護花近衛 - 第415章 康家聯姻 - 翰墨軒

"It's not soon at all! You're already a doctoral student — plenty of people bring their children along when they go for a doctorate. At your age, your grandfather already had your second uncle!" Divine Doctor Kang waved a hand. "Zhaolong, you must understand that this is a marriage alliance between families, and it matters enormously to the Kang family's prestige in high society. These years we've made our name on the Golden Wound Medicine, but in the end we're still just a merchant family with a miracle prescription. People call me Divine Doctor Kang, but that's only out of respect — in truth, what kind of divine doctor am I? So if the Kang family is to take its place among the great houses, we must work on ourselves, yes, but we must also marry into other families!"

"Of course, those great families look down on us and disdain an alliance with us. But some families that have fallen on hard times are only too glad to do it! And however far they've fallen, they were once great clans, and they still have a certain standing and reputation. Once we join forces, the Kang family will advance another step!"

"I leave it entirely to you, Grandfather!" Kang Jinglong hesitated a moment, then nodded. If that was how it was, then this marriage would be the bond that carried the family to success, and he himself would be a man of merit; his standing in the Kang family would rise sharply. This was a good thing for him. So after only a brief hesitation he agreed: "Grandfather, which family is it?"

"The Xiao family of Yanjing!" said Divine Doctor Kang. "Old Master Xiao grew muddled in his later years and signed a few contracts that ruined him, losing most of the Xiao family's holdings. The Xiao brothers are at their wits' end. If they want to preserve the Xiao family's standing, an alliance by marriage is their only choice!"

There was one more thing Divine Doctor Kang did not say: the Kang family now wanted to take its place among the great houses, and the two families' wishes happened to fit together perfectly.

"All right, I have no objection." Kang Jinglong nodded in assent.

"Good. Since you agree, I've brought a photograph of the girl. Take a look. If it suits you, I'll send the betrothal gifts!" said Divine Doctor Kang. "Then we'll pick a date and hold an engagement ceremony first, to make the matter official, and our family's prestige will rise as well! The Xiao family may have no money now, but they still have all their old connections in the business world. Our Kang family's pharmaceutical group can use those connections to expand on a grand scale."

"Very well! I'll leave the arrangements to you, Grandfather!" Kang Jinglong nodded. Whether the girl was pretty no longer mattered; what mattered was that this alliance would secure his position in the Kang family. If she was plain, he would accept it; if she was pretty, he would count it a windfall.

"This is her photograph. If you're satisfied, go and meet her yourself first — you young people ought to get along," said Divine Doctor Kang, handing Kang Jinglong a photo. "She's an outsider by surname, but the girl's father is not to be underestimated either. He runs a pharmaceutical chain in Songshan City, and he'll be a useful arm for us."

Kang Jinglong was overjoyed to hear it. He hadn't expected the girl's family to be so well off. This would only add wings to his position in the Kang family! He took the photograph and glanced at it casually at first, but then his eyes could not move away.

The photograph had been taken casually, yet the girl's striking beauty and her clear, refined air seized Kang Jinglong at once! He had never imagined that his betrothed would be so beautiful. For a moment he was utterly dumbstruck.