Chapter 514: 514: It Was My Tong Family's Mistake

“The Changshun family may have some money, but surely they wouldn’t be conducting a losing business! If Qiao Xiaomai could sell for one cent per two pounds without suffering a loss, then Tong Family selling for one cent per pound must definitely be ripping us off!”

“Tong Family lies, purposefully understating the yield of bean sprouts!”

“They’re our fellow villagers, and even if the Tong Family was looted, their assets are still richer than most of us. But now, in order to rebuild their own wealth, they dared to steal the few cents of their fellow villagers!”

As soon as Sun Family finished, only the harsh chorus of cicadas remained.

Nobody’s a fool. No one’s educated, but everyone can do simple arithmetic and has a sense of fairness.

Wait a moment, if what the Zhang Family said is true, then Qiao Xiaomai had been selling bean sprouts at a loss all along.

Qiao Xiaomai isn’t a fool, she certainly wouldn’t do such kind of business, right?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Many people turned their gaze towards Qiao Changshun, the person who presumably knows the truth.

With so many eyes suddenly turned on him, Changshun began to panic.

Is he supposed to expose that the Tong Family has been deceiving people?

Moreover, why didn’t he reveal it when Tong Family first started their deception? Is it true, like the Sun Family had said, that he was deliberately colluding with Tong Family to rob the villagers of their money?

Thinking of this possibility, Qiao Changshun panicked even more.

He had never faced such a critical moment before!

“Changshun, you speak! One tael of soybean, how many bean sprouts can it yield!” Sun family looked over and demanded loudly.

Qiao Changshun’s lips trembled as he hesitated and squeaked, “That’s… a secret…”

Despite the intensity of the situation, he managed to think up this excuse.

However, facing the aggressive questioning of the Sun family, it evidently wasn’t enough, “What kind of bullshit secret! Are you truly colluding with Tong family?!”

“I am not!” Qiao Changshun frantically waved his hands and shook his head, “My family has five hundred acres of land, and Xiaomai has some thousands of taels worth of silver. For just a few cents, how could I possibly act against my fellow villagers?”

The Sun family’s eyes widened at the conversation.

So, Qiao Xiaomai has such a considerable property, very good, Changshun has just admitted it, saving her from snooping around later.

“Then you tell me, how many bean sprouts can one pound of soybean yield?” Sun Family kept persisting with her questioning.

“Enough!” Tong Tiehu could not bear it anymore.

It was his family’s wrong, Qiao Changshun shouldn’t be the brunt of such questioning.

With a stern expression he announced, “One tael of soybeans can yield eight taels of bean sprouts. But if it’s sold at the rate of one penny for two taels, then selling eight taels of bean sprouts only makes a penny.”

“If it were sold at two pennies per three taels, the calculations would get somewhat perplexing, that’s why it was established as a penny per tael.”

“Earlier, Zhang Family stated that one tael of soybean could only yield four taels of bean sprouts. Indeed, that was a lie from my Tong Family to the villagers, and that’s our fault.”

“From now on, my Tong Family will stop selling bean sprouts. Villagers who have bought from us in the past can come to our house for compensation.”

He admits his mistake.

He has been a regular villager in Anping Village for several decades, but because he was sitting on a treasure, his pockets were full. Hence, his understanding of money remained murky.

Mere pennies were a big deal for regular families, as even breaking them down into halves can make a difference. Clearly, his perspective was far too simple.

He initially thought this was a minor issue, but seeing the accusing gazes of more than a dozen villagers, he hung his head in shame, unable to meet their eyes.

However, although he was filled with shame, the Zhang Family seemed ready to burst.

“Just because I understated the yield of the bean sprouts, why does that mean we can’t sell bean sprouts anymore?! Earlier Qiao Xiaomai was selling bean sprouts in the town for one penny per pound, and she only sold it for one penny per two pounds in the village. Now, my prices in both the town and the village are the same. She sells hers and I sell mine.”

“Did I force anyone to buy? Did I shortchange anyone? Is there a problem with my bean sprouts?!”

“Just because I said one wrong sentence, why should I not sell anymore?!”