Although Pei Kesheng didn't openly quarrel with Qian Limei, he secretly instructed people to make things difficult for her.
He didn't want Qian Limei to leave; he wanted her to resign on her own.
However, no matter what, the cooperation with the state-run pharmacy was irrecoverable.
Rather than doing meaningless work, it was better to figure out what was going on with Zhen Shan Tang's pharmaceutical factory.
Pushed to her limit by Hui Chun Tang, Qian Limei once again set her sights on Zhen Shan Tang.
Cheng You was soft-hearted. If she humbled herself and begged, she would definitely agree to let her return.
However, when she returned to Zhen Shan Tang, she found it had changed.
Things were tidier, the floor was cleaner, and even the dust by the window had been wiped clean.
A small table had been added behind the counter, and a young man she didn't recognize was sitting there.
Wu Sheng walked out from inside and his eyes lit up when he saw her.
"Yo, Sister Qian, why have you come back? Did Hui Chun Tang not want you anymore?"
Qian Limei awkwardly rubbed her hands. "Little Wu, is Director Chen here? I'd like to see him."
Wu Sheng originally intended to say he wasn't, but his gaze shifted to Han Shaohua.
"He's here, go in, he's inside."
Qian Limei nodded with a smile. "Alright."
She walked in familiarly.
Once he confirmed she had entered, Wu Sheng walked over to Han Shaohua.
"Shaohua, that Sister Qian just now is a pitiable person. Help her out, okay?"
Han Shaohua looked up. "What?"
Wu Sheng portrayed Qian Limei as an absolute victim, omitting what she had done at Zhen Shan Tang.
In his words, Cheng You and Chen Qin became the bad guys.
Han Shaohua said, "Oh, what do you want me to do?"
"Director Chen values you highly. If you put in a good word for Sister Qian, it will surely work. You're so kind, you wouldn't not help her, right?"
Han Shaohua frowned and pondered. "Okay, I'll talk to Director Chen."
Wu Sheng showed a satisfied smile and patted his shoulder. "Sister Qian will definitely thank you."
Han Shaohua smiled slightly. "As long as you're thanked."
Not long after, Chen Qin pushed Qian Limei out, his face full of disgust.
Wu Sheng nudged Han Shaohua with his elbow, signaling him to speak.
Han Shaohua glanced at him and said, "Director Chen..."
Chen Qin paused and turned around. "What is it?"
Han Shaohua said, "Comrade Wu Sheng asked me to plead for Sister Qian, but I don't know what she did, so I dare not speak rashly."
Chen Qin's expression darkened, and his oppressive gaze fell on Wu Sheng.
"You want to plead for her?"
No one in the entire Zhen Shan Tang was unaware of Qian Limei's betrayal.
It was laughable that someone would actually try to plead for her.
Wu Sheng hadn't expected that Han Shaohua, who seemed simple, would backstab him at this moment.
He hurriedly denied it. "I didn't! Han Shaohua, why are you framing me!"
Han Shaohua sneered. "That's what I want to ask you. Why are you framing me? Few people in Zhen Shan Tang don't know what this Sister Qian did, yet you say she's sincere, works hard, and was fired for no reason!"
"Director Chen, I didn't..."
"Enough!" Chen Qin interrupted him sharply.
Everyone at Zhen Shan Tang knew what kind of person Wu Sheng was.
He was full of schemes.
"Pack your things and get out today. I'll let you experience what it's like to be fired for no reason right now."
Wu Sheng was struck by lightning. He had intended to add fuel to the fire, but the fire ended up burning himself.
"Why... why! He's only been here for a short time, and his salary is higher than mine, yet he does less work! You fired me for his words, I want to see Sister Cheng You, you don't have the authority!"
Chen Qin suppressed the anger in his chest. Ironically, Wu Sheng was someone he had personally recruited.
"Cheng You has handed over all matters of Zhen Shan Tang to me to manage, so why wouldn't I have the authority to fire you! Get out!"
Doctor Liang initially didn't want to get involved, but thinking that Wu Sheng was, after all, half his disciple, he couldn't help but come out.
"Wu Sheng, for the sake of our teacher-disciple relationship, you should preserve some dignity and leave."
Wu Sheng gritted his teeth. "Fine! You guys wait and see!"
By leaving like this today, he had made an enemy of Zhen Shan Tang.
After scolding him, Chen Qin turned his angry gaze to Qian Limei.
"Aren't you leaving yet!"
Qian Limei was startled and took two steps back. "I'm leaving, I'm leaving now."
After leaving, she glared viciously and spat towards the gate of Zhen Shan Tang.
"Who cares!"
Chen Qin's intention in starting a business was to avoid making enemies, as offending petty people would lead to a lot of trouble later.
Now, having offended two people at once, his head was spinning.
Wu Sheng and Qian Limei knew too much about Zhen Shan Tang. It was hard to guarantee they wouldn't sell firsthand information to their competitors.
Chen Qin specifically went to the military compound to find Cheng You and waited by the entrance for a while. He happened to see her returning from school.
He told her about the matter, but Cheng You didn't take it to heart.
"We do our jobs well, focus on quality and hygiene, and we won't fear their underhanded tactics."
Chen Qin nodded with a heavy face. "Okay, I just came to tell you so that Qian Limei doesn't come to you and make a scene when you don't know anything."
...
The newspapers widely reported on Zhen Shan Tang's donation of medicine, and the state-run pharmacy naturally couldn't be unaware of it.
Chen Qin had already given up on cooperating with them, but unexpectedly, the state-run pharmacy took the initiative to approach him.
Director Jiang spoke to him with rare patience. "If we had known you were donating medicine to the military, it wouldn't have mattered if it was delayed."
Chen Qin didn't know how to explain to him that it was Qian Limei who had caused the trouble.
Otherwise, if both sides had compromised, the contract would have been signed long ago.
Fortunately, after all the twists and turns, it was still not too late.
The cooperation with the state-run pharmacy meant Zhen Shan Tang would reach a new level, and its reputation would become even more prominent.
In this era, people still trusted state-run pharmacies more.
No matter how good Zhen Shan Tang was, it was still privately owned, and its credibility couldn't compare to Hui Chun Tang.
For medicine that was ingested, the public naturally trusted products from the state more.
A month had passed since the medicine was delivered to the border. The year after last year's college entrance examination was ending.
Cheng You looked at the gently falling snow outside the window, feeling a sense of melancholy.
She wondered if Qi Chengyan would be able to return for the New Year.
Judging by the situation, it seemed unlikely.
"Cheng You, is your man still in the border region?" Fang Yunbao asked, rubbing his hands.
The weather was too cold. There was no heating in the classroom, and their hands and feet were frozen, yet they still had to muster the energy to take notes.
Cheng You hummed and slowly turned a page of her book.
Cao Yanyan glanced out the window and whispered, "It must be even colder there."
"Much colder. I heard it's below twenty degrees Celsius." Cheng You said wistfully.
Compared to them, Cheng You felt that the cold she experienced sitting in the classroom was nothing.