Chapter 4022 — Honorary Vice President
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
This time, Wei Zhao had not only saved the Hong Clan Merchant Guild; more crucially, he had saved Hong Zhong himself. Otherwise, had Wei Zhao not stepped in, Hong Zhong would long since have become the scapegoat thrust forward by the higher-ups to take the blame.
"Manager Hong, you exaggerate. We have worked together in sincere cooperation for so long—helping you is helping myself. To speak of kindness or debt is far too distant a thing between us." Wei Zhao hastened to raise him up.
But Hong Zhong waved his hand and shook his head. "Cooperation is cooperation, and kindness is kindness. This old man can tell the two apart. This time, for a great kindness, no thanks are needed—but I shall engrave it on my heart."
Seeing Hong Zhong so set on it, Wei Zhao could only let him have his way, nodding. "Very well. In the days to come there will be much on which I must rely on Manager Hong. We have a long road ahead of us."
Hong Zhong chuckled and stroked his beard. "Easily said, easily said. Whatever Young Hero Lin commands, this old man will undertake without shirking fire or water. But this time, Young Hero Lin has shown kindness not only to me personally—it is a great kindness to the entire Hong Clan Merchant Guild, and I must see to it that the higher-ups make some gesture."
"That… ought not to be necessary, surely?" Wei Zhao felt some misgiving. If Hong Zhong truly said such a thing to the guild's higher-ups, would it not smack of trading on a favor to demand repayment? That seemed hardly proper.
Hong Zhong, old and shrewd, saw Wei Zhao's concern at once and laughed. "Have no worry, Young Hero Lin. Between us, in private, we speak of gratitude and righteousness, but merchants have always chased profit; theirs is ever the language of buy-and-sell cooperation, never of gratitude and righteousness. So this time you must likewise treat it as a transaction. You resolved so great a crisis for the Hong Clan Merchant Guild—to ask for a return is only right and proper, and no one can fault you for it. Let time pass and the chance is wasted, so you had best think carefully about what return to ask."
This reasoning was not hard to grasp. Between Wei Zhao and Hong Zhong, gratitude and righteousness might hold; but the Hong Clan Merchant Guild itself might not care a whit for such things. By both sentiment and principle, Wei Zhao still had to secure concrete benefits as quickly as possible.
For the moment, however, Wei Zhao could not think of any benefit, and so asked for counsel: "As to what return specifically, Manager Hong, would you be so good as to decide for me?"
"In this old man's view, there are but two kinds. One is to ask directly for spirit jades. Given Young Hero Lin's merit this time, not only should all the proceeds of the auction go to you, but to demand a reward of several hundred thousand spirit jades besides would not be excessive. This is a solid, tangible benefit—simple and substantial. Does Young Hero Lin lean toward it?" Hong Zhong probed.
"And the second?" Wei Zhao asked in turn. A reward of several hundred thousand spirit jades was indeed tempting, but for Wei Zhao, so long as he had the Divine Farmer's Cauldron and could refine pills, he could earn any amount of spirit jades in the days to come, and so its appeal was not so very great.
"As for the second, it sounds rather insubstantial at first hearing: seize the chance to secure a post within the Hong Clan Merchant Guild. But after all, Young Hero Lin, you are an outsider—no matter how great your merit this time, they could not give you a position of real power. At most it would be a nominal title, an empty honor. For instance, this time you might contrive to obtain the title of Honorary Vice President." Hong Zhong smiled with a look of profundity.
"Honorary Vice President? Is that not a bit much?" Wei Zhao's eyelid twitched.