Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 152: Can’t There Be a Little More Trust Between People?
"Dr. Li, please just sell me one."
Yang Qing pestered him relentlessly, refusing to leave. "I’m buying it for my little brother. He’s a soldier in North Bay, which is infamous as the ’Mosquito Kingdom’..."
"Being a soldier there is pure suffering. The last time he came back, his face, neck, arms, and legs were all covered in dark marks from mosquito bites..."
"Now, in this 40-degree heat, he and his comrades still have to wear heavy cotton uniforms when they go out. The moment they move even a little, thousands of mosquitoes swarm around them..."
Yang Qing explained in a rambling voice.
Li Xu was silent.
He had seen news reports about North Bay—a place described as "three mosquitoes make a dish." Even the military dogs there had to wear special protective suits.
Song Sisi, being the sensitive type, felt her heart soften as she listened.
"Dr. Li..."
Before Yang Qing could say anything more, Li Xu turned and walked to the medicine cabinet.
From inside, he took out two premium Mugwort Bags.
"I’ll sell you two."
"Thank you so much."
Yang Qing’s eyes lit up. "How much are they?"
"Five hundred for one, a thousand for two."
It was more expensive than most mosquito repellents on the market.
Yang Qing was just an ordinary office worker,
so the price stung a little.
But she still pulled out her phone without hesitation. "I’ll transfer the money!"
After she paid,
Li Xu handed the Mugwort Bags to Yang Qing and instructed, "Remember, keep them close to your body and don’t let them get wet."
Cradling the brocade bags to her chest as if they were priceless treasures, Yang Qing nodded repeatedly.
Back home, Yang Qing immediately began her experiment.
She deliberately opened her balcony window in the evening—usually, at this time, mosquitoes would have already swarmed in.
But today, she sat by the open window with the brocade bag by her side for a full hour, and not a single mosquito dared to come near.
"It really works..." she murmured to herself, her eyes shining as brightly as the full moon.
The next evening, she received a call from her brother, Yang Tian.
This was their scheduled call time—due to military regulations, they were only allowed to use their phones once a week at this specific time.
"Sis, how have you been?"
Yang Tian’s voice came through the static, and in the background, she could hear the continuous sound of slapping and his comrades cursing. She didn’t need to guess to know they were swatting mosquitoes.
"I’m doing great. What about you?"
"Same old, same old. Training, patrolling, and fending off mosquitoes."
After some simple pleasantries,
Yang Qing said excitedly, "I got you a special Mugwort Bag! It works incredibly well. I already mailed it to you today, so you should get it in a few days!"
The other end of the line went silent for a few seconds.
"Sis, you didn’t have to," Yang Tian’s voice was tinged with exhaustion. "We’ve tried everything the army issues—repellent wristbands, patches, peppermint oil, mosquito coils—nothing works here. The best protection is still wearing a protective hood..."
"This one is different!" Yang Qing stomped her foot in frustration. "You’ll know once you try it!"
Another moment of silence, then someone in the background shouted, "Squad Leader! The new electric swatter is broken again!"
"...Alright," Yang Tian finally relented. "Go ahead and send it. But don’t get your hopes up. The mosquitoes here..."
He suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. "There are so damn many! One just bit my neck again!"
After hanging up,
Yang Qing felt a little uncertain herself.
’With so many mosquitoes in North Bay,’
’will it really work?’
...
"Doctor Li, I heard you made some more of those premium Mugwort Bags. How are they working out?" Ding Kaifang called to ask.
"The effect is quite good."
"Can they be mass-produced for sale?"
"No, because I used rosewood."
"Ah..."
Ding Kaifang instantly understood how precious the premium Mugwort Bags were.
A few months ago,
when his mother was sick, Li Xu had used rosewood.
He understood better than anyone the value of Eight Hundred-Year-Old Purple Sandalwood Core Material.
He immediately dropped the idea and brought up the matter of the ginger.
