Chapter 18 Rumors and the Truth of Taste
# Chapter 18 Rumors and the Truth of Taste
Five days after the regulatory agency clarified the misunderstanding, the morning mist still hung over Qingxi Village, and Chen Wang was taking tourists to the shared fields to pick blueberries. The old "Lanfeng" variety was perfectly ripe, its purplish berries coated in a layer of white frost. The tourists savoured the blueberries as they picked and tasted them, praising them endlessly. Suddenly, Chen Wang's phone vibrated. A message from a local lifestyle blogger popped up. The headline pierced his eyes like a thorn: "Does Qingxi's 'miracle fruit' have hidden dangers? Tourists suffer vomiting and diarrhea after eating it, suspected to contain unidentified chemicals."
His fingertips tensed as he clicked on the video. In the camera, Su Qing sat by a window in a cafe, her makeup delicate, but her eyes held just the right amount of worry. She held up a blurry medical certificate: "My friend went to Qingxi Village to pick fruit last week and came back with vomiting and diarrhea. The doctor said it might be the chemicals in the fruit... I'm really worried. Has Chen Wang been blinded by profit?"
The video also featured clips of "tourists" clutching their stomachs, and the shaky frame clearly indicated a staged scene. Chen Wang's Adam's apple twitched. Reason told him it was fake, but his heart still pounded. Su Qing had even brought up her "friends," so could there really be some misunderstanding? He was about to call Su Qing to confirm when he heard hurried footsteps in the backyard.
Lin Xiaoman rushed in, her hair a little messy from the wind. She clutched her phone. The screen showed the town hospital's response: "There have been no records of tourists seeking medical treatment for consuming fruit in the past week. The diagnosis number doesn't exist and is suspected to be forged." Her voice was a little trembling, but she was firm: "Su Qing is lying! She even photoshopped the diagnosis!"
Chen Wang looked at the bloodshot in Lin Xiaoman's eyes and suddenly realized that Su Qing wasn't worried about him; she wanted to completely destroy Qingxi Village's traditional breed business and force him back to the city. He clenched his phone tightly. Su Qing's "worry" in the video was particularly glaring. His previous hesitation, like a spark soaked by cold water, was completely extinguished.
Before they could discuss countermeasures, a noisy sound of footsteps could be heard at the courtyard entrance. A dozen people, cell phones in hand, rushed in, led by the blogger from the video. He pointed the microphone directly at Chen Wang's face and said, "Mr. Chen! Do you dare to explain why tourists get sick after eating your fruit? Are you adding something you shouldn't be adding just to make money?"
"Our fruit has passed official testing and there are no problems!" Chen Wang stepped aside to block Lin Xiaoman behind him. He pulled out the test report from his canvas bag and unfolded it for everyone to see. "This is the report issued by the Market Supervision Bureau. All indicators are qualified!"
But the crowd didn't even read the report. Some people reached out to pull the tomato vines, shouting "Pull out these poisonous things"; some people held up their mobile phones to take pictures of the strawberries on the ground, muttering "This fruit doesn't look normal"; and a strong man tried to push Lin Xiaoman away and rush into the workshop. Wangfu rushed to protect him, but was kicked hard by him. He whimpered and shrank to Chen Wang's feet.
"Don't touch them!" Lin Xiaoman rushed forward to stop the man, blocking the tomato rack with her arms, "These are old varieties grown by the villagers together, they are not poisonous! Su Qing's video is fake!" She didn't have much strength, but stood straight, like a stubborn sapling.
Chen Wang quickly supported Lin Xiaoman, fearing she might get bumped. Seeing her wind-torn hair and Wangfu's aggrieved expression, his anger finally overwhelmed his restraint—Su Qing had even spared innocent villagers and crops to force him. He turned to the crowd, his voice deeper than usual: "If you don't believe me, you can check the records at the town hospital or ask tourists who have come here to pick fruits before. Don't be fooled by rumors!"
"We can testify!" Grandma Zhang suddenly squeezed in with a dozen elderly tourists. Aunt Li, holding up an empty strawberry jam jar, spoke in a booming voice, "I come here every week to buy strawberry jam. I've been eating it for three months and I'm feeling much better! Last week, I saw Su Qing secretly talking to the boss who wanted to expropriate our land at the village entrance. Maybe he wants to destroy our old breed!"
