Du Heng grinned and whispered a name into Liao Quansheng's ear.

Liao Quansheng immediately looked like a startled rabbit, his eyes wide as he asked Du Heng, "Are you serious?"

Du Heng chuckled. "Of course. Do you still dare to go?"

Liao Quansheng quickly shook his head like a rattle drum. "Alright, quickly tell me why you wanted to meet. Why did it have to be in person?"

Once the joking was over, Du Heng clarified his purpose for the meeting, relaying Dong Yuezhang's instructions.

Upon hearing this, Liao Quansheng immediately looked troubled, his hand reaching for his chin. After a long pause, he slowly said, "If Dong thinks he can stimulate economic development centered around the Health Clinic, he's dreaming. That statement alone shows Dong is still a novice in economic matters and needs more practice.

"With the Health Clinic's meager resources, forget about driving the entire township's economy. Even if it became a nationally renowned Class A hospital, at best, it would only slightly boost the income of nearby restaurants and accommodations.

"I think he's desperately trying anything. You need to set him straight."

Du Heng sighed as well. "I pointed that out to him too. No matter how much the Health Clinic develops, even if it became as prominent as the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, its impact on Central Lake as a whole would still be a drop in the bucket.

"Furthermore, he seems to have overlooked one crucial point. Using traditional Chinese medicine isn't as simple as digging herbs out of the ground and sending them straight to the hospital.

"Selection, preparation, processing, and approval from the relevant departments—it's all very complicated."

"That's why I said he's still green," Liao Quansheng muttered, pursing his lips.

"Don't put it that way. Dong is just trying to bring about change in Central Lake and is gradually coming up with ideas," Du Heng quickly defended Dong Yuezhang.

However, Liao Quansheng disregarded this defense and continued, "This idea of his, if he wants to count it as one of his work achievements, that's perfectly fine. As long as you, Du, can achieve a major turnaround for the Zhonghu Health Center within two years, Dong's future will be bright.

"If he's hoping this will improve the local economy and people's livelihoods, then he's seriously misjudged.

"That's why I don't think this is Dong's real intention. He probably wants you to act as a go-between with me, using your good relationship with me on his behalf. Otherwise, it would be too demeaning for someone of his prominent family background to ask me directly."

Du Heng paused. Was that the case? Between him and Dong Yuezhang, there shouldn't be a need for such formality, right?

But thinking about Dong Yuezhang and Liao Quansheng's relationship back in school, Du Heng thought it was quite possible.

Although they never had direct conflicts in school, one was a Third Generation Official from a political family, and the other was a rich second-generation heir to a family business. They had their fair share of subtle rivalries and veiled jabs at each other.

Du Heng didn't dwell on these things and said directly, "Oh, cut the crap. I suggested to Dong that we discuss with you whether we could start cultivating traditional Chinese medicinal materials in Central Lake. It could help the local farmers increase their income. What do you think? Is it feasible?"

"Fine, I couldn't dodge it. You've brought it up again," Liao Quansheng shook his head in resignation. "But I have a question. Haven't you all in Central Lake always grown lilies? And the price for lilies isn't bad, so why change?"

At this, Du Heng looked a bit dejected. "That information is several years out of date. Since the year before last, lily prices have been steadily falling.

"Last winter, and again in early spring this year, the price plummeted to four yuan per pound, and that's for the large, single-bulb ones, the size of a fist. Other types are only around two yuan per pound."

Liao Quansheng listened attentively, thought for a moment, then said, "Lilies are sold fresh, so that price isn't actually low. Unlike some medicinal materials, which might sell for seven, eight, or even over ten yuan per pound, those are usually for the dried product. Take codonopsis, for example; it takes about three pounds of fresh herb to produce one pound of dried."

Du Heng sighed. "It's not that simple. For lilies to fetch a good price, they need to grow for at least three years. If the soil isn't fertile enough, it often takes four or five years. That's just the time investment.

"Second, lilies are very delicate. They don't compete well with other plants. If there are any weeds at all, the lilies can't absorb enough nutrients. So, weeding is a constant, year-round chore. You can't let even a speck of weed show. It ties people down to the fields completely.

"Third, they're still incredibly demanding regarding fertilizer. The soil must be kept fertile, meaning fertilizing at least three times a year. Miss one, and it's no good.

"Fourth, they remain delicate. They don't grow well in high summer temperatures. Long droughts stunt their growth. Too much rain, and the roots rot. If you use too much fertilizer, not only do the roots rot, but rust spots also appear on the bulbs.

"Fifth, lilies are sweet, so they especially attract field mice, pheasants, and wild boars. Now, with the hills closed to facilitate afforestation, wild boars and pheasants are rampant. Worse still, they're protected animals, so we can't hunt them. We can only stand by helplessly and watch them dig up our fields. There's nothing we can do.

"Sixth..."

As Du Heng was about to continue, Liao Quansheng quickly raised a hand to stop him. "Alright, alright, that's enough! I understand. It's not easy for the lily farmers.

"So, in short: long growing cycle, large investment, high losses. With the current purchase price, a family could work hard all year and still earn less than one person working in the city for three months."