Chapter 7 – The “Food Poisoning” Incident (Part 1)

When Wen Baohua came downstairs, she naturally couldn’t see her cousin anymore. “Where’s Jialuo?”

“She left,” Xu Shicui replied briefly.

“Left?” Wen Baohua was extremely puzzled. “Didn’t I just see her?”

“She said she had something to do, so she left,” Xu Shicui said lazily.

Wen Baohua sat across from her and looked at her, then asked nervously in a low voice, “Did she cause you any trouble?”

Xu Shicui smiled, “Not at all, she’s just a spoiled girl.”

Wen Baohua felt the same way, but after all, it was a crush that had suddenly made her cousin thin, and it was hard to blame anyone for that.

“But she didn’t not eat like you said,” Xu Shicui pointed at the table. “She had two bowls of duck soup and a lot of dishes just now.”

“Really?” Wen Baohua looked at the bowls and plates in disbelief, feeling very pleased. “Could it be that my cooking is so good?”

“Probably, but I also provoked her a bit,” Xu Shicui replied.

Wen Baohua’s shoulders slumped helplessly. “I knew it. It’s not like she hasn’t eaten my cooking before. It seems your words actually had some effect.”

“You guys probably just don’t want to speak harshly. Otherwise, it might have worked a long time ago,” Xu Shicui shook her head. It was indeed strange that the pampering from the Wen family had produced such a child, while Baohua had grown up healthily.

“Maybe that’s true,” Wen Baohua sighed. “But it seems like she’s seriously wounded and hasn’t recovered for so long, so no one dares to criticize her anymore.”

Xu Shicui said casually, “How you get hurt is how you heal; she will be fine eventually.”

Wen Baohua nodded, slightly worried. “That’s what we mean, so we encourage her to date and make more friends. But she doesn’t take it to heart at all. It’s like she’s lost all her emotions and is just calm about everything. Otherwise, how could she have forced my aunt to set her up on blind dates?”

Xu Shicui laughed, “If she were really that calm, how could she be so thin? If it were really just a misdirected crush that would last a lifetime, she would appear normal on the outside, but inside, it could be a slow burn. When all the moisture inside her is dried up, it will crumble with just a squeeze.”

Wen Baohua was startled by her description. “Oh, after hearing you say that, it really does seem like…”

“It still depends on her to step out; others can only worry.” Xu Shicui refilled her bowl with soup. “Drink it quickly; it will taste fishy if it gets cold.”

After Wen Baohua took a few sips of soup, she put the bowl down again. “We’ve tried every method possible; maybe because we’re too close, she doesn’t take it to heart. I see that your words have some effect; otherwise, if I had mentioned you would come today, she wouldn’t have been so unhappy.” She smiled apologetically. “It’s not that you’re not good; it’s just that very few people can make her change her expression. Ever since she decided not to marry for life, she has been indifferent to everything.”

“Are you asking me to treat her?” Xu Shicui spread her hands and rested her chin on them, looking up at the beautiful chandelier—this posture showed both relaxation and ease. “I’m not a doctor.”

“You,” Wen Baohua laughed and brushed aside her demeanor. “You just have a hard mouth.”

Xu Shicui also laughed. “It’s all about fate. If she doesn’t want to see me and has resistance in her heart, then it’s useless for me to speak beautifully.”

“I know.” Wen Baohua nodded, thought for a moment, then said, “Next time I’ll find a way to arrange another meeting and see if it’s still effective.”

“Effective? What do you mean?” Xu Shicui blinked, not understanding for a moment.

Wen Baohua pointed at the dishes on the table. “Just see if she eats anything.”

Xu Shicui tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Anyway, I haven’t found a job yet. Well, it’s just idle time.”

Wen Baohua was taken aback. “Right, I almost forgot you’re still on vacation. So, have you decided to stay? I know a few good companies in the city; are you interested?”

“No need,” Xu Shicui hurriedly shook her head and waved her hand. “If I’m interested, I’ll find one myself; I might even leave here.”

“Okay then.” Wen Baohua didn’t press further. This old classmate had always shown an early maturity compared to her peers. She even felt that there was probably nothing that Seventeen couldn’t handle, which made her more confident about Jialuo’s situation.

Sigh, if she had known earlier, she should have pulled Seventeen in to brainstorm ideas.

As the two were eating, the topic of conversation shifted to their high school classmates, and they even called Kuang Xiaoan, who was out of town. Upon hearing about the gathering, she excitedly said she wanted to quit her job and return to reunite, making the two on this end burst into laughter.

Later, Xia Bang returned, and Xu Shicui stood up to leave. As she left the building, she glanced back at the light shining from inside, where the most ordinary lives in the world unfolded.

