Chapter 244: The Unsolved Case

After Qiao Tianhao carefully stored the Red Fruit and Blue Fruit in his storage ring, reminding him that the Red Fruit needed to be taken immediately and the Blue Fruit within half a month, Lin Dong waved his hand.
“Go ahead. Also, go to the lobby and ask Ma Chun to come here for me.”
Qiao Tianhao nodded happily, intending to flatter Lin Dong for a while, but remembering that the effects of the Red Fruit were fading rapidly, he immediately gave up the chance and rushed to the lobby.
Lin Dong took the time to open the inn’s system and checked Qiao Tianhao’s attributes. His loyalty had jumped from 83 to 87. At this rate, by the time Qiao Tianhao took the Red Fruit, it would likely reach 90. If not, it would still be high enough after taking the Blue Fruit. One problem solved, only one left.
As for the staff of Lin’s Inn in Autumn Wind City, Lin Dong was too busy cultivating and only met them once a month when it was time to pay salaries. Occasionally, he might run into them outside, but he didn’t know much about them. From what he remembered, Liu Hua was articulate and diligent, ranking among the better ones among the staff.
A moment later, Qiao Tianhao rushed out, greeted Lin Dong, and headed straight for his room.
Soon after, Ma Chun entered quickly.
“Owner, did you call for me?”
Lin Dong nodded and asked, “How’s business at the inn?”
Ma Chun smiled helplessly. “We have around eighty tables per day. After raising prices, the losses aren’t heavy—about one or two hundred taels of silver per day. As for the merchant guild… there are updates every day. Today, the candidates for supervisors in three or five counties were finalized, and tomorrow, five or six more. At this pace, it seems all the names will be announced in another five or six days. But if it’s really as the owner says, and this is all a plot by Maple Forest Restaurant, I guess the list won’t be released…”
Feeling annoyed again, Lin Dong changed the subject and asked, “How’s Liu Hua these past couple of days?”
“Liu Hua?” Ma Chun paused, shook his head, and said, “He’s still the same. He’s been in charge of the tables in the southeast corner of the second floor of the lobby. He’s quick and smart.”
“Nothing else?” Lin Dong was also surprised. Had Liu Hua’s loyalty declined because Ma Chun scolded him?
“No! He just went home a few days ago.” Ma Chun shook his head, thought for a moment, and added, “He’s seemed a bit listless these past couple of days, weak after work, but he still works hard.”
Lin Dong was relieved. It must be something related to his family.

It will be easier once we know the reason. Lin Dong asked, “Have you asked him why he’s not in good spirits?”
“I casually asked yesterday if he wasn’t feeling well,” Ma Chun explained. “He just shook his head. I didn’t press further, thinking it might be because of the hot weather in summer and he couldn’t adjust.”
Lin Dong nodded and waved his hand. “I have something to discuss with him. I’ll tell him later. You mentioned to me that he’s not in good spirits and we can’t figure out the reason, so I’m a bit worried. That’s why I asked him to come over.”
Ma Chun opened his mouth to ask about the reason but hesitated before choosing to remain silent and nodded slowly.
After sitting in the backyard for a while, a young man in a coarse cloth jacket, in his early twenties, walked in quickly.
He stopped about four or five meters away from the stone table. Looking at Lin Dong alone, Liu Hua felt uneasy. He took a few more steps forward and said in a low voice, “Owner, Manager Ma said you wanted to see me?”
“Sit down and talk,” Lin Dong said, gesturing to the seat across from him.
Liu Hua nodded. Having met Lin Dong a few times before, he knew Lin Dong was easy-going, so his unease eased a bit. He quickly walked over to the stone table and sat down cautiously.
“Just now, Ma Chun and I chatted casually. I asked him how the others were doing,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “He said that aside from you not being in good spirits—possibly due to the hot weather—he thought the others were fine. Since I had nothing to do anyway, I asked him to bring you over to ask.”
“Thank you, owner and Manager Ma, for your concern. I’m fine physically,” Liu Hua said, feeling grateful. He quickly stood up and added, “It’s just that I have some family troubles. I’ve been in a bad mood these days and might be a bit distracted at work. Please forgive me.”
Lin Dong shook his head. “Ma Chun said you’re working as usual, but you seem listless after closing time, which is why he’s worried you might be forcing yourself.”
Liu Hua was overjoyed and opened his mouth to speak, but Lin Dong stopped him with a wave. “If there are any family troubles, tell me. Let’s see if I can help.”
“How dare I trouble you, owner,” Liu Hua quickly shook his head. “You have so much to deal with. It’s just a small matter. Please don’t worry about it.”
“Just tell me!” Lin Dong said with a smile. “You’ve been at the inn for some time now. You know well how the inn treats every guest. If guests have troubles, the inn always tries to help. If you work for me and encounter any problems, there’s no reason to ignore them.”
“Owner, really, there’s nothing serious,” Liu Hua quickly waved his hand. “It’s just that my brother had some trouble. I think he’s gotten much better by now.”

