Chapter 136 Cooperation with the Bad Dragon

Shen Jiang and Old Yang looked at each other knowingly, and neither of them spoke.

Seeing their expressions, Boss Chen knew they were finally completely convinced by the factory's medicinal herbs after viewing them. A subtle expression crossed his face, one of pride and a touch of self-mockery.

The public may never know that there was once a Chinese herbal medicine factory that went bankrupt not because of cutting corners or being a black-hearted workshop, but because it was too obsessed with the quality of the medicinal materials and ended up breaking its capital chain.

Chen has been involved in Chinese medicinal herbs for over 30 years, building his business from scratch. He considers himself a person of integrity in his work. He is familiar with the distribution of various authentic herbs, having personally sourced them from each individual herb. To compete with his international peers who are spending lavishly to acquire leading-edge medicinal materials, Chen has invested all his earnings over the years. He admits to having a lofty ambition: to become the best and most established traditional Chinese medicine brand in China.

Why is it that the treasures passed down by their ancestors eventually flow to foreign markets in good quality, while the domestic market can only use those inferior and junk medicinal materials?

When Mr. Chen was a child, he suffered a serious illness that threatened his life. It was an old Chinese medicine practitioner who cured him. It's said that his parents were so grateful and wanted to reward the doctor handsomely, but the doctor waved his hand, saying that as long as people knew that Chinese medicine was a treasure passed down from our ancestors and not a scam, everything would be fine.

Boss Chen only realized much later that the problem wasn't a lack of good doctors, but rather a lack of quality medicinal herbs. For years, he'd dedicated himself to providing high-quality Chinese medicinal preparations to major hospitals, and luckily, his business flourished, eventually becoming a leading enterprise in Nanze City. Looking back, he was truly unrivaled.

Boss Chen said sympathetically, "I trust the people Mr. Yang brought with him. You don't have to feel embarrassed. As long as Kunyuan is still around, I can provide you with any Chinese medicinal herbs you want."

Shen Jiang looked up at him blankly, and saw the middle-aged man in front of him giving her a friendly smile.

Shen Jiang:?

It feels like there was some misunderstanding.

Shen Jiang had originally been quite pleased with the Kunyuan Medicinal Materials Factory's production line after touring it. She was looking for partners with good character. Otherwise, they might not only help her produce medicine, but they'd also likely steal from her after seeing her herbs. She had just taken a look around and was very satisfied. While Kunyuan's herbs couldn't compare to what she already had, they were definitely considered a conscientious company in the current market.

Shen Jiang looked at Boss Chen with a little more respect.

Mr. Yang: "Don't worry, let's go to the office and sit down and talk."

Boss Chen thought the young man was just being too proud, so since Dr. Yang had come out to smooth things over, he gave him a way out. "You must be a little thirsty after walking for so long. Let's go to my place and have a cup of tea and chat."

Godwin walked beside the believer. He was tall, and through the transparent glass, he could clearly see the scene inside the workshop. His golden eyes stared blankly at the dry weeds, the familiar scenes before him giving him a sense of déjà vu.

Godwin didn't understand what these people were doing, but washing and drying the weeds was something he was all too familiar with. It was exactly what he'd done recently when he'd supervised Fenglong and Shuilong. As for the subsequent slicing and grinding... those complicated and tedious steps, Godwin paid no attention. His eyes gradually grew serious.

The people here seem to have an inexplicable obsession with weeds.

Godwin was about to turn around and ask the believers when he suddenly found that the people who had been standing next to him were gone.

In the office, Boss Chen couldn't sit still when he saw that the young girl named Shen Jiang was still insisting on using her own medicinal materials.

"You're completely clueless! What do you know? Do you think good herbs are as common as cabbage? You can't even tell the difference between good and bad herbs. I don't think there's any need for us to continue this conversation!"

Boss Chen's face was gloomy, and his words were absolutely firm. He was really annoyed by the young man's persistent and arrogant attitude.

Mr. Yang said, "Don't worry, Mr. Chen. Shen Jiang's herbs are indeed good. I can testify to that. She didn't say your medicine is bad. She just wants to use her own. By the way, Shen Jiang, did you bring some herbal samples for Mr. Chen to see?"

