Chapter 325 - 181: Walking into the Line of Fire

Chapter 325: Chapter 181: Walking into the Line of Fire

It was indefensible, both logically and emotionally.

Mrs. Zhang was known for running a tight ship and was highly respected in the village.

The five brothers of the Zhou Family were all down-to-earth, hardworking men. Whenever their neighbors needed a hand, they never hesitated to help.

But once Zhou Liangliang changed his sign, the effect was immediate. His business today was much better than usual; he had already sold more than ten bowls of hot pot soup by the morning.

Money makes people act. Seeing the effect he got just by changing a sign, it was inevitable that the other stall owners would start getting ideas.

Being a good person doesn’t put food on the table. If Zhou Yan and his family didn’t take a firm stance and get confrontational, all the other stalls would probably change their signs by tomorrow.

But why were the deputy mayor and a police officer here?

’Did someone call the police over a changed sign?’

Gao Cuihua plastered a smile on her face and came forward. "Mayor Huang, here for some Kneeling Beef? Quick, quick, have a seat inside! Our family’s Kneeling Beef is the real deal, a recipe passed down through generations."

Huang Chen stared at her with a stony face, saying nothing.

The smile on Gao Cuihua’s face slowly faded. She rubbed her hands together awkwardly.

Her usual bossiness, which worked so well in the village, was completely useless in front of Huang Chen and the police officer standing behind him.

"I believe you about the craft being passed down, but this sign looks like it was copied yesterday, doesn’t it?" Huang Chen said gravely. "Gao Cuihua! You’re the director of the Women’s Federation, for crying out loud. Have you no shame?"

"Zhou Yan was the one who built up the reputation of the Zhou’s Kneeling Beef sign. The brothers Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai learned the craft from him, so they use the same sign with his permission."

"And what is this? You slap on some paint and dare to call yourselves Zhou’s Kneeling Beef? What’s the difference between that and being common robbers?! Behavior like this will ruin the reputation of Kneeling Beef for everyone!"

Gao Cuihua’s face flushed red, then went pale. Being dressed down by the mayor in front of so many people was a complete and utter humiliation.

The expressions of the other Zhou Village vendors changed slightly. Mayor Huang was here to back Zhou Yan and Zhou Jie. His words were harsh, and he wasn’t giving Gao Cuihua, the director of the Women’s Federation, any face whatsoever.

The couple, Zhou Liangliang and Wu Guihua, shrank back, not daring to say a word. This was the mayor, after all. How could they dare to speak up?

Zhao Tieying pushed her way to the front of the crowd, pulled a handful of melon seeds out of nowhere, and started cracking them with great relish. ’Ah, this is satisfying,’ she thought.

She and Gao Cuihua had been rivals for years. While Zhao Tieying had won more often than not, she’d never managed to berate Gao Cuihua into stunned silence like this.

’Mayor Huang’s scolding skills aren’t anything special,’ she mused, ’but his official authority is immense.’

A single rank can crush someone. And the gap between a deputy mayor and a village women’s director? It was astronomical.

Gao Cuihua had been about to concede, but then she saw Zhao Tieying standing off to the side, smugly cracking melon seeds. A nameless fire ignited within her, and she retorted defiantly, "Mayor Huang, aren’t you being a little too harsh? We’re from Zhou Village too, we share the same ancestors! If Zhou Yan can call his stall ’Zhou’s Kneeling Beef,’ why can’t we? We’re all out here selling hot pot soup. Is he somehow more noble than the rest of us?!"

"Exactly," Zhou Liangliang muttered in agreement.

The onlookers remained silent, their eyes fixed on Huang Chen. They wanted to see what the town’s official stance on the matter would be.

"Shameless! You ignorant woman!" Huang Chen pulled a document from his folder and announced loudly, "Zhou Yan has already applied for trademarks for ’Kneeling Beef,’ ’Zhou’s Kneeling Beef,’ ’Zhou Yan Restaurant,’ and ’Zhang’s Braised Shop.’ No one may use these names without his express authorization. To do so constitutes infringement! You will face a lawsuit."

