Chapter 33.2 - A Pair of Prodigal Sons (16)
Naturally, Su Aobai saw these online comments too. He quickly realized that someone was maliciously targeting him.
In contrast, Su Tianyuan, busy practicing his cooking skills day and night, fell asleep as soon as night came and didn’t pay any attention to what was happening online. He didn’t notice the change immediately.
***
When the live stream started the next day, besides the subscribed fans, another group of people flooded the live stream room. The barrage of insults almost completely covered the screen.
The moderators kept kicking people out, and the situation improved a bit, but there were still some who continued to mock Su Aobai as fake and pretentious.
“To be honest, everyone’s suspicions are correct. It wasn’t my first time cooking.”
Su Aobai said slowly to the camera while putting on his chef’s hat and preparing to cook the first dish of the day.
[See? I knew it was all an act. And look at his fans, still defending him like loyal dogs.]
[Disgusting. I used to like you, but now I see you’re just a fraud.]
A lot of people thought Su Aobai had admitted defeat and started angrily insulting him, acting self-righteous.
“In fact, in my past life, I was the young master of a large restaurant. My grandfather was the best chef of that time. I inherited his skills and practiced diligently, which is why I have my current cooking abilities. In this life, I couldn’t cook, but suddenly I awakened the memories of that past life, which is why I am now nearly unbeatable in cooking.”
Su Aobai said this with a straight face.
[2333]: Hahaha, the ‘miracle chicken’ streamer is still as humorous as ever. Do you think we’ll believe you just because you said that?
[Chicken Pecking Rice]: I’m a part-time novelist. Here’s a suggestion for the streamer; don’t make your backstory so detailed. If you were a bit vague and left some things to the imagination, it would be better than this elaborate tale. You’ve even included the exact number of past lives, leaving no room for extended imagination.
[Little Duck Run]: I don’t care; I just know I’m starving. Boohoo, streamer, stop chatting. I’m still outside waiting to be fed.”
[Chicken Pecking Rice]: Ah, Sister Duck, did you really go? Is the streamer’s cooking good?”
[Little Duck Run]: It’s not good. You guys definitely shouldn’t come over.
[2333]: I don’t believe it. Sister Duck must want fewer people so she can wait in line for a shorter time. I can’t believe you’re like this, Sister Duck.”
[…]
[…]
Su Aobai was telling the truth, but unfortunately, no one believed him.
The paid trolls also thought Su Aobai was provoking them, but they had more tricks up their sleeves.
***
At that moment, a somewhat famous journalistic streamer arrived in the urban village, starting his live stream with his cameraman.
“Everyone knows that a small eatery here has become popular recently. The main chef of the eatery claims that it was his first time cooking, yet he made food that attracted so many customers. Do you all believe this chef’s claim? Uncle will expose the truth and investigate this chef.”
A kind and amiable-looking middle-aged man in his forties appeared on the live stream, pointing to the Su Family’s Snack Shop, which had a long line outside, and signaling the cameraman to focus on the shop’s sign and exterior.
“The people who know this place best are the residents living nearby. Let’s interview some of the neighbors, and maybe we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
As he spoke, the middle-aged man glanced around. At that moment, the camera happened to catch sight of an elderly man in a T-shirt walking from a distance. The man quickly approached him.
“Hello, sir. Are you a resident of this area? I have a few questions for an interview, if you don’t mind.”
The old man, taken aback for a moment, looked in the direction of the camera and then nodded.
“Of course, I don’t mind. I grew up here and have lived here for over 60 years. You can ask me anything.”
“Do you know the owner of that small eatery? Are you aware of the situation with their son, Su Aobai?”
The middle-aged man smiled at the camera, feeling he had found the right person, and eagerly asked the elderly man these questions.
“Oh, that family? I know them well. I often eat there. Old Su’s skills are impressive. Their cooking skills have been passed down through generations. Old Su has been teaching his son to cook since he was young to pass on the family tradition.”
