Su Xiaoqi never hesitated to assume the worst in others' intentions.
In her heart, even though some people were naturally kind.
There was still the possibility of human nature's decay.
One must not harm others, but one must guard against them.
Although Zhao Dayou, who had introduced Xiao Liu, had initially earned her trust.
Su Xiaoqi had never truly trusted him from the bottom of her heart.
Therefore, she meticulously checked the early accounts of the shop.
The accounts for her shop were easy to manage and even easier to clarify.
It was simply a matter of how much rice, flour, cotton, and bitter buckwheat tea she took from her spatial storage, and how many chickens, ducks, and fish.
Nothing else was involved, nor were there any procurement costs.
The silver earned from sales, apart from paying the wages of Zhao Dayou and Xiao Liu, was all profit.
These past few days, she had been busy repairing houses, harvesting bitter buckwheat, treating Zhao Liushun's leg, examining Zhao's eyes, and settling in Xiao Xique and her companions.
Her mind had been preoccupied, which was why she hadn't checked the accounts promptly.
Unexpectedly, this had emboldened certain individuals in the shop.
"Bring it here," she said sternly.
Xiao Liu hesitated, clutching the ledger tightly.
The accounts were not yet complete, so he couldn't give them to Su Xiaoqi.
She was so sharp; if she saw them, everything would be revealed.
Su Xiaoqi opened her left palm, her index finger beckoning slightly, "I know what you're doing. Don't force me to act."
These words immediately stirred Xiao Liu's masculine pride.
He retreated from the counter, clutching the ledger, and charged towards Su Xiaoqi.
Seeing this posture, he knew he couldn't hide it any longer and had to run.
Su Xiaoqi had initially only suspected him, but now she was utterly certain.
Her movements became less restrained.
She raised her hand, grabbed Xiao Liu's wrist, and pressed a finger on his Yangguan acupoint.
His entire arm went numb, and he lost his grip on the ledger.
Su Xiaoqi seized the opportunity, her other hand accurately catching the ledger.
She didn't need to look closely; a casual flip was enough to understand. She snorted coldly and blocked the doorway.
"Speak, was it just you, or was Zhao Dayou involved?"
He was introduced by Zhao Dayou, and Su Xiaoqi found it hard to believe they weren't in cahoots.
Xiao Liu spat a mouthful of thick, white saliva into his palm, rubbed it vigorously, and pointed at Su Xiaoqi, saying:
"Since you've found out, then so be it. You'd better not block my way now, or you'll regret it, you bitch."
Su Xiaoqi frowned and asked word by word, "How will I regret it?"
Xiao Liu glanced at Su Xiaoqi's beautiful face and her shapely figure beneath the plain cotton tunic. He suddenly chuckled.
"Yes, you're already very beautiful. You don't need me to make you beautiful. Why don't you just come with me?
Let's drive Zhao Dayou away together, and I promise to run this shop well with you."
"Shut up, you scoundrel," Su Xiaoqi said, her hand already gripping the door bolt.
Without a word, she swung it at Xiao Liu's arm and waist, once, twice, thrice, four times...
The Xiao Liu, who had been arrogant and presumptuous just moments before, was stunned.
The intense pain brought him back to his senses, but by then, Su Xiaoqi had the advantage of time and place, and he had lost his best opportunity to resist.
Su Xiaoqi hated being deceived the most. With a surge of anger, she didn't hold back, and in a few swift moves, she subdued Xiao Liu to the ground.
She glanced outside. Zhao Dayou was running towards them quickly.
Fearing they were in it together, she raised the door bolt and pointed it at him angrily, "Get out."
"Shopkeeper, no, no, you, you misunderstand," Zhao Dayou panted, his chest heaving, bending over to catch his breath.
"It's written in black and white in the ledger. He stole from my shop and tried to falsify accounts to deceive me.
What misunderstanding is there?"
Su Xiaoqi coldly glared at Zhao Dayou, giving the impression that if he didn't explain properly, he would suffer the same fate as Xiao Liu.
"No, no, shopkeeper, I discovered it too, which is why I came to report this matter to you," Zhao Dayou pulled out another ledger from his懷.
This was the ledger where Xiao Liu had falsified accounts.
