Carrying a joyous mood, Cheng Su left her home and headed to the restaurant, but as soon as she entered, she felt that something was off.
Everyone in the shop was standing in the courtyard, not yet starting their bustling tasks, which was unusual for this hour. Moreover, Old Songâs and Qiulanâs complexions were particularly poor.
What happened?
Cheng Su cleared her throat loudly, and everyone turned their heads. Upon seeing her, their expressions changed.
"Itâs almost ten, right? Why are you all still standing here? What happened?" Cheng Su asked with a smile.
Old Song and Qiulan showed expressions of embarrassment, and the crowd parted slightly, revealing a large stainless-steel bucket in the courtyardâthe one used for storing brine.
This bucket of brine was old brine, started when Cheng Su first established the restaurant. Given its repeated use, the flavor of the brine had only improved. Even Old Song, a descendant of the Imperial Chef, could not replicate this particular brine. Brined dishes were especially popular at Joy Soon Loy.
Therefore, this bucket of old brine was one of the secrets behind Joy Soon Loyâs success and a rather important asset.
"It was my mistake. When closing up last night, I did not cover the bucket of brine properly, allowing a cockroach to get in," Old Song said to Cheng Su, his face full of shame.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Suâs complexion drastically changed, and she quickly stepped forward. There on the surface of the old brine floated a cockroach the size of a thumb, an extremely jarring sight.
"Itâs not Masterâs fault. I cleaned up the kitchen, and I was the one who put away the brine. I was also the one who didnât secure the lid properly," said Lin Ertong, the new kitchen worker, his face turning red with strain.
"Silence! I am the head chef, and it is my responsibility to check that all ingredients are properly stored in the kitchen. You certainly have made a mistake, but the greatest fault lies with me," Old Song rebuked.
"I was the last to check the locks, itâs my fault for not inspecting thoroughly," Li Qiulan said, her face pale.
"Stop arguing. Itâs my fault," Old Song sighed.
"No..."
"Chef Song..."
"Enough," Cheng Su raised her hand to intervene. "Letâs stop trying to take on this responsibility. We donât have much time before the rush hour, everyone get back to work, to your posts."
"What about this brine..." Qiulan started to say hesitantly.
"Pour it out," Cheng Su said regretfully.
"Pour it out?"
"What a waste!"
"Just scoop out the cockroach, and it can still be used," the dishwashing auntie even suggested.
As soon as she said this, both Cheng Su and Old Song simultaneously said, "This cannot be done."
Cheng Su and Old Song exchanged a look and both saw seriousness and determination in the otherâs eyes, silently nodding in agreement.
Cheng Su looked at the auntie, then turned to everyone and said, "In the food business, what we value most is the hygiene of our ingredients. This concerns the reputation of a shop. Why do those century-old establishments have such an excellent reputation? Apart from taste, there are many other commitments they make that we are not aware ofâ impeccable hygiene, quality ingredientsâthese are the guarantees of quality."
"We could remove this cockroach from the brine and continue using it, and no one would know. But while others may not know, our conscience does. Cockroaches are filthy creatures; they crawl through sewers and all manner of dirty places. Now it has fallen into the brine that goes into peopleâs stomachsâit has been contaminated. How can we possibly serve such tainted food to our customers?" Cheng Su continued. "Although Joy Soon Loy is just a small shop, even a small shop should maintain its quality. If we turn a blind eye this time, what about the future?"