Lin Yao's maternal grandfather was not in good health. Although he was a highly skilled doctor, he had not paid attention to his health for many years and devoted himself to his work. As a result, he was not like other doctors who were still vigorous and venerable in their old age.
It was as if a theorem of the world had come into play: men never live as long or as healthy as women when they get old. Lin Yao's maternal grandmother was in excellent health. If it weren't for her maternal grandfather's burden, she would have wanted to travel around the world. She had mentioned it more than once, and each time she would complain to her husband, but she never really wanted to leave him behind and travel alone.
"No need for that. Your grandparents are coming to Chengdu in a few days, so make sure you behave well then. If it weren't for your grandparents taking care of you, you would have died when you were little. You were as skinny as a monkey back then, and your cousin always called you 'monkey.'" Luo Jimin looked at the ornament in his hand speechlessly, frowning as if he wanted to throw it away, but he was also reluctant to part with it.
The ornament in his hand was an anklet. This exquisitely crafted anklet was made of a sturdy red rope woven into a loop, with a small round plaque made of some unknown metal material hanging from it. It was about 0.8 centimeters thick and the pure black metal plaque was engraved with simple and elegant patterns. It looked very beautiful, but Luo Jimin felt somewhat repulsed because it was an anklet.
"Why are you frowning? It's all thanks to our son's filial piety that he made this. Hurry up and hang it on your ankle." After admiring the pair of earrings, Lin Hongmei glanced at her husband with great satisfaction, placed the jewelry box on the desk, picked up her own anklet, and hung it on her ankle. She even gestured from side to side to see which position the round pendant would look best.
“Dad, don’t worry about it. I know you don’t like wearing jewelry around your neck, and bracelets are even less suitable, so I got you an anklet. It’s perfect to hide in your socks, so no one can tell from the outside.” Lin Yao smiled. His father’s troubled expression made him feel as if he had returned to the past, when he looked just like this whenever he couldn’t buy life-saving medicine.
“Some pills aren’t waterproof, so Uncle Yi made a round device. This thing won’t get wet even when submerged in water, and it’s very convenient to use. Just twist it to open, and you can take out the medicine anytime.” Lin Yao instructed again, “You must remember the color of each pill so you don’t get them mixed up. Also, this is for saving your lives, so don’t give it to just anyone. You must remember that.”
Luo Jimin knew his son meant well, so he didn't hesitate any longer. He put the anklet on his right foot and covered it with a white cotton sock, but the bulge made people uncomfortable, as if his ankle was deformed.
He stood up and walked around the room, then stomped his feet to adjust to the discomfort in his ankle. After sitting down, Luo Jimin started reading documents and ignored Lin Yao. He was busy with work these days, often working late into the night, but his energy and spirits had improved a lot.
Lin Hongmei held the two exquisite earrings with great affection. The platinum lotus-shaped base held two crystal-clear pink round beads called "Life-Giving Pills" in the center. The cool silver-white and soft pink light reflected each other, creating a particularly harmonious and beautiful effect.
"These earrings are nice, very pretty." Lin Hongmei was almost reluctant to wear them on her earlobes. Jewelry is something you wear for others to see, but you rarely have the chance to appreciate it yourself.
"Mom, you'll look even more beautiful in this, it suits you perfectly." Lin Yao's flattery poured out without restraint. He thought to himself, of course it's good. This was specially designed by a famous designer hired by Yi Yang, and then crafted by a master jeweler in Hong Kong. Its artistic value is certainly not low.
"Sheng Sheng Dan" is insoluble in water. This is a very special pill, which is the most expensive besides "Tian Xiang Xu Gu Dan". Neither water nor solvents such as alcohol can change it, but it melts in the mouth. Perhaps this is the explanation of the magical effect of body fluids in traditional Chinese medicine. No wonder people like to eat bird's nest. It seems that the saliva of those birds also has a miraculous effect.
"Yao'er." Lin Hongmei put the earrings on her earlobes, not even bothering to look in the mirror. She walked behind Lin Yao, leaned on his back, and hugged his neck, their faces close together like siblings. "When are you planning to go to Beijing to work? Do you really have to do those kinds of jobs? Isn't it better to stay in Chengdu?"
"Let's wait a while." Lin Yao enjoyed the warmth, feeling the heat on his face, and felt happiness fill his heart. "I also want to experience the life of an ordinary person. Anyway, Beijing is not far from Chengdu, it only takes a few hours to get there, and I can come back on the weekend."
"Oh, right, Ah Long has returned to China. Now he's an overseas Chinese, and he's started a company and a pharmaceutical factory. His medicine will be sold alongside ours." Lin Yao remembered something and immediately told his mother the good news.
"Ah Long is back? That's great. That kid is a good person; he was your only good friend before." Luo Jimin was clearly not serious about his work. Holding the documents, he turned around to face the mother and son. "Your mother used to say she wanted to adopt him as her godson, but she didn't know what taboos those ethnic minorities had, so she never said anything."
"He'll definitely be willing to recognize you as his godparents." Lin Yao laughed, but then he thought that if he really recognized his godson, wouldn't he have to call that guy "brother"? He's not like a brother at all. Apart from protecting him in fights, he's more like his younger brother, playful, active, and mischievous.
"He told me to call him godmother as soon as he came back," Lin Hongmei said with a smile, her warm breath tickling Lin Yao's ears. This kind of family warmth had been much less common lately; everyone had been too busy.
“Yao’er, you’re coming to the party with us tonight. You should meet people. Mayor Duan asked you about you a few days ago. Do you know him?” Lin Hongmei pinched Lin Yao’s face with some dissatisfaction. “Don’t wear makeup all the time. You don’t look good at all. You look sloppy. My Yao’er is actually very handsome, even more handsome than you.”
Luo Jimin glared at his wife, a little annoyed and jealous. "Yao'er, don't make yourself look like this. You really do look bad. If we take you out, people will think your mother and I are abusing you and not letting you eat. You look like a disaster victim."
"There's nothing I can do about it. At most, I can fix my hair, but I can't take off my disguise." Lin Yao said helplessly. "You don't want me to only treat people for free in the future, do you? Minhong's funds are tight. This time, I owe Uncle Yi and the others 300 million. If I don't treat patients and collect money, there's really no way to fill this hole."
"Three hundred million?!" Lin Hongmei stood up straight abruptly, then pushed Lin Yao's shoulder hard, causing him to fall forward until his head almost hit his knees.
"How can you owe so much money? Isn't this a joint venture between two companies? Why is there so much investment?" Lin Hongmei was shocked. She now only had less than 100 million yuan left. Buying land and equipment had emptied her savings, and the new factory would require a lot more money to complete. This was not the end of the matter, and now she was burdened with debt. How could she not be nervous?
"It's a collaboration, but is there any profit involved? Do you really expect them to put up money to jointly open a nationwide chain of hospitals and clinics?" Lin Yao concealed some things and carefully explained to his parents, "Just think of it as borrowing money from them, there's no rush to pay it back."
Lin Hongmei remained silent; she was well aware of Lin Yao's intention to establish a nationwide network of outlets. The approval process for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is extremely complex, unlike Western medicine, which has simpler ingredients and single-effect treatments and can provide detailed pharmacological reports and clinical trials. To promote Minhong's TCM nationwide, they had to rely on their own hospitals and clinics; otherwise, they would be manufacturing and selling illegal drugs.
“I support Yao’er’s decision.” Luo Jimin stood up, walked to Lin Yao’s side, and gripped Lin Yao’s left shoulder tightly with his right hand. “Unless Minhong only produces some ineffective, mass-produced medicines, then we should adopt Yao’er’s strategy and establish our own hospitals and clinics across the country. The approval process for traditional Chinese medicine is extremely long; even after six or seven years, we may not be able to obtain the necessary permits. Yao’er has provided dozens of prescriptions. Hongmei, you don’t want to wait until we’re old for these prescriptions to take effect, do you? Only Yao’er’s method can benefit patients the fastest.”
Lin Hongmei gave her husband a seductive glance, which made Luo Jimin shudder. "I know that too, but I feel that the debt is too high and the company could go bankrupt and be liquidated at any time."
"Mom, you're really a money-making machine now, every word you say is about your profession." Lin Yao turned his head with a smile, "It's okay, don't forget we still have 'Lin Yidao' at home. This time I'm going to rip off the foreigners. There are too many rich foreigners, I'm not afraid of these debts."
When the topic of money came up, Lin Hongmei's eyes lit up. She leaned closer to Lin Yao again, her face beaming with a smile, "Yao'er, how are you planning to rip off these foreigners? Don't be soft-hearted, you have to be at least a bit more ruthless than you are to your fellow countrymen. Your mother is short of money."
“Settle in US dollars or euros, at least five million per patient, in US dollars.” As soon as Lin Yao finished speaking, Lin Hongmei grabbed his head and kissed him on the cheek.
Luo Jimin looked at the mother and son who were obsessed with money and was speechless. He shook his head and said with a smile, "Yao'er, you need to hurry. Your Uncle Wen's equipment order needs to be settled in US dollars. Your mother has been running around to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange these past few days and her legs are almost broken."
"It's not that exaggerated, don't listen to your dad." Lin Hongmei glared at her husband. "I just had no experience with this before, and I wasn't familiar with some of the necessary documents and procedures, so I had to make a few extra trips. But it would be even better if our family had foreign exchange reserves. Yao'er, you have to work harder and rip off those foreigners."
While Lin Yao was speechless, Luo Jimin moved a chair to face him and looked at him seriously, "Yao'er, tell me, why are there three different prices for drugs in the future? Isn't that a bit unfair?"
