Chapter 347 - Enticing with Medicine

"He went to the prefectural capital a few days ago to procure supplies. He should be back any day now." The prefectural capital, in this case, meant Qiongshan County—seat of Qiongzhou Prefecture.

"Procuring supplies?" Liu San found this peculiar. The apothecary did mediocre business at best, with sluggish turnover. Shopkeeper Yang had mentioned just last time that they already had substantial inventory sitting in the storeroom.

"Indeed," Liu Benshan confirmed. "After your advice—that a proper apothecary needs authentic medicinal ingredients but should also distinguish itself with a few signature pills, powders, ointments, and elixirs—our shopkeeper mulled it over for days and decided you were right. He recently unearthed some old family prescriptions. We don't stock everything he needs, so he went to Qiongshan to compound the medicines."

Damn! Liu San thought. That had been an offhand remark, yet the shopkeeper had taken it to heart. If the man truly concocted some miraculous remedy and business boomed, the acquisition plan would go up in smoke. Liu San knew well that many century-old apothecaries in the Chinese medicine industry had built their fortunes on proprietary medicines—Leiyunshang's Six Spirit Pills and Mayinglong's eye ointment being classic examples.

He desperately wanted to ask about the prescription, but such inquiries were taboo. Feigning indifference, he asked Manager Liu how business had been lately.

"We're managing to stay open, at the very least," Liu Benshan replied with equanimity. "This year's actually been slightly better than last. Without pirates and bandits causing trouble, the roads and markets have settled down considerably. More people are coming to fill prescriptions. Even tonic medicines, which nobody used to buy, now have customers asking—that's what gave the shopkeeper this idea."

"People around here want tonics?" Generally speaking, those who took such medicines were either wealthy enough to afford these recreational indulgences or leisured enough to pursue them. Landlords who spent their days watching over tenant farmers in the fields had no interest in such things. Lingao County had few such people. Forget tonics—there wasn't a single high-class restaurant or brothel in the entire place, which showed precisely how low the local standard of consumption was.

"I was surprised too," Liu Benshan admitted. "Previously, those who bought restorative ointments were just a handful of gentlemen at the county seat and the elderly patriarchs of a few degree-holder families in the villages. You could count them on your fingers."

"And now? All locals?"

"All from this county. There's one—Master Lin. Doctor Liu might know him."

"Which Master Lin?" Liu San thought: I don't know any Master Lin.

"Lin Quan'an, the one who runs the goods depot at East Gate Market."

"Oh, him." Liu San certainly knew this Fujianese. Lin Quan'an had been the first to do business with the transmigrators, starting out as a peddler hawking vegetables from shoulder poles and handcarts. In just one year, he had rapidly grown into the owner of a considerable trading house with operations spanning the entire island, specializing in procurement for the transmigrator group. He had quite a substantial establishment at East Gate Market now. He must have made a tidy fortune—and once rich, people inevitably showed off. This was true in all times and places.

"And then there's Secretary Wang from the county yamen. Apparently he's recently taken a concubine."

Now that was news! Though Liu San was a modern man, he couldn't resist the gossip. "How can you tell?"

"He used to take tonics too, but just the usual prescriptions to supplement vital energy and dispel dampness," Liu Benshan explained. "This time he wanted ointments for strengthening the kidneys and boosting yang energy. Think about it, Doctor Liu—he's a man in his prime, years spent as a sojourner away from home with no outlet for his urges. Why would he suddenly need such things?"

"Sound reasoning! Sound reasoning!" Liu San considered this quite important intelligence. He wondered if the intelligence department had gotten wind of it. Though he couldn't see what connection Secretary Wang's concubine could have to the transmigrator group, keeping tabs on the opposition's movements was always prudent.

Just as they were talking, a commotion arose outside. Manager Liu hurried out to meet the arrival—none other than Shopkeeper Yang, returning from his procurement trip.

Shopkeeper Yang's full name was Yang Shixiang. In his early thirties, he had a fair complexion and wore three strands of fine whiskers. A refined and scholarly man, he wore a robe of substantial gauze silk. Though he had just come in from the blazing sun, not a hair was out of place. He appeared elegant and spirited.

"Doctor Liu!" Seeing Liu San in the shop, Yang Shixiang ignored the attendant coming forward to help him change and hastened over to clasp hands in greeting. The two exchanged customary pleasantries.

Though Yang Shixiang was the shopkeeper and owner of a rather modest apothecary, he retained the habits of a wealthy young gentleman. He first went inside to change clothes, then an attendant brought water for him to wash his face. Only after sipping a cup of tea were all these formalities finally completed. Liu San wanted to inquire about the procurement trip but didn't know how to broach the subject. Just as he hesitated, Manager Liu Benshan came in to report that the sedan-bearer fees had been paid, and to ask when the porters with the medicines would arrive.

