Chapter 77 The Cat Food Scandal: The Dejected Tangyuan
The news brought by Isabella struck like lightning, leaving Shi Wan and Su Qing momentarily stunned.
The conference room lights came on, contrasting with the twilight gradually settling outside the window.
Shi Wan, Su Qing, and Isabella sat around a table, where a projector in the middle displayed the latest news and heated discussions on social media regarding the Petfood poisoning incident.
"The source has been basically confirmed." Isabella clicked rapidly with her mouse, bringing up preliminary statements from several authoritative veterinary institutions and food safety regulatory departments.
"The problem mainly focuses on several high-end cat food and canned food lines under Petfood. It is suspected that a batch of meat raw materials was contaminated with a rare mold in the supply chain, producing highly toxic mycotoxins. Currently, more than 200 suspected poisoning cases have been reported in North America and Europe, of which... at least 30 cats could not be saved."
“More than thirty…” Even the composed Su Qing couldn’t help but gasp, her face turning pale. “How sad those owners must be.”
She chose this industry because of her love for cats, and having spent so much time with the cats on the farm, she can't imagine how she would feel if something happened to these furry kids.
Shi Wan remained silent, her gaze fixed on the shocking words on the screen.
Kidney failure, persistent vomiting, emergency rescue, class-action lawsuit.
Shi Wan didn't even dare to imagine how they felt.
“The negative impact is obvious,” Isabella’s voice pulled Shi Wan back from her heavy thoughts. Her tone regained its calmness. “The first to be affected is the Pet Paradise brand. It can basically be declared dead globally. The huge compensation and the collapse of its reputation are enough to drag it down.”
"Secondly, the entire commercial pet food industry will face an unprecedented crisis of trust. Consumers will panic and question the safety of all cat food that is not made by the brand itself. This distrust will spread, and in the short term, the sales of all brands may be affected, especially those large brands that rely on a complex global supply chain."
She paused, looked at Shi Wan and Su Qing, and then changed the subject.
"But crisis is a crisis, and with it comes opportunity. This incident has highlighted our farm's greatest strength in the most brutal and direct way."
Su Qing reacted quickly, picking up where she left off, "We grow our own raw materials, raise our own meat, and the production line is right under our noses!"
“That’s right!” Isabella nodded approvingly, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. “When seemingly glamorous big brands produced by large-scale industries expose fatal weaknesses due to their long and complex supply chains, our small but beautiful, fully visible and controllable model becomes the biggest reassurance.”
She began to explain the opportunities involved in detail.
"First, the market will spontaneously pursue more transparent and safer pet food. Our self-produced raw material model can achieve full traceability from seed to finished product, which is difficult for big brands to achieve. We can even make this process into a promotional video."
"Secondly, if Pet Paradise collapses, it will inevitably vacate a portion of the high-end market share. Although we are not yet at that scale, with our unique safety and distinctive cat culture, we have a real chance to capture this segment of consumers who are extremely sensitive to quality and safety."
“Third,” Isabella said, her gaze fixed intently on Shi Wan, “this could be an opportunity for us to push for higher industry standards. We can take this opportunity to proactively disclose our internal control and quality inspection processes, which far exceed industry standards, and call for stricter regulation. This is not only a business matter, but also an excellent opportunity to build brand responsibility and credibility.”
Su Qing listened attentively and agreed wholeheartedly. "Tell me your thoughts?"
“My opinion is to act immediately, in three steps.” Isabella had clearly been busy on the way here. “The first step is to conduct the most rigorous and comprehensive safety inspection on all our raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products, exceeding all previous standards, to ensure that our own products are absolutely safe at this critical juncture.”
Shi Wan nodded solemnly, "No problem, I'll handle this."
"The second step is to organize all our raw material planting records and quality inspection reports. We need to present these things in a way that ordinary people can understand."
“Leave this to me,” Su Qing said without much hesitation. “Integrating data is one of my strengths.”
“The third and most important step is to take the initiative to speak up and develop a communication strategy.” Isabella leaned forward slightly.
"We can't wait for others to ask; we need to be proactive and cautious, but also seize the opportunity. We can prepare a statement that expresses our deepest sympathy and concern for the cats and owners affected by the Petfood incident, while subtly introducing our brand's philosophy and practices regarding pet food safety. We should emphasize key points such as controllable source, transparent process, and family-like protection."
Isabella's three-step plan gained the approval of Shi Wan and Su Qing almost immediately.
The three discussed the details for a long time until the moonlight outside the window gradually brightened, and then Isabella and Su Qing left the small building with their battle plan.
After seeing them off, Shi Wan did not rest immediately.
She returned to her study, turned on her computer, and began organizing documents and video materials according to her plan.
The room was quiet, with only the soft sound of her typing and the light from the screen reflecting on her face.
After an unknown amount of time, the door was gently pushed open a crack.
A round, fluffy white figure, carrying the slight chill of the night, slunk in listlessly.
It's tangyuan (glutinous rice balls).
Shi Wan was taken aback when she saw his expression.
Tangyuan, who is usually so spirited and has an aura of her own, now looks like a glutinous rice ball that has been hit by frost.
He walked slowly, his tail drooping listlessly, and even his once-proud, fluffy fur seemed to have lost its luster.
What's most eye-catching is that on his round head is a small hat crocheted from orange yarn, shaped exactly like a mini orange, and even has two bright green leaves on top, so cute that it melts your heart.
