Having just seen the Chili Sauce Factory, now looking at Hu Aimei’s kitchen at home, the stark contrast made it difficult for not only the elders from South City, but also Xu Yong, to convince themselves that Hu Aimei’s husband had gotten diarrhea from the chili sauce rather than from improperly prepared food at home.
After taking pictures, Xu Yong took out a notebook and asked Hu Aimei what Li Jianbin had eaten the day he fell ill and when he went to the hospital, along with the hospital’s diagnostic process—he asked about everything.
Listening to the murmurs around her and those undisguised looks, Hu Aimei felt mocked: as if they were saying her kitchen was too dirty.
Hu Aimei felt wronged in her heart. She was already older when she had her two children and had to do some odd jobs to earn a living. She was just too exhausted every day, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Xu Yong’s questions were very specific and direct. Asked several times, a guilty Hu Aimei couldn’t remember clearly and could only give vague answers. Unfortunately, Xu Yong was a journalist, and her vagueness only led to his more incisive questioning, "Ms. Hu, are you saying Mr. Li truly fell ill because of the chili sauce?"
Before Hu Aimei could answer, Xu Yong continued, "Ms. Hu, lying may come at no cost, but everyone has to be responsible for their words."
Though Xu Yong wasn’t tall, he possessed an air of integrity. His forceful questioning and sharp gaze that seemed to see through everything made Hu Aimei feel like the secret she and Li Jianbin desperately wanted to hide couldn’t be kept at all.
"I’ve told the truth," Hu Aimei’s eyes flickered as she looked at the crowd filling the courtyard. She covered her face and cried, "I’ve told nothing but the truth. Stop pressuring me, stop it."
Hu Aimei sat on the ground and started weeping, her cries sounded as if she were suffering immense injustice.
"We are not pressuring you."
Pen in hand, Xu Yong wrote unceasingly, "I’m just trying to understand the whole story and the truth."
"No one is bullying you," the dozen or so people from South City all shook their heads and took a step back to indicate they were just there to watch the drama.
Neighbor A: "Aimei, don’t cry. We haven’t done anything. The Xu Family has sent you so much food, drink, and necessities. Is that what you call bullying?"
Neighbor B: "Being content is key in life."
Neighbor C: "You know what kind of person Jianbin is. Your home is a mess with pets everywhere. I don’t believe he got sick from the chili sauce at all."
As the words hung in the air, Neighbor C turned to Ji Ying and smiled, "Manager Ji, your chili sauce really is delicious, especially the fish chili sauce. My grandson loves it, though it’s a bit expensive."
Neighbor C was just expressing how nobody really liked the Li Family and how Hu Aimei was known for taking little advantages. It was because they genuinely enjoyed the chili sauce that they spoke up.
Ji Ying smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, if you don’t mind, I’ll give you a bottle of the returned stock for free."
"Mom, let’s give one bottle to each of our hard-working neighbors who came today," Xu Nianhua immediately added, "With so many returns, we’re going to a hundred bottles of unopened chili sauce from the county and the city for free to make up for everyone’s losses, how about that?"