Chapter 258: Chapter 258: Problems at the Restaurant

Gu Qingli rose and got the three little ones ready, leaving them with enough milk before she and Xiao Yunjing boarded the carriage to Qiyang County. They had originally planned to bring the three little ones, but considering their busy schedule for the day, they decided to leave them at home.

「An hour later」

They arrived at Qiyang County. First, they visited the Gu Clinic. The doctor there was the same one who had learned a great deal of medical skills from Wuyou. He recognized Gu Qingli and her husband, knowing they were the owners.

The doctor’s surname was Chen. Doctor Chen greeted them and immediately asked another physician, Doctor Feng, to attend to the patients while he led Gu Qingli and her husband to the back hall.

Just like last time, Gu Qingli placed the medicine pills in the storeroom. After Doctor Chen signed to acknowledge receipt, she let him go.

Medicine pills for other locations were dispatched by the Secret Sect, an arrangement handled by Xiao Yunjing. Members of the Secret Sect would deliver the pills to the various Gu Clinics as quickly as possible.

After leaving the clinic, the couple went to the Auspicious House Restaurant to deliver wine and other supplies, and then proceeded to the market to buy goods.

They purchased many items, asking most shopkeepers to deliver them to the Gu Residence. After their shopping, they finally arrived at the Secret Sect’s hall to collect gold and silver. By then, the noon hour was almost over.

“Hungry? Let’s eat at the restaurant today.”

Gu Qingli nodded; she was indeed hungry after a busy morning.

Xiao Yunjing instructed the coachman to drive to the restaurant. Upon arriving at the Auspicious House Restaurant, Xiao Yunjing directly told the manager to have the chefs prepare a meal, which, of course, had to include their signature water-boiled fish.

It was already well past noon, yet the restaurant was still full of customers.

The couple waited for a short while before being shown to their private room.

In about the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, the manager personally brought in the dishes.

“Master, Madam, please enjoy your meal.”

The manager, Yun No. 800, had been selected from the Secret Sect. He enjoyed doing business and was very shrewd with numbers, so Xiao Yunjing had arranged for him to manage the Auspicious House Restaurant.

“Alright, you may return to your duties. Keep a close watch on the restaurant,” Xiao Yunjing said.

“Yes, Master.” Yun No. 800 retreated.

“Come, let’s eat.” Xiao Yunjing placed some fish into Gu Qingli’s bowl.

“You eat too. Don’t just fuss over me,” Gu Qingli said, also giving him a large piece of fish.

Xiao Yunjing smiled and began to eat the fish.

“Yunjing, don’t you think this fish isn’t fresh?” Gu Qingli took a bite and found the meat somewhat mushy. Fresh fish had a firm texture; this fish was like tofu, a clear indication it was a dead fish.

“Hmm, now that you mention it, you’re right.” Both of them loved fish and ate it often, so they could immediately tell something was amiss.

Xiao Yunjing promptly summoned Yun No. 800.

“Master, Madam.”

“Taste this fish,” Xiao Yunjing said.

“What’s wrong with the fish?” Yun No. 800 asked, puzzled. Nevertheless, he took another pair of chopsticks and tasted a piece of the fish.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. What’s the matter, Master?” Yun No. 800 ate it but couldn’t detect any problem.

“Summon the head chef and the procurer,” Gu Qingli said, realizing Yun No. 800 couldn’t distinguish between fresh and dead fish.

Yun No. 800 immediately sent someone to fetch them.

Soon, two men entered. One wore a chef’s uniform, the other, the attire of an attendant.

Both looked nervously at Xiao Yunjing and Gu Qingli as they came in.

Xiao Yunjing asked, “Explain this fish.”

He had no time to beat around the bush.

“The fish? Owner, this fish was prepared as usual. There’s no problem,” the head chef said, looking bewildered.

“You didn’t notice anything wrong with this fish?”

The head chef scratched his head, seemingly in thought, and muttered to himself, “Wrong? What could be wrong?”

Xiao Yunjing turned to the other man. He stood with his head bowed, hands by his sides clenched into fists, and trembling slightly.

It was obvious who was at fault.

He said to the procurer, “Why don’t you tell us what’s wrong with this fish?”

The procurer dropped to his knees with a THUD, kowtowing heavily on the floor several times. “Owner, it is my fault! I beg for your mercy, Owner!” he stammered.

Xiao Yunjing said coldly, “Just for saying you were wrong, you expect me to show mercy? You think too highly of yourself. Yun No. 800, send him to the authorities, and find someone else to be in charge of purchasing fish.”

“Ah! Owner, please spare me! Owner, spare me! I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Someone instructed me to do this!” the procurer cried out as Yun No. 800 moved to grab him.

The head chef stared blankly at the scene, still not comprehending what had transpired.

Gu Qingli glanced at him. These chefs clearly don’t inspect the ingredients before cooking. It seems some training is in order.

If a customer were to fall ill, the trouble would be immense. Restaurant owners dreaded incidents involving food poisoning or death above all else.

Xiao Yunjing raised his hand, signaling Yun No. 800 to stop. Yun No. 800 angrily threw the procurer to the ground.

This buyer had been purchased from a Pawnshop, yet he dared to commit such a misdeed. He must have been tired of living.

Xiao Yunjing merely looked at the procurer coldly. The man immediately scrambled back to his knees and kowtowed. “Owner, it was the manager of the Prosperity Restaurant across the street! He found me and told me to buy dead fish. He said no one could tell if the fish had just died, that they were cheaper, and that I could make a lot of money from it.”

Hmph! Calling himself a servant now? He probably didn’t consider himself one before this. Xiao Yunjing said, “He told you to buy it, so you bought it? Is he your master, or am I?”

The procurer’s face was tear-streaked. “Well, Owner, that manager… he’s my uncle. I was sold when I was young. It was only recently that my uncle found me, and I learned he was the manager of Prosperity Restaurant.”

Xiao Yunjing asked, “He promised you that if the Auspicious House Restaurant’s business failed and it closed down, he would buy you and grant you your freedom, didn’t he?”

The procurer nodded. “Yes, that’s what my uncle told this servant.”

Xiao Yunjing glanced at him. “You truly are a fool. Why didn’t he redeem you directly? Now that we’ve found you out, what do you think will happen to you?”

“I… I, servant…” The procurer was now too terrified to speak.

“Take him away,” Xiao Yunjing said to Yun No. 800.

Only then did Yun No. 800 and the head chef realize the problem was with the fish. They were truly ashamed. Impressive! They were at the restaurant every day but hadn’t detected the issue, while their master had identified it immediately upon tasting the fish.

The head chef was still in the room. Xiao Yunjing asked him, “Do you understand the situation now?”

The head chef nodded. “This servant understands.”

“And you know what to do in the future?”

“Yes. Before cooking, all ingredients must be inspected for any spoilage,” the head chef said, wiping sweat from his brow. Fortunately, no issues had arisen from this before; otherwise, the restaurant would have faced severe trouble.

Although they were all purchased servants, they had experienced much in life and understood a fair bit about such underhanded dealings. Incidents of people falling ill or even dying from consuming tainted ingredients were, unfortunately, not uncommon.

They had never imagined the buyer would actually bring back dead fish. It was no wonder they hadn’t noticed; they prepared hundreds of fish daily, and the fish were always processed and delivered to the kitchen ready for cooking.

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