"There won't be any porters," Yang Shixiang said, his expression dispirited. "The medicines I needed—none of the apothecaries I know in Qiongshan had them. There's no ginseng in all of Qiongzhou Prefecture, no pine nuts either. I'll have to go to the mainland to have any hope. But I don't have the ready cash!"

"If you really need it, perhaps try Foshan? Your late father's colleagues are there. Surely they could spare some ingredients?"

"If they were willing to help, would my father have had to come to this desolate backwater in the first place?" Shopkeeper Yang sighed. Manager Liu sighed along with him.

Liu San had heard Liu Benshan mention bits and pieces before. Yang Shixiang's father had been the son of a major apothecary owner in Foshan Town. Due to discord with his brothers, he had angrily relocated to Lingao. Though the two sides still exchanged courtesy visits for celebrations and mourning, there was little genuine affection between them. Asking them for help would likely prove futile.

Liu San deliberately pressed the matter. "Since you have relatives of the same clan there, surely they could lend at least some assistance?"

"Not just the same clan—the current owner and I are first cousins on our fathers' side. I still have several uncles and grand-uncles living. In terms of kinship, we couldn't be more closely related by blood. But the sentiment is merely average. If I wanted to borrow cheap goods, they'd probably nod along. What I need is Liaodong ginseng—right now it's worth its weight in gold. Going to negotiate would just waste travel money. Besides, they might not even have any!"

"Those troops in Liaodong are utterly useless!" Yang Shixiang couldn't help cursing. "Some 'Guanning Iron Cavalry'—they've been beaten into cowering turtles. Not only does the price of Liaodong ginseng, pine nuts, and amber rise every day, but there are shortages everywhere!"

At the words "Liaodong" and "Guanning Iron Cavalry," Liu San's ears perked up. Ginseng and pine nuts were products from beyond the pass. Now that the two sides were at war and goods from outside couldn't circulate, prices had naturally skyrocketed. Presumably goods from inside the pass weren't cheap in the Later Jin territories either—he wondered if the commerce department had thoughts about this.

However, hearing that the procurement had proved fruitless gave Liu San reassurance that his worries wouldn't come to pass. The acquisition of Runshitang showed promise. He already had a plan in mind for how to proceed. A young gentleman of noble lineage like Yang Shixiang would never admit defeat even in dire straits—approaching him directly about investment or acquisition would certainly fail. Fortunately, Liu San held other trump cards that could slowly entice him into compliance.

After some perfunctory conversation, Liu San took two small glass medicine vials from his satchel. These were empty 800,000-unit penicillin bottles he had specially requisitioned from Shi Niaoren. He used them to package his own medicines to enhance their prestige.

"Please have a look, Shopkeeper Yang."

Yang Shixiang saw the exquisitely crafted little glass bottles, his face showing amazement. He accepted them, examined them carefully, then studied the aluminum foil wrapped around the bottle openings before asking, "What are these?"

"Two prepared medicines I've formulated myself," Liu San said with complete confidence.

One bottle contained Zhuge Marching Powder, the other Plague-Repelling Powder. Both were standard summer medicines, with Zhuge Marching Powder being particularly efficacious. It had the function of opening the orifices, dispelling foulness, clearing summer heat, and neutralizing toxins. It could treat cholera, heatstroke, miasmic vapors, and various summer heat evils, as well as mouth sores and sore throat. Dissolving the powder in water and applying it to the eyes could eliminate wind-heat cataracts. Placing a small amount in the nasal cavity could prevent heatstroke and ward off pestilence. In a place like Lingao with hot summers and muggy, humid conditions, it was especially appropriate.

Plague-Repelling Powder was similar but far less potent. It was merely for cooling and refreshing effects—created by Changchuntang in the late Qing as an inexpensive summer remedy. Because it was cheap, it sold extremely well.

The raw materials for both medicines, aside from expensive ingredients like musk, pearls, and gold leaf used in Marching Powder, were mostly common medicinal herbs that were easy to obtain. Most of what Liu San had compounded came from purchases at Runshitang, with a few—mainly aromatic spices—coming from confiscated goods from Gou Family Manor.

Liu San explained the miraculous uses of both medicines in detail. Based on his limited knowledge of Chinese medicine history, Plague-Repelling Powder definitely didn't exist in 1629. Even Zhuge Marching Powder had only been compiled and published in the Qing dynasty's Compilation of Extraordinary Prescriptions. He estimated the formula might have existed during the Ming, but few knew of it, and certainly no one had made it a commercial product. Otherwise, in a place like Lingao, these would be excellent sellers. Since the raw materials weren't particularly rare or hard to find, Shopkeeper Yang—with his medical and pharmaceutical expertise—should have known how to make them if he knew the formula.