Of course Shen Jiang didn't bring anything, but she brought a backpack, which is equivalent to saying she did bring anything if you round it up.

Shen Jiang was in the habit of carrying a backpack when she went out, as she was now accustomed to reaching into her bag for whatever she needed, and using the bag's cover to easily retrieve items from the storage compartment. It was very convenient. She hadn't taken out the herbs Godwin had given her yesterday; they were all stored in the storage compartment, so now was the perfect time to take them out.

The dehydrated medicinal herbs show no signs of having been freshly picked, and even an old hand at medicine like Boss Chen can't find anything.

Boss Chen, still furious, naturally took no notice of the herbs Shen Jiang had pulled out. However, the young woman had already placed them in front of him, and even if he tried not to pay attention, his peripheral vision inevitably caught sight of them. Boss Chen paid no attention at first, but then he froze, his head jerking around to take a closer look.

A large, plump dried ophiopogon japonicus lay quietly on the table, its wrinkled folds glossy with a natural plant sheen. Boss Chen lifted one and cracked it open. Sure enough, the heartwood inside was delicate and the flesh was sweet.

If it was just this one, it would be fine, but next to it there are also Astragalus with chrysanthemum heart, Stephania tetrandra with wheel pattern, and Bupleurum chinense with trachoma. The quality of each medicinal material makes Boss Chen's eyes widen.

"Where did you get all these herbs?!" he asked in a lost voice. "It's simply amazing... I've never seen such good herbs in my life."

Shen Jiang smiled and said, "I accidentally discovered it from a very important person. He was very generous and gave me a lot of medicinal herbs."

As Shen Jiang said this, he turned around and looked at the sofa behind him, but found that Godwin was not there.

Godwin was just outside the office door, following the scent of the believers, and had just overheard the final conversation between Boss Chen and Shen Jiang. He raised his eyebrows, subconsciously puffed out his chest with pride, and stepped into the unassuming little room with small, proud steps.

Boss Chen's breathing quickened. "Do you have a lot of these herbs? Can I ask where your supplier is from? Maybe I've met him before."

Boss Chen had been in the medicinal herb business his entire life, having traveled extensively to the sources of most authentic herbs. But this was the first time he felt he had truly experienced the saying, "There's always someone better than you." Faced with herbs like these, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. If this was a herb like this, was there still a chance for Kunyuan to be revitalized?

Godwin glanced at this inexplicably fanatical human with dissatisfaction. Several wrinkles appeared at the corners of the old male's eyes, but his wisdom did not increase day by day.

Shen Jiang nodded: "You have indeed seen him."

Boss Chen was confused: "Huh?"

How could he not know?

Godwin snorted coldly, as if to say: Foolish human, of course you have seen me.

Shen Jiang looked at the tall figure standing at the door and said with a smile, "This remarkable friend is both far away and right before our eyes. He's standing right there."

Boss Chen followed her gaze and found that the young man he had never paid attention to was now looking at him leisurely. His eyes were half-smiling and carried a bit of intimidation that was difficult to look directly at.

Boss Chen was slightly startled. How could such a young boy, several generations younger than him, have such an impressive aura? He stood up, and the chair creaked as it was bumped against him.

"Young man! Where did you get all these herbs?!"

Godwin pretended not to hear, walked over to the believer and sat down beside him, staring at his believer in a daze.

Shen Jiang froze uncomfortably for a second before regaining his composure and speaking, "These herbs are native to his home. He has lived in the Shiwan Mountains in the southwest for many years and is from an ethnic minority."

Mr. Yang: "Is that so? I thought he was a foreigner."

Shen Jiang remained calm and collected, "He's a fan of cosmetic contact lenses. He didn't have the resources back in the mountains, so after coming out, he started tinkering with them. Maybe he'll get better once this goes away."

Boss Chen sat back in his chair, not caring about the cold reception he received, and muttered to himself, "Ten Thousand Mountains... Southwest..."

Shen Jiang pulled his wandering thoughts back: "Boss Chen, these are not the main points. Now the eggs are placed in front of you. If you are willing, I can only cooperate with your Kunyuan."

