"Lady Lin's cooking has killed someone!…"
"Heavens, Lady Lin's cooking has taken a life! My wife bought a portion of Lu Zhu Xia Shui and steamed buns from her stall yesterday, and today she's suffering from unbearable abdominal pain. My poor three-month-old child was lost to the pain," a middle-aged man wailed at the spot where Lin Yao usually set up her stall.
A crowd quickly gathered around, whispering among themselves.
"Oh my, is it true? Lady Lin seemed quite honest—how could this happen?"
"Who knows? If it's true, it's a human life at stake!"
The Lin family hadn't set up their stall today. In their place was Sun Dafu, who had previously taken over Lin Yao's spot. "Don't wail here! I'm not that vicious Lady Lin. My surname is Sun! Their family didn't open today."
"What! They didn't show up? They must have known their food harmed someone and fled out of guilt!" The middle-aged man's eyes widened in fury at Sun Dafu's words, and he shouted even louder, "Everyone, judge for yourselves! How can such heartless people, serving lethal food, think they can just walk away? It's not that easy!"
Hearing the man's accusations, the onlookers grew suspicious.
"Maybe there really is something wrong with Lady Lin. Otherwise, why wouldn't she open her stall?"
"Exactly! If she had nothing to hide, why would she avoid us?"
"Ah, what a tragedy for that unborn child to be lost like this. It's a sin."
Sun Dafu watched the growing crowd with secret satisfaction but put on a righteous front. "Fellow villagers, although I've taken over this spot, I'm nothing like the Lin family. My business is honest and fair for all. From now on, if you want to eat, rest assured and come to me. If anything goes wrong, I, Sun, will take responsibility!"
Wang Shan, listening from the crowd, grew frantic. Lin Yao hadn't opened her stall because she was attacked yesterday—not because she was fleeing guilt. Pushing through the crowd, Wang Shan hastily asked Old Woman Li to watch his stall and hurried toward the Lin family's home.
The Lin Residence.
Lin Yao and her two siblings were sitting with Wang Xiaoyu around a large bowl of Mó yù shuǎng, happily eating with their chopsticks. Suddenly, urgent knocking echoed—"Bang! Bang! Bang!"—and they paused. Lin Cheng set down his chopsticks and hurried to open the door.
Outside stood Wang Shan, panting heavily, hands on his knees as he gasped out, "Something… something terrible has happened."
Lin Cheng quickly ushered him inside. Hearing the commotion, Lin Yao emerged from the kitchen. Wang Shan was startled to see half of her face severely swollen and her hand wrapped in bandages. Yesterday, A Yu had returned home saying that Lady Lin was injured and needed care, but he hadn't mentioned the severity of her wounds.
Wang Shan sat down on the chair, catching his breath. "Today at the dock, a man showed up claiming his wife had severe abdominal pain after eating food from your stall, and she even had a miscarriage. He's been shouting everywhere that you didn't set up shop today because you're guilty—that you added something shady to the food and are hiding!"
"This is outrageous!" Lin Cheng's eyes blazed with anger, his fists clenched. "Our food has always been clean and safe—how could something like this happen? This is clearly a deliberate frame-up!"
Lin Yao stood nearby, her expression largely unchanged. She had known all along that things weren't so simple. The person behind this wasn't just aiming to injure her hands. Even if her hands were hurt, she still had her voice—she could still speak, direct Lin Cheng in preparing food, and teach her apprentices.
Recalling the previous day, the masked assailant had likely intended to completely cripple her hands and seriously injure her, with the goal of throwing the Lin family into chaos and distracting them from their dock business. That way, they could seize the opportunity to spread slander. Even if the Lin family returned to set up their stall later, people would harbor doubts about the cleanliness of their food and hesitate to patronize them.
As she pondered, Lin Yao turned and hurried into the room, retrieving a purse. She said to Wang Xiaoyu, "A Yu, here's one tael of silver and some copper coins. Accompany Wang Daye and take an ox cart to town immediately. Find Doctor Chen at Guangyuan Hall and tell him someone at the dock suffered food poisoning and had a miscarriage. Urgently request his presence for treatment—this is the deposit."
"Alright, I'll go right away." Wang Xiaoyu took the silver and rushed out the door.
"Brother, come with me to the dock. Song'er, go stay at Dazhuang Ge's house. We'll be back soon." Lin Yao quickly arranged everything and headed to the dock with Lin Cheng.