After plummeting for several days,
the price of ginger had dropped from 9.8 yuan to 3.7 yuan.
"Doctor Li, the downward trend has slowed. I estimate that even if we wait a while longer, the price won’t drop much more. Should we buy now?"
Li Xu considered it. The market had pretty much bottomed out. Waiting another month or two might only save them a few dimes.
’And delaying the production of the True Martial Pills for that,’
’is simply not worth it.’
"Alright."
Li Xu agreed.
Ding Kaifang’s tone became cheerful. "I’ll call Dong Haitao right now. We’ve left them hanging for so many days, it’s time to give them a firm answer."
In the general manager’s office at Chuanlong Pharmaceutical, Dong Haitao was staring at his computer screen with a worried frown.
The cliff-like downward curve on the ginger price chart made his temples throb.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Seeing the name "Ding Kaifang" on the caller ID, he snatched up his phone.
"President Ding!" Dong Haitao answered, his voice filled with unconcealed delight. "Have you come to a decision?"
On the other end of the line, Ding Kaifang’s voice was unhurried. "President Dong, I’ll bring Doctor Li over to inspect the goods tomorrow morning. If the quality is up to standard, we’ll close the deal at market price."
"No problem! Absolutely no problem!" Dong Haitao said excitedly. "I’ll have my people prepare everything right away. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!"
After hanging up, Dong Haitao immediately pressed the intercom button. "Manager Liu! Get to my office now! Hurry!"
When Liu Bohong trotted in, Dong Haitao was pacing back and forth in his office, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out by relief. "Quick! Tidy up the warehouse. Ding Kaifang is coming to inspect the goods tomorrow!"
"What about... that Guangxi ginger..." Liu Bohong asked quietly, seeking instructions.
Dong Haitao thought for a moment. "Mix some of it in. Just make sure no one finds out."
"No problem."
Liu Bohong guaranteed, "There’s no way they’ll be able to tell."
As it turned out,
when they had bought the ginger, they’d purchased Small Yellow Ginger.
But after it was delivered, they discovered that a large amount of Guangxi ginger had been mixed in.
When they confronted the supplier, the other party refused to admit it.
They had no choice but to swallow the loss.
However,
Dong Haitao decided to pass the loss on to the next buyer.
...
[Today’s Intel: Dong Haitao of Chuanlong Pharmaceutical has mixed 15% Guangxi ginger into the Yunnan Small Yellow Ginger, some of which is moldy, to recoup recent losses. The adulterated ginger crates are marked "YX-7," "YX-9," "YX-22," and "YX-31" through "YX-33."]
Li Xu was rendered speechless after reading the intel.
’Can’t people have a little more trust in each other?’
’The ginger market is in such a bad state. Chuanlong Pharmaceutical finally found a buyer after so much trouble; you’d think they would do their utmost to be responsible. But no, they just had to go and adulterate the goods. They’re probably treating this as a one-off deal, just focused on getting the money first. If the substandard ginger is discovered later and they get confronted, they’ll absolutely deny everything.’
’Thankfully, I have the system.’
Li Xu freshened up and had breakfast.
He told Song Sisi to stay at the clinic,
then he met up with Ding Kaifang.
At nine o’clock, the two of them arrived at Chuanlong Pharmaceutical Company.
Dong Haitao was already waiting at the entrance with Liu Bohong, his face plastered with an eager smile.
"President Ding! Doctor Li! Welcome, welcome!"
Dong Haitao hurried forward to greet them, enthusiastically shaking both of their hands. "The warehouse is all ready. We’re just waiting for you two to inspect the goods."
Ding Kaifang was in a good mood. "You’re too kind, President Dong. If this collaboration goes smoothly, we can establish a long-term partnership."
"That’s wonderful," Dong Haitao said happily. "It would be an honor for Chuanlong Pharmaceutical to have a long-term partnership with Ding’s Pharmaceutical."