The old man replied without hesitation.
[Troll]: What did I say? Those die-hard fans should see this and feel embarrassed.
[Clear-minded]: As expected, without practicing the basics from a young age, how could someone suddenly cook so well? That streamer is disgusting, still trying to deceive the audience by claiming his skills come from four generations ago. Now he’s been exposed by his neighbor.
Fans of the journalistic stream were instantly excited and rushed to Su Aobai’s live stream to reveal the ‘truth.’
“Wait a minute, who are you guys?”
At that moment, a few other elderly men and women appeared on camera. They looked suspiciously at the middle-aged man and the interviewed old man, clearly displeased.
“How can you blatantly lie with your eyes open? Have you no shame?”
The elderly woman in the lead looked very angry.
“Tell me, did that Su kid send you? It was bad enough that he relied on his parents, but now he’s paying people to flatter him? Practicing diligently from a young age? Him? That lazy bum who hasn’t shown any promise in 800 years? Do you really think he could endure such hard work?”
The old lady’s words caused the lively chat in the live stream to come to a halt.
Wait! What does this mean?
A lazy bum who hasn’t shown any promise in 800 years? Is she referring to the streamer from Su Family’s Snack Shop?
How does this statement completely contradict what the old man interviewed earlier said?
The middle-aged man quickly signaled to the cameraman to stop the live stream.
“What are you doing? Trying to turn off the camera without explaining things clearly?”
An elderly man, looking very fit despite his age, stopped the cameraman’s actions.
“I’m telling you, don’t move. I’m 78. If you push me, I’ll sit on the ground and won’t get up!” The old man not only prevented the cameraman from stopping the live stream but also threatened him.
The strange reaction of the journalistic streamer made the viewers realize the peculiarity of this so-called interview. If they weren’t feeling guilty, why would the cameraman want to stop the live stream?
However, some loyal fans defended their streamer, suggesting that perhaps the cameraman didn’t want to cause trouble, and that his actions were not related to the streamer.
“We all heard what you just said. You claim Old Su taught his son to cook every day? That’s hilarious! Everyone in this neighborhood knows Su’s son and grandson are useless. They’re just waiting to inherit the rent and the small eatery’s monthly earnings.”
“During the day, the old couple is busy in the kitchen while the son is upstairs in the air conditioning, claiming he’s writing novels and playing games professionally. He’s taken plenty of money from them but never accomplished anything. As for the grandson, he’s always out running around with a gang of bad friends, who are really just using him for money. That fool can’t tell good from bad and only comes home to ask his grandparents for more money.”
“It was just over a month ago that the father and son suddenly matured, realizing how hard their parents and grandparents had it, and started helping out at the shop, easing the old couple’s burden. We, the old neighbors, are happy to see the change in Su’s kids. And now you’re here, spinning tales about how Su’s son has been diligently practicing cooking since childhood?”
The elderly woman rattled off a series of statements.
“That’s right. Tell us, who paid you to come here and speak well of Su Aobai? Was it that kid? How much did he give you?”
Several other elderly people nearby angrily echoed her questions.
In the live stream, the journalist host’s face had turned pale. The old man who had been interviewed earlier kept glancing at the host, showing a reliance that the viewers couldn’t miss.
[Such a Joke]: Umm, old man, you got it wrong. This isn’t helping the streamer; it’s meant to bring him down.
[Passerby]: …I feel like the latter group of elders is more truthful.”
[Little Flower]: I think so too. Is it just me, or does the first old man who was interviewed seem suspicious? When questioned, he kept looking at the streamer. Do they know each other?”
[Sword Fairy Brick]: According to these elders, the streamer really didn’t know much about cooking before. Did we misunderstand him?
“You said you’ve lived here for over 60 years? Sorry, but we’ve lived here all our lives too, and we’ve never seen you before. Which part do you live in? Which building number?”
