Phoenix Village was a place no one wanted to leave once they arrived, and how could Ju Hong bear to leave?
She and her son depended on each other now. If she were expelled from the village and lost Phoenix Village's protection, she would fall back into her former life of wandering. She might even starve to death within three days.
At this moment, Ju Hong deeply regretted her wrongdoings over a trivial dispute.
Young Master Gu rewarded clearly and punished decisively. While generous with rewards, he was equally ruthless when it came to punishment.
Seeing Gu Qingcheng's stern face, with no possibility of leniency, Ju Hong flinched and pleaded desperately:
"Young Master Gu, if you don't let me work in the食堂, I'll dig on the mountain, or raise silkworms, or even carry manure. I'm willing to do anything in Phoenix Village, just please don't drive me out.
I beg you. I still have a 4-year-old son. If we are driven out, we will die."
Hearing Ju Hong's pathetic cries, the other women in the kitchen felt a chill of fear.
Their own situations were not much different from Ju Hong's. Now that they were well-fed and clothed, they had the leisure to gossip about others, completely forgetting the dangers and hardships of their flight from famine.
They had become complacent!
Fortunately, they hadn't become as complacent as Ju Hong!
If they had committed the same mistake, they would be the ones being expelled now.
It was only at this critical juncture that they truly appreciated the value of their status as Phoenix Village residents.
Gu Qingcheng said with a stern face:
"You did such a disgusting thing. It cannot be tolerated, and I will not be lenient!"
Ju Hong's tears and snot streamed down her face. She kowtowed loudly on the ground, her forehead bleeding:
"Young Master Gu, I beg you. I know I was wrong and I will never dare to do it again. As long as you don't expel me, I'm willing to do anything. I will never make this mistake again!
Please, if we are expelled, we will die."
At this point, He Hua also quickly knelt on the ground and said to Gu Qingcheng:
"Young Master Gu, Ju Hong made a mistake. You can punish her by not letting her work in the public食堂, but please let her stay in Phoenix Village. We have indeed relied on Phoenix Village's protection to reach where we are today. I believe she has realized her mistake. If you assign her the heaviest tasks, I am sure she will sincerely repent."
Seeing He Hua plead for her, Gu Qingcheng feigned contemplation and said:
"Since He Hua is also interceding for you, and out of respect for He Hua, I will not expel you. You will go and raise cattle. You will be on probation for one month. If you cause any more trouble during this month, I will completely banish you from Phoenix Village!"
"Thank you, Young Master Gu, thank you, Aunt He Hua!"
Upon hearing that Gu Qingcheng was willing to spare her, Ju Hong kowtowed twice more, one to Gu Qingcheng and one to He Hua.
Seeing Ju Hong in such a pitiable state, the remaining women were all intimidated. No one dared to make any more sarcastic remarks.
This "killing the chicken to warn the monkeys" strategy had been successful!
What could be done? Ju Hong had practically walked into their trap!
Although Ju Hong was crying, she was still immensely grateful to have been allowed to stay in Phoenix Village and left the public食堂.
Gu Qingcheng's expression remained serious as he addressed the remaining cooks:
"A person's self-interest can sometimes be infinitely magnified by emotions like jealousy and anger, leading them to do things they might later regret. Perhaps you think I'm making a big deal out of this?"
Gu Qingcheng asked deliberately.
"No, no, Young Master Gu did the right thing. Ju Hong is just petty. I've seen it for a long time. She resents He Hua and often argues with us over minor issues. So it's not surprising she would do something like this!"
One cook quickly replied.
"Yes, just as Young Master Gu said, if she had merely spat, making everyone disgusted would have been one thing. But who knows, if her anger had escalated, she might have put something like croton beans in the soup and made everyone sick. That would have been terrible!"
"Yes, yes, Young Master Gu dealt with this kind of trash in time. Fortunately, it didn't lead to a major disaster."
"Indeed, Ju Hong is too slovenly. Sometimes I see her hair is so greasy, she hasn't washed it in seven or eight days. She'd scratch her body or her head, not wash her hands, and then go wash rice or vegetables. Honestly, I found it quite disgusting too.
But after all, we all work together, and she's a single woman raising a child, so it's not easy. I didn't feel comfortable saying anything."
It seemed everyone had eyes and observed others' actions, but no one wanted to be the first to offend someone.
Only after Gu Qingcheng removed her from the public食堂 did they all start to voice her shortcomings.
Gu Qingcheng nodded and said:
"It seems you all have a clear understanding and believe that expelling her from the public食堂 was the right decision?"
"It's definitely right, Young Master Gu is wise!"
"If Young Master Gu hadn't discovered this in time, we might have been the next ones to be poisoned."
"Even if not poisoned, the thought of eating braised pork made with her saliva this time is too disgusting."
The cooks chattered in agreement.
Gu Qingcheng snorted and said:
"She's too foolish. Does she think everyone else is as stupid as her?
If she dared to poison the public supply, and with only you few cooking, wouldn't an investigation reveal it easily?"
Gu Qingcheng spoke with the intention of subtly warning the remaining cooks, so that if any conflicts arose in the future, they wouldn't harbor ill intentions like Ju Hong.
As expected, the three women immediately declared:
"Young Master Gu, rest assured, we will never do anything bad like Ju Hong!"
"Our character is definitely better than Ju Hong's!"
"Who would dare to poison the public supply? Aren't they afraid of being beaten to death?"
Gu Qingcheng examined them closely. The three remaining cooks looked relatively clean, their hair neatly tied back, and they wore hats according to the rules.
Gu Qingcheng then smiled and said:
"Do you know why I appointed He Hua as your team leader?
Look at the lids of the pots in this食堂. They were so greasy before, but after she came, she scrubbed them spotlessly clean, so shiny they reflect.
He Hua might not be as skilled a cook as you, but our食堂 prepares food for consumption, so cleanliness and hygiene are paramount.
Furthermore, if someone doesn't pay attention to their own hygiene, can you expect them to suddenly be meticulously clean when cooking?
He Hua is a very clean person. You see, when she pickles salted eggs, she washes off all the dirt from each egg. I doubt any of you present would do that."
At this point, the other cooks lowered their heads in shame.
Reflecting carefully, they indeed couldn't achieve He Hua's level of cleanliness on a daily basis.
No wonder Young Master Gu placed so much trust in He Hua.
It turned out that when Gu Qingcheng used to roam around the public食堂, chatting and laughing, they thought he was just visiting. They never realized how sharp his eyes were, observing everything.
"Young Master Gu, don't worry. From now on, when we cook for the public, we will treat it as if we are cooking at home and keep everything spotlessly clean,"
one cook said.