VFGRC Chapter 53

Although Xing Xing is intelligent, at just three years old, he can’t read yet. Xing Xing can barely make sense of the twisted numbers on the screen.

Seeing the page transition to the investigation results, Xing Xing temporarily set aside his dislike for Ji Rongyu. His two little hands rested on Ji Rongyu’s collar.

Xing Xing, like a little chubby cat stretching its body, leaned close to Ji Rongyu’s ear.

“Uncle Rongyu, Uncle Rongyu, has Daddy’s stall results come out?” Xing Xing’s little voice carried a sense of eagerness and impatience.

“They have.” Ji Rongyu pointed at the computer screen. “See, this line is about your snack stall… These four characters are ‘stall owner’ and ‘Yu Bai,’ representing your daddy…”

Xing Xing widened his eyes, and his little head kept moving closer to the computer screen.

Before Xing Xing could discern those four characters, a gentle palm blocked his tiny forehead.

Xing Xing lifted his head, and his watery ink-black eyes looked at Yu Bai.

Yu Bai pointed to the computer screen. “Don’t get too close. Computers, just like phones, emit radiation. Staring at them for too long can harm your eyes.”

Xing Xing was an obedient little one.

Yu Bai had told him before that phones and TV screens emit radiation, which isn’t good for the eyes if stared at for too long. So Xing Xing never spent extended periods looking at phones or TVs.

Furthermore, Xing Xing had also heard from the grandmothers in the community that if his eyes were damaged, he might end up like the bespectacled grandpa at the community center, wearing thick glasses as round as the bottom of a beer bottle.

The bespectacled grandpa used to have quite large eyes, but after donning those thick and unattractive glasses, his once big eyes turned into beady ones.

Xing Xing cautiously touched his clear and bright round eyes.

The community grandmas and the uncles and aunties who bought snacks all praised him for having big and beautiful eyes. If he wore glasses, his eyes would look smaller, and the uncles, aunties, grandpas, and grandmas wouldn’t compliment him anymore!

He didn’t want to become less good-looking.

The beauty-conscious Xing Xing, upon hearing Yu Bai’s explanation about the radiation from computer and phone screens being similar to that of TV screens, immediately sat up straight.

Xing Xing couldn’t read the characters on the computer, but after hearing Ji Rongyu’s explanation, he could roughly understand the meaning of each column in the table on the page.

As long as the last column didn’t have any red text, it meant that the snack inspection had passed!

The recent inspection by the food safety authority was very strict. Even minor deviations from regulations were marked as “unqualified.”

As a result, almost half of the snack stalls and shops in Sanjiaokou needed to make improvements.

Fortunately, the Lunar New Year was approaching, and most of the snack stalls and shops in Sanjiaokou would be closing down for the holiday and reopening after the New Year.

During this time, as long as they followed the management department’s suggestions for improvements and passed the reinspection, their business after the New Year wouldn’t be affected.

However, this round of improvements served as a warning for all these stall and shop owners.

Although many of them had obtained business and hygiene permits before opening their stalls or shops, and they had passed regular inspections every month, there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t be subject to random inspections by the regulatory authorities in the future.

One round of improvements would at least halt their business for half a month.

Everyone was running small businesses, and if their food hygiene and safety didn’t meet the standards, another surprise inspection from the regulatory authorities could render their stalls or shops inoperable.

After this strict and surprise inspection by the food safety authority, the snack stalls and shops in Sanjiaokou became more compliant.

In subsequent inspections, these eateries and stalls not only passed with flying colors but also gradually became examples of food hygiene and safety in Qingqiao District.

After checking the inspection results from the food safety authority, Yu Bai went to the living room to have his breakfast.

Yu Bai woke up late today, it was nearly ten o’clock when he got up.

Ji Rongyu, on the other hand, had risen early. However, since he didn’t know how to cook, he had ordered takeout to solve the breakfast problem for himself and Xing Xing.

Ji Rongyu prepared Yu Bai’s portion of breakfast, placed it on a plate, and covered it with a cloth to prevent dust from getting in.

Yu Bai uncovered the cloth.

