Inheriting a Farm Made Me an Internet Sensation - Chapter 30

Lin Muhan knit her brows slightly and voiced her suspicion: “Was it Jiang Yue’s doing tonight?” Without waiting for Tan Xiao to reply, she continued to mutter to herself, “Why would she target you? You haven’t offended her.” Remembering something, she cut herself off, her eyes narrowing. “You offended Sun Xin.”

She rubbed her forehead irritably and paced back and forth. “Jiang Yue is like a mad dog; once she locks onto someone, she won’t stop until she’s torn off a piece of flesh.”

Tan Xiao raised an eyebrow. A mad dog?

True enough—only a mad dog would strike so ruthlessly right out of the gate.

Seeing Lin Muhan’s furrowed brow, Tan Xiao stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. “We’ll deal with whatever comes our way. I dislike trouble, but I don’t fear it.”

This was the truth. She only wanted to farm and conduct her experiments in peace; if Jiang Yue continued to harass her, she wouldn’t just sit there and wait for death.

So what if they were a Top 200 company? Given enough time, she could revolutionize the country’s agricultural landscape.

Admittedly, this would ruffle the feathers of those currently profiting from the status quo and lead to obstacles. But what if she looked at it from an international perspective?

Her words had a calming effect. Lin Muhan’s emotions settled slightly. “As long as you know what you’re doing. As for me, the most she can do is blacklist me and stop me from practicing law.”

Hearing this, Tan Xiao sighed inwardly. She should have realized long ago that before Lin Muhan decided to take on Ms. Bai’s case, she had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.

“Is it worth it?” Tan Xiao asked.

Lin Muhan started, understanding the implication. She curled her lips into a smile and walked to the window. Resting her hands on the sill, she gazed at the distant city lights for a long while before speaking. “It’s not about whether it’s worth it. I simply wanted to take a stand.”

Su Han said she was being aggressive. It was indeed aggressive, but she wanted to take this gamble. Besides, in this case, it was Huatai that was trying to cover up its own ugliness.

It was the 21st century, yet discrimination against female employees still existed—and in a listed company, no less.

Logically, she could understand the company’s perspective. Maternity leave often lasted six months, during which the company had to pay the employee’s salary as per regulations. If there were few female employees, it wouldn’t be an issue, but Huatai operated in the service industry where the proportion of female staff was high. Calculated that way, it was indeed a significant expenditure.

But could the female employees be blamed for this? Maternity leave is a right granted to women by the state, and Huatai had hired them of their own volition. There was no reason not to follow the rules.

Under such circumstances, granting Ms. Bai’s request would have been the wise move. Unfortunately, Huatai felt they couldn’t set such a precedent, and Ms. Bai’s actions had touched Huatai’s nerves, leading to this stalemate.

She turned back to look at Tan Xiao. “If I lose, I’ll come back here and leech off you.”

“You’re welcome anytime,” Tan Xiao smiled.

Lin Muhan didn’t say it, but Tan Xiao knew the pressure she was under was immense.

She couldn’t help Lin Muhan directly; the only thing she could do was support her decision so that Lin Muhan could focus entirely on winning the lawsuit.

Those two simple words provided Lin Muhan with immense encouragement.

She beckoned Tan Xiao over. The moment Tan Xiao approached, Lin Muhan leaned her head against Tan Xiao’s shoulder and murmured, “You’re very different today.”

She was no longer pushing her away and was willing to be close.

Tan Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. She looked down at Lin Muhan with eyes full of tenderness, her voice exceptionally soft: “Do you like it?”

Lin Muhan moved her head slightly and closed her eyes, greedily inhaling Tan Xiao’s scent.

Perhaps because she spent so much time in the fields, Tan Xiao carried a fragrance of grass mixed with earth. it was very comforting, making one relax unconsciously.

After a long silence, Tan Xiao couldn’t help but lightly support her shoulder and tilt her head to look down.

She saw that Lin Muhan had closed her eyes; her breathing was steady, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. She was clearly sleeping soundly.

“It seems things are quite difficult, otherwise she wouldn’t have exhausted herself like this.” Tan Xiao intentionally softened her voice and movements. She carefully picked Lin Muhan up and laid her gently on her bed. Then, she quickly grabbed the remote to adjust the air conditioner to a comfortable temperature.

Fetching a basin of water, she used disposable paper towels to begin cleaning Lin Muhan’s face.

Under the bright light, her gaze fell upon Lin Muhan’s face, and she realized that Lin Muhan had come over with a bare face.

Without makeup, Lin Muhan looked more elegant and refined, unlike the bold and bright look she had when made up. Yet, Tan Xiao found herself unable to look away, as if she could never see enough of her.