"A lawsuit!" Gao Cuihua’s face paled at the words.

The crowd erupted in a commotion.

’You can get sued just for using a sign?’

’The consequences are that serious?!’

"Is that really a thing?" Zhou Miao asked quietly.

"I just found out myself. No wonder Zhou Yan told me not to worry about it." Zhao Tieying pushed a handful of melon seeds into Zhou Miao’s hand and cracked another one with renewed vigor. ’This feels amazing.’

"A lawsuit over something this trivial? Mayor Huang, you’re not trying to pull one over on me, are you?" Gao Cuihua’s voice trembled slightly.

Zhou Liangliang and Wu Guihua, however, looked terrified. Glancing at the police officer behind Mayor Huang, they feared he was here to arrest them.

"I am here today to educate you all on the law. Since you don’t know, I will make it crystal clear for you. Trademarks are protected by law and cannot be infringed upon," Huang Chen said sternly.

"Through his own skill, Zhou Yan got Kneeling Beef on the cover of *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine and was featured in an exclusive interview, building a strong reputation for it.

We take this very seriously and are determined to seize this opportunity to develop and expand our Suji’s Kneeling Beef industry.

But the growth of an industry requires fair and legitimate competition. We will crack down severely on malicious squatting on brand names and the shameless act of claiming to be the authentic Zhou’s Kneeling Beef."

"Any illegal activity will be met with fines and the revocation of the offender’s business license, depending on the severity of the violation!"

At these words, the entire area fell silent.

’For a small business owner, what’s the most important thing?’

’The business license, of course!’

Without a business license, you’re operating illegally, constantly being chased away by the authorities.

You have to build a brick stove for a hot pot soup stand; you can’t just pack up and run.

Gao Cuihua still wanted to argue.

Zhou Liangliang and his wife rushed forward. One covered her mouth, the other dragged her backward.

"We’ll change it! We’ll change the sign back right away! Please be lenient, Mayor Huang!" Zhou Liangliang said hastily.

Even without changing the sign, he could make three to five yuan a day—more than a worker at the textile factory.

If their business license was revoked, how would they make a living?

The other vendors who had been getting ideas also shrank back.

’Zhou Yan’s backing is too powerful. Who would dare to mess with him?’

"I’ll be back tomorrow," Huang Chen said, looking at Zhou Liangliang. "I don’t want to see this sign again."

"Yes, sir!" Zhou Liangliang nodded his head like a bobblehead.

"We aren’t targeting anyone. We just hope that Kneeling Beef can become a signature dish for Suji, bringing development to our town and creating opportunities for everyone to make money," Huang Chen announced to the crowd of vendors.

"Next Monday, we will invite all the small business owners who sell hot pot soup to a meeting to discuss how we can develop this industry and make it bigger and stronger. As long as the flavor of your soup meets the standard, you will be able to use the name ’Kneeling Beef.’ That’s how we’ll build the Kneeling Beef brand together."

Hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up, and they all responded, "Absolutely!"

"Make sure you fix this," Huang Chen warned Zhou Liangliang. He then exchanged a few words with Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai before leaving with the officer.

"Instead of copying other people’s signs, you should focus on learning how to make a decent hot pot soup. You’re like a dung beetle wearing a mask—shameless and still stinking," Zhao Tieying sneered at Gao Cuihua before turning and walking away.

"Zhao Tieying, you... Don’t you get cocky!" Gao Cuihua stomped her foot in anger.

"Mom, just stop talking, please," Zhou Liangliang said, pulling down the sign with a pained expression. "All the customers have left. Stop ’helping.’ Just go home, and take this with you."

"You dare be sick of me, your own mother?" Gao Cuihua’s eyes widened. "I’m going to die of anger!"