Chapter 45 : Food Poisoning

When Shen Zheng heard the commotion, he quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks. The soldier had already run into the room, out of breath.

Shen Zheng asked, “What happened?”

The soldier, panting heavily, spoke rapidly, “Captain, most of the men from the third battalion have started having diarrhea. Some of them have fainted, and they’re currently getting IV fluids in the infirmary.”

“What did the medic say?”

At a time when a military exercise was scheduled, how could something like this happen?

While asking, Shen Zheng grabbed his hat and started heading out.

“The medic said it was something they ate. The problem is, Captain, everyone ate in the same mess hall, but the other battalions didn’t have any issues.”

Fang Xiaoluo overheard everything and, after a moment of thinking, rushed out after him. “Shen Zheng!”

Shen Zheng stopped and looked at her. “I need to handle this first, you…”

“Can I come with you to take a look?” Fang Xiaoluo asked.

Without hesitation, Shen Zheng nodded. “Sure, let’s go.”

Fang Xiaoluo took off her apron and said to Zheng Lanhua, “Mom, you and the kids eat first. The noodles won’t taste good if they get cold.”

With that, she hurried after Shen Zheng.

Zheng Lanhua watched as they left in a hurry and called for Shen Haiping and Shen Jinxia to eat.

Shen Haiping ate his noodles quietly, occasionally smiling contentedly.

Shen Jinxia took a bite and immediately buried her head in her bowl, eating eagerly.

Halfway through, she lifted her head. “Grandma, aren’t you eating?”

She knew her grandma hadn’t cooked separately for dinner.

Zheng Lanhua indeed hadn’t prepared food for herself, as she had a bit of stubbornness in her.

If she ate the food Fang Xiaoluo made, wouldn’t that be admitting to something?

“I’m not hungry, you eat first,” Zheng Lanhua said.

Shen Jinxia, with her innocent mind, didn’t think too much. She really liked Fang Xiaoluo because Fang Xiaoluo was kind to her.

She pushed her bowl toward Zheng Lanhua’s mouth. “Grandma, just try one bite, you’ll see, it’s really good! Eating something delicious makes you so happy!”

Zheng Lanhua didn’t respond, but Shen Jinxia climbed onto her chair and tried to feed her. “Grandma, it’s really delicious, you must try it.”

The knife-cut noodles, tangy and chewy, with the aroma of eggs, were indeed delicious.

After a bite, Zheng Lanhua’s stomach started growling.

Shen Jinxia grinned. “See, I told you, your stomach’s growling.”

Zheng Lanhua hesitated for a moment before finally taking a bowl for herself and eating heartily.

No wonder Shen Haiping had spoken so highly of it. It was really good.

She thought about the meals she usually made.

Shen Haifeng ran back from school. “Grandma, what’s for dinner today? I’m starving.”

Zheng Lanhua served him a bowl of knife-cut noodles. “Go wash your hands first, then come eat.”

Shen Haifeng washed his hands and sat at the table.

“Did that woman make this? Grandma, you ate this too? You’ve betrayed me.”

“Where’s that woman?” He looked around but couldn’t find Fang Xiaoluo.

Zheng Lanhua said, “She went out with your father. I didn’t cook today.”

The delicious smell filled the air, and Shen Haifeng, being only eight years old, tried to keep his composure. But now that Fang Xiaoluo wasn’t around and his grandma had eaten it, he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the knife-cut noodles.

He didn’t know how to describe it. It was so delicious, incredibly delicious.

Shen Haifeng couldn’t stop eating. He finished two big bowls, still feeling like he could eat more, but his stomach was full.

He thought to himself that after eating this food made by his stepmother, he would treat her a little better.

Shen Zheng and Fang Xiaoluo hurried to the infirmary.

The military base had a large infirmary, with many doctors on hand.

But at this moment, the place was packed with people, and some soldiers were receiving IVs. The doctors were all busy.

The soldiers who had fallen ill looked extremely weak. When they saw Shen Zheng, some of them, whose symptoms were lighter, called out to him, while others couldn’t even get up or speak due to their exhaustion.

Chen Shisong rushed around, looking pale and sweating heavily.

Shen Zheng quickly asked the doctors about the soldiers’ conditions.

“It looks like they ingested some kind of laxative, but we’re not sure where it came from. We’re investigating,” Dr. Sun Shuling, the military doctor, told Shen Zheng. “At the moment, only about a dozen people are fine. We’ve asked them, and they didn’t eat anything suspicious. As for the others who were affected, they’ve already taken anti-diarrheal medicine, and most are stable. Some of the more severe cases are receiving IV fluids due to dehydration.”

“Captain Shen,” Dr. Sun continued, “The Third Battalion’s soldiers were supposed to go on a long-distance march tonight, but that can’t happen. As a doctor, I’m responsible for my patients. In this situation, everyone must stay at rest!”

Shen Zheng frowned, worried about the soldiers in the Third Battalion and the upcoming exercise.

The military exercise was about to begin, and nothing could interfere with it.

Chen Shisong approached him. “Captain, nearly all the soldiers in the battalion are affected. I have to take responsibility, but our exercise…”

Dr. Sun Shuling cut him off with a stern face, “Comrade Chen, I don’t care how you manage your men, but today even if the commander-in-chief comes, my answer will be the same. No one moves!”

“Dr. Sun, we are conducting an exercise, and exercises are like war…” Chen Shisong argued.

Dr. Sun Shuling no longer wanted to engage with him. “Captain Shen, I’ve made myself clear. If the soldiers are in this condition, you won’t be taking them anywhere.”

With that, Dr. Sun turned to check on the soldiers again.

Fang Xiaoluo, noticing the urgency, remembered the spiritual spring water in her space, which should be effective in this situation.

“Shen Zheng, I can prepare some special medicine. Would you trust your soldiers to drink it?”

Shen Zheng suddenly recalled how, when he first met Fang Xiaoluo, she had given him some sweet-tasting water. “I trust you. Go ahead.”

“Wait for me.”

Fang Xiaoluo quickly ran out, but just as she reached the door, she heard Dr. Sun Shuling speaking to Shen Zheng. “Captain Shen, the test results came back. It was the chocolate that Comrade Chen brought back from outside.”

Chocolate?

Thinking of the chocolate sitting on the living room tea table, Fang Xiaoluo quickened her pace.

She ran home as fast as she could, and sure enough, she burst into the living room just in time to see Shen Haifeng breaking a piece of chocolate and about to feed it to Shen Jinxia.

Fang Xiaoluo rushed over, slapping Shen Haifeng’s hand.

The chocolate fell to the floor and broke into several pieces.