FID – Chapter 620

Chapter 620: Fake Wine

After the excitement settled, life returned to its usual routine—calm and steady.

Until a messenger arrived from Xuzhou on behalf of the Qian family.

After hearing the whispered report, Qian Wanjin furrowed his brows, his expression growing colder by the second, his gaze sharp as a blade.

“What happened?” Liu Yusheng asked.

Qian Wanjin curled his lips into a sneer. “It seems that as we grow bigger, some people just can’t sit still and have started stirring up trouble.”

“Is this problem in Xuzhou?”

“In Xuzhou, the market has been flooded with counterfeit wine being sold under our Xinghua Village Winery brand. These fake products are being passed off to unsuspecting citizens. Now, many people in that region have fallen ill with severe vomiting and diarrhea after drinking it.

Crowds have gathered at our Xuzhou winery, demanding compensation. The situation has already been reported to the authorities, and I need to go there immediately to handle it.”

“I’ll go with you,” Liu Yusheng said.

Fake wine again.

But this situation was different from what had happened in the capital.

Back then, the Liu family in the capital had deliberately staged an incident to suppress them, bribing people to fabricate the entire affair.

But in Xuzhou, it was the common people who were making a fuss—they had been deceived. If the matter wasn’t handled properly, it could severely damage the reputation of Xinghua Village Winery. Worse, it might even taint the Qian family’s reputation, casting a shadow over their Benevolent Merchant and Imperial Merchant titles.

Hearing their conversation, the elders of the Liu family quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. Grandma Liu, Chen Xiulan, and Du Juan immediately got up to help the two pack some essentials, then saw them off.

Shi Xianrou went along as well, taking on the role of bodyguard.

That afternoon, they set out from Xinghua Village, heading straight for Xuzhou.

Watching the children leave, the old woman frowned with worry and asked, “From what they said, this seems quite serious. The situation sounds big—do you think anything bad will happen?”

Grandpa Liu reassured her, “Nothing serious will happen. Nannan and Xiao Jinzi both have good judgment. Besides, this isn’t our fault. If it’s a scheme, the truth will come to light sooner or later.”

Liu Dalin and Chen Xiulan also chimed in, “Nannan and Xiao Jinzi have weathered many storms. What seems like a huge crisis to us is probably just a minor issue they can handle with ease. We should trust them. When they return, it will surely be with good news.”

Grandma Liu nodded, trying to comfort herself with their words.

Indeed, the children had been through so much. They had even faced powerful forces like the Fu family, the Six Great Families of the capital, and Consort Liu. Their struggles had even reached the emperor himself.

Yet, in the end, they had come through unscathed. This time would be no different.

With the help of the Canal Guild’s merchant ship, the three of them reached Xuzhou in just two days.

After disembarking at the dock, they headed straight for the Xuzhou winery.

Even before they reached the entrance, they could see a large crowd of townspeople gathered outside, creating a chaotic and noisy scene filled with shouting and cursing.

Some had lost control, rushing forward to smash the distillery’s signboard. Others were trying to push their way inside, aiming to destroy all the fruit wines and medicinal wines on the shelves.

The shopkeeper and the distillery workers were desperately holding them back, enduring bites, kicks, and punches from the enraged crowd. It was clear they wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

“Stop!” Qian Wanji shouted sternly. As soon as the carriage stopped behind the crowd, he jumped down and strode toward the distillery.

Shi Xianrou moved even faster—leaping over the townspeople’s heads, she landed at the distillery entrance and swiftly grabbed those who had broken through the defenses, tossing them back outside.

She controlled her strength carefully, ensuring they wouldn’t be injured upon landing, though each impact still resulted in a loud thud.

The sudden turn of events stunned the frenzied crowd into brief silence, momentarily calming the chaos.

Qian Wanjin and Liu Yusheng walked forward from behind.

“Young Master, you’re finally here!” Seeing their arrival, the shopkeeper struggled to his feet and hurried to their side. His face and body were covered in bruises, and he looked utterly disheveled.

“Boss, these people have completely lost their minds! They won’t listen to reason at all! Our winery’s wine is high-priced, and we’re familiar with most of our regular customers. But these people at the door—I don’t recognize a single one of them! It’s obvious they bought fake wine from somewhere else, got scammed, and now they’re blaming us for it! I’ve already reported this to the authorities, just waiting for you two to come and handle it.”

Liu Yusheng glanced at the temporarily subdued townspeople, then at the battered shopkeeper and workers. She nodded and said, “You did well. Thank you for holding out. Shopkeeper, take the workers inside and tend to their injuries. Leave the rest to me and Young Master Qian.”

“Yes, Miss Liu.” The shopkeeper bowed before leading the workers inside to tend to their injuries.

Meanwhile, the townspeople at the entrance had snapped out of their momentary silence. As soon as they heard the shopkeeper refer to the two as the owners, someone immediately pointed at them and shouted angrily.

“So, you two are the Young Master of the Qian family and the famous Little Divine Doctor, Miss Liu? Now that you’re here, you must give us an explanation today! Why has the renowned nourishing wine from Xinghua Village, which is so popular in Nanling, made us sick with vomiting and diarrhea?”

“We’ve always heard people praising this so-called ‘miracle wine’ as if it were the best thing under the heavens—something that not only nourishes the body but also extends one’s life. If it weren’t advertised so highly, do you think we common folk would have ever spent such a fortune on it? 

The price of one small jar of your wine is equivalent to a whole year’s wages for an ordinary household! And now, after buying it, we’ve felt no benefits at all—only illness! 

Isn’t this outright deception? If you don’t give us a proper explanation today, we won’t just take this matter to the local authorities—we’ll bring it before His Majesty himself if we must! We will demand justice!”

“No matter what, we must seek justice! My old man drank your wine and is now bedridden! If anything happens to him, you will pay with your lives!”

“Give us an explanation! Don’t think you can fool us common folk with excuses! It’s not just one or two people who’ve suffered—there are many! We trusted your wine, and now we’re suffering! 

Right now, it’s only vomiting and diarrhea, but who knows what might happen later? You must not only give us a proper explanation but also compensate us for our suffering!”

Liu Yusheng and Qian Wanjin’s expressions darkened as their gazes swept over the enraged townspeople gathered at the entrance. Their anger burned fiercely, demanding answers and retribution.

Both of them knew that this situation was different from before and couldn’t be handled the same way.

Liu Yusheng took two steps forward. Qian Wanjin instinctively reached out to stop her, but she halted him with a firm glance.

“Anyone who bought wine from my Xinghua Village Winery and experienced health issues—I will take full responsibility. You will receive a proper explanation and full compensation,” she declared. “Right now, you can come forward to register. Once I have tallied the number of affected individuals, we will compensate each of you accordingly, based on the severity of your situation.”