Chapter 34: Manager Kang bows his head to apologize
There is a side hall in the backyard of the medicine shop.
The incense rising from the lion-head incense burner is refreshing.
Qiu Zhen had good knowledge and recognized at a glance that the incense in the incense burner was top-grade sandalwood, which could calm the mind and was very valuable.
Normally, wealthy families would not use it and would take it out to entertain guests.
What a great occasion!
Qiu Zhen looked at Manager Kang who was making tea at the desk and felt a little curious.
"please!"
"Thank you, steward!"
Qiu Zhen was a little flattered. He was afraid that Manager Kang usually didn't entertain Shopkeeper Liu with such a grand ceremony.
"Haha~"
Manager Kang waved his hands repeatedly:
"Don't call me manager. You are a disciple of Medicine King Valley, and I am also a disciple of Medicine King Valley. We are brothers."
Qiu Zhen laughed secretly when he heard this.
In fact, what Manager Kang said was not wrong. Both of them were disciples of Medicine King Valley, but they had different tasks. Manager Kang would not be able to supervise him in the future. They were considered to be "equals" and "brothers" in name.
However, Manager Kang had joined the sect much earlier than him and was an old senior in the sect, and Qiu Zhen had once worked under him.
It is somewhat inappropriate to call each other "brothers".
The main reason is that there is no real master-disciple relationship between them, so why do they call each other so intimately?
"Manager Kang, you are too polite."
When Kang Zhuangyuan saw that Qiu Zhen did not call him "senior brother" but called him "Manager Kang", he could not help but sigh in his heart and secretly regretted what he had done in the past few days.
Because of those two things, the friendship of the past was gone in an instant.
The other party might even secretly hate him because of this.
He has more power in the pharmacy than Qiu Zhen, and his martial arts skills are more advanced than Qiu Zhen's. However, there is one thing he cannot compare with, and that is age.
One is the rising sun in the east, strong and diligent; the other is the setting sun in the west, aging.
Ordinary martial artists are mortals after all. After the peak period of their prime years, they will go downhill as they enter middle age and old age. Not only will it be difficult for them to make any progress in martial arts, but as their energy and blood decline, their strength will also decline, and they will no longer be as brave as they once were.
This is also the reason why young people beat old masters to death with random punches.
He knew that Qiu Zhen became a martial artist by going into the mountains to collect precious herbs and medicines, so he was not optimistic that Qiu Zhen could become a congenital martial artist.
But even so, he did not dare to underestimate Qiu Zhen.
Qiu Zhen doesn't need to become a congenital martial artist. He can walk around Qingmu Town freely after breaking through the "four levels" and "five levels". With the connections as a disciple of Pharmacist An, it is almost certain that he will succeed Manager Liu in the future, and he will have no problem living a prosperous life for decades.
And he went downhill.
He himself was not afraid of Qiu Zhen, but he had a large number of clansmen behind him in Qingmu Town, making a living under the Qingmu Pharmacy.
If Qiu Zhen gains power in the future and makes things difficult for the Kang family, they will be in great trouble and suffer heavy losses.
Speaking for himself, there was no way he could lose face and apologize to this young man who used to work under him.
But once you enter the world, you have no choice.
He may not consider his own gains and losses, but he cannot ignore the interests of thousands of Kang family members, his relatives and friends, and future generations.
Today, he has to come to apologize whether he wants to or not, and he has to do it whether he wants to or not.
At this moment, he deeply felt in his heart the humiliation and helplessness that Qiu Zhen had to admit to "calling red black" under his oppression that day.
The situation is stronger than you, you have to bow your head when you should.
With this thought in mind, Manager Kang took a deep breath and forced a smile on his slightly aged face:
"A few days ago, I lost money and lost my mind. I acted violently and impatiently, without any sense of propriety and calm consideration. I have offended you, Brother Qiu. Today, I have come to apologize to you. I hope you don't take it to heart."
After saying this, Manager Kang took out a stack of silver bills from his sleeve.
Qiu Zhen took a casual glance and felt a little surprised.
Although there were only a dozen or so silver notes, they were not thick.
