Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 142: Checkmated by Ginger
Huang Jiaojiao was stunned. To think the Four-Ingredient Soup could be the basis for so many other formulas. A new question popped into her head. "I’ve taken supplements before. Why didn’t they work?"
"That’s precisely the problem," Li Xu said. "For someone with a qi and blood deficiency as severe as yours, ordinary blood-enriching remedies are like a drop in the bucket. The Ten-Complete Great Replenishing Soup is a formula for ’greatly replenishing qi and blood,’ so it’s much more potent."
He continued to explain, "Your symptoms—a light and pale menstrual flow, dizziness, heart palpitations, and insomnia—are all signs of insufficient qi and blood. Working late, pulling all-nighters, and worrying too much have all been depleting your qi and blood."
Wang Ruiying suddenly cut in, "So the Four-Ingredient Soup was useless for her?"
"Not only was it useless, it might have actually made things worse," Li Xu said gravely. "People with both qi and blood deficiency also have weak spleens and stomachs. The Rehmannia Glutinosa in the Four-Ingredient Soup is rich and cloying. Her spleen and stomach can’t process it at all, which would lead to bloating and worsening dizziness."
Understanding dawned on Huang Jiaojiao. "So that’s why! A TCM doctor I saw before also prescribed Four-Ingredient Soup, and I felt exactly like that after taking it!"
Song Sisi had already packaged the herbs according to the prescription.
Li Xu checked it over and handed the bag to Huang Jiaojiao. "I’ve made some modifications for you. I removed the richer, more cloying Rehmannia Glutinosa from the original formula and replaced it with Fresh Rehmannia Glutinosa. I’ve also added amomum fruit to regulate qi and harmonize the stomach, preventing the tonic from overwhelming it. And I added Sour Jujube Seeds to help calm your spirit and improve your sleep."
He gave detailed instructions on how to decoct the medicine: "First, soak the herbs in cold water for half an hour. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then turn it down to low and simmer for forty minutes. One packet a day, taken in two doses—one in the morning and one at night."
Huang Jiaojiao took the packet of herbs, still a little uncertain. "Doctor Li, can it... really be cured? I’ve seen several doctors over the past six months, and they all..."
Li Xu smiled gently. "Don’t worry. When you treat the root cause, the effects will be obvious. Come back for a follow-up in three days, and I’ll adjust the formula based on your progress."
Wang Ruiying nodded emphatically from the side. "Jiaojiao, Doctor Li’s medicine is really amazing! I guarantee it!"
As they left the clinic, Huang Jiaojiao’s steps already seemed a little lighter.
Wang Ruiying supported her, feeling both guilty and relieved. ’Guilty that I almost harmed my colleague, and relieved that we finally found a doctor who truly knows what he’s doing.’
After seeing the two of them off, Ding Kaifang called.
"The Poria Cocos, Peony, and Atractylodes are all taken care of. I’ve already placed the order, and they’ll be shipped in a few days. Don’t worry, it’s all high-quality stuff. The only thing is the ginger..."
"What’s wrong with the ginger?"
"Ginger is planted in March and April. The early-maturing young ginger is being harvested now, and the later crop will be dug up next month. But all the high-quality stock is already under contract with other companies. The penalty for breaking the contracts is steep, so the farmers don’t dare to back out."
"What about last year’s crop?"
"The price of ginger is very high right now. Some middlemen are hoarding it for speculation and aren’t selling at all. I’m planning to ask around with my contacts and try to get a good batch."
"There’s actually no rush. We can just wait for the price of ginger to come down before we buy."
"Doctor Li, it’s not that simple. I’m sure you’ve heard of people speculating on garlic and ginger; they won’t sell for a while. The thing is, garlic has a short shelf life and requires specific storage conditions—it has to be kept in cold storage. This means the speculation cycle for garlic isn’t very long. Ginger is different. I have a friend who invested in and built a ginger washing plant.
After ginger is dug out of the ground, it still has its stalks, leaves, and a lot of dirt on it.
Usually, farmers will store the unwashed ginger in cellars. It can be kept like that for about a year. When it’s time to sell, they take it out, wash off the dirt, and load it onto trucks for shipping.
So, sometimes the price doesn’t come down for a whole year."
"I see..."
Li Xu didn’t know much about business speculation.
’Since Ding Kaifang said the price wouldn’t come down anytime soon, he must be right.’
...
