Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2360 Jujube Kernels

Listening to Lao Hou's somewhat incoherent speech over the phone, Bian Mu realized that the "Yuan Gu" Chinese medicine preparation factory was quite interesting, and the credibility of Dong Yushan's previous investigation results was probably not very high.

In any case, that place was meticulously arranged by Cao Qiling, and most of the traces left there by three generations of the Cao family are still clearly visible! It must have some unusual and unique features.

"Good traditional Chinese medicines always emphasize 'correctness' in their preparation and formulation. How much can you feel when you're there?" Bian Mu asked with a smile on the other end of the phone.

"Truth?! I didn't notice that... However, the overall feeling here is a bit like an old state-owned enterprise in a period drama, quite formal, the factory area is well-landscaped, and quite natural. Also... compared to 'Hongyang', the air quality in the factory area is so much better, blue sky with white clouds. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the production workshops and dormitory areas of this company are quite far apart. I asked, and they said that the old factory director arranged it that way on purpose, saying that... making the factory one's home here is somewhat taboo!" On the other end of the phone, Lao Hou briefly reported his impressions.

"Really? Then... how many gates are there in the core factory area, which is also the most profitable production workshop area?"

"Let me think about it..."

"I counted, there are six gates in total. The main gate faces east, but it doesn't look exactly east, it's a little southeast. The corresponding west gate, which is what they call the back gate, is also not due west. The other gates don't face the same direction either. By the way, I chatted with some retired workers and they said that not just anyone can become a gatekeeper at this factory. At the very least, they have to check your zodiac sign and birth chart. If your zodiac sign and birth chart don't match, you can't work!" A few words came from the other end of the phone from a man with a "sharp face." Perhaps because he thought Lao Hou was a little slow to react, the "sharp face" chimed in.

"Oh! Now that you mention it, so... inside the factory gate, against the wall, right at the base of the wall, aren't there a lot of small, round, bulging bundles of cardboard? If you count from the bottom up, there must be at least three layers of them, arranged in a trapezoidal pattern. They look quite orderly, definitely not just randomly piled up there." On the other end of the phone, Bian Mu suddenly remembered some information about old paper piles he had read before and asked a few questions casually.

"Huh?! How did you know?! Did Engineer Dong tell you?" It was still "Striped Face" on the other end of the phone, and he sounded quite surprised.

“Dong and the others aren’t as observant as you! I actually guessed right. What do you think is in the paper bag?” Bian Mu asked “Knife-faced” with a smile while holding Lao Hou’s phone.

"I inspected a few, and the people at the factory even said a few words to me, saying that those things can't be touched easily, there are regulations from above. Lime, all of it is pure lime, the fine powder kind, it's quite pungent!" the "striped face" replied on the other end of the phone.

"That's it! Those six doors, four big and two small, right?" Bian Mu guessed casually over the phone.

"Yes, it seems that this factory did make quite a few special arrangements many years ago. It's just that Dr. Dian had important business and couldn't get together with us! We came over first to make the arrangements. The reception staff here are very polite. We'll just grab a few bites in their canteen and head back!" Old Hou replied over the phone.

"Alright! Since the itinerary is already messed up, you guys do your thing. Dr. Dian can come with us. Be careful on the way back!"

"Be careful! I'm hanging up now if there's nothing else!"

"We'll talk later!" With that, Bian Mu hung up the phone.

The business of the traditional Chinese medicine clinic must be kept separate from the business of traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Bian Mu has always been clear on this point. Dr. Gong was still sitting next to her at the moment, so it was not appropriate for her to know too much about business matters. After chatting briefly for a while, Bian Mu hung up the phone.

There was nothing more to talk about. Dian Shuhua glanced at Bian Mu, and seeing that his boss didn't say anything more, he got up and went to the bar to pay for his tea. He still had to see patients as usual that afternoon, so Dian Shuhua took a taxi back to the branch hospital, while Bian Mu drove Dr. Gong back to the main hospital. Dr. Gong went upstairs to rest, and Bian Mu went into his own clinic, spread out a blank medical record, and carefully went through the surgical plan for Mr. Huangfu's male relative several times from beginning to end…

……

After getting off work in the evening, Bian Mu called to invite the forest ranger Lao Liangtou and the herb farmer Lao Pei to have a casual meal at "Sun's Stir-fry". Before leaving, Bian Mu specially went upstairs to get 5 bottles of good wine. One of them, "Fengyeqing", was for drinking a little tonight, and the other 4 bottles were for giving to the two elders. The other 2 bottles of foreign liquor had been sitting upstairs for several months, and he only remembered to give them away now.

In addition, Bian Mu also prepared two boxes of fine tea, which would make the gift look nicer.

Six dishes and two soups, with sweet potato starch dumplings as the staple food.

A hot meal and a pleasant chat—perhaps this is the most enjoyable time of day.

"What did you put in the wine? It's diluted the aroma quite a bit, but the aftertaste has been amplified several times over!" Old Liang asked with a smile as he drank.

"Sand dates! A specialty of the village next to Zhangwang Village. A few days ago, Old Mi had a fellow villager send over two boxes. Do you two like them?" Bian Mu replied with a smile.

"Oh! No wonder! Those dates have big pits and lots of pits, so they're not very tasty. I never thought that soaking them in alcohol could have such a miraculous effect. You're really something!" Old Pei, the herb farmer, drank the wine with gusto and couldn't help but praise him with a smile.

The jujubes from Shaba are as black as charcoal, with a slightly rough, sandy texture. Moreover, each jujube naturally contains three hard, pointed pits, resembling red jade, which greatly limits the amount of flesh, making them not very edible. Their nutritional value is probably not particularly unique either. Locals are too lazy to care for them, so they are intercropped in fields and also grow wild in the mountains. They are left to their own devices, to grow however they want, as long as they don't become extinct. Generally, no one pays any attention to them.

The three of us here know that this kind of jujube was once a top-quality medicinal herb, but it was later removed from the pharmacopoeia for some unknown reason.

Normally, Bian Mu was used to simmering medicine and soaking wine, but he had accumulated many special uses for it. In his opinion, those three jujube pits, which were as pointed as red jade, were actually a precious medicine, and might come in handy at some specific moment in the future.

Amidst the laughter and conversation, Bian Mu reported to the two senior colleagues about his decision to voluntarily halt the special surgery.

"Hearing you say that, it does seem a bit rushed. Taking it slow is better for everyone. Don't worry about it. Compared to other people in the industry, you've already achieved considerable success. Sometimes, it's true that you need to adjust your pace of development," Old Pei, the herb farmer, said with a smile, offering some words of comfort to Bian Mu.

Old Liang was enjoying his drink when he heard Old Pei's comments on the matter, and he couldn't help but purse his lips, feeling rather unconvinced.

"Xiao Mu! Let me ask you something. Is your ultimate goal in opening these clinics to promote public health? Is it the kind of popular medicine you usually talk about, or is it to pursue advanced medical skills? Do you want to build a few ivory towers and isolate yourself after you become famous and successful?!" Old Liang suddenly asked these questions.

Upon hearing this, Bian Mu and Lao Pei were momentarily speechless.