Chapter 54: This is a Gift of Immense Fortune

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: This is a Gift of Immense Fortune

Li Yuan Farm.

An argument in the lounge had attracted the attention of the surrounding tourists.

When Zhang Lin entered, he saw an old woman with a child arguing with Zhao Lin.

It was about the Honeysuckle Tea.

He hadn’t expected a problem to crop up so soon after the Honeysuckle Tea’s launch, before he even had a chance to hype it up.

"Ma’am, I already told your grandson the price. When he brought you over, you confirmed you wanted to buy it. Besides, our price is clearly marked," Zhao Lin said, maintaining her professional smile. Even though she had indeed reminded them of the price and the other party was clearly being unreasonable, she didn’t show a trace of impatience.

But the old woman with the child retorted indignantly, "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you calling me unreasonable? My grandson never told me it was 200 yuan a cup! Who sells Honeysuckle Tea for that much?"

Zhang Lin watched this scene with a frown.

He could guess what had happened from their conversation.

It was just a misunderstanding. The kid probably asked about the Honeysuckle Tea himself but didn’t explain it clearly to his grandmother, who in turn never imagined it would be so expensive.

Zhao Lin was a true professional. She kept her smile and said, "Ma’am, I didn’t mean it like that. This is all just a misunderstanding. The Honeysuckle Tea hasn’t been touched, so if you don’t want to buy it, that’s no problem. It’s my fault for not reconfirming the price with you."

Her attitude was clearly impeccable.

The surrounding tourists nodded in agreement. Though surprised by the price of the Honeysuckle Tea, they felt that as long as the price was clearly marked and there was no pressure to buy, there was no issue.

After all, it was advertised as having an exclusive formula; it wasn’t just plain Honeysuckle.

Exclusive items are usually expensive.

Normally, things would have ended there. No one would keep arguing over such a small matter, as it would be a loss of face.

But who would have thought the old woman wouldn’t let it go? Hearing Zhao Lin’s apology, she became even more imperious. "Of course it’s your problem! Was it supposed to be mine? Also, get your boss out here. I want to ask him just how he came up with the price for this Honeysuckle Tea!"

Seeing the old woman refuse to back down, Zhang Lin had no choice but to step forward.

But before he could, Lin Yao, who had just come out of the restroom, couldn’t help but speak up. "The price is clearly marked, so there’s no issue. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. Do they also have to explain their pricing strategy to you? Should they give you the formula, too?"

He was genuinely speaking up against an injustice, as he had just experienced the effects of the Honeysuckle.

Feeling refreshed from head to toe for 200 yuan was an absolute steal.

His words made the surrounding tourists nod in agreement:

"Yeah, the price is marked, and they already said she doesn’t have to buy it."

"The Honeysuckle Tea is a bit pricey, but it’s their business how they price it."

"The ad for this Honeysuckle says it can treat constipation. If it really works, I don’t think it’s expensive. I have a friend who would definitely buy it!"

"I have a friend who gets constipated easily, and it’s absolute agony every time. If this works, 200 yuan is definitely no problem."

"..."

These tourists were clearly quite rational, and they all voiced their opinions.

It was also a way of trying to persuade the old woman.

After all, there was really no need to keep arguing about it.

But when the old woman heard this, she was having none of it. Instead, she felt provoked. Her face darkened as she pulled out her phone and started recording. "Son, look at this! Li Yuan Farm is selling outrageously priced Honeysuckle Tea! This stuff costs a few dozen yuan per pound, but they’re selling a single cup, made with just one gram, for 200 yuan! And to top it off, they’re mocking me, saying if I can’t afford it, I shouldn’t buy it."

"..." Zhang Lin’s cheek twitched. He knew people nowadays liked to pull out their phones and record videos to protect themselves when things went south, but this was something else entirely.

’You’re a grown woman, what kind of bizarre move is it to record a video to tattle to your son?’

’Who the hell is your son anyway?’

After recording the video, the old woman warned Zhao Lin, "I’m telling you, my son is a section chief at the county Price Bureau! This is exactly his jurisdiction. Selling worthless Honeysuckle Tea at such an exorbitant price... I’ll have him fine you!"

