Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2087 Only by being close to business can one be close to wealth.
When people become wealthy, their pursuit of life will inevitably change to some extent.

Some wealthy people prefer collecting various art pieces. With ample funds, they rent a three-story building of similar size in a bustling area. The first floor can be used for some business to cover rent and other expenses, while the second floor serves as various exhibition halls and showrooms. Those with overseas experience often prefer Western-style decoration, opting for a simple, bright, and casual approach. Others decorate in an antique style, with a few Western touches, which can be considered a fusion of East and West. There are also those who are unconventional, neither too traditional nor too Western. Except for some tasks that require professional expertise, they often prefer to do things themselves, emphasizing a spontaneous approach.

The third floor is designed with various guest rooms, such as coffee bars, tea rooms, Go rooms, etc., depending on the owner's personal taste! Every now and then, a group of like-minded people gather to appreciate their favorite items and discuss the past and present, which is quite enjoyable.

Bian Mu has a good reputation and has dealt with this kind of person quite often. Although he is relatively unfamiliar with this circle, he has heard some things about it.

In his view, these so-called private collection galleries all have a certain commercial character to varying degrees, and ultimately, they are all about money!

To be honest, Bian Mu had absolutely no interest in this kind of so-called refined event in the world of collecting, which was heavily commercialized. The key was that he didn't know anything about it and was basically indifferent to it!

The "sound therapy center" under Cao Yueyue's name, the so-called dental studio that Professor Mi instructed Bian Mu to run, the unique medical clinic that Chen Yueqing built, and the so-called "Blue Sky" drone flying club built by Bi Shaoxiong and his uncle... all reveal obvious business and social characteristics.

Ordinary small business owners generally don't have the financial resources to afford this. Putting aside other things, just the so-called "sound therapy room" that Cao Yueyue set up has cost at least 30 million yuan so far, according to what Cao Gongzi inadvertently revealed. No matter what the eldest daughter of the Cao family does, she is never stingy. She is indeed quite extravagant.

Didn't Bian Mu also set up a Go room in the Lin family's old house? His initial intention was entirely to promote traditional Chinese medicine culture, attempting to "graft" traditional Go culture with traditional Chinese medicine culture, thereby arousing people's interest in contemporary new Chinese medicine. In the future, once the corresponding atmosphere is formed, Bian Mu can incorporate some medical knowledge and health preservation methods into it, thus cleverly integrating new Chinese medicine culture into the daily lives of ordinary patients...

If things go as planned, there will be fewer and fewer patients suffering from various strange diseases, intractable diseases, serious illnesses, or even terminal diseases like cancer in the future. By then, Bian Mu will have done something practical for the new culture of traditional Chinese medicine.

however……

With the involvement of Chen Yueqing, Wen Boyong, Bi Shaoxiong, and others, the Go rooms upstairs have long since evolved into little havens for discussing stocks and economics, and children hardly have any chance to play Go there anymore.

At first, Bian Mu was a little unhappy and thought about finding an opportunity to tell them clearly that they should not come again and that the place should be given to ordinary patients and children to use when they have fun. But then he thought about it and realized that it was not the right thing to do.

From the very first day of its renovation, the clinic has been heavily influenced by commercial interests. Now, with its constant talk of opening multiple branches, it still can't escape the word "business" and the word "money"! Regardless of whether Bian Mu is willing or not, if he acts recklessly at a crucial moment… his current small-scale business, which is both medical and commercial, will only lead to increasingly narrow prospects…

After calmly reflecting for a long time, Bian Mu felt much more at ease, and letting things take their natural course became a very natural choice.

Gradually, Bian Mu realized that Wen Boyong, Bi Shaoxiong and others were much more civilized. None of the friends they invited smoked upstairs. If they really couldn't stand the craving, they would rush downstairs and out of the clinic to find a small convenience store or somewhere else in the surrounding streets to have a few puffs. There was never a single cigarette butt in the chess rooms upstairs.

Moreover, when people finally leave, they always pick up all their trash and throw it away on the street. Not only that, but Bian Mu never has to arrange the hospitality items such as good tea, hand-ground coffee, and top-quality dried and fresh fruits. They almost never come empty-handed.

In contrast, most patients and their families tend to spoil their children, occasionally making a mess upstairs. Sometimes, a little boy, caught up in his play, would carelessly scratch the pristine white walls, forcing Dr. Gong and Nurse Sun to quickly hire a repairman to fix it. Gradually, Bian Mu became accustomed to this commercial culture, and her focus on promoting traditional Chinese medicine naturally shifted to other areas…

Talking about business!
Some subtle changes gradually began to emerge deep within Bian Mu's heart...

Ms. Qi probably saw Bian Mu approaching the main entrance through the floor-to-ceiling windows upstairs, so she quickly went downstairs to greet him. Behind him were three or four friends with similar temperaments, half men and half women, all of whom were very polite and had smiles on their faces.

"This is Mr. Ma! He runs this private museum. This is his sister, the owner of the movie theater. This is Mr. Zhang, who runs a hotel business..." Ms. Qi introduced them to each other with a smile.

Having dealt with business people all day, Bian Mu exchanged pleasantries with each of them very politely, giving people a generous and poised impression. To be honest, Boss Ma and the others were somewhat surprised, feeling that Bian Mu was not as rumored... coming from a humble family, stubborn and lacking in social skills, and even stingy and unpleasant at crucial moments.

The first floor sells elegant items like calligraphy supplies, and all the shop assistants are young women, each with delicate features. Their monthly income is probably above that of the average wage earner, which inadvertently raises Mr. Ma's net worth considerably.

Nowadays, Bian Mu is practically a businessman. He spends his days either calculating with Nurse Ye how much to pay each colleague each month, or chatting with Accountant Yu in his office about any unclear or ambiguous issues with the pharmaceutical factory's recent accounts. In short, it's very hard work and extremely mentally taxing! He can even calculate the annual cost of hiring a young female shop assistant with that kind of temperament without thinking. In other words... the store must at least be profitable, and not just a tiny profit.

Mr. Ma is definitely not simple.

Bian Mu stopped to examine several new calligraphy brushes and some homemade ink, seemingly unintentionally.

Seeing that Bian Mu actually showed some interest in their small business, Mr. Ma and Ms. Qi couldn't help but show a look of surprise and delight, and hurriedly gestured for the most articulate female shop assistant to come over and introduce the relevant products in detail.

With a smile on her face, Bian Mu listened attentively for a while, occasionally interjecting with a few questions.

"Is this the kind of 'Eight Treasures and Five Gallbladders Medicinal Ink' that contains some precious medicinal herbs? I heard it's sold by weight?!" Bian Mu asked politely with a smile.

Seeing that Bian Mu had such a good eye for quality, the young female shop assistant was overjoyed.

"I've heard that national-level TCM doctors are all well-versed in traditional Chinese culture, and I truly believe it now. Dr. Bian must also be quite accomplished in calligraphy. This kind of ink block is indeed quite valuable, with a current price of 1150 yuan per tael. Moreover, the one you have is considered mid-range ink. Look at this one, this is top-grade, and its price is about five times that of this one."

Hearing this, Bian Mu was slightly taken aback. He wasn't shocked that such a small piece of ink could be sold for such a high price. In his opinion, the Boss Ma behind him was probably not simple at all!