Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 144: Halting the Purchase

In Feng City, it was a local custom for every household to hang mugwort for the Dragon Boat Festival, so there were always a lot of buyers.

Sales were always very good.

The mugwort itself cost next to nothing. It was either cultivated or harvested from the wild, so the only real expense was labor.

Selling them for just a few dimes a stalk was very profitable.

As soon as a stall was set up, many people would come to choose some to take back and hang on their doors to ward off evil spirits.

Some people could sell several hundred bunches in a single day.

Moreover, there was a saying about hanging mugwort: "three days before and four days after." This meant it could be hung during the three days leading up to the Dragon Boat Festival and the four days following it. All in all, this meant one could sell mugwort for eight days and make eight days’ worth of money.

Of course, business was best on the day of the festival itself.

It would drop off significantly after the Dragon Boat Festival.

It was a seasonal business. Though not long-lasting, it was a good way to make a bit of extra money. Because of this, some people cultivated mugwort in their own fields every year specifically to sell it during the Dragon Boat Festival.

After the season passed, the mugwort that was taken down didn’t need to be thrown away. It could be boiled in water for foot soaks and baths, and it also had medicinal value.

Li Xu recalled that he had also planted some mugwort on Tang Mountain a few months ago.

The last time he went, it was growing quite well.

"We have some on our land, no need to buy it."

Li Xu instructed, "Go to Tang Mountain tomorrow, cut some, and bring it back to hang by the door."

"No problem."

Song Sisi agreed readily. She loved going out; being cooped up in the clinic filling prescriptions every day was incredibly boring.

...

「The next morning.」

Li Xu checked his intelligence report as usual.

[Today’s Intelligence: America will soon impose additional tariffs on all categories of goods. Ginger will be affected. Additionally, rainfall has ceased in the southern ginger-producing regions. The market is pessimistic about the future price of ginger, triggering a sell-off by speculators. The price of ginger will plummet, expected to fall from 9.2 yuan/kg to 5.4 yuan/kg.]

"Uh..."

Li Xu didn’t know whether he should be happy or sad.

America was imposing additional tariffs on all goods, and as a citizen of the affected country, he should be angry and sad.

But since ginger was affected and its price would crash, he would also be a beneficiary.

"Whether I’m sad or happy doesn’t change the big picture. I can only adapt... go with the flow."

Li Xu composed himself.

He didn’t immediately tell Ding Kaifang about the situation.

He decided to first go check the quality of Chuanlong Pharmaceutical’s ginger.

...

Inside Chuanlong Pharmaceutical’s warehouse, Li Xu carefully inspected the batch of small yellow ginger from Yunnan.

He broke open a piece of ginger, brought it close to smell its aroma, and then used his fingernail to scrape away the skin and observe the color of the cross-section.

"This is indeed top-grade stuff," Li Xu nodded. "The gingerol content is high, and the oil cells are full. It’s excellent material for making medicine."

Liu Bohong’s face immediately broke into a wide smile. "Dr. Li certainly knows his stuff! We sourced this batch of ginger directly from its place of origin in Yunnan. You absolutely won’t find this quality anywhere else on the market."

Ding Kaifang breathed a sigh of relief. "Then we’ll just..."

"But the price is still too high." Li Xu’s tone suddenly shifted. "Three times the market price is unreasonable."

Liu Bohong’s smile froze on his face. "Dr. Li, you’re aware of the current market conditions..."

"Let’s go look elsewhere." Li Xu grabbed Ding Kaifang and made to leave.

Liu Bohong was displeased. "President Ding! I prioritized you out of respect for our relationship! The price of ginger is changing daily. You think it’s expensive today, but tomorrow you won’t be able to buy it at this price even if you want to!"

Ding Kaifang glanced hesitantly at Li Xu, but the latter shook his head firmly.

After walking out the gates of the Chuanlong Pharmaceutical Company, Ding Kaifang finally couldn’t help but ask, "Doctor Li, the quality of that ginger was indeed excellent. Why...?"

"President Ding," Li Xu lowered his voice, "from what I’ve observed, the international situation is unstable right now. The price of ginger is very likely to fluctuate. Why don’t we wait a few more days and see?"

Ding Kaifang looked astonished. "You study international affairs?"

Li Xu smiled without answering.

He couldn’t very well say he had a system notification telling him that America was about to impose additional tariffs, causing the price of ginger to plummet.

"Alright," Ding Kaifang said. Although he was skeptical, his trust in Li Xu made him decide to wait. "But we have to hurry. The production license for the True Martial Soup Pill has already been approved, and the production line is ready."

...

While Li Xu was at Chuanlong Pharmaceutical,

Song Sisi had gotten up bright and early.

She had deliberately put on a light green sun-protection shirt and a wide-brimmed straw hat.

She also grabbed a coil of hemp rope and a sickle from the clinic, looking for all the world like a young apprentice physician from the countryside heading out to gather herbs.

When she arrived at Tang Mountain by bus,

the morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, and dew dampened her sneakers.

She had been to this mountainous land belonging to Li Xu a few times, but she was amazed by the changes each time.

The medicinal herb seeds sown a few months ago had now grown into a vibrant, thriving patch.

"Wow, the mugwort is growing so well!" Song Sisi crouched down, stroking the plants whose leaves were covered in silvery-white fuzz on their undersides.

Unlike other delicate medicinal herbs, the mugwort required almost no special care and had already grown half a person tall, forming a dense, lush patch.

Humming a song, she began harvesting it with nimble, practiced movements.

As the sickle sliced through the stalks, a rich, herbaceous fragrance immediately filled the air.

The scent was unique—fresh yet with a hint of spiciness. Inhaling it for a while was invigorating.

Song Sisi had grown up in the countryside, after all, so doing this kind of work didn’t feel difficult. On the contrary, she enjoyed it.

"The boss was right, this is way better than what they sell at the market."

Song Sisi wiped the sweat from her brow, looking at the growing pile of mugwort on the ground.

She deliberately chose the ones with thick leaves and sturdy stalks, as that type of mugwort had the best medicinal properties.

Two hours later, Song Sisi had already tied up more than ten large bundles of mugwort.

"This should be enough."

But then Song Sisi started to worry.

’How am I going to get all this back? Take the bus? No, all this mugwort would take up half the bus. The driver would never let me on.’

’Call a delivery service? A single trip would cost at least tens of yuan, maybe even a hundred. How much could I even sell this mugwort for? It’s not worth the cost.’

Just then, she saw an old man on a three-wheeled vehicle on the road and hurriedly waved him down.

The old man stopped.

Song Sisi asked, "Sir, where are you headed?"

"To the city."

"Could you help me transport this mugwort? I’ll pay you."

"No problem."

The old man agreed readily.

When he saw the huge pile of mugwort on the ground, he was stunned. "Young lady, are you opening a pharmacy?"

"Oh no, our clinic grew this to hang by the door for the Dragon Boat Festival," Song Sisi answered proudly. "We plan to sell the rest. Oh, and Sir, please take some with you when you go."

She returned to the clinic before ten o’clock.

The clinic door was open, and Li Xu was already back.

Song Sisi directed the old man with the tricycle to unload the mugwort by the sidewalk, while she herself ran into the clinic to bring out a small table and a price sign she had prepared earlier.

"Mugwort, 5 yuan a bundle!" She wrote the advertisement on a small blackboard with colored chalk, even drawing a few cute mugwort leaves.