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My heart suddenly sank, like a stone thrown into an icy pond. This rice shop was actually using fake silver bills to deceive these hard-working farmers and innocent people. This viciousness made me feel cold. My unusual behavior attracted the attention of a fat shopkeeper in the distance. His eyes, which were squeezed by fat and only had slits left, shot at me with a suspicious light. A clerk immediately stepped forward with a stiff smile on his face: "Madam, are you dissatisfied with our rice?" His eyes wandered, and his tone seemed respectful, but it revealed a kind of scrutiny that did not allow for questioning. Just as I was considering how to get out of this situation, how to expose the fake silver bills without getting into trouble, a familiar voice sounded outside the rice shop, like a stream of clear water cutting through the turbid air. "Shopkeeper, is there any comment on the price of rice today? I want to buy a few more stones to prepare for the winter." Xie Yao. He was wearing a green suit, standing in the doorway of the rice shop inconspicuously, playing with the familiar bamboo jade pendant in his hand, and walked into the rice shop calmly, as if he was just an ordinary customer, with a gentle smile on his face. The shopkeeper's face immediately changed to a more flattering smile, and the original indifference towards me instantly dissipated. He nodded and bowed to greet me, and the arc of his bend almost touched the ground. "Oh, it turns out that Third Young Master Xie has come. Please come in, please come in, the price of rice is naturally fair, very fair." Xie Yao's eyes inadvertently swept over me, and a subtle understanding flashed in his eyes, as if he had already known my situation. At that moment, my heart relaxed slightly, as if I had grabbed a driftwood. He did not stop, but walked straight to the rice pile, grabbed a handful of rice, put it to the tip of his nose and smelled it, his movements were so elegant that it seemed as if he was tasting precious spices.
"Such good rice! The fragrance of the grains is pure and the kernels are plump. I wonder how this rice shop, blessed by the 'God of Wealth', turns such fine rice into a continuous stream of wealth?"
Xie Yao said this while casting a pointed glance at the bulging pouch at the shopkeeper's waist, his tone playful yet laden with meaning.
The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly, a flicker of panic flashing in his eyes as he forced a smile. "Third Young Master Xie is joking. It's merely a meager profit, just enough to get by. How could I dare to speak of wealth?"
Xie Yao chuckled lightly, tossing the rice back into the pile. He turned to the shopkeeper and said, "Getting by? This is what is mentioned in the 'Treatise on the God of Wealth': 'Money can communicate with the divine.' It can connect with officials and spirits, and even... turn sand into gold."
"This means that as long as the money is right, even rice mixed with sand can be sold at the price of pure rice?"
As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the rice shop froze instantly. The previously noisy customers fell silent, casting suspicious glances at the rice pile and then at the shopkeeper, whispers gradually rising among them.
The shopkeeper's face turned pale in an instant, cold sweat beading on his forehead as large droplets rolled down his cheeks. He opened his mouth, his voice trembling slightly. "Third Young Master Xie is joking... how could this be possible..."
"I'm not joking," Xie Yao interrupted him, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Moreover, if even the 'God of Wealth' himself is a fraud, then this heavenly art would surely be a grand deception."
At his words, all eyes suddenly turned to me because I was still holding that banknote, soaked in tea with its dark patterns clearly visible. It glimmered mockingly under the sunlight.
I understood his cue and seized the opportunity to speak up without hesitation. "Shopkeeper, I can tell whether this banknote is real or fake just by testing it with tea. Are you brave enough to let someone verify it?"
I raised the banknote in my hand, and the faint dark patterns became clear under the light, like a silent accusation contrasting sharply with the plain banknotes held by the surrounding townsfolk.
"This... How is this possible! You, you are in the same group!" The shopkeeper exclaimed, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and wanted to step forward to snatch the banknotes and try to destroy the evidence. However, Xie Yao stepped forward and blocked me behind him calmly, with an upright posture and a strong aura: "In broad daylight, in the open, Futai Rice Shop dared to mix fakes with real ones, sell rice with sand, use fake banknotes, and oppress the people. This must be reported to the authorities. I'm afraid it will alarm the Magistrate."
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