Ji Rongyu had ordered Cantonese-style dim sum takeout. Apart from shrimp dumplings, char siu buns, and small steamed buns, there was also a serving of congee with pork stomach and chicken.

“How is it? Is it delicious?”

While Yu Bai was heating up breakfast and sitting by the coffee table to eat, Ji Rongyu emerged from the bedroom and took a seat across from Yu Bai.

The congee with pork stomach and chicken was thick, rich, and delicious. The shrimp dumplings were fragrant with crisp shrimp filling, and the xiaolongbao had thin and fragrant fillings… These breakfast items left Yu Bai struggling to find any faults.

“Quite tasty.” Yu Bai asked, “Where did you order the takeout from? It must not be cheap.”

The principle of “you get what you pay for” was something Yu Bai understood well.

Not everything that’s not delicious is cheap, but something delicious is definitely not cheap.

While Yu Bai was a skilled cook himself, his palate had its limits; he could only discern tastes to a certain extent.

Even so, Yu Bai could tell that the takeout Ji Rongyu had ordered was made from fresh ingredients, the flavors were perfectly balanced, and the dim sum master’s dough kneading skills were exceptional… This was definitely not the kind of breakfast you’d find at an ordinary eatery.

Upon being asked by Yu Bai, Ji Rongyu paused.

This breakfast…

Early in the morning, when Ji Rongyu woke up, he found that Xing Xing was awake, but Yu Bai was still sleeping.

Usually, when Yu Bai had his food stall open, he was so busy that he didn’t even have a chance to sleep in.

Ji Rongyu didn’t want to wake up the peacefully sleeping Yu Bai, but both he and Xing Xing were hungry.

So, Ji Rongyu had someone quickly order breakfast from a nearby city’s breakfast shop, and it was air-freighted to J City. By the time the breakfast arrived at Yu Bai’s home, it was still warm.

“I just randomly ordered it online, I don’t even remember the shop’s name.” Ji Rongyu said, “And yes, it’s a bit pricey.”

Ji Rongyu added, “Spending a bit more has its benefits too. At least the ingredients are clean and hygienic, so we can feel at ease letting the child eat more.”

With Ji Rongyu’s words, the words Yu Bai was about to say got stuck in his throat.

If it were Yu Bai, when buying breakfast for Xing Xing, he would also have picked a breakfast shop that was within a reasonable range and was the best, cleanest, and most trustworthy. The price of the breakfast would not be the top consideration for Yu Bai.

Yu Bai: “Then… how much did you spend? I’ll transfer you the money, and this meal will be my treat…”

Ji Rongyu smiled, “We’re friends, there’s no need to be so particular about the money.”

Ji Rongyu propped his chin up with his left hand and lightly tapped the table with his right index finger.

“Tock.”

Yu Bai’s gaze fell upon Ji Rongyu’s right index finger, which was tapping on the table.

Yesterday evening, Ji Rongyu’s right finger had pressed against his wrist and then lightly glided over…

As if recalling the sensation from the previous night, in an instant, a slightly tingling and itchy feeling surged once again on a certain spot of skin on Yu Bai’s left wrist.

“Daddy! Can I have a shrimp dumpling?”

Even though Xing Xing had eaten his breakfast, he was at an age where he was growing and had a hearty appetite.

After resting for a bit, Xing Xing’s belly was slightly hungry again.

Ji Rongyu and Xing Xing had left quite a bit of breakfast for him, more than Yu Bai could finish on his own.

“Of course, you can,” Yu Bai replied.

Xing Xing obediently sat beside Yu Bai, his two small paws holding an empty small bowl, looking like a little cat carrying a tray of food.

“Do you want some vinegar?”

“Just a little bit.”

After slightly dipping the shrimp dumpling in vinegar, Yu Bai placed it into Xing Xing’s bowl.

Xing Xing liked sweet foods and didn’t really enjoy sour ones—like candied hawthorns. Compared to the traditional hawthorn sugar candy, Xing Xing preferred the clear, sweet, and juicy strawberry sugar candy.

So, when Yu Bai was dipping the dumpling in vinegar for Xing Xing, he asked him beforehand.

Xing Xing wielded a small spoon, carefully scooping up the round shrimp dumpling.

