Volume 1, Chapter 48: Young Friend Lin, Do You Have Some Grievance Against Me?

"Good heavens! To think that the inside thief in Jishitang was Manager Li all along!"

"Such vicious character, and to think he used to be a senior doctor at the county hospital."

"Truly, public morals are declining day by day, and human hearts are not what they used to be!"

"Doesn't that mean what that young man said earlier about accusing Li Donghai was one hundred percent true?!"

"..."

More than a dozen customers whispered among themselves. Having witnessed the entire process of Zhu Liu exposing the inside thief of Jishitang, they felt a joy that surpassed even winning a full hand of Thirteen Orphans in mahjong.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoxu strode toward the collapsed Li Donghai and pressed his finger against a specific pressure point on Li Donghai's body.

"Ah!" Li Donghai's eyes snapped open with a loud yell as he instantly scrambled up from the ground, his hands frantically groping the spot on his body that had just ached as if pierced by a knife. Yet, the moment he stood up, the pain had completely vanished.

A deeply gratified smile hung on Lin Xiaoxu's face.

"You dog of a doctor, Li Donghai, those who commit numerous injustices will inevitably bring about their own destruction! Now the evidence is conclusive, and you have no room to deny it! Go on inside and serve your sentence properly. There is something far worse than death waiting for you in the future!"

Li Donghai assumed that the fate worse than death Lin Xiaoxu mentioned simply meant being beaten up by heavyweights inside prison, but he was far too shallow.

Being unskilled in medicine, Li Donghai could not perceive that Lin Xiaoxu had infused a wisp of vital energy into one of the pressure points in his body. As time went on, the knife-like pain in his body would steadily worsen and last longer; even if he fainted, the agony would jolt him awake whenever it flared up.

Taking painkillers and receiving pain-relieving injections would be utterly useless!

This was Lin Xiaoxu's personal retribution for what Li Donghai had done back then!

"Uncle Rong, the moment Li Donghai mentioned that you were carrying two bottles of Maotai, I was already able to guess that the inside thief was him. After all, he carried the fragrance of Maotai wine on him, whereas you smelled strictly of medicinal herbs."

Zhu Liu took Uncle Rong's hand and, in front of all twenty-some employees of Jishitang and the remaining customers, solemnly announced a decision.

"Uncle Rong possesses both impeccable character and exemplary conduct. From this moment onward, he is the manager of Jishitang!"

"Splendid!"

Amidst rounds of applause and cheers, Li Donghai, wearing an expression of utter despair as if he were mourning his own parents, was handcuffed by Ge Ruoshuang and subsequently escorted back to the police station.

Severe punishment by the law awaited Li Donghai. Having stolen precious medicinal herbs from Jishitang worth over a million, he could forget about regaining his freedom for the next eight to ten years.

"President Song, please have your staff compile a list of the medicinal herbs you purchased from my pharmacy over the past three months. I will refund the full amount to you without a single penny missing," Zhu Liu said to Song Qingxin.

"Very well," Song Qingxin nodded.

"The same goes for all our customers! Presenting your receipts, Jishitang is willing to issue a full, unconditional refund!"

With such a scandal breaking out at Jishitang, its reputation would normally have been dragged through the mud. However, owing to Zhu Liu's candid admission of faults and courageous assumption of responsibility, he instead won the understanding and tolerance of the customers.

After the customers departed from Jishitang, Zhu Liu turned to Qi Xiangfu and said:

"President Qi, I must ask for your generous understanding regarding this incident."

Ultimately, Qi Xiangfu had not managed to complete the card payment, leaving Zhu Liu with no recourse other than a verbal apology.

"Come now, what kind of friendship do we share? You yourself were a victim as well. If anyone is to be blamed, blame that despicable wretch Li Donghai.

However, we truly owe this young brother a massive debt of gratitude today. Had it not for his exceptional discernment in spotting at a single glance that this was forest ginseng, I certainly would have swiped my card.

And the shady dealings Li Donghai carried out behind your back as the owner of Jishitang would have remained undiscovered for far longer."

Qi Xiangfu beamed as he looked toward Lin Xiaoxu.

"Allow me to introduce everyone. This is Lin Xiaoxu, the supplier of the Taoyuan divine guavas at my fruit shop," Song Qingxin said, taking Lin Xiaoxu by the arm and introducing him enthusiastically. "This is President Zhu Liu, the owner of Jishitang, and this is President Qi Xiangfu, the owner of Xilaifu Restaurant."

Song Qingxin shifted sideways slightly, and her proud, soaring breasts brushed against Lin Xiaoxu's chest inadvertently, almost sending Lin Xiaoxu rebounding backward.

"It's you?" Zhu Liu was so startled that he leapt straight up on the spot. His eyes bulged outward as he stared fixedly at Lin Xiaoxu, a reaction that thoroughly startled both Lin Xiaoxu and Song Qingxin.

Qi Xiangfu reacted much the same way.

"Ah! My son previously suffered from a severe cough. We tried countless doctors, took endless medications, and received numerous injections, but nothing could completely cure it.

Yet, after eating the Taoyuan divine guavas from Qingxin's fruit shop, within just two days, my son's cough improved by seventy to eighty percent!

Now he eats with a good appetite, sleeps soundly, has high spirits, and his complexion is as rosy as a red apple. He is like a completely different person compared to that half-dead state he was in before!"

Zhu Liu never could have imagined that the hero who exposed Li Donghai for swapping out Jishitang's precious herbs was actually the great benefactor who cured his son's lingering cough!

"So it was because of this matter," Song Qingxin smiled brightly.

"Young Friend Lin is truly a hero among youths. I, Old Liu, admire you to the utmost and am profoundly grateful!" Zhu Liu stepped forward, gripping Lin Xiaoxu's hand with tears welling in his eyes.

"President Zhu is too kind. That Li Donghai once harmed me, and it just so happened that I ran into him today attempting to pass off forest ginseng as wild ginseng to deceive customers, so I simply exposed his filthy deeds in public. This malignant tumor had to be eradicated, otherwise who knows how many more people he would have harmed in the future."

Lin Xiaoxu spoke in a calm and collected tone.

After exchanging glances with Qi Xiangfu, Zhu Liu stated:

"It was you, Young Friend Lin, who salvaged the foundations and reputation of my Jishitang, and it was you who cured my son's cough. From now on, you are the great benefactor of both Jishitang and my son."

With that, Zhu Liu pressed a heavy golden card into Lin Xiaoxu's palm, inscribed with the words "Jishitang Supreme Customer."

"Then I thank President Zhu." Lin Xiaoxu did not hesitate or engage in polite refusals; he accepted it directly. Narrowing his dark eyes, his gaze drifted toward Qi Xiangfu of Xilaifu Restaurant—this was, after all, Lin Manru's former boss!

The mere thought of the bullying Lin Manru had endured from Cao Wangjin filled Lin Xiaoxu with rising anger. When all was said and done, it was Qi Xiangfu's excessive indulgence that had allowed Cao Wangjin to swagger around so arrogantly and act with such complete disregard for others during work hours.

"Young Friend Lin, do you perhaps have some grievance against me?" Qi Xiangfu sensed the unkindness in the gaze Lin Xiaoxu directed at him.