After communication between the county and provincial expert groups, three investigation teams were established under the leadership of the provincial expert group and with the cooperation of local governments to further investigate and understand the causes of the high incidence of stomach diseases.
The team that came to Fushan Town was led by Zhang Xiangguo, deputy director of the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, but after more than ten days, there was no result.
Spring rain started to fall at noon that day. It was not the kind of drizzle that moistened everything silently, but a moderate rain with spring thunder and heavy rainfall. The investigation team was chased back to the town by the rain.
At noon, Sun Zongyu accompanied the comrades of the investigation team to have a working lunch.
Seeing that the comrades in the investigation team were not in a very good mood, Sun Zongyu asked the canteen to cook a large pot of mutton soup and arrange some seasonal vegetables.
The lamb is braised, with the meat and bones cooked thoroughly, and several local Chinese herbal medicines added. The aroma of the lamb can be smelled from a long distance away.
The vegetables are local specialties, including mashed garlic tofu, fried eggs with locust flowers, bitter vegetable dipped in soybean paste, freshly kneaded red toon, tofu with old bean residue, green onions and cucumbers, and eight-treasure fermented black beans.
Everyone was unhappy, so Sun Zongyuan arranged two bottles of Jingzhi Baigan. After some courtesy, everyone poured a tea bowl. One tea bowl was two and a half taels, and one bottle was just right for four cups.
People in Shandong Province are heavy drinkers, and this is no exaggeration. Except for one lady who drank half a bowl, the others drank two bowls in a row.
Director Zhang put down the mutton bones in his hand, drank a sip of soup and said:
"Mayor Sun, we've been coming back here for nearly two months, and apart from discovering a high incidence of stomach problems, we have no clues about the cause. We're really worried and feel so useless!"
"Director Zhang, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. The truth will definitely come out. You don't have to be too anxious."
As Sun Zongyuan spoke, he gestured to Deputy Mayor Nie Ning, who was serving as the second host, to continue pouring wine.
In this cadre adjustment, Nie Ning will continue to serve as a member of the Party Committee and deputy mayor, and will also continue to be in charge of culture, education, health, and family planning.
"I haven't been with you, the leaders and experts, for the past few days. I want to apologize to you all here. I'll finish this cup. Everyone, please drink half. If you drink less than half, it means you really have something against me. I'll drink first as a sign of respect!"
Sun Zongyuan tilted his head back, and a glass of 53-proof liquor went down his throat into his stomach. He felt a burning sensation wherever it passed through, and his eyes couldn't help but brimming with tears. He wiped his eyes inadvertently when he put down the glass.
Sun Zongyuan emptied his wine glass and looked at everyone quietly.
"Brother Sun, you have a huge capacity for wine. You have your own work, so how can you have time to accompany us every day? I think we can't drink half of this glass of wine. I'll drink it too!"
Director Zhang had a good alcohol tolerance. He drank the wine in a beautiful gesture and then emptied his glass to face everyone.
Everyone saw Director Zhang also drank a glass, so they also drank it after a while. However, two of them gradually had red faces, and they were drunk.
After everyone was seated, Director Zhang said:
"Mayor Sun, we shouldn't drink so much in the middle of the day. We'll be busy after the rain stops this afternoon. Let's eat, shall we?"
"Director Zhang, it's still raining outside. How about we fill each person's cup halfway and then serve the food?"
"Okay, we'll pour another half glass of wine, but we won't drink any more until the food comes!"
"Well, let's prepare the meal, Mayor Nie. Our dishes are all local wild vegetables. I think we should also serve some of our local specialties."
"I'll arrange it right away, everyone wait!"
After saying this, Deputy Mayor Nie Ning went out to make arrangements.
After a while, the canteen chef brought the rice:
One plate of big pot pancakes cut into strips, one plate of whole wheat pancakes, one plate of multi-grain pancakes, and another plate of corn sour pancakes.
Sun Zongyuan introduced:
"The pot cakes we make here can be torn into small pieces and soaked in mutton soup. Add some chopped green onions, coriander and seasonings, and it can be compared to the mutton soup steamed buns in Northwest China."
"Pancakes are our favorite dry food here. During the Huaihai Campaign, local people here made pancakes as military rations to support the People's Liberation Army. Oh, this is a pancake made entirely with wheat, which is more nutritionally complete. This is a multi-grain pancake, made with pumpkin, sweet potato, soybeans, corn, and wheat, which are soaked and ground with a stone mill, and then baked. You can't buy this in the market, so you can try it, it tastes great."
"Don't mention it, the taste of all kinds of food is very good. How can people in the city eat these?"
An expert praised.
"People in our mountain villages start grinding batter and making pancakes when winter comes. Some families bake pancakes as tall as a person and store them in plastic bags to keep out moisture, insects, and rats. Some people eat them until the new wheat harvest."
Nie Ning said.
"This pancake is made with millet. It is made by crushing our local spring millet and has a millet aroma." Sun Zongyu continued to introduce.
"This one is also yellow, but it's not millet pancakes. It's corn pancakes. They taste a bit sour, but they're good for your appetite!"
An expert asked:
"How come the burrito is sour?"
Nie Ning explained:
"Corn sour pancakes don't contain any acidic substances. They are made by adding cornmeal and water to a mixture and letting it sit for a day. When you smell the sour smell of the cornmeal, you start making pancakes. That's how you make the sour corn pancakes."
"Do you mean soak the cornmeal in water and ferment it overnight, then let it become sour before making pancakes?"
Director Zhang stood up suddenly and asked.
"Yes, that's how we make sour pancakes here."
"How many places here like to eat sourdough pancakes? They make sourdough pancakes?"
Nie Ning replied puzzledly:
"We're not the only ones in Anyang County who eat sour corn pancakes. Many of my classmates at the technical secondary school in Ganhe also eat sour corn pancakes at home. Director Zhang, what's wrong?"
"I think I've found the reason for the high incidence of stomach cancer! This meal was totally worth it!"
"Director Zhang, where did you find out? What's the reason? Tell me quickly!"
Everyone stood up in a hurry, and the female expert even went over and grabbed Director Zhang's arm and shook it.
Sun Zongyuan and Nie Ning also stood up and looked at Director Zhang in confusion.
"I think, since there's no problem with food, soil, or drinking water, the problem might be with the diet. People in central and southern Shandong love to eat pancakes, but as far as I know, not many areas eat sour corn pancakes. The two mayors just reminded me that the problem might lie with the sour corn pancakes."
"Go on," asked an expert.
"Corn is most likely to breed aflatoxin, which we know is a highly carcinogenic substance. After the cornmeal is soaked in water, if there are some aflatoxin, it will be contaminated and then multiply in large numbers during the fermentation process, producing a large amount of aflatoxin. If you eat such pancakes for a long time, it would be strange if you don't get stomach cancer!"
After Director Zhang finished speaking, he drank some mutton soup and then said:
"We've eaten meat, so we're not hungry anymore, are we? Let's not worry about the rain. Let's go directly to the families of those with stomach cancer and find out if they've been eating corn pancakes for a long time. Now that we've eaten, let's go!"
The group got into the car and disappeared from sight without saying a word to Sun Zongyuan and Nie Ning.
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