DBTHDCAR Chapter 28

—【 Who Monitors School Cafeterias? Who Protects Student Safety? Hundreds of Teachers and Students Flock to Emergency Rooms Overnight: What’s Really Behind It? 】

—【 Food Goes In Through the Mouth, Trouble Goes In Through the Mouth? The Seriousness of Campus Food Safety Issues 】

—【 After a Mass Food Poisoning Incident at a Famous High School, the Huge Profit Chain Behind Cafeteria Contracts Is Exposed. Our Reporter Goes Undercover in Multiple Schools and Universities, Uncovering Shocking Secrets 】

The chaos at No. 1 High School’s cafeteria had passed for over a month, but the poisoning incident wasn’t fading from memory. If anything, it kept growing, becoming a major news hotspot in the city.

After all, during the summer, the city had repeatedly emphasized the need to guarantee student lunch safety. Now, barely a few weeks into the new school year, a well-known school like No. 1 High School had such an incident, basically a slap in the face to the authorities. These reporters weren’t going to let it go easily.

“Uncle Ning, on the way home from school today with Xiaobei, we actually ran into reporters trying to interview us!”

Fan Xia, excitement all over his face, waved his chopsticks. “It was TV reporters. They saw us wearing No. 1 High School uniforms and ran over from far away.”

“You didn’t agree to an interview, right?”

Ning Jianguo, serving food in the kitchen, poked his head out, worried.

“No… Xiaobei was riding so fast I had to give up the chance to be on TV,” Fan Xia said, casting a pitiful look at Ning Xiaobei.

“Look at me like that? You think this is a good thing? Imagine if Yan Bingru saw you on TV, do you think you could still survive in class? And the grade leaders, the dean… they won’t let you off either.”

Ning Xiaobei sneered and carried dishes into the kitchen.

“Did you hear that? Xiaobei actually thinks! Unlike you, who only knows how to eat!”

Zhao Jingwen said this and gave Fan Xia a heavy smack on the back of his head.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Fan Xia clutched his head and slid over to the door with a whoosh.

“Wow!”

Seeing the people at the door, the little pervert Fan Xia’s eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly pulled his arms away from his head.

Wang Yihong stood there with her daughter, the two of them, a grown woman and a young girl, smiling sweetly at Fan Xia.

“This is my daughter, Chang Leyun. Lele, go on, say hello!”

Wang Yihong and her daughter sat side by side on the sofa. Wang Yihong took the tea Ning Xiaobei handed her and nudged her daughter to greet them.

Chang Leyun really was a student of No. 1 High School, wearing the school uniform with its emblem.

Though young, she was already a little beauty: an oval face, a high ponytail, big eyes, and delicate hands and feet. Ning Xiaobei noticed how graceful she sat and guessed she might have some dance training.

“Hello, uncles. Thank you for taking me to the hospital before. My mom said if it had been even a little later, I might not have survived.”

Chang Leyun stood up and bowed to Ning Jianguo and Zhao Jingwen. Ning Jianguo panicked and waved her off, urging her to sit down.

“We’re just neighbors, no need to thank us. Besides, Leyun is schoolmates with Xiaobei and Fan Xia. Friends are supposed to help each other.”

“Right, right. It’s what friends do, no need to be so polite.”

Fan Xia kept nodding energetically in agreement.

Ning Xiaobei looked sideways at him and thought maybe his uncle’s slap had scrambled his brain a little. He was smiling like a dazed fool.

“Lele, come on, call them Brother. These two are in Class 1, same year as you. Look up to them and aim to get into Class 1 yourself.”

Aunt Wang looked warmly at the two boys, and the way she looked at Ning Xiaobei could almost be described as eyes blazing with admiration.

Chang Leyun glanced at Fan Xia, then at Ning Xiaobei, and finally lowered her head, hands folded neatly on her lap, saying nothing.

“Oh dear, Lele’s too shy to get up. Come on, a girl should be a little bolder.”

Aunt Wang said this as she picked up two boxes of chocolate from the table, handing one to Ning Xiaobei and one to Fan Xia.

“I brought Lele along this time just to thank you both. Hope you like them.”

“Like, like, I love them! Chocolate is my favorite!”

Fan Xia looked at the boxes, all covered in foreign words, and ran his fingers over the embossed patterns on the packaging. He smiled so widely it could be an ad for ‘Darlie’ Toothpaste

Ning Xiaobei lowered his gaze at the familiar packaging, and memories of some less happy childhood moments came rushing back.

Still, he shyly smiled at Wang Yihong. “Thank you, Auntie.”

“Lele’s mom, you’re far too polite.”

