Mr. Xiao is a businessman, and a normal one at that. Normal businessmen tend to use gentle methods when doing things.

While it is true that one may resort to any means to achieve one's goals, the first step should be to be accommodating.

If something can be resolved gently, don't make it tense and prevent everyone from ever seeing each other again. You'll only make enemies, and who knows when they might cause trouble for you?

What's more, they have Boss Leopard and the county magistrate as their backers.

Yes, although money can be tempting, Boss Xiao still retained some rationality.

When I went to the Yun family, I was carrying a lot of gifts.

That's right, a generous gift.

A bolt of cloth, a bag of sugar, a piece of meat, a bottle of wine, and a bag of large, juicy late autumn pears.

The cloth is a fine cotton fabric of medium to high quality. Although it is not as expensive as those colorful foreign fabrics, it is soft and perfect for making clothes that fit close to the skin.

Peanut brittle candy is a popular gift in rural towns these days.

The meat is also good quality, with a good balance of fat and lean.

The wine is bottled wine produced in a legitimate winery, not just any bulk wine brewed in an earthen kiln.

These gifts might not seem like much in the city, but when given to people in the countryside, they truly show thoughtfulness.

This sincerity is beyond question!

Boss Xiao spoke politely, his face full of a 'sincere' smile: "Brother Yun, I apologize for disturbing you by coming here. Please don't take offense. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it with a smile."

Yun Dazheng would certainly not accept it.

Offering unsolicited favors is either a sign of treachery or theft.

He understands this principle.

To be honest, the only interaction he had with this Boss Xiao was buying grain seeds—that's the basics of buying and selling things. There was no other interaction between them.

Besides, he'd only been going to town frequently for the past six months or so, and he'd only bought the seeds from Boss Xiao this year. A couple of years ago, he and his wife had lived with their eldest son, Yun Youtian, and he'd never been involved in any money-related matters at home. He hadn't been to town for several years. He wasn't familiar with this Boss Xiao at all; they weren't even nodding acquaintances.

The fact that Boss Xiao is bringing gifts to our door now means it's definitely not going to be anything good.

So Yun Dazheng shook his head and returned the gift to Boss Xiao, saying politely, "Boss Xiao, you're too kind. It's not a holiday, and I haven't done anything special at home. Your willingness to come and sit down and have a drink is already a great honor. There's no reason for me to accept your gift."

"Brother Yun, don't worry about it. I, Xiao Desheng, am just an honest businessman. I never cheat or harm anyone. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to run a grain store in town for so many years without ever getting into trouble. This little gift is nothing to worry about, so please accept it." As he spoke, he pushed the things he had brought towards Yun Dazheng.

Yun Dazheng naturally pushed it back without hesitation, saying, "Boss Xiao, there's a saying... um... no merit... no merit..."

Whether Yun Dazheng couldn't remember what he said for a moment or was doing it on purpose, he kept repeating the words "no merit" over and over again without saying the next sentence. This annoyed even Boss Xiao, who chimed in with half of the sentence: "No merit, no reward."