Phoenix Village was like a giant magnet, drawing people from the foot of the mountain with its unique charm.
Mr. Jiang had now established a very friendly intermediary relationship with Gu Qingcheng, bringing a group of craftsmen up the mountain every month.
Nowadays, whenever Mr. Jiang needed to go up the mountain, he would ask a Phoenix Village villager who was going to the town of Zhanchun to buy things to inform Gu Qingcheng how many people he would bring.
The purpose of informing Gu Qingcheng in advance was to allow her to prepare everything, such as insect repellent for the craftsmen, and so on.
Insect repellent bath and new clothes were the first things outsiders had to do to live in Phoenix Village for a long time.
However, if they didn't inform them in advance about bringing people up the mountain, and then had to prepare hot water and insect repellent after they arrived, everyone would be in a panic.
Therefore, Mr. Jiang now always asked the villagers of Phoenix Village to inform Gu Qingcheng in advance whenever he brought people up the mountain.
Today was no exception. Gu Qingcheng had received Mr. Jiang's message yesterday, so she had instructed Hehua early in the morning to prepare a few hearty dishes to entertain Mr. Jiang.
Hehua, as a new official, naturally wanted to perform well.
However, due to the implementation of new rules and facing jealousy, she encountered the first hurdle in her career.
While making braised pork, Ju Hong, unnoticed by others, spat a mouthful of saliva into the braised pork, stirred it a few times, and then covered the pot.
She thought no one knew and wanted to disgust Hehua to vent her anger.
She didn't expect that her actions were all seen by Gou Sheng.
Gou Sheng had been playing hopscotch in front of the cafeteria's courtyard before.
This was a simple and fun game that Gu Qingcheng taught them. They would draw several squares on the ground representing houses, then kick pebbles and pass through the levels one by one. Whoever passed smoothly first would win.
The game was simple but full of fun, so they played happily.
Suddenly, hearing Hehua and Ju Hong arguing early in the morning, Gou Sheng became attentive and secretly observed Ju Hong.
Gou Sheng hid behind the stove. Seeing that Hehua did not directly confront Ju Hong, although he could not determine who was right or wrong, he understood the importance of relaying the original words from the scene back to Gu Qingcheng, letting young master Gu judge for himself.
Gu Qingcheng did not expect Hehua to have such a difficult start. She knew that Ju Hong must be in the wrong in this matter, so she asked Gou Sheng to keep an eye on Ju Hong.
She had a feeling that Ju Hong might do something tricky.
The communal cafeteria was related to the lives of the people who ate there.
Although the villagers no longer had communal meals, they occasionally invited the captains of various small teams to have good food and drinks as a reward.
If Ju Hong was unreliable, it would be impossible to keep her in the cafeteria, and it would be asking for trouble.
But now, it seemed that there was no valid reason to dismiss her.
To make things convincing, one had to have solid reasons and evidence, otherwise, how could they govern the entire village in the future if they couldn't win people's hearts?
Ju Hong, of course, did not know that Gou Sheng had a good relationship with Gu Qingcheng.
Gu Qingcheng asked Gou Sheng to keep an eye on Ju Hong, and Ju Hong really didn't notice Gou Sheng at all.
Fortunately, Gou Sheng was watching, otherwise Gu Qingcheng and Mr. Jiang would have had to eat Ju Hong's saliva.
Gou Sheng quickly and quietly went to find Gu Qingcheng and told her about the incident, which disgusted Gu Qingcheng greatly.
This person must be dealt with today!
Gu Qingcheng made a decisive move and went to the communal cafeteria with Gou Sheng.
Hehua quickly stepped forward to greet her and say hello to Gu Qingcheng.
Ju Hong, having done something wrong and feeling guilty, her eyes flickered. She dared not greet Gu Qingcheng directly when she saw her.
Seeing her behavior, Gu Qingcheng had a rough idea and asked:
"Are the dishes you were supposed to make for lunch almost done?"
"Most of them are done, only the fish head soup is still simmering."
Hehua replied respectfully. Gu Qingcheng surveyed the semi-open cafeteria.
Hehua indeed lived up to her reputation as a new official. In just one morning, the stove was wiped clean and shiny, without a speck of dust. The firewood was neatly stacked.
In short, although it was simple, it exuded cleanliness and order, giving a feeling of "This is a humble abode, but I find it fragrant."
Gu Qingcheng was quite pleased and said:
"It seems Hehua is indeed suitable to be the leader of the cafeteria. Since she arrived, the cafeteria's appearance has changed a lot. It's so clean, I feel very comfortable just looking at it."
The other women, seeing Gu Qingcheng praise Hehua, felt a bit envious, but they immediately heard Gu Qingcheng say:
"You have all worked hard, and it's not possible for Hehua alone. These changes are the result of everyone's joint efforts.
Don't think that the cleanliness of our communal cafeteria and the changes you've made are not important. With our village being so clean, guests from outside will have a very good first impression when they come here to eat."
Gu Qingcheng's words, acknowledging that everyone shared the credit for the cleanliness, made everyone feel a bit pleased.
However, before they could finish celebrating, they heard Gu Qingcheng's expression suddenly turn serious:
"However, I have also noticed that some of you are not obedient, and some have argued with the leader. Is that true?"
Gu Qingcheng looked at the three women in front of her.
They all looked very uneasy.
Hehua was about to smooth things over, but Gu Qingcheng waved her hand and said:
"I also discovered that someone spat in the precious braised pork. Who was it? Step forward yourself!"
Ju Hong's heart pounded when she heard this.
She never expected that her clandestine act would be known to Gu Qingcheng.
At that time, she had looked around carefully, and there was no one else.
The other women exchanged glances. Since they hadn't done what Gu Qingcheng said, their faces were calm, showing only a hint of confusion.
But then, they noticed Ju Hong's unease; she was trembling.
What was Ju Hong afraid of?
Everyone began to suspect that Ju Hong was the culprit.
They all subtly took a few steps to the side.
"Ju Hong, was it you?"
After a long silence, when the pressure in the air reached its limit, Gu Qingcheng asked in a deep voice.
Ju Hong was just an ordinary woman and could no longer bear the pressure. She knelt on the ground with a "thump" and cried, "Young master Gu, I deserve to die. I shouldn't have spat in the braised pork out of jealousy towards Hehua. I will never dare to do it again."
Gu Qingcheng didn't expect Ju Hong to be so timid and surrender after just one round.
But as the saying goes, one must kill the chicken to scare the monkey; rules cannot be established without setting an example.
A new official must have someone to set the tone, and those damnable troublemakers were precisely the ones to set the tone.
Gu Qingcheng sneered:
"Fortunately, you can still come forward and admit your mistake. But with your character, spitting in the meat over a small matter, what would happen if there were bigger conflicts? Would you poison the braised pork?
People like you are very dangerous. From this moment on, you can no longer work in the cafeteria. Pack up and leave the village; our village doesn't want you anymore!"
"What?" Ju Hong couldn't believe it. She widened her eyes and looked at Gu Qingcheng, her expression shocked, saying, "Young master Gu, this is unfair. I only did a small thing, and you want to drive me out of the village?"