FID – Chapter 622

Chapter 622: Hollow Wine Jars

As soon as Liu Yusheng finished speaking, someone in the crowd immediately shouted, “Miss Liu, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that we were harmed by counterfeit wine and now you’re trying to pin the blame on us? If this wasn’t your Xinghua Village wine, who would dare to sell it using your name? If that were the case, you should have stepped forward and exposed them long ago! Why wait until now to shirk responsibility? You’re clearly taking advantage of your position and avoiding accountability, aren’t you?”

Liu Yusheng looked toward the person who had spoken, her gaze growing colder. “The distributors we select for Xinghua Village are all officially registered with the yamen. If they dare to sell counterfeit wine, they must bear the responsibility. Once confirmed, they will be sentenced to a heavy prison term! As long as you can tell us where you bought the wine from and bring the seller here, we can confront them on the spot. If the wine they sold is indeed from Xinghua Village, I will give each of you the compensation immediately!”

“You’re saying all this, but how do we know you’re not in cahoots with them, trying to deceive us common folk and avoid paying up?”

“I’ve been running the Xinghua Village winery for over ten years. If I didn’t have the ability to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit products, I wouldn’t have lasted this long in the business. I understand your outrage, but I won’t take the blame for something that isn’t mine! I can prove whether the wine you bought is genuine or counterfeit! 

If it’s counterfeit, the responsibility lies not with Xinghua Village wine, but with the people who sold it to you. If you’re looking for someone to hold accountable, find them! If you keep targeting innocent people while the real culprits escape, can you truly feel at ease? 

If it turns out that the accusations against us are false, you will be held responsible for spreading those lies! The matter has already been reported to the yamen, and if this turns into an unjust accusation, you will be guilty of defamation! Before this situation gets out of hand, I hope you will cooperate with me to expose the real culprits and bring justice to everyone!”

The crowd of common folk stirred restlessly, but many began to reconsider Liu Yusheng’s words, showing signs of hesitation.

If they really ended up with a defamation charge and were sent to prison, it would ultimately be them who suffered.

At this point, no one knew for sure who was right or wrong. Since she claimed to have a way of distinguishing between genuine and counterfeit wine and could expose the real culprit, why not give it a try? Maybe they could recover at least some of their losses.

“So, what do you want us to do? How are you going to tell the difference between real and fake wine?”

“To identify the authenticity, you’ll know with just one sip. The taste of Xinghua Village wine is something no one can replicate. Another way is through the wine jars you’re holding.”

“Wine jars?”

The common folk exchanged confused glances, looking at the small wine jars in their hands, their expressions blank.

Liu Yusheng walked over to the counter of the wine shop, took a jar of Xinghua Village wine, and poured the liquid out.

Instantly, the air filled with the rich fragrance of the wine. Just the scent alone gave people a refreshing sensation, making them feel more awake and alert.

The expressions of some of the people in the crowd changed. The scent of this wine was vastly different from the one they had bought.

Then, they watched as Liu Yusheng, in front of everyone, smashed the wine jar and carefully picked up a piece of the broken bottom. She gently tapped it with her fist, and to everyone’s astonishment, the once solid piece of porcelain dented and crumbled into fragments.

As she poured out the broken pieces, the crowd erupted in surprise.

The bottom fragment was hollow inside!

And within the hollow space, faint writing could be seen!

Someone with sharp eyes and who could read immediately exclaimed, “The character ‘Xing’! The bottom of that wine jar has the word ‘Xing’ hidden inside!”

Liu Yusheng raised her head and smiled at the crowd, “You can break the jars in your hands. If the bottom of your wine jar is the same as the one in my hand, I will compensate you ten times the amount of your losses!”

The sincerity in the young girl’s expression made the hearts of the common folk sink.

One by one, they smashed the jars they were holding, carefully prying apart the bottom fragments before smashing again, but the results made their faces turn ashen.

The bottoms were solid!

The wine jars they brought were solid at the bottom!Not to mention, there was no trace of the character ‘Xing’ inside!

“This is outrageous! They’re deceiving us, risking our lives! The wine we bought was counterfeit! Those unscrupulous merchants used fake wine to fool us, robbing us of our hard-earned money! We need to report this to the authorities! We need to arrest that scoundrel!”

Some people even sat down on the ground, crying out, “How could such heartless people do something like this? This is something that’s consumed by people, they’re trying to harm lives!”

The atmosphere in the wine shop became heavy and somber because of these cries.

Liu Yusheng sighed, walked inside the shop, and bowed to the middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. “Sir, the truth is clear now. Please, as a responsible official, help the common folk seek justice. We cannot allow these unscrupulous merchants to escape punishment!”

The middle-aged man looked at Liu Yusheng, his eyes hiding a barely perceptible sense of admiration. “Don’t worry, as the magistrate of Xuzhou, it is my duty to stand for the people. Guards! Immediately seal off the wine shop at the end of East Alley. Arrest the owner and bring them to justice! Also, seize their assets and sell the shop. The proceeds will be distributed to the affected citizens as compensation!”

In the crowd, some of the common folk, recognizing the middle-aged man’s authority, nodded and quickly dispersed, heading towards the direction of East Alley.

It was then that the people realized that the official seated inside the wine shop was none other than the magistrate of Xuzhou, and that Liu Yusheng had brought him to help them seek justice.

What had started as something that didn’t concern them, and even a case where they had been wronged, had now turned into the official stepping in to assist them. It was an act of returning kindness for harm.

This made many of the people feel ashamed.

They weren’t truly bad people; they were just ordinary folk, with the common traits of the average person. They often sought small advantages, refused to be wronged, and when problems arose, they resorted to causing a commotion, trying to get what they thought they deserved—even if, at times, they couldn’t always tell right from wrong.

However, not everyone was shameless.

After learning the full details of the situation, some of the people who had earlier gathered outside the wine shop, causing a ruckus and almost vandalizing the shop, began to feel guilty.

“Miss Liu’s kindness and the generosity of Young Master Qian, we all thank you for not holding our earlier actions against us!”

Liu Yusheng responded, “The reason this happened is because the people of this town enjoy the wine from Xinghua Village. After this, I hope everyone will remember not to be tempted by cheap deals and to buy your wine from legitimate shops. That way, you won’t be fooled again, and in the end, you’ll avoid more losses.”

“Yes, yes, we will remember,” they all agreed.

What could have been a crisis for the wine shop was smoothly resolved by Liu Yusheng with a few words, without even needing Young Master Qian’s intervention.

Her keen mind and the way she handled the situation so gracefully left everyone in awe.