Chapter 161: Preparations for Construction (Part Two)

For two consecutive days, Zhang Wenhao and Yang Chenshan did not visit Miao Family Village. Before production could officially begin, there was an immense amount of preparatory work for the two of them to handle.

First was resolving the accommodation issue for some of the employees. Yang Chenshan's factory did not have an on-site employee dormitory, so previously, he had rented an entire small courtyard at a nearby farmhouse to serve as worker quarters, while also hiring an auntie to cook meals for the staff there. When the factory went under, he terminated the lease. Yang Chenshan took Zhang Wenhao there once more to find the landlord, and to their pleasant surprise, the courtyard had not been rented out since the pharmaceutical plant closed down.

After all, there were truly very few factories in the immediate vicinity, and the few other nearby plants already had their own established employee dormitories. Ever since Yang Chenshan gave up the lease on the small courtyard, no one else had shown any interest in it. The courtyard contained a total of eight rooms, complete with a kitchen and a bathroom. The elderly landlord had originally moved to the city to enjoy life with his son, but because he worried about this old family property after the lease was terminated, he had moved back.

Upon seeing Yang Chenshan and hearing that he wanted to continue renting the place, the landlord was overjoyed. Without a second word, he immediately signed a simple lease agreement. Afterward, Zhang Wenhao paid six months' rent amounting to 5,000 yuan. The landlord happily packed up some of his personal belongings, made a phone call, and his son from the city drove over to pick him up.

With six of the rooms capable of housing more than twenty employees, the accommodation problem for the workers coming from Miao Family Village was now resolved. Once Long Xiaoyue arrived, she would also have a room of her own.

The most important task now was to seize the time to trial-produce a plaster version of the dampness-dispelling medicinal decoction. Zhang Wenhao drove to Guiyang specifically to procure all the herbs required for the decoction. These medicinal materials were transported to the workshop's material warehouse. Before the workers began their tasks, Zhang Wenhao started pondering how to rationally transform the dampness-dispelling decoction into a plaster.

The primary medicinal efficacy of the dampness-dispelling decoction was released through external soaking. However, because human skin cannot easily remain immersed in water for extended periods, the dampness-dispelling decoction could only be used for half an hour each day. Plasters were different; they were convenient to use and did not cause patient discomfort even when worn for long periods, allowing their medicinal effects to be sustained and slowly released for twelve hours or more. Transforming the dampness-dispelling decoction into a plaster was not difficult, but the crucial question was which method of transformation would be the most rational.

If it were made in the form of a standard plaster, the active medicinal ingredients would have to be blended directly into the adhesive tape of the plaster itself. Consequently, the tape could only carry a limited amount of active ingredients, resulting in slower efficacy. If it were made in the style of traditional dog-skin plaster, a block of medicinal paste would be contained in the center of the plaster, which could hold a sufficient amount of active ingredients, though it would be somewhat inconvenient to use. There was also a more popular method recently: the plaster featured a piece of medicated gauze in the center, accompanied by a packet of auxiliary liquid medication. Before application, the user would evenly smear the liquid medication onto the medicated gauze and then apply it to the affected area, achieving a dual-action effect.

Zhang Wenhao personally leaned toward the latter approach. Although it was slightly less convenient to use, its greatest strengths were its superior efficacy and the novel sensation it provided to patients. The combination of a primary medicine and an auxiliary medicine also made it easier for them to associate the plaster with professionalism.

Regardless of which format was adopted, extracting the active components of the dampness-dispelling decoction first was paramount. The formula for the dampness-dispelling decoction required extreme precision; every single herb had to be proportioned strictly according to formula without the slightest error. Therefore, Zhang Wenhao worked alone, using large decoction equipment to brew a large quantity of the dampness-dispelling decoction, and then concentrated and purified the resulting liquid.

The medicinal herbs, which originally would have been sufficient for a single use by one hundred people, were reduced after boiling and purification to only about one thousand milliliters of a viscous liquid. This viscous liquid was the essence of the dampness-dispelling decoction.

Zhang Wenhao opened a pack of arthritis patches he had bought from the market and carefully studied them. He discovered that the medicated gauze on the patch itself mostly contained pain-relieving ingredients, while the accompanying small packet of liquid medicine was where the true therapeutic efficacy lay. A flash of inspiration struck Zhang Wenhao: why couldn't he also imitate their method and separate the pain relief from the treatment?

In this way, the pain-relieving plaster itself could be produced directly on the assembly line, while the essence of the dampness-dispelling decoction could be brewed, extracted, and bottled in a separate workshop. This would ensure the highest degree of confidentiality for the dampness-dispelling decoction formula; the vast majority of workers would only come into contact with the production of the pain-relieving patches and would never touch the brewing and purification of the dampness-dispelling decoction. Consequently, the risk of core secrets leaking would be drastically reduced.

Calculated by dosage, ten milliliters of the medicinal liquid would be sufficient for a single use by one person. However, when using the dampness-dispelling decoction, the duration of soaking was limited, meaning the actual effective components absorbed by the user were discounted. Therefore, the self-purified essence liquid would likely achieve the same therapeutic effect as soaking in the decoction with just three milliliters.

One pain-relieving plaster plus three milliliters of essence liquid—once these reached the hands of the consumers, it would take them only ten seconds to combine the two and immediately apply them to the affected area for treatment. Overall, it was extremely convenient.

Zhang Wenhao went to the pharmacy and bought an entire box containing two hundred patches, bade farewell to Yang Chenshan, and rushed back to Miao Family Village so that arthritis patients could personally experience the difference between this plaster and the dampness-dispelling decoction.

The arthritis patients in Miao Family Village had been receiving treatment with the dampness-dispelling decoction, and most of them were already seven or eight parts cured. Zhang Wenhao thus set his sights on the residents living around the pharmaceutical plant, took Yang Chenshan with him, and began a door-to-door free trial campaign.

Yang Chenshan still held a certain degree of fame here, so when the two of them knocked on the residents' doors together and Yang Chenshan gave a brief introduction, the other party immediately remembered him. Hearing that a new plaster was being brought for them to try, everyone who had arthritis patients in their families agreed without exception.

Zhang Wenhao gave each household three sets of plasters and promised to return for a follow-up visit in three days. Yang Chenshan harbored some doubts about Zhang Wenhao's newly developed plaster. After much explanation, he finally understood that Zhang Wenhao's so-called new plaster was essentially buying readymade plasters from someone else and replacing their liquid medicine with his own. Could this genuinely be effective? No matter how he looked at it, it felt like a knockoff version.

However, Zhang Wenhao told him to rest assured completely. Zhang Wenhao knew very well in his heart that since he had extracted the medicinal essence of the dampness-dispelling decoction, it would definitely be effective. The only uncertainty was what kind of therapeutic outcome could be achieved by administering three milliliters of the essence liquid through a plaster.

Returning to the hotel, Zhang Wenhