USWHC -Chapter 299 The Counter-Scam (Part 9)

“None!” Ji Laoda answered immediately.

But just then, Sister-in-law You suddenly let out a knowing “Oh!” — “You’re looking for Old Madam Ji, right?”

“What? Mother…” Ji Laoda immediately frowned. His mother had a face full of coarse flesh? How did he not think so?

Sister-in-law You quickly poked him and said, “I mean Old Madam Ji from the east side of the village, not your silly mother!” She then turned her head and discreetly gave Ji Laoda a wink.

Ji Laoda still didn’t think his mother looked that ugly. But seeing Sister-in-law You’s expression, he finally realized: Ji Yi and Zhu Jie had already mentioned that someone might come asking about his mother. Though he wasn’t sure if this person’s description was accurate, at this time, no one would be asking about anyone else, right? Even if it was wrong, it was no problem for him to go take a look!

He automatically assumed that Sister-in-law You shared the same thought process as him — as long as it pointed to his own family, it was fine.

In fact, he had misjudged Sister-in-law You. Because when she heard the old man’s description, the first image that popped into her mind was Old Madam Ji’s face. Could she say that this person’s description was actually quite accurate?

Ji Laoda, following Sister-in-law You’s cue, added, “Oh, right, Old Madam Ji — she lives over there!” He even kindly stomped his foot and pointed in the direction, almost wanting to say, “Do you want me to take you there?”

Unfortunately, before he could speak, the old man had already turned and headed east toward the village. In a short while, an old woman came to meet him, and the two of them seemed to be together.

Huh? An old man and an old woman? Could these really be the two scammers that Old Madam Ji ran into?

Ji Laoda and Sister-in-law You immediately widened their eyes and hurried after them — they couldn’t let them miss the mark.

“I never thought, the Shanglu root is actually valuable in Qi State! Next time we should get more and sell them in Qi!” the old man muttered to the old woman in a low voice.

“You’re the one! You sold it too early! Our fake ginseng had twenty-eight roots! It could have been worth even more! But you just rushed off and sold it for a hundred taels!” the old woman complained loudly, clearly dissatisfied.

“Who knew! We always treated it as fake ginseng, how did we know in Qi it’s worth more than real ginseng?” the old man grumbled unhappily.

“Didn’t you always say! The farther from its origin, the more valuable the thing becomes! You already brought it down to the foot of the mountain, and you didn’t even think about taking it over the mountain to sell. Don’t you know Qi State is in the north and doesn’t grow this stuff?” The old woman grew angrier as she spoke.

“I wouldn’t know! I only heard Qi people are fierce and not to be trifled with. I was worried that after crossing the mountain, if we didn’t fool anyone and got beaten to death, that wouldn’t be good!” the old man argued loudly.

“Fierce? I’d say foolish! Silly enough, not fierce at all. And you call yourself clever, yet you didn’t even think to check!” The old woman’s anger intensified.

“Enough! After this job, we’ll go see for ourselves!” the old man shouted. “If you keep nagging, I’ll get really mad!”

Hearing this, the old woman quickly shut her mouth. Just then, they had arrived in front of the Ji household. The old man looked around, “This house doesn’t look wealthy?”

“Could it be this house?” Yes — a hundred taels of silver wouldn’t be something a common farmer could afford.

“Could it be, most people in this village are wealthy?” the old man hesitated.

At that moment, someone in the courtyard was moving about, carrying a tray piled high with sweet potatoes, walking toward the main house.

Someone who could afford a hundred taels of silver was still eating sweet potatoes! Nostalgia for hard times? The old man opened his mouth in surprise, but in that instant, he confirmed the person he was looking for was right there.

Yes, the one carrying the sweet potatoes was Old Madam Ji, preparing to serve Ji Laoda’s father his meal.

From a distance, Ji Laoda and Sister-in-law You watched the two through the gate crack, holding their breath, too scared even to return home. The scammers had really come!