Chapter 231 A Century-Old Brand Selling Fake Medicine?
"Xiao Wang!" Liu Jianjun called out towards the door.
A lean secretary immediately pushed open the door and came in: "Factory manager, what are your instructions?"
"Go, send a telegram to Hainan Island." Liu Jianjun leaned back in his chair and slowly instructed, "Say that our Baicaotang is willing to support our brother unit and can provide another batch of high-quality 'blood dragon'. As for the price, we can offer a discount."
He emphasized the word "high-quality".
The secretary understood immediately, bowing and scraping as she withdrew.
Liu Jianjun could already imagine that once the batch of drugs laced with even more counterfeit ingredients hit the market, all he had to do was find someone to buy a few boxes, then report it to the newspaper and the health department, and the reputation of the military medical equipment factory would be completely ruined!
When the time comes, he can come out as a "century-old brand" and say a few words of heartache, and the market will be back in his hands, right?
Thinking about this, Liu Jianjun couldn't help but hum a little tune.
Meanwhile, Gu Jia is on Hainan Island.
Gu Nanxing is reporting the situation to Su Yue.
"Sister-in-law, Baicaotang has indeed taken the bait and has contacted us again to provide a batch of 'high-quality' medicinal herbs."
Su Yue held her sleeping daughter Ningning in her arms, her face expressionless.
"Let them deliver it."
"Then... what about the media?" Gu Nanxing asked hesitantly.
"No rush." Su Yue looked at her daughter's peaceful sleeping face. "Contact the media outlets that Uncle Hong Kong knows, and compile all the dirt on Baicaotang for cutting corners and using inferior materials over the years into an article. The evidence must be solid, and it must be irrefutable."
Gu Nanxing nodded emphatically and immediately went to do it.
Half a month later, the first batch of 5,000 boxes of the special liniment for sprains and bruises, produced under expedited conditions, was finally shipped on schedule thanks to everyone's "efforts." The liniment was transported inland by cargo ship and distributed to various supply and marketing cooperatives.
When the news reached Baicaotang, Liu Jianjun dispatched his most capable subordinates almost immediately.
"Go! Buy back everything you can buy on the market! Buy as much as you can!"
The next morning, several large boxes of brand-new ointment were piled on Liu Jianjun's desk.
He eagerly opened a box, picked up a little dark red ointment, and smelled it.
Yes, that's the taste!
The drug's effectiveness has been diluted by at least half!
"Hahahaha!" Liu Jianjun burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Su Yue, Su Yue, you're still too green!"
He immediately grabbed the red phone on the table and dialed a number he knew by heart.
"Hello? Is this reporter Zhang from People's Daily? This is Liu Jianjun from Baicaotang... Yes, yes, I have big news! Big news about a military-affiliated pharmaceutical and medical equipment factory producing counterfeit drugs and harming the people!"
The reporter on the other end of the phone got excited upon hearing this.
After hanging up the phone, Liu Jianjun was beaming with pride. He waved his hand and announced that the whole factory would hold a celebration this afternoon, and the canteen would have extra food that evening, including braised pork!
The entire Baicaotang was immersed in a joyous atmosphere.
Liu Jianjun had even planned how he should be interviewed after the newspaper was published tomorrow, and how he should show the heartache and responsibility of a veteran state-owned factory director.
He could almost see the scene of the military medical equipment factory being shut down and Su Yue being taken away for investigation, looking disheveled.
Liu Jianjun will become the hero who exposes the dark secrets, and Baicaotang's reputation will reach its peak.
Hainan Island, the Gu family courtyard.
Su Yue had just finished breastfeeding when Gu Nanxing called.
"Sister-in-law, everything has been arranged as you said. The people from Baicaotang have bought all the medicine, and Liu Jianjun has also contacted a reporter. I estimate the article is already written and will be published tomorrow."
On the phone, Gu Nanxing's tone revealed a hint of excitement and nervousness.
Su Yue walked to the window and watched the two little ones waving their arms and legs in the cradle in the yard. A very faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Tell our people to tell the reporters not to rush."
Her voice was soft, yet carried a chilling undertone.
"There's going to be a good show tomorrow."
The next day, just as dawn was breaking.
Liu Jianjun was so excited that he didn't sleep all night. He waited at the factory gate early in the morning for the postman to deliver the newspaper.
When he finally snatched the still-scented People's Daily from the postman, his hands were trembling.
He eagerly unfolded the newspaper, his eyes fixed on the headline on the front page.
Sure enough, a major news story about a "miracle ointment" was published there.
The bold black Song typeface title is eye-catching and glaring.
However, when he saw the large words on the title page, the smile on his face froze instantly, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning and fallen into an ice cave.
The century-old brand "Bai Cao Tang" is actually a shameless traitor, passing off counterfeits as genuine; their intentions are despicable!
What?
Liu Jianjun thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes hard and looked again.
That's right, the words "Bai Cao Tang" are printed in black and white on the paper!
How is that possible!
The newspaper slipped from his trembling hands and fluttered to the ground.
The content of the article is even more shocking than the title.
The newspaper devoted an entire page to detailing Baicaotang's various acts of cutting corners and using inferior materials over the decades since the factory was established.
From using cheap dried tangerine peel instead of genuine Guangchenpi, to mixing precious bezoar with pig bile powder, every single incident is clearly documented, including the time, place, person in charge, and even the specific batch number.
The accompanying photos were irrefutable evidence: moldy herbs, murky medicinal liquid, and anonymous testimonies from several former pharmacists who had long since left Baicaotang.
The article's tone suddenly becomes incredibly sharp at the end, directly accusing Baicaotang of maliciously supplying substandard raw material "Qilin Blood" to military medical equipment factories, intending to damage the reputation of a model enterprise supporting the military and destroy the medicines urgently needed by border guards. This behavior is tantamount to "undermining socialism," and is a typical example of being blinded by greed and morally corrupt!
"Undermining socialism!"
Putting that label on you will cost you your head!
Liu Jianjun felt as if all the blood in his body had been drained in an instant. He collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Meanwhile, a press conference led by the Ministry of Health and attended by multiple media outlets is being held simultaneously in Beijing.
At the press conference, under the spotlight, Gu Nanxing, dressed in a smart work uniform, faced countless flashing lights and cameras without the slightest stage fright.
On the large screen behind her, two completely different ingredient comparison reports were being displayed.
"Fellow reporters, this is a high-quality medicinal herb called 'Blood Dragon' that our factory purchased through legitimate channels, provided by the century-old inland brand 'Baicaotang'."
Gu Nanxing picked up a sample and showed it to everyone.
"And this one is a genuine liniment for sprains and bruises produced by our own military medical equipment factory on Hainan Island."
She placed the two reports side by side and used a thin pointer to point to the most crucial line of data.
"Based on the most sophisticated instrument analysis by our General Hospital of the Military Region, the raw materials provided by Baicaotang contain less than 30% effective ingredients, with the remainder being a cheap plant resin called 'Qilin Blood'. In contrast, the ointment produced by our factory contains 120% of the effective ingredients as per the national standard."
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