"Don't be nervous, take your time and explain what happened," said Gu Jinchen calmly as he observed Lin Yun's anxious demeanor. The more flustered one becomes, the harder it is to express oneself clearly.
The more significant the matter, the more carefully it needs to be explained, for better resolution.
Hearing Gu Jinchen's words, Lin Yun took a deep breath and proceeded to recount the events that had unfolded at the restaurant that day.
It seemed that one of their regular patrons had come for a meal at their First Class Pavilion.
Everything went smoothly while the patron was dining.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the restaurant after finishing his meal, he suddenly collapsed and started vomiting blood.
Upon witnessing this, Er Zhu urgently called for a doctor.
Soon after, some bystanders outside the restaurant started shouting without restraint.
"Someone's been killed! The food at First Class Pavilion has killed someone!"
Lin Yun mimicked the shouts he had heard for Luo Ge and the others.
Hearing the commotion outside, the other diners inside the restaurant also panicked. Among them, another patron who had ordered the same dishes as the collapsed regular also suddenly fainted and lost consciousness.
Seeing this situation, coupled with the earlier shouts, people started believing that the food from their restaurant had indeed claimed lives.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
By now, Lin Yun and his brother had become official staff at the restaurant due to the increasing number of customers, and Lin Lin had been assigned to help in the kitchen.
He had personally witnessed the preparation of those two dishes and served them to the customers himself, so he was certain there was no issue.
Reacting quickly, Lin Lin sampled the leftovers from the unconscious patron's dish in front of everyone.
"Look, I'm eating it too, and I'm fine!" Lin Lin exclaimed, trying to prove that the food from their restaurant was safe, as he remained unharmed after consuming it.
...Although this action was a bit reckless, his intentions were good.
Some people hesitated upon witnessing this, but for some reason, others started shouting again.
"You only ate a little bit, of course you're fine!"
"Moreover, you brought the dish out yourselves, how can we be sure it's the same food he ate? We didn't see where you got it from."
"Look at this man, he's vomiting blood, and you say he's fine? The man is right here!"
"It's not just one person, but two in a row. How can you claim there's no problem?"
"You must be trying to evade responsibility and put on an act!"
"Murderers must pay with their lives, you heartless people have been cursed by the heavens!"
As these accusations flew one after another, no matter how Er Zhu and the others tried to explain, no one believed them anymore.
Sensing the situation was spiraling out of control, Lin Yun rushed out from the backyard to find Luo Ge and the others.
"Madam, what should we do?" he asked, his distress evident.
Even the two young ones had started to worry upon hearing Lin Yun's account, indicating the gravity of the situation.
Luo Ge and Gu Jinchen exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing in concern.
Just from Lin Yun's narration, it was evident that the perpetrators had employed sophisticated tactics and meticulous planning to frame them.
Not to mention anything else, the fact that they targeted a regular patron was already a daring and frightening move.
Choosing a regular patron was the easiest way to implicate them, yet also the most difficult to frame them successfully.
It was easy because if even a regular patron encountered issues at their restaurant, it would seem to indicate severe problems with their establishment.
Conversely, since the regular patron had dined there numerous times before without any issues, this could also serve as evidence of their restaurant's safety.
However, those instigators made a valid point.
One incident might be excusable, but two incidents occurring simultaneously made it nearly impossible to defend themselves.
Previously, they had heard stories of attempts to frame restaurants by using days-old corpses or individuals who had consumed drugs themselves, but those tactics paled in comparison to the current situation.
"We'll handle this back at the restaurant. You go and report to the authorities, and make sure to request the officer named Hu Jun to investigate the case," Gu Jinchen instructed, and Luo Ge nodded in agreement.
"Understood," Lin Yun replied without further questions, immediately heading towards the local magistrate's office.
As they entered the restaurant's backyard, they could hear the commotion outside.
Taking a deep breath, Luo Ge turned to the two young ones.
"You two stay here with Uncle Gu Dong, while your uncle and I go out to deal with this," she said.
Gu Dong and Gu Xi had been assisting at the busy restaurant during this period.
Upon hearing Luo Ge's words, Gu Jinchen's brow furrowed with concern. "Wife, you should stay here. I'll go handle it."
Knowing his worries, Luo Ge responded candidly, "But you're not good with words and may end up being taken advantage of."
This husband of hers had always been inept at verbal sparring. Although he had improved since starting the business, his skills were still lacking.