Boss Chen came back to his senses. He glanced at the young man who was staring out the window, completely ignoring their conversation. He finally looked at the young woman in front of him and said, "How do you think we can cooperate?"

Shen Jiang used to have her own herbs, but outsourcing the production to a factory would have required renting a production line, a significant expense. But now things were different. Boss Chen had this idea: "Give me some of the herbs, and let me try to market a Chinese patent medicine made from them. And if you want to use our production line this time, I'll give it to you for free. How's that?"

The cost of running machines and equipment plus labor is a considerable expense, not to mention that he is under great financial pressure now. Boss Chen believes that the increase he offered is very sincere.

Shen Jiang, however, had another idea: "I want to invest in Kunyuan with medicinal herbs and become Kunyuan's second partner. I wonder if Boss Chen is interested."

Godwin's gaze shifted from the window to the believers. At this moment, her face was bold and confident, as if she had an easy-going confidence.

Godwin was momentarily distracted.

Why did he have a feeling that the believers' lives in this place were not as hard and difficult as he had imagined, but were even more comfortable than when she was in Longshan.

Boss Chen had never expected that the other party would come prepared today, and he was stunned where he stood.

"You have quite a big appetite... But since we're going to collaborate, shouldn't I go with this young man? After all, the herbs belong to him."

Godwin responded promptly this time: "All that's mine is hers."

Old Yang was startled by the young man's passionate confession. He turned his head and immediately discovered the trick. He couldn't help laughing and turned to Old Chen and said, "I understand what he means very well. Just give up the idea of ​​poaching him!"

Boss Chen smiled bitterly. "Okay, I must have been wrong just now. This kid doesn't have any intimidating aura at all. He's clearly just a love-brained idiot."

Shen Jiang stared at Boss Chen. "Future patent medicines from Kunyuan must be supplied to Mingxintang first, unconditionally."

Old Master Yang nodded and said this was a good idea, after all, he was practicing medicine in Mingxin Hall.

Boss Chen stroked his teacup and said, "Give me some time to think about it."

Shen Jiang smiled slightly: "Boss Chen, of course you have to think about it carefully. After all, time waits for no one. Mr. Lu, Mr. Jin, and Mr. Zheng in our store are all waiting for me to bring back the finished product as soon as possible."

Boss Chen paused slightly, his breathing became heavier, and he turned to look at Dr. Yang: "Those veteran Chinese medicine practitioners have all gone to Mingxin Hall to see patients?"

Old Yang nodded. "There's nothing we can do. The herbs in the store are so good that we old guys can't even walk after seeing them. You don't know, she even has dragon's blood and musk."

Boss Chen's already numb heart suddenly jumped again. Draconis! Musk?! She actually had such a rare and endangered medicinal herb at such a high price? If she had such power, why didn't she just buy his Kun Yuan?

"Ms. Shen, I have one last question."

Shen Jiang looked at the middle-aged man with a look of doubt and said, "Please speak."

“Why do you want to cooperate with me?”

Shen Jiang seemed to understand what he meant. She seemed to answer, then murmured, "Revitalizing Traditional Chinese Medicine is a long and arduous road. My power alone is too small. It's unrealistic to want to cure diseases and save lives while also producing good medicinal materials."

What she is looking for is like-minded allies and fellow travelers who share the same ideals and ambitions as her.

And Boss Chen was one of the partners she identified as suitable to travel with her.

Boss Chen was stunned for what seemed like an eternity, yet also a fleeting moment. He suddenly made up his mind. Rather than wait for Kunyuan to languish in despair, he might as well give it a try. Without the financial pressure of the high cost of medicinal materials, and with the endorsement of these renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, Kunyuan might actually be able to pull through this time. Furthermore, he had once harbored the ambition of becoming China's most trusted pharmaceutical company.

"Okay! I promise!"

Shen Jiang's face showed a bright smile, not surprisingly: "It's a pleasure to work with you, Boss Chen."

Shen Jiang's palm was gently tickled a few times, and she felt itchy. She couldn't help but hold the restless finger.

Stop scratching!

Tickle her again, tickle him too!