But it felt very far from her.

Xu Shicui smiled, hoping everyone would find their happiness, while she would live according to her own thoughts.

Each in their place; isn’t that what everyone wishes for?

Not long after Xu Shicui left, Wen Baohua received a phone call from her aunt, whose voice was filled with surprise and urgency, making her initially think something had happened.

It turned out that after Wen Jialuo returned, the old house was just having dinner. Her aunt pulled her to the dining table, but she coldly snorted and said, “I’m full.” Those simple three words shocked everyone at the table. Her aunt knew where she had eaten dinner that night, which was why she was so anxious to call and ask.

Wen Baohua was both angry and amused. Just as Seventeen said, Jialuo was indeed a spoiled child. When her aunt learned that someone had gotten her precious girl to eat heartily with just a few words and that there were no adverse reactions after returning, she insisted on inviting this person over for a proper thank-you. Wen Baohua was hesitant to admit it was just a matter of saying a few harsh words, but seeing her aunt so eager, she could only agree. However, after hanging up, she felt a little troubled; after all, holding onto Seventeen so tightly would make her feel uncomfortable over time.

Even though they were classmates, Wen Baohua didn’t contact Xu Shicui right away, while Xu Shicui had put these matters aside because of an issue at home.

The story needs to go back to that particular month.

It was already November, and the New Year was not far off. Xu Shicui’s family restaurant was still thriving, making money on its own. However, there’s a saying that disaster can strike unexpectedly, and this one hit the Xu family hard.

The matter was simple. One Friday night, a table of five customers were dining in one of the restaurant’s private rooms, ordering a lot of dishes and drinks, and they left only after 11 PM. This table of customers was considered to have left late, so the waitstaff had some impression of them. But the next day, something happened: all five customers ended up in the hospital.

Since Xu Shicui’s restaurant didn’t serve breakfast, it opened later, but was suddenly blocked by a crowd at the entrance. Amidst the shouting and pulling, she finally understood what was going on. It was said that after those five people returned home, starting from around 4 AM, they began to experience symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting. After calling each other, they were hurriedly sent to the same hospital by their families, as they suspected they had eaten something spoiled at the restaurant the night before, fearing it was food poisoning.

When Wen Baohua went downstairs, she naturally could no longer see her cousin: “Where’s Jialuo?”

“She left,” Xu Shiqi replied simply.

“Left?” Wen Baohua was puzzled. “Didn’t I just see her?”

“She said she had something to do, so she left,” Xu Shiqi said lazily.

Wen Baohua sat across from her and, feeling somewhat uneasy, asked quietly, “Did she cause you trouble?”

Xu Shiqi smiled, “No, she’s just a spoiled girl.”

Wen Baohua felt the same but couldn’t blame her cousin, who had a sudden crush that made her lose weight.

“But she didn’t eat like you said she doesn’t,” Xu Shiqi pointed to the table. “She had two bowls of duck soup and many dishes just now.”

“Really?” Wen Baohua looked incredulously at the bowls and plates on the table, pleasantly surprised. “Could it be that my cooking is so good?”

“Maybe, but I also prodded her a bit.”

Wen Baohua let her shoulders droop in resignation. “I knew it. She’s eaten my cooking before. It seems your words do have some effect.”

“You all are reluctant to speak harshly to her; otherwise, it might have worked a long time ago,” Xu Shiqi shook her head. It was strange that the pampering from the Wen family had raised such a child, while Baohua had grown up healthily.

“Maybe that’s true,” Wen Baohua sighed. “But she seems to be gravely injured emotionally and hasn’t recovered for so long, so no one dares to criticize her anymore.”

Xu Shiqi said lightly, “Whatever caused the injury can be healed; she will be fine naturally.”

Wen Baohua nodded, somewhat troubled. “We think the same way, so we encourage her to date and make more friends. But she doesn’t take it to heart, like she’s lost all her emotions and remains calm. Otherwise, how could my little aunt have pushed her to go on blind dates?”

Xu Shiqi laughed, “If she were truly calm, how could she be so thin? If it were just a lifetime of unrequited love as she says, she might appear normal on the outside, but inside, there’s probably a slow fire burning.” She gestured slowly, “Once all the moisture inside her is burnt away, she’ll crumble at a touch.”

Wen Baohua was startled by her description. “Oh dear, now that you mention it, that really does seem to be the case…”

“She still needs to go out and face things herself; others can only worry,” Xu Shiqi added soup to her bowl. “Drink up; it’ll smell fishy when it cools.”

