Chapter 25

Everyone was discussing the matter, and they really had never heard of an appraiser before.

Beside the shop assistant, two servants who were responsible for the safety of the shop and were permanently stationed there by their masters looked at each other with helpless expressions.

They had been with the young master for a long time and often heard him talk about wanting to become an appraiser. Although they didn't understand it very well, they knew that if the young master wanted to do something, it must be very important.

How could a clearly old farmer from a remote village know such a high-ranking person?

If they had known this, they wouldn't have cheated these farmers. Now, it has caused trouble for the shop, and more importantly, damaged its reputation.

If the reputation is ruined, who will come to the shop to buy things in the future? The shop will be doomed to close.

They can't afford to take this responsibility! They must inform the young master as soon as possible!

The two servants looked at each other, and then one of them stepped forward, his demeanor completely different from before. He bowed deeply, walked to Lin Yiming's side, and said with a forced smile, "Master, we don't know about the matter you mentioned, and we can't make decisions. We need to consult the owner. Please wait here for a moment. What do you think?"

"Alright, then go and inform someone who can make a decision quickly," Lin Yiming said, then ignored the man. He knew that this kind of matter was beyond their authority.

After the two servants left, they soon arrived at a residential area filled with large mansions. They walked through the familiar path and entered a mansion with a sign that read "Liu Residence."

Not long after, they arrived at a separate courtyard. Inside, a young man was scolding a maid with an unhappy expression.

"It seems the young master is in a bad mood today," the two servants looked at each other, seeing only helplessness in each other's eyes. They knew the young master was unhappy, but they still had to speak.

The two servants steeled themselves, ran up to the young man, and cautiously said, "Young master, something has happened at the shop."

"Hmm?" Liu Tong, who was scolding the maid, suddenly heard his subordinates' words, turned around, and looked at the two flustered men, his mood worsening. "What's the matter? Speak!"

After speaking, his gaze fell on the maid beside him. "Are you a pig? Get lost! The shop's business is not something you should listen to!"

The maid quickly bowed and ran away. Only after she disappeared did the two servants start to report.

"Young master, do you remember the batch of grain we sold a few days ago?"

"Are you talking about the batch where I mixed bran and stones to cheat those country bumpkins?" Liu Tong smiled proudly. As soon as he heard his subordinates' words, he immediately understood. In recent times, there had only been one big deal.

This was his masterpiece. After taking over the shop, he had been thinking about how to expand its profits.

After much thought, he came up with this idea. This time, it was also an opportunity to get close to Young Master Liu Yuliang.

Although Liu Tong and Liu Yuliang shared the same surname and were both from the Liu family, Liu Yuliang was the legitimate heir of the Liu family, while his father was just a distant relative.

This time, Liu Yuliang found him and told him that a group of country bumpkins were coming to buy grain and asked him to find a way to prevent them from buying it.

How could he miss such a good opportunity to curry favor with Liu Yuliang? He didn't care why they had offended Liu Yuliang; he just needed to cheat them.

"Yes, young master, it's about that time. They have come to the shop now," the two servants nodded mechanically.

"So what if they came?" Liu Tong glared at his subordinates, dissatisfied. These two useless men were troubling him over such a small matter, becoming less and less capable.

Liu Tong waved his hand impatiently. "You've done this kind of thing many times before. Do you need the young master to teach you again? Tear off the seal and say they put it there themselves, trying to cheat us. If you can't even handle this, what good are you?"

"Young master, we did as you said, but this time, we encountered trouble," the servant saw the young master's expression worsen and quickly explained, "One of the people who came is an appraiser. The appraiser said he can determine who broke the seal."

"They have an appraiser." Liu Tong, who was comfortably lying in a rocking chair, immediately stood up, leaving the chair swaying behind him.

What kind of day is this? Why am I so unlucky? I should have been in the spotlight at the appraiser's examination, but my glory was completely overshadowed by that country bumpkin from the village.

Now, a group of country bumpkins I cheated have come to the shop, and they even have an appraiser. I always cheat people who look like they're from the countryside, and I still encountered an appraiser. Why am I so unlucky today?

Liu Tong himself was an appraiser, and he knew that an appraiser could indeed determine who broke the seal. This was truly troublesome.

"Let's go and see for ourselves."

Liu Tong pondered for a moment, then left the courtyard with the two servants, heading to his family's shop. As he walked, his mind gradually calmed down.

The situation might not be as troublesome as he imagined.

He had always paid attention to appraisers and knew all the appraisers in town. Now that he was an appraiser himself, the other appraiser would likely give him some face.

These poor farmers from the countryside probably have some connection with the appraiser, which is why they came. When the time comes, he could talk to the appraiser, offer some benefits, and resolve the matter.

As for those country bumpkins, they have caused him to lose money again. He would have to settle this account with them properly.

After some thought, Liu Tong, along with the two servants, soon arrived at the shop's entrance.

He could see that the shop was already surrounded by people. Clearly, many of them were there to watch the commotion. Besides them, there was a group of people who clearly looked like they were from the countryside, gathered in front of several carts.

"It's him..."

Suddenly, Liu Tong's eyes narrowed, focusing on a young man among the old farmers.

Lin Yiming, it's him!

Liu Tong's brows furrowed, his face turning as ugly as if he had eaten a fly. He was extremely displeased. This boy, if it weren't for him, the one who should have been in the spotlight at the appraiser's alliance would have been him. Now, he was causing trouble again. Was this person deliberately trying to make his life difficult?

But he also knew that this time, it was truly troublesome. The other party was an appraiser, and the seal was indeed broken by his people. If the other party insisted on pursuing the matter, his side would definitely have to pay compensation, and it would also damage the shop's reputation.

If it were someone else, it would be fine, but Lin Yiming was just a country bumpkin, possibly even part of the group of country bumpkins.

Although the shop often used deceit to make money, its targets were always the country bumpkins from remote villages. They never cheated the people in town, so the shop's reputation in town was still good. This incident must not ruin the shop's reputation.

However, if he agreed to pay compensation, not only would he lose money, but the damage to his reputation would be real. This was unacceptable; he had to find a way.

Liu Tong looked at Lin Yiming and the old farmers nearby, and suddenly, an idea came to him.

These people were clearly old farmers, so why would they come to town to buy grain? And this wasn't the season for selling grain. They must be in urgent need. It was almost harvest time, and they were likely trying to pay their rent to the large landowners.

Liu Yuliang had approached him recently, and many of the families in town rented land from them. So, these people were likely trying to pay Liu Yuliang!

The more he thought about it, the more he believed he was right. He was in the grain business and knew that many of the villages below the town did not have their own land. They rented land from the large landowners in town and had to pay a certain amount of grain each year. If their harvest was insufficient, they would lose their land.

The people in front of him must have encountered this situation, which is why they came to buy grain.

Moreover, these people didn't seem to have much money. They were all poor, and if they were to go to court, they probably couldn't even afford a lawyer. Besides, they were in a hurry, and he couldn't afford to wait either.

In a few days, when the large landowners came to collect rent, they would likely have no time to pursue the grain issue.