Su Yun'er raised her arm and pressed it down a few times, signaling everyone to listen to her.
The crowd quieted down, and Su Yun'er said, "Fellow villagers, I dare to swear on my life that I absolutely did not learn this candied hawthorn from the people of Lingyue Tower."
It's clearly something I learned from an online friend in my past life!
"Let me go, let me go!" The man was still struggling and trying to break free, but Song Muqiang was extremely strong and he couldn't move an inch.
"Since everyone has discovered that this person is a waiter at Lingyue Tower, his words are not credible. If the manager of Lingyue Tower already knew about this practice, why didn't he sell it earlier? Why wait until several days after I started selling it? Besides, I've never met the manager of Lingyue Tower before, so how would I know what he does, or how could I possibly go to him to beg him to call me? All of this is very illogical!"
“That’s right. My sister came up with this business on her own, but Lingyuelou snatched it away. Now they’re trying to play the victim and make false accusations. I wonder if any of you here have ever bought candied hawthorns from my sister? Would you be willing to stand up and testify for us?” Song Shanqiang asked the onlookers.
From outside the crowd, a clear voice said, "I, I can testify."
The crowd parted automatically, everyone craning their necks to see who it was.
He turned out to be a refined and cultured scholar.
"Young lady, we meet again." The scholar nodded slightly to Su Yun'er and Song Muqiang.
"It's you!" Su Yun'er recognized the man. He was the scholar who had made the onlookers drool with his words on the first day she sold candied hawthorns and candied berries.
“My surname is Zheng,” Zheng Gaoxuan said, then repeated to the crowd, “I can testify for this young lady.”
"You scholar, what do you know? Why are you qualified to testify?" the waiter said indignantly.
"I am a scholar from the twentieth year of Youyuan. Since childhood, I have followed the teachings of my teachers to be an upright person who speaks the truth." Before Zheng Gaoxuan finished speaking, cheers erupted from the crowd.
This dynasty valued both literature and martial arts. Scholars were not required to kneel before officials, and studying was a very expensive affair, not every family could afford it. Therefore, the common people generally respected scholars.
The boy looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. He had passed the imperial examination a few years ago when he was only thirteen or fourteen. Moreover, judging from his appearance and demeanor, he seemed to be an upright and trustworthy person.
Su Yun'er couldn't help but marvel at her good luck.
With Zheng Gaoxuan testifying for himself, as long as the evidence he presents later is organized and logical, the vast majority of people will be convinced.
Over there, Zheng Gaoxuan began explaining his evidence: "I was fortunate enough to witness this young lady's first sale of candied hawthorns and taffy. At the time, none of the onlookers knew what these things were; none of them had ever seen them before. Later, I was lucky enough to buy some and took them to meet my classmate to share. Our meeting place was Lingyue Tower. Manager Wen of Lingyue Tower saw us refilling our water and even asked what they were. This shows that Manager Wen of Lingyue Tower had no idea what these things were before this young lady started selling candied hawthorns and taffy. It's absolutely impossible that he told her how to make them. You, young shop assistant, are clearly slandering someone!"
After these words were spoken, everyone suddenly realized what had happened and began to accuse the young waiter of lying.
Su Yun'er breathed a sigh of relief and said to the young waiter, "This... waiter, you just slandered me. Now everything is clear, and you should apologize to me."
"Who wants to apologize to you? Who knows if you two were in cahoots? Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!" Song Muqiang suddenly tightened his grip, and the young man immediately felt excruciating pain.
"Big brother, don't hurt him!" Su Yun'er quickly stopped him.
What started as a verbal altercation shouldn't escalate into vigilante justice.
Upon hearing Su Yun'er's words, Song Muqiang loosened his grip, and the young waiter seized the opportunity, twisting his body to break free and immediately darting into the crowd and running away.
Song Muqiang wanted to chase after her, but Su Yun'er stopped him again.
"Forget it, brother, where could he run off to? He'll just run back to Lingyue Tower. Let's go to the entrance of Lingyue Tower and see if there's anywhere we can set up a stall." Su Yun'er's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
So Song Muqiang drove the oxcart slowly toward Lingyue Tower.
Some people wanted to join in the fun, so a large group of people followed the oxcart, which attracted even more onlookers along the way.
They arrived at the entrance of Lingyue Tower in a grand procession.
Song Muqiang found an open space by the roadside and set up a temporary candied hawthorn stall with Su Yun'er.
Clearing her throat, Su Yun'er's gaze swept over the crowded onlookers, and she began to hawk her wares.
"Come and take a look, everyone! Don't miss out! Freshly baked snowflake sugar balls, candied hawthorns, and candied yams! The sour fruit coated in sugar is sweet and sour, and the yams are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It's definitely a delicious treat you've never tasted before!"
"We select only the best quality fruits, with no rotten spots or wormholes. We don't use small fruits to cheat customers. The yams are all soft, sweet, and fragrant. The sugar coating is even, ensuring that every bite is sweet and refreshing! Unlike some unscrupulous merchants who cut corners!"
Some people understood the long string of hawking calls and laughed out loud, while others didn't and quickly asked the people who were laughing what was going on.
For a time, the entrance to Lingyue Tower was bustling with activity.
Inside Lingyue Tower.
The diners were drawn by the commotion downstairs and got up to go to the window to see what was going on.
Behind the counter, the young shop assistant who had caused trouble earlier was whispering in the shopkeeper's ear.
"That's how it is, boss. What should we do?" the young waiter asked anxiously after explaining everything.
"That young lady doesn't seem easy to mess with. And you, why did you have to go and stir up trouble like this!" The shopkeeper, surnamed Wen, was furious.
"I'm just afraid they'll tarnish our restaurant's reputation," the young man pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved.
"Since that scholar spoke up for her, things are getting complicated. If it weren't for him, we could just make up a few lies and be fine, but what are we going to do now?"
Manager Wen was worrying when suddenly he heard the crowd outside shouting the name of Lingyue Tower.
He was startled, unaware of what was happening outside.
Another waiter ran over and said, "Boss, something's wrong! Those people outside are shouting for Lingyue Tower to apologize. Come out and take a look!"
Upon hearing this, Manager Wen was in a real bind. He slapped the troublemaker on the head and hurriedly ran out to check the situation.
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