Chapter 19: Baseless Accusations and Slander

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Xiaohui’s mother turned to look at Wu Chenchen, whom she did not know. However, seeing that Wu Chenchen was dressed head to toe in designer brands, she guessed her background was not poor. So, she restrained her temper and spoke less harshly to Jiang Suisui: "Young lady, don’t be ungrateful."
"This vendor, I’ve known her for a long time. Both her parents are dead, and she’s disabled. No education, no skills, surviving by scavenging garbage every day."
"Young lady, think about it. She’s a garbage picker living in a slum—surely covered in filth and bacteria. Would you really dare eat food made by someone like that?"
At these words, two customers who had placed orders and were waiting frowned and asked Jiang Suisui if they could cancel their orders.
Another customer, who had just inserted a straw into his sour plum drink, tossed the cup into a nearby trash bin. "Good heavens, this is so filthy. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bought it—and I just spent ten star coins."
Seeing their reactions, Xiaohui’s mother was immensely pleased and spoke even more brazenly: "See, I’m just looking out for you all. Don’t want you catching diseases from these three rats crawling out of the trash heap. You’ll regret it when it’s too late."
More and more people gathered around.
But these people weren’t there to order food; they were drawn by Xiaohui’s mother’s spectacle.
They whispered and pointed at Jiang Suisui—some thought her food cart looked clean and nice, not like it would be teeming with bacteria.
Others suspected appearances might be deceiving; she might use rancid oil, substandard meat, or unregulated seasonings inside.
Seeing this, Jiang Suisui’s expression darkened. "If I can set up a stall here, it’s because I have a health certificate, and my stall has a hygiene permit. Moreover, I’ve passed approval from the city management department. Are you accusing the city management department of being corrupt just because you’re slandering me without evidence?"
Xiaohui’s mother was momentarily stunned. She had been so focused on taking revenge for how Jiang Suisui had previously affected her precious son’s academic record that she hadn’t considered that setting up a stall in an officially designated area would require all sorts of permits.
But now that things had come this far, she couldn’t back down.
Besides, why should a garbage picker have the audacity to lord over her?
She lifted her head arrogantly, scrutinized Jiang Suisui for a moment, then sneered, "Who knows what desperate things someone this poor and hungry might do to make money? And officials—there’s bound to be one or two with dirty intentions, right?"
No sooner had she spoken than a cup of sour plum juice was thrown at her from the front, drenching her completely, like a drenched chicken.
Wu Chenchen held the empty cup and said, "Have you eaten too much crap to have such a foul mouth? Keep spreading lies, and I’ll call the police on you!"
Xiaohui’s mother wiped her face, nearly furious. "Go ahead! Call the cops if you dare! I’m not lying—she’s just a garbage scavenger! When the police investigate, they’ll see I’m telling the truth!"

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Wu Chenchen rolled her eyes and continued, "Looks like you really need to see a neurologist. Miss Jiang is the head chef in the cafeteria of Morning Star Kindergarten, just running this stall as a side business. Do you think Morning Star Kindergarten is a dump?"
Hearing this, Xiaohui’s mother was filled with disbelief.
The onlookers were equally shocked. Most were residents of Zhuque City, well aware that Morning Star Kindergarten was the best in the city.
Its cafeteria was known for cleanliness and hygiene, absolutely trustworthy.
If Jiang Suisui truly was the head chef there, she couldn’t possibly be some filthy, bacteria-ridden person.
For a moment, many people’s eyes toward Jiang Suisui shifted—some curious, some surprised, some doubtful.
Xiaohui’s mother didn’t believe Wu Chenchen and sneered disdainfully, "You say she is, so she is? You’re blowing bulls to the sky!"
After all, Wu Chenchen had no proof and couldn’t really verify Jiang Suisui’s identity.
Besides, Jiang Suisui had not yet been made a permanent employee and wasn’t officially a chef.
Even if Wu Chenchen wanted to defend Jiang Suisui, she didn’t know how to do so effectively.
Seeing Wu Chenchen silent, Xiaohui’s mother grew bolder: "Look, look! She claims to be the head chef at Morning Star Kindergarten’s cafeteria—but where’s the proof?"
"Proof? Who says there’s no proof?"
Suddenly, a woman in casual clothes with long, curly hair stepped forward from the crowd.
With grace, she bowed slightly to the group. "Everyone, I am Cheng Ye, the principal of Morning Star Kindergarten. I can confirm that Miss Jiang, who is running this stall, is indeed a staff member of our cafeteria."
"If you don’t believe me, you can check the Morning Star Kindergarten official website on StarNet. It has my personal introduction, photos, and videos."
Some spectators who recognized Cheng Ye couldn’t help but exclaim, "Hey, it really is the kindergarten principal! My child studies there."
Cheng Ye smiled gently. "Hello, parent, I’m pleased to see you here."
Seeing Cheng Ye appear, Wu Chenchen immediately said, "Principal! Luckily you’re here. Otherwise, Jiang Suisui would be wronged to death! She’s just doing a side job and was randomly slandered by that crazy woman. I’m speechless!"
Cheng Ye patted Wu Chenchen’s shoulder in reassurance, then turned to Xiaohui’s mother: "Madam, if you continue to slander and insult our staff, don’t blame me for bringing lawyers to have a serious talk with you."
Xiaohui’s mother had once wanted to enroll Lu Xiaohui in Morning Star Kindergarten, so she had done considerable research on it.

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Among her contacts was Cheng Ye, the principal herself.
To get Lu Xiaohui admitted, she had tried several times to arrange dinners with Cheng Ye through intermediaries. Cheng Ye had refused repeatedly. The only time she accepted, she left abruptly once she heard the mother planned to use connections to get her child in—showing no respect.
After that, no further attempts to meet Cheng Ye had succeeded.
She never expected that Cheng Ye, who had always been indifferent to her, would now protect Jiang Suisui, whom she despised.
She couldn’t understand this and felt resentful.
As she was about to make another scene, her companion lowered her voice.
"Uh, Xiaohui’s mom, I just remembered I have something to do. I’m leaving now."
Her friend said this, grabbed her child, and squeezed through the crowd, eager to get away.
She was left to fight alone, while Jiang Suisui had Cheng Ye’s backing.
Soon, several more women arrived—also staff members of Morning Star Kindergarten—each presenting proof of their identity.
Now, Xiaohui’s mother had no way to keep causing trouble.
Security guards on patrol came as well. After hearing the situation from Jiang Suisui, they moved to remove Xiaohui’s mother for maliciously disturbing the night market.
Xiaohui’s mother panicked. "Don’t touch me! Do you know who my husband is? Be careful, or I’ll have him fire you!"
The guards remained unfazed and warned that if she didn’t cooperate, they would call the enforcement team.
The enforcement team were the police. Xiaohui’s mother finally caved, leaving with her head hung low and taking Lu Xiaohui with her.
With no more spectacle, many people dispersed.
Cheng Ye then looked at Jiang Suisui and smiled: "Little Jiang, why didn’t you tell me you were running a stall? Teacher Yu reported to me before, and I was quite curious about your crispy pork dishes."