Chapter 157 Pharmaceutical Factory

Zhang Wenhao had accidentally learned from a conversation with Long Xiaoyue that she had majored in enterprise management at Tsinghua University. Although she had dropped out halfway through, the way she managed her inn and the subsequent positive changes she brought about clearly showed that she was a capable and methodical young woman. Most importantly, Long Xiaoyue was kind-hearted, meticulous, and extremely earnest in everything she did. Such a girl possessed far more vision than a bankrupt rural entrepreneur like Yang Chenshan. If he were to establish a pharmaceutical factory, Yang Chenshan could serve as an administrator, but he was certainly incapable of standing alone at the helm. Zhang Wenhao firmly believed that Long Xiaoyue was fully up to the task.

However, Zhang Wenhao had not spoken too bluntly to Long Xiaoyue about this. After all, the matter of the pharmaceutical factory was not yet finalized. Once it was settled, he would find a way to lay his cards on the table, ask her to give up teaching, and take charge. As for the teaching position, Zhang Wenhao was confident that as long as he offered a monthly salary of five thousand or even over ten thousand yuan, attracting a few competent primary school teachers to Miaojia Village would be no difficult task.

On the way back, Zhang Wenhao drove the G65, carrying Long Xiaoyue and two installation workers, while the logistics company's box truck followed behind. When the two vehicles arrived at the county town, it was already dusk. The weather failed to cooperate, and a drizzling rain began to fall. Considering that the mountain roads were treacherous in the rain, Zhang Wenhao decided it was best to rest in the county town for the night and resume the journey once the rain cleared in the morning.

The logistics driver, cargo handlers, and installation workers were each given a delay subsidy of five hundred yuan, which made them completely agreeable to Zhang Wenhao's decision.

The rain stopped in the middle of the night. Early the next morning, although the roads were somewhat muddy, it did not hinder driving. At a little past ten in the morning, the two vehicles drove into Miaojia Village and parked in the open space before the primary school. Zhang Wenhao leaped out of the vehicle and urged the porters and installation workers to quickly get to work.

The two workers sent specially by the electronics city began carrying boxes of various sizes into the classroom. They assembled the computers and simple desks on the wooden tables at the back of the classroom, while the porters helped move stationery, small sports equipment, clothing, snacks, and other items into a storage room outside. Meanwhile, the two installation workers immediately set about erecting the basketball hoops.

Such a commotion attracted all the men, women, and children of Miaojia Village. Having lived in the outside world for over a decade, Yang Chenshan was the most astonished. He was the one who best understood the true value of these supplies. Seeing how deeply Zhang Wenhao cared for the people of Miaojia Village, Yang Chenshan clasped Zhang Wenhao's hand and said with immense gratitude, "Doctor Zhang, what you are doing for Miaojia Village is a magnificent deed whose benefits will span generations. The significance for the next generation is simply monumental! On behalf of all the villagers of Miaojia Village, I thank you—I thank you for a lifetime!"

Zhang Wenhao smiled modestly and said, "Uncle Yang, you don't need to be so polite with me. Once I finish what I have on my hands right now, I have a few matters I'd like to discuss with you."

"You are welcome at any time." Yang Chenshan did not know what Zhang Wenhao wanted to discuss, but he had witnessed with his own eyes everything Zhang Wenhao had done for Miaojia Village in recent days. Even his own liver cirrhosis had begun to gradually improve under Zhang Wenhao's treatment. He had been well aware of his condition and had previously sought treatment, but after his pharmaceutical factory collapsed and left him heavily in debt, he had no surplus funds for medical care. Thus, he had been forced to abandon treatment, believing he had only a few years left to live. It was not until Zhang Wenhao's arrival that a glimmer of hope had been rekindled for him.

Within the village, the most excited ones were undoubtedly the children. Long Xiaoyue gathered all the children together and distributed schoolbags, pencil boxes, various stationery items, books, and snacks in an orderly queue. Regardless of whether a child was older or younger, these items were distributed equally so that everyone received the exact same share.

Zhang Wenhao stood aside, selecting appropriately sized sportswear for each child based on their height and build. Every child beamed from ear to ear, chattering excitedly. To children in the outside world, these items were merely the most basic necessities, but in their eyes, they represented a wondrous and miraculous surprise.

