Liu Sanniang was momentarily speechless at Su Qingyan’s display, her chest tightening with embarrassment.
But there was no turning back now; she could only grit her teeth and shout, “Who knows if her stuff is clean on the outside but hides filth inside! Don’t believe her!”
“I believe her!”
A loud voice rang out.
The man who worked as a laborer at the Taixue yesterday pushed through the crowd, still holding half a meat bun.
“I’ve been eating the little lady’s food for two days; I know it’s clean! The taste is better than the special meals they serve the teachers at Taixue! If it weren’t clean, could the wheat smell be this pure?”
“Exactly!” A few regular customers stepped forward. “We’ve eaten it ourselves. If there were any problems, would we be standing here?”
With someone taking the lead, the crowd’s sentiment began to shift.
Seizing the moment, Su Qingyan picked up a Secret Recipe Fresh Meat Big Bun, holding it firmly in both hands, and slowly tore it open in front of everyone.
“Shhh—”
The bun split, soft dough stretching open to reveal layers of delicate, honeycomb-like structure. It wasn’t a dense lump of dough—it was perfectly fermented, airy, and full of life!
A more intense aroma of meat and dough poured out from the tear, triggering everyone’s hunger anew.
“Look carefully, everyone! This is a Su Ji bun! Every strand of dough is fully kneaded and perfectly fermented. Only dough like this can lock in the meat juices and melt in your mouth!”
Then, she picked up a clean white cloth used to wrap the buns and shook it vigorously before the crowd. The cloth was snow-white, radiating the fresh scent of soap and sunlight.
“My Su Ji buns and steamed buns are wrapped in cloth like this. Tell me, would anyone using spoiled dough and water use such clean cloth?”
She then pointed to the steaming basket.
“I scald this basket with boiling water three times every day, inside and out. You can check for yourselves—do you see even a trace of grease or dirt?”
With that, she lifted the lid completely, displaying the last batch of steaming buns along with the pristine liner in full view of everyone.
The white steam rose, mingling pure wheat and meat aromas, creating a striking contrast with the filth on the ground.
Finally, she took from her bag the small piece of fresh meat left from the morning, along with a handful of vibrant green scallions.
“This is the meat used in my Su Ji buns—fresh hind leg meat from butcher Zhang this morning, still moist with fresh blood. These scallions are homegrown; if you pinch them, water droplets still form.”
“Today, I, Su Qingyan, make this clear: every ingredient in every item at Su Ji can be shown under the sun for everyone to see—clearly and transparently!”
Every gesture, every word, struck Liu Sanniang like a slap across the face.
The crowd wasn’t stupid.
They saw Su Qingyan’s clean clothes, the spotless cloth, the fresh ingredients, and smelled the pure, clean aroma of the food.
They looked down at the repulsive puddle on the ground, then at Liu Sanniang, whose face was alternating between green and white.
Who was in the right? Who was in the wrong? The answer was obvious.
“This… this little lady makes sense. Looks really clean.”“Yeah, the steamer inside is cleaner than my own bowls!”“So that bucket of swill… really thrown by Liu Sanniang? That’s vicious!”
The crowd’s murmurs rose again, but this time, the sentiment had completely turned. Their eyes toward Liu Sanniang were full of contempt and anger.
Shen Yan’s tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed. He watched the little girl calmly and systematically defend herself in adversity, and a trace of admiration appeared in his gaze.
Having finished all this, Su Qingyan did something that left everyone dumbfounded.
From another bag, she took out a small piece of oiled paper, unwrapped it, and revealed several miniature buns, smaller than usual, pure white, exuding a subtle sweet milk aroma.
“Today’s commotion disrupted everyone’s mood; that’s my fault,” she said with a slight smile, carrying immense confidence with a hint of slyness. “Anyone present today—whether you bought something or not—may come try a free new item: milk-scented little buns. Consider it my apology.”
Everyone froze.
Is this girl crazy?!
But the delicate, sweet milk aroma streamed into their noses, no one could resist. Pure, gentle, with a faint sugary note, like a kitten’s paw lightly tickling the heart.
A brave child peeked out from behind his mother: “Mom, smells so good…”
Su Qingyan immediately picked up one of the small buns, tore off a piece, and handed it to him.
The child hesitated, placed it in his mouth, and the next second, his eyes lit up! A flavor he had never tasted—fragrant, sweet, rich with milky flavor, even better than the sweets he had during New Year.
“Delicious! Mom! So delicious!”
The clear, joyful voice shattered the deadlock completely.
This calm generosity, this absolute confidence in her product, carried more weight than any feeble explanation could.
The rumor collapsed on its own!
“Give me two meat buns! I trust the little lady!”“I want some too! With that character and attitude, how could her food be bad?!”“Little lady, I was foolish earlier, believing that woman’s lies! I’ll buy ten more! Take them home for my master to try!”
The crowd erupted once more, more fervently than before.
Just then, an official voice shouted.
“What are you doing? Why are you all gathered here?!”
It was the Wang Du Head patrolling the street. He pushed through the crowd with two attendants and immediately saw the filth on the ground, frowning.
Liu Sanniang, seeing the official, immediately acted as if she’d found a savior, rushing forward to cry and shout: “Official! Please protect us! This little girl—her food isn’t clean, and she tried to attack!”
Before Wang Du Head could speak, a louder voice rang out.
Grandma Lin, pushing her drink cart, pointed firmly at Liu Sanniang.
“Head Officer! Don’t listen to her nonsense! I saw it myself—she instructed that skinny, sharp-faced man to pour the dirty water to sabotage the little girl’s business!”
Grandma Lin had lived on this street for decades, widely respected. Her words carried immense weight.
Wang Du Head’s face darkened. He glanced at Liu Sanniang, pale as death, then at the composed Su Qingyan. His mind was made up. He was greedy, and he knew which side would benefit him more. Su Ji’s booming business would surely yield future favors.
“Take her away!” Wang Du Head waved his hand. “This woman, disturbing the market and slandering others, is to be removed immediately! No reopening today!”
“Yes, sir!”
The two attendants seized Liu Sanniang on either side.
“Mercy, officer! I was wrong! I’ll never do it again!” she screamed like a slaughtered pig.
No matter how she cried, the attendants dragged her away mercilessly.
The farce finally ended.
After this, the reputation of Su Ji not only remained intact but spread throughout Shui Gui Street, and even to nearby lanes:
—“Did you hear? That Su Ji bun stall on Shui Gui Street is insanely clean! Someone tried to smear her, but she showed the steamer—cleaner than her own face!”—“Not only that! The little lady is generous, didn’t get angry, and even gave away new buns for free! The taste is phenomenal!”
More people came, drawn by the fame.
That day, the 200 buns and 100 small buns Su Qingyan had prepared sold out before noon.
When counting the money, Su Mingxuan’s hands shook.
Coins clattered onto the table, forming an even more spectacular pile than yesterday.
A full 1,200 wen!
One day’s income had more than doubled!
As the sun set, Su Qingyan packed up her stall. She looked at Liu Sanniang’s closed, sealed bakery door across the street, but felt no thrill of victory.
She knew that chasing away one Liu Sanniang today might mean another Zhang Sanniang or Li Sanniang tomorrow.
Those who rely on underhanded tactics will always be the lowest of opponents.