After hearing his words, everyone indeed observed Doctor Hu carefully with focused attention. If those pastries truly contained Five Stones Powder, Doctor Hu had just tasted every one of the dozens of pastries on the table. Even if he was not poisoned, he would have shown some reaction.
However, Doctor Hu looked the same as when he first appeared, not to mention his ruddy complexion and bright eyes, there was no sign at all. He was already a man past sixty, and even if his body was robust and he took good care of himself on regular days, he could not possibly be as vigorous as a middle-aged man.
Thus, people came to believe what Lin Yuan had said. The rumor that Rice Flower Fragrance’s pastries contained Five Stones Powder seemed to be just that—a rumor.
Lin Yuan nodded her thanks to Doctor Hu and stepped up to the table, solemnly saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, Doctor Hu has just helped Rice Flower Fragrance clear up the rumors. Here, I want to make a serious promise to everyone again. If, at my Rice Flower Fragrance, you find or buy any pastry containing Five Stones Powder, we will immediately close our doors and never do the pastry business again!"
After she finished speaking, Lin Yuan casually glanced at the two young helpers who had been acupunctured by Lin Yi. Seeing them rolling their thieving eyes, she knew that the bait had been cast, and now, it was time to wait for the big fish to bite.
When she finished, Lin Yuan pointed to several kinds of pastries on the table that had never been seen before and introduced them one by one, "Ladies and gentlemen, Rice Flower Fragrance has recently introduced new varieties. If anyone is interested, you can come to my shop to taste and purchase them. Here, let me give you a brief introduction: this is pea yellow, this is rolling donkey, this is crisp mooncake, and this is ice-skin mooncake."
She then pointed to the large tray Fifth Sister Bai was holding and added with a smile, "Of course, just as it was on the opening day, all pastries in our shop will be free for everyone to taste. If you don’t like them, you’re entirely free to leave at any time. Rice Flower Fragrance never engages in any form of hard selling."
After she finished, Lin Yuan nodded, and Da Niu and Liang Zi quickly came forward to move the table aside to make way for customers to enter the shop.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi had already silently released the acupoints of the two young helpers. As soon as they were freed, they stretched their arms and legs like madmen, fearful of being immobilized again, and quickly slunk away.
Lin Yuan watched them with a cold laugh.
Even though Lin Yuan had invited Doctor Hu to preside, there were still those who hesitated to enter the shop to buy anything. All beginnings are difficult; what was needed was a leader to take the initiative.
Lin Yuan thought of the young man who had been supportive earlier, but now, no matter how she looked, she couldn’t find him anywhere.
Just as she was puzzled, she heard a crisp voice resonating from the side. Lin Yuan looked up to see that it was Jin Yuyu.
Jin Yuyu had also heard about the situation at Rice Flower Fragrance. Previously, she hadn’t been very familiar with Lin Yuan, and later she was preoccupied with fighting for authority in her own mansion and had no time to spare, so she couldn’t come to help Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan was aware of the affairs in her mansion and was pleasantly surprised and happy that she had come to support today.
The person Jin Yuyu was pulling along was her half-brother, Jin Shiwen. This was the first time the little guy had walked out of Jin Mansion and onto the main street. His eyes rolled around non-stop from curiosity and unfamiliarity. He tightly clasped Jin Yuyu’s hand, never daring to let go.
Although she had only been in contact with Shi Wen for a few days, the bond was thickened by blood, and their relationship as siblings had grown closer. Jin Yuyu intended to let him out more often to gain worldly exposure, which would be beneficial when he took over the Jin family’s enterprises in the future, as there were already plans to adopt him as the legitimate heir.