Chapter 251 Losing Face and Seeking Revenge

Chapter 251 Losing Face and Seeking Revenge

Xu Qingqing watched their retreating figures, clutching her apron angrily: "They were clearly deliberately making things difficult for us! That's too much!"

Su Yingxue remained calm, picking at the freshly delivered vegetables as she said, "We've done nothing wrong, so we're not afraid of being investigated. We just need to be more careful in the future and not give them any opportunity to take advantage of us."

But the trouble didn't end there. A few days later, the farmers who usually delivered ingredients to them suddenly sent word that someone had come looking for them and threatened to cause trouble for the farmers if they continued to supply their shop.

Although the farmers were reluctant, they had to politely decline due to the other party's threats, and for a time, the supply of fresh local pork and seasonal vegetables was cut off.

Without good ingredients, home-cooked dishes lose their soul, and Su Yingxue was so anxious that she inquired about sources of ingredients everywhere.

For two consecutive days, I worked from dawn till dusk, running all over the surrounding villages and towns before finally finding a few reliable farmers to barely keep the shop's supply going. However, the journey was longer, and the daily back and forth made me much more tired than usual.

What's even more upsetting is that several unidentified people have been waiting outside the shop for several days in a row. Whenever someone comes to eat, they go up and whisper a few words, saying that the shop is unsanitary or that something has been put in the food.

Many customers who originally intended to visit hesitated after being persuaded, and business was much quieter than usual.

Xu Qingqing was so angry that she wanted to go forward and argue, but Su Yingxue stopped her: "It's no use getting angry with them. It will only give them something to hold against us. Let's just focus on making our own dishes. In time, everyone will naturally understand right and wrong."

Even with such forbearance, the other party became increasingly demanding.

One evening, just as they were about to close up shop, the skinny director showed up with two burly men. As soon as they entered, they kicked over the low table by the door, smashing bowls and chopsticks all over the floor. They yelled that Su Yingxue should apologize to them and that Xu Qingqing should come into the entertainment circle with them to "apologize," or they would smash up the shop.

Xu Qingqing was so frightened that she stepped back, but she still managed to stand firmly beside Su Yingxue.

Su Yingxue shielded her behind her, her eyes as cold as ice, and faced the thin director directly: "You have to pay for whatever you smashed in my shop. As for an apology, I'm sorry, I can't accept it—you were the one who made a lewd move first, then maliciously reported me, and today you're causing trouble here again. Do you really think no one cares about this place?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion arose at the alley entrance. Several crew members who frequently dined there escorted a man as he approached; it was none other than Director Ye, the chief director of "Chang'an Banquet." Ye Lu hated these corrupt practices within the industry the most.

I had heard of the skinny director's reputation before, and when I happened to pass by today and saw this scene, my face immediately darkened: "Li Kun, what nonsense are you making here!"

Upon seeing Ye Lu, the thin director panicked, his arrogance instantly diminished, and he stammered, unable to utter a word. Director Zhang gave him no chance to explain, and ordered the people around him, "Take him away. I will report this to the industry association. From now on, we will not give people like him any more chances."

He then turned to Su Yingxue, his face full of apology: "Su Yingxue, I'm sorry, I've wronged you. You're a black sheep in the industry, I will definitely give you an explanation."

It turned out that the shop's difficulties in recent days had been noticed by its regular customers, and someone had specifically told Director Zhang about it.

Director Ye was grateful to Su Yingxue for her hard work in guiding the dishes for "Chang'an Banquet," and he detested such behavior of bullying others and taking advantage of younger generations. So he rushed over immediately.

After the thin director and the others were taken away, Director Ye gave them a few more instructions, saying that if anyone caused trouble again, they should just come to him.

Regular customers at the neighboring tables also came forward to comfort them, saying they would definitely bring more friends to support the business in the future, and the shop entrance quickly returned to its usual bustling state.

Xu Qingqing looked at the mess on the ground, her eyes reddened, but she smiled and said to Su Yingxue, "Sister Su, we finally made it through!"

Su Yingxue bent down to clean up the broken dishes. Although her fingertips were covered in dust, she had a reassuring smile on her face: "Yes, we got through it. You see, as long as we do our job well and treat people sincerely, there will always be someone to help us. The warmth in this everyday life is never a lonely battle."

Despite this incident, the small shop not only did not collapse, but its reputation grew even more thanks to Director Ye's righteous words and the support of regular customers.

Many people come for the fair and honest proprietress and the authentic home-style dishes. The shop is packed every day, even more popular than before.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Yingxue set a rule to reserve a few affordable set meals each day, specifically for extras and laborers in the film crew, so that the warmth and hustle and bustle of this small shop could be more genuine.

Su Yingxue knew in her heart that after this incident, Wang Qian would definitely not let it go. However, she now had a solid reputation and confidence, and was no longer afraid of those scheming schemes in the shadows.

Looking at the flickering flames in the stove and thinking about the melting snow on Wushan Mountain, she became more and more determined—no matter how many troubles lay ahead, as long as she and Xu Qingqing guarded this pot, this shop, and their original passion for home-cooked meals, they would always be able to live a warm and fulfilling life.

Unable to swallow this insult, and seeing that Li San had been blacklisted by the industry association and that her own connections in Hengdian had been severely damaged because of this incident, Wang Qian decided to go all out and completely cut off Su Yingxue's livelihood.

She hired some local thugs to cause trouble at the food storage area behind the shop at night. They not only overturned the freshly delivered vegetables, but also splashed dirty water at the entrance, trying to completely ruin the shop's reputation.

Just as dawn broke, Xu Qingqing arrived at the shop first. Seeing the scene, she was so angry that her eyes turned red. She hurriedly cleaned up the mess. When Su Yingxue arrived, she was unusually calm when she saw the mess on the floor.

She asked Xu Qingqing to clean up first, while she picked up her phone and pulled up the surveillance footage she had specially installed earlier. After the food supplies were cut off that day, she had become more cautious and installed cameras at both the front and back doors. Last night's farce was captured clearly, and the person in charge could be vaguely seen in the footage, who was none other than Wang Qian's henchman.

Su Yingxue didn't rush to the door. First, she copied the surveillance footage and handed it over to the local police. Then she contacted Director Zhang. Unexpectedly, just after she sent the message, Shen Yu called first.

Shen Yu met her through the film "Chang'an Banquet". During the filming, she ate the crew's boxed meals every day and missed her beef hot pot soup the most. When she heard that her shop had been maliciously vandalized, she immediately frowned and said: "Sister Su, don't panic. I will help you spread the word. People in the industry hate such despicable methods the most."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Yu immediately posted on Weibo, along with a screenshot of the surveillance footage, stating, "It's heartbreaking to see Sister Su's excellent skills being wasted; malicious sabotage is truly shameful."

She already had a considerable following, and with the recent airing of "The Banquet in Chang'an," she has become a minor top star. This post instantly sparked heated discussions.

"Who is this Wang Qian? I do know Su Yingxue."

"I looked it up, and it turns out Su Yingxue used to be an actress! I've even seen her in supporting roles."

"How come he disappeared from the entertainment industry afterward? His acting skills weren't bad at all!"