A long time passed before she snapped out of her daze. She fetched fresh warm water, wiped Lin Muhan’s hands and feet, and then returned to her own room.

She hadn’t even touched Jiang Yue’s interests yet, and Jiang Yue had already struck her ruthlessly. But Muhan was touching the “cake” of Huatai, the power behind Jiang Yue. Jiang Yue would certainly not sit idly by; she would do everything in her power to win.

Huatai was one of the leading giants in Binhai City. Its network and resources were incomparable to small enterprises. Once they decided to destroy Muhan, it would be difficult for her to maintain a foothold in the legal world, even with her father’s influence.

To do something while knowing it might be impossible was not Muhan’s usual style.

And yet, it was exactly the kind of thing Muhan would do.

She stopped thinking about it. There is always a way out, and even if there wasn’t, she would find a way to carve one. She would eventually pay Jiang Yue back for today’s loss.

Amidst flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, pea-sized raindrops began to pelt down from the sky, not stopping until the horizon turned the color of a fish’s belly.

Hearing the alarm, Tan Xiao struggled internally for several moments before finally getting out of bed.

Since coming to the farm, she hadn’t truly slept in once. When the farm’s affairs were settled, she would definitely sleep until she woke up naturally.

After washing up, she went downstairs to the dining room. The helpers living there were already eating.

Upon seeing her, the workers put down their chopsticks one after another, looking at her as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.

Even Song Qinlan, who was cooking, took off her apron and walked toward her.

“The things those people are saying online are pure nonsense! Those tomatoes and sweet potatoes in the fields were planted and cared for by our own hands. We all know perfectly well whether fertilizers or pesticides were used. Why don’t we do what the celebrities do and call some reporters? I,” Song Qinlan pointed to the workers who had already stood up, “can bear witness.”

“Yes, I can testify.”

“Not just me, the neighbors living around here can all help testify.”

Everyone chimed in, making the once-empty dining room suddenly lively.

Facing their enthusiasm, Tan Xiao pulled a smile. “I appreciate everyone’s kindness. Rest assured; a straight shadow does not fear a crooked person. If one testing agency’s data is wrong, aren’t there others?”

Song Qinlan slapped her thigh. “That’s right! There are so many testing agencies in the country; they can’t all be lying.”

“So, everyone, please relax. Our farm isn’t going under,” Tan Xiao added, giving everyone a piece of mind.

It had to be said that Jiang Yue’s move was clever—using the heat of social and entertainment news to push the narrative to its peak, making it known to everyone.

This way, even if she released the results from a testing agency, the seeds of doubt would have been sown. In the future, if anything happened at Anxin Farm, those doubters would come out to kick them while they were down.

And that was human nature.

Regardless of truth or falsehood, people only believe what their “eyes” see, unaware that sometimes eyes can be deceiving.

After breakfast, she checked the time and was about to go upstairs to wake Lin Muhan when Song Qinlan told her that Lin Muhan had already left before she even came downstairs.

So early.

She gave Song Qinlan a brief reply and headed toward the greenhouse.

Before nine o’clock, vehicles began to enter the farm one after another. Within half an hour, a dozen cars were parked along the road, including one from a testing agency.

Arriving with Director Lai of the testing agency was Professor Wu.

Tan Xiao had intended to follow them, but was stopped by a look from Professor Wu. Professor Wu led Director Lai and some reporters toward the sweet potatoes and the few remaining cherry tomatoes for testing.

Naturally, considering they were unfamiliar with the farm, Zhang Da was arranged to lead the way.

Chen Cuihua led several other reporters to the compost pit and the area where they usually mixed wood ash.

Watching them leave, Tan Xiao was about to return to the greenhouse when she was caught by two reporters.

“Can we go into the greenhouse with you? Don’t worry, we’ll be very careful and won’t step on your vegetables.”

Since she was the one who invited them, she had no reason to refuse, so she led the two reporters into the greenhouse.

She soon regretted it; these two reporters had too many questions, and she couldn’t ignore them.

While she was meticulously answering the reporters’ questions, Professor Wu, Director Lai, and the others had already arrived at the sweet potato field under Zhang Da’s guidance.

This matter also concerned the authority of the testing agency. Director Lai did not just take a sample from one spot; he collected samples from multiple locations for unified testing.

An hour later, all the test results came out of the equipment.

Director Lai took a look and handed the results to Professor Wu. He then faced the camera and said solemnly: “The entire sampling process was random, and the testing process was conducted under public scrutiny. I believe everyone is aware of the credibility of the final results. Now, I announce that the pesticide residue test results for the tomatoes and sweet potatoes grown at Anxin Farm are 0. Within the scope of science, they indeed belong to pure green cultivation.”

