Chapter 17: He Doesn't Know He Was Wrong

For the people of Bashu, the standards for eating are etched into their very bones.

If they are disgusted by something they eat, they simply cannot stomach the indignation; they cannot suppress the feeling of being wronged.

Hearing the commotion, Zhou Yan couldn't help but lean toward the doorway to catch a glimpse of the scene.

A crowd had gathered at the factory gate to watch the spectacle; some were even carrying their meal bowls out of the factory just to observe.

Wasn't this better entertainment than the canteen food?

Standing before the noodle pot, Wang Laowu was being reprimanded, looking like a withered eggplant—limp and dejected.

His wife’s face was flushed with embarrassment, looking as if she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

The weather in late October was cool in the mornings and evenings, but once the sun hit during the day, the temperature was still quite high.

A layer of oilcloth had been stretched over Wang Laowu's noodle stall. The toppings and minced meat fillings had been sitting out in the sun all day and through the night; by noon today, they naturally had developed a sour smell.

"It's... it's just a little bit left over from yesterday. I just picked out the meat. How could it possibly smell?" Wang Laowu said with a pout, sounding somewhat aggrieved.

With beef costing two yuan per jin, who could bear to throw it away!

Affected by Zhou Erwa's restaurant yesterday, they had a large amount of leftover toppings and fillings. Thinking they could just fry up a big pot of seasoning to mix in today at a heavily discounted price, they assumed no one would notice.

They hadn't expected the sun to be so fierce today, causing the temperature to rise quickly. By noon, the sour smell had emerged, and even pepper couldn't mask it.

"No matter how bad the canteen noodles are, they aren't as bad as your leftovers!"

"Exactly! Zhou Yan's shop looks clean and hygienic! I'd rather pay an extra two cents to eat with peace of mind!"

The customers weren't listening to Wang Laowu's excuses; some immediately stood up to head toward Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

"Hey, you haven't paid yet!" Wang Laowu's wife, Liu Fen, cried out anxiously.

"You still dare to ask for money? We're lucky if we don't tear this stall down! Believe it or not, I'll go report you to the Market Management Committee!" Liu Laobā shouted, jumping up and down. "To think I trusted you so much! I've eaten noodles at your place for years!"

"That's right!" Wang Jianming grumbled in agreement, walking away without looking back.

Liu Fen wanted to argue further.

"Don't open your mouth!" Wang Laowu pulled at Liu Fen's sleeve and whispered, "If this actually gets reported up the chain, we won't be able to set up this stall anymore."

"It's all your fault! I told you the hot weather would make things spoil easily. Now all the customers are running to Zhou Yan's. What are we going to do?" Liu Fen stamped her feet in frustration.

To compete with Zhou Yan today, they had invested heavily. Now, half of their fillings were still left; if they couldn't sell them, they wouldn't even recover their capital.

"It's all Zhou Yan's fault. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had so many leftovers yesterday." Wang Laowu also put on a mask of misery; having a reputation built over years ruined was far more distressing than losing these few basins of meat.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Serving leftovers to customers—has their conscience been eaten by dogs?" Zhao Tieying had also come to the entrance to watch the fun, smirking as she spoke. "See? It's just like that saying: 'A meddling woman hugging a widow's egg'—they brought it on themselves!"

Zhao Tieying didn't lower her voice at all; everyone heading toward the restaurant heard her.

"Auntie Zhao is right!"

Some customers laughed and chimed in, their favorability toward Auntie Zhao increasing significantly.

Wang Laowu and Liu Fen turned pale with shame, but since they were in the wrong, they didn't even dare to respond.

The mother and son shared a look. Zhou Yan silently gave his mother a thumbs-up; when it came to critical hits, Auntie Zhao, the master of sarcasm, was unmatched.

Wang Laowu's self-exposure greatly relieved Zhou Yan's pressure regarding his stock.

Many customers who originally came to eat noodles with over one tael of meat for 0.4 yuan decisively chose the heavily recommended Zhou Erwa's restaurant upon hearing about Wang Laowu's leftovers, causing the foot traffic there to surge.

Wang Laowu and Liu Fen sat by their empty stall, looking miserable.

"Should we go invite Director Wang to stand up for us? If this keeps up, we won't be able to do business," Liu Fen whispered, tugging at Wang Laowu's sleeve.

"You go invite him, I'll..." Wang Laowu whispered something in her ear.

"Alright," Liu Fen nodded and hurried away.

On this side, Wang Laowu stood up, picked up half a basin of braised beef topping, and shouted loudly, "Regarding what happened today, I, Wang Laowu, was wrong. I shouldn't have been stingy with the leftover beef, and I certainly shouldn't have let customers eat leftover fillings. If you're wrong, you take the punishment; I have nothing to say in my defense.

