controlled the ingredients, the profit margin would be pitifully thin. Even if the health department couldn't find any major problems when they came to inspect, they would always find some minor oversights. Then she would have someone exaggerate the situation and spread the word. Parents were most afraid of their children getting sick, so they would definitely not dare to send their children there anymore. Tongxin Kindergarten would have to close down sooner or later.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, several vehicles with the words "Health Supervision" printed on them parked in front of Tongxin Kindergarten.
Su Yingxue was busy in the kitchen. Morning light streamed through the window onto the countertop. She held a small knife in her hand, carefully carving a carrot. As the blade sliced through the carrot, tiny bits of red flesh fell off. In the blink of an eye, a little rabbit with drooping ears took shape. She placed it on a plate lined with parchment paper, then scooped a spoonful of mashed potatoes, pressed it into a circle, and added two black goji berries for eyes and a halved cherry tomato for a nose. The bear-shaped mashed potatoes were now complete.
Just as Su Yingxue finished setting out the breakfast dishes, she heard Director Pan's slightly nervous voice coming from the kitchen doorway. She looked up and saw Director Pan leading three people in uniforms into the kitchen. The man in the lead had a serious expression and sharp eyes, and his gaze swept over the kitchen with a scrutinizing look.
"Teacher Su, this is Director Wang from the health department. He's here today to inspect our ingredients and kitchen hygiene." Principal Pan's voice trembled slightly as she introduced them. She had been running Tongxin Kindergarten for many years and had never been suddenly inspected by the health department before, so she couldn't help but feel flustered.
Su Yingxue's heart skipped a beat, and the knife she was holding paused for a moment. A trace of unease flashed through her mind, but she quickly calmed herself down, wiped her hands, and greeted him with a smile: "Director Wang, thank you for coming all this way. Our fresh ingredients are all kept in the refrigerator, and the quarantine certificates and purchase records are in this drawer. The kitchen is wiped down with disinfectant every morning and evening, and the tableware is also sterilized at high temperatures. Please feel free to check, and please let me know if you have any questions."
Director Wang didn't respond, but nodded with a stern face and waved his hand. The two staff members behind him immediately dispersed. One of them opened the refrigerator to check the ingredients, picked up the green vegetables to smell their freshness, and then squeezed the texture of the meat.
The other person pulled out the purchase records and carefully checked them page by page, not even letting go of the supplier's qualification certificates. Finally, they even squatted down and lifted the lid of the trash can to look at the kitchen waste inside.
Su Yingxue stood to the side, her back ramrod straight, her heart at peace.
Having worked in the catering industry for so many years, what she values most is the freshness and hygiene of ingredients. Especially when cooking for her children, she dares not be careless in the slightest. Every day before dawn, she goes to the market to pick out fresh vegetables, and only selects meat supplied by regular slaughterhouses. She always keeps her purchase records and quarantine certificates neatly organized, and she strictly controls the hygiene of the kitchen, even wiping the gaps in the stove clean.
More than half an hour passed, and the two staff members searched every nook and cranny of the kitchen but found no problem. They then leaned close to Director Wang and whispered a few words to him.
Director Wang's face darkened further, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes. But having found no problem, he had no reason to make things difficult. He could only give Su Yingxue a cold glance and say in a stiff tone, "The freshness and hygiene of the ingredients meet the standards, and you must continue to maintain them. You can't let your guard down." After saying that, he didn't say another word and turned to leave with his men.
Watching their figures disappear through the door, Director Pan breathed a long sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and muttered in confusion, "Why did they suddenly come to inspect? Did someone deliberately report us?"
Su Yingxue frowned, her gaze falling on the plate of animal food that hadn't been taken away from the counter, and she suddenly remembered the newspaper report from yesterday.
She vaguely had an answer in her heart—no one but Principal Li would target Tongxin Kindergarten like this.
But she didn't say anything. She just patted Director Pan on the shoulder and comforted him with a smile, "It's okay. We've done it properly, so we're not afraid of being investigated. Even if someone reports us, we're upright and have nothing to hide, so we're not afraid of being investigated."
Despite saying that, Su Yingxue knew in her heart that this was definitely not the end. Since Director Li had already harbored wicked intentions, she would never let it go. This contest had only just begun.
Sure enough, trouble struck again just two days later. That afternoon, Su Yingxue was serving snacks to the children when Principal Pan rushed over, holding her phone and looking pale: "Teacher Su, please check the parents' group chat. Someone is spreading rumors that our animal food uses additives for coloring and that eating too much of it is bad for the children's health."
Su Yingxue's heart sank. She picked up her phone and opened the parents' group chat. Several messages had already flooded the screen. Someone posted a blurry photo of an animal meal with the caption, "The color is too bright. It must have been artificially colored." Others chimed in, "My child has been a bit feverish lately. Could it be from eating this?" Some parents even asked, "Is it really unhygienic? If so, I'll have to consider transferring my child to another kindergarten."
The group chat was constantly being flooded with messages. It wasn't just one person forwarding these messages in the parents' group; several people were taking turns forwarding information about unsafe food their children were eating.
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