護花近衛 - 第375章 丟人了！ - 清風書屋

But real or fake, it was his son's gift, and even if it was a counterfeit, he could not let that show in front of outsiders. Whatever the problem was, the family would shut the door and discuss it among themselves.

Now that Wei Zhao, an outsider, had spoken it out loud, Divine Doctor Kang felt he had lost face on the spot.

"Boy, why do you say this ginseng is fake?" Divine Doctor Kang's voice carried a note of anger, yet he kept it measured, not losing the bearing of an elder. "If you are merely running off at the mouth, then apologize, and I will pretend I never heard it. But if you will not apologize, then I am sorry — you are not welcome here."

Divine Doctor Kang's words were reasoned and well-grounded; no one could find fault with them. On the contrary, they made him seem generous and magnanimous. Wei Zhao had embarrassed them so publicly, and yet Divine Doctor Kang asked only for an apology and let the matter drop.

Wei Zhao had not expected such a strong reaction, not even from that old man Divine Doctor Kang jumping out at him. It seemed that if he did not say a few words now, it would only drag Kang ** down with him.

Wei Zhao could only stand and explain, a little helplessly, "A wild mountain ginseng has a long rhizome head, and its stem scars are closely packed. The body of the root is about as long as the rhizome, shaped like a human figure, and lies crosswise — rather short. The horizontal rings on the main root are fine and distinct, darker in color; the skin is fine yet tough, and the pearl nodules are many, plain, and easy to see.

Cultivated ginseng, by contrast, is called garden ginseng. Its rhizome head is short, its stem scars few, its body cylindrical and split like the character for 'eight,' lying lengthwise and rather long. The horizontal rings on the main root are sparse and discontinuous, the skin coarse and brittle, and the pearl nodules indistinct.

As for whether this particular root is real or fake, I imagine there must be connoisseurs of such things among those present. Divine Doctor Kang does not know — surely there is someone here who knows how to tell them apart?"

Wei Zhao's words cut deep. They were plainly mocking Divine Doctor Kang for not knowing; if a man could not even tell real ginseng from fake, how could he still call himself a divine doctor?

Divine Doctor Kang's expression shifted. He had not expected Wei Zhao to lay it all out so methodically. He had assumed the boy was simply talking nonsense, that a word from him would offer Wei Zhao a way down and the matter would pass. But now Divine Doctor Kang found himself in a bind, unable to advance or retreat.

"Nonsense!" Kang Jingming leapt up again. "Grandfather, don't listen to this creature's nonsense! He was brought here by Kang ** to make trouble on purpose! Let us put the ginseng away first and pay him no more mind!"

Kang Jingming's words, plainly spoken, would only make people think his conscience was guilty. If the ginseng were not fake, then it should be brought out for the experts present to examine — what did hurrying to put it away mean?

Kang Jingming's conscience was indeed guilty. He and his father, Kang Cuipu, had bought this ginseng together — could he not know whether it was real? It had been bought from a cultivated ginseng farm and had cost only a few thousand yuan in all. How could it possibly be a thousand-year ginseng?

But Kang Cuipu and Kang Jingming both knew full well that the old man could not tell real ginseng from fake, and that Kang Cuipu's elder brother, Kang Guifeng, could not either. Even if Kang Guifeng suspected it was fake, he would never shame the family in front of outsiders.

Besides, Kang Cuipu took only dividends from the company and never vied for power, which left Kang Guifeng with no grudge against him. The two brothers remained on good terms, and Kang Guifeng often cleaned up after the messes Kang Cuipu made.