Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He flagged down a rickshaw, gave them the address of "Tongyitang," and got in with his small suitcase.

Taxis are now very rare on Hong Kong Island, with fewer than 700 in total, and it often takes half a day to wait for one.

After a while, the car stopped in front of Tongyitang. He Yuzhu handed over two yuan, got out of the car, picked up his bag, and went inside.

"Hello sir! What would you like to buy? We are the largest pharmacy on Hong Kong Island. Whatever herbs you want, just tell us, we can get them for you!"

As soon as I stepped inside, a salesman came up to me, his tongue sizzling. Unlike the mainland where humility is valued, here, business is all about getting the winning hand right away.

He Yuzhu remained calm: "Do you have ginseng that's over ten years old? Cordyceps and Ganoderma lucidum are also fine."

Upon hearing this, the shop assistant's smile faltered slightly, and he said with an awkward laugh, "Oh, sir, what you're talking about... we do have those, but they're the store's prized possessions, and the boss has to give his personal approval first. However, if you're really interested, I can help you register and submit your application..."

"Is your boss here? I have some business to discuss with him."

"Looking for our boss?" The waiter's eyes narrowed, and he looked him up and down. "He's not usually here; the manager runs the shop."

Before he could finish speaking, he sensed something was wrong—this person didn't seem like an ordinary customer, nor did he seem like a thug looking for trouble.

"Sir, would you like me to inform the manager for you?"

He Yuzhu nodded: "Thank you."

The waiter nodded, told him to wait a moment, and turned to walk into the inner room.

Tong Yik Tong's storefront isn't large, which is quite ordinary on this street in Hong Kong Island. After all, large shops facing the street are extremely rare these days, and ordinary people don't need such a large space. The shop is empty and looks deserted, making it difficult to rent out.

Just like the two rooms that Lou's father bought, the area was too large and the rent was too high. After the landlord took over, he was stuck with them for three or four months, feeling the pain every day, and wishing he could pay extra to get rid of them.

Not long after, the waiter called the manager over. Upon seeing He Yuzhu, the man glanced at him from head to toe, his tone indifferent: "What's your name, sir? What can I do for you?"

"My surname is He, He Yuzhu." He smiled. "I'm here today to ask if you accept high-grade Chinese medicinal herbs?"

Upon hearing this, the manager almost blurted out, "I'm sorry, Mr. He, our supply is stable, and we generally don't deal with medicinal herbs from outside sources. Please understand."

It's not that they're picky, it's just that the quality is hard to control and the quantity is inconsistent. Besides, Tong Yik Tong has two stores on Hong Kong Island, so it's impossible for them to source goods piecemeal from various places.

But He Yuzhu remained calm and composed, slowly adding, "Manager, you might have misunderstood—I'm not talking about ordinary goods, but genuine, precious medicinal herbs. For example, ginseng that's over ten years old, cordyceps and lingzhi that's four or five years old... If you don't even like these, then I'll turn around and leave."

"More than ten years?" The manager's eyelids twitched.

He hadn't paid any attention before, but upon hearing this, he realized something was wrong. Ginseng of that age is almost extinct on the market; to come across even one is like finding a rare treasure.

"Mr. He, please come upstairs to talk." The tone instantly warmed up.

He personally led He Yuzhu to a private room on the second floor, served him fine tea, and his eyes could no longer hide his excitement: "Mr. He, are you planning to sell our Tongyitang some rare medicinal herbs?"

"Yes." He Yuzhu nodded. "You can inspect the goods."

As soon as he finished speaking, he opened his small leather suitcase, took out three wooden boxes, and opened them one by one.

The manager had been in this business for many years and had a good eye. The first two items were rare, but he dared not say for sure; but that ginseng—just one glance was enough to make him tremble: it was definitely old enough, the skin was oily and shiny, and the roots were intact—it was a genuine old wild ginseng!

To be on the safe side, he immediately summoned the shop's most trusted and experienced pharmacist.

The old man put on his glasses, examined it from all angles, and even brought the tip of his nose close to sniff it a couple of times. The more he looked, the more excited he became: "What a find! It's so rare! The quality is impeccable, even compared to cordyceps and lingzhi—if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have suspected it was a fake, artificially aged!"

After confirming everything was correct, the manager quickly asked the senior pharmacist to leave. If he stayed, the price would have to be raised during the subsequent negotiations.

Only the two of them remained in the room. He cut to the chase: "Mr. He, name your price?"

He Yuzhu, however, was in no hurry: "You should go first. I'm also in the medicinal herb business, and I wouldn't easily part with ginseng of this quality unless I'm short on cash. If the price is right, we can become friends, and there will be plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future."

These words made the manager break out in a cold sweat.

Trying to lower the price? No way. If this guy gets angry and leaves, the boss will skin him alive. The ginseng market in Hong Kong is flooded with American ginseng now; there's some from mainland China, but top-quality ginseng over ten years old is basically a matter of luck.

The truly wealthy Chinese don't recognize American ginseng at all—that's just brainwashing for salaried workers and the lower middle class. The real elite circles only believe in wild ginseng, emphasizing that "ginseng can prolong life and medicine can bring the dead back to life."

In the eyes of these people, a ginseng root that is over ten years old and in good condition is a valuable commodity.

"Mr. Ho," he gritted his teeth, "I'll offer HK$2300 per ginseng, that's already the maximum price. As for cordyceps and lingzhi, we've never done this kind of purchasing before, we need to consult the boss first, and I'll give you a definite answer later."

This price was several times higher than what He Yuzhu paid in Beijing. But he knew that Hong Kong Island was scarce and transportation was inconvenient, so good goods from the mainland couldn't get in, making the premium naturally outrageous.