Gu Jinchen: "......"
He couldn't argue with her assessment.
"Then you can stand behind me," he said, concerned that someone might take advantage of the chaos to harm her.
"Alright, don't worry. Don't forget that I'm not as delicate as I may seem," Luo Ge reassured him.
".....Okay."
The two young ones, understanding the gravity of the situation, obediently stayed in the backyard to avoid causing further complications.
"Uncle, Auntie, please be careful," they cautioned.
Seeing their concern, Luo Ge and Gu Jinchen nodded.
"We will."
At that moment, from outside...
"The official is here! The official has arrived!"
"Official, it's them, the First Class Pavilion has killed someone. Look, someone's dead!"
As they approached the entrance of the restaurant, they heard these shouts, causing them to pause momentarily and narrow their eyes in unison.
They didn't expect the perpetrators to proactively report to the authorities, surpassing even the typical scenario where the guilty party remains silent due to fear of implicating themselves.
The mastermind behind this was truly daring, acting as if they had the utmost confidence to bring about the restaurant's downfall.
"Fellow villager, don't make baseless accusations! The person is still alive!" a voice interrupted before Luo Ge or the officials could respond.
It was the doctor who had been summoned, admonishing the accuser.
How could one curse someone when the person was still alive?
At that moment, the two affected patrons had been carried to the side of the restaurant, and the doctor was examining them.
"Doctor Ming?" Upon recognizing the physician, Luo Ge and Gu Jinchen were both surprised and relieved.
It seemed that Doctor Ming sensed Lin Yun and the others' gaze. As he looked up at them, he also gave them a reassuring gaze.
"Gu Dong."
"Madame."
Er Zhu also felt relieved when he saw Luo Ge and the others appear, just like seeing his boss.
Among the crowd surrounding First Class Pavilion, a few people's eyes lit up visibly when they saw Luo Ge and Gu Jinchen.
They exchanged glances with each other, revealing eerie smiles.
"It's them..." They are the owners of this First Class Pavilion!
Just as those few were about to open their mouths and rile up the crowd to attack Luo Ge and the others, the officers spoke up first, interrupting them.
"What's going on here?"
The two officers who came to handle the situation had also come with Hu Jun before, and they recognized Luo Ge and the others.
Recalling the previous situation, they had some thoughts in mind, but still asked upon seeing the current circumstances.
The sounds around were chaotic. Although the instigating voices were suppressed before they could finish, Luo Ge and the others still clearly noticed them.
Gu Jinchen calmly scanned in that direction, remembering a few faces.
"Officers, the owners of First Class Pavilion have harmed people. Look, these two people have collapsed."
"I saw it with my own eyes. That person had just come out of First Class Pavilion and started coughing blood as soon as he stepped out the door, then collapsed."
"The other one too, we watched him collapse inside."
"They must have eaten something from First Class Pavilion that caused this, First Class Pavilion has harmed people!"
"Not just us, even the diners inside can testify."
"That person at the back, he collapsed while eating the food!"
Before Luo Ge and the others could speak, the people outside took the initiative first.
Upon hearing this, the officer frowned and turned to Luo Ge and the others: "Is what they said true?"
Luo Ge respectfully greeted the officer: "Officer, customers have indeed suffered misfortune in our pavilion, and we bear responsibility for this. However, we never intended to harm anyone. The dishes served have been thoroughly checked and confirmed to have no issues. I implore the officer to investigate this matter fairly!"
"We opened this pavilion to conduct business and make a living. It would be illogical for us to sabotage our own livelihood and reputation."
These words made everyone present ponder. Even those instigators were stumped.
Indeed, they opened their doors to conduct business and earn a living. So why would they do something that would damage their business?
That didn't seem to make sense.
Seeing the people present murmuring in agreement with Luo Ge's words, those few instigators quickly regained their senses.
"Hmph, you say there's nothing wrong with the food just because you say so?"
"Putting aside the collapsed victims right here, there are plenty of greedy businesses that substitute inferior goods to cheat customers!"
"Or the owners mistreat their staff, and disgruntled employees seek revenge by harming customers. There are many such cases!"
"These are all common problems for businesses!"
"And didn't we hear that the previous manager of First Class Pavilion was arrested for trying to drug customers by putting something in the flour? That's why he was suddenly replaced, right?"
Upon hearing the last sentence, the crowd erupted in an uproar.
"So that's why there was a change in management!"
