Cheng You rubbed his nose, looking guilty.
He figured it would be gone by then.
"Thank you, Brother Chen. If I don't have the money then, I'll pay you all back during the New Year. It won't be short!"
Chen Qin laughed heartily, "How could I not trust you? Alright, leave this to me."
As soon as Cheng You walked out, they started discussing the matter in the pharmacy.
Qian Limei asked, "Director Chen, are you suddenly producing so much cracked cream because the cooperation with the state-run pharmacy has been finalized?"
Chen Qin shook his head, "The cooperation with the state-run pharmacy is likely off. Tomorrow, I'll bring something to apologize. I don't know if they'll be willing to extend the delivery deadline."
"Ah? Why extend it? Can't we supply them with the cracked cream we're currently producing?"
Chen Qin waved his hand, "The cracked cream we're currently producing has other uses."
Qian Limei didn't ask further, knowing when to stop.
But Chen Qin's words stirred her thoughts.
She had been working at Zhenshan Tang for some time and had already shed many of her country habits.
The first to go was her self-reference "I," which she felt made her sound provincial.
After a long time at Zhenshan Tang, knowing their salaries, she gradually felt unbalanced.
She worked hard doing chores, all the dirty and difficult tasks fell to her, yet her salary was the lowest.
The last time her son, Goudan, visited and accidentally broke two jars of medicine, Chen Qin, with his official authority, made her pay without a second word.
She still felt uncomfortable about it; her salary was so low, how could they be so heartless?
"Qian Limei, go take out the trash, it's full," someone called out.
"Yes, I know!"
She came back to her senses and resignedly cleaned out the trash can, then went to dump it.
While taking out the trash, someone sneaked over.
"Hey!"
Qian Limei was startled, "Why are you being so sneaky?"
The person rolled their eyes at her, "If I'm not sneaky, should I openly come to Zhenshan Tang to find you?"
Qian Limei snorted and took a piece of paper from her pocket.
"Here's the formula for the cracked cream."
Actually, Zhenshan Tang's formulas were all publicly available, except for Qizi Gao and cracked cream. These two were not considered medicines in the pharmacy but leaned more towards skincare products.
Because the ingredients and production were simple, Cheng You hadn't listed them.
If she knew that someone went to such lengths to inquire, she would surely laugh.
"Your handwriting is a bit ugly," the person complained.
Qian Limei took the paper back, "If you don't want it, then forget it."
"Tsk! You have such a temper, you don't want the money either?" The person quickly stopped her.
Qian Limei then threw the paper back and held out her hand, "Give me the money quickly."
"Are you sure it's right? The handwriting is really too ugly."
Qian Limei glared, "I only studied up to the fourth grade. It's good enough that I can write it clearly. Hurry up and give me the money!"
The person grudgingly pulled out twenty yuan for her.
Then they asked again, "How is your Zhenshan Tang's cooperation with the state-run pharmacy going?"
"It didn't work out. Director Chen said he'll personally apologize tomorrow. You city folks are so proper."
Qian Limei thought, it didn't matter if it didn't work out, why apologize.
Her thoughts aligned with the person in front of her.
"Since it won't work out anyway, let's make it complete. You go to the state-run pharmacy and do as I say, and I'll give you another twenty."
Qian Limei was stunned, "What? You want me to show my face? What if I get discovered?"
"How could you be discovered! You just need to deliver a message. If you get discovered, at worst, you can come work as a cleaner at our Huichun Tang," the person said impatiently.
Qian Limei hesitated, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of twenty yuan and agreed.
In her heart, she felt a bit guilty, as Cheng You had helped her a lot.
But then she thought, she was doing it for herself and Goudan's future.
If she didn't earn more money, how would Goudan go to school in the future, how would he get married?
She found the person in charge of the state-run pharmacy and arrogantly said, "Our Zhenshan Tang has found another partner, so we won't be doing business with you anymore. Director Chen asked me to tell you that the previous discussion is now void."
The person was completely confused, "Who are you from Zhenshan Tang? Director Chen always speaks to us personally and never delegates."
Qian Limei lacked confidence but forced herself to lift her chin.
"I'm just a cleaner. Our Director Chen said anyone could come over to say it, it's not a very important client. That's all!"
After saying that, she turned and ran.
The person in charge at the state-run pharmacy was furious, slamming the table repeatedly until his palms turned red.
"Outrageous! Simply outrageous!"
They were a state-run unit, and they had never encountered a private pharmacy that dared to speak to him like this.
"From now on, remove Zhenshan Tang from the list of partners, and we will never cooperate with them again!"
The next day, Chen Qin brought gifts to their door, but he wasn't even allowed to see them. He and his gifts were thrown out.
The person who kicked him out said disdainfully, "Our director said that the state-run pharmacy doesn't deign to cooperate with your kind of low-class pharmacy."
As if to echo Qian Limei's words, the person also said a few unpleasant things, which angered Chen Qin to the point his face turned ashen.
It was true that Zhenshan Tang's reputation wasn't great, but they were definitely not a disreputable pharmacy.
He let out a cold snort, "Fine, if we don't cooperate, it's not our loss!"
As soon as the cooperation between the two parties failed, Huichun Tang approached them.
Huichun Tang had a long history. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it became state-run through public-private partnership.
However, those in charge of Huichun Tang were mostly surnamed Pei, descendants of the founder.
This was slightly different from the nature of the state-run pharmacy.
"Director Jiang, I am Pei Kesheng, this is my business card."
He was dressed in a suit and tie, his hair sprayed with stiffener, emitting a pungent smell, looking like a ruffian.
Compared to Chen Qin, Director Jiang didn't have a very high opinion of this Pei Kesheng.
"Director Pei, what brings you here?"
Pei Kesheng had small eyes, and when he smiled, they were barely visible.
He nodded with a smile, "I don't visit without a reason. Of course, I have something to discuss with Director Jiang."
"Speak, I'm busy."
Pei Kesheng cursed inwardly, but his smile remained unchanged.
"Director Jiang, I heard a while ago that the state-run pharmacy was interested in purchasing a batch of cracked cream. Our Huichun Tang also has it. Perhaps you could consider cooperating with us?"
Director Jiang's expression darkened; this was a sore point.
"Our state-run pharmacy values quality the most. Can you guarantee to provide us with the exact same product?"
"Of course, Huichun Tang is a century-old brand, we won't disappoint you!" Pei Kesheng guaranteed.
Director Jiang secretly shook his head. If the old master of the Pei family were still alive, he might trust them.
But the current Huichun Tang was gradually declining.
"I can cooperate with you, but the contract must stipulate that we inspect the goods first, then make payment. If the quality does not meet the same standard as Zhenshan Tang's, we will not pay!"
Pei Kesheng stood up excitedly, "Thank you, Director Jiang!"