Cheng Su stepped out to the main entrance, where she saw three men and one woman looking around with briefcases in hand: the men with hair styled for suits, the woman in black leather shoes, a typical government employee attire.
"Hello, I’m one of the owners of Joy Soon Loy Industrial Company, Cheng Su." Cheng Su smiled as she greeted the person at the front and handed over her business card.
The individual accepted it and said, "We are from the Food Safety and Sanitation Department, my surname is Xu." He too pulled out a business card from his pocket and handed it over.
Cheng Su respectfully received it with both hands and saw it read Xu Biao; she then smiled and said, "Director Xu, hello!"
"We’ve received a report from the public claiming that your company is selling expired and spoiled products, so we’ve come to investigate," said Xu Biao.
"Welcome, Director Xu, for leading your team here for an inspection. Why don’t we continue our discussion inside? Look how cold it is outside; let’s have a warm cup of tea first," Cheng Su said with a smile, making a welcoming gesture.
The group followed Cheng Su into the office, where Mai Yanmei had already wisely boiled water and prepared several cups of tea on the conference table.
In the office of Cheng Su’s, there were several photos of the ribbon-cutting ceremony hanging on the walls, making it immediately clear who had participated in that event.
The photos were sufficiently oversized and hung in conspicuous places; it was hard for Xu Biao and his colleagues to overlook them.
Upon seeing Secretary Zhang in the photos, the few exchanged glances and silently took their seats.
"Please have some tea," Cheng Su said with a smile, sitting at the head seat and beckoning Zhu Lifen to give a few instructions.
After taking a sip of the hot tea, Xu Biao explained the purpose of their visit.
"First of all, we welcome you to come and conduct this inspection," Cheng Su said with a smile. "To be honest, we were also very shocked when we received the news. Ever since Joy Soon Loy opened, our products have enjoyed a good reputation and have been very popular among the masses. We have never had any reports of food quality issues, so there might be some misunderstanding here, which is difficult to clarify right at this moment."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Zhu Lifen walked over with a report, along with various business licenses and certifications, and placed them in front of Cheng Su.
Picking them up, Cheng Su said, "Director Xu, our Joy Soon Loy has been legally licensed before we started our business, as you can see."
She passed over the items Zhu Lifen had brought, saying, "This also includes market survey results from our customers’ feedback, expressing trust and fondness for Joy Soon Loy’s products. At the diplomatic meeting this October, Joy Soon Loy’s jam was served at the diplomatic table, and our international friends had nothing but praise for it."
Xu Biao and the others looked over these materials.
"During the opening of Joy Soon Loy, Secretary Zhang graced the event with his presence and lent our enterprise tremendous support. We can’t let someone of his stature down. Hence, the business philosophy of Joy Soon Loy is to provide the public with trustworthy food and to be the best conscientious business!" Cheng Su said with a beaming smile.
The corners of Xu Biao and his colleagues’ mouths twitched slightly; it sounded better than it sang.
And Cheng Su’s repeated mentions of Secretary Zhang was not lost on them—with their experience in officialdom, it was clear that she was using Secretary Zhang as a shield.
"While that is true, since the public has filed a complaint, we must do something, as everything is being handled by the book. Don’t you agree, President Cheng?" Xu Biao’s tone had become much more polite.
Cheng Su beamed a smile, "Of course. Actually, regarding the issue of selling expired food, we would never knowingly commit an offense. We have already initiated a recall to inspect that batch of goods, and if there is a problem, we absolutely won’t sell or reuse it. And our Joy Soon Loy jam is made from the freshest ingredients, with very strict production processes. Shall I take you for a tour of our processing rooms in a bit?"