However, I've been selling noodles at the textile factory gate for two years, and this is the first time I've done something like this. I hope everyone can give me a chance to make amends. I swear, from this day forward, our stall will never use leftovers again."

Having said that, he poured the beef topping directly into a waste bucket nearby—half an enamel basin, containing at least two or three jin of beef.

Then, he picked up a basin of minced meat filling and poured that into the bucket as well.

This move by Wang Laowu drew the attention of many workers.

This was all meat; an ordinary family might only eat it once or twice a month, and here it was being wasted like this.

Wang Laowu poured three consecutive basins of toppings and fillings before stopping, then announced loudly, "The remaining toppings and fillings are all good! They were freshly fried this morning; there are absolutely no leftovers mixed in!"

"To express our apologies, I am offering free noodles to everyone! One bowl of noodles with one tael of meat, and you don't have to pay a single cent! Consider it my way of apologizing to you all!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many workers' eyes lit up.

Even the customers who were walking toward Zhou Erwa's restaurant couldn't help but pause.

A bowl of noodles with one tael of meat, and not a single cent to pay—it sounded very tempting.

"Free food? Should we give it a try? Weren't Wang Laowu's noodles okay before?"

"He knows he was wrong and is trying to change; we should give him a chance."

"He doesn't know he's wrong; he's just scared. If you want to go, go ahead—I'm eating Zhou Yan's noodles."

The workers whispered among themselves; some walked toward Wang Laowu's stall, while others remained firm in their path toward Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

The corners of Wang Laowu's mouth curled up. He had gambled correctly. The remaining fillings would spoil by tomorrow anyway; it was better to give them away for free to salvage his reputation. After selling noodles at a low price for a while, this matter would eventually blow over.

Zhao Tieying collected the bowls and went into the kitchen to tell Zhou Yan about it.

"He's quite bold," Zhou Yan said, his hand pausing while scooping noodles. Wang Laowu's crisis management response was quite fast; it seemed he wouldn't be easily taken down by his own self-exposure.

He wondered if that Station Chief Gao was reliable and if he could actually trace the matter back to Wang Laowu.

"It's fine. Such unscrupulous people will be dealt with by heaven sooner or later," Zhao Tieying said with a smile, comforting Zhou Yan. "The most important thing is for us to make good noodles and let the customers eat with peace of mind."

"You're right," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. Auntie Zhao was indeed someone who didn't dwell on negativity.

As the news of the free noodles spread, Wang Laowu's stall quickly became lively again, with seven or eight people seated in a short time.

Standing before the large pot boiling noodles, a smile returned to Wang Laowu's face. It didn't matter if he took a loss; as long as the business continued, he would make it back sooner or later.

On the other side, Liu Fen had also invited Wang Defa.

With his hands behind his back and his belly protruding like a general's, Wang Defa stood before the noodle pot and lectured with great indignation, "Wang Laowu, you are being foolish! How do I usually educate you? You must let the worker brothers eat well, eat their fill, and most importantly, eat with peace of mind."

"Director Wang, you are right. I was blinded by greed; I just couldn't bear to waste the meat. I will never dare to do it again," Wang Laowu nodded like a chick pecking grain.

"Sigh, I know you are used to being thrifty. Everyone has just started having enough to eat, so I understand, but this kind of thing must never happen again." Wang Defa nodded slightly, his tone softening considerably. "Your noodles are actually quite good. The meat is just as high-quality as the factory canteen, the portions are generous, and the price is affordable. Unlike some restaurants that only see money in their eyes—acting like capitalists."

"It should be done, it should be done," Wang Laowu replied, nodding.

The duet between Wang Defa and Wang Laowu was so convincing that even Zhou Yan, who was bringing out noodles, couldn't help but stop to listen. One truly could not underestimate street wisdom; this public relations tactic was no weaker than some amateur troupes of the future, and it conveniently served to insult him as well.

"If Director Wang from the factory canteen praises Wang Laowu's noodles so much, it must mean they really are good."

"The meat in the factory canteen is prioritized by the supply and marketing cooperative; Wang Laowu is really willing to invest in his ingredients."

"Maybe I should go back and call everyone from the workshop. Opportunities to eat for free like this don't come often."

The workers nodded repeatedly. A few sat down to try the noodles, while others prepared to call their friends.

Wang Defa smiled quite proudly, preparing to deliver a few more official-sounding remarks.

At that moment, two jeeps drove up and stopped in front of the stall.

Two epidemic prevention workers in white lab coats stepped out of the first vehicle, which was labeled 'Jiaozhou Epidemic Prevention Station'; one of them was none other than Gao Tianlei.

Two police officers stepped out of the second vehicle. They glanced at the stall's sign and looked at Wang Laowu, saying, "You are Wang Daowei, right? You are suspected of long-term and large-scale purchase of plague-infected pork, endangering food safety. Please come with us for investigation!"

(End of Chapter)