Chapter 92 Special Medicine
Even though the rules are like this, scalpers can still find loopholes.
In mid-to-late July, the sun was scorching and the ground was dry and cracked.
Many people who did heavy physical work under the sun could not withstand such high temperatures. Many people suffered from heat stroke and some even died.
Rescue teams in various cities have adjusted their previously scheduled working hours and try to operate in the early morning and evening.
After several days of strong sunshine, as if knowing that people could not hold on any longer, the rain belt crossed directly from the southwest to the northeast, and the first rain since the heavy rain fell in various places.
The summer rain was unusually heavy. Although there was no lightning or thunder, the gloomy sky was still scary to look at.
When the rain just started, everyone hiding in the house was terrified. They were afraid that the rain would continue like before, and they were also afraid that this rain would bring a new virus as rumored online.
Fortunately, although the rain was heavy, it only lasted for half a day and then the sky cleared up.
Seeing the dark clouds above their heads gradually drifting towards the northeast, the worried crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The dry ground was wetted by the rain, and the rainwater that had not yet penetrated into the ground gathered into trickles on the surface, flowing along the gullies and undulating terrain to where it should go.
The sky cleared up again, but because of the heavy rain, the temperature dropped suddenly, the hot air became cool, and even a comfortable breeze could be felt.
But this comfortable time did not last long. Before the moisture on the ground could be evaporated by the sun, the temperature rose again.
People who had originally entered the building to avoid the rain came out again to work, and some people gathered near the bus stop waiting to get on the bus.
After the three cities were connected by train, many people went from one city to another every day, some to look for people, and some to make a living.
Because the train had limited seats, there was inevitably some scrambling for space, leading to several conflicts. Before Jiang Qian could even figure out how to resolve the situation, the rescue team quickly took action.
The area around the bus stop, which had never been fenced off, was now guarded and blocked. In less than a day, the rescue team designed simple entrances and exits based on the appearance of the previous station, and sent rescue team members to stand guard with guns. Every day, people were lined up to enter the station according to the number of people the bus could carry to maintain order.
Because of the deterrent effect of guns, the new rules and order were quickly implemented.
The potential crisis was nipped in the bud, which made people feel very relieved.
But Jiang Qian did not put all the responsibility on the rescue team. After seeing that the train's crystal core income had reached the standard, she estimated the current passenger flow of the train and added two new ordinary carriages.
The addition of these two new carriages has alleviated many of these issues. While not always fully booked, the train's revenue has increased significantly compared to before. The revenue from the vending machines in particular has seen almost exponential growth compared to before.
Sometimes, the prepared goods would be sold out in less than an hour. Seeing the huge profit potential of vending machines, Jiang Qian made up her mind and installed one in every carriage. Even with the increased quantity, Jiang Qian still had to restock at least every other day.
After learning that someone had suffered from heatstroke a few days ago, Jiang Qian went to the system mall to look for it and found that there was a special medicine for treating similar symptoms. She also bought a batch of goods and sold them directly in the vending machine.
The price was not expensive, but because the medicine was effective and sold in large quantities, she made a small profit.
However, many problems arose in the process. Jiang Qian discovered that although the train currently only travels between three cities, there are people who specifically get on the train to act as purchasing agents or even scalpers.
The vending machines on the train were only available to passengers who had boarded the train. To board, however, one had to pay the ticket price of two crystal cores.
Some people have plenty of crystal cores and don't care about these two crystal cores, but some people are mostly engaged in rear-line work and rarely have the opportunity to obtain or be allocated crystal cores.
So, some people discovered the business opportunity in this area.
Citizens with some free time would line up at the station early to help others buy things, earning half a crystal or a whole crystal for each item purchased. This was a good income when accumulated daily. Sometimes, when there were too many people needing to buy things, the crystal cores earned in a day could buy a bucket of instant noodles.
In this situation, Jiang Qian could still barely accept it, but in another situation, she couldn't tolerate it at all.
Three days after the effective heatstroke medicine was put on the shelves, she noticed people buying it in bulk. The shelves, once packed, were completely cleared out by a few people in just a few minutes.
At first, Jiang Qian thought it was just a purchasing agent like the ones from the previous two days, but later she learned from the passengers that some of the people who bought in large quantities were scalpers.
They bought large quantities from the train and sold them to ordinary people in need at double or even higher prices. Because interstellar medicine had a much longer shelf life than food, they didn't worry about hoarding it.
When Jiang Qian first learned about it, she asked the system and set a limit on the number of medicines that could be purchased in the vending machine, so that each passenger could only buy one.
She had also thought about breaking the monopoly by supplying large quantities of goods, but subconsciously she felt that this would only be a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.
Sure enough, the facts turned out just as she suspected. While the purchase restrictions deterred some scalpers, they also caused inconvenience to citizens who needed to buy special medicine. The new purchase restrictions forced them to spend more crystal cores to buy the medicine first.
Even though the rules are like this, scalpers can still find loopholes.
They asked other passengers on the bus who did not need the medicine to help buy it, bought it at a price slightly higher than the price in the vending machine, and then sold it at a higher price.
Jiang Qian also discovered that because so many people needed special medicine, many people got on the bus to buy medicine, which ended up preventing passengers who really wanted to ride the bus from buying tickets.
Although she could add two more carriages, and even adding two more carriages would be more beneficial to her, Jiang Qian didn't want to do so when she looked at the people queuing under the scorching sun.
After discussing with the system, she upgraded the three existing bus stops one night.
The originally lonely bus stop sign has been transformed into an octagonal booth with an area of about four or five square meters. There is a display screen on the glass in front of the booth, which clearly shows the content on the bus stop sign.
Below the display screen, there was a slot for placing crystal cores and a ticket slot, just like on the train. People could buy tickets directly when entering the station, without having to wait in line for a long time in front of the train.
The other sides of the pavilion are all transparent glass windows, but on the wall facing the outside of the station, there is a vending machine embedded in it that can sell various food and medicines to non-passengers.
After the appearance of the booth, ordinary people can buy medicine without getting on the car, and it also provides rescue team members on duty with shelter from the wind and rain and a place to rest.
Originally, the rescue teams from the three locations were a little hesitant about whether to use the box, but since they found that they were not stopped even if they went in, they realized that the box might be prepared for them, and for a moment they all admired the humanity of the train.
With this guardhouse, the rescue team members who were on duty 24 hours a day had a place to rest for a while. However, it became more difficult for the Jiang family to get out of the car.
But fortunately, Jiang Qian had already made preparations.
【Author’s words】
Here's today's update! Sorry, it's a little off.
I'll be back to full health starting tomorrow. The next chapter will be updated the day after tomorrow. November is coming to an end, and the New Year's Day holiday is just around the corner!
I had a blood test a few days ago and found that my anemia has improved. I’m so happy!
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