Amid the clamor, a potbellied middle-aged man in a dark blue brocade robe backed out of Hundred Herbs Hall.
Two servants flanked him, one holding an umbrella over him and the other supporting him to keep him from falling.
Wang Ji, meanwhile, had abandoned his usual welcoming smile. He waved impatiently, looking as though he were driving the man out.
"Boss Jia, the contract was signed, and I had the money delivered to your residence. Now you tell me the goods are gone. Not only have you broken our agreement, you refuse to compensate us. Are you bullying Hundred Herbs Hall because our shop is small and our words carry little weight?"
"Shopkeeper Wang, you can't put it that way. I... I never expected someone to burn the medicinal herbs just after they reached the East Market warehouse."
"Go find whoever burned your herbs. Hundred Herbs Hall only wants the goods we paid for!"
"Shopkeeper Wang, you... you're asking the impossible."
"The grain warehouse was burned by a band of barbarian slaves the night before last. Even if the yamen catches them, they won't be able to compensate me."
"If you won't agree, then... then you're driving Jia's Pharmacy to its death."
"Then do you know how important those herbs were to Hundred Herbs Hall? Your losses count as losses, but ours don't?"
Having spoken coldly, Wang Ji spotted Chen Yi and the others across the street out of the corner of his eye. His expression immediately grew a little awkward.
He was about to greet them when Chen Yi shook his head slightly, then signaled with his eyes for him to invite Boss Jia back inside to continue their discussion.
Invite him?
Understanding the gesture, Wang Ji gave an inward, bitter laugh.
*I've already torn off all pretense of