County leaders stepped forward to speak out in Zhou Chen's defense.
The news spread throughout Fanjia County that very evening.
Immediately, those who had been spreading rumors all fell silent, no longer daring to utter a word.
Many people just follow the crowd, believing everything they hear, and are always looking for trouble. Now, the county leaders have stated that those who slander will be severely punished, and anyone who dares to go against the tide is simply courting death.
Some people, refusing to believe the superstition, continued to throw garbage and pour dirty water in front of the stinky tofu shop under the cover of darkness. As a result, they were quickly tackled to the ground by plainclothes officers hiding in the shadows and taken to the police station.
The following day, the man was arrested on charges of maliciously damaging other people's property and reputation, and was detained for a month.
This matter, through the county's proactive publicity efforts, became known to the entire county.
For a time, no one dared to do anything similar.
In an effort to salvage Zhou Chen's reputation, the county government reported on Zhou Chen's personal story through newspapers, the internet, and other media.
The story of Zhou Chen supporting his family alone, being forced to drop out of school for his siblings so that they could have the opportunity to go to school, returning to school three years later, ranking among the top ten in the college entrance exam within a few months, winning first place in two events twice as a sports student, and starting his own business were all heavily publicized.
This gave those who didn't know Zhou Chen a new understanding, making them realize that Zhou Chen is so responsible and has a strong sense of duty.
Those who followed the rumors feel incredibly ashamed.
Three days after the county leaders publicly spoke out, the stinky tofu shop reopened.
Zhou Chen, Xu Dalong, and Li Kaile all came.
Shortly after the door opened, people came forward to apologize, bowing and saying sorry. And there was more than one such person.
Seeing this scene, Xu Dalong and Li Kaile's faces and eyes reddened slightly, not because they were moved, but because they had suffered too many grievances and been misunderstood in the past few days.
Now, the truth has finally been revealed.
With the support of county leaders, they were freed from the harm caused by the rumors.
Zhou Chen didn't want to forgive these people, regardless of whether their apologies were sincere or out of fear of being implicated.
If any of those who apologized played a significant role in spreading the rumors and were subsequently identified by Uncle Hat, then he will not tolerate any wrongdoing and will pursue the matter to the end.
The stinky tofu business is now open for normal operations.
The person, feeling guilty, bought several portions, hoping to make amends.
Although the number of customers has recovered to some extent, it is still far from what it used to be. Even with the support of county leaders, it is still impossible to return to the initial popularity.
This will take time to fade away.
The number of customers in Fanjia County has decreased, but Zhou Chen did not expect that the number of people from other places who came specifically to eat stinky tofu would suddenly increase.
The very next day, Xu Dalong returned and happily described how many out-of-town customers had come all the way to Fanjia County to buy Pinchoufang's stinky tofu.
Business picked up again immediately.
"It's because of the TV interview."
Zhou Chen chuckled, knowing that the real reason was the impact of his appearance on television, which had drawn curious people to Fanjia County.
"Brother Chen, quite a few people want to interview you and ask you some questions."
Xu Dalong, having considered the purpose of those outsiders, reported this.
Zhou Chen was not surprised. Many people bought his stinky tofu just to test the waters; their real purpose was simply to meet him in person.
It's likely that reporters from other media outlets want to interview him.
However, he had promised Fengcheng TV that he would not accept interviews from other people.
Fengcheng TV station had done him such a big favor, so he naturally wanted to return the favor. They suggested recording the trivialities of his daily life, and he agreed, not minding that they would make a documentary about him.
Zhou Ling and Zhou Chuan both followed Zhou Na's advice and did not cause any trouble or provoke Zhou Chen. Those who vandalized the stinky tofu shop were arrested and severely punished, making the two realize that things were tense and they should be careful.
The two were keeping an eye on what was happening at the stinky tofu shop.
The two knew everything, such as county leaders personally tasting stinky tofu and the presence of many customers from other places.
Zhou Chen's business was pulled back from the brink of collapse, and most importantly, he gained the support of the county leaders.
With county leaders personally attending and tasting the product, most people's reservations were dispelled, and the stinky tofu business improved day by day.
The two were both resentful and jealous, but there was nothing they could do. Their biggest worry now was whether the investigation would reach them.
This caused me to sleep restlessly every night, often waking up suddenly in the middle of the night, afraid that Uncle Hat would come to my door.
Zhou Chen was unaware of Zhou Ling and Zhou Chuan's anxieties, as he was preoccupied with another matter.
During the period when the stinky tofu business resumed operation
Because he didn't know Xu Mengya that day and turned to leave, Xu Mengya's proud self-esteem was hurt. A lot of her "love rivals" became quite hostile towards him, sending him all sorts of notes warning him to stay away from Xu Mengya, saying that he was not good enough for her, and so on.
Zhou Chen found this childish behavior amusing.
He ignored the bunch of kids who were making demands on him, a man who had lived two lives. How could these outsiders possibly decide his life?
He can do whatever he wants.
No one can interfere or force it.
certainly,
He had no interest in Xu Mengya and would not pay attention to or contact her.
However,
Xu Mengya would always deliberately appear in front of him, sometimes so that he couldn't avoid her even if he wanted to. Especially her pair of pitiful eyes, which made him look so endearing. At that time, Zhou Chen could hear the sound of many male classmates' hearts breaking.
He remained unmoved even in the face of similar situations.
Whether it was his actions or not, they aroused Xu Mengya's competitive spirit. Not only did Xu Mengya not give up, but she also appeared at the door of Zhou Chen's classroom more and more frequently.
The classroom door was often packed with people.
The girls were filled with annoyance at this, secretly comparing themselves to Xu Mengya, wondering where they fell short.
The boys went from being jealous and hateful of Zhou Chen to envying him, and finally wanting to be like him. In short, Zhou Chen's cold attitude towards Xu Mengya aroused the dissatisfaction of many boys, who felt he didn't know how to cherish women.
Some people went even further, saying that Zhou Chen might not like girls and prefer men.
Fortunately, no one believed these comments, because Zhou Chen only kept his distance from Xu Mengya, like a female member of the school team, and they chatted and laughed together.
Actually, Zhou Chen was also having a headache at the moment.
He couldn't understand why Xu Mengya, a school beauty adored by many, was going against him.
Should we talk to her?
This explains why I don't want to be in a relationship.
This little girl shouldn't be unable to handle such a blow and do something foolish.
...
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