The affairs of Yuan Yongguo and Li Fen had barely subsided before the people from Huichun Hall and Wujing Village started causing trouble again.
Seeing that the issue of Wujing Village's medicinal herbs remained a hot topic, many newspapers dispatched reporters to follow the story. They hoped to uncover some contentious points, similar to Xu Nanxi's reporting, and ideally, something eye-catching.
As it turned out, their investigation yielded significant results.
Huichun Hall had paid a deposit before sending people to Wujing Village to collect the medicinal herbs. On the day of collection, the inspector discovered that all the herbs had mold and were unusable. Huichun Hall, not one to be cheated, naturally refused to incur such a loss and immediately reneged on the deal, demanding the deposit back from Wujing Village. This marked Huichun Hall's second breach of contract.
The villagers of Wujing Village, having reached their limit, clashed with the collectors on the spot, leading to utter chaos. The reporters, armed with their cameras, clicked away, eager to start writing their stories then and there. Through the villagers, they pieced together the sequence of events. It turned out that Wujing Village's medicinal herbs were originally meant for the county's pharmaceutical factory. However, Huichun Hall's interference disrupted their cooperation with the factory. Huichun Hall had originally placed a large order but then suddenly declared they no longer wanted the herbs. The unsold herbs of Wujing Village were ultimately a consequence of their own actions. Of course, Huichun Hall's perfidy was also a contributing factor.
The reason this matter became entangled with Zhenshan Hall was, predictably, Cheng You's kindness. Zhenshan Hall, acting out of a sense of duty, intended to purchase Wujing Village's medicinal herbs but found their quality to be substandard, leading to the deal falling through. However, in the mouths of some individuals in Wujing Village, Cheng You was portrayed as heartless. Considering this, more than half of Xu Nanxi's two news articles were libelous.
Reporters from various newspapers frantically called back to their offices, racing against time to be the first to publish their stories. The next day, major newspapers splashed their first-hand reports on their front pages.
Chen Qin arrived to see Cheng You early in the morning, holding a freshly bought, warm newspaper. His face was beaming, his wrinkles so deep they could catch flies. "I never expected it, I overestimated Pei Kesheng!" he exclaimed. He had initially thought Pei Kesheng knew the herbs were spoiled all along and paid for them simply to gain a good reputation. But it turned out this man lacked such foresight. For instance, if he had simply absorbed the loss yesterday and then published a story in the newspaper, Huichun Hall would have appeared even more noble and selfless.
Cheng You chuckled, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. "If he weren't so short-sighted, he wouldn't have driven Brother Chen away." Chen Qin was highly capable, able to manage everything from top to bottom. Thanks to him, Cheng You had been able to focus on her studies. She was even planning to award him shares as his year-end bonus next year. Chen Qin's eyes crinkled as he smiled, clearly pleased with Cheng You's words.
"Can our Zhenshan Hall open for business today?"
Cheng You smiled. "No rush. Our pharmaceutical factory employees are already working. Let's stockpile some more goods." Her smile was casual, yet she looked like a cunning fox. Chen Qin immediately understood she had a mischievous plan brewing. He said, "But people are already waiting outside our hall today."
Cheng You smiled slightly. "So what? Isn't Huichun Hall still open? Let them go to Huichun Hall." Weren't they the ones who happily bad-mouthed Zhenshan Hall just a few days ago? Cheng You was known for holding grudges.
Chen Qin nodded. "Alright, I understand!"
When Chen Qin returned to Zhenshan Hall, he saw that people were still waiting. He had to pass by them to get to the pharmaceutical factory in the back. "Why haven't you left yet? I told you we're not opening today."
At that moment, someone said, "You've been closed for so many days, why aren't you opening?" Chen Qin smiled good-naturedly. "Well, due to some unpleasant events recently, many of our hall's employees have resigned, and we're short-handed." The people gathered at the entrance lowered their heads. Many of them had been part of the troublemakers before. Although they had merely followed the crowd and hadn't done anything too excessive, Chen Qin remembered each of their faces. "You should go back. We're not opening today. If you need medicine, you can go to Huichun Hall. They're open." Chen Qin didn't care about their displeased expressions as he smiled and walked in.
The misdeeds of Huichun Hall were exposed, and their actions stirred public outrage. Those who had previously caused trouble at Zhenshan Hall now shifted their protest to the entrance of Huichun Hall, causing a great disturbance and leading to a sharp decline in business. Pei Kesheng and other relevant personnel involved in the incident were directly dismissed.
Besides Huichun Hall, the first to be hit hard was the newspaper where Xu Nanxi worked. The more popular his two previous articles were, the more severe the backlash he faced. An investigation revealed that Xu Nanxi was a person with a history of misconduct. Unable to find work elsewhere, he had entered the newspaper industry through nepotism. He was immediately fired, and even his future father-in-law received disciplinary action. Having hopped between various newspapers, his reputation was ruined. Almost no newspaper in Yan City didn't know him. It would be difficult for Xu Nanxi to find work in Yan City again. Without his internship, he lost his source of income. The monthly subsidies from school were insufficient to support his life. Lin Yutian, whom he had sent back to the countryside, occasionally sent money, but it was only a few dollars, a drop in the ocean.
The down-and-out Xu Nanxi set his sights on Cheng Tao. The Feng family had only recently found their granddaughter, so she must have money. With this realization, he waited for Cheng Tao outside the school gate. He was adept at charming women. He calculated the time and figured she should be finishing school soon. Shortly after, he spotted her in the crowd and hurried over. "Cheng Tao!"
Cheng Tao's heart leaped with joy at the sight of him. But she managed to maintain some decorum, given the location at the school gate. Fang Yunbao, witnessing this, muttered, "Are they dating?" It seemed off. Cao Yanyan pondered for a moment and said, "Didn't Cheng Tao get married? How can she be dating Xu Nanxi?" Her words reminded her classmates that Cheng Tao was indeed married! "That's right, wasn't Xu Nanxi dating Feng Xue?" Fang Yunbao suddenly recalled. Cao Yanyan shook her head. "I heard they broke up."
Cheng You did not participate in their discussion, thinking that Zhao Yunlin must be wearing a very green hat. She deliberately called out, "Cheng Tao!" The two, whose eyes were almost locked in a passionate gaze, snapped back to reality and quickly pulled away.