When Lin Yao and Lin Cheng arrived, they indeed found a crowd gathered, with the man standing in the center loudly lamenting how his three-months-pregnant wife had suffered unbearable abdominal pain and the heartbreak of losing their child.
Spotting the Lin siblings, the man was visibly startled, but a flash of ferocity quickly crossed his eyes. "You dare show up! You must give me an explanation today, or I won't let this go!"
The onlookers crowded around, pointing and gossiping about the Lin siblings.
"It's their food—I heard it can cause miscarriages. How terrifying!"
"Ah, these young folks don't seem like the type to do such bad things. How could this happen?"
"Who knows? People's hearts are hidden behind layers. They might look honest on the surface but do wicked deeds in secret."
Lin Yao took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Sir, our food has always been prepared cleanly and conscientiously—there's no way it could be the problem. You keep insisting your wife fell ill after eating our food, but do you have any concrete evidence?"
The man glared at Lin Yao, his voice filled with rage. "Evidence? My wife ate your Lu Zhu Xia Shui and steamed buns early this morning, and she was soon writhing in agony, even losing the baby in her womb. Isn't that ironclad proof? The fact that you didn't set up shop today—isn't that because you're guilty?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yao showed no anger but instead raised her voice, "Fellow villagers, please take a good look at me." As she spoke, she turned her heavily swollen face toward the crowd and raised her bandaged hand, shaking it slightly. "Our stall isn't open today because my brother and I were viciously attacked by thugs yesterday. My hand is severely injured—I can't even chop vegetables now. Right after the incident, we reported it to the authorities. If any of you have doubts, you're welcome to accompany me to the magistrate's office to verify the truth."
Lin Yao continued, addressing the man directly, "I understand you must be grieving deeply after losing your child, but this truly isn't caused by our food. We can't let baseless accusations determine the outcome."
She then turned to the surrounding crowd, "Of course, I know my words alone may not convince everyone. That's why I've already sent my apprentice to fetch a physician from Guangyuan Clinic. Today, anyone who purchased food from our stall can receive a free pulse diagnosis and thorough examination—let's determine once and for all whether our food is poisoned!"Guangyuan Clinic was the largest medical practice in Baiyu Town, known for its annual free clinics that earned it a saintly reputation and extremely high credibility among the townspeople."
"This young Lady Lin speaks reasonably—we shouldn't wrongfully accuse her."
"Indeed, she's even invited a Guangyuan Clinic physician. That shows confidence. If there were real problems, she wouldn't dare do this."
"But it's true that man's wife had a miscarriage. What if it really was from eating the Lin family's food?"
"Stop speculating nonsense. We'll know when the physician arrives."
The man listened to the murmurs around him, his face flushing and paling alternately, feeling increasingly uncertain.
Old Woman Li had been standing by Lin Yao's side since the siblings arrived. Seizing the opportunity, she whispered, "Lady Lin, you've suffered terribly! If you ask me, that troublemaker is definitely sent by your uncle's family to slander you!"
Lin Yao felt warmed by this. Though she'd only known Old Woman Li for a fortnight, such unreserved trust moved her deeply. Thank you for believing in me, aunt." Old Woman Li waved dismissively with conviction, "What nonsense! I've lived long enough to know how to judge character. You three siblings are all good children."Auntie, could I trouble you for another small favor? May I borrow a table and chair? When the physician arrives, he'll need a place to examine everyone."
"Pah, such a small matter! Take whatever you need—no need for formalities with me," Old Woman Li agreed readily.
Just then, Wang Xiaoyu's shouting echoed from afar: "Master! We've brought the physician!"
The crowd turned to see Wang Xiaoyu and Wang Shan hurriedly approaching with a portly physician in tow.
Chen Qianyuan glanced up and recognized the girl surrounded by the crowd—the same one who came selling cassia branches over half a month ago. Noticing her complexion had become noticeably healthier and rosier since their last encounter, his gaze lingered momentarily.
Lin Yao hurried forward to greet him, her words earnest. "Doctor Chen, I've been selling food at this dock stall all along. Today, this man claims my cooking caused his wife to miscarry. I swear to heaven, every dish I prepare is clean and safe. I beg you to carefully examine the villagers who've eaten my food, to confirm their health and clear my name."
Chen Qianyuan now understood the situation. "No trouble at all."
Lin Cheng guided those needing pulse readings to the table. In the blink of an eye, a long queue formed, with some rushing home to fetch family members, fearing they might have been poisoned by the Lin family's food without realizing it.
Chen Qianyuan unhurriedly opened his medical case, took out a clean cloth, and placed a pulse pillow on it. One by one, people sat down and left, but Chen Qianyuan found no signs of poisoning in anyone. Those who received the diagnosis, hearing they were perfectly fine, sighed with relief.
The man, seeing the situation turning against him, tried to slip away, but Lin Cheng kept close watch, preventing any escape.
The waiting line gradually shortened until finally, the last person was seen.
Chen Qianyuan, as always, meticulously completed the examination. Then, he straightened up, adjusted his long gown, cleared his throat lightly, and addressed the crowd in a loud, steady voice: "I have thoroughly examined everyone present who has eaten Lady Lin's food. Based on their pulses and self-reported conditions, no one shows signs of poisoning or any abnormality caused by food. Thus, it is clear that Lady Lin's food is absolutely safe!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in chatter.
"I knew it! The Lin siblings don't seem like the type to do harm."
"Yes, now their innocence is proven."
A heavy weight lifted from Lin Yao's heart. She stepped forward and bowed to Chen Qianyuan. "Doctor Chen, we will never forget your kindness today. Without you, we wouldn't have known how to prove our innocence."
"No need for formalities," Chen Qianyuan said softly. "But my consultation fee isn't cheap. Seeing so many people today, I'm afraid it'll cost thirty taels. Lady Lin, can you afford that?"
Lin Yao's face immediately showed embarrassment. Their family's entire savings amounted to only five taels—nowhere near enough. "We can write an IOU and repay your fee in full later."
Chen Qianyuan had expected the young lady's family couldn't pay such a sum, which suited him perfectly. "There might be a way around this. Seeing so many people come for examination today shows your business is thriving. I have no particular hobbies except enjoying good food. How about considering my fee as prepayment for future meals?"
Lin Yao thought this proposal couldn't be better and nodded repeatedly. "That would be excellent! Thank you for your understanding, Doctor Chen. Please visit us often!"
With the fee issue resolved, it was time to deal with the slanderer.
Author's note: Check out my upcoming novel "The Villainess Fears the Persistent Suitor" (Gourmet Detective)~ [Droopy-eared bunny]
A Bizarre Case Erupts in Yuhang County
The Hwamei Bird claims seven lives, leaving only half a footprint at the scene;
A corpse-hauling cart driver screams in terror—the burly man in the coffin has transformed into a woman in red bridal attire;
A chaste maiden awaiting marriage is impersonated, but where does the mastermind hide…
Hua Linlang has crossed over, becoming the wealthiest and most beautiful woman in Yuhang County.
Unfortunately, her original parents died unexpectedly, leaving her an orphan girl eyed greedily by the entire clan waiting to devour her inheritance.
Hua Linlang: …No big deal.
A modern-day double-threat in forensics and criminal psychology—though she accidentally worked herself to death, she brought all her skills along.
While solving cases, she’ll revitalize her ancestral business and expand her eateries nationwide!
The newly appointed magistrate, Ji Huai, is ambitious and brilliant at handling cases.
Initially, he regarded Hua Linlang as the prime suspect, but she unraveled the mystery before him, laying bare the case’s intricacies.
From then on, he investigated while she performed autopsies; he pursued culprits while she profiled them.
When he worked overtime on an empty stomach, she thoughtfully handed him a bowl of Osmanthus Rice Wine.
Ji Huai was deeply moved—how could he let such a perfect match slip away!
Her sparkling eyes and radiant charm made them a natural pair alongside his dignified handsomeness!
The next moment, his beloved parted her red lips: "Three taels per bowl, Ji Lang—cash or credit?"
Ji Huai: …
Everyone called Hua Linlang a temptress, but Ji Huai felt that if this "temptress" would stay for him, he’d savor every bit of it.
Gazing at her calm profile during an autopsy, he softly asked:
"Hua Linlang, in your world, besides cases and money, can there be room for anything else?"
The beauty Hua: "Like what?"
Ji Huai: "Me."
The beauty Hua: "Get lost."
Ji Huai: "See you later."
The Male Lead’s Self-Romancing
Early stage: "She must have ulterior motives."
Later stage: He cornered her in a tight space, his warm breath brushing her ear: "Linlang, you’d better be scheming for me."