「Ding Group, General Manager’s Office.」
Ding Kaifang hung up the phone and stared silently at the calendar on his desk.
’He believed in Li Xu’s skill. Once the True Martial Soup Pills are produced, they’ll absolutely be a huge seller.’
’He had the Aconite now, and the Poria Cocos, Peony, and Atractylodes were all on order.’
’All that was missing was the ginger.’
’The production schedule can’t be held up by ginger, can it?’p>
"Get the car ready. Take me to Beisheng Army Town."
Ding Kaifang decided to personally visit that friend of his to procure a batch of ginger.
Jun Tun Town, according to legend, was so named because Cao Cao had stationed his troops there during the late Han Dynasty.
Ginger farming originally had nothing to do with Jun Tun Town.
Ginger is native to the subtropical forest regions of Southeast Asia, India, and Malaysia. Dragon Country is also one of its places of origin.
Ginger requires a shady, humid, and warm environment to grow. The ideal temperature during its growing season is 22°C to 28°C. It is not cold-resistant; the above-ground parts will wither in a frost, and the underground rhizomes cannot tolerate temperatures of 0°C.
Ginger is also not heat-tolerant. If the temperature is too high or it receives direct sunlight, its growth will be stunted. Therefore, it should be shaded during the summer when cultivated.
It has strict requirements for soil moisture and is not drought-resistant. During a prolonged drought, the stems and leaves will wither, and the ginger rhizomes will not swell. However, excessive rainfall and poor field drainage can cause leggy growth and root rot.
For these reasons, the main ginger-producing regions in Dragon Country have historically been concentrated in the central-eastern, southeastern, and southwestern areas.
In the 1990s, Jun Tun Town began trial cultivation of ginger. A method called "flat-ground plastic film cultivation" proved successful, and the "southern ginger planted in the north" endeavor became a celebrated success story.
The farmers here began to plant ginger on a large scale, and Jun Tun was subsequently dubbed the "Ginger Capital of Jidong."
As Ding Kaifang’s car entered Jun Tun Town, the faint aroma of ginger filled the air.
On both sides of the road, vast fields of ginger shimmered emerald green under the sun. Farmers were bent over, hard at work in the fields, presenting a bustling scene.
"President Ding, Boss Cao’s ginger washing plant is just ahead," the driver said, pointing to a row of blue factory buildings in the distance.
Ding Kaifang nodded, his gaze sweeping over the mountain-like piles of ginger baskets by the roadside.
This freshly dug ginger was still covered in damp soil, with verdant stems and leaves, indicating its excellent quality.
The car had barely come to a stop when a burly, middle-aged man came out to greet them. "Old Ding! You were so mysterious on the phone. Now that you’re here, I have to give you a proper welcome."
"Jianzhu, long time no see." Ding Kaifang smiled and shook Cao Jianzhu’s hand. "I came this time to ask for a favor."
Cao Jianzhu laughed heartily. "Come on, let’s talk in the office!"
In the office, after hearing the reason for Ding Kaifang’s visit, Cao Jianzhu’s smile gradually faded.
He stroked the stubble on his chin, a difficult expression on his face. "Old Ding, it’s not that I don’t want to help you... I went in on hoarding this batch of ginger with a few partners. The price is changing by the day right now..."
Ding Kaifang had come prepared. "How about I pay twenty percent above market price?"
Cao Jianzhu shook his head, then stood up and pulled a report from a file cabinet. "Take a look at this. There was an outbreak of ginger disease in Southeast Asia this year, so export orders have tripled. On top of that, there’s been a lot of rain in the south, so the yield is expected to drop by twenty percent."
He pointed to a line graph. "Analysts predict the price of ginger will go up by at least another third in six months."
"But I can’t wait six months," Ding Kaifang frowned. "The new medicine’s production line is waiting on this batch of ginger."
Cao Jianzhu clapped his old friend on the shoulder. "If you needed to borrow money, I’d give it to you without a second thought. But this ginger... I really can’t touch it. My partners are counting on this batch to make a huge profit."
Ding Kaifang wasn’t ready to give up. "What if I offer fifty percent more?"
Cao Jianzhu gave a wry smile. "And what if the price goes up by seventy percent, or even doubles? Those old partners of mine would beat down my door."
He lowered his voice. "Yesterday, a buyer from the provincial government offered 1.8 times the price, and I didn’t even budge."
... 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
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