Chapter Fifty-One: The Manager's Secret

  Zhao Fei looked at Zhang Bao with a puzzled expression, thought for a moment, but didn't understand anything. Then he suddenly asked: "But I don't understand, boss, why would you tell me such a big secret? Aren't you afraid that I'll leak it out?" Zhao Fei stared at Zhang Bao, trying to see something in his face, but Zhang Bao still had a smiling expression. Zhao Fei could only give up helplessly.

  "Hehe, I've been a shopkeeper for so many years, although I don't dare say that I've seen countless people, but I still have some confidence in judging people. I think you're not that kind of person." Zhang Ba stared at Zhao Fei, with an unusual glint in his eyes and a very confident expression. A self-assured smile spread across his face.

  "Oh? Shopkeeper, you're really that confident?" Zhao Fei sneered at Zhang Bao. Seeing Zhao Fei's sneer, Zhang Bao could no longer maintain his confident demeanor. This kid was cunning and seemed to know something bad was brewing. Sometimes Zhang Bao couldn't even read Zhao Fei, who would sometimes act mature like an adult, but other times behave like a child. It was as if two extreme personalities existed in one person, which was puzzling.

  "This matter also has a hidden aspect, actually I didn't want to but...". Zhang Bao trailed off, then looked at Zhao Fei very seriously. Seeing Zhang Bao's expression, Zhao Fei also put away his playful smile and looked at Zhang Bao solemnly, waiting for him to reveal the answer.

  Zhang Bao walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. Then he stopped, turned around and looked at Zhao Fei. Zhang Bao had lost his usual smiling face, replaced by a look of despair and worry.

  Seeing Zhang Bao's appearance, Zhao Fei was shocked. He hastily asked: "Boss, what's wrong with you? Why do you have such an expression?"

  "Hey, Xiao Fei, don't worry, I'm fine." Zhang Bao waved his hand to signal Zhao Fei not to rush. "Actually, it's like this. Do you know that there are three unfilial acts, and having no descendants is the worst?"

  Listening to Zhang Bao's words, Zhao Fei nodded slightly.

  "I'm that unfilial son." Zhang Bao said this sentence with obvious excitement, almost shouting it out.

  Although Zhao Fei didn't quite understand Zhang Bao's feelings, from his behavior it could be seen that this matter was like a nightmare to Zhang Bao, something that would never go away.

  "I'm not afraid to say it out loud, Uncle is at an age where he should have had children, but until now, there's no sign of any offspring. I've thought of countless methods and seen many famous doctors, even drank the symbolic water that I didn't believe in before. But still, nothing has happened. With no other choice, I can only adopt a child from my wife's relatives to inherit this winery and make it prosperous. However, you also saw how that kid behaves. How can I bear to hand over the winery to him after I'm gone?"

  Listening to Zhang Bao's words, Zhao Fei nodded repeatedly. Indeed, that kid was deceitful and afraid of conflict, and he also liked to take advantage of small benefits, making him absolutely unsuitable for important tasks. Handing the winery over to such a person would be absolutely self-destructive.

  "Even you can see that he's not capable, how could I bear to hand over the winery to him? So all these years, I've been searching for a child who is capable, kind-hearted and clever. Hoping to pass on the winery."

  Upon hearing this, Zhao Fei suddenly interjected: "Boss, since this isn't your own family's business, why are you acting like this for Zhang's sake? Doesn't Zhang have suitable personnel?"

  Zhang Bao rushed to Zhao Fei with a bitter smile, "I knew you'd ask that. You should know that although this Zhang's winery isn't mine, I've been the manager for half my life, putting my heart and soul into it. This feeling is even more intimate than family. How can I bear to watch it fall into someone else's hands? The once-mighty Zhang's has become a withered tree on the verge of collapse. There are no other descendants, only one daughter from the main line."

  "What you're getting at, shopkeeper..." Zhao Fei said with a guess.

  "That's right, I'm cultivating you and want you to take over the winery." Zhang Bao said to Zhao Fei.

  "Why me? You've known me for just two days, shopkeeper." Zhao Fei asked again.

  "Although I've only known you for two days, through my observation of you, I think you're a good candidate. First, you're smart, and from these two days of observation, I can see that you're very intelligent and have a maturity that doesn't match your age. Secondly, you know how to do business, although the methods and means are a bit immature, but at this stage, you're the best I've seen among people of the same age. Lastly, you're honest, and you don't have too much ambition, you tend towards being ordinary, and you don't like things that cause trouble." A glint of sharpness appeared in Zhang Bo's eyes.