The surrounding tourists stared at the old woman, dumbfounded.

’Is this woman an idiot, or is she just trying to sabotage her own son?’

She was recording on her phone, but the tourists all around her were recording, too.

Forget her son being a section chief; even the county magistrate’s mother wouldn’t dare act so high and mighty in public.

This was probably one of those legendary family members of a petty bureaucrat, wasn’t it?

These people were basically in the same league as the elderly who shove their way onto buses, the parents of spoiled brats, and the scumbags who "own fish ponds." They were all professions dedicated to single-handedly destroying social decency and dragging down the entire society’s moral average.

The ones whose family members had a tiny bit of power and acted like they were God’s gift to the world were especially disgusting.

Off to the side, however, Zhao Han was suddenly overjoyed.

’Someone is sabotaging their own son to give me an assist!’

’This is great!’

He immediately pulled up WeChat, found the Price Bureau director’s contact, and sent him a smiling emoji.

The director, clearly confused, immediately replied with a question mark emoji.

Meanwhile, Chen Shengfei couldn’t watch any longer. He walked straight up to Zhao Lin and said, "I’ll take two cups. Not everyone can recognize a good thing when they see it."

He was clearly showing his support through his actions.

"I’ll have two cups as well!" Lin Yao, who couldn’t stand seeing the families of bureaucrats throw tantrums, deliberately looked at the old woman and said, "Some people don’t know what a truly high price is. They wouldn’t recognize a treasure if it was right in front of them."

This made the old woman’s face flash pale, then flush with anger.

She had already announced who her son was, yet people were still stepping up to undermine her. She immediately aimed her phone at Chen Shengfei and Lin Yao and started recording again. "Son, look! Li Yuan Farm isn’t just selling outrageously priced Honeysuckle Tea, they even hired two shills to bully me..."

Chen Shengfei was speechless.

Lin Yao was speechless.

The surrounding tourists were now completely bewildered, and some of them couldn’t take it anymore either.

"Server, I’ll have a cup of Honeysuckle Tea too!"

"Get me one, too. I want to see what a 200-yuan cup of Honeysuckle Tea tastes like."

"I’ll have one too."

"..."

More and more tourists started speaking up. People who had initially dismissed the 200-yuan price tag were now intrigued.

Spending 200 yuan just to spite this disgusting behavior felt incredibly satisfying.

Even Zhang Lin hadn’t expected the old woman’s tantrum to have this kind of effect.

Zhao Lin was just as surprised. Remembering her boss’s words, she quickly issued a warning: "It’s no problem if you all want to buy the Honeysuckle Tea, but I must remind you, any tourists with constipation should be prepared before drinking it. I’m afraid the farm doesn’t have enough restrooms."

A wave of question marks seemed to appear over the tourists’ heads. They were all completely stunned.

The tourists were all stunned.

’No way, right?’

’We’re backing you up, and you’re telling us the effects are for real?’

But the more she said this, the more interested the surrounding tourists became.

"I’m actually a bit constipated, so I have to drink it now! Quick, give me a cup!"

"Haha, give me a cup! I’ll try it out for a friend."

"Well then, I simply must test the effects of this Honeysuckle Tea for your farm."

"..."

It was pure contrarianism!

Zhao Lin hadn’t panicked when facing the unreasonable old woman, but now she did. She hadn’t realized so many of the tourists were constipated.

Moreover, they didn’t believe her, but she believed her boss. There really weren’t enough toilets.

"Holy crap, they’re really going for it?" Zhang Lin watched the tourists who refused to listen, then suddenly let out a strange laugh. ’Looks like the fuse has been lit.’

’Imagine a headline: "Constipated Tourists Ignore Warnings and Drink Farm’s Honeysuckle Tea, Desperately Queue Outside Toilets, Scene Spirals Out of Control..." How would that play out if it went viral online?’

’And before that, I could post about the incident with the old woman. That would be a great way to generate some initial buzz.’

’First, I’ll create some controversy with a news story like "Li Yuan Farm’s Outrageously Priced Honeysuckle Tea Faces Scrutiny."’

