Merchant and doctor

Chapter 2486 The everyday life of ordinary people is also a good medicine
For nearly a year, Lao Hou's life was booming, with his monthly income steadily increasing. Naturally, Lao Hou was full of hope for the future.

Privately, Lao Hou would occasionally sigh, lamenting that his aunt had been the closest to him when she was alive, recommending someone as extraordinary as Bian Mu to him before she passed away. Otherwise, he would still be struggling at the bottom, competing physically with other workers, barely earning a meager living, and would surely be riddled with illnesses in his old age.

Nowadays, Lao Hou's relatives and friends often come to his studio to sit for a while, chat about everyday things, exchange connections, and get some practical help. The atmosphere is completely different from the distance and indifference of a few years ago. Lao Hou especially enjoys the feeling of being valued and feels that he is finally living a decent life.

Old Hou believes that all of this is thanks to his close relationship with Bian Mu.

As a result, Lao Hou's heartfelt respect for Bian Mu deepened even further.

The two of them sat together today and talked about some rather profound things. While showing respect, Lao Hou unconsciously developed a greater sense of awe for Bian Mu. In his opinion, from the very beginning, Master Bian was not from the same world as him!
Seeing Lao Hou's blank expression, Bian Mu smiled and explained a few words.

"The term 'puppet' essentially means 'tool.' I can conditionally teach Xiao Jianfeng the less important, non-core new technologies, and then try to get the old man rehired. He's getting old, and he certainly can't work full-time in the workshop. Technically, he can only select some bright and upright young people to teach another batch, and so on, passing the relevant technologies down level by level. Without doing this, productivity won't increase, and the quality of subsequent new drugs will be difficult to guarantee. Why mention 'puppet'? The gist is that we can't let them master the real new drug technologies to prevent leaks! This might have worked a few years ago, but we can't do that! If we're going to pass on the knowledge, we need to create a learning atmosphere that encourages diligent study. We need to do the opposite, actively reminding them not to become our tools, like puppets on strings all day long. We move them around, and they just passively go through the motions in the workshop. In the long run, including you and me, no one will benefit from this!"

"You've always been known as the 'King of Physicians,' so you certainly can't do good deeds! But... actually, I'm only understanding it from a moral standpoint; I have no idea about the deeper meaning. If it's convenient, could you explain it to me?"

"Look at what you're saying, what's the big deal! The key is the word 'spirituality'! Traditional Chinese medicine has an expiration date, which means that the medicinal properties are fresh. After the expiration date, the medicinal properties will be greatly reduced, and in principle, it is not recommended to continue taking it. To extend this further, the employees who work in the production workshop on a daily basis should also be full of vitality. For example, among all the dumplings you've eaten over the years, who made the dumplings that left the deepest impression, had the purest taste, and became more and more delicious with each bite? Think back!" At the end, Bian Mu smiled and inspired Old Hou.

"Dumplings...it has to be the one at the very outermost alley of Chayuan Street, Sister Liu...no wonder! Her big, expressive eyes and intelligent spirit make dumplings that seem alive. Indeed, they're so lively when they're cooked, truly different! The same principle applies to pharmaceutical manufacturing in the workshop, interesting!"

"The new drug we're about to release has extremely high activity requirements; otherwise, it definitely won't be as effective as a miracle drug! The factory workers are all like puppets; the new drug they produce will have to be discounted by at least 20%, and then it won't fetch a good price!"

"Understood! Then... if they send more people back, what should I say?"

"Just say the books are good, let's buy them. 90 yuan per book should be enough. I estimate she'll only offer a symbolic 100 at most. Five books would be 500 yuan. You can go to the ghost market and sell them to Grandpa Yang! In return, tell her that we've now technically sealed the main ingredient's properties into the powder, so as long as it doesn't expire, the properties won't change much. Also, talk to her a bit more about the workshop workers' enthusiasm and motivation. She'll understand immediately and generally won't say anything more."

"Okay, okay! What about the rest?"

"Right now, we haven't really figured out their true capabilities... We can subtly reveal a few things, like that we won't keep certain pharmaceutical technologies proprietary. At the appropriate time, we'll definitely pass them on in various covert ways, thereby further activating potential pharmaceutical research experts and creating a completely new atmosphere for the preparation of highly effective traditional Chinese medicines, thus reigniting the enthusiasm for traditional Chinese medicine preparation. We'll see how far we go!" "Understood! The way you two schools communicate is really something..."

"There's no way around it! Trying to fight a wolf with a stick is futile; both sides will be afraid! Things might change in the future. The research and development of traditional Chinese medicine must be opened up. On this point, our two companies should agree. However... as to what extent to open it up, I might be a bit more conservative than them. There's no way around it; we're still the weaker party right now!"

"Hahaha...that's right, that's right!" Old Hou laughed knowingly.

……

As evening approached, after a long day, it was finally time to leave work. Bian Mu went to Accountant Yu's office to invite her to go out for a quick bite. This time, she didn't ask Dr. Gong to accompany her, so Accountant Yu naturally guessed that her boss might have something important to tell her.

"Old Zhou's Congee Stall" offers traditional flavors, home-style dishes, and mostly vegetarian options.

After all the dishes were served, the two ate and chatted.

"There are some things that are easier for Dr. Gong to pass on, so I didn't say much. But... seeing that there's no movement from your side, I can only ask you to come out and talk for a bit."

"About finding a partner?" Accountant Yu replied with a smile.

"Yes! That's it. I'm not pressuring you, don't misunderstand! However, you've been cooped up at home for so many years, and being isolated from the world for too long isn't good for your health. So... Originally, I was thinking of having Dr. Gong accompany you to meet some eligible men through an agency. If you meet someone suitable, Teacher Yu could accompany you to meet their parents. Even if it doesn't work out, it would still be very beneficial for you. But then I thought, our primary goal is to cure your illness, and you have such a strong personality, you probably won't be genuinely interested in dating. That would be a bit unethical of us. Recently, I've been thinking, how about your father and Dr. Gong accompany you to the matchmaking corners in parks and scenic spots?"

"Is it mandatory to go?" Accountant Yu asked with a smile.

"No, but... the basic medical principle is this: our school of thought believes that through various normal interpersonal interactions, people can convey a sense of everyday life, a sense of warmth and humanity... These everyday human interactions all carry their own energy. Right now, for you, that energy is the best medicine. Replenishing it in time will allow your bone energy to rise faster, and at the same time, some of it will settle down and solidify into marrow. Otherwise, you would have to slowly replenish it through postnatal dietary supplements, and in that case, the treatment period would be extended for who knows how long."

After hearing this, Accountant Yu lowered his head and continued drinking his mixed grain porridge without saying a word.