The shrimp dumpling had a layer of transparent skin on the outside and was filled with large, crunchy shrimp inside. It was so delicious that it could make one’s eyebrows dance.

Although Xing Xing enjoyed eating shrimp dumplings, he ate them in a refined manner.

Xing Xing would delicately bite open the crystal-clear dumpling skin in small bites. When he reached a dumpling with vinegar, his little eyebrows would immediately scrunch up like a tiny caterpillar.

Soon, his eyebrows would relax again.

As Yu Bai observed the rich range of expressions that Xing Xing displayed while eating the shrimp dumpling, he struggled to suppress a smile.

“If the vinegar is too sour and you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat the part with vinegar on the dumpling skin,” Yu Bai suggested.

Xing Xing shook his little head and waved his hand, “No need, no need! This piece of dumpling skin is a little sour, but it’s still delicious!”

The vinegar that Yu Bai had dipped for Xing Xing was rose vinegar from the takeout shop. Unlike regular vinegar, the rose vinegar was slightly sweeter in taste, falling within the range of sourness that Xing Xing could tolerate.

While the large crystal shrimp dumplings were delicious, they could become a bit overwhelming if eaten in excess. The touch of sweet and sour rose vinegar could greatly alleviate any greasiness in the mouth.

“Xing Xing, do you want to eat anything else? How about some pork stomach and chicken congee?”

Xing Xing blinked his watery eyes, “Yeah! Just a little bit!”

Yu Bai picked a bit of everything and put it into Xing Xing’s small bowl. Xing Xing savored his food with delight, and his round little belly became even rounder.

As Yu Bai sipped the congee from his own bowl, he occasionally spoke to Xing Xing.

However, whenever he spoke to Xing Xing, Yu Bai could consistently sense Ji Rongyu’s gaze on him.

The gaze seemed scorching hot, and as Yu Bai felt the lingering stare, a faint warmth spread across his cheeks.

Why did Ji Rongyu keep looking at him? Couldn’t Ji Rongyu look at something else? Or did something appear on his face?

Yu Bai wondered to himself.

“Daddy, why is your face turning red?”

Xing Xing looked at Yu Bai’s fair cheek as a faint blush gradually spread, his eyebrows knit tightly.

Before Yu Bai could react, Xing Xing straightened his small body and pressed his two small hands onto Yu Bai’s cheek.

Xing Xing’s little hands were slightly cool, while Yu Bai’s cheek was warm to the touch.

Xing Xing widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Daddy, your face is so hot! Could you be having a fever?”

“A fever? Let me check.”

Ji Rongyu placed his right hand on Yu Bai’s forehead and his left hand on his own forehead.

In an instant, Yu Bai’s breath hitched.

In the daylight, Yu Bai could see things even more clearly than the previous night. The sensations when their skin touched were more vivid than before.

He could see the worry in Ji Rongyu’s eyes.

He could feel Ji Rongyu’s broad warmth and the slightly rough texture of his palm.

He could hear the accelerated heartbeat, though he wasn’t sure whose heart it was…

Ji Rongyu’s low, magnetic voice sounded in his ear.

“It seems like you don’t have a fever…”

Yu Bai snapped back to reality.

Before Ji Rongyu could retract his hand, Yu Bai swiftly moved Ji Rongyu’s right hand away from his forehead.

Yu Bai tilted his head slightly, avoiding eye contact with Ji Rongyu.

Yu Bai said, “You guys are making a big deal out of nothing. The heater in the room is too warm, that’s why my face is a bit hot. But I’m not running a fever…”

“Ji Rongyu, I remember that you will go to the hospital to see your uncle every morning, right? It’s not early anymore, so I won’t keep you.”

Last night had seen continuous rain.

This morning, the rain had stopped, but a thin layer of frost covered the ground, making walking quite inconvenient.

With the New Year approaching, the temperature was dropping visibly.

Ji Rongyu adjusted his down jacket and felt a bit downcast.

He had been having such a good conversation with Yu Bai. Why did Yu Bai suddenly give him the signal to leave?

Could it be that he said something wrong? Did he do something wrong?

