I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Zhao Ming and his team returned to the newspaper office and immediately began compiling the so-called "evidence." His office was filled with various materials and documents, and his computer screen displayed various investigative results. He had a hint of pride on his face, and his eyes revealed confidence.

Zhao Ming sat at his desk, carefully flipping through a pile of documents. His eyes flicked across the papers, occasionally jotting something down in his notebook. His team members were also busy, some searching for information on their computers, others sorting through files. The office was filled with a tense atmosphere.

"Zhao Ming, I found some information about Old Man Li." A team member came over, holding a document. "He used to be the chef at Zhang Wanqing's bun shop, but later left for some reason."

"Old Man Li is the master?" Zhao Ming was slightly stunned, then nodded, "Interesting, let's continue investigating."

"Okay." The team members responded and continued to work.

Zhao Ming picked up the document and read it carefully. It contained details about Old Man Li: He had been a master craftsman at Zhang Wanqing's bun shop, teaching the art of bun making. However, ten years ago, he had abruptly left the shop and had not been heard from since.

"Why did you leave?" Zhao Ming said to himself, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Maybe it's because of money." Another team member came over, holding a newspaper. "I found a report from ten years ago that said Zhang Wanqing's bun shop almost went bankrupt due to financial problems. Old Man Li might have left for this reason."

"Funding issue?" Zhao Ming was slightly stunned, then nodded. "Interesting, let's continue investigating."

"Okay." The team members responded and continued to work.

Zhao Ming put down the documents, leaned back in his chair, and fell into deep thought. He knew that this old man Li might be the key. If he could prove that Old Man Li was the true founder of the bun shop, then Zhang Wanqing's bun shop would no longer be a "century-old brand," but a shop that made its fortune by stealing other people's skills.

A few days later, Zhao Ming finally finished his investigation and brought his team to the conference room to report to the newspaper's senior management.

"Zhao Ming, what are the results of your investigation this time?" The editor-in-chief of the newspaper sat at the first seat in the conference room, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Editor-in-Chief, the results of this investigation are very interesting." Zhao Ming smiled slightly, his eyes revealing a sense of confidence. "We found that the secret recipe of Zhang Wanqing's bun shop was not inherited from her ancestors, but was passed down by a man named Old Man Li."

"Old Man Li?" The editor was slightly startled, then nodded, "Go on."

"Old Man Li used to be the master craftsman at Zhang Wanqing's bun shop, teaching the art of bun making. However, ten years ago, he suddenly left the shop and hasn't been heard from since." Zhao Ming smiled slightly, a hint of pride in his eyes. "We've also found some information about Old Man Li. He almost caused the shop to go bankrupt due to financial problems."

"Funding issues?" The editor was slightly stunned, then nodded. "Interesting. Keep going."

"We also discovered that Zhang Wanqing's bun shop saw a sudden upturn in business after Old Man Li left. There might be some unknown secrets hidden behind this." Zhao Ming smiled slightly, a cunning look in his eyes. "Editor-in-Chief, I think this story is very interesting and will definitely pique the readers' interest."

"Hmm." The editor nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. "Zhao Ming, you did a good job on this investigation. This story is indeed very interesting, and I believe it will arouse the readers' interest."

"Thank you, editor-in-chief." Zhao Ming smiled slightly, his eyes revealing confidence. "I will continue to follow up on this story and strive to dig out more truth."

"Okay." The editor nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation. "Zhao Ming, I believe you."

Zhao Ming's findings were quickly published in the Metropolis Times. Titled "The Secret of a Century-Old Baozi Shop: Is the Recipe Not Inherited?" The article detailed Zhao Ming's investigation and his alleged "evidence." Upon publication, it immediately caused an uproar.

"Wanqing, look at this." Dad held up the newspaper, a trace of worry on his face. "Zhao Ming said in the newspaper that our family's secret recipe for steamed buns isn't inherited from our ancestors, but was passed down by a man named Old Man Li."

"What?" Zhang Wanqing was slightly stunned, then frowned. "He's talking nonsense. Our family's secret recipe is passed down from our ancestors. How could it be passed down by an outsider?"

"Wanqing, don't be anxious." said my mother.

"Mom is right." Zhang Chen nodded, his eyes showing seriousness. "We can't ignore the most important thing because of a temporary turmoil."

"What is the most important thing?" Zhang Wanqing

"Have you forgotten? That's our original intention." Dad smiled slightly, his eyes revealing a firmness. "We opened the bun shop to let more people taste delicious buns, not to pursue temporary fame."

"Dad, you are right. I understand the principle, but I forget it when I encounter problems." Zhang Wanqing said.

"By the way, Wanqing, you should discuss with Siyuan, Li Wei and others to see if there is any good solution." Dad said.

"Okay." Zhang Wanqing nodded.

So, Zhang Wanqing immediately contacted Fu Siyuan and Li Wei.

"Zhao Ming said in the newspaper that our family's secret recipe for steamed buns is not inherited from our ancestors, but was passed down by a man named Old Man Li." Zhang Wanqing frowned, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"This Zhao Ming is talking nonsense." Fu Siyuan said.

"I think we should find this old man Li first." Li Wei smiled slightly, his eyes revealing a determination, "Let's find out who he is and why he said that."

"That's a good idea." Zhang Wanqing smiled slightly, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes. "Let's start with him and see if we can find any clues."

"Okay." Fu Siyuan and Li Wei both agreed.

The three of them immediately sprang into action. They investigated Old Man Li's whereabouts through various channels. Fu Siyuan, leveraging his journalistic resources, contacted local archives and community centers; Li Wei, through his connections, sought information about Old Man Li; and Zhang Wanqing compiled the clues, ensuring no detail was missed.

"Siyuan, do you have any clues?" Zhang Wanqing sat in front of the computer, staring intently at the information on the screen, and asked Fu Siyuan who was on the phone.

"Well, the staff at the archives said they do have a record of Old Man Li, but he has moved away from his original address." Fu Siyuan put down the phone and said with a frown, "However, they gave me a possible contact method, the phone number of an old neighbor."

"That's great." Zhang Wanqing's eyes lit up and she quickly picked up her notebook to write it down. "Li Wei, how are you doing?"

"I've made some progress here too." Li Wei pulled a slip of paper from his pocket with several names and phone numbers written on it. "I asked a few people, and they all said Old Man Li might be in an old neighborhood in the north of the city."

"The old neighborhood in the north of the city?" Zhang Wanqing was slightly stunned, then nodded. "I have some impression of that place. Let's go take a look."