As the crowd witnessed this, they understood everything clearly, especially with the evidence presented by the leading man.
From the leading man's words, they learned that Spring Bloom Pavilion had done similar things to many other restaurants, making them despise Spring Bloom Pavilion even more.
People are like this - when Spring Bloom Pavilion was popular, they felt honored to eat there and brag about it.
But now that they knew the truth, they immediately looked down on it.
"From now on, I'd rather die than eat at Spring Bloom Pavilion again! Not to mention getting it for free, I wouldn't even want to go there if they paid me!"
"I'm afraid eating their food might bring me bad luck!"
"I'm not going there either, that place is truly disgusting!"
"I never expected the young owner of Spring Bloom Pavilion to be such a person. Given their shared ancestry, the old owner probably isn't any better!"
"Phew!"
"If anyone still goes to Spring Bloom Pavilion to eat, we'll spit at them!"
"Yes! Phew!"
...Amid the crowd's disdain, the few rhythm-leading men were also arrested by the officials.
"Be careful." Seeing Luo Ge standing outside, Gu Jinchen couldn't help but put his arm around her.
"Thank you to our two benefactors."
At that moment, the few men being arrested walked past them, and a voice rang out. The two turned to see it was none other than the skinny man.
Seeing the two looking at him, the skinny man smiled at them before leaving with the officials.
Seeing this, the couple Luo Ge and Gu Jinchen exchanged a glance, seeming to understand something.
This skinny man was named Chen Hou, a former thief who often hung around in the underground world.
Since he was a sworn brother with those rhythm-leading men, he couldn't be much better than them.
Those rhythm-leading men remained quite calm throughout the ordeal.
His brain couldn't possibly be that dull, and even if he was timid, he wouldn't have confessed after just a few scares.
And the fact that he was assigned the crucial task of drugging the food meant he must have some capability.
Even if First Class Pavilion was well-guarded and he had no opportunity to tamper with the food, if he sensed trouble, he could have fled.
The reason he acted that way was because he learned from Old County Magistrate that Gu Jinchen was the one who had rescued several children from human traffickers.
Gu Jinchen usually kept a low profile, so despite his recent fame, few recognized him.
Yes, it was quite a coincidence.
Chen Hou had a son who was among the children rescued by Gu Jinchen and his group.
But since Chen Hou's work wasn't respectable, and the villagers looked down on him, he didn't know about the collective visit to Gu Family Village that day.
Therefore, he had never seen Gu Jinchen and his group in person and couldn't recognize them.
When he was about to take advantage of the chaos, Old County Magistrate and others arrived, and he learned that Gu Jinchen was the benefactor who saved his son's life.
Although he wasn't a good person, he was a father, and grateful for Gu Jinchen's life-saving deed for his child. He understood the importance of repaying kindness.
So that was the reason behind his actions.
It was the only good deed of his life, to repay his benefactor...
"I will have people deal with the Spring Bloom Pavilion incident after returning. Brother Gu, please rest assured.
Now that the matter is resolved, I won't linger any longer. Doctor Ming, Brother Gu, Sister-in-law, farewell."
Seeing Hu Jun and others taking the men away, Old County Magistrate didn't stay long either.
"Safe travels, Your Excellency." Upon hearing this, Luo Ge and Gu Jinchen bowed to Old County Magistrate.
After seeing Old County Magistrate off, Luo Ge and her husband turned to the two guests and bowed.
"We have caused you inconvenience today. Please accept this small token, and you can dine at our pavilion for free in the future."
Upon hearing this, the two stewards hurriedly presented the silver and gifts they had prepared.
What happened today was indeed their fault, almost costing the guests their lives, so this apology was only right.
Hearing this, Wang Bai waved his hand: "Owner Gu, Madam Luo, there's no need for this. Not to mention Lin Guest's situation, but in my case, I'm quite clear."
"If anything, it was I who brought trouble to you today. It was you who saved my life." Wang Bai turned to Doctor Ming.
"Thank you, Doctor Ming, for saving my life. I'm deeply grateful."
Doctor Ming waved his hand: "Old me came to visit Owner Gu today and happened to encounter this incident by chance. There's no need to dwell on it."
This was a polite refusal, implying that he only intervened because of Gu Jinchen and his group. So Wang Bai should be thanking Gu Jinchen and Luo Ge instead.
As a smart man, Wang Bai understood.
"You're right, Doctor. Thank you, Owner Gu and Madam Luo."
"I will definitely visit you another day. But today I have matters to attend to at home, so I must take my leave now."
His situation with the poisonous medicine was clearly unrelated to those who harmed First Class Pavilion, so he had to return home to deal with whoever was trying to kill him.
Hearing this, Luo Ge and her husband understood: "Very well, take care on your way."
"Yes."
Seeing Wang Bai leave, Lin Guest was not as courteous, for he had suffered an injustice by nearly losing his life over a mere meal.
But Luo Ge and her husband had shown good grace in their handling of the matter, so Lin Guest happily accepted their gesture.
"Well, I won't stand on ceremony then. Remember, you've promised future meals for free."
Seeing Lin Guest's frankness, Luo Ge and her husband smiled: "Of course."
The remaining crowd, seeing how properly Luo Ge and her husband treated the wronged guests, nodded in approval.
Their good impression of First Class Pavilion deepened further.
With the matter resolved, the crowd dispersed.
This incident spread quickly through their gossip.
One tells ten, ten tells a hundred.
The spread of word-of-mouth is the most powerful, and within a day, the news about Spring Bloom Pavilion had spread throughout the entire provincial capital.
Their business plummeted overnight.
In contrast, First Class Pavilion benefited from the misfortune and gained even more renown.