After distributing the items to the children, Zhang Wenhao said to the cheering crowd, "Remember to come to school promptly at two o'clock this afternoon. We're going to watch a movie."

"What's a movie?" asked a little boy timidly.

Zhang Wenhao smiled faintly and replied, "A movie is a wonderful thing, but I can't tell you right now. You'll find out as soon as you get here."

The children were dismissed, running and jumping all the way back to their respective homes with their brand-new schoolbags on their backs. Zhang Wenhao went into the classroom. Since the computer assembly would take some time, he took matters into his own hands and hung the projector screen.

The screen was retractable and could be rolled up when not in use, leaving the blackboard unobstructed. Zhang Wenhao also uninstalled the old, battered blackboard and replaced it with a newly purchased large one. He then selected a suitable table to place the projector on, powered it up, connected it to the laptop, and fine-tuned the angle and resolution.

The resolution and clarity of this projector were remarkably high, and the brightness was sufficient that every corner of the classroom could clearly see the projection even with the doors and windows open. The pair of speakers purchased with the media player delivered decent sound quality. Zhang Wenhao tested a short film, and both the visual and auditory effects were quite impressive. While there was still a vast gap compared to a professional cinema, it was at least far superior to the multimedia teaching terminals found in ordinary families and schools.

By noon, all twenty computers had been assembled. With the addition of the simple computer desks, the classroom appeared somewhat crowded, though it would not hinder normal teaching activities.

The basketball hoops outside were also standing tall. Zhang Wenhao did not have the time to lay a concrete court overnight, but such improvements would come sooner or later. For now, it was more than enough for the children's recreation.

Everything was in order, and the workers drove their empty vehicles back to Guiyang. Looking at the completely revitalized school, Zhang Wenhao felt a deep sense of accomplishment. A considerable amount of money had been spent, but compared to enabling over two hundred children to catch a glimpse of the splendor of the outside world, this sum was utterly insignificant.

Long Xiaoyue was the most emotional of all. She could only imagine what it would feel like for the children when they arrived in the afternoon and watched a movie right inside their own classroom.

"Wenhao, you should come over this afternoon too," Long Xiaoyue said, walking up to Zhang Wenhao with undisguised excitement.

"Alright." Zhang Wenhao glanced at Long Xiaoyue and, seeing the unmistakable thrill in her expression, asked, "Why are you so excited?"

"Of course I am," Long Xiaoyue laughed involuntarily. "When I teach the children geography, they ask me what the ocean looks like, but I don't even have a single picture of the sea. They ask me where America is and what Americans look like, and I never know how to explain it to them. With computers, a projector, and all these films, I think they will finally get a clear answer today."

Zhang Wenhao nodded with a smile and said, "I need to go talk to Uncle Yang about something. I'll see how things go this afternoon; if there are no patients, I'll come over."

"Mm-hmm," Long Xiaoyue nodded heavily.

Zhang Wenhao then said, "I'm going to find Uncle Yang right now, and I'll see you at the clinic later."

...

Arriving at Yang Chenshan's home, Yang Chenshan, who was busy preparing lunch, warmly invited him inside the moment he spotted him. As soon as he sat down, Yang Chenshan asked anxiously, "Doctor Zhang, you mentioned earlier that you had something to discuss with me. Is there something wrong with my condition?"

"No," Zhang Wenhao smiled. "Uncle Yang, I came to see you to inquire about your pharmaceutical factory."

Yang Chenshan was momentarily stunned, a look of fleeting disappointment crossing his face before returning to normal. "There's really not much to talk about regarding the factory. It certainly thrived for a period, but due to my poor decision-making, I fell into financial distress and couldn't repay the bank loan, so the bank repossessed it."

Zhang Wenhao asked, "Uncle Yang, how much do you owe the bank?"

Yang Chenshan thought for a moment and replied, "It should be a little over one million one hundred thousand yuan."

Zhang Wenhao asked again, "And approximately how much could your factory be sold for?"

Yang Chenshan gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "The factory isn't worth much anymore. Back when it was thriving, factoring in a bit of brand equity, selling it for two million wouldn't have been a problem. But since the brand was never truly established, just the factory building and equipment are worth around eighty or ninety thousand yuan."

Zhang Wenhao breathed a sigh of relief. Even including the upcoming payments for the alcohol inventory, he still had around three million yuan on hand. Previously, he had been worried that his funds might fall short, but upon hearing that the debt was only a little over a million yuan, his mind was instantly at ease. "Uncle Yang, I have an idea. I'd like to buy your factory."

