Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 112: Aconite Trading Market

Zhang Zhigang had owned a pharmacy for many years.

He knew the effects of all sorts of medicines like the back of his hand.

Although eye drops were a niche product,

he was still very clear on the difference between major and minor brands.

This Mao Duddu Eye Drops from Ding’s Pharmaceutical was in no way inferior to some international brands that cost several hundred yuan.

A price of 98 yuan wasn’t expensive at all.

Wang Lei smiled smugly. "So? Want to stock some and give it a try?"

Zhang Zhigang’s attitude did a complete 180. "Of course! I’ll take 50 bottles to start! No, 100 bottles!"

"No problem."

Wang Lei dropped off one hundred bottles of Mao Duddu Eye Drops and continued on to the next pharmacy to promote them.

...

That day at noon, a middle school student in a school uniform walked into the pharmacy.

"Boss, get me two boxes of ’Bright’ Eye Drops," the middle schooler called out.

Zhang Zhigang went over to him. "Hey there, want to try our new ’Mao Dudu’? It works much better than ’Bright’."

The student glanced at the price tag and hesitated. "98? That’s so expensive! ’Bright’ is only around 30, right? Besides, I’ve never even heard of this brand... Just get me the Bright Eye Drops."

"Don’t be so quick to refuse," Zhang Zhigang said, already prepared for this. "You can try a sample for free. If you’re not satisfied, you don’t have to pay."

The middle schooler didn’t want the hassle, but upon hearing such a cute name like Mao Dudu, he decided to give it a chance.

"Alright, I’ll try it. Go ahead and put them in for me."

"Sure."

Zhang Zhigang carefully applied two drops to the middle schooler’s eyes.

A few seconds later, the student’s expression changed from skeptical to pleasantly surprised. "Huh, that feels really nice..."

He rubbed his eyes and looked around.

Before using Mao Dudu, it felt like the whole world was covered in a layer of gray fog.

Now, it was as if that gray fog had been wiped clean from his eyes.

He could see with perfect clarity.

"This stuff really works well," the middle schooler said with delight. "Boss, I’ll take two bottles."

"You got it." Zhang Zhigang wasn’t surprised.

’A product this good is bound to ’capture’ anyone who tries it.’

"If you think it’s good, recommend it to your friends," Zhang Zhigang said as he got the product.

"Don’t worry. I’ll tell my friends about it as soon as I get back. I’m sure they’ll love it too."

The middle schooler left happily.

...

It was not yet noon when the plane landed at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

Li Xu didn’t linger, immediately transferring to a high-speed train bound for Jiangyou.

Aconite is planted around the Winter Solstice. In the following year, around the "Rain Water" solar term, seedlings are supplemented, and the fields are weeded and fertilized.

The roots undergo a first trimming during the Qingming period to remove inferior offshoots.

A second root trimming and topdressing of fertilizer happen between the "Grain Rain" and "Start of Summer" terms. Depending on the plant’s growth, terminal and axillary buds are also promptly removed. Harvesting then occurs between the Summer Solstice and the "Start of Autumn," based on when the plants reach maturity.

It was now harvest season.

Through the train window, he could clearly see the view outside.

Vast fields of medicinal herbs stretched to the horizon.

Busy figures could be seen everywhere in the fields.

Farmers were bent over, digging up Aconite. With practiced movements, they unearthed the small, taro-like tubers one by one and arranged them neatly in bamboo baskets.

After arriving in Jiangyou, Li Xu took a taxi to Xinzeng Town.

"Driver, are all these fields planted with Aconite?" Li Xu asked after getting in the car.

"You bet they are!" the driver said, pointing proudly out the window. "Look, that’s Qingshui Village over there, and this here is Yongsheng Village. Both are great places for growing Aconite. The Aconite from our Jiangyou used to be tribute for the emperor! It’s top-quality medicine, the kind imperial physicians used."

After getting out of the taxi in Xinzeng Town, Li Xu wasn’t in a hurry to go to Anchi Village.

He had spotted an Aconite trading hub in the town.

The sides of the street were lined with trucks of all sizes.

