Chapter 379: Expert Appraisal

“Your Xu Family is bullying us too much! Qiao Fei has been married into your family for so many years. Even if she hasn’t made any great contributions, she’s at least put in her fair share of hard work, hasn’t she? Is this how you treat your in-laws?”

Meng’s Mother shouted, slamming her hand on the table.

Meng Zehai sat to the side, his face livid, but his mouth wasn’t idle either. “Yang Xun, if you’re a man, don’t make things difficult for women and children. If you have a problem, come at me!”

Yang Xun leaned back in his chair, calmly watching the family of three across from him. He wasn’t angry at their tantrums; rather, he found it somewhat amusing.

“Alright,” he spoke, his tone unhurried. “Since Meng said to come at you, then this compensation will be put under your name. You are Meng Xiaobao’s guardian and the primary person responsible. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“You!” Meng Zehai’s face stiffened, choking on Yang Xun’s words, and he shot to his feet.

“I’ll remind you that starting a fight in the police station is an aggravated offense.”

Yang Xun chuckled disdainfully, sitting calmly in his chair. He didn’t take Meng Zehai seriously at all, certain that the man wouldn’t dare to strike. As expected, Meng Zehai glared at Yang Xun but ultimately sat back down obediently.

“Officer Liu, the seedling of this Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass was indeed obtained by my husband after expending tremendous effort. It is extremely rare on the market. Its value needs to be appraised by a professional before we can continue discussing compensation,” Xu Yue spoke up.

Officer Liu nodded. “If there is a dispute between the two parties regarding the value of the subject matter, an appraisal can be conducted by a third-party professional institution. The fee will be advanced by the party proposing the appraisal.”

Hearing this, Meng’s Mother hurriedly waved her hands. “What appraisal? How much could that piece of junk possibly be worth?”

Officer Liu looked at the family, his brows knitting together. “If you don’t agree, then we can only proceed with litigation. At that time, the court will appoint an institution for the appraisal, and all costs will be borne by the losing party.”

Meng’s Mother wanted to say something else but was pulled back by Meng Zehai. In truth, he felt a bit guilty. Although he didn’t recognize what kind of herb it was, he could tell it was absolutely not cheap.

“Then… then let’s get it appraised,” Meng Zehai’s voice carried a reluctant dryness. “I’d like to see just how much a pot of grass can be worth.”

Officer Liu nodded and was just about to contact an appraisal institution when Xu Yue added, “There’s no need to contact an appraisal institution. I’ve already called an expert over. He should be here very soon.”

“What expert?” Meng Zehai raised his head warily.

“Mr. Zhang the Elder, Zhang Bo from Xinglin Hall,” Xu Yue said calmly. “Elder Zhang is a highly respected senior in the traditional Chinese medicine community of Zhonghai City. He has decades of experience in identifying various rare medicinal herbs. His appraisal results carry extremely high credibility in the industry.”

Upon hearing the name Zhang Bo of Xinglin Hall, Meng’s Mother’s face changed slightly. Having lived in Zhonghai for several years, she naturally knew the fame of Xinglin Hall, and even more so who Zhang Bo was. He was no ordinary doctor, but a renowned physician capable of treating provincial and municipal leaders.

But she remained stubborn. “So what if it’s Zhang Bo? Just because he says it’s valuable means it is?”

Officer Liu glanced at her. “Mr. Zhang Bo’s appraisal report will serve as valid evidence in court.”

Meng’s Mother opened her mouth, but finally fell silent.

Less than half an hour later, the door to the mediation room was pushed open.

A gray-haired, straight-backed old man walked in. Wearing a dark gray Tang suit, he looked hale and hearty, carrying a medicine box wrapped in black cloth in his hand.

Yang Xun stood up and nodded slightly. “Elder Zhang, sorry to trouble you to make this trip.”

Zhang Bo waved his hand, his tone carrying a hearty laugh. “Don’t mention it. What treasure needs my appraisal?”

Yang Xun raised his hand and pointed to the flower pot on the table, as well as the torn leaves in the evidence bag. Everyone’s eyes gathered on Zhang Bo as they watched him walk to the table and sit down. He first carefully examined the torn leaves, then took out a magnifying glass from his medicine box. Leaning close to the leaves and roots, he inspected them inch by inch.

The three members of the Meng Family didn’t dare to breathe, nervously staring at Zhang Bo’s every move.

The room was so quiet that only Zhang Bo’s occasional tongue-clicking sounds and the faint noise of Meng Xiaobao sniffing his nose could be heard.

About five or six minutes later, Zhang Bo straightened up, put down his magnifying glass, and turned to Officer Liu.

“This is an extremely precious medicinal herb, the Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass. Looking at the leaf patterns and the direction of the roots, it has been growing for at least five years.” Zhang Bo pointed to the seedling in the flower pot with half of its leaves broken off, a look of regret on his face. “A medicinal herb like the Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass generally takes ten years to grow into a seedling, and twenty to thirty years to meet the standards for medicinal use.

“Occasionally, a mature plant appears on the market, and the price is always over a hundred million. Moreover, it’s priceless and impossible to buy.

“If this seedling hadn’t been destroyed, it would have matured for medicinal use in another ten years. If properly cared for, there is still a chance for the seedling to survive now, but it would take thirty years to fully grow. The loss is at least five million. If it cannot be kept alive, the minimum value of this seedling is ten million.”

As Zhang Bo’s words fell, a dead silence filled the mediation room.

The expression on Meng’s Mother’s face was as if someone had pressed the pause button. Her mouth hung slightly open, unable to close for a long time. Meng Zehai’s face turned from livid to deathly pale, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead and dripping down his cheeks. Wu Sinic was completely dumbfounded, even forgetting to cry. She froze in place, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. They never expected that Yang Xun wasn’t lying; that inconspicuous little seedling was actually worth ten million.

“T-Ten million?” Meng’s Mother’s voice carried a dry hoarseness, as if a wad of cotton had been stuffed in her throat.

Zhang Bo nodded, his tone certain. “At a conservative estimate, it’s ten million at the very least. Think about it—if it hadn’t been destroyed, this seedling could have sold for a hundred million ten years from now. Asking you for ten million is already not a lot.”

Officer Liu flipped through the logbook in front of him and looked up at the Mengs. “Since Mr. Zhang the Elder’s appraisal results are out, do you have any other objections?”

The Mengs wanted to retort, but Zhang Bo’s reputation was indisputable. If they questioned his judgment, they would be questioning the authority of the entire traditional Chinese medicine community in Zhonghai.

“We… we don’t have money!” Wu Sinic suddenly burst into tears, crying and wailing as tears streamed down her face. “You all can see it too, we’re just an ordinary family! Where would we get ten million!”

Meng Zehai gritted his teeth, his voice low. “We can’t afford to pay.”

Inside the mediation room, the expressions of the three members of the Meng Family shifted from shock to panic. They had completely lost their previous arrogance. Their family’s factory had already been unable to make ends meet and was forced to shut down. They had no money at all. If they really had to pay compensation, their only option would be to sell their house and cars.

Meng’s Mother slapped her knee fiercely, then wailed at Meng Qiaofei, “Qiao Fei! You are a member of our family! How can you just stand by and watch outsiders bully us? You have to stand up for us!”