Ning Jianguo, seeing that the chocolates alone must have cost three to five hundred yuan, said, “Now it’s us who feel embarrassed.”

“It’s nothing… like you said, we’re neighbors. Lele, if you ever have homework questions, you can come ask Xiaobei. He’s excellent in school, first in the grade.”

“Sure, sure, no problem. Always welcome to ask. Xiaobei and Fan Xia already do homework together after school, so adding Lele is perfect; boys and girls working together, work feels lighter.”

Ning Jianguo said with a laugh.

“Lele, hear that? Say thank you to Uncle and Brother Xiaobei.”

“Thank you, Uncle…”

Ning Xiaobei couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at this.

This woman was clever, two boxes of chocolate plus a few casual words not only returned the favor from last time but also, in effect, arranged a tutor for her daughter. Smart planning!

He nodded subtly in approval.

A father like his, kind and good-natured, just needed a capable, worldly-wise woman like this to keep an eye on things and support him.

Looking at it this way, didn’t Aunt Wang just gain another advantage?

Holding the box of chocolates, Ning Xiaobei couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased.

The whole room was warm and lively, except for Zhao Jingwen, who stood beside Ning Jianguo.

He looked at this warm, outgoing woman, who was going on and on praising Ning Xiaobei, and frowned slightly.

………………

The school cafeteria poisoning incident continued to escalate. The Education Bureau, Health Bureau, and city officials kept sending people to investigate and collect evidence.

According to undercover reporters, No. 1 High School had, as part of a reform pilot this year, outsourced its cafeteria.

And the contractor responsible for the disaster turned out to be a relative of Principal Ji, distantly related.

Not only that, but the school store and even the security gate had been handled the same way.

Either outsourced or staffed with temporary workers just to fill positions, it created plenty of opportunities for profit transfers. So this time, for Ji Guozhen, it probably wouldn’t end with just suspension. Most likely, he’d be going to prison.

Looking at it this way, didn’t this mass poisoning incident also signal that the wave of streamlining public institutions and cutting staff had already begun?

“Dad’s factory… didn’t it also start going downhill around this time…?”

Ning Xiaobei let his thoughts wander and felt things weren’t so simple.

In the end, the city transferred in the former principal of No. 8 High School to act as interim principal, and a group of people were removed from their original posts.

By then, three to four months had passed. During this time, the teachers and administrators at the school had all been living on edge. Even Yan Bingru, who usually loved stirring up trouble, had no choice but to watch her words and actions, putting away her earlier arrogance and behaving herself with her tail tucked between her legs.

According to insider news from Young Master Lin, whose father had donated half a laboratory building and thus became head of the parents’ committee, the reason this food poisoning incident was being pursued so relentlessly was because several of the affected students’ parents worked in the media and the Health Bureau.

Back when they were trying to get their children into No. 1 High School, they had gone to great lengths. Now that something like this happened right after school started, of course they were going to go all out against Ji Guozhen.

“For the middle school division, the sponsorship fee starts at 80,000 yuan. For high school, it’s even worse, 150,000. Just think about how much these school leaders have taken. I heard Ji Guozhen even bought two villas in Sheshan.”

Lin Ziying spoke vividly, as if telling a story.

In 1997, the average monthly salary in Shanghai was still under 1,000 yuan. Even with two people working together, earning less than 20,000 yuan a year without spending a cent, this kind of school placement fee was truly sky-high.

“Young Master Lin, I remember you’re also a fee-paying transfer student, right? Why do you sound so smug about it?”

Fan Xia gnawed on a piece of grilled squid and shot him a sideways glance while Lin Ziying stood beside him eating fried pork strips.

“I transferred because of my household registration, not because I couldn’t get in. Those are two completely different things. And my dad’s going to buy me a place soon so I can get registered here. After that, I won’t be a transfer student anymore. As for my dad donating a building to the school, that’s out of love for education.”

Young Master Lin spoke lightly, as if buying a house were as easy as picking up groceries, making Ning Xiaobei click his tongue inwardly.

After finishing their junk food, the three of them planned to head to an audio shop.

Lin Ziying was a loyal fan of Emil Wakin Chau. Not long ago, he had released the album 《Friends.》 After hearing it once on TV, Lin Ziying couldn’t stop thinking about it, and had decided to buy the cassette today.

Fan Xia, on the other hand, had rather simple tastes. He only liked loud, clanging disco music. Every weekend, he and his uncle would blast their Japanese Sanyo double-deck stereo with its eight speakers at full volume. 《Savage Disco》, 《Arabian Nights》, one track after another. Living upstairs, Ning Xiaobei often felt the floor beneath his feet vibrating.