Of course, Liu San wasn't about to reveal these details. He simply said these were two special summer medicines formulated in Australia. Seeing that Lingao's climate was muggy and humid, and that common people suffered greatly from summer heat evils, he had conceived the idea of compounding and selling them locally—a way of saving the world and succoring the people.

Hearing Liu San describe these medicines as so miraculous, Yang Shixiang was somewhat skeptical. However, the bottles alone looked like they were worth a fortune, so the medicines probably weren't too shabby either. With Liu San's permission, he sprinkled a little Plague-Repelling Powder onto the back of his hand and inhaled. Immediately, an expression of pleasure spread across his face.

"Wonderful!" Yang Shixiang praised. "It clears the head and refreshes the mind—truly gives one a sensation of coolness throughout the body."

"You flatter me. In Australia, with its hot climate, Plague-Repelling Powder sells tens of thousands of bottles annually..."

"Tens of thousands of bottles? That many!" Yang Shixiang exclaimed in astonishment. "Australia must truly be a land of abundance and prosperity!"

Liu San thought this had nothing to do with Australia—the key was that this era lacked the concept. During the Republican era, despite wars and chaos, Changchuntang still managed to sell 2.5 million boxes a year.

Yang Shixiang sniffed the Zhuge Marching Powder and pondered for a moment. "The two formulas are quite similar, both using borneol and cinnabar. The Plague-Repelling Powder seems to emphasize aromatics more heavily—menthol, sandalwood, and such. Its medicinal efficacy should be inferior to the Marching Powder."

Liu San secretly admired him. To identify the main components of the formulas from a single sniff—this Shopkeeper Yang truly had real expertise.

"Shopkeeper Yang, you are most perceptive! You've seen right through to the heart of the matter. I'll be frank: the Plague-Repelling Powder is indeed intentionally cheap, so even poor common folk can afford it." Liu San's actual thinking was a "high-low combination" strategy.

Yang Shixiang nodded repeatedly, praising Liu San for his benevolent spirit of healing the world. Liu San seized the opportunity to propose a cooperation: he would provide the formulas, and Runshitang would handle compounding and sales.

"Certainly, certainly." Yang Shixiang had long wanted to develop several inexpensive but effective prepared medicines for sale, but couldn't find suitable formulas. Medical texts contained hundreds if not thousands of ancient prescriptions, but one generally didn't dare use them casually—who knew whether they would actually work? Unlike large apothecaries with substantial capital that could afford continuous experimentation, Runshitang had to be certain before acting.

Liu San's willingness to share his powder formulas for cooperation was exactly what Yang Shixiang hoped for. The two immediately reached an agreement.

Seeing his willingness, Liu San took two prescription sheets from his pocket, listing in detail the ingredients, dosages, and compounding processes for both powders.

Yet Yang Shixiang refused to accept them, waving his hands repeatedly. "Absolutely not! These are your formulas, Doctor Liu. How could I simply take them? I couldn't bear the responsibility."

"Without the formulas, how would the shop assistants know how to compound and dispense the medicines?" Liu San was puzzled.

Yang Shixiang explained his thinking: Liu San's secret formulas would of course be used, but rather than asking him to disclose the prescriptions, they would have him personally prepare and compound the medicines. Runshitang would only handle preparation of ingredients and subsequent processing. Which ingredients served as sovereign, minister, assistant, and courier, the exact amounts, the preparation methods—only he himself would know. This way the formulas wouldn't be leaked.

Liu San thought this Shopkeeper Yang was truly honest and considerate of others—a man of principle and virtue. However, these formulas weren't particularly precious. Doing everything himself would be time-consuming and laborious. Better to be generous and let Runshitang handle everything. Liu San was extremely confident these prepared medicines would find their market. At the same time, this would test Runshitang's character. He had quite a few prepared medicine formulas in hand. If this establishment proved reliable, they could collaborate more deeply in the future; if not, he would only lose two formulas at most.

"Shopkeeper Yang, you're overthinking this," Liu San said. "I'm a sojourner here, already too busy with daily consultations to have spare energy for compounding medicines. Runshitang's reputation and your personal integrity speak for themselves—why would I have any doubts? When doing business together, everyone must be of one mind. All this mutual suspicion would be tiresome."

"This doesn't seem quite proper." Yang Shixiang still hesitated.

"It's fine. If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have come to discuss this today."

With things put this way, Yang Shixiang could no longer refuse. He accepted the prescriptions and glanced at the formulas.

"Musk, borneol, gold leaf—we don't have these in stock. No pearls either. And many of the aromatic spices..." Yang Shixiang trailed off. "I'll need to go to Qiongshan County again to procure these ingredients—though even Qiongshan might not have everything." He frowned, counting on his fingers, then asked cautiously, "How many doses should be prepared for the first batch?"