Chapter 19: Master An's Collection of Books Comfortable! When Qiu Zhen saw Manager Kang's incredulous look, he felt as comfortable as if he had drunk ice water in the hottest days of summer. Having awakened his primordial spirit and Dharma body, he was not desperate for this good thing. As long as he practiced martial arts to the right level and became a martial artist, he would be able to attract the attention of the upper echelons of Medicine King Valley without having to scheme for anything. But if Manager Kang deliberately suppresses it, that’s another matter. By this point, he had already figured out what was going on. Among the four apprentices, there was one who was not a "relative". Manager Kang gave the place to Qian Youcai, who had decent roasting skills, was honest and kind, and did not like to compete with others, but did not give it to him, who was recognized as the best roaster. He could understand Manager Kang's thoughts. He simply wanted to make it impossible for him to turn over a new leaf and make him work like a slave under Manager Kang for the rest of his life, working diligently and without complaint. The selfishness and viciousness of his mind are obvious.
Qiu Zhen secretly sighed, his heart was filled with ripples, but compared to the entire Qingmu Pharmacy, this was just a small episode and insignificant. Soon, Shopkeeper Liu, smiling, invited Pharmacist An and his party to the main hall in the backyard and entertained them warmly. Manager Kang stayed and did not participate in the banquet. He looked gloomy and expressionless, but when he walked in front of Qiu Zhen, his expression changed slightly and he showed a very forced smile: "Qiu Zhen, do you know Deacon An?" Deacon An? Qiu Zhen's heart was slightly moved. The "Deacon An" mentioned by Manager Kang was obviously not Pharmacist An, but the middle-aged man who bought medicinal materials from him in the morning. The other party was obviously the housekeeper or servant of "Pharmacist An", and was also one of the "deacons" in Yaowang Valley. Yaowang Valley is divided into apprentices, disciples, deacons, helmsmen, hall masters, and elders. The division of status is very conventional, similar to many gangs and sects in the martial arts world. The deacon belongs to the middle level of the sect. If he is sent out, he will be the owner of a local medicine shop, at the same level as Manager Liu. No wonder Shopkeeper Liu was so respectful to Pharmacist An, even to the point of being humble. Qiu Zhen was surprised, but he quickly guessed the intention of Manager Kang coming to answer the question. Want to find out his bottom line. "We met by chance." Qiu Zhen sneered in his heart and added: "Deacon An really recognized my roasting skills, showed me great favor and appreciation." He was telling the truth. Deacon An was willing to spend eight hundred coins to buy the medicinal materials worth six or seven hundred coins. That naturally meant he recognized his cooking skills. However, he exaggerated the words and added "favor and appreciation", giving people unlimited room for imagination. as predicted. Manager Kang was a little unsure when he heard this. He smiled awkwardly and said nothing more. He shouted at the apprentices who were watching: "Go to work quickly!" After scolding all the apprentices, Manager Kang led Qiu Zhen, Kang Yaoming and others to pack up and arrange the subsequent handover matters. It's noon.
Deacon An, who had just attended the banquet, came over to lead the people out of Qingmu Medicine Shop and settled them in a two-courtyard house in the east of the city. "My last name is An and my given name is Kang. You can call me Deacon An or Steward An. It doesn't matter." Ankang smiled kindly and was quite friendly. He said to the five people: "I'll borrow you from the pharmacy to work for my young master. We won't treat you unfairly. Your monthly salary will be paid by our An family, and each of you will get 50%!" "Thank you, Deacon An!" Hearing this, Qian Youcai was overjoyed and very excited. Liu Chun, Kang Yaoming and Li Kui looked much calmer. It was obvious that the three of them, who had connections, were not here just to make money. There was no ripple in Qiu Zhen's heart. His monthly salary was 1,200 wen, which would increase by 50%, to 1,800 wen, close to two strings of silver per month. In Qingmu Town, it was definitely a high salary, but the "magic herbs and precious medicines" he was currently craving would cost dozens or even hundreds of taels of silver. This little money is just a drop in the bucket. You can’t get rich by working. "Hmm~" Seeing everyone bowing, Ankang nodded slightly and then said: "We have temporarily settled in Qingmu, and we don't have a pharmacy for the time being. You can work in this yard. There is not much to do on weekdays. If there are herbs that need to be prepared, you can work. If there are no other things, you can rest." After saying that, Ankang pointed in the direction of the study in the courtyard and said: "There are some of my son's collection of books in the study. Keep them there for the next few days. No open flames are allowed around them. If there is a fire, don't worry about the herbs. Save the books first." Ankang thought for a moment and added: "If you want to read the books, you can go into the library, but you must cherish them and not damage them." "Yes!" Everyone nodded in agreement. Ankang acted decisively and after giving some instructions, he dismissed everyone except Qiu Zhen. "Brother Qiu, you and I are destined to be together." Qiu Zhen recalled the scene where the herbalists praised him as the "Master of Medicine Valley Roasting" in front of Ankang, and felt a little embarrassed: "Manager An, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you." "They are right in praising you. You are indeed very good." Ankang's eyes showed admiration. After he gave his instructions just now, those apprentices still called him "Deacon An". In fact, he didn't care about his title in Yaowang Valley. Being the steward of the An family was his main job and the identity he was most proud of. Being able to understand what people say is also a kind of knowledge. It's much easier to talk to this kind of person. "I'm very curious about your cooking method." After Ankang finished speaking, he thought of something and added: "If it's presumptuous, forget it. Just pretend I didn't mention it. You don't have to have any thoughts or burdens." In fact, with his processing skills, he can also prepare stir-fried Atractylodes macrocephala slices with extremely low warm and dryness, such as adding some other auxiliary ingredients, but the cost will be higher and not worth it. Qiu Zhen concocted it and sold it for money. It was obvious that his method was extremely clever and cost very little. It might be someone's unique skill to make money. Not saying it is understandable.
