Lin Wanqiu raised her head, her eyes full of grievance: "I'm not afraid of what others say about me, but I'm worried that these words will affect the soy sauce shop's business and make you feel wronged. You faked your death because of the mission, and if people misunderstand it as if you made a mistake, it will be difficult for you to return to the team in the future."

Shen Tingzhou felt a warmth in his heart and pulled her into his arms: "Don't worry, I've already spoken with Comrade Zhao, the commune secretary. He knows my true situation and will help us clear things up. As for Zhang Lan, since she dared to spread rumors, she must pay the price." He paused, his eyes sharpening. "I remember when we were rushing to make soy sauce, you went to ask Zhang Lan for help, and Nian'an wrote it down every time. There are also neighbors who can testify. These are all evidence of her slacking off. As long as we present this evidence, her reputation will naturally be ruined."

Lin Wanqiu's eyes lit up. Yes, she had specifically asked Nian'an to write down the number of times she had gone to call Zhang Lan, fearing she might forget. Each time, a neighbor was present, providing irrefutable evidence. She pulled the notebook from under her pillow, opened it, and saw the following written in crooked handwriting: "On the fifth day of the fourth month, Mother went to call Auntie for help, but Auntie said my younger brother had a fever and wouldn't go; on the seventh day of the fourth month, Mother went to call Auntie again, but Auntie said she was going to her parents' house and wouldn't go; on the tenth day of the fourth month, Mother went to call Auntie for the third time, but Auntie said she had a headache and wouldn't go."

Looking at the childish handwriting, Lin Wanqiu felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Although Nian'an was young, she was more sensible than Zhang Lan, an adult. She clutched the notebook tightly, her eyes hardening: "Tomorrow I'll go to the village chief and present this evidence, letting everyone see Zhang Lan's true colors. Not only is she lazy, but she's also spreading rumors and slandering you and me. We absolutely cannot let her succeed!"

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Wanqiu went to find the village chief with her notebook. Village Chief Li was feeding the chickens in the yard. Seeing Lin Wanqiu arrive, he quickly put down the chicken feeder and asked, "Wanqiu, why are you here so early? Is something wrong?"

Lin Wanqiu handed the notebook to the village chief and recounted Zhang Lan's slander in detail. Finally, with tears in her eyes, she said, "Uncle Li, I started the soy sauce shop to help everyone get rich. I never intended to harm anyone. But Zhang Lan not only doesn't work herself, but also spreads rumors and slanders against me and Tingzhou. If this matter isn't clarified, who will dare to work with me in the future? If the soy sauce shop goes out of business, everyone's livelihood will be at stake."

The village chief took the notebook, carefully examined the records, and then, recalling the recent rumors circulating in the village, his expression gradually darkened. He sighed heavily, "Wanqiu, don't worry, I'm determined to handle this. Zhang Lan is outrageous; she's lazy and can't stand seeing others do well. She must apologize to you and clarify the rumors in front of the whole village!"

That morning, the village chief convened a meeting of all the villagers at the threshing ground. A table was set up under the old locust tree in the center of the threshing ground. The village chief sat behind the table, Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou stood to the side, while Zhang Lan was pulled by the village chief's son and stood in front of the crowd, her face as pale as paper.

The villagers were buzzing with discussion, wondering why the village chief had suddenly called a meeting. Aunt Li stood in the crowd, secretly worried for Lin Wanqiu, hoping she could produce evidence to completely dispel the rumors. Aunt Wang held her grandson in her arms, her eyes full of anticipation; she was waiting for the soy sauce factory to pay her wages so she could buy brown sugar for her grandson.

The village chief cleared his throat and said in a loud voice, "I've gathered everyone here today because I have something important to tell you. There have been some rumors circulating in the village lately, saying that Wanqiu had an improper relationship with Director Wang in order to secure an order from the supply and marketing cooperative, and that Tingzhou made a mistake and went back to hide. These are all baseless rumors; someone is deliberately spreading them!"

He paused, picked up the small notebook in his hand, and held it up for everyone to see: "This is Nian Anji's notebook. It clearly states that when we were rushing to finish brewing soy sauce, Wanqiu asked Zhang Lan for help three times, but Zhang Lan made excuses to refuse each time. Now that the soy sauce workshop is making money, she wants to join again. After being refused, she spread rumors everywhere. This behavior is too shameful!"

The villagers, upon hearing this, looked at Zhang Lan in astonishment, their eyes filled with disdain. Those who had previously believed the rumors now realized they had been deceived and began to criticize Zhang Lan: "I never thought Zhang Lan was this kind of person! Lazy and spreading rumors!" "That's right! Wanqiu helped us make money, and instead of being grateful, she goes around spreading bad things. It's outrageous!" "She must apologize to Wanqiu and clarify the rumors!"