Shopkeeper Hong said politely, "Alright! Then I'll give you a favor and split the bill fifty-fifty. However, from now on, only our pharmacy can sell these pills!"
Qibao smiled and said, "Of course. Since we've chosen Grandpa Hong as our partner, we won't cooperate with anyone else!"
Shopkeeper Hong began to draft the contract. After a while, he took it, blew on it, and handed it to Qibao. Qibao looked at it and signed his name.
Shopkeeper Hong said, "I'll send someone over to get a month's supply of pills, and then bring the money back to you. What do you think?"
Qibao said, "No problem!"
Seeing that the matter had been settled, the old man said, "Manager Hong, please stay at my house for lunch today. It won't be too late to go back after lunch!"
Shopkeeper Hong did not refuse and said, "Thank you, old man!"
Wang and her family were very happy today. The family had a new profitable business, and they were very busy. They had to prepare a delicious meal at noon to treat Manager Hong.
In the main hall, Manager Hong was chatting with the old man.
Shopkeeper Hong said, "When I came here, I saw Xujia Village was repairing the road. I asked about it and found out that it was your family who paid for it."
The old man smiled and said, "Yes, one should do what one can do. If one wants to get rich, one should build roads first! This road will benefit our family and the villagers!"
Shopkeeper Hong said, "Old man, you're so generous! If it were an ordinary family, they would buy a house in town when they had money and move in with their whole family to live a comfortable life. Your family even paid for the road repairs. This is not something that everyone can do!"
The old man said, "Moving to the town is convenient, but how do you know that those who move to the town will have a truly comfortable life, while those who stay in the countryside will have an uncomfortable life? I've made up my mind. I will stay in Xujia Village for the rest of my life. I won't go anywhere else!"
Shopkeeper Hong said, "Well, what the old man said is right. It's my narrow-mindedness!"
"Manager Hong, you are a man of great achievements. You are different from farmers like me. Our ancestors have lived here their entire lives. This is our root. How can we leave so easily?"
Shopkeeper Hong nodded, agreeing with what the old man said.
"It's still early, why don't you, Manager Hong, play a game of chess with me to pass the time?" said the old man.
"Old man, can you play chess?" asked Manager Hong.
"I don't know how to play the chess you guys play, but I have a new way to play it that's simple and interesting. I wonder if Shopkeeper Hong would like to try it?"
Shopkeeper Hong said, "Okay, then I'll see how this new method works today!"
The old man took the chessboard and explained the rules of Gobang to Manager Hong.
Shopkeeper Hong: "This is the first time I've heard of playing like this. It's quite new!"
The two of them started playing like this. At the beginning, Manager Hong was not familiar with the game and lost to the old man. Later, he won a few games, but also ended up in a tie.
At this time, Wang came over and said, "The food is ready, it's time to eat!"
The old man heard this and said, "Let's stop here today and start eating! Today I will take out the wine that I am reluctant to drink and let Brother Hong taste it!"
The relationship between the two of them became more and more familiar with each other during the game of chess, and they began to call each other brothers.
"Okay, then I'd like to thank you, Brother Xu. I'd like to taste the wine that you're so reluctant to drink!"
The Xu family brought the food to the table, and Manager Hong sat next to the old man. The old man took out a jar of wine and poured a full glass into Manager Hong's glass.
Shopkeeper Hong knew that the Xu family had a special kind of wine because his master had brought two jars of wine back last time. He was very careful and wrapped them with several layers of cotton for fear that they would be accidentally broken. Later, Ye Feng, who was beside his master, said that they were gifts from the Xu family.
He picked up the wine glass and took a sip. After tasting it, he said, "It is indeed very delicious. It is indeed a fine wine. No wonder my master treasures the two jars of wine you sent so much!"
"Haha, no one who has tasted the wine from my family, no matter whether they are adults or children, doesn't like it! If you like it, take a jar back and drink it slowly!" The old man said generously.
"Thank you for your kindness, brother. I'll accept it. Next time you have time, please come to my shop and I'll treat you to a meal as a thank you for this jar of wine!"
The old man smiled and said, "Brother, why are you still being so polite to me? From now on, just treat this place as your own home. You can come over anytime you want. Don't be so formal!"
"Okay, sure!"
The Xu family members also stood up one by one to toast Manager Hong, and the table was very lively for a while.
After the meal, Shopkeeper Hong said goodbye, "Brother, I have to go back to town and can't leave the shop for long, so I'll come and have a drink with you next time!"
The old man said, "Okay, then it's a deal. You must come, and you must bring this jar of wine with you." He handed the prepared wine to Manager Hong.
After taking the wine and expressing his gratitude, Shopkeeper Hong said goodbye to the Xu family and left Xujia Village and headed towards the town!
In the evening, Qibao returned to his room and thought of the letter written by Jingchen, so he took the letter in his hand and opened it.
It only read, "Qibao, I'm home safely. I've made some ginseng medicine for my grandmother, and she's getting better day by day. It's all thanks to you. I'm in the capital now, and we're very far apart. Remember, if you encounter any difficulties, go find Shopkeeper Hong. He'll do his best to help you. Also, take care of yourself. Don't worry!"
Qibao rolled his eyes after reading it and thought, "Who missed you? You're so narcissistic." He put the letter back into the envelope, put it in the drawer, then fell on the bed and fell asleep in a short while.
The next day was a day off for his brothers. Xiaowu was so happy that he didn’t have to go to school. He ran around everywhere like a little madman.
The old man said, "Xiaowu, why don't you learn from your elder brother? He gets up early in the morning and studies in his room. Since you don't want to go to school, then you don't have to go tomorrow. I will arrange for you to work with the workers on the road. You will eat whatever the workers eat, and you can come back when they finish work. I can't just leave you at home and eat for free!"
When Xiaowu heard that his grandfather was going to send him to build roads, he immediately calmed down and said, "The teacher said that big brother should take the examination for Tongsheng next year, so big brother is working extra hard. I'm still young and not old enough to take the examination yet!"
When the old man heard this, he was delighted and asked, "Xiao Wu, are you telling the truth?"
Xiao Wu said: "It's true, I heard it with my own ears!"
The old man said, "Why didn't your elder brother come back and tell us? Let's be happy. The teacher allowed your elder brother to take the Tongsheng exam, which means that your elder brother is very favored by the teacher. This is a good thing!"
Xu Wenwu also came out of his room at this time, and heard the conversation between Xiaowu and his grandfather, and said: "Grandpa, I didn't tell you because the time has not come yet. No one can predict what will happen next year! If the situation changes, it is better if fewer people know about it. I didn't expect that Xiaowu would tell it out. Xiaowu, how did you know about this?" After all, he hadn't told anyone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
