"How dare you say that? We've already been merciful by not reporting you to the authorities. If the fabric was fine, why would we be here to return it?" one of the elderly women said indignantly, looking at him. She felt he was deliberately asking the obvious, unwilling to return their hard-earned money.
"My fabric is perfectly fine, isn't it? What's wrong with it?" He Sheng looked at them in surprise. All his fabric was sourced from the same textile shop, and the quality was excellent. He had inspected it himself. Hadn't everyone bought fabric from him before? They chose him for his affordable and durable goods. Was this batch of fabric any different from the usual?
Seeing that he didn't believe her, the old woman quickly spread out the fabric she was holding. What happened next left him dumbfounded. The old woman tore the fabric with her hands, and it ripped apart easily. The key was that she hadn't used much force. Not believing it, he walked over to the old woman and tried it himself. Indeed, it was as she had said. After a moment's thought, he rushed back to his shop to inspect the other bolts of fabric. He discovered they were all the same. He slumped to the ground, feeling that he was ruined.
He thought about how, due to the opening of his second store, he hadn't gone himself but had sent his eldest and second brothers. Then he understood what had happened. Likely, as before, they wanted to extract money from him but didn't know how to ask directly, so they resorted to such tactics. Didn't they know that although his wages weren't high, their meals and lodging were provided in his courtyard? Besides, if they replaced the fabric, ruining his business, how would they earn a living in the future? Wasn't this cutting off their own food supply? How could they be so short-sighted?
Huo Sheng and Hai Sheng, seeing He Sheng's gaze, quickly lowered their heads. They knew they had done wrong, but having set out with so much silver, the thought of it flowing into others' pockets, and then the returned fabric being sold to others, with the money ultimately going to He Sheng and not to them, made them feel greedy.
Unable to resist, they spent a considerable amount at the Free and Easy Pavilion on the way. Lacking the silver to buy fabric, they had to find a cheap place to purchase some. On the surface, the goods looked no different from what they usually bought, but in reality, the price was vastly different.
At this point, He Sheng didn't bother to question them. The most important thing was the group of grandmothers in front of him, holding the fabric and looking at him with hateful eyes, ready to fight. He knew that if he didn't give them a satisfactory explanation today, this matter wouldn't be easily resolved. He could only grit his teeth and endure it.
Seeing that he had finally conceded, the grandmothers' faces lit up with joy. What they had bought for one tael of silver, they would definitely claim cost one and a half. If they hadn't feared being considered outrageous, they would have asked for two or three taels. As a result, let alone making a profit, they even lost the money they had earned recently.
He looked at the people cowering in the corner, his anger boiling. He knew that today, it wasn't just money he was losing, but also his reputation. Who would dare buy fabric from his shop again? Just as he had expected, the next day, there were significantly fewer people at his entrance. Even those who came were looking for that batch of fake goods to extort money. Upon discovering that the items had been swapped, they left in disappointment.
As the saying goes, good deeds are not advertised, but bad news travels a thousand miles. Even Wu Caiwei heard about it. She had always known that group of people wouldn't be law-abiding. She didn't expect them to cause such trouble right after setting out. She guessed that He Sheng's silver had gone down the drain this time. As expected, everyone knew the quality of his fabric. Not only did his newly opened store fail, but even his old store, which he had painstakingly built up over the years, became deserted.
He tried many methods but couldn't salvage his business.
Finally, he had no choice but to sell the fabric in his shop at a low price and close down. Standing in front of his shop, He Sheng couldn't help but shed tears. This was the first time in many years that he had run a shop and made money, only to have it all come to naught. He finally returned to his small courtyard in disgrace.
Knowing they had made a mistake, no one dared approach him. But a few days later, another predicament arose. Looking at the housekeeper's opening and closing mouth, his head began to ache. Thinking of the few dozen taels of silver he had left and the many mouths waiting to be fed in the mansion, he felt the heavy burden of responsibility.
One day, as Wu Caiwei was exiting the gates of Prince Yang's mansion, someone walked towards her, causing her to widen her eyes. As the person tried to step forward, she quickly extended her hand to stop him.
"What are you carrying?" Wu Caiwei asked, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
He Sheng paused, sniffed the air, and detected a faint fragrance. He then remembered that his eldest sister-in-law had given him a sachet that morning. He found it pleasant and had been wearing it.
He quickly took off the sachet and made to hand it to his mother. "You mean this? My eldest sister-in-law gave this to me when I went out today. She said it was something to refresh one's mind. I thought it smelled nice, so I carried it. What? Is there a problem?"
Wu Caiwei looked at him speechlessly. She had told him long ago not to associate too much with that family, but he hadn't listened. Clearly, they intended to ensnare both mother and son. Wu Caiwei took the sachet from his hand, tore it open, and shook its contents onto the ground in front of him.
"What are you doing?" He Sheng looked at his mother in surprise. No matter what, it was his eldest sister-in-law's good intentions. Couldn't she take out her anger on a sachet just because she didn't like the person?
Seeing his expression, Wu Caiwei knew what he was thinking and said irritably, "Even if you haven't seen my medical skills, you must have heard of them. If I told you that these things are harmful and that you have already been poisoned, would you believe me?"
"That's impossible. Why would my eldest sister-in-law harm me? They still rely on me for a living. If I die, they'll return to their impoverished days. There's no reason for her to harm me." Although He Sheng felt his mother wouldn't lie about this, he couldn't quite believe it. As he said, that family still depended on him for support.
"Don't be naive. Did the other party know you were coming to see me when you went out? If so, it makes sense. The closer we are, the deeper my poisoning will be. You won't even know how you died. Do you believe that your assets and my assets will become the Zhang family's?" Wu Caiwei felt that her foolish son had too simplistic a view of human nature. They weren't interested in the silver he brought back; they wanted something bigger.
He Sheng's mouth gaped open. He wanted to say something but couldn't. After a moment's thought, he carefully picked up the things from the ground, wrapped them in cloth, and intended to take them to the pharmacy for the doctors to examine.
Soon, he rushed back to Wu Caiwei, saying with some guilt, "Mother, I have indeed been poisoned. Do you have a way to help?"