"Everyone, in recent days there have been countless rumors about my Rice Flower Fragrance bakery, some saying that my Rice Flower Fragrance pastries contain Five Stones Powder, others accusing me of being stingy, unwilling to give even slightly more in our servings."
Lin Yuan swept her gaze around the people gathered and said with a smile, "Therefore, we at Rice Flower Fragrance wish to clarify things here today, in front of everyone, and we ask our neighbors and friends to bear witness."
Immediately, someone in the crowd scoffed disdainfully. Once one person started, others joined in with their murmurs, saying it was all deliberate, all a pretense, and various accusations of hypocrisy flared up.
Having anticipated such a reaction, Lin Yuan was neither anxious nor angry, but simply watched them with a quiet smile.
Lin Yi, quick-eyed, had already spotted who in the crowd was stirring up trouble. With an inconspicuous flip of his hand, a small pebble flew out, and the two instigators suddenly fell silent and became completely immobile. Their eyes rolled around in terror, wondering whether they had encountered a ghost or had been possessed.
With these two troublemakers silenced, the noise from the crowd quickly died down.
Only then did Lin Yuan point to a plate of pastries on the table and said with a smile, "First off, I want to address the accusation of Rice Flower Fragrance being stingy. Everyone has visited shops before, and I would like to ask, how many shops let you sample their wares without charge, regardless of whether you buy something?"
Someone in the crowd immediately shook their head, "They let you eat for free without buying? In your dreams!"
One person led the way, and quickly others followed suit. Such is the role of a leader.
Lin Yuan smiled, finding the speaker somewhat familiar but not pausing to consider who it was, she nodded and said, "This young man speaks the truth; nothing in any store comes without cost, and it is impossible to expect to sample for free without any intention to purchase. However, at my Rice Flower Fragrance shop, you can. I suppose none of you have forgotten those free sample pastries from when we first opened, have you?"
"How could I forget? I decided to buy only after tasting those pastries! They were really delicious!" muttered the young man, which sparked a wave of agreement—especially from those who lived on West Street. After all, the grand opening of Rice Flower Fragrance was quite a sight to behold.
Lin Yuan glanced at the young man and continued, "In that case, may I ask you all, can Rice Flower Fragrance truly be considered stingy?"
Seeing that the crowd had begun to murmur among themselves again, with most now in favor of Rice Flower Fragrance, Lin Yuan felt much more relieved.
"Everyone, I thank you for your support of my Rice Flower Fragrance. Next, I wish to address the second and most crucial issue," Lin Yuan’s expression became serious, "These past few days, I’ve heard many rumors about Five Stones Powder being in the pastries from my Rice Flower Fragrance. To be honest, when I first heard this rumor, I was shocked, and I wondered if there was a problem with my pastries. But, after a thorough inspection of all the pastries in the shop, I can say there’s not a trace of dirt, much less Five Stones Powder. Thus, I am baffled as to how this rumor came to be."
"Sometimes I wonder if a customer might have gotten a faulty pastry, but after waiting so long, not a single customer has come forward to complain. I believe everyone here remembers what I said on the opening day of Rice Flower Fragrance—that if anyone found any quality issues with the pastries bought from my store, Rice Flower Fragrance would compensate double the value. With that in mind, I, Lin Yuan, would like to ask the one spreading the rumor, did you really buy such a pastry from my shop? If you did, why didn’t you bring it back for a face-to-face confrontation! And if you did not, what exactly is your intention in spreading such rumors?"