"They actually said that a five-year-old child has a lucky charm. Who exactly is this lucky child? Why don't you sneak out and let everyone see it?"
"Don't even mention that we haven't seen the Fuwa mascots, or even the so-called 'Spring Rainbow' – it's all thanks to you guys who keep bragging!"
"I think you're clearly lying. You're claiming that the Chun Dai Cai shop across the street is yours. You're shameless in trying to steal business and make money."
"Can the magistrate's shop really cheat people like this? My savings of a year have all gone down the drain! Heaven is watching what you do. Your Liu family shop is clearly making money through dishonest means. You will be punished..."
The angry curses, mixed with the sound of stones being smashed, almost blew the roof off the shop. The entrance to the shop was already packed with onlookers, and the brother and sister in the small courtyard behind the shop had faces as black as ink.
Enraged, Liu Yuxian smashed a set of fine carved teacups. "These filthy scoundrels dare to insult our Liu family! They have a death wish! I'll have them all arrested right now!"
"Sister!" Liu Lin shouted, reaching out to stop her. "There are hundreds of customers in the shop right now, and even more are gathered outside. If we really arrest them, our jade shop's reputation will be ruined."
If they were to vandalize the shop, they would definitely kick them out immediately.
But now they're just smashing raw stones, and they're smashing stones they bought that can't be mined for jade. If we were to arrest them, we wouldn't have any grounds to do so.
Liu Yuxian paused, but her expression remained grim. "Isn't your reputation already bad enough? Brother, listen to what they're saying; each word is more offensive than the last."
And then there's the Li family shop. They've always been competing with us, and today they're using our shop's "Spring with Colors" dish outside, while subtly trying to smear us.
All of this is because of that little bitch Su Hua. If she had sold Chun Daicai to my brother, things wouldn't have come to this..."
"Alright! There's no rule in the jade gambling street that you have to sell to someone." The man's eyes darkened upon hearing this. "People are forgetful. After a while, today's events will be completely forgotten, and the reputation of the Liu family's jade shop won't be truly damaged because of this."
Seeing his expression, Liu Yuxian's fox-like eyes flashed with a strange light. "Brother, you wouldn't happen to have taken a liking to Su Hua, would you?"
Liu Lin shook his folding fan. "So what? A beautiful and virtuous woman is sought after by gentlemen. My backyard is just missing someone who is both talented and beautiful."
"Is my brother crazy?!" Liu Yuxian stood up abruptly when she saw him nod, her face full of disbelief. "Su Hua is not like those beauties in my brother's backyard. She is clearly a troublesome plague!"
I met her twice in total. The first time, she tricked me out of my entire estate. The second time, she stole such a fine jade with spring colors.
That's not all. Ever since she took away ten rough stones, not a single good piece has been found in this shop. The only one that was found was a cracked, broken bean-like material. It's clear that Su Hua has absorbed all the luck of the shop!
If someone like that were to marry into the Liu family, the household would surely be thrown into chaos...
Upon hearing this, Liu Lin's expression darkened slightly. The situation at the shop today was indeed strange. Not long after Su Hua and her group arrived, they had their staff continue to use the gimmick of "spring with colors" to attract customers, and they did indeed attract a large number of customers.
However, after enthusiastically buying the jade, not only did they not find any spring-colored jade, but they also didn't find any bright green or spicy green jade. The only piece of jade that was found was just a small bean-shaped piece, which angered the customers so much that they smashed the jade right at the shop's entrance.
In previous years' jade gambling fairs, their jade shop, while not the most outstanding, had always been among the top five. Today, however, they became the worst-performing shop.
Seeing his slightly stunned expression, Liu Yuxian pointed to the wound on the back of his hand: "Also, brother, don't forget that the guy surnamed Xiao next to Su Hua, although he's a cripple, is more skilled in martial arts than the shop assistants in our shop who know martial arts."
"Ouch... Be gentle!" Liu Lin gasped in pain as his wound was touched. It would have been better if Xiao Jinhan hadn't been mentioned, because the mention of him only made the wound feel even more excruciating.
He was the eldest son of a prefectural governor, yet that man surnamed Xiao slapped him to the ground in public, clearly showing he didn't take the Liu family seriously.
Such arrogance must mean they have powerful backers.
So, after his anger subsided, he immediately ordered his servants to follow their carriage. Firstly, he wanted to see what kind of backing this Xiao family member had, and secondly, he was curious whether the ten rough stones chosen by the Su family could yield any good material.
If nothing unexpected happens, the person who was following them should be back soon.
"Sizzle—"
Just then, a faint sound suddenly rang out from above the roof.
Immediately afterwards, a figure dressed in black landed in the courtyard.
Liu Lin put down his teacup and stood up. "You're back? How's the investigation going...?"
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence. He noticed that the man in black was covered in filth, with tears in his clothes at his hands and feet. His face, which was slightly drooping, was a mixture of red and blue, and was even more swollen than the back of his hands.
Liu Yuxian felt a pang of jealousy; if it weren't for the fact that her clothes hadn't changed, she probably wouldn't have recognized her as a member of the Liu family.
Upon seeing this, the man in black immediately knelt on the ground with a thud. "Young master, young lady, it's all my fault. I lost them after only two streets, and I even got beaten up with a burlap sack over my head. And that person also said, also said..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Lin's expression turned cold. "What are you stammering for? If you're going to speak, then straighten your tongue before you speak!"
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