’Once the traffic is drawn in, I’ll hit them with the "scene spirals out of control" story for a dramatic reversal.’

’If I play this right, it might just blow up the traffic pool.’

’The farm has a limited capacity and needs to restrict ticket sales, but our Tiao Yin followers can grow.’

’As long as we have enough followers, when the farm expands in the future, will we ever have to worry about a lack of tourists?’

’Thinking about it this way, this old woman wasn’t causing trouble; she was delivering a massive fortune to my doorstep.’

In contrast to the tourists who were fired up to try the Honeysuckle Tea, the old woman’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

But her son hadn’t replied yet, so she could only angrily drag her grandson and head for the exit.

But one person was watching this scene: Chen He.

After learning the truth about Li Yuan Farm, he knew he would most likely have to find a new job. The money his boss spent on slandering Li Yuan Farm was definitely going down the drain, and that anger would surely be directed at him.

But now, he seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

’What if a news story titled "Li Yuan Farm’s Outrageously Priced Honeysuckle Tea Scams the Mother of a Price Bureau Section Chief" appeared online?’

’If I handle this right, I can get this story trending. Once public opinion is stirred up, netizens won’t care about the facts—they’ll definitely flame Li Yuan Farm, and I’ll have a chance to turn things around.’

’Even though this could easily be reversed and exposed, there was always a chance to put Li Yuan Farm in a position where they couldn’t defend themselves.’

’How many people online have been falsely accused and then torn to shreds, only for the truth to come out years later, earning them a hollow "the internet owes him an apology"?’

’So, as long as there was a sliver of a chance, compared to losing this 15,000-a-month job, the possibility of a promotion to 35,000 a month was worth the gamble.’

’Besides, he now had a weapon he could use, and it couldn’t be traced back to him.’

With that thought, he hurried after the old woman.

Liu Xiumei was in an absolutely foul mood. After leaving the service center, even the sight of a trash can annoyed her, and she walked up and kicked it. Her grandson, following her example, also gave the trash can a kick.

"Go on, grandson, kick it a few more times. Let out grandma’s anger for her," Liu Xiumei said, finally cheering up a little at the sight.

"Ma’am, they really went too far." Chen He’s voice sounded as he walked up to Liu Xiumei’s side. "Selling that outrageously priced Honeysuckle Tea and then hiring so many shills to mock you... The truth is, all those tourists who said they were buying it were shills. They each got paid 300 yuan."

Liu Xiumei’s anger flared up again when she heard this. "I knew they were shills! Those bastards are despicable."

Chen He coaxed, "Ma’am, you were outnumbered back there, you couldn’t win the argument. You should post the video online and create a public outcry to condemn them. That way, your son will be in a better position to help you. Who knows, with this kind of public pressure, your son might even get another promotion."

The thought of her son getting another promotion struck a nerve with Liu Xiumei. Her eyes lit up. "But I don’t know how to do that!"

The status of being a bureaucrat’s mother was still very important to her.

"Don’t worry. I hate dishonest merchants like them the most. I’ll help you edit the video and upload it," Chen He said with a smile, finally revealing his true intentions.

Liu Xiumei immediately saw Chen He as a good person and handed him her phone without hesitation.

A few moments later, a video titled "Li Yuan Farm Sells Outrageously Priced Honeysuckle Tea, Hires Shills to Mock Price Bureau Chief’s Mother for Being Too Poor to Afford It" was uploaded to the internet.

Chen He even secretly spent 1,000 yuan on a DOU+ promotion.

Given Li Yuan Farm’s current popularity, the video quickly gained traction, especially among those who had been influenced by the previous smear video. They had found a new rallying point.

Liu Xiumei soon saw her video getting likes and a steady stream of comments in the comment section—all of them supporting her.

"Haha, I knew there was something wrong with Li Yuan Farm."

"This idiot farm treats people like fools. Now they’ve run into a tough customer."

"What’s it like selling outrageously priced goods to a family member of the Price Bureau?"

"..."

Looking at all the comments cursing out Li Yuan Farm, Liu Xiumei couldn’t have been happier.

...