Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

Bai Hanchuan's hesitation made me even more nervous, and an ominous premonition came to my mind. Before I could ask more questions, something in his pocket fell to the ground with a dull sound. I looked down and saw a familiar notebook with a dark blue cover and the word "harvest" printed on it - it was a special notebook for recording pest data at our base!

I raised my head suddenly and looked at Bai Hanchuan in disbelief: "How did this notebook end up here with you? Could it be..."

My voice trembled slightly, and I dared not continue. Could it be that all the problems that had occurred in the base during this period were related to him?

Bai Hanchuan's face became even uglier. He moved his lips as if he wanted to explain something, but he said nothing. He sat on the ground dejectedly, covering his face with his hands, and whispered painfully: "I'm sorry, Jinli, I... I'm sorry for you..."

Seeing him like this, I was in a state of confusion and my mind went blank. I forced myself to calm down and opened the notebook on the ground. It would have been better if I hadn't looked at it. Once I looked at it, my heart sank.

The notebook is densely filled with records of the growth of various crops in the base, as well as the types of pests and diseases, their distribution areas, and prevention and control measures... Every page is filled with handwriting, and it is obvious that it has been observed and recorded for a long time.

What shocked me the most was that on the last page of the notebook, there was a line of words written: "Use pests and diseases to attack Mu Jinli and annex the planting base."

I clenched my hands so hard that my nails dug into my flesh, but I didn't feel any pain. There was only one thought in my mind: Who did this and why?

"Hanchuan, what is going on?" I asked in a trembling voice, "Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to harm me and our base?"

Bai Hanchuan slowly raised his head, his eyes were full of bloodshot, his face was full of fatigue and pain. He opened his mouth, his voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible: "Jinli, I... I can't do anything, I..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps.

"Jinli! Jinli! Something bad has happened!" Lin Xiao ran over in a panic, her face full of anxiety and worry, "Go and have a look, your dad..."

Lin Xiao's words exploded in my ears like thunder. I grabbed her arm and asked anxiously, "What happened to my dad? Tell me slowly!"

"Your father...suddenly fainted in the field!" Lin Xiao said breathlessly, "He has been sent to the hospital now, you should go and see him right away!"

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, shattering my last glimmer of hope. My eyes went dark and I almost fainted. Bai Hanchuan hurriedly supported me, his eyes were complicated, with guilt and worry.

I didn't have time to think about it, nor did I bother to ask him about the notebook. I rushed to the hospital anxiously. Along the way, my mind was blank, and only my father's painful groans echoed in my ears.

After arriving at the hospital, I rushed to the ward and saw my father's pale face and weak appearance. I couldn't hold back my tears. My mother sat by the bed, wiping her tears and comforting my father softly.

The doctor told me that my father fainted because of long-term overwork and the recent pest problem that made him worried. Fortunately, he was sent to the hospital in time and his life was not in danger, but he needed to be hospitalized for observation for a period of time.

I held my father's rough hand, my heart was filled with self-blame and guilt. My father had given so much for this family and to support my career, but I let him down.

"Jinli, don't worry, your dad will be fine." Mother patted my hand gently and comforted me, "The most important thing now is to take good care of your dad. Other things can be dealt with after he gets better."

I nodded, suppressed the grief in my heart, and began to take care of my father's diet and daily life. Looking at my father's increasingly thin face, I secretly vowed to find out the mastermind behind the incident and seek justice for my father!

Lin Xiao also stayed to help take care of her father. She told me that the flower shop business has been getting harder and harder recently because of the fierce market competition. Many large flower shops have started to cut prices for promotions. Her small shop is simply unable to resist and is facing the crisis of closing.

"Jinli, I..." Lin Xiao hesitated to speak. Her eyes were red, and she was obviously holding back tears.

"Don't worry, there will always be a way out." I held her hand and gave her a comforting look, "Let's work together to find a way, and we will definitely get through this difficult time."

In the dead of night, I sat on a chair in the hospital corridor, looking at the dark night sky outside the window, feeling confused and helpless. The problem of the planting base had not been solved, my father fell ill again, and Lin Xiao's flower shop was facing bankruptcy. The successive blows made me breathless.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of the night. I looked up and saw a worker from the base. His face was panicked, his eyes flickered, and he stammered, "Boss Mu, something bad has happened..."