"Yes! My grandson ate a tomato yesterday and was fine!" Another uncle took out his phone and showed a photo of his grandson smiling while holding a tomato. "This fruit is sweeter than the ones you buy in the city. It's naturally sweet, not added with anything!"
The crowd began to waver, some whispering, "Could it really be a rumor?" Just then, the "honeyheart fruit" vine in the backyard suddenly shook, and several ripe fruits fell, rolling to the feet of the most skeptical people. The fruit's smooth pink-orange skin cracked slightly, and a sweet fragrance wafted out, tempting everyone to try it.
"Is this fruit... edible?" A girl in a white T-shirt squatted down, picked up one hesitantly, and looked up at Lin Xiaoman.
Lin Xiaoman picked up one, peeled it, revealing the snow-white flesh. She took a bite and said, "We eat it every day. If it were poisonous, Chen Wang, the villagers, and I would have been in trouble long ago." Chen Wang also picked up one, and the sweetness of the flesh spread across his tongue. There was no trace of any strange flavor, only the rich, mellow flavor unique to old-growth crops. The villagers also picked up the fruit and ate it, their calm expressions dispelling many people's doubts.
The girl took a small bite and her eyes lit up instantly. "It's so sweet! It doesn't have any strange taste at all, and it's very refreshing!" She held up the fruit and said to the camera, "Look everyone, this fruit is naturally sweet, it doesn't look like it was added with anything!"
More and more people followed suit, and the skepticism gradually turned into amazement. Someone zoomed in on the medical certificate in the video and suddenly shouted, "This official seal is fake! I've worked in a hospital, and the official seal on a proper medical certificate wouldn't be this blurry!"
The crowd fell silent. The leading blogger paled, quietly pocketed his phone, and tried to retreat. At that moment, several police cars pulled up at the gate. Officers entered and walked straight toward the man who had kicked Wangfu. "We've reported you for being paid to spread rumors. Come with us."
The burly man struggled, shouting, "I didn't want to cause this trouble! Su Qing paid us to film this scene and even promised us more money after we were done!"
The truth penetrated the clouds like sunshine, and the troublemakers dispersed. Some of them apologized to Chen Wang and Lin Xiaoman before leaving: "We are sorry, we believed the rumors. We will buy your fruits again in the future." The blogger also deleted the video, posted a long article to clarify, and took the initiative to advertise the old variety of crops.
In the evening, the setting sun painted the shared farmland a warm golden color. The tomato racks that had been knocked over had been rebuilt, and the fallen blueberries were carefully collected and placed in small boxes for tourists to sample. Chen Wang squatted on the ground, rubbing Wangfu's kicked leg. Wangfu rubbed his hand comfortably.
Lin Xiaoman came over and handed him a bottle of boiled water: "Drink some water, you've been busy all afternoon."
Chen Wang took the water and looked up at her. The setting sun fell on her face, casting a faint shadow on her eyelashes. A faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and the panic and anger she had just felt seemed to be soothed by the setting sun. He suddenly felt guilty and said softly, "I'm sorry, before... I shouldn't have hesitated with Su Qing. I made you and the villagers feel wronged."
Lin Xiaoman squatted down and looked him in the eye. There was no blame in her eyes, only tenderness: "I know you didn't mean it. Besides, we got through it together, didn't we?" She picked up a "honey heart fruit" and passed it to Chen Wang's mouth, "Try it again, it seems even sweeter today."
Chen Wang took a bite, and the sweetness spread to his heart, warming him more than ever. He looked into Lin Xiaoman's eyes and wanted to say something, like "I will only protect you and Qingxi Village from now on," or "I love you," but he swallowed the words back when they reached his lips - he wanted to find a more solemn time to speak his mind.
Wangfu suddenly stood up and ran over, carrying Lin Xiaoman's canvas bag in his mouth. His old variety notes fell out, and he turned to the page with the pear leaf bookmark. Chen Wang picked it up and handed it back to Lin Xiaoman. His fingertips accidentally touched her hand. They both paused, then gently separated, their faces a little hot.
As the sun sets, the wind blows through the shared fields, gently swaying the tomato leaves and wafting the sweet fragrance of blueberries. Those unspoken feelings, those gentle moments hidden in our daily lives, will, at the right moment, slowly blossom and bear fruit, like old crops.
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