However, he has the supernatural power of clairvoyance and amazing eyesight.
The silver notes on the table were all worth one hundred taels of silver. With the silver notes, one could redeem them at major banks and money houses, or conduct large-value transactions on the market. Qiu Zhen was surprised, but not because of the large amount of the silver notes, but because he was surprised that Manager Kang actually bowed his head to apologize to him.
Manager Kang is such a proud and conceited person, and all the apprentices in the backyard of the drugstore know everything.
"Forehead"
Kang Zhuangyuan saw Qiu Zhen in a daze and thought that Qiu Zhen was dissatisfied.
"Brother Qiu, if you have any requests, feel free to ask. Money is not a problem."
After Qiu Zhen was stunned, his mind raced and he soon understood why Manager Kang, this old man, would bow his head, apologize and send him silver notes.
The reason may lie with the Kang family. Many members of the Kang family rely on the Qingmu Medicine Store for their livelihood.
Manager Kang was afraid that after he gained power, he would take revenge on the Kang family in the future.
One thousand taels of silver was a considerable sum of money for him, but that was all. He would not let the immediate interests affect his future principles of behavior.
"Manager Kang, please take the banknote back. I cannot accept such a valuable gift from you."
"This"
Manager Kang gritted his teeth, feeling a little aggrieved, but he had already apologized, and it would be even more embarrassing if he backed down.
"There are too many people outside, and I can't lose face, so I'll apologize to you here."
After saying this, Manager Kang was about to stand up, as if he was going to bow and apologize.
"Hey, eh, eh~"
Qiu Zhen quickly stood up and supported Manager Kang, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
"Manager Kang, why do you have to do this?"
Anyway, Manager Kang was actually quite nice to him on weekdays. He didn't deduct his wages and the work wasn't too heavy, which was considered as taking care of him - although this was due to his own hard work and diligence and high skills in cooking.
If he had not been "blackened by accusing the red of being black" and had not been suppressed at the critical moment, he would have been very grateful for the care of Manager Kang.
It’s a pity that the other party’s vision is a little short and he failed to recognize the towering tree.
From now on they are just ordinary colleagues and the friendship they once had is gone.
Thinking of this, Qiu Zhen sighed and said:
"Manager Kang, I can't accept the banknote, but I do have a favor to ask you to help me make some connections."
"Oh~"
Kang Zhuangyuan was a little embarrassed at first, but when he saw that Qiu Zhen didn't accept the banknote, but still had something to ask for, he gave him a way out and was willing to repair the relationship. He was delighted at the unexpected turn of events and said quickly:
"Brother Qiu, if you have anything to say, just ask. I still have some respect in Qingmu Town."
Qiu Zhen nodded slightly. The Kang family was indeed a big local family.
"The thing is, my hometown, Haitang Township, is a bit remote after all. I plan to settle down in Qingmu Town in the future and bring my parents and brother over. However, I have no house or good farmland. I would like to ask Manager Kang to help me keep an eye out for families that want to sell houses or farmland, and help to make connections if necessary."
"I see!"
Kang Zhuangyuan was delighted when he heard this. Although this was a small matter, if it was accomplished, it would be a favor and could greatly ease the relationship, which was no worse than giving money directly.
"Okay, okay. I will definitely help you keep an eye on it and let you know as soon as I have any news."
Coming out from the backyard of the drugstore, Qiu Zhen was in a very good mood.
These days, land is the lifeblood of the people, and most families won't sell their land.
Anyone who dares to sell land will be considered a prodigal and will be branded as unfilial.
Buying a property is not an easy thing.
However, with the help of the local boss Kang, it was much easier than doing it on his own.
Of course, what made Qiu Zhen even more emotional was that Manager Kang gave in and apologized to him.
One cannot be trapped in a windless place for long.
Finally, the wind started to blow.
Thanks to "Hongchenrushuihuaxilei" for the reward of 500 Qidian coins; "Yunjianfeihong", "Fudezhenjun", and "Gangwanbubeidong" for the reward of 100 Qidian coins. Thank you all book friends for your strong support.
(End of this chapter)