Wen Baohua took a few sips of soup and then set the bowl down again. “We’ve tried everything, but maybe it’s because we’re too close to her, so she doesn’t take us seriously. Your words seem to have some effect; otherwise, if I hadn’t mentioned you were coming today, she wouldn’t have looked unhappy.” She smiled apologetically, “Not that you’re bad, but hardly anyone can make her change her expression. Ever since she firmly decided never to marry, she’s been indifferent to everything.”

“What? Do you want me to cure her?” Xu Shiqi spread her hands and leaned back, resting her chin on her hand and looking up at the beautiful chandelier—she looked somewhat relaxed. “I’m not a doctor.”

“You are,” Wen Baohua laughed and pushed her away playfully. “You’re just tough enough with your words.”

Xu Shiqi laughed as well, “It depends on fate. If she doesn’t want to see me and resists in her heart, then no matter how eloquent I am, it won’t matter.”

“I know,” Wen Baohua nodded and thought for a moment. “Next time, I’ll find a way to arrange another meeting and see if it works.”

“What works?” Xu Shiqi blinked, momentarily confused.

Wen Baohua pointed to the dishes on the table. “We’ll see if she eats anything.”

Xu Shiqi tilted her head in thought. “Well, I’m still unemployed right now. Alright, since I have nothing else to do.”

Wen Baohua was taken aback. “Right, I almost forgot you’re on leave. So, have you decided to stay? I know a few good companies in the city; are you interested?”

“No need,” Xu Shiqi quickly shook her head and waved her hand. “If I’m interested, I’ll look for myself, and I might leave here.”

“Okay then,” Wen Baohua didn’t press further. This old classmate had always shown a maturity beyond her years, and she felt confident about Jialuo’s situation because of it.

If only she had thought to pull in Shiqi earlier for ideas.

The two continued their meal, and the conversation shifted to their high school classmates, even calling Kuan Xiaoan from out of town. Upon hearing about the gathering, she squealed excitedly, saying she wanted to quit her job and come back for a reunion, which made the two of them laugh heartily.

Later, when Xia Bang returned, Xu Shiqi stood up to leave. As she stepped out of the building, she looked back at the light shining from within, where the most ordinary lives in the world were being lived.

Yet it felt so distant from her own.

Xu Shiqi smiled, wishing everyone would find their happiness, while she would continue to live according to her own thoughts.

Finding a place where one belongs is not a bad thing.

Not long after Xu Shiqi left, Wen Baohua received a call from her aunt. The surprised and urgent voice on the other end made her think something was wrong.

It turned out that after Jialuo returned home, they were having dinner at the old house, and her aunt pulled her to the table, but she coldly huffed and said, “I’m full.” Those simple three words shocked everyone present. Her aunt knew where she had dinner that night, so she hurriedly called to ask.

Wen Baohua was both amused and annoyed; it was just as Shiqi said—Jialuo was a spoiled child. When her aunt learned that someone had managed to make her beloved eat well with just a few words, and that Jialuo returned home with no adverse reactions, she kept insisting that this person must be invited over to thank them properly. Wen Baohua hesitated to reveal that it was just a matter of saying a few harsh words but, seeing her aunt’s eagerness, she had to agree. However, she felt a bit troubled after hanging up, as holding onto Shiqi for too long would become awkward.

When it came to asking for favors, even if it was from a classmate, Wen Baohua didn’t immediately contact Xu Shiqi again, but Xu Shiqi was also dealing with a family matter and put these things aside.

The matter began back in that month.

November had already arrived, and the New Year was not far off. Xu Shiqi’s family restaurant was still thriving, making money on its own, but disaster struck like a bolt from the blue, landing right on the Xu family’s heads.

The situation was simple. On a Friday night, a table of five guests was dining in one of her restaurant’s private rooms, ordering a lot of dishes and drinks, and they didn’t leave until after eleven. This table was among the last to leave, so the staff had some impression of them. However, the next day, something happened; all five of those guests ended up in the hospital.

Because Xu Shiqi’s restaurant didn’t serve breakfast, it opened later, but a crowd of people had already gathered outside. Amidst the shouting and chaos, they finally understood the situation. Apparently, those five people began experiencing symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting from around four in the morning after returning home. After a round of phone calls, they were quickly sent to the same hospital by their families, suspecting they had food poisoning from something they ate at the restaurant the night before.

Xu family’s restaurant had always prided itself on fast cooking, and its fresh and clean food was why long-time customers loved dining there. In all these years, they had never encountered an incident like this, leaving everyone stunned. Xu Zhongda’s first reaction was to return to the kitchen to ask the chef about the ingredients, while Wang Yuan immediately expressed her desire to go to the hospital to visit the customers and see for herself.

