芭樂村的活動中心今天比往常還要安靜。 一種沉甸甸的壓力像濕氣一樣在屋裡瀰漫。 長桌中央擺著名冊與記錄表， 村長阿仁伯、草莓里的里長、蘋果里的里長都已經入座。 班長阿姨坐在最前方的位置，臉色微微緊繃，旁邊是一整袋尚未分送完的水果。 過沒多久，家屬們陸續走進來—— 有人臉色蒼白、有人明顯還沒從前一晚的折磨恢復、 甚至有人手上還黏著昨天急診留下的膠布。 空氣裡的情緒像炸藥一樣緊繃。 早餐店老闆也在場，他雙手交握，坐立難安。 他刻意穿了很正式的襯衫，似乎想表現誠意， 但臉上那份不安，卻怎樣也遮不住。 --- 會議開始 阿仁伯敲了敲桌面。 「各位，我們今天是要把事情講清楚，講明白。」 話音才落，一位草莓里的媽媽立刻站起來， 聲音激動得發抖： 「我兒子住院到現在還沒能下床！你覺得幾顆蘋果就能了事嗎？」 緊接著，另一位蘋果里的家屬也忍不住開口： 「我們不是在要錢，是在要一個道歉、要一個負責！」 氣氛瞬間被點燃。 班長阿姨連忙起身：「大家先冷靜，我們會一一處理……」 但家屬們已經壓抑太久， 圍繞著「孩子生病」、「身體痛苦」、「無辜中招」的怒意像潮水一樣湧上來。 --- 早餐店老闆的發言 終於，早餐店老闆站了起來。 他深吸了一口氣，聲音略微沙啞： 「昨天的事，是我做錯了…… 但，我真的不知道問題出在哪。 我每天做的豆漿流程都一樣…… 直到現在，我也還在等化驗報告……」 這句話一出，家屬們再度騷動。 「你不知道？你賣的東西害了這麼多人，你說不知道就算了？」 「是不是豆漿放太久？是不是冰箱壞掉？還是你偷工減料？」 老闆滿頭大汗，不斷道歉：「我沒有偷工……我真的沒有……」 --- 阿英姨站起來了 正當情緒快失控時， 阿英姨慢慢站起來。 她的聲音不高，卻穩定、清晰： 「我女兒昨晚整整拉了二十幾次。 我抱著她，看著她虛脫、臉色白得像紙…… 那種痛，我一輩子都不想再看到。」 全場靜了。 她接著說： 「但是現在最重要的，不是爭吵。 我們要知道 到底出了什麼問題。 如果我們今天不把真相找出來， 以後還會有下一次、下一個孩子、下一個家庭。」 她轉向老闆： 「我們不是來鬥你。 我們是要你跟我們一起查出真相。」 老闆紅著眼眶，用力點頭。
隨著協調會進行，家屬之間出現了不同的意見。
有幾位在媒體工作的家屬明確表示，若後續無法得到合理的說明，他們願意把整件事攤到媒體上。他們認為透明度越高，越能避免同樣的情況再次發生，而且公眾討論有時能促使相關單位正視問題。
但也有家屬態度較為保守。他們希望大事化小，認為孩子的身體已經不舒服，不應再增加額外的關注與壓力。他們擔心事情鬧大後，會引起社區間緊張，甚至造成家長與店家之間的對立。於是，家屬之間出現了兩種聲音：
一種希望公開透明，另一種希望低調和解。
班長阿姨見狀，立刻介入協調，請大家維持冷靜，並提醒家屬們目標一致——弄清楚事情的經過，保障孩子的權益。她強調即使想法不同，也應該先把資訊釐清，再決定後續是否公開、或以何種方式處理。
會議現場氣氛仍然緊繃，但大家都努力讓討論維持在理性的範圍內。
The community center of Balaa Village was unusually quiet today. A heavy pressure hung in the air like damp humidity, settling on everyone’s shoulders. At the long table in the center sat the name lists and report sheets. Village Chief A-Ren, the chief of Strawberry Ward, and the chief of Apple Ward were already in their seats. The section leader auntie sat at the front, her expression slightly tense. Beside her was a large bag of fruit that had yet to be distributed. Soon, the families began arriving. Some looked pale, some still hadn’t recovered from last night’s ordeal, and some still had medical tape on their arms from the ER visit. The tension in the room felt like it could ignite with a single spark. The breakfast shop owner was also present. Hands clasped tightly, he shifted uneasily in his seat. He had intentionally worn a formal shirt, hoping to show sincerity, but the uneasiness on his face was impossible to hide. --- The Meeting Begins Village Chief A-Ren tapped the table. “Everyone, we’re here today to clarify things—openly and honestly.” Before the echo of his voice faded, a mother from Strawberry Ward stood up, her voice trembling with anger: “My son is still in the hospital, unable to get out of bed! Do you think a few apples can settle this?” Immediately, another family member from Apple Ward joined in: “We’re not here for money. We’re here for an apology—for someone to take responsibility!” The atmosphere burst into flames. The section leader auntie hurried to stand. “Please, everyone, calm down. We will address everything one by one…” But the families had held back too long. Their anger—rooted in seeing their children suffer, innocently getting sick, being completely blindsided—rose like a tidal wave. --- The Breakfast Shop Owner Speaks Finally, the breakfast shop owner got to his feet. He took a deep breath, his voice hoarse: “What happened yesterday… it was my fault. But—I truly don’t know where the problem is. I make the soy milk the same way every day… Even now, I’m still waiting for the lab results…” His words stirred the families again. “You don’t know? Your food made all these people sick, and ‘you don’t know’ is your answer?” “Was the soy milk left out too long? Was your fridge broken? Or were you cutting corners?” Sweat rolled down the owner’s forehead. “I didn’t cut corners… I really didn’t…” --- A-Ying Auntie Stands Up Just as the tension was about to explode again, A-Ying Auntie slowly stood up. Her voice was not loud, but steady, clear: “My daughter had diarrhea more than twenty times last night. I held her in my arms, watching her face turn as white as paper… That pain— I never want to see it again.” The room fell completely silent. She continued: “But right now, arguing is not our priority. We need to know what went wrong. If we don’t find the truth today, this will happen again— to another child, another family.” She turned to the breakfast shop owner. “We’re not here to fight you. We’re here for you to work with us—to find the truth.” The owner’s eyes reddened. He nodded firmly. --- Diverging Opinions Among the Families As the meeting went on, differing opinions surfaced. Some family members who worked in the media stated clearly that if they couldn’t get a proper explanation, they were prepared to bring the incident to the press. They believed that greater transparency would prevent similar situations from happening again. Public attention, they argued, often pushes the responsible parties to address problems seriously. But others preferred a quieter approach. They felt their children were already suffering and didn’t want additional pressure or exposure. They worried that making the matter public could bring tension to the community or fuel conflict between parents and the breakfast shop. Thus, two voices emerged: One calling for full transparency, and one urging low-key reconciliation. Seeing the divide, the section leader auntie stepped in again, urging calm. She reminded everyone that their goal was the same—to understand what had happened and safeguard the children. She emphasized that regardless of their differing views, they should gather all the information first, and then decide whether to go public or resolve things privately. The atmosphere remained tense, but everyone tried their best to stay rational.