  Zhao Fei was extremely surprised to hear these words. He didn't expect himself to be seen so highly in Zhang Bao's eyes. Even Zhao Fei himself doubted, "Could it be that I'm really that good?"

  After hearing Zhang Bao's words, Zhao Fei couldn't help but mock himself: "I didn't expect to be so important in your eyes as the shopkeeper."

  Judging from Zhao Fei's tone, Zhang Bao comforted him: "Little Fly doesn't need to be self-deprecating, your potential is impeccable, but there are also shortcomings. Although you're very clever, you lack the ability to communicate with others. If you were to engage in a battle of wits with someone else, with your current language skills, you would definitely be at a disadvantage."

  As for this, Zhao Fei did not deny it. In his past life, he was a homebody and basically didn't know how to interact with outsiders. This life was even more so, making him even less likely to have opportunities to interact with others. Over time, he had developed the habit of being poor at communicating with relatively unfamiliar people.

  "Moreover, you're not resolute in your heart. When doing things, you're hesitant and lack decisiveness, so it's easy for others to grasp your weaknesses and deliver a fatal blow." Zhang Bao paused for a moment, possibly feeling tired from standing, and sat down on the bed, continuing to speak to Zhao Fei: "Furthermore, what's most important is that you're too soft-hearted. Having a kind heart is not bad, but it can't be used in doing business. You must know that doing business is like going to war. If you're soft-hearted towards your enemies, then you're irresponsible towards your own soldiers. Similarly, if you're soft-hearted towards your opponents, then you're irresponsible towards your own store and the people working under you." Zhang Bao finished speaking, looking at Zhao Fei with a profound gaze, his eyes filled with hope for him.

  Zhao Fei nodded his head. He was very surprised, never expecting that someone at the end of the Han Dynasty would already understand that the marketplace is like a battlefield.

  "So I hope you can learn business with me." After saying this, Zhang Bao couldn't help but feel a little nervous. In ancient times, the status of merchants was very low and belonged to the lowest class of common people. He didn't know how Zhao Fei would respond to him.

  "This...” Zhao Fei pretended to think for a while, he wasn't looking down on merchants. He was thinking about Zhang Bao's words just now. If he agreed with Zhang Bao, then from now on, he would be a high-ranking employee directly under the Zhang family. But having to take responsibility for the entire winery made Zhao Fei feel quite a headache. He didn't want to be too busy or use his brain too much.

  Seeing Zhao Fei hesitating, Zhang Bao became somewhat anxious. He hastily said to Zhao Fei: "Xiao Fei, don't look down on merchants, actually being a merchant has its advantages too. Moreover, you can also use the mighty Zhang family tree to develop your own career, which will be very helpful for you."

  Zhang Bao's words suddenly enlightened Zhao Fei. "Right, how could I have forgotten? This way, once my own career can support itself, I'll be able to leave the Zhang family."

  Zhao Fei thought for a while, then nodded and agreed: "Okay boss, I think from now on I'll follow you to learn how to do business." Zhao Fei had no idea just how much this decision would affect him in the future.

  Seeing Zhao Fei agree, Zhang Bao was very excited. "Haha, you agreed, that's all that matters." Zhang Bao laughed loudly.

  "But shopkeeper, I'm willing to learn from you, but I don't guarantee how much I can learn. Just don't be disappointed later." Zhao Fei said helplessly.

  "Just call me Uncle from now on. As long as you're willing to learn, I'll teach you carefully." With Zhao Fei's consent, Zhang Bao couldn't care about anything else anymore, as long as Zhao Fei agreed it was fine.

  When Zhao Fei saw Zhang Bao like this, he suddenly had an idea in his mind. As he thought about it, he couldn't help but smile slyly.

  Seeing Zhao Fei's smile, Zhang Bao finally sobered up and was a little scared. With a vigilant face, he looked at Zhao Fei and couldn't help but think to himself: "This kid is cunning to the extreme, looking at his appearance now, it's probably not possible to let him off without shedding some blood."

  Today I went online and found that there were many more flower collections. Xiaopang was very happy. Today, three updates 0.0...