After Cheng You asked Chen Qin, she understood what was going on.
Mentioning this, Chen Qin felt a little guilty.
“I don’t consider myself a great philanthropist, but I’ve always been upright. Yet, I did something that wronged Pei Kesheng’s daughter.”
Pei Kesheng wasn’t a good person, and as the director of the pharmaceutical factory, he incurred the dissatisfaction of many workers.
Hui Chun Tang used to operate on a front-shop-back-factory model. Later, as business grew, they began looking for a place to build a factory, and at that time, they used Chen Qin’s family’s land.
It was because of this that Chen Qin embarked on his own path in pharmaceuticals.
Because Hui Chun Tang Pharmaceutical Factory used his family’s land, and coupled with his youthful arrogance, he looked down on people at the factory. He and Pei Kesheng couldn’t stand each other.
Pei Kesheng had a weakness: he adored his daughter.
He had only one daughter, whom he doted on immensely.
At that time, when Chen Qin had a conflict with Pei Kesheng, he spoke carelessly, saying, “Your daughter is so fat, she looks like a pig! She’ll definitely never get married!”
This angered Pei Kesheng so much that they got into a fight on the spot.
Fortunately, Pei Lanlan came out to intervene in time, otherwise, both of them would have been disciplined.
Seeing the young girl’s reddened eyes, Chen Qin finally realized how hurtful his words had been.
“Pei Lanlan is a good child. Many people at Hui Chun Tang Pharmaceutical Factory watched her grow up. Even after hearing me say that about her, she never cursed me. As far as I recall, she never lost her temper with anyone.”
But from then on, Pei Lanlan never came to the pharmaceutical factory again.
Even now, thinking about it, he wished he could slap himself.
Because of this incident, Pei Kesheng became even more disgusted with him, and he was determined to kick him out of the pharmaceutical factory.
Cheng You fell silent. After a long while, she said, “Brother Chen, to be honest…”
Chen Qin gave a wry smile, “You want to hit me too, right?”
Cheng You nodded. “Yun Bao told me that Pei Lanlan started getting fat from the fourth grade. She gains weight even if she only drinks water and doesn’t eat. I suspect it’s not a dietary issue; could she be ill?”
There are many overweight people in the world, and not all of them are self-conscious or afraid to go out because of it.
This showed how deeply “obesity” had affected Pei Lanlan, forming a knot in her heart.
Chen Qin’s words were akin to rubbing salt in a wound.
Cheng You pondered. “Since Director Pei dotes on his daughter so much, why would he choose Qiu Yingxun as his son-in-law for her?”
Chen Qin’s eyebrows twitched. He quickly asked, “Is Qiu Yingxun not good?”
Cheng You scoffed. “More than not good, he’s a scoundrel with depraved character!”
She briefly mentioned Qiu Yingxun and Cheng Tao’s affair. Even recounting it felt dirty.
No matter how pitiable Cheng Tao’s situation was, just by being a “stepmother,” he shouldn’t have touched her!
After listening, Chen Qin felt utterly disgusted.
How could such a person be worthy of Pei Lanlan?
“Is Pei Kesheng blind? How could he fancy someone like that?”
Cheng You sighed. “Perhaps he was in a hurry.”
He might have thought that as long as the person was acceptable, settling for him wouldn’t be a problem.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have set the wedding banquet for February and sent out invitations two months in advance.
But some things, when settled for, often lead to problems.
Chen Qin put this matter aside for the moment and discussed the location of the pharmaceutical factory with Cheng You.
The current pharmaceutical factory could no longer meet the scale of Zhen Shan Tang. They had to expand the factory to open a branch in Yancheng.
“I’ve chosen a few locations. You can take a look.”
Cheng You was not as familiar with Yancheng as he was. She glanced at them and realized she only knew the general location of one.
“Brother Chen, where do you think is good?”
Chen Qin pointed to the first one. “I favor this one, but… it’s next to Hui Chun Tang Pharmaceutical Factory.”
Given the strained relationship between the two pharmacies, having their pharmaceutical factories together would likely lead to greater conflict.
But this location was genuinely good. The terrain was flat and open, situated downstream of a river, with few residents nearby. It wasn’t too far from the city center, and there was bus access.
Later, they could even buy another piece of land nearby to build dormitory buildings. Chen Qin had already planned it all out.
Cheng You made the decision. “Let’s settle on this one. Brother Chen, please expedite the negotiations. The price doesn’t need to be pushed too low; as long as it’s reasonable.”
With her backing, Chen Qin dared to proceed with confidence.
“Alright, I’ll handle it. I’ll come to you after I get their quote.”
Cheng You tapped the invitation on the table and asked, “And this, will you go?”
Chen Qin looked a little conflicted and waved his hand. “We’ll see.”
…
After New Year’s Day, Director Hao from the Botanical Research Institute invited Cheng You to lecture the researchers.
It was mainly about the propagation of Mu Xi grass by cuttings; they were not as proficient as Cheng You.
Furthermore, they hadn’t managed to get much of the Mu Xi grass that Cheng You had submitted.
Director Hao thought about it and decided he had to rely on himself.
Cheng You’s willingness to come was largely thanks to Zhao Jisheng, who had spoken highly of her.
She agreed to give them only three lectures, two hours each, and she would be paid.
Director Hao readily agreed.
The first day after the New Year’s Day holiday was when Cheng You gave her first lecture.
Director Hao currently had five researchers under him, including Liu Ying.
Due to her previous mistake, she had been disciplined but not fired.
According to Director Hao, talented people were hard to come by, and cultivating someone who knew nothing to Liu Ying’s level was even more difficult.
If she were dismissed, several of the institute’s projects would have to be shelved, which would be counterproductive.
Cheng You had no comment. After all, her character might have flaws, but her abilities were decent; she could understand such a decision.
Unlike before, after a long separation, Liu Ying was exceptionally humble and silent in front of her.
Cheng You glanced at her. There were more gray hairs at her temples, and she looked much older.
She was still dressed plainly, her hair neatly tied back.
As Cheng You spoke, Liu Ying listened intently, took notes, and remained silent throughout.
After Cheng You finished, the other four researchers raised their questions and insights, engaging in a discussion.
Only Liu Ying remained silent.
Cheng You packed her things, preparing to leave.
She then asked, “Teacher Liu, do you have any other questions?”
Liu Ying’s lips trembled slightly, and she looked at Cheng You with surprise.
She squeezed the pen in her hand, her mind in turmoil.
After a while, she cleared her throat and posed a question.
Cheng You showed no impatience and provided a detailed explanation.
After resolving the last question of the day, Cheng You left with her belongings.
Director Hao had asked her to come to his office after the lecture, but she was pressed for time.
Hurrying along, she didn’t notice Liu Ying staring at her retreating figure, her gaze lingering for a long time.
Compared to Cheng You, she realized how despicable her own character was.
She had lived decades in vain, not as good as a girl in her twenties.