NOVEL NEXT 101
Chapter 101
He Ze and Lin Yu rested at home for nearly ten days. In the end, it was He An who returned and said the flower shop’s potted plants inventory was insufficient. Only then did Dad Li relax a bit and let them go back to work.
Went to the town to buy various flower seeds, He Ze scattered them all over the backyard flower garden, fortunately the garden was large enough, occupying most of the courtyard area. Lin Yu helped with the soil and watering. Although both were amateurs, they couldn’t resist He Ze’s extraordinary abilities. Within just two or three days, the flowers in the garden sprouted and grew vigorously.
Feeling excited, He Ze and Lin Yu even went far into the valley with their hoes, dug up a wild golden-mouthed orchid, whose petals were a dark golden color with a delightful fragrance. Along the way, they also gathered some mugwort and violet flowers, which added a unique flavor when made into pancakes.
Their honeymoon was envied by others, but unfortunately, such peaceful days were bound to be interrupted at some point.
On this particular day, He Ze was teaching Lin Yu calligraphy at the pavilion’s table and chairs when they heard Liu San’s shout from afar, “He Ze! Come out quickly! Something’s happened…”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s go, let’s go see.”
When He Ze and Lin Yu arrived in the front yard, Liu San had just reached the courtyard gate, panting heavily and out of breath. Upon seeing them, he waved urgently, repeatedly saying, “Something’s happened, something’s happened…”
“What happened?”
Seeing Liu San like this, He Ze’s heart skipped a beat, fearing it was something bad.
“Today, today,” Liu San patted his chest, finally catching his breath before continuing, “This morning, two or three people brought a middle-aged man to our flower shop, insisting that a pot of rose we sold was poisonous. The middle-aged man was foaming at the mouth, tears streaming, looking terribly frightened. Now there’s a large crowd outside the flower shop, all demanding an explanation!”
“What?! How is that possible! With so many pots of flowers sold in the flower shop and so many in our own backyard, how could they be poisonous!” Dad Li heard the commotion and came out, catching Liu San’s words in his panic, stomping his feet in agitation.
“Poisonous…” He Ze frowned deeply. “What was the situation in the flower shop when you left? Where’s my father?”
“There was a big order at the carpentry shop today, Uncle He was invited to inspect wood and went to ‘supervise’ it. No one in the shop can handle things right now, that’s why I rushed to find you!”
“So now, only Xiao An is in the shop?!”
“Don’t worry, I have He Dalang and Zhao Cheng watching, and a few new apprentices Uncle He just took in. Nothing should happen.”
Hearing this, He Ze finally felt a bit relieved. “Okay, Xiao Yu, go and see if Uncle Xu is at home. If he is, ask him to come over. Liu San, you came back by ox cart, right? Later, take Xiao Yu and my dad together. I’ll ride the horse to get there faster.”
During this period, he had also spent a lot of time practicing riding, so he had no problem handling it, especially with his abilities.
“Dad, please don’t worry. It’s probably just someone trying to extort money. There shouldn’t be any big problem. Our flower shop does well, but it also attracts jealousy. I’ll go over first and handle it.” Despite his own concerns, He Ze could only try to reassure Dad Li as best as he could outwardly.
“All right, you go quickly! Hurry! An-ge is still there, don’t scare him!”
He Ze nodded and exchanged a glance with Lin Yu, and they each went their separate ways.
Meanwhile, outside the First Fragrant Flower Shop on Bird and Flower Street in the town, a crowd had gathered, making it impassable and noisy with discussions.
On a rack near the entrance, the middle-aged man lay, appearing even more severe than described by Liu San. His eyes were swollen, tears and mucus flowing uncontrollably, struggling to breathe and moaning continuously.
Next to him, a middle-aged ger knelt on the ground, cursing his misfortune. Beside him were a slightly younger man and ger who seemed to be his son and son-in-law. The son cried and called out to his father, while the son-in-law remained silent, head bowed, occasionally wiping the mucus and foam from the corners of the middle-aged man’s mouth.
“Little Shopkeeper An, I’ve checked it. That pot of rose is indeed from our shop.” The flower shop’s transactions were not many, and he personally wrote detailed descriptions for each pot of flowers, which he had carefully examined just now. The handwriting on the flower pot matched exactly.
Inside the shop, Cai Xiang frowned and stood quietly beside He An.
“What? What should we do?” With such a big incident, the nearby carpentry shop naturally closed temporarily, and Xu Yun and the other three were worried upon hearing Cai Xiang’s words.
He An remained silent for a while before saying, “What about the doctor? Why hasn’t Brother Zhao returned with the doctor yet?”
“Make way, make way, the doctor is here, make way!”
As soon as he spoke, Zhao Cheng’s voice rose above the crowd. He was escorting a doctor carrying a medicine chest, pushing through the crowd. However, when the doctor tried to check the middle-aged man’s pulse, the old man became agitated.
