"Yes! The trucks are full now, and we've already left Anguo," his subordinate replied.
"I...I've been tricked!" Li Quan suddenly realized something, then understood, and cold sweat broke out on his brow.
Then, the phone on the table rang.
"Boss, I found that deputy factory manager. When he heard I was going to give him 200,000 yuan, he was so happy he didn't even want to work anymore. He immediately came out to see me and said that their pharmaceutical factory was about to go bankrupt, and there was no way they had 60 tons of gastrodia elata in stock to sell on the market. Their pharmaceutical factory was contracted out to Tianyitang half a month ago, but they didn't take over production. Instead, they wanted to use the people at this pharmaceutical factory to create this false information and put it on the market. As you suspected, boss, it's a trick played by Tianyitang. The March Street procurement operation was a conspiracy from the beginning, and the ultimate goal was to drive down the price of our stock." The man's voice came from the phone.
"Too late! It's all too late! We just finished shipping the goods ten minutes ago. Tianyitang's procurement scheme has completely succeeded. What a grand scheme! They'd rather lose millions at the Dali March Market than let us get caught up in this mess. Tianyitang is full of hidden talents; not only are their medical skills superb, but they've also mastered this business war, playing a game of deception with unparalleled skill! And they didn't give me even a fraction of a second, not even twenty minutes later! Even if it had been loaded onto the truck, I could have easily unloaded it and refused to sell it. These 50 tons of Gastrodia elata are essentially goods we acquired on behalf of Tianyitang last year and stored for them free of charge for over half a year. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!" Li Quan sighed, slumping onto the sofa.
Song Hao woke up around 3 PM. After washing up, he opened the door to his room. A fragrant floral scent wafted towards him, revealing a large bouquet of flowers. Behind the flowers was Tang Yu's smiling face. Outside the door stood over thirty members of the Tianyi Hall, including Zhao Lida, A Long, and Li Xin.
"On behalf of everyone, I would like to present flowers to General Manager Song on behalf of the purchasing department of Tianyitang!" Tang Yu said with a smile.
"Oh! Thank you everyone! It seems the Anguo side has successfully completed the transaction as well." Song Hao happily accepted the flowers. A round of applause erupted outside the door.
"We bought all 50 tons, and at a low price of 78 yuan per kilogram," Tang Yu said with a smile.
"78! Who's so creative! It's 2 yuan lower than what I set! It forced Li Quan to make the deal, even though he was extremely unwilling." Song Hao laughed, quite surprised.
“Wang Jin from the Anguo District of the Purchasing Department,” Zhao Lida replied from the side.
“Good! Wang Jin did a great job on the spot. Saving 100,000 yuan on 50 tons will be a bonus for him. In addition, everyone involved in this procurement will receive a substantial reward,” Song Hao said.
As soon as he finished speaking, another round of applause rang out from outside the door.
"President Song! You're brilliant!" Zhao Lida exclaimed excitedly. "If we had gone through with the normal purchasing process, the price of Gastrodia elata would have skyrocketed as soon as the news broke. Those 120 tons of Gastrodia elata hoarded by pharmaceutical companies would have cost at least 22 million, but we managed to acquire them all for just over 10 million. Although we lost 3.7 million by buying high and selling low at March Street, we still saved 7 or 8 million overall. It's a miracle! To create such a purchasing miracle under these special circumstances! Only someone with President Song's fearless courage could have done that."
"President Song! This grand gesture is truly eye-opening! President Tang has already told us everything. It turns out that President Song has also set up ambushes in several other places, not just here on March Street. It's like a net that can't be opened!" Li Xin said with admiration.
"Speed is of the essence in war, and so is surprise! It's simply a matter of addressing the root cause," Song Hao said with a smile.
Afterwards, Zhao Lida, Along, Li Xin and a few others stayed behind, while the others dispersed.