He paused and continued, “Regarding that screenshot online, I have ordered a thorough investigation since the incident began. Once found, there will be no cover-up; we will handle it according to the rules.” After speaking, he stopped talking and walked toward his car.

He didn’t want to wade into these muddy waters; someone had even approached him, telling him not to get involved.

He had originally thought so too, planning to retire next year and thinking that fewer troubles were better.

But a debt of gratitude must be repaid.

Professor Wang Yanpeng, who had once helped him out of a desperate situation, had spoken up. If he remained indifferent, not only would he lose face, but he would also be ashamed to face Professor Wang.

Besides, Professor Wang had said to handle it officially without favoritism, so he had no reason to refuse.

As soon as Director Lai and the people from the testing agency left, the reporters turned their cameras on Professor Wu, asking him to judge Tan Xiao’s planting methods from a professional perspective.

Professor Wu didn’t keep them in suspense and answered everything he could. He didn’t explicitly praise Tan Xiao, but all the reporters present could feel from the data provided by Zhang Da that such high yields combined with pure ecological farming was truly not something everyone could achieve.

At least for now, only Anxin Farm had done it.

The results regarding Anxin Farm met the public in the form of news.

With the rigorous narration, the views of authorities, and the support of actual data, the netizens who had been fiercely cursing Anxin Farm and Tan Xiao fell silent. They were replaced by comments from those who hadn’t joined the fray earlier.

I knew there would be a reversal just like before. It really goes to show that famous people attract trouble.

With such a big stir, it’s obvious Tan Xiao stepped on someone else’s toes. It even involved national institutions; this is no small matter. I think if people still want to eat pure ecological vegetables, they should unite so Tan Xiao can conduct her experiments without worries.

Wait, you guys are just a bunch of flip-floppers. What’s the point of doing experiments? The process of growing vegetables is all the same. In my view, saying the experiments are so hard is just to harvest our money later like sheep.

We’re all raised by parents, so how come some have brains and some don’t? If you don’t understand, don’t talk nonsense.

Exactly, it’s like planting flowers—is growing roses the same as growing hydrangeas?

Support Tan Xiao! You trolls, have some shame. Don’t eat the food while cursing it; no one is forcing you to buy it.

Whether or not the testing agency got involved, I support Tan Xiao. The tomatoes and sweet potatoes from Anxin Farm are just better than the ones on the market, no arguments accepted.

Looking at these online comments, Chen Cuihua and Zhang Da felt immensely vindicated.

Just as Chen Cuihua was about to speak to Tan Xiao, her phone rang again. Unlike before, she chose to put it on speakerphone this time.

“Sister Chen, it’s Old Li. I drank too much yesterday. About those five thousand pounds of sweet potatoes—could you prepare them for me? I’ll come to pick them up tonight.”

Chen Cuihua took a sip of water, pinched her throat, and pretended not to hear: “What did you say? I’m too busy here, let’s leave it at that.” With that, she decisively ended the call.

“Bah! As if we’re lacking someone to buy your five thousand pounds of sweet potatoes.” She turned to Tan Xiao. “Xiao Xiao, how about we don’t sell the sweet potatoes for now? Let’s wait until winter to dig them up. The price will be better then, and they won’t go bad staying in the ground anyway.”

Zhang Da followed with a nod. “I think that’s a good idea.”

Tan Xiao put away her notebook for recording data and looked up helplessly. “I have a bet with President Su. If this batch of sweet potatoes isn’t sold, I can’t fulfill my end of the bargain.”

Chen Cuihua and Zhang Da exchanged a look. Zhang Da spoke up, “Then how about this: we won’t cooperate with those who canceled their orders before, but we’ll take new orders as usual.”

Tan Xiao stood up and nodded. “Okay.” She pointed upstairs. “I’ll go up then. Just call me if anything happens.”

“Go do your work, don’t mind us.”

As soon as she returned to her room, Tan Xiao received a WeChat message from Lin Muhan.

Running into the fields all day, yet you managed to befriend someone even Jiang Yue couldn’t connect with. Not bad, CEO Tan.

But still, don’t let your guard down. Don’t forget, she’s a mad dog.

Tan Xiao understood what Lin Muhan meant. Since Jiang Yue dared to drag people from the testing agency into this, it meant she had already pulled some strings with the relevant people. If Professor Wang hadn’t personally called Director Lai this time, the testing agency probably wouldn’t have come to the farm.

If the local authoritative testing agency didn’t step in, even if she produced her students’ test results, the effect would likely have been negligible.

Her fingers moved across the screen as she replied.

Stop teasing me; it was just that Professor Wang was willing to help. Since we know she’s a mad dog, you should be careful too. If you can’t handle it, come back to the farm to rest and regroup, and we’ll fight back later.