Merchant and doctor

Chapter 1948 A Quite Interesting Phone Call
The "sharp-faced" man remained remarkably calm, which surprised Bian Mu.

"Uncle Kui already guessed it?! Cough! Look at my brain, his old teacher is so amazing, this little thing is no problem for him." Bian Mu suddenly realized.

"You're amazing! Uncle Kui said he and Uncle Liang spent a long time figuring it out before they finally figured it out... You just smelled the medicine and you could tell the problem. The two seniors said that there's a master behind those people, and they're definitely not ordinary people. Based on Uncle Kui's understanding of Lei Xueming and the others, they shouldn't be that experienced. There's a master behind that small team. This is a disguised test for us!" "Striped Face" said with a smile.

“I knew it! They’re just too clever for their own good. The actual medicinal effects of dodder are much deeper and broader than described in the pharmacopoeia. Some of the new discoveries are only in the last five or six years. When these newly discovered medicinal properties are combined with alfalfa and some additives, they can produce effects similar to hormones. They’re just taking advantage of us country bumpkins! They don’t know anything, haha…” Bian Mu explained with a smile.

"They're really good at making things complicated! We would have given up long ago! Does this mean their real high-quality counterfeit drugs are well hidden?!"

"Pretty much! Anyway, even an expert like Uncle Kui can't get it easily. After all, this is the era of the rule of law. Those old tricks can't be used on them anymore. They know it all too well. But... they underestimate us too much. If we work backwards from the dodder's line of thought, their most authentic formula and specific production process wouldn't exceed 110. If we use our mathematical model to check them one by one, the answer will be clear. If that's the case... this is quite interesting. I'll figure it out later and you can give the results to Uncle Kui and the others."

Upon hearing this, "Striped Face" suddenly laughed.

"What?! Uncle Kui and Uncle Liang have already finished?! That's too fast!" Bian Mu exclaimed in surprise.

"No, but... they guessed you'd say that, hehe..."

"Hahaha...I see! You guys have been working hard lately. This kind of thing is actually quite fun, a battle of wits! A pure intellectual contest. By the way, I'm really curious about the original drug they're developing. Let's think about it and come up with a way to get our hands on it!"

"Great! They said they've never failed to get anything done if you put your mind to it, so it's definitely going to work!"

"Hey! You can't say that. There's always someone better than you! When doing something like this, it's best to think of ourselves as a bit stupid to be on the safe side!" Bian Mu retorted with a smile.

"That's right, that's right! The mysteries here are too profound for people like us to understand. Just give me your instructions, and I can only help you out."

"These things depend on luck. We'll talk about them when we're free. We're too busy with so many important things to do!" As he spoke, he finished eating the dumplings.

It tastes like home cooking, much better than what you get in restaurants.

Afterwards, the two discussed the details of taking over the health center again. Bian Mu packed up the lunch boxes and, while taking out the trash, saw "Knife-faced" off.

……

As evening falls, it's finally time to wrap up and rest after a busy day.

A light rain began to fall, and since it was already autumn, the temperature had dropped somewhat. Bian Mu was thinking of having a hot pot buffet and was about to call Dr. Gong and Luo Zhanqi when Nurse Ye rushed over.

"I just received a call from a customer service representative, a middle-aged man who claimed to be the secretary-general of some medical association. He wanted to schedule a meeting with you. What should I say?" Nurse Ye asked with a smile.

"Judging from what he says... is he reliable?" Bian Mu asked with a smile.

"It's alright... He has a refined manner, and his Mandarin is very standard, like someone in the industry."

"The call came from a landline?"

"Yes! I checked, it's indeed a formally registered public number. They probably wanted to gain our trust, so they specifically used the office landline to call." "That's quite thoughtful! Was the receiver still on?"

"No! It's lying there! Are you planning to answer it?"

"There's no harm in listening, let's see what he really means," Bian Mu replied with a smile.

"It's best not to meet them casually."

"Okay! I'll listen to you!" Bian Mu said, following behind Nurse Ye, and went to answer the call.

"I'm so sorry to bother you in your busy schedule! I know you're usually very busy, and we really had no other choice but to resort to this tactic. We invited Boss Bian out for a chat, and maybe he can point out a way for us to make a living..." Wow! The other party was quite frank.

"Sorry! I didn't understand... What do you mean?" Bian Mu asked with a smile on the other end of the phone.

"Sigh! I was in a hurry and didn't explain clearly. Here's the thing: although we are a properly registered and formal association, we're not a high-level one. We're more like a Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Association. I'm quite honest, so they recommended me to be the secretary-general or something. Actually, the address is my sister-in-law's house. She used to run a medical aesthetics business, but it didn't do well and she lost money! The house belongs to her father-in-law, and it's been sitting there unrented. We were temporarily lent it to her for a while. Actually... it's just a makeshift group. We usually get together here when we have free time to discuss prescriptions, medical plans, and so on. If we encounter some difficulties at home, we also get together to think of solutions. It's basically a small community for mutual help among the disadvantaged. All the members are TCM doctors, more than half of whom run private clinics, and a few are doctors from public hospitals. Do you understand now?"

Bian Mu felt that the so-called secretary-general on the other end of the phone was a bit long-winded.

"It's alright! After all this talk, what exactly did you want to solve by making this call? Please get to the point!"

"Your clinic is so large that it attracts all the high-quality patients. We can only treat minor ailments like headaches and colds, and offer massage and other treatments on the side. Most of our patients are working-class. Before, we could barely make ends meet, but then... your clinic became so popular that things started to get tough for us... Mr. Bian, please don't misunderstand. We absolutely have no intention of 'punishing' you. There's no such logic in the world. They recommended that I speak to you so they could meet with you. If you have any constructive suggestions for improvement, we'd at least beg for a way to survive... Sigh! We have elderly parents and young children to support, the pressure is immense..."

"What's your surname?" Bian Mu asked casually on the other end of the phone.

"No need for formalities! My surname is Shi! Shi as in 'measures'!"

"Dr. Shi also opened a clinic?"

"Sigh! My company isn't doing too well, so I was thinking of finding a better way out for my family. I quit my job and started my own business, and it's been over ten years now. Sigh! I'm not very capable, but I can barely make ends meet."

"Dr. Shi is too modest! May I ask if you can tell me the truth?"

"Boss Bian, please speak! Lying is inhuman, may you be struck by lightning!"

"Hehe... You're exaggerating. Did you two plan this on your own, or was someone instigating you behind the scenes?!" Bian Mu asked directly over the phone.

"No, no! It was purely an internal discussion among us. Originally, we just wanted to hold a training course and pay you a fee for each class. But then we all discussed it and realized that with your high status, how much should we pay per class? To be honest, we really couldn't afford it, so..."

"Oh! Well then! I agree in principle, but... I've been a bit busy lately. How about we get together at Sangong Lake after I've finished treating a few special patients?"

Upon hearing this, the man on the other end of the phone seemed both surprised and delighted. After thanking him repeatedly, he politely hung up the phone.