"Buy my factory?" Yang Chenshan's eyes widened in shock. Then he realized that Zhang Wenhao had already spent several hundred thousand yuan purely on voluntary expenses for Miaojia Village alone, meaning he surely lacked neither funds nor generosity. Nevertheless, Yang Chenshan spoke in a persuasive tone, "Doctor Zhang, my factory has no real future prospects. Although we previously launched a decent medicated plaster, the large provincial factories produce plasters superior to mine and run much louder advertising campaigns. Even if you take over that factory, you won't make any real money."

Zhang Wenhao merely smiled. "It doesn't matter. I have a formula on hand called the Dampness-Dispersing Decoction. When boiled and used to soak the joints, it can cure arthritis. However, if consumers have to decoct it themselves, it's far too inconvenient and unfavorable for rapid product promotion. Therefore, I want to transform it into a different format and launch it as a medicated plaster."

"Cure arthritis?!" Yang Chenshan gasped in astonishment. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Zhang Wenhao said with a calm smile. "That's why I want to take over a pharmaceutical factory and manufacture the plaster. I'm confident the sales will be extraordinary."

Connecting this to Zhang Wenhao's superb medical skills, Yang Chenshan did not think for a second that Zhang Wenhao was joking. He began to tremble with excitement. He was intimately familiar with the market for medicated plasters—a form of traditional external herbal application unique to Chinese medicine. There were many types of plasters targeting different ailments, but by far the largest sector consisted of those dedicated to bone and joint conditions. The global population of arthritis sufferers was massive, especially in China, where the primary method employed by most patients for daily relief of arthritis pain was applying plasters. Yet, up to this point, no plaster on the market could truly cure arthritis.

If Zhang Wenhao genuinely possessed a formula capable of curing arthritis, once manufactured into a plaster, its extraordinary efficacy would undoubtedly guarantee immense market demand and sales volume.

Yang Chenshan said excitedly, "My pharmaceutical factory has a complete plaster production line with fully functioning equipment. However, the factory no longer belongs to me; it was repossessed by the bank. The bank will put it up for auction in a short while, and by then, we could buy it back through the auction."

"About how long will we have to wait?" Zhang Wenhao asked.

"Two or three months, I suppose," Yang Chenshan replied. "I'm not entirely sure of the exact timeframe, but banks are not known for high administrative efficiency. If they manage to put it up for auction within two months, that would already be considered fast."

Zhang Wenhao could not help but ask, "Is it possible to negotiate with the bank, pay off the debt we owe them, or buy it directly from them?"

"I'm not sure about that either," Yang Chenshan said. "Why don't we take some time another day to go over and consult them?"

Zhang Wenhao nodded. "There's no time like the present. Let's set off right now."

Yang Chenshan asked in surprise, "Right now?"

Zhang Wenhao affirmed, "Yes, right now. The sooner, the better."

A surge of anticipation filled Yang Chenshan's heart. Without further hesitation, he nodded and said firmly, "Alright, let's go."

Putting aside lunch, Zhang Wenhao drove Yang Chenshan toward the city. Along the way, Yang Chenshan introduced the situation of the factory. Back then, Yang Chenshan had registered the Chenshan Medical Equipment Production and Sales Company, selected a site in the suburban outskirts, and established the factory buildings and production lines. All they produced were Chinese patent medicines, but since Yang Chenshan lacked the formal qualifications to manufacture actual medicines, most of what he produced consisted of supplementary health products classified under medical devices. Strictly speaking, they could not be called medicines because, in terms of classification, they were categorized as medical devices, and their approval numbers carried the device prefix rather than the drug prefix.

Yang Chenshan explained to Zhang Wenhao, "If it's a drug prefix, the entire process for a new medicine—from development to production, submission to the drug regulatory authorities for approval, and clinical trials—takes a very long time. Western medicines, in particular, often require several years just for the approval process, the majority of which is consumed by clinical trials. However, items like medicated plasters are regulated much more leniently for two reasons: first, they carry virtually no dangers or side effects; even if their efficacy is somewhat lacking, they pose no hazard to a patient's health. Second, they are neither oral nor injectable drugs, but external medical devices. Manufacturing them is as straightforward as producing alcohol swabs, making approval relatively easy to obtain."