But the vibrant hat and his current listless state created a huge, endearing contrast.
Tangyuan walked straight to Shi Wan's feet without making a sound. She simply nuzzled Shi Wan's leg gently with her head, then looked up, her beautiful mandarin duck eyes filled with obvious sadness.
Shi Wan's heart softened, she put down her work, bent down and hugged him.
Tangyuan obediently nestled on her lap, curling itself into a heavy, warm ball of fur, burying its head in her arms, and letting out a soft, aggrieved meow.
This familiar scene instantly struck a corner deep in Shi Wan's memory.
When Tangyuan was little, whenever he was naughty and got into trouble, such as breaking his mother's beloved vase or tearing his father's notebook to pieces, he would run to his mother's arms like this, looking dejected and pitiful, after she scolded him by pulling his ear. It was as if only his little master's embrace could heal his wounded little heart.
Shi Wan gently stroked the soft, satin-like long hair on his back, then touched the delicate little orange hat on his head with her finger, her voice unconsciously becoming extremely soft.
"What's wrong, our Tangyuan King? This little hat is so cute, who made it for you?"
Tangyuan stirred in her arms, her voice muffled and slightly nasal.
“It’s Aunt Li from the warehouse… She saw me today and said it was still a bit chilly, so she knitted this for me.”
He tugged at his hat with his paw, his voice even lower, "The way she touched my head, it was a bit like my mother..."
Shi Wan paused slightly as she stroked his hand.
Mother……
That equally skillful mother who knits all sorts of cute little sweaters and hats for Tangyuan, who is afraid of the cold, in winter.
Time flies, but Tangyuan still remembers.
"Mom would be so happy to see how handsome you are now, wearing an orange hat that she never knitted."
Shi Wan suppressed the bitterness rising in her heart and said gently.
Tangyuan remained silent for a while, seemingly processing this sudden surge of longing.
Then he looked up, his eyes shifting from dejection to worry, "Wanwan, Mimi is unhappy today."
"Hmm? Besides missing Mom, is there anything else that's making Tangyuan unhappy?" Shi Wan asked patiently, gently scratching his furry chin with her fingertips.
“Mi went out on patrol again today,” Tangyuan’s voice was filled with obvious confusion and sadness. “She went to check on the little brothers I recruited around here. But I searched for a long time. There were four or five Mis, like that skinny tabby who always missed out on food, the calico who was particularly timid and always hid under the car, and the two orange cat brothers who were always inseparable… They were all gone.”
His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.
“I asked Old Black, who often hangs out near the garbage dump, and he said he hasn’t seen them since the coldest part of last winter. Wanwan, did they… go back to Cat Planet?”
Shi Wan felt as if she had been pricked by a needle.
Looking into Tangyuan's eyes, which were filled with confusion and sadness, she knew that for a cat, the silent disappearance of a stray companion often meant the worst possible outcome.
Cold, hunger, disease, accidents... any of these can easily take away these little lives.
“Winter is really tough for kittens living outside…” she said softly, feeling Tangyuan tremble slightly in her arms.
But she immediately changed the subject, her tone becoming positive and hopeful, "But don't be too sad. Look, Su Qing and I are doing something, something that might make it easier for more kittens like your little brother to get through the winter and have enough to eat."
Tangyuan's ears twitched, and she raised her head, a hint of curiosity rekindling in her heterochromatic eyes. "Really? What good news is it?"
“Our plan is to place some magical stones that automatically dispense cat food in some secluded and safe places outside,” Shi Wan explained in a way he could understand. “That way, even if the weather is bad or we can’t find other food, the kittens living outside will have a fixed place to eat clean food.”
"Moreover, Su Qing is also contacting hospitals to help them get their kittens spayed, so that they won't have too many kittens that can't find their homes and can only starve and freeze outside."
Tangyuan listened attentively, his low spirits seemingly dispelled, and his jewel-like eyes regained their light. "Just like how we grow delicious food here? Is it to help those homeless cats?"
“Yes, just like we are here, it’s to help more Mimi.” Shi Wan nodded affirmatively.
Tangyuan nudged her palm with its head and made a satisfied gurgling sound in its throat.
But he was clearly emotionally drained today, and this comfort didn't immediately restore him to the energetic explorer he once was.
He jumped off Shi Wan's lap and, with still somewhat heavy steps, walked to the large bed in the room covered with a soft blanket.
He found the most comfortable spot and started spinning around in place, carefully curling himself up.
His fluffy long fur swayed with his movements. First, he wrapped his large tail, which looked like a feather duster, around his front, then tucked his front paws in, tucked his hind legs in, and finally buried his round head in the middle. In this way, a perfect, fluffy, giant cat ball with a little orange hat on its head was formed, just like a super-sized cotton candy that had accidentally gotten orange on it.
He gave a listless yawn, as if to say, "I'm asleep," and then stopped moving, his body rising and falling slightly with his breath. Under the warm yellow light, his little orange hat looked like a small sun radiating a soft glow.
Looking at the fluffy, sorrowful figure on the bed, Shi Wan felt her heart soften, yet also a little bittersweet.
She turned off the glaring main light, leaving only a warm wall lamp, and then sat back down in front of the computer.
The documents and data on the screen now seem to have been given a more concrete meaning.
It's not just for the development of Meow Meow Farm, or to cope with market fluctuations, but also for those little brothers that Tangyuan mentioned have disappeared, and for countless little lives that may have silently passed away on cold winter nights.
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