At this point, Xu Shiqi was still at home, unaware that something had happened at the restaurant. By the time she found out, it was already afternoon, and even the health department had come to the restaurant to collect evidence and investigate. The situation was developing rapidly.

When Xu Shiqi arrived at the restaurant, it was very quiet; they were not open for business. Regardless of whether the food poisoning was truly caused by their dishes, some impact had already been felt. Her father was still trying to find someone to explain that it definitely wasn’t their fault, while her mother had already prepared for the worst—after seeing those patients lying in the hospital with pale faces receiving IV drips, she had even taken out her savings book to see if they could spend money to avert the disaster.

Xu Shiqi sat aside, carefully asking the waitress about the entire situation. It sounded like the evidence was conclusive, but there was something odd about it.

To confirm that the dinner was indeed at her restaurant, one only needed to check the bill. However, confirming the food poisoning was difficult due to the restaurant’s usual good habit—every leftover food was disposed of by the end of the day, so there wasn’t much evidence left. Moreover, their kitchen had always been clean and tidy, requiring no special cleaning before the health department arrived; even the health inspectors had little to say.

Yet the entire situation was unfavorable for the restaurant, and there were even rumors that they might be asked to cease operations for rectification.

If things continued to develop this way, it could become very troublesome. Although their family restaurant had been open for many years and had accumulated a considerable following, when it came to matters of life and death, taste could be pushed aside. Once labeled with a black mark, it would be challenging to clear it—indeed, Xu Shiqi didn’t believe there was a problem with their food, but everything about this incident gave her an instinctual discomfort.

Just when Xu Shiqi felt awkward but couldn’t find a breakthrough, Wen Baohua, who had been waiting for several days, finally called.

With trouble at home, Xu Shiqi momentarily forgot about other matters and had to apologize and decline her dinner invitation. Wen Baohua, who knew her temperament well, sensed something was off and asked a few more questions, finally leaving her with, “I’ll come pick you up later,” before hanging up.

Xu Shiqi was taken aback and then remembered her family’s background. Seeing her parents looking flustered, she sighed inwardly, realizing she really needed to ask an old classmate for help.

A little while later, Wen Baohua drove to the restaurant, greeted and comforted Xu Shiqi’s parents, and then took her away.

“I can’t help with your family’s troubles, but I do know someone who can,” Wen Baohua said while driving, glancing at her. “But it’s also a coincidence; you must not treat this as an exchange.”

“What do you mean?” Xu Shiqi didn’t quite understand.

“Actually, today isn’t me inviting you to dinner,” Wen Baohua said seriously.

Xu Shiqi looked at her in confusion.

“Last time you let Jialuo eat a lot of things, my aunt was very grateful to you and insisted on treating you to dinner.”

“I thought it wasn’t a big deal,” Xu Shiqi shook her head. “That doesn’t count at all; just thank her for me.”

Wen Baohua could see that she was now distracted and smiled, saying, “So I said, don’t treat this as an exchange. I can’t help with your family’s issues, but my aunt definitely can.”

Xu Shiqi’s eyes lit up immediately.

“We’ll eat at the old house. Jialuo doesn’t usually go out to eat with my aunt, so we’re heading to the old house now.”

Xu Shiqi rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit exasperated. “Your cousin really knows how to stir up trouble.”

“No worries; just treat it as going to my house,” Wen Baohua reassured her.

However, half an hour later, as Xu Shiqi looked at the tall and imposing walls of the old house, she couldn’t help but glare at her old classmate. “Princess, have we arrived at a castle?”

Wen Baohua laughed as she drove in. Someone came to park the car while she guided Xu Shiqi through the quiet house.

Xu Shiqi looked up in amazement at the tall trees planted in the courtyard, wondering how many years they had been alive. She had a vague understanding of the Baohua family. Baohua’s father worked in research, a madman in the laboratory; it was normal not to see him for months. Baohua also had two uncles; one seemed to be a big shot in business. Even though Xia Bang had claimed to have started from scratch, his current busy life still benefited from her family’s second uncle’s assistance. As for her little uncle, who was Jialuo’s father, he had been an official for a long time and seemed to be in the provincial government now.

All this felt very distant to Xu Shiqi. Her friendship with Baohua had never been based on her family background. However, it could not be denied that her good upbringing provided her with a certain depth, making her interactions always feel refreshing to others—of course, the spoiled Jialuo was an exception.

Thinking about the girl she had mocked potentially becoming the reason for her assistance, Xu Shiqi felt a bit awkward. Fortunately, this was her first visit to the legendary old house, and a touch of novelty piqued her curiosity; the smooth pebbles underfoot that were somewhat uncomfortable also drew her attention.

Today, she was wearing high heels, so she had to tread carefully behind Baohua.