"You're welcome." Qiu Zhen smiled, and felt even more favorable towards Ankang. In the pharmacy, he saw that Pharmacist An was a little impatient at first and was unwilling to ask for another "apprentice". He didn't want to waste time on such a trivial matter. It was only after Manager An said something that he agreed. It is not difficult to guess that his "traditional cooking method" may be the reason. He had previously lamented that his efforts in studying and researching the art of roasting and roasting had been of no use for a long time. Who knows that all the hard work in the past will come in handy at some point in time. In fact, Qiu Zhen did not keep his cooking skills to himself. In the past, when Skinny Shen Liang and Big-Headed Zhao Dou asked him for advice, he told them everything he knew. It’s just that they find it troublesome and are unwilling to strive for perfection. "Manager An, I came up with my own idea. The soil used for earth frying is the hearth soil. It has been calcined in fierce fire for a long time and is much better than the old wall soil and the east wall soil of Xiangyang. It is also easier to obtain." "I see!" Ankang is also an expert in cooking. As soon as he heard it, he immediately understood the beauty of it and understood it at once: "Great! What a clever idea." After some praise, Ankang and Qiu Zhen discussed and exchanged ideas on the art of roasting and roasting, and then left in a hurry, looking eager to try. After Ankang left, only five apprentices were left in the yard. The courtyard was quite large, with six rooms in the east and west wings. There was no need for the five of them to fight over them, and each of them found a room to put their things. Afterwards, a group of apprentices gathered in the courtyard, staring at each other. Ankang didn't assign them any work today, so they had nothing to do and were very relaxed. Kang Yaoming couldn't help but sigh: "Pharmacist An doesn't live here, and even Steward An doesn't live here either. There are only five of us. Normally, small matters like the transportation of medicinal materials are probably handled by the servants of the An Mansion. It's bad, it's bad, it's terrible." Liu Chun also sighed: "Who said it wasn't? I really came here to work and earn money." "What can I do?" Li Kui didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Fortunately, the salary is a little higher." Qian Youcai looked confused: "Ah~Aren't we here to work and earn money?" "Haha~" Qiu Zhen secretly found it funny when he saw the four people talking. He could guess what Kang, Liu and Li were thinking. They were just hoping to meet a noble person and get some good fortune. It’s a pity that Pharmacist An’s rank is too high, and they are just a group of apprentices in the drugstore, mediocre. There is nothing worthy of Pharmacist An’s attention. They are simply people from two different worlds. Even Shopkeeper Liu might not be able to do that. If he was not the head of Qingmu Pharmacy and the local leader of Yaowang Valley, if he were somewhere else, he probably would not be able to invite Pharmacist An to the banquet. Qiu Zhen originally had the same idea in this regard, but his thoughts were not as strong and persistent as those of the three of them, and he did not feel disappointed.
On the contrary, he was in a pretty good mood right now. Immediately, he looked towards the study in the courtyard. The Book Collection of Pharmacist An “Good benefits!” Qiu Zhen was delighted. His family had temporarily settled in Qingmu Town. He had a lot of luggage and was overwhelmed with things to do, so some of his books were temporarily placed in this yard. In a few days, the opportunity will be gone. What he lacks most at the moment is knowledge. Any knowledge is useful to him. Master An’s collection of books is a treasure to him. (End of this chapter)
