Chapter 24

Turning his head, he said to Li Linglong, “Ling-jie, quickly pay him the money.”

Li Linglong was unwilling. “Tiezhu, I already paid him earlier. Why should I pay again? No way.”

Wang Tiezhu gave her a knowing wink and whispered, “Ling-jie, just pay first. Trust me.”

Although Li Linglong didn’t understand what Wang Dachui was up to, she agreed. “Alright then.” She took out another 10,000 yuan from her bag and handed it over.

Wang Tiezhu took the money and turned to the bald shop owner. “Boss, here, 10,000 yuan!”

The bald man took the money eagerly, feeling satisfied. Today was a good day—scamming someone twice in a row. With 20,000 yuan in his pocket, he was just about to stash it away.

Then, Wang Tiezhu spoke up. “Boss, this wild ginseng is fake. And according to the rule of tenfold compensation for counterfeit goods, since I paid you 10,000 yuan, you now owe me 100,000 yuan.”

“You little—”

Niu Er flared up instantly, cursing, “Kid, are you looking for trouble on purpose? This wild ginseng is genuine. Which eye of yours saw it as fake? Slandering my reputation—I’ll make you regret it!”

Seeing the man’s furious reaction, Wang Tiezhu remained calm and sneered. “Oh? Just because your trick seems flawless, doesn’t mean you can fool everyone. Someone who knows their stuff can see right through you.”

Niu Er’s expression flickered with guilt, but he forced himself to retort, “What do you mean? You’re claiming my wild ginseng is fake—do you have any proof?”

“Heh…”

Wang Tiezhu chuckled, picked up a box of “wild ginseng,” and addressed the crowd around them. “Everyone, the item I’m holding isn’t wild ginseng at all—it’s pokeweed!”

As soon as he said that, the bystanders started murmuring.

“No way, this… this is pokeweed?!”

“Now that he mentions it, it really does look like pokeweed. This boss might actually be selling pokeweed as ginseng!”

Someone immediately questioned, “Young man, we all know pokeweed looks similar to wild ginseng. But look at the roots on that one—it seems real. That can’t be faked.”

Wang Tiezhu explained, “That’s exactly where this boss is being sneaky. These roots are real wild ginseng roots, but they weren’t naturally grown on this plant. They were manually grafted onto it.”

As he spoke, he grabbed one of the roots and yanked it off. Then he showed it to everyone. “Take a look. Is there any damage to the main body of the plant? Not a single scratch. This isn’t wild ginseng at all—it’s pokeweed.”

The crowd erupted in anger, pointing fingers at the scammer.

Wang Tiezhu turned to Niu Er, whose face had gone completely pale. Coldly, he asked, “Well? Do you have anything to say now?”

Niu Er opened and closed his mouth twice, trying to argue, but with solid evidence in front of him, it was pointless. He resorted to playing the victim.

“Uh, well… I… I bought this wild ginseng from someone else! I was tricked too!”

“Heh…”

Wang Tiezhu scoffed. This guy was quick to shift the blame. Shameless.

“That’s your problem. But didn’t you say earlier that fake goods come with tenfold compensation? I gave you 10,000 yuan—now you owe me 100,000 yuan.”

“Yeah! Pay up!”

“Compensate him! 100,000 yuan now!”

The crowd backed Wang Tiezhu, urging the scammer to pay.

Niu Er was fuming inside. He hadn’t even warmed up to the 20,000 yuan he just scammed, and now he had to pay 100,000? His heart ached.

He quickly softened his tone. “Uh, little brother, listen, I… I just run a small business. It’s not easy for me. Can you let this go? I’ll give you 20,000, and we’ll call it even, alright?”

With that, he pulled out the 20,000 yuan he had just received and offered it.

Wang Tiezhu finally understood what true shamelessness looked like. This guy wouldn’t back down until he had no other choice.

He took the 20,000 and handed it back to Li Linglong. “Lingjie, you can call the police now.”

“Alright!”

Li Linglong didn’t hesitate, pulling out her phone to dial the police.

Niu Er panicked and turned to run, but Wang Tiezhu was faster—one swift kick sent him sprawling to the ground. The man started wailing and complaining.

“You… what are you doing?! I already paid you back! Don’t push me too far!”

“Heh.”

Wang Tiezhu stepped on his chest and sneered. “Paid back? That money was never yours to begin with. You scammed someone, then tried to scam them again. You think you can just walk away?”

“Stay put. Move an inch, and I’ll break all three of your legs.”

Wang Tiezhu’s menacing presence made Niu Er completely cave in.

Twenty minutes later, the police arrived. With clear evidence and numerous witnesses, the case was straightforward. The officers immediately detained Niu Er, while Wang Tiezhu and Li Linglong were taken to the station to give statements.

After all the commotion, it was already past 4 PM when they walked out of the police station.

Li Linglong said, “Tiezhu, I really have to thank you today. That scumbag was disgusting. I’m lucky you were here.”

Then, she looked at him curiously. “But, Tiezhu, how did you see through the fake wild ginseng so quickly? My family runs a pharmacy, and even we didn’t notice. Thinking about it now, I feel so stupid.”

Wang Tiezhu replied, “Lingjie, honestly, I didn’t know at first either. But I encountered this trick once before, so I paid attention.”

“This guy’s fraud technique is impressive—mixing real and fake elements to fool people. It’s tricky to spot.”

Li Linglong nodded. “Tiezhu, last time you helped me a lot, and now again today. Do you have time later? Let me treat you to dinner.”

Since he was planning to stay in town until the evening anyway, and since a beautiful woman was inviting him, there was no reason to refuse. He nodded.

—

Over half an hour later, instead of going to a restaurant, Li Linglong brought Wang Tiezhu to her home.

It was a high-end duplex in the city center. The thick brown wooden floors, dazzling chandelier, spiral staircase, and luxurious furniture all exuded opulence.

As they entered the living room, Li Linglong said, “Tiezhu, make yourself comfortable. There are drinks in the fridge if you’re thirsty. I’ll cook, it won’t take long.”

Wang Tiezhu nodded. “Lingjie, need any help?”

“No need, just sit tight. It’ll be ready soon.”

Wang Tiezhu settled into the sofa and casually flipped through a magazine on the coffee table.

Hearing the sound of cooking from the kitchen, he got up and walked over.

Leaning against the kitchen doorway, he watched her work. She had changed into casual homewear, an apron tied around her chest, her long hair pinned up with a clip. Her figure was curvaceous, and every movement exuded a mature charm.

Looking at her, he couldn’t help but think—

Such a ripe, juicy peach… whoever gets to taste it in the future will die with no regrets.

It must be sweet.