Li Xin reported, "President Song, we've basically sold off all the Gastrodia elata we bought here in March Street. Although we stopped immediately after learning that Anguo had succeeded, we only have a little over two tons left. Adding to that the loose stock transported from all over the country, over 80% has been snapped up by other pharmaceutical companies. Major medicinal herb markets have no large inventories left. Before the new crop arrives, the price per kilogram will likely rise to three or four hundred yuan. Now, it's widely rumored among farmers everywhere, 'To get rich, grow Gastrodia elata!' We estimate that the overall price will only decrease when the new crop hits the market next year."
Song Hao nodded and said, "Although we have achieved complete success this time, this method can only be used once. We cannot repeat the same plan, and there will never be another opportunity like this. Furthermore, Gastrodia elata will be a staple product for our Tianyitang Pharmaceutical Company in the future. Therefore, for the long term, Tianyitang needs to establish a dedicated Gastrodia elata cultivation base to reduce costs and address future needs. We will study this matter after we return to Tianyitang and then implement it within the year."
Zhao Lida, A Long, Li Xin and others nodded in approval after hearing this.
Song Hao personally oversaw the nationwide Gastrodia elata procurement campaign at the Dali March Market, earning the attention of pharmaceutical merchants across the country to Tianyitang. Although Li Quan, Zhang Zhifa, and Liu Shun had engaged in hoarding and speculation, they didn't profit significantly from Tianyitang's unusual procurement efforts; they were essentially acting as agents for Tianyitang, purchasing at bargain prices. However, this didn't become a laughingstock among the merchants, because Tianyitang had invested heavily and meticulously in this procurement operation. Anyone in their position would have been drawn in; there was no reason for ridicule, only admiration. After this success, Li Quan became somewhat disillusioned and withdrew from the medicinal herb market a year later, switching to other businesses.
Song Hao and Tang Yu then concluded their trip to Dali and returned to the Kunming office of Tianyitang, intending to continue their search for Shi Tingchuan's family in Kunming. After staying for more than half a month, despite the best efforts of Zhao Lida and others, they still found nothing.
That day, Tang Yu took Song Hao to Dianchi Lake alone to relax and unwind, without any of the office staff accompanying them. Song Hao was preoccupied, and despite the beautiful scenery, he lost all interest. He sat to the side, gazing blankly at the shimmering, emerald-green waters of this "Pearl of the Plateau." Tang Yu shook her head helplessly. She knew Song Hao was engrossed in the eighty-six volumes of the ancient medical text, *Lingtai Midian*, and that failing to find it would be the greatest regret of his life. Finding it would be a major discovery not only for the medical community but also for the history of human medicine and culture. It would also be a revolutionary change for the Tianyi Hall and the entire field of traditional Chinese medicine.
Just then, Song Hao's phone rang. When he answered, Ah Long's excited voice came through: "Mr. Song, we have news about Shi Tingchuan's family!"
"What! We've found Shi Tingchuan's family!" Song Hao stood up abruptly, overjoyed.
Upon hearing this, Tang Yu exclaimed excitedly, "That's wonderful!"
"It's unbelievable! Shi Tingchuan's son, Shi Yun, works at our Tianyitang Kunming office! He was with us at the March Market a few days ago, buying up Gastrodia elata. This morning, Director Zhao sent Shi Yun and me to Chuxiong on business. While we were chatting in the car, Shi Yun casually mentioned that his family moved from Dali to Kunming, making him my fellow townsman. I casually asked him what his father's name was. Shi Yun said it was Shi Tingchuan. I was so surprised I almost drove off the road. I then told Shi Yun that President Song and President Tang's trip to Yunnan was to find the Shi family. The March Market Gastrodia elata purchasing event was an unexpected event that President Song encountered and intervened in."
"What a coincidence! You all go back to the office right away, and we'll head back right away too," Song Hao said happily.
“We’re on our way back. I just told Director Zhao about this, and he told us to come back as soon as possible. He’s assigned someone else to handle the matter in Chuxiong,” A-Long said.