Even though Ji Rongyu racked his brains, he couldn’t come up with a reason.

—

Throughout the night, Qiao Chao hadn’t slept.

It was only this morning, after staring at the information released by the food safety regulatory department, that he finally slumped in his office chair.

As Qin-ge had said, the food safety regulatory department’s investigation this time was stringent, to the point that nearly half of the snack stalls and eateries in Sanjiaokou failed the random checks and were facing rectification.

“Qiaozi Snacks Store” was just one of those shops.

Since “Qiaozi Snacks Store” in Sanjiaokou hadn’t been open for very long, there were no issues with food hygiene.

The only problem with “Qiaozi Snacks Store” was that in their newly introduced teppanyaki tofu and roasted cold noodles, the levels of certain additives slightly exceeded the national standards.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a significant issue; “Qiaozi Snacks Store” just needed to make the necessary adjustments.

However, now, “Qiaozi Snacks Store” was under intense scrutiny. Even the slightest incident involving them would be magnified infinitely by online public opinion.

If it weren’t for the appearance of the Food Safety Regulatory Department, and if their investigation wasn’t so strict, everything would have unfolded as planned by Qiao Chao —

Qiao Chao would have successfully used public opinion to suppress Yu Bai’s teppanyaki business. Thus, there would be no competitors for his “Qiaozi Snacks Store” in the entire Sanjiaokou.

However… things didn’t go as planned.

Out of nowhere, a meddlesome busybody emerged and reported all the shops on the street. This individual completely shattered Qiao Chao’s flawless plan!

Online public opinion is a double-edged sword.

In the past, Qiao Chao had used sensationalism to turn the ordinary “Qiaozi Snacks Store” into an overnight internet sensation, gaining immense popularity among countless residents of J City and becoming a focal point.

Now, with the food safety regulatory department’s investigation results, the glaring “unqualified” label on “Qiaozi Snacks Store” was enough to hurt the hearts of numerous fans.

The comments under the official Weibo account of “Qiaozi Snacks Store” were filled with sarcasm and insults from netizens, creating a chaotic mess.

On the contrary, Qiao Chao had used every possible means to smear Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall online, but he smoothly passed the investigation.

Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall rebounded.

Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall, which was once mercilessly criticized online, was now becoming increasingly popular.

Many netizens who had previously joined in mocking and criticizing Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall for food safety issues now left messages online, apologizing to Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall, and admitting they had believed in unfounded online information.

In just one investigation, the online opinions regarding “Qiaozi Snacks Store” and Yu Bai’s teppanyaki underwent a complete reversal.

The force Qiao Chao previously used to smear Yu Bai was now the force that propelled Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall back up.

How could Qiao Chao be content with such an outcome?

But what irritated Qiao Chao the most, what made him itch with frustration, was the person who anonymously reported all the shops in Sanjiaokou behind the scenes.

If it wasn’t for that person meddling, the J City food safety regulatory department wouldn’t have suddenly conducted such a strict inspection…

Qiao Chao now wished he could dig a hole three feet deep and drag that person out to face the consequences!

Under the influence of online public opinion, the employees at Qiao’s company were working tirelessly today.

Qiao Chao sat in the meeting room with a gloomy expression, engaged in an emergency meeting with the company’s core executives.

“Qiaozi Snacks Store” was the highest-return investment project for Qiao Corporation and was closely related to other projects under the company. Thus, no matter what, Qiao Chao had to overcome this crisis.

However, before Qiao Chao and his team could come up with a solution, a commotion suddenly erupted at the entrance of the meeting room.

In the next second, the door of Qiao Chao’s meeting room was forcefully pushed open, and a group of unfamiliar people rushed in.

Qiao Chao’s eyebrows furrowed tightly as he stood up, saying, “Who are you? How dare you barge in like this? I’ll call security immediately…”

“No need to call.” The leader of the group presented his identification, “I’m from the J City Police Department. We’ve found some issues with Qiao Corporation’s financial flow, with suspicions of tax evasion… so we need to detain and question you.”

The policeman’s words had just fallen.

Clack—

With a crisp sound, a pair of shiny silver handcuffs tightly clasped around Qiao Chao’s wrists.