Luo Jimin was concerned about the pricing system in Lin Yao's business plan, which mentioned that many hospitals and clinics across the country would charge patients according to their level of care.
All patients must register for treatment using their real names and are required to provide their second-generation ID cards for verification. Nowadays, contactless card readers with built-in chips on second-generation ID cards are very common. This verification is very convenient. Just hold the ID card about one centimeter above the card reader to quickly read the chip information, including all the content on the ID card and a small photo of the head of household, so that staff can verify the patient's appearance.
Lin Yao's plan also included getting in touch with the public security household registration management department to verify the identity of the individuals. However, this plan has not yet been implemented, as obtaining the support of the public security household registration management department is still very difficult.
In the plan, Minhong Pharmaceutical's hospitals and clinics across the country will only serve registered members. Membership is divided into three levels: Level 1 is for ordinary users, who pay high fees; Level 2 is for ordinary users, who pay one-tenth of the fees for Level 1 users; and Level 3 users, named "Premium Users" by Lin Yao, signifying people with excellent qualities, will only pay one-tenth of the fees for Level 2 users.
The database system commissioned by Gou Xiaogou included a special interface for patient level identification. Newly registered users are all Level 3 users, enjoying the lowest-priced services. Afterwards, online reporting and verification are required. Any patient reported for violating traditional Chinese virtues will have their user level adjusted accordingly; Level 3 users will be downgraded to Level 2 or even Level 1 users, using price leverage to remove these individuals from Minhong's service system.
The draft guidelines for reporting misconduct have been released, and they cover several key aspects. Those who are disrespectful to their parents will be immediately classified as Level 1 users, as will those who neglect their children. Other individuals who commit crimes will also be directly classified as Level 1 users, unless they are reformed. It's worth noting that all whistleblowers must be registered users with their real names; anonymous reports will not be accepted.
Some businessmen and officials who harm the interests of the people are also excluded from Minhong Pharmaceutical's service system; such people are even directly blacklisted by the system. Of course, this kind of verification work is very complicated. Lin Yao's plan is to arrange special personnel to go to the local area to investigate and verify, based on the people's word of mouth, relying on an old saying: "The people's eyes are discerning."
“Yao’er, your proposal is very good, but this policy of classifying patients and charging them so differently makes no sense.” When Luo Jimin was serious, Lin Hongmei consciously didn’t disturb him and moved a chair to sit next to him.
“Doctors should have the heart of parents. All patients should be treated equally. We can’t judge them by their status or their behavior. These things are naturally governed by national laws and regulations. We run hospitals and pharmaceutical factories, so we can’t interfere so much.” Luo Jimin’s brows furrowed more and more. He really couldn’t understand why his son was so extreme, wanting to reverse the moral standards of the entire society.
“Dad.” Lin Yao lowered his eyes and thought for a moment before continuing, “I understand what you mean. I also know that this system is thankless and will not only offend people, but also consume a lot of manpower, material resources and funds to implement. But that’s what I think. That’s what I want to do.”
"Look at what society has become! When you see a pickpocket on the street, how many people will stand up for them? When you see the weak being bullied, the vast majority of people will turn a blind eye and protect themselves; neglecting the elderly and abandoning their children are becoming more and more common; as for those businessmen and officials who bully ordinary people because they are rich and powerful, they make people want to stab them with a knife."
“I know that Minhong’s capabilities are limited. This system is merely to promote and advocate the fine traditions of the Chinese nation, so that everyone is aware of the situation and will think about how such people would be despised when faced with certain situations. At least we at Minhong do not welcome such people.”
“In ancient times, failing to support one’s elderly parents was a grave sin, even considered one of the ‘ten unpardonable crimes’ and severely punished. But now? The only solution is for the elderly to sue in court, and even if they win, it’s difficult to enforce the judgment because the children don’t pay. The court can’t do anything about it, and freezing the children’s assets is very difficult to do because the courts are too busy.”
"I have no other intention than to make a statement: we will absolutely not help these kinds of people, even if they die from their illness. We will not provide them with any treatment. Just like the VIP system of many businesses and clubs, we offer discounts to good customers and do not accept bad customers. Medical institutions are also a service department, so we will operate in this way. As for what difficulties we may encounter in the process, we will solve them later. At least we are making a statement and encouraging everyone to do good."
“Ji Min, Yao’er’s words make sense. Let him do it. If it doesn’t work out, we can fix it.” Lin Hongmei looked at her husband and said gently, “Anyway, we don’t plan to make much profit. The fees for level 3 users are calculated based on cost expenditure. We’ll make some money from level 2 and level 1 users. I think patients will understand this after experiencing the efficacy of Min Hong’s medicine.”
"Whether the procedure is successful or not is another matter. At worst, all the patients will be classified as level three. We're not afraid of lawsuits, as long as they're not afraid of ruining their reputation. These bad people actually care about their reputation too." Lin Hongmei smiled, her expression full of contempt.