Thirty-five willows are dark and flowers are bright
After finishing his call with Ah Long, Song Hao shook his head and exclaimed, "The world is truly full of wonders! The family of Shi Tingchuan, whom we've been searching for so long, works at our Tianyitang clinic. Shi Tingchuan's son, Shi Yun, is actually a staff member at the Kunming office. We've been looking for him everywhere, and now he's right here in our office! We're heading back to the office right now."
"This is heaven helping us!" Tang Yu exclaimed in delight.
The two then took a car back to Kunming.
When they returned to the office, Ah Long and Shi Yun hadn't arrived yet. Zhao Lida excitedly greeted them, laughing, "Ah Long has already informed General Manager Song and General Manager Tang, hasn't he? We didn't expect all our efforts these past few days to be wasted. Shi Yun works right next to us, yet we've been searching everywhere for him. We never imagined he was Shi Tingchuan's son! This was a mistake on my part; I didn't include Shi Yun in the task of finding Shi Tingchuan's family. Otherwise, he would have already revealed his identity. He doesn't know this yet."
"This is something no one could have predicted. Ah Long said that Shi Yun also participated in the Gastrodia elata procurement battle in March Street. Which one is it?" Song Hao asked.
“I’ve met President Song a few times, but there were too many people at the time, so President Song might not remember him. Once Shi Yun comes back, he’ll know who it is,” Zhao Lida said with a smile.
Accompanied by Zhao Lida, Song Hao and Tang Yu sat in the hall waiting for A Long and Shi Yun to return.
An hour later, Ah Long and a thin, dark-skinned young man walked in. That man must be Shi Yun; he was indeed the purchasing agent from Tianyitang's Kunming office whom we had met on March Street.
"President Song, Ah Long told me you were looking for me," Shi Yun said respectfully, standing there.
"It must be Shi Yun! I didn't expect that after looking for you for so long, you actually work in the office. I only found out today." Song Hao stood up to greet him and invited Shi Yun to sit down.
Then he said, "Your father's name is Shi Tingchuan. He used to collect herbs in Cangshan. Later, your family moved to Dali, and it must have been in recent years that you moved to Kunming."
“Yes,” Shi Yun replied. “I heard from A Long that President Song and President Tang came to Yunnan specifically to find my father. But my father passed away six years ago.”
“We learned of your father’s unfortunate passing a few days ago. Now we would like to learn some things through you, or rather, your mother,” Song Hao said.
Shi Yun lowered his head, sighed, and said, "My mother passed away from illness two years ago. Now, only my younger sister, who is in college, and I live at home. But Mr. Song, please tell me what's on your mind. If I know anything, I will tell you everything I know."
"Oh! You two siblings have really had a tough time!" Song Hao said with emotion, "Here's what happened. We found a record about your father, Mr. Shi Tingchuan, in some documents. He unintentionally collected a batch of ancient medical books, and we want to know their current whereabouts. Tianyitang is prepared to purchase them at a high price. These ancient medical books are of great significance not only to Tianyitang but also to the development of traditional Chinese medicine."
"Ancient medical books!?" Shi Yun asked blankly, "I've never heard my father mention collecting ancient medical books! I've never seen any at home before, at least not in my memory. We've moved twice, and I haven't found any old books or manuscripts."
"Then, did your mother ever mention this to you before she passed away? Your mother should have known about this before she died. Or perhaps she left you some message?" Song Hao hurriedly asked again.
Shi Yun shook his head and said, "No, my mother moved to Dali City with my siblings and me three years ago. Because my sister was studying in Kunming and I was working in Kunming, we moved the family there. Perhaps it was because she couldn't adapt to the new environment, but my mother fell ill and passed away just one year after we moved to Kunming. When she passed away, she didn't leave any special instructions, she just asked me to take good care of my sister."
"I see!" Song Hao couldn't help but feel a little disappointed upon hearing this.
"Shi Yun!" Tang Yu said at this moment, "Is the old house where your family used to live still there?"