As for Ning Xiaobei, he now had the mindset of an old man. Just like his dad Ning Jianguo, he adored Teresa Teng, with perhaps Fei Yuqing added to the list. He planned to check if the shop had any nostalgic albums later, maybe the original soundtrack cassette of 《I Have a Date with Spring》, so he could buy it as a gift for Grandma Ning.

Recently, that Hong Kong TV drama had completely captivated Grandma Ning, she was utterly absorbed in it. She said that although the Lihua Palace couldn’t compare to even a fraction of old Shanghai’s Paramount or Ciro’s Ballroom, the old Shanghai songs still had a special charm.

The three boys, dressed in blue-and-white school uniforms, rode side by side. From their schoolbags, they pulled out the trendiest gadgets of the time, Walkmans¹A brand of portable audio players manufactured by Sony since 1979., which they claimed to their parents were for learning English, but were actually used for listening to music. They put on black headphones and wore expressions like they didn’t care about anything or anyone.

“GO!”

Fan Xia’s chunnibyou syndrome flared up; he pointed dramatically ahead with one hand, feeling like he was unbelievably cool.

After entering the audio shop, the three of them split up.

At that time, half the shop was for cassette tapes and the other half for CDs. They also sold movie discs and videotapes.

Generally, students Ning Xiaobei’s age hung around the cassette section, while the CD section was for audiophiles and adults with some spending power.

After all, a genuine cassette cost about ten yuan, while a CD with the same content cost thirty to fifty yuan. Imported ones from Japan, Europe, or the US could even go over a hundred yuan. Even Young Master Lin, who had a CD player at home, still chose to buy cassettes because they could be swapped among classmates, which helped build friendships.

Ning Xiaobei first picked out the cassette he wanted and held it in his hand, then casually browsed between the shelves. Unexpectedly, in the CD section, he spotted a copy of Leslie Cheung’s 《Happy Together²1997 Hong Kong BL drama film》 movie soundtrack.

The green back cover looked like a piece of jade, as if it carried the coolness of Iguazu Falls³Iguazu Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world’s largest waterfall systems that spans both Brazil and Argentina.

“This shop owner… pretty impressive, huh? He can even get something like this.”

Ning Xiaobei raised his hand to touch it, but just then, the young shop owner sitting by the counter lifted his head and met his eyes.

Ning Xiaobei’s hand paused. Without showing anything on his face, he shifted his gaze and turned away.

Following behind Fan Xia, watching him pick out cassette tapes, Ning Xiaobei couldn’t help feeling a bit distracted, thinking about the image of Ho Po-wing played by Leslie Cheung on that CD cover.

≈≈≈ Yesterday’s glory has already become a distant memory, ≈≈≈

≈≈≈ After working so hard, half a lifetime has passed…… ≈≈≈

Ning Xiaobei suddenly stopped walking.

At some point, the background music in the shop had been changed by the young owner. The overplayed 《Too Softhearted》,the kind you hear everywhere until your ears grow calluses, had been replaced by this new song.

“Whose song is this? It sounds pretty good.”

Just then, Young Master Lin came around from the back row. Hearing the tune, he asked with interest.

“Never heard it before. Must be new.”

Fan Xia listened for a moment and shook his head.

“Should I go ask the owner? I’ve got a feeling this song’s going to be a hit.”

Lin Ziying had always been quite confident in his taste in music.

“It’s Liu Huan’s 《Start Over.》”

Ning Xiaobei raised his head, looking at the black speakers mounted above, and said softly.

≈≈≈ As long as you still have heart, your dreams aren’t gone; between heaven and earth, true love still exists.≈≈≈

≈≈≈ Face success and failure with an open heart— life is just starting over again..≈≈≈

From the speakers came a powerful male voice, filled with fearless courage, striking straight at the heart.

This song, first released in 1997, had been created to support the economic reforms of state-owned enterprises, encouraging laid-off workers to find new jobs. In 1999, it was broadcast on national television and turned into a public service announcement music video, spreading across the country.

Its simple yet powerful lyrics, and its sincere, courageous delivery, gave endless strength to workers in their forties and fifties facing unemployment. It had once been one of Ning Jianguo’s favorite songs.

Ning Xiaobei turned his head and looked out the window at the setting sun, the calm streets, and the crowds hurrying home from work.

Many of them probably didn’t know yet.

The tide of the times was already rolling in.

……………… 

Author’s Note:

The wave of layoffs is about to begin. The great tide of the era is crashing in head-on.

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• 1
  A brand of portable audio players manufactured by Sony since 1979.
• 2
  1997 Hong Kong BL drama film
• 3
  Iguazu Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world’s largest waterfall systems that spans both Brazil and Argentina