The feisty elderly folks cornered the old man who had been interviewed earlier, demanding answers.
“That’s right, I’ve never seen you before. What do you mean by pretending to be one of us? Sneaking around like this; are you a human trafficker or a thief, scouting the place? No, I’m calling the police.”
At the mention of calling the police, the old man couldn’t hold out any longer. He shook off the hand that was grabbing him and angrily shouted at the journalist host, “I’m done with this. I don’t want the remaining 200 yuan.”
With that, he covered the lower half of his face and ran off at a surprisingly fast pace.
This revelation brought a lot to light, and the live stream exploded with activity. Many viewers began digging up old incidents, recalling other businesses that had claimed the journalist host had tried to extort money from them, and when negotiations fell through, they were ‘exposed.’ At the time, many people had dismissed these businesses’ defenses due to preconceived notions.
Now it seemed that this host was indeed problematic.
The journalist host himself was stunned. He had only taken 20,000 yuan to do a job, and now he was in trouble. What was going on with these old folks, interfering in matters unrelated to them?
He could no longer focus on his paid task; he had to find a way to clear his name.
***
Meanwhile, a surge of viewers entered Su Aobai’s live stream, relaying the unexpected turn of events in the journalist host’s stream.
A host getting exposed while trying to expose someone else; there wasn’t anything more interesting than that. This incident made more people realize that the streamer was likely being targeted maliciously.
Some loyal fans, who hadn’t been swayed by the negative opinions from the beginning, comforted Su Aobai, telling him that facing such harsh words was a necessary step on the road to fame and that he shouldn’t be disheartened by them.
Zhang Lang’s hands trembled as he looked at the list of plaintiffs on the letter. Even Su Tianyuan’s 30,000 yuan was included, and there were over forty plaintiffs in total.
His heart nearly stopped from fear. The lawyer fees alone would be more than all the money he had swindled over the years. Who had he offended to end up in this situation?
It’s over, completely over!
The big influencers and the journalist host who had been paid to do his bidding wouldn’t escape unscathed either; they would undoubtedly be among the defendants in the defamation case.
Some astute netizens noticed the connections between the influencers suddenly involved in defamation disputes and suspected that the plaintiffs were those previously targeted by them, including the food streamer.
However, this theory didn’t gain much traction. They knew the streamer had some money, owning two buildings in Xijiang Village, but that wasn’t enough to afford such expensive lawyers.
Therefore, this theory quickly faded away.
Until one day, a netizen, scrolling through their month-old posts on social media, stumbled upon a video.
***
Su Quangen and Miao Yinhua had enjoyed themselves for over 20 days. Because they had spent generously, eating well, staying in nice places, and having lots of fun, they looked completely rejuvenated.
They were entirely unaware of the online turmoil, as neither of them knew how to use a smartphone. They still used basic phones that could only make calls and send texts.
However, on the day they returned home, Su Quangen couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.
He feared the shop might be deserted, and attracting customers back wouldn’t be easy. He also worried that his son might have faced setbacks. If he reverted to his old routine of eating, playing, sleeping, and repeating… well, Su Quangen would still take care of him.
But having experienced the joy of seeing his child and grandchild work hard for a month, the thought of going back to the old days left a bitter taste in his mouth.
When they arrived at their doorstep, the lunch rush was still ongoing, and Su Quangen was stunned to see a long queue stretching far into the distance.
Am I seeing things?
“Old Su, you’re back?”
One of their elderly neighbors, standing in line, first looked pleasantly surprised to see him back, then seemed awkward. He scratched his ear and suddenly blurted out…
“There are actually places more fun than the Four Great Buddha Mountains. Why don’t you go for another round?”
Indeed, while they still had the legs for it, they could travel more. Leave the business to their young son.
Su Quangen: “…”
His earnest expression, as if he wished I could leave right now, did they not want me back?
The north wind roared, blowing coldly. Su Quangen’s eager heart to return and cook for everyone was chilled.