Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 208: Self-righteous

"What's it called... the Harvest Agricultural Cooperative," the old man recalled. "The boss in charge has the surname Ding."

"Ding?" Ji Qinglian murmured, lost in thought.

He'd done his homework before coming here.

Ding's Pharmaceutical Factory belonged to the Ding Family.

'It has to be them... The Harvest Agricultural Cooperative must be a new cooperative they set up specifically to buy watermelons.'

He paused for a moment before asking tentatively, "What price are they offering?"

"A guaranteed minimum of five thousand per mu, and with profit sharing, you can make over ten thousand a year." The old man smacked his lips. "It's much better than growing them ourselves."

"Over ten thousand?!" Ji Qinglian nearly lost his composure.

'Sanjin Pharmaceutical Factory's acquisition cost is only about five thousand per mu. Ding Kaifang actually offered double that?'

He suppressed his shock and continued, "Is the penalty for breaking the contract high?"

"Of course it's high! It's a ten-year contract. You'd have to pay a fortune if you break it." The old man shook his head. "But the terms are so good, who would want to?"

Ji Qinglian's heart sank.

'It seems it'll be hard to poach the farmers who've already signed.'

He forced a smile. "Then... are there any who haven't signed yet?"

The old man pointed to the east end of the village. "A lot of folks from the first brigade didn't sign. Said their land isn't suitable."

Ji Qinglian's eyes lit up. After a quick word of thanks, he immediately headed for the east end of the village.

...

In a courtyard at the eastern end of the village, Zhou Dafu was squatting on his doorstep, sullenly smoking a cigarette.

His wife stood nearby with her hands on her hips, berating him. "They're getting over ten thousand a year per mu, a guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood, and what do you do? You just had to be stubborn! Now look at us! Everyone's signed except for us!"

Zhou Dafu scratched his head in frustration. "What do you know! I was trying to negotiate a higher price! How was I supposed to know they'd just walk away from the table?"

"A higher price?" Wang Cuihua sneered. "Last year we only made six thousand per mu, and in a bad year, we couldn't even get five! They offered ten thousand, and you still thought it wasn't enough?"

Her words hit a nerve, and Zhou Dafu shot to his feet. "They don't want our land! They said the soil on the east side of the village isn't suitable!"

"Bullshit!" Wang Cuihua stomped her foot in anger. "You're just too proud for your own good!"

With a grim expression, Zhou Dafu fell silent.

He really did regret it.

Yesterday at the village committee meeting, he'd tried to leverage the superior quality of his "Golden Beauty" watermelons to ask for another five thousand, but Li Xu had flatly refused, saying the watermelons grown on the east side of the village weren't any good.

'At the time, I thought it was just an excuse, but now that I think about it, they didn't care about my land at all.'

"Damn it..." he spat fiercely.

Just then, a voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Excuse me, is this the Zhou Dafu residence?"

Zhou Dafu looked up to see a man in glasses standing at the gate, a friendly smile on his face.

"I am. Who are you?"

Ji Qinglian smiled faintly. "I'm from Sanjin Pharmaceutical Factory. I'd like to discuss a matter concerning your watermelons."

Zhou Dafu was taken aback. 'Watermelons?'

"The watermelons are long sold out. If you want to buy some, come back next summer."

"That's not it. I'd like to talk about leasing your land."

'Lease my land?'

Zhou Dafu shot to his feet, his face breaking into an enthusiastic smile. "Oh, an honored guest! Please, come in!"

Ji Qinglian walked into the courtyard, looked around, and smiled. "Brother Zhou, I heard the quality of your village's watermelons is very good. Our company is looking for a stable supplier."

Zhou Dafu rubbed his hands together. "Well, you've come to the right man! My 'Golden Beauty' watermelons have a high sugar content and a crisp texture. They're in high demand on the market!"

Ji Qinglian nodded. "So I've heard. However..."

He sighed with feigned regret. "I just took a look around the village and discovered that most of the farmers have signed contracts with a company called the 'Harvest Agricultural Cooperative.' As for you..."

