Chapter 383: Chapter 383: You Reap What You Sow Chapter 383: Chapter 383: You Reap What You Sow The shopkeeper, who was resting in the accounting room, suddenly shivered uncontrollably and sat up from his bed stool. As he reached to rub his nose, he muttered to himself, “How can I suddenly feel so cold in such hot weather?”
Just at that moment, the sound of footsteps approached from afar.
“Knock, knock, knock…!”
A flurry of urgent knocking followed by a shop assistant shouting, “Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper.”
“It’s terrible!” came the panicked voice.
“What’s making you cause such a fuss?” the shopkeeper asked, somewhat impatiently.
“The county magistrate is having guests over tonight at our tavern.”
“What’s so strange about that? The official is a regular at our tavern,” the shopkeeper said as he leisurely walked to the door, opened it, and spoke with visible impatience.
“No, it’s not like that.”
The assistant had run all the way here, somewhat out of breath. He paused, then added, “The guest he’s inviting is the man we deceived this morning.”
“Who?” The shopkeeper thought he had misheard and dug at his ear before asking again.
“It’s the hero who killed the tiger.”
The shopkeeper let out a piercing scream. How had this tiger-slaying hero gotten mixed up with the county magistrate? This was bad, very bad! If they sought revenge and said just one or two wrong words in front of the county magistrate, their tavern could be finished. With this thought, the shopkeeper started to panic. He paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, like an ant on a hot pot.
The assistant who had come to report was the same one who had taken over five taels of Silver from Xuexue that morning. Just now, two Yamen Runners had walked into the tavern with Big Bull and Xuexue, scaring the guilt-ridden assistant half to death; he thought Xuexue was going to the Yamen to accuse the tavern of fraud.
Only after the Yamen Runners made their purpose clear did he breathe a sigh of relief, then he hurriedly went to inform the shopkeeper to prepare mentally.
“Shopkeeper, they are currently seated in the elegant room on the second floor, waiting for the county magistrate to arrive,” the assistant said, evidently drained. He found it distressing to conspire with the shopkeeper to deceive others. Unfortunately, he was just a lowly assistant and didn’t have the authority to decide.
He had advised the shopkeeper several times, telling him not to deceive people and to do business honestly, but the shopkeeper wouldn’t listen. He argued that the county magistrate often dined at their tavern without paying, so he had to make up for the loss somehow. And now, having walked a crooked path too often, trouble had finally come.
After some thought, the shopkeeper suddenly lifted his head, brushed past the assistant blocking his way, and strode out.
“Shopkeeper, where are you going?”
“Are you stupid? Of course, I’m going to send those people away before the county magistrate arrives, so they don’t badmouth us,” the shopkeeper replied irritably, hurrying towards the elegant room on the second floor.
“Will it work?” The assistant was skeptical. The girl had been quite fierce when she gave him the Silver that morning.
“Without trying, how will I know if it will work?” Without looking back, the shopkeeper rushed off.
Watching the shopkeeper’s retreating figure, the assistant shook his head helplessly and sighed to himself, “Sigh, the shopkeeper is truly bringing disaster upon himself this time.”
The two Yamen Runners were accompanying Xuexue, Big Bull, and the others, who were enjoying tea in the elegant room. On the table, the assistants had arranged several delicate snacks, all in accordance with the list the shopkeeper had provided, the same service that was offered every time the county magistrate visited.
Xuexue’s beautiful eyes whirled around as she reached out her delicate hand to lift the teacup and took a sip, seemingly casually asking, “Yamen Runner brother, you seem quite familiar with this tavern. Do you come here often?”