On the wall of the Anchi Village eting room hung silk banners and certificates of award. One of them read, "Sino-Japanese Friendship and Cooperation Demonstration Unit."
There were also various other honors awarded by the local governnt.
Li Xu wasn’t in a hurry.
He watched them haggle.
After they had argued for a while longer and had basically settled on a price, Li Xu stepped forward. "Village Chief Ma, I’d also like to purchase that twenty-mu plot of Aconite. I’ll take it at the price you just agreed upon, 24 yuan per jin of fresh product, with processing fees calculated separately."
Every head in the room swiveled to look at the young man who had suddenly appeared.
Ma Jinhua looked Li Xu up and down, then asked with a frown, "Which company are you with?"
"I’m not a representative from a pharmaceutical company," Li Xu said. "I’m a traditional Chinese dicine doctor, and I need high-quality Aconite for my prescriptions. My requirents are that it must be the sa quality as the Aconite exported to Japan—it can’t be soaked in Daban Liquid. Whatever is dug up that day must be processed that day."
Hearing this, the representative from Japan looked up, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Ma Jinhua, however, burst out laughing. "Young man, our village has limited manpower. Where would we find the ti to do all that for you? Besides, we already have partnerships with these pharmaceutical companies. Even without signed contracts, we’ve sold to them for years. How much could one doctor possibly need?"
A few soft chuckles echoed through the eting room, and so people started shaking their heads.
Li Xu remained unperturbed. He had anticipated this kind of reaction.
"That twenty-mu plot of Aconite—I’ll take all of it."
"Still no."
Ma Jinhua’s refusal was swift and final.
Just as he had said, their village had always sold to the major pharmaceutical companies.
It was difficult for a stranger to cut in line.
"If you really want to buy Aconite, go to the market in town. I can recomnd a few stalls. The Aconite they sell is genuine, not just so passing goods," Ma Jinhua added.
Li Xu didn’t argue further. He cut straight to the point. "I ca to the village yesterday and saw a patient. A staff mber said it was your son. His nervous system was damaged due to Aconite poisoning, correct?"
Ma Jinhua froze, his expression suddenly turning ugly.
A few years ago, his son had been busy harvesting Aconite when he was tragically poisoned.
The fact that he had lost his mind was a painful scar for Ma Jinhua.
Few people ever dared to ntion it.
The representatives from the pharmaceutical companies were, of course, well aware of this.
They shot mocking looks at Li Xu. ’This kid has no filter. He’s definitely not getting any Aconite now.’
Ma Jinhua asked coldly, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Li Xu’s expression was calm. "I briefly observed the patient’s condition yesterday. A thick, white tongue coating and dilated pupils—these are both signs of internal obstruction from cold and dampness and damage to the Yang Qi after Aconite poisoning. He also mutters to himself and is delirious, which indicates that the toxic evil has already affected his heart-mind."
"Hmph. Nothing I haven’t heard before."
Ma Jinhua was unimpressed.
After his son was poisoned, he had consulted countless traditional and Western doctors.
He’d heard all sorts of diagnoses and had tried many dications, but nothing had worked.
He had beco numb to it all.
Li Xu wasn’t surprised.
This was a normal reaction for soone whose heart had died.
’The more hopeless he is now, the more shocked he’ll be when the treatnt shows results.’
"I have a dicine that specifically targets neurological damage. According to my treatnt plan, his symptoms will show significant improvent in seven days at most, and he can be mostly cured within a month."
As he spoke, Li Xu took out his phone and pulled up a few images to show Ma Jinhua.
There was his business license, as well as a letter of appointnt from the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese dicine.
"Huh? A special consultant for the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese dicine?"
As a factory director, Ma Jinhua was worldly and knowledgeable.
He knew that a hospital’s special consultants weren’t fakes; they had real skills.
’And so young, too?’
’Could it be that he’s actually the real deal?’
Li Xu continued, "A healer’s heart is benevolent. I would not joke about a patient’s health."
Ma Jinhua was silent for a mont before agreeing. "Fine. If your dicine is truly effective... even if it doesn’t cure him, as long as it alleviates the symptoms, I’ll make the decision to sell you that twenty-mu plot of Aconite."
The other pharmaceutical company representatives imdiately grew restless.
The woman with the black-frad glasses interjected, "Village Chief Ma, this kid is obviously trying to fool you! Aconite poisoning isn’t that easy to treat. Even the neurology experts at our corporation say this kind of damage is basically irreversible!"
Another middle-aged man in a suit added anxiously, "Village Chief Ma, you can’t just take dicine recklessly. What if it makes things worse?"
Ma Jinhua gave a bitter smile. "How much worse could it possibly get? Enough, everyone. Just let him try."
The representative from Japan said nothing throughout the entire exchange.
It was only when Li Xu took out a Calming Pill that he leaned in curiously.
"This is a Calming Pill I made based on an ancient formula. The main ingredient is Eight Hundred-Year-Old Purple Sandalwood Core Material, which has anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, and nerve-soothing properties. You can have Ma Rui try one dose first to see the effect."
Li Xu explained briefly.
"Eight Hundred-Year-Old Purple Sandalwood Core Material? Who are you trying to kid?"
"Exactly. Forget eight-hundred-year-old rosewood—it’s hard to find even hundred-year-old rosewood these days."
"This kid’s definitely a con artist."
The others all scoffed.
Even Ma Jinhua was beginning to have his doubts.
But after a mont’s thought, he still had soone bring his son out.
"Son," Ma Jinhua called out softly. "Dad brought a doctor to see you."
Ma Rui lifted his head. His eyes were unfocused, and drool trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He clapped his hands with a foolish grin. "Doctor... shot... ouchie..."
"No shots, just dicine."
Ma Jinhua soothed his son and had him sit down.
Li Xu gently took Ma Rui’s wrist to check his pulse.
The pulse was deep, slow, and weak, and his fingers were ice-cold.
He then examined Ma Rui’s tongue coating and pupils; the condition was exactly as he had diagnosed.
He had soone pour a glass of warm water.
He shook out ten rice-grain-sized Calming Pills.
Ma Jinhua coaxed Ma Rui into taking them.
Since it involved neurological damage, the effects naturally wouldn’t be imdiate.
The group went back to discussing the Aconite.
Ma Jinhua said, "Everyone, you can all head back for now. Our village is focusing on harvesting the Aconite today, processing it as we go. We’ll deal with the last twenty mu at the end. If my son’s condition improves, I’ll sell it to this Dr. Li. If his dicine is ineffective, we’ll stick to our earlier agreent: Nanyao Group made the highest bid, so it goes to Nanyao Group."
"Alright."
Seeing this, the group could only disperse.
The Nanyao Group representative, the woman with the black-frad glasses, wore a smug expression.
The Aconite harvest would last at least half a month.
She took her leave.
"Village Chief Ma, I’ll be back in half a month."
The woman with the black-frad glasses was already certain that her company would win the right to purchase the remaining twenty mu of Aconite.
Li Xu was speechless.
’Nearly 200 mu of high-quality Aconite, and 180 mu of it was already claid by the Japanese. Can’t you big companies show so backbone, offer more money, and actually focus on making good dicine? Why are you all fighting over scraps?’
...
The early morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the fields of Anchi Village were already bustling with activity.
At a command from Village Chief Ma Jinhua, more than two hundred villagers, wearing straw hats and gloves and holding special small hoes, ford neat rows in the fields.
Anchi Village’s annual Aconite harvest had officially begun.
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