“Your brother?” Lin Dong pressed further, “What trouble did he get into?”
“Well…” Liu Hua hesitated.
“There are issues at home, and you can’t focus properly at the inn either. If you’re not at ease, how can you do your job well?” Lin Dong smiled. “Tell me!”
Liu Hua nodded reluctantly and explained, “It’s not really that serious. Just my brother was kicked out of the shop by the boss some time ago, and he’s been in a bad mood ever since. When I went home last time, nothing I said could comfort him, so I’ve been worried too.”
“Kicked out by the boss?” Lin Dong was puzzled. “Why?”
“He says my brother stole silver from the shop.” Liu Hua sighed heavily. “My brother is smart and hardworking, and he’s extremely loyal to the shop. He would never do such a thing. In my opinion, it must be other workers who, jealous because their boss always praises him, conspired to frame him. And the boss actually believed it, deducting my brother’s salary for a month and even having him beaten up. His wounds still haven’t healed yet. No matter how I try to persuade him, he won’t listen. All he thinks about is proving his innocence, but every time he goes to the shop, he gets beaten.”
Lin Dong understood. Whether it was true or not, Liu Hua surely believed his brother was innocent. It made sense then that his loyalty would be affected.
A boss who usually praises his workers but suddenly changes attitude when problems arise, deducting salaries and even expelling them—Lin Dong believed that anyone whose brother went through such a thing would also feel dissatisfied with their own boss. At the very least, their loyalty would be affected.
Solving this wasn’t difficult. Even if left unaddressed, Lin Dong believed Liu Hua would recover within a month or two. To speed things up, the simplest way was to help his brother get back on his feet.
After some thought, Lin Dong asked, “Are you sure it wasn’t your brother who stole the silver?”
“Sure, absolutely sure,” Liu Hua replied without hesitation. “I know my brother best. He’s extremely loyal to his boss. Every time I see him, he talks about how much the boss values him and how he plans to repay that kindness. The silver stolen was over ten taels—quite a sum, but not enough to make him covet it. Besides, he’s not that stupid as to steal while everyone else is gone and he’s left alone in the shop.”

Lin Dong was speechless. At this point, he also believed that Liu Hua had indeed been framed. As Liu Hua said, no one could be that stupid as to steal silver when it was clear that only he was in the shop. Still, logically, the boss shouldn’t believe it either.
Lin Dong couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t your brother tell his boss?”
“He did, but what good did it do?” Liu Hua said helplessly. “The account books clearly show that everyone went out for food, leaving only my brother behind. When he returned, it was indeed true that there was a shortage. If he said it wasn’t him, there were reasonable explanations. If he admitted it was him, there were even more plausible reasons—otherwise, the silver wouldn’t have disappeared just like that.”
Lin Dong frowned slightly. It was still an unsolved mystery.
Liu Hua sighed heavily again. “My brother has really run into bad luck over and over. I don’t even know what his companions did.”
“Could it be that his boss miscalculated?” Lin Dong asked.
“Only twenty-three taels of silver in the whole morning,” Liu Hua said with a wry smile. “How could there be a mistake?”
Lin Dong fell silent, too tired to think of other reasons. Since Liu Hua’s brother was smart and hardworking, and the boss had previously praised him, he should make a good employee. After learning for a few days at the inn, he wouldn’t be any worse than other staff.
If they could convince him to work at the inn, Liu Hua’s trouble would likely be solved. Even if he still had some psychological issues regarding being the boss, he would recover in a few days.
After some thought, Lin Dong decided, “Go home and bring your brother here.”
“The owner wants to see my brother?” Liu Hua was surprised.
Lin Dong nodded. “Since you’re so sure, I believe your brother isn’t the kind of person who would do something dishonest. Smart and hardworking—such employees are more than welcome at our Lin’s Inn.”
Liu Hua was overjoyed and kept thanking him.
“Alright, go tell Ma Chun and head back right away,” Lin Dong waved his hand.
“Eh!”
With a joyful expression, Liu Hua turned to leave, but after a few steps, he stopped and turned back, looking worried.
“Owner, my brother is only thinking about how to prove his innocence to the boss. I’m afraid he won’t agree to work at our inn.”
Lin Dong was stunned. That was indeed a problem.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Dong firmly said, “Regardless of whether your brother wants to work at Lin’s Inn or not, bring him here first so I can take a look. If I think he’s truly being framed, even if he refuses to work here, I might consider helping to figure out what really happened.”

Liu Hua was overjoyed. If the shopkeeper was truly willing to help, with his relationship with Lord Li, he could order the authorities to mobilize immediately. Among all those clerks, there would surely be a few with strong investigative skills, and his brother’s case would definitely be resolved. Even if it couldn’t be resolved, he could find a way to keep his brother in the inn for a few days; once his brother got to know the other staff members, it would likely be impossible to send him away.