Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

The next morning at 10 a.m., "Qianweifang" opened as usual.

But the deserted entrance was unsettling.

Occasionally, a few students would pass by, glancing into the shop before hurrying away, some even whispering among themselves.

Wang Xiuying stood at the door, looking at the empty street, feeling as if a stone was stuck in her heart.

She looked back at the shop—Lin's mother was simmering the soup base, Li Cuihua was wiping the table, Lin Xiaoyu was organizing the menu, and Xiaoya was staring blankly at the cashier.

Everyone was trying to stay alert, but the oppressive atmosphere hung over everyone like a dark cloud.

Just then, the owner of "Zhang Jie Mala Tang" next door came out.

This was a middle-aged woman in her forties, with permed hair, wearing a floral apron, and holding a broom, pretending to sweep the doorway.

"Hey, Sister Wang, how's business today?"

She deliberately raised her voice, her tone filled with undisguised schadenfreude.

Wang Xiuying glanced at her but didn't reply.

"If you ask me,"

Sister Zhang continued sweeping the floor, but her eyes kept glancing at the hot pot restaurant.

"You have to have a conscience when doing business. Some people will do anything, no matter how unethical, just to save a few bucks."

These words were harsh, and Lin Xiaoyu and Xiaoya both came out.

"Aunt Zhang, what do you mean by that?" Xiaoya couldn't help but ask.

"What do I mean?" Sister Zhang stopped sweeping, put her hands on her hips,

"I'm a straightforward person, I don't beat around the bush."

"Your hot pot restaurant sells for such a low price; you know perfectly well what kind of oil and vegetables you use!"

"We use bottled oil from the supermarket, and the vegetables are supplied by our own vegetable stall, so they're fresh every day!" Lin Xiaoyu's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.

"Fresh?" Sister Zhang scoffed.

"Who knows if these are just leftover rotten vegetable leaves from the day before?"

"And that meat, I saw you sliced ​​it so thinly, does anyone know what kind of meat it is?"

At this moment, the owner of "Old Liu's Stir-Fry" next door also came out. He was a bald man in his fifties with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Old Zhang's family is right." He exhaled a puff of smoke.

"In this world, what won't people do to make money?"

"Gutter oil, diseased pork, pesticide-laden vegetables... students can't tell the difference anyway."

"You're talking nonsense!" Wang Xiuying's face turned pale with anger.

"We buy the freshest vegetables every day, and the meat comes from reputable markets; we have receipts!"

"The oil is from Jinlongyu (a famous Chinese cooking oil brand), and the boxes are still piled up in the kitchen!"

"A receipt?" Sister Zhang said sarcastically. "Anyone knows how to issue a receipt. Forging one is easy, isn't it?"

"Exactly," Old Liu agreed.

"Didn't the health bureau come to inspect a couple of days ago?"

"If you ask me, someone must have reported it."

"There's no smoke without fire. If there's really nothing wrong, why would someone report you?"

A few students gradually gathered on the street to watch the commotion, pointing and whispering.

"See? I told you that store had a problem."

"Luckily I didn't go eat there."

"I'll never go there again."

Hearing these words, tears welled up in Wang Xiuying's eyes.

She had always been honest and upright, and had never been humiliated in public like this before.

Li Cuihua and Lin's mother also came out of the kitchen. The three women stood together, both angry and aggrieved.

"You...you can't frame someone like this!" Li Cuihua's voice trembled.

"We work from dawn till dusk every day, washing vegetables three times a day and sterilizing pots and pans. How could anything not be clean?"

"Whether it's clean or not isn't up to you to decide," Sister Zhang said smugly, raising her chin.

"The eyes of the masses are discerning. Look, who would dare to eat at your house now?"

Xiaoya was trembling with anger: "This is slander! We can sue you for defamation!"

"Go ahead and sue!" Old Liu waved his hand dismissively.

"Go ahead and sue! What did we say? We just had a suspicion, so what? Is suspicion a crime?"

"You..." Xiaoya wanted to say something, but Lin Xiaoyu stopped her.

Just then, a black Mercedes pulled up to the side of the road.

Yang Fan got out of the car and frowned when he saw the scene at the door.

"Brother!" Xiaoya ran over as if she had seen a savior.

Yang Fan walked over, his gaze sweeping over Sister Zhang and Lao Liu, and then looking at the students watching.

His expression was calm, but his eyes were cold.

"What happened?"

"They..." Xiaoya was about to complain when Sister Zhang interrupted.

"Oh, the boss's here?" She looked Yang Fan up and down.

"Your shop is doing quite well, it's a pity you're not putting your mind to the right things."

Yang Fan looked at her: "What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?" Sister Zhang straightened her back.

"The restaurants on this street all value conscience."

"But some people will stop at nothing to make money, using inferior oil and rotten vegetable leaves. Isn't that harming students?"

"Do you have any evidence?" Yang Fan asked.

"Evidence?" Sister Zhang was taken aback, then resorted to sophistry.

"What more evidence do you need? It's all over the internet! The health bureau has already investigated!"

"If there's nothing wrong, why would they investigate you?"

"The health bureau checked, and the result was that it met the standards," Yang Fan said, emphasizing each word. "This result is the evidence."

"Qualified?" Old Liu sneered.

"Anyone can get a certificate of qualification. In today's society, what can't you do with money?"

Yang Fan turned to look at him: "You mean, we've bribed the people in the Health Bureau?"

"I didn't say that," Old Liu quickly waved his hand. "I just have a suspicion, is that not allowed?"

"Doubt is fine," Yang Fan said coldly.

"But publicly spreading unsubstantiated suspicions that damage another person's reputation constitutes defamation."

He looked at the students who were watching: "From yesterday to today, we have collected evidence of those false posts online."

We will find out who posted this.

"We will also pursue legal action against those who spread rumors."

These words were spoken with such conviction that Sister Zhang and Old Liu's expressions changed.

"Who...who are you trying to scare?" Sister Zhang retorted stubbornly. "We were just saying it casually, what law did we break?"

"Whether it's illegal or not, the lawyer will tell you." Yang Fan stopped looking at them and said to his family, "Go inside and get ready to open for business."

"But..." Wang Xiuying looked at the empty street.

"Someone will come," Yang Fan said. "Trust me."

The family went back into the shop. Sister Zhang and Old Liu stood at the door for a while, whispered a few words to each other, and then went back inside as well.

The students who had been watching dispersed, but the whispers lingered in everyone's hearts like needles.

……

The back room of "Zhang Jie Mala Tang" is a small room of less than ten square meters, filled with miscellaneous items, with only a table and a computer.

Sister Zhang pushed the door open and came in, her face still showing the smugness she had just felt.

"Xiao Lei, Xiao Lei!" she called out to the person in front of the computer.

A young man in his early twenties, wearing glasses, was sitting in front of the computer, intently staring at the screen.

Hearing the call, he turned around, somewhat impatiently: "Mom, what is it?"

"Hey, you know what, your trick actually works!"

Sister Zhang leaned closer and lowered her voice.

"The business next door has definitely gone out of business. I looked outside just now, and there wasn't a single person there!"