A faint medicinal aroma, mixed with the fresh scent of soil, filled the air.

Li Xu squeezed through the crowd and saw people selling Aconite at dozens of collection points.

Some were herb farmers, while others were middlemen.

Li Xu approached a farmer who was counting his money. "Brother, how’s the market this year?"

"It’s great!" The farmer grinned, revealing tobacco-stained teeth. "A few years ago, Aconite was only 3 yuan a pound, and now it’s up to 18! My half-acre of land will sell for at least 80,000 yuan."

An old man in a straw hat chimed in, "The price is higher, but the costs have gone up too! Fertilizer, labor—none of that is free, you know?"

Li Xu nodded thoughtfully.

He noticed that next to each collection point were several large plastic barrels filled with a cloudy liquid—Daban Liquid.

After the farmers handed over their Aconite, staff members would dump the fresh produce directly into the barrels to soak.

"Uncle, what are you soaking it in?" Li Xu asked, feigning curiosity.

"Daban water, of course!" the old man said, as if it were obvious. "Aconite is very delicate. It’ll rot the day after you dig it up. Soak it in this, and it can last for a month without going bad."

"So... doesn’t that affect its medicinal properties?"

The old man gave Li Xu a strange look. "What effect could it have? If it really had an effect, do you think they’d let us use it?"

Li Xu walked around the market for a bit and gradually got a feel for the situation:

Jiangyou currently has about 833 acres of Aconite under cultivation, with an average yield of around 10,000 pounds per acre.

The purchase price for fresh Aconite is 18 yuan per pound, with the yield from one-sixth of an acre valued at up to 30,000 yuan.

About 80% of this Aconite is treated by soaking it in Daban Liquid.

"How many acres do they have over in Anchi Village?" Li Xu inquired of a merchant.

"Anchi?" The merchant scratched his head. "They don’t have much land over there, less than 33 acres in total. But the quality is top-notch. The soil and water at the foot of Qianyuan Mountain are especially good for Aconite. They don’t even need to haul it here to sell; it gets bought up locally. Oh, wait, that’s not right. I think they’ve always exported it."

"I see..."

Li Xu did a quick calculation in his head: ’Thirty-three acres, yielding about 10,000 pounds per acre... that comes to 330,000 pounds. If I acquire it at 20 yuan per 500 grams, I’ll need 6 million in capital!’

That far exceeded his budget.

Besides, since the other party was exporting, they must have already signed a contract.

If he wanted to buy it, he would also have to negotiate the contract termination penalty with them.

That would be another expense.

"Boss, if I wanted to buy fresh Aconite that hasn’t been soaked in Daban Liquid, would I be able to get any?"

The merchant stared at Li Xu as if he were a monster. "Fresh Aconite? You’d have to process it the same day it’s dug up! And the price would at least double—if it’s not soaked in Daban, who’s responsible if it rots in transit?"

After walking around for a bit, Li Xu felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Fresh Aconite is toxic. The *Materia Medica* stipulates that it must be processed before it can be sold to the public.

Compounded by the fact that Aconite rots easily, it has to be processed on the same day it’s harvested.

Otherwise, it has to be soaked in Daban Liquid.

Leaving Xinzeng Town, Li Xu hailed a taxi to Anchi Village.

The car traveled along the winding mountain road, and the scenery outside the window grew increasingly beautiful.

Qianyuan Mountain was wreathed in clouds and mist. At its foot, smoke curled up from the village chimneys, creating a scene like an ink wash painting.

"Driver, is the Aconite from Anchi Village really that good?" Li Xu asked again.

The driver immediately perked up. "You bet! The Aconite from Anchi is potent and uniform in size. The old-timers say it’s because the dragon meridian of Qianyuan Mountain passes through there."

The car rounded a mountain pass, and a village built against the mountainside came into view.

It was nearly dusk, but many people were still busy in the fields.

Li Xu had the driver stop by the edge of a field and walked into the village on foot.

Just as he reached the village entrance, he smelled a unique medicinal fragrance—richer and purer than the one in Xinzeng Town.