HLM -Chapter 1182 You Can’t Eat This

After returning, Wang Bo had originally planned to rest for a while before going back to work. But on the third day, a civil dispute broke out in the town that required his attention.

When he received the call, Wang Bo was holding Eva and listening to music—Bandari’s First Snow. He used this kind of light music as prenatal education music.

The call was from Anderson, who said, “Boss, could you come to the supermarket? There’s a problem that needs your intervention.”

Wang Bo, still immersed in the beauty of the music, immediately lost the mood upon hearing the voice on the phone and said unhappily, “Didn’t anyone tell you I’m on vacation?”

Anderson was taken aback. “No… besides, don’t you take vacations often?”

Wang Bo snapped, “What do you mean ‘often’? I’m a model worker mayor, okay?”

Anderson smiled wryly. “Boss, please come to the supermarket first to solve the problem. Once you handle it, whatever you say goes.”

Wang Bo got up to change clothes and asked, “What happened that I need to get involved?”

Anderson forced a smile. “Aren’t you the leader of Sunset Town? You’re the most respected person here; some conflicts can only be resolved by you.”

Wang Bo said, “You’re making it sound like a huge hassle. I feel very anxious just hearing that.”

Anderson spoke vaguely, “It’s a bit troublesome, but not too serious. You can handle it easily.”

He quickly changed and drove out. On the way, Anderson explained that it was a customer dispute: a customer had bought something at the supermarket and got poisoned, and now they were dragging him to court.

Hearing this, Wang Bo slammed his foot on the accelerator. Something like this happening—this was serious!

He shouted angrily, “What did the supermarket sell that caused poisoning? Damn it! How could this happen?”

Anderson looked aggrieved. “Boss, it’s daffodils—the English daffodil. It’s a flower. Who would’ve thought someone would buy it to stir-fry with meat?”

Wang Bo was momentarily stunned. Of course! Daffodils are perennial herbaceous plants, ornamental flowers meant for vases, not for cooking.

Many supermarkets in New Zealand are mixed-type and also sell flowers. Daffodils are common in spring and summer, and because their flower language is “mystery,” they are used for many occasions.

But cooking them… that’s definitely not their purpose. They’re toxic: the bulbs contain lycorine, which can cause vomiting and enteritis if ingested; the sap from leaves and flowers can cause skin irritation, redness, and itching.

He drove quickly to the supermarket. Seeing a crowd gathered, he flashed his badge to disperse the onlookers.

Anderson and two staff members were confronting a family. Wang Bo looked over and realized why Anderson had called him.

The family was Chinese—or ethnically Chinese. They had immigrated to New Zealand, and Wang Bo had some impression of them.

Sunset Town has a large Chinese population. Because Chinese tend to gather in communities, as the town developed, many new Chinese immigrants chose to settle there, especially since the mayor himself was Chinese. Eventually, not only Chinese immigrants but also ethnic Chinese from Southeast Asia—Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and other countries—were willing to move here.

This family was from Taiwan. The man, Li Jiahao, was the head of the family, a cultured teacher. His wife, Lin Shufen, was a barista.

Anderson wasn’t wrong—Wang Bo’s authority in Sunset Town was supreme. Just seeing him, the noisy family quieted down.

As Wang Bo dispersed the crowd, he glanced at the situation. The quarrel wasn’t with Li Jiahao and Lin Shufen, but with two elderly people, presumably their parents, who looked unfamiliar and likely hadn’t been in town long.

He knew that some elderly Chinese couples could be difficult but were usually wary of officials. So he prominently displayed his badge on his chest and walked over. “What’s going on?”

Li Jiahao said, “Mayor, the supermarket placed toxic plants alongside vegetables. My mother didn’t know and bought some to stir-fry with meat for my child, causing him to be poisoned.”

Anderson hurriedly added, “Hey, buddy, you’ve got it wrong. That’s the ‘green plants’ section. You need to understand what a ‘green plants’ section is—it’s not just vegetables; flowers are included too.”

The elderly woman didn’t understand English. Seeing the two arguing, she grabbed Wang Bo’s sleeve and joined the commotion.

The Taiwanese family spoke Minnan, and the elderly pronunciation was unclear. Wang Bo couldn’t understand a word. He widened his eyes and said, “Calm down, calm down. I will give you a satisfactory answer.”

Li Jiahao and his wife communicated with the mother, but the elderly woman ignored them and kept holding Wang Bo’s hand, speaking tearfully.

Wang Bo had to prominently display his badge again for her to calm down a little, though she still held onto his sleeve.

Lin Shufen appeared the calmest. She explained, “The supermarket placed daffodils with vegetables, right next to the garlic sprouts. You know how similar garlic sprouts and daffodils look. My mother thought they were the same vegetable. Daffodils are cheaper than garlic sprouts, so she bought these. When she went home, she stir-fried some meat for my child. She didn’t eat the garlic sprouts because they’re more expensive, but my child ate some and soon vomited.”

Wang Bo asked, “How’s the child now? Should he be taken to the central hospital in Oak City?”

Lin Shufen smiled wryly. “Thank you for your concern, Mayor. My child is fine. Dr. Stockton immediately performed gastric lavage and oxygen therapy; he’s out of danger.”

Nearby, other Chinese bystanders murmured, “This isn’t the first time the supermarket has done this. They should never place daffodils in the vegetable section!”

“Yes! Look, they even trimmed the roots and tied them neatly. For Chinese used to cooking with garlic sprouts at home, it feels familiar!”

“Seeing these daffodils next to fruits and vegetables reminds me of my mom stir-frying garlic sprouts…”

Wang Bo waved them off, silently thinking, Can you guys stop causing trouble?

He walked to the green plants section. Damn it, this one’s on Anderson. He had already suggested separating vegetables, fruits, and flowers, but Anderson didn’t do it. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened.

Besides, daffodils and garlic sprouts really do look similar, especially the delicate daffodils the supermarket chose. Some had buds that hadn’t bloomed, making them even more like garlic sprouts.

Lin Shufen complained, “Mayor, why don’t they place flowers in the flower section instead of with vegetables? Why not put them with roses, lilies, and carnations?”