Su Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow, recalling Xiao Liu's earlier words about firing Zhao Dayou.
She decided to give him a chance to explain.
After all, finding a trustworthy shopkeeper in this unfamiliar place was no easy task.
It wouldn't hurt to hear him out.
It wouldn't be too late to deal with him if something seemed amiss.
Su Xiaoqi tightened her grip on the door bolt, her entire body tense.
She was ready to strike him on his big head the moment Zhao Dayou said anything out of line.
Zhao Dayou began to explain.
First, he described how he discovered Xiao Liu's suspicious behavior.
Just as Su Xiaoqi had thought, Zhao Dayou was as clear about the shop's inventory as she was.
Therefore, after Xiao Liu stole things twice, he had already noticed something was wrong.
But thinking that he was the one who introduced Xiao Liu, he had admonished him a few times and asked him to make up for the losses.
Xiao Liu cried and begged him not to tell the shopkeeper, not to dismiss him, and that the losses would be deducted from his wages.
Zhao Dayou, with a soft heart, first covered Xiao Liu's losses with his own money.
He thought Xiao Liu would stop there, but instead, he escalated his actions.
Later, he found out that Xiao Liu had secretly gone to the Su Ji gambling house in the northern part of the city.
That place was a one-way street, addictive, and not for the faint of heart.
Let's just say that even if one went there, they would be reduced to less than human.
"Since you knew he did this, why did you run out to create an opportunity for him just now?" Su Xiaoqi couldn't shake the feeling that they were in it together.
Otherwise, the timing of this incident was too perfect.
"No, no, shopkeeper, please don't misunderstand. I came to find you.
If you don't believe me, go and ask Sister Wen at the back," Zhao Dayou swore to the heavens, absolutely denying any collusion with Xiao Liu.
At the same time, he deeply regretted introducing such an unreliable person to Su Xiaoqi.
"Alright, say no more. Turn him over to the authorities, and then I'll believe you."
"Ah, no, you can't, you can't do this to me." Xiao Liu was threatened by Su Xiaoqi's door bolt and kept still by the counter, not daring to move.
He never imagined that this seemingly delicate young woman would be so agile.
She was more formidable than the burly thugs in the gambling house.
He knew he couldn't escape today, but he absolutely refused to be sent to the yamen; it was no place for the living.
"Hmph, sending you to the authorities would be letting you off easy. But before that, you must return the rice you stole from me."
Su Xiaoqi's eyes were sharp. Her voice was pleasant, but to Xiao Liu, it sounded as terrifying as a ghost from hell claiming its due.
"It's, it's all gone." Xiao Liu, cowering, told the truth.
He had stolen rice from the 'supermarket' and directly transported it to the Su Ji granary on the main street in front.
"Hmph, what a great parasite, stealing from the inside," Su Xiaoqi cursed, pointing at his forehead.
In her anger, she kicked him.
She made him explain the cause and course of the incident.
It turned out that Xiao Liu hadn't always been this way.
His downfall began when he was fired from his previous grain shop.
Sometimes people are like that; the less money they have, the more they want to take a gamble.
Seeing others win money, they think they will become that lucky person.
Who knew that gambling was a bottomless abyss?
Xiao Liu lost all the money he had earned through hard work.
He also owed the gambling house a considerable sum of money.
Just as he was at his wit's end, Zhao Dayou approached him.
He was given an opportunity.
Then, under the guidance of certain individuals with ulterior motives, his wickedness surged, leading him to commit unforgivable acts.
What started as a single instance became a habit, and the stealing became more adept.
He noticed that Su Xiaoqi hadn't been checking the accounts lately, and he thought he had covered his tracks perfectly.
He didn't expect Zhao Dayou to have been watching him all along.
He planned to tidy up the accounts today and get away with a few more instances.
After all, his accounts were almost settled.
"Who incited you to steal my things?" Su Xiaoqi seized upon the "individuals with ulterior motives" Xiao Liu mentioned.
"Su, Su Dafu," Xiao Liu knew he couldn't turn back. Now that he was being forthright, he was quick to betray his accomplice.
Su Xiaoqi snorted coldly, "The third son of Su family's steward, Su Busheng."
She recognized this person, not only recognized him but also had a deep impression of him.