"What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?" My heart skipped a beat and an ominous premonition came over me.

“The vegetables in our base…our base…were maliciously slandered. It was said…that toxic pesticides were used!” the worker stammered, lowering his head and not daring to look at me.

"What?!" I stood up suddenly, furious. "Is the news true? Where did it come from?"

The worker was so frightened that he trembled all over and stammered, "Now the whole market is saying that our base used banned drugs in order to seize the market... Now, no one dares to buy our vegetables."

I suddenly felt a black screen in front of my eyes, and I almost lost my balance. My competitors must have done this! They took advantage of my desperate situation and added insult to injury, trying to completely defeat me!

I forced myself to calm down, took a deep breath, and said to the worker, "You go back first. I'll take care of this matter. Remember, don't panic and don't tell anyone."

After the workers left, I immediately called Bai Hanchuan, but I couldn't get through. I became even more anxious and decided to go to the market to see the situation myself.

As soon as I walked to the entrance of the market, I heard a lot of discussion, all of which were about the use of banned drugs in our planting base. I walked into the market and saw that the stalls that originally displayed vegetables from our base were deserted, while the stalls of our competitors were crowded with people and doing a booming business.

I randomly found a stall owner to ask about the situation. When the stall owner saw me, he showed a look of disgust on his face and said impatiently: "How dare you ask? Don't you know what you did? We don't want to be killed by you!"

I suppressed my anger and continued to ask several stall owners, but I got similar answers. My heart sank. It seemed that the rumor had spread widely and the negative impact it had caused was far beyond my imagination.

I walked aimlessly in the market, looking at the dazzling array of vegetables, but there was no place for our base. A feeling of powerlessness and despair came over me.

Unconsciously, I walked to the corner of the market, where some unsold vegetables were piled up, rotting and emitting a foul smell. I suddenly remembered that these vegetables should have been placed on my stall, bringing me huge profits, but now they can only be ruthlessly discarded here and left to rot.

I squatted weakly, gently stroking a withered cucumber with my hand. The image of my father working hard emerged in my mind. Thinking of his determination to support my career at all costs, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer...

As the sun sets, I stand alone on the top of the mountain, looking at the desolate scene in front of me, my heart filled with despair. At this moment, a familiar voice comes from behind me...

"Why are you standing here alone? It's getting cold, be careful not to catch a cold."

It’s Bai Hanchuan.

I turned around and saw that his face was covered in dust and his eyes were bloodshot, obviously exhausted to the extreme. My nose felt sore and I couldn't hold back the grievance in my heart any longer, so I threw myself into his arms and burst into tears.

"What's wrong? Don't cry, tell me slowly what happened?" He patted my back gently, his tone gentle and worried.

I told him what happened today in bits and pieces, from the workers' panicked reports, to the discussions of people in the market, to the vegetables that should have belonged to me being ruthlessly discarded...

"Damn it!" After listening to my story, Bai Hanchuan's face suddenly darkened. He clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes flashed with anger. "They must have done it. I won't let them go!"

I shook my head and said weakly, "What's the point of saying this now? The whole market is saying that our vegetables are made with banned drugs. Even if we clarify, who will believe it?"

"I believe you." Bai Hanchuan held my face and said firmly, "I believe you would not do such a thing. I also believe that those who are innocent will be innocent. One day, we will find evidence to clear your name!"

His words comforted me a little, but I knew in my heart that it would be difficult to clear my name. Moreover, the base was now facing the threat of pests and diseases, and the funding chain had been broken. We were in a desperate situation...

"Hanchuan, what...what should we do?" I raised my head and looked at him desperately, hoping for a miracle to happen.

Bai Hanchuan was silent. He hugged me tightly. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest and the deep sense of powerlessness in his heart.

Yes, facing such a predicament, what can even someone as strong as Bai Hanchuan do?

Just then, a cell phone ring broke the silence.

Bai Hanchuan answered the phone and his expression gradually became serious.

"What did you say? Really?!" He stood up suddenly, with a hint of disbelief and surprise in his tone.

I looked at him nervously, my heart in my throat. Could it be... could it be that things had taken a turn for the better?

He hung up the phone and turned to look at me with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Jinli..." He took a deep breath and said slowly, "We... may be saved..."