"Okay, let's sell six ginseng roots first. We'll talk about cordyceps and lingzhi next time," He Yuzhu said readily. "I have some of the same quality in stock. If you want to buy in bulk, feel free to contact me anytime."

As he spoke, he took out six ginseng roots and handed them to the manager and the old pharmacist for repeated inspection. Each one was of good age, excellent quality, and without any flaws.

After confirming that everything was correct, the manager finally breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

The deal was quickly finalized, and the manager of Tong Yi Tang handed over HK$13,800, which was a considerable sum at the time.

He Yuzhu had no intention of stopping there. He planned to next sell one hundred ginseng roots and a batch of cordyceps. For the wealthy Chinese in Hong Kong, this amount was a drop in the ocean—Hong Kong currently imports about 60,000 kilograms of ginseng annually, totaling nearly HK$280 million. He was determined to take a large slice of this huge pie.

The ginseng he possessed was comparable in efficacy to wild ginseng, far surpassing the potency of inferior American ginseng, and its appearance completely outshone the mainstream market. Once his Chinese medicine shop officially opened, he planned to use ten-year-old ginseng to shake up the entire Hong Kong Island market; as for the top-quality ginseng over a hundred years old, he would supply it exclusively to elite clients, taking a high-end approach.

As night fell, He Yuzhu and Lou's father reviewed the progress of their respective events. After selling the medicinal herbs, he stopped by to check out the new shop; the decor and atmosphere were quite nice. He also casually strolled around the martial arts schools on Hong Kong Island. Unfortunately, most of these schools were concentrated in lower-class areas like Kowloon and Sham Shui Po, where street fights were commonplace and the environment was chaotic.

On the contrary, good news came from Lou's father's side—the application for industrial land went exceptionally smoothly. The Hong Kong government is currently strongly supporting industrial development, and large tracts of land in Tsuen Wan have been designated for factory construction, with a significant amount of vacant land still awaiting development. All that's needed is to pay the fees and complete the formalities in the next two days to acquire a considerable plot of land.

"Zhu Zi, the piece of land we saw today is quite suitable, over 55,000 square feet, big enough." Lou's father paused, "But if we buy it, our money will be almost gone, and then we'll have to invest another 100,000 or so to build the winery..."

Over 50,000 square feet is by no means small in this era. Most factories have only a few hundred employees, and a few thousand to ten thousand square feet is considered respectable. The reason why Lou's father was able to acquire the land smoothly was precisely because of the large location and high investment. The Hong Kong government could not only make a profit from the land price, but also use this as a political achievement for publicity.

"Dad, don't worry about the money." He Yuzhu smiled. "I just sold six ginseng roots today and made over 13,000 yuan. I haven't even touched the rest of the goods yet."

As he spoke, he took out the medicinal herbs he had retrieved from the Life Acceleration Space and showed them to Lou's father. A single ginseng root cost 2,300 Hong Kong dollars, so 100 roots would start at 230,000, not to mention a bunch of rare herbs like cordyceps. He converted everything into cash, and 300,000 Hong Kong dollars were his pocket.

This money is not only enough to start the brewery, but also to support its operation for several months.

Looking at the room full of precious items, Lou's father hesitated before asking, "Can the traditional Chinese medicine shop... keep up with the supply?"

"Don't worry, the supply will continue, and there will only be more and more goods. Moreover, I feel that there is still much to be explored in the Hong Kong ginseng market."

The two ate and chatted. The food was prepared by He Yuzhu himself. It was just the father and son upstairs and downstairs.

After finishing their business, He Yuzhu added, "Dad, how about we consider buying a car? These days, it takes forever to hail a taxi, doesn't it?"

"That's right. Last time I waited for more than ten minutes before I could flag one down. And the rickshaws were crawling."

After pondering for a moment, Lou's father said, "Buying a car is fine, but we'll need a driver. I'll ask Yizhong tomorrow if he knows anyone suitable..."

Nowadays, Hong Kong Island is filled with imported cars, and even the better models cost around four thousand US dollars, which is affordable for them and makes travel much more convenient.

"Zhu Zi, you should get one too."

"Forget it, Dad, I don't go out much for now. You're the one who's always on the go, so you should come first." He Yuzhu waved his hand in refusal, not as a polite gesture, but because it was the truth—his father, Lou, handled all the business negotiations and was very experienced; he himself focused on technology and resource supply, occasionally stepping in to oversee things.

There's basically no need for them to travel around, so employing two drivers would be a waste.

Meanwhile, He Shirong, the owner of Tongyitang, was carefully examining the six ginseng roots. He scrutinized their shape and roots repeatedly, even breaking off a small piece and tasting it.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "These six ginseng roots, were they all obtained from the same person?"

The manager's heart tightened. Seeing the boss's solemn expression, fearing a mistake, he cautiously replied, "Yes, boss. Pharmacist Zhou personally identified it as top-grade, which is why I dared to offer two thousand three hundred per piece..."

"Although the ginseng is not human-shaped, its rootstock is plump, its body is intact, and its aroma is rich. It tastes bitter with a hint of sweetness—almost exactly the same as the wild ginseng I saw in my early years..."

He Shirong carefully placed the six ginseng roots into the brocade box, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a fragile dream. He frowned slightly, his voice low: "That's the strange thing—wild ginseng isn't so rare as to be a once-in-a-century find, but to suddenly have so many, and all of the same quality? Besides, you also mentioned cordyceps and lingzhi… I suspect these treasures weren't dug up from the mountains at all, but cultivated."