FID – Chapter 626

Chapter 626: What the Liu Family Can’t Do, I Can

“How is this not a big deal? This is outright betrayal!”

“Grandpa, take care of your health and remember to avoid extreme joy or anger,” Liu Zhiqiu reassured. “The bigger the forest, the more kinds of birds there are. Nannan and Xiao Jinzi’s business has grown large, so it’s impossible for everything to always go smoothly. Not everyone is as kind-hearted as our fellow villagers in Xinghua—there will always be greedy ones. But this won’t have much impact on us. I’ll handle this matter, don’t worry.”

Grandma Liu nodded. “Zhiqiu is right. The bigger the forest, the more kinds of birds there are—let alone people. We old people don’t understand these things, and just getting angry is useless. Let Zhiqiu and the others take care of it. At most, we might lose some money. For every greedy person, there are more who know gratitude, aren’t there?”

Only then did Grandpa Liu pick up his chopsticks again. “It’s not about the money. We’re all from the same village—doing something like this is truly disheartening!”

His words brought a heavy silence over the entire family.

After dinner, Liu Zhiqiu immediately set off for Duanqiao Village.

Once the elders had gone to bed, Liu Muqiu went to find Wei Hong in her guest room. “Aunt Hong, you used to be a shadow guard. Are you good at investigating things?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Let’s help Zhiqiu, okay?”

Wei Hong cast her a sideways glance. “It’s you who wants to help Zhiqiu, isn’t it? He’s a grown man—does he really need you worrying about him?”

Liu Muqiu blushed slightly. “It’s not about worrying. You know how soft-hearted Grandpa, Grandma, and the others in the Liu family are. Zhiqiu is the same. Even if he finds out the truth, he won’t be ruthless. If he handles things too lightly, it might only encourage more people to have bad intentions.”

“What do you want me to do?” Wei Hong’s eyes flickered with a trace of surprise that was barely noticeable.

This Little White Lotus had certainly figured out the temperament of the Liu family.

Even if Zhiqiu managed to uncover the culprit, if the person begged for mercy, he likely wouldn’t have the heart to punish them severely.

Handling it too leniently would indeed encourage others to develop the same crooked thoughts.

There were plenty of greedy people—it was just that not many had the courage to act on it yet.

“I’d like you to help investigate the winery workers in Duanqiao Village and see who has been acting suspiciously lately. It would be best if we can uncover the whole truth.”

“And once you find out?”

“What the Liu family can’t do, I can.”

After the young woman left the guest room, Wei Hong looked up at the roof and finally murmured, “The Liu family courtyard… it really has all kinds of characters now.”

Only a few of the elders remained unaware.

By the time Liu Zhiqiu arrived at the winery in Duanqiao Village, the entire place was in chaos. Shouting and cursing echoed through the building.

As he stepped inside, he saw that the village chief of Duanqiao and the workers were all gathered there. The moment they spotted him, everyone fell silent.

At that moment, tension filled the air. Everyone was nervous, unsure of how Liu Zhiqiu would handle things now that the incident had come to light.

Of course, those who were truly innocent feared being caught up in the mess the most.

Standing beside the village chief, Liu Zhiqiu looked at the workers, all of whom were waiting anxiously for him to speak.

“There’s no need for everyone to be so tense,” he said. “I’m here today only to investigate and get to the bottom of this matter. Until the truth is clear, everyone should continue working as usual. I can promise you this—no innocent person will be wronged.”

At his words, the workers visibly relaxed.

Many patted their chests in relief. “Zhiqiu, hearing you say that puts our minds at ease. We were just worried about getting dragged into this when we’ve done nothing wrong. This whole thing is such an injustice to us.”

“That’s right! We’ve always worked diligently, never daring to slack off. Otherwise, we’d be unworthy of the generous wages we receive, wouldn’t we? Who would’ve thought something like this would happen in the brewery! Zhiqiu, investigate as much as you need. Ask whatever you want—we’ll tell you everything we know!”

“Exactly! As long as the innocent aren’t dragged into this, we’ll cooperate however you need!”

After calming the workers and instructing them to continue as usual, Liu Zhiqiu stepped outside with the village chief. He took the account book handed to him and carefully flipped through the pages.

The Duanqiao village chief explained as he stood beside him, “I only discovered this issue this morning—I hadn’t noticed anything before. Since we’ve always been able to deliver the full quantity of goods without shortages, I never suspected anything. 

But today, when I was doing inventory for the nourishing wine before sending out another order, I realized that the previously prepared stock had decreased. And that’s not all—I immediately went to check the warehouse, only to find that a large amount of raw materials had also gone missing. I have no idea when they were taken. This is a huge issue for the brewery, and as the village chief, I take responsibility. Once you find out who’s behind this, Zhiqiu, I’ll accept whatever punishment you decide. I won’t make any excuses!”

“Village Chief, you don’t need to say that. I know very well how you handle things. No one wanted this to happen, and no one could have predicted it. Let’s get to the bottom of it first before we talk about anything else.”

As Liu Zhiqiu flipped through the account book, he focused on the sections the village chief had marked. At the same time, he asked, “Has any worker been acting strangely lately? For example, have you noticed unusual emotions, frequent mistakes, or any major family issues?”

The village chief thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Not that I’ve seen. Since the brewery reopened, the workers have been cheerful every day. Everyone seems about the same—no one has been acting out of the ordinary. As for their families, I haven’t heard of any major incidents. Ever since they started working at the brewery, those who were affected by the disaster have gradually stabilized, and their home situations have been improving. Nothing particularly unusual has happened.”

Hearing this, Liu Zhiqiu slowly frowned.

If that was the case, then there were almost no clues to follow. Did he really have to investigate every single worker, one by one?

If it came to that, the impact might be worse than the theft itself.

Investigating every worker would imply a lack of trust, which could spark resentment and backlash. More importantly, it would contradict what he had just promised them.

“The key to the brewery’s main gate—only you have it, correct? Have you given it to anyone during this time?”

“No, no, never! I’ve always kept the key with me,” the village chief hurriedly replied. “The brewery holds valuable goods. How could I dare give the key to anyone else? If something went wrong, I wouldn’t be able to take responsibility. That’s why I always keep it on me, even at home—I haven’t even let my own son have it.”

Liu Zhiqiu pondered for a moment before saying, “Give me some time to investigate this carefully. In the meantime, I’ll have to trouble you to continue overseeing the brewery. Everything should proceed as usual. Tell the workers not to overthink things—anyone who hasn’t done wrong has nothing to worry about. The Liu family will not falsely accuse an innocent person.”

“Alright,” the village chief nodded. “Take your time investigating. I’ll also keep an eye out to see if anyone acts suspiciously. If I find anything, I’ll send word to you immediately.”

On his way back, Liu Zhiqiu’s frown deepened to the point where it could crush a fly.