According to Yang Chenshan, in domestic classifications, medicine and medical devices were categorized primarily by their approval prefixes. The drug prefix was the most difficult to obtain and subject to the strictest review; strictly speaking, only products bearing this prefix could be termed medicines. The health prefix was somewhat easier, mostly reserved for health supplements like the famous Brain Gold. The disinfection prefix was also not difficult, covering mostly disinfectant products like 84 Disinfectant or even feminine hygiene washes. The device prefix, however, was by far the simplest.

Medicated plasters spanned a wide spectrum: some carried drug prefixes or even national drug prefixes, some carried disinfection prefixes, and others carried device prefixes. However, as long as one did not apply for a national drug prefix, obtaining either a disinfection or device prefix was extremely straightforward. In fact, the "Miaojia Orthopedic Plaster" that Yang Chenshan had previously applied for had already obtained the device approval number from the relevant authorities. The approval process did not take long, and with a few personal connections, it could be finalized in a short time.

Zhang Wenhao had previously heard that new drugs often required several years or even longer of experimentation to pass approval, undergoing pharmacological tests, animal tests, and clinical trials, with some requiring subcutaneous tests and anti-allergy tests. Every single test required a massive volume of normal case studies for support. Even if he were to synthesize Wallace factor right now, given the positioning of that drug, the various trials alone would demand over five years. Therefore, starting with medicated plasters to bypass the rigorous procedures of formal pharmaceuticals was the most sensible course of action.

Driving into the city and arriving at the bank where Yang Chenshan had taken out his loan, Yang Chenshan immediately called the head of the bank's risk management department. Back then, it was the risk department that had hounded him relentlessly for repayments before finally seizing his pharmaceutical factory according to the contract when he proved utterly incapable of paying.

Upon hearing that Yang Chenshan was coming, the manager was less than enthusiastic about meeting him. However, after Yang Chenshan made repeated requests, the manager finally agreed to grant him an audience.

Zhang Wenhao followed Yang Chenshan into the bank and located the manager. The moment they met, the manager wore a stern expression and said to Yang Chenshan, "Old Yang, you've really dragged me down into the mud."

Yang Chenshan asked in puzzlement, "Manager Liu, what do you mean by that?"

Manager Liu sighed and said, "Back when we evaluated your pharmaceutical factory, it was appraised at two million yuan, which is why the bank was willing to lend you one million. But your factory's later management went poorly, and your flagship product was beaten out by competitors. We re-evaluated it recently, and your factory is worth at most six or seventy thousand yuan, and we still have to factor in depreciation for all that equipment. When it goes to auction, I'm afraid it won't even fetch sixty thousand yuan. This fifty-thousand-yuan shortfall is going to severely dent my performance metrics."

Yang Chenshan gave an awkward chuckle. This matter had nothing to do with him anymore; he had used the factory as collateral for the loan, and once he failed to repay it, the bank had repossessed it, severing his ties to the property. Whether the factory fetched fifty thousand or five million yuan was entirely the bank's business and no longer concerned him.

After venting his frustrations for a moment, Manager Liu asked Yang Chenshan, "Old Yang, what's your main purpose in coming here today?"

Yang Chenshan smiled and said, "Manager Liu, I came this time because I want to take back the pharmaceutical factory."

"What?!" Manager Liu wore a look of utter shock. Immediately afterward, he felt a strong impulse to slap himself across the face a few times! Yang Chenshan wanted to take the factory back? Didn't this guy owe mountains of debt and flee into the mountains?! Where on earth did he get the money to buy the factory back?! If this was true, then by inadvertently spilling the beans just now, hadn't he completely ruined his own leverage?

Yang Chenshan introduced Zhang Wenhao to him, saying, "Mr. Zhang would like to take over my pharmaceutical factory, so I brought him here to discuss it with you and see if there's any suitable path forward."

Manager Liu was kicking himself with regret. He thought to himself that he had just blurted out that the factory would be lucky to fetch sixty thousand yuan at auction; how could he possibly quote a high price to them now? If he hadn't let that slip, he could have easily bluffed them into having Old Yang repay the one million yuan principal and interest the bank was owed, after which the factory would naturally revert to their name. But now, if he tried to pull that stunt, the other party would likely refuse to bite entirely.