Zhou Dafu's expression immediately soured. "Hmph. I didn't think much of them, so I didn't sign!"

Ji Qinglian smiled, choosing not to call his bluff.

"To be honest, watermelons grown in sandy soil are better. You know that better than I do. Therefore, we can't offer you a high price."

Zhou Dafu asked, "How much can you offer?"

"Eight thousand."

"That's... a little low. How about nine thousand?"

Zhou Dafu's wife nudged him and muttered, "Eight thousand isn't bad. Don't scare this one off, too..."

Zhou Dafu shot his wife a glare. "Go inside and get our guest some water."

"Hmph."

His wife left reluctantly.

Ji Qinglian and Zhou Dafu haggled some more.

In the end, Zhou Dafu was the one to concede.

"Fine, eight thousand it is."

Ji Qinglian smiled. "However, once the contract is signed, you can no longer grow Golden Beauty. You'll have to plant the large, black-skinned variety of watermelon."

"Huh? Why?" Zhou Dafu asked, confused. "Golden Beauty sells better, and it tastes better..."

Ji Qinglian explained, "We're purchasing these watermelons to produce Watermelon Frost. The frost made from traditional black-skinned watermelons is more effective."

"Oh."

Zhou Dafu nodded, only half-understanding.

'It doesn't matter what kind of watermelon he wants me to grow.'

'As long as I get paid, it's fine.'

"When do we sign the contract?"

"I need to go back to the company and file the application. The whole process will take about half a month. I'll bring the contract with me when I return."

"Alright."

"Brother Zhou, I'll also need to trouble you to come with me to the other farmers' homes. Help me talk to them and convince them to sign as well."

"Well... I have to go work in the fields this afternoon."

"I won't have you do it for free. I'll make it worth your while when we sign."

"No problem, let's go."

...

「Japan.」

Ryukakusan Co., Ltd.

Its president, Fujiwara Takayuki, was reviewing a company report.

They were a pharmaceutical company specializing in throat remedies.

It was also a household name in Japan, a family medicine brand with over 200 years of history.

Their main product was Dragon Horn Powder.

Dragon Horn Powder was originally a secret family medicine of the Sazaki Family, the lords of Akita during the Edo period. It was invented by the domain's physician, Fujiwara Gen'en, initially to treat the Lord of Akita's asthma.

It was so named because the prescription at the time contained Dragon Bone, Dragon Brain, and Deer Horn Frost, and was prepared as a fine powder.

After the Meiji Restoration, political reforms led to the abolition of feudal domains. Fujiwara Shotei, who had moved to Edo with his lord, was granted the rights to "Dragon Horn Powder" and opened a pharmacy in Tokyo's Kanda district in 1871.

The "secret medicine," once exclusive to the feudal lord, was transformed into a product sold to the general public.

In 1893, the fourth-generation head of the family, Fujii Tokusaburo, improved upon "Dragon Horn Powder" again. He refined the process by grinding several herbs into a 10–20 μm micro-powder, creating the "Dragon Horn Powder" we know today.

The formula was also changed to include ingredients like Knotweed, Polygala Tenuifolia, licorice, and almond.

Due to its excellent efficacy, it has become an essential cough, expectorant, and throat medicine in every home in Japan.

Not only that,

their company had also developed Dragon Horn-based throat lozenges and a medicinal-aid jelly.

These came in many flavors, such as peach, strawberry, and grape.

They were widely popular, and many foreign tourists, especially from countries like China and Korea, would buy Dragon Horn Powder to take home when visiting Japan.

Fujiwara Takayuki was not satisfied with the status quo.

He always paid attention to the situation in Dragon Country.

He was well aware that while traditional medicine in Dragon Country was not always highly regarded domestically, it held many miraculous formulas that Japan had not yet fully acquired.

Therefore, Fujiwara Takayuki had established a special department within the company dedicated to gathering intelligence on Dragon Country.

"Hmm? A new Watermelon Frost has become very popular in Dragon Country recently?"