“Don’t touch him! You can’t touch my old man! You’ll kill him! That sinister flower shop sells poisonous flowers! My old man was perfectly healthy. We brought that pot of flowers home just two days ago, and look at him now! I won’t let the doctor you brought touch him!”
The middle-aged man pushed the doctor’s hand away and spat on the ground, holding the man back urgently. His son blocked the doctor from approaching.
“What do we do now? If even the doctor isn’t allowed to examine him, there must be something fishy!” He Dalang said indignantly.
Seeing the deadlock outside, He An took a deep breath and walked towards the door. He Dalang immediately jumped in front of him, blocking him with his arm. “An-ge, you can’t go out! Your little arms, legs, and brain aren’t up for this kind of trouble. Be obedient, let Brother San find your elder brother. He should be here soon. Let’s wait a bit.”
“I won’t go out. I’ll just stand at the door and say a few words. Otherwise, this will only get worse, and no one will dare to come to the flower shop in the future.” With his father and elder brother both absent, he felt compelled to do something.
“…You really won’t go out?”
“Yeah.”
He An nodded obediently. He didn’t want to go out and face the chaos.
“Someone’s coming out! Finally, someone’s coming out!”
“Give us an explanation quickly. What’s wrong with this person? Could it really be your problem with the flowers? I bought a pot yesterday. If something happens, I’ll report you to the yamen!”
“Just so, your flowers have almost killed this man! Don’t hide away like a turtle!”
…
As soon as He An’s figure was spotted, the crowd grew even more tumultuous. He An looked at the densely packed heads below and met the piercing gaze of the middle-aged man. Gathering his courage, He An spoke up, “Today, neither my father nor my brothers are here. As the head of the flower shop, I apologize deeply for wasting everyone’s time.”
He An bowed respectfully and continued, “Regarding this matter, we have inspected the rose brought by this uncle, and indeed, it originated from our flower shop.”
As soon as these words fell, murmurs rippled through the crowd. The middle-aged man’s voice rose several octaves, “Did you hear that? Did everyone hear that? They’ve admitted it themselves! This flower shop sells poisonous flowers, earning money at the expense of others’ lives!”
“Quiet down, everyone please quiet down!” He An raised his voice, “Dear uncle, I understand your feelings right now, but please let me finish speaking. It is true that this pot of rose came from our flower shop, we do not deny that. But! We have never claimed that this pot of flowers is poisonous!”
“No poison? Then how did my old man end up like this!”
“Uncle, actions have consequences, words can’t be tossed around!” He An’s tone turned stern, his expression serious, “Since the opening of First Fragrant Shop until now, nearly four months have passed. We’ve sold nearly a thousand pots of flowers, if not more. Has anyone fallen ill before your husband? Since Uncle is convinced that it was the rose from our shop that caused your husband’s condition, I have brought a doctor here. Why not let the doctor take a look? Letting the doctor examine him will reveal the truth, much better than baseless speculation!”
“Well…”
“Yes, the doctor is right here, let him examine and everything will be clear!”
“Uncle, let the doctor see. If your husband is in such a state, it’s better to have a clear understanding.”
“No! You can’t touch him! Watch over your father, don’t let anyone touch him!” The middle-aged ger stood up, tearing open the man’s clothes to reveal a large rash, densely packed and frightening. “No need to look! We’ve checked when we arrived, it’s the poison from your rose! Otherwise, what kind of illness would look like this?!”
“And this doctor! This doctor must be colluding with you. If he harms my old man, I… I won’t live anymore!”
The middle-aged ger’s tears evoked sympathy from the onlookers.
Seeing him tear open his clothes, He An turned away, sighing. “If you insist that the doctor is colluding with us, then let’s go together to any medical clinic. As long as a doctor clearly states that this illness is caused by that pot of roses, our flower shop will take full responsibility! Otherwise, based on just your words, how can we believe you?”
“You… you…”
“It does sound a bit far-fetched, Uncle. The doctor has been here for quite some time. Why not let him check on your husband?”
“Exactly, don’t worry. If it’s true that the flowers from this shop are problematic, we will help you seek justice.”
Seeing public opinion siding with He An, the man who had been moaning earlier suddenly straightened his body. Foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
“Old man! My old man! What’s happening to you! This heartless shop refuses to take responsibility, I’ll fight them!”
The middle-aged ger seemed agitated, rushing up the steps toward He An. Reflexively, He An moved aside, causing the ger to collide with a flower stand that held four or five pots.
“Bang!”
“An-ge, be careful!”
“Xiao An, get out of the way!”
Just as the flower stand collapsed amid screams from the crowd, someone suddenly darted out at lightning speed and shielded He An beneath their body.