Chapter 495: Chapter 495

"Well then... okay, Young Master Xu, please lead the way."

Manager Wang led the way, with Xu Hao and the others heading towards the kitchen first, while the onlookers followed behind.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Xu Hao's gaze shifted, and he walked straight to where the potatoes were stored.

He pointed to the pile of potatoes that had been washed clean, their skins even peeled off, and asked, "When you received the potatoes in the past, did you also deal with them right away?"

The head chef, a middle-aged man with an honest and simple appearance and a heavyset frame, chuckled and said, "Young Master Xu, it wasn't before. The potatoes we received before were all dirty and still had their skins on."

"Then why are the ones that came in today already processed?" Xu Hao asked.

"You'll have to ask Xiao Wu, who's in charge of procurement. Xiao Wu!" the chef called out loudly, but no one responded.

"Huh? Where did Xiao Wu go?" Manager Wang said, puzzled.

Xu Hao said with a light smile, "I'm afraid he's already run away. Check the surveillance."

Manager Wang nodded and immediately started reviewing the surveillance footage carefully.

Meanwhile, Xu Hao pointed to the pile of potatoes and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, do you notice anything different about these potatoes compared to normal ones?"

The crowd stepped forward and began to inspect the potatoes, shaking their heads and saying, "They seem no different, really. The color looks good, and they appear fresh."

"But, in fact, these potatoes are poisonous!" Xu Hao declared.

"Ah? That can't be right? These potatoes look just like the ones I eat at home," a woman picked up a potato, pinched a piece to scrutinize, and said.

Taking a piece of potato, Xu Hao explained, "Actually, these potatoes have been refurbished. Refurbished potatoes refer to those that have been left for a long time, which might have become moldy, turned green, or sprouted, and then get washed and polished in special equipment to look like 'fresh' potatoes again. Such potatoes may still contain a lot of solanine and can cause harm to the human body or even lead to food poisoning if consumed."

This revelation left many people in shock. Could there really be such a thing?

The head chef suddenly realized and said, "Young Master Xu, I understand what you mean now. You're saying there's something wrong with Xiao Wu who handles the supplies, that he deliberately brought in these refurbished potatoes to pass off as good quality and deceive everyone? I'm such a fool! I did question why these potatoes were already processed when they arrived and wondered if it might not be safe. But after Xiao Wu explained, I didn't stop him. If I had insisted, this wouldn't have happened!"

The chef's face was filled with regret, blaming himself for not being more resolute at the time.

"These refurbished potatoes aren't necessarily bad in quality, after all, refurbishing also costs money, but they are definitely not fit to eat."

Xu Hao continued, "So, I have reason to believe that someone must have bribed Xiao Wu to buy these refurbished potatoes. As for the people who got poisoned after eating these potatoes, whether it was just bad luck or premeditated, remains to be seen."

At that moment, a middle-aged woman's eyes flickered with a trace of worry, but it vanished as quickly as it came. She said loudly and accusingly, "Your restaurant's deadly food almost killed us, and now you suspect we had a plan? Have you all lost your consciences?!"

Chapter source: My Virtual Library Empire (*).

But by now, not as many people were siding with them anymore. As the truth of the matter became complicated and unclear, the crowd hesitated to take sides too quickly.

Manager Wang then shouted, "Found it! Everyone, please look!"

The people huddled closer to see the morning's footage where a young man had arrived at the restaurant's entrance in a delivery truck, then summoned the kitchen staff to unload items.

After a while, they paid special attention to when the batch of refurbished potatoes was being moved off the truck, and indeed, the head chef had stopped them, negotiated for a bit, and only then allowed the potatoes to be brought in.

By this point, everyone had come to understand that the crux of the matter lay with that Xiao Wu.

Refurbishing potatoes isn't a simple task, and a restaurant wouldn't ruin its reputation for a small batch of potatoes. The Wei Family Restaurant had been established here for ten to twenty years, and people genuinely doubted they would do such a thing.

It is only those businesses that have hoarded a large stock of unsellable potatoes that would undertake such actions because compared to the loss from discarding them, refurbishing them would at least make some money.

But where was Xiao Wu?

Manager Wang immediately assured, "Everyone, please rest assured, our Wei Family Restaurant will thoroughly investigate this matter and bring the truth to light."

The middle-aged woman wouldn't have any of it and angrily said, "You think it's over just like that? What about our losses from the poisoning?"

Manager Wang was somewhat at a loss. He had almost forgotten about these particular individuals.

He couldn't determine whether these individuals had been unlucky victims of poisoning or had deliberately colluded to create trouble. He was just a manager and currently had no idea how to respond to the woman's demands.

"Hmph! Compensation! Compensation!"

The middle-aged woman demanded furiously, "You have to compensate us!"