frightfiction Chapter 126 The End of Standardization
Chapter 126 The End of Standardization
The mornings at Renxin Pharmacy begin with the roar of an engine.
It wasn't the sound of a sports car, but rather the sound of a tractor.
Zhao Shihao, wearing a faded camouflage vest, skillfully reversed a brand-new hand-operated tractor and parked it steadily at the side gate of the pharmacy's backyard.
Ever since Old Cai complained that the Ferrari chassis had damaged the vegetable garden ditch, this former rich kid spent a fortune to buy this "all-terrain off-road convertible".
"Make way, make way, everyone. Today's 'Jade No. 1' bok choy is very delicate. If even one leaf breaks, you'll be held responsible." Zhao Shihao jumped out of the car, holding a temperature gun, and scanned each of the baskets of bok choy still covered in dew. "Core temperature 12 degrees, perfect."
Li Siyuan was squatting by the door brushing his teeth, watching this scene with his mouth full of foam, and mumbled indistinctly, "Is this what capitalists look like after they've been reformed? Even more fussy than Old Cai."
Zhao Na was organizing medical records nearby, not even looking up: "That's called professionalism. Yesterday, a Michelin two-star chef complained that the radishes he received weren't straight enough, and Supervisor Zhao immediately confronted him with calipers, saying that it was the 'golden curvature of natural growth,' leaving the chef completely dumbfounded."
Wang Minyu sat behind the counter, holding the iconic stainless steel tea mug in his hands. Instead of goji berries, the mug contained two mutated mint leaves that he had taken from the backyard.
He looked at the bustling scene and nodded in satisfaction.
The reputation value on the system panel is increasing at a slow but steady rate.
Ever since Zhao Dezhu's incident, a strange story has been circulating in the upper-class circles of Changxiang City: if you want to survive, first work as a laborer at Renxin Pharmacy for two days.
"Boss, a group of people have arrived outside. They say they're from the provincial 'Standardization Committee.'" Guan Shan's massive frame squeezed through the doorway, still clutching half a half-eaten meat bun in his hand. "They don't look friendly. The one in the lead has hair that's even shinier than mine."
Wang Minyu didn't even lift his eyelids: "Standardization? Tell them that we only have 'outrageous' things here. If you're here to see a doctor, then queue up. If you're here to give instructions, there's a public toilet 200 meters to the left outside. That's where standards are most needed."
"No, boss, this time it seems like they're serious." Guan Shan scratched his bald head. "They brought a lot of equipment. That Professor Gu guy said he wants to test our 'Resurrected Stinky Tofu' for excessive bacterial counts."
Before the words were even finished, a group of people wearing white coats and sterile gloves had already entered the pharmacy.
The middle-aged man at the head of the group wore gold-rimmed glasses, had a serious expression, and was holding an air quality detector with a red light flashing wildly on it.
"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" Professor Gu pointed towards the backyard, his voice filled with anguish. "The air here is thick with high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and amines. This isn't a medical facility; it's clearly a biochemical laboratory! How can anyone treat patients in this environment?"
Su Qing, who was sitting in the corner wiping her scalpel, coldly raised her head upon hearing this, her eyes looking at a fresh corpse as if she were looking at one: "That's the smell of cadaverine, or more precisely, the product of highly fermented proteins. In forensic medicine, this means death. But in pharmacology, it means rebirth."
Professor Gu was taken aback by the chilling gaze and turned to Wang Minyu: "You're Wang Minyu? I'm Gu Yan from the Provincial Medical Standardization Committee. Someone reported that the hygiene of your medicinal cuisine here is substandard, seriously violating the Food Safety Law. We need to take samples."
Wang Minyu put down his teacup and slowly stood up.
He ignored Gu Yan and walked to a basket of cucumbers that Zhao Shihao had just unloaded. He picked one up, wiped it on his clothes, and took a bite.
"Professor Gu, right?" Wang Minyu asked, chewing on a cucumber, his voice muffled. "Do you know what 'intangible cultural heritage' is?"
Gu Yan frowned: "What does this have to do with intangible cultural heritage? An excessive total bacterial count is an excessive count!"
"Vulgar." Wang Minyu swallowed a cucumber and pointed to the large vat covered with a heavy stone slab in the backyard. "That's an old brine recipe from hundreds of years ago. If you measure it by today's industrial standards, it's full of pathogens. But if you look at it from the perspective of the traditional Chinese medicine theory of 'fighting poison with poison,' it's the ancestor of probiotics."
"Science doesn't rely on metaphysics!" Gu Yan declared sternly. "These dangerous food products must be seized today!"
Just then, Pierre rushed out of the kitchen.
The former Michelin three-star chef was wearing an apron stained with oil and holding an exquisite bone china plate with a dark, still steaming object on it.
"Oh, mon Dieu! Who's questioning my art?" Pierre glared angrily. "This is my newly developed 'Molecular Structure Reorganization Diablo,' and you bunch of clueless idiots dare to say it's unhygienic?"
Gu Yan stared at the asphalt-like object, his stomach churning: "This...this is for human consumption?"
"Try it." Wang Minyu suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with amusement. "Professor Gu, your complexion is sallow, you have dark circles under your eyes, and your tongue has a thick, greasy coating. It must be due to spleen and stomach deficiency caused by staying up late to write reports for a long time, right? This piece of stinky tofu is just what you need."
"I would never eat this kind of garbage!" Gu Yan took a half step back.
Wang Minyu gave Guan Shan a wink.
Guan Shan understood immediately; it was the "physical persuasion" skill he had honed in the pharmacy.
He stepped forward, blocking Gu Yan's retreat like a wall, a simple and honest smile on his face: "Professor, don't be shy, this is the boss's treat, it usually costs 380 yuan."
Under the "gentle" invitation of Guan Shan's large, fan-like hand, Gu Yan was forced to sit on the "truth chair" that was powered by a micro-current.
Pierre elegantly cut off a small piece of stinky tofu and used a silver fork to bring it to Gu Yan's mouth.
How to describe that smell? It's like a jasmine flower suddenly blooming in a garbage can that's been baking in the summer sun for three days.
After the extreme stench, there was a strange, slightly savory aroma.
Gu Yan kept his mouth tightly shut, but his physiological instincts made him unable to resist the fragrance that went straight to the top of his head.
He instinctively opened his mouth, and the black object slid into it.
In that instant, Gu Yan's pupils dilated.
Contrary to expectations, it lacked a rotten smell; instead, it offered a mellow, rich flavor with a slightly smoky aroma.
The warm flow slid down the esophagus into the stomach, and the stomach, which had been aching slightly from rushing to work early in the morning, miraculously relaxed.
"This..." Gu Yan was stunned.
A line of small text popped up on the system panel: [Strong "It's so good!" sentiment detected. Harvesting sentiment value +800.]
"Do we need to test again?" Wang Minyu picked up his teacup again, blowing on the tea leaves floating on top. "Our bacterial colonies are indeed above the standard, but those are specially cultured 'bacteriophages,' which specifically engulf harmful bacteria. Professor Gu, can your equipment detect this kind of high-grade stuff?"
Gu Yan smacked his lips, the lingering sweetness leaving him wanting more.
He looked at the detector in his hand; the red light on it was still flashing, but he suddenly felt that the red light was a bit too bright.
"Although... the taste is acceptable," Gu Yan said with difficulty, regaining his composure, "the process is still not compliant. You don't have a standard sterile production workshop."
"Who said there isn't?" Wang Minyu pointed to Su Qing, who was wiping a scalpel. "Our Nurse Su used to be the top doctor in the Municipal Public Security Bureau's forensic department. Her hygiene standards are on par with those of the autopsy room. Every single scallion here is disinfected with ultraviolet light."
Su Qing obediently raised the knife in her hand, its blade flashing coldly in the sunlight: "Professor Gu, would you like me to demonstrate how to aseptically slice a cucumber?"
Gu Yan looked at the room full of "monsters and demons": a security guard violently setting bones, a nurse wielding a scalpel as a dinner knife, a rich second-generation driving a tractor, and a doctor who smiled like a fox.
He suddenly realized that his standards might not work here.
"Alright." Wang Minyu put down his teacup and took out a stack of documents from his drawer. "This is the 'Demonstration Base' document approved by Elder Chen from the province, granting us 'the right to interpret hygiene regulations independently.' Professor Gu, would you like to take two bottles of 'Resurrected Stinky Brine' back for a research project? I'll give you a 20% discount."
Gu Yan looked at the official document and was completely deflated.
He sighed and took out his wallet from his pocket: "Two bottles... is that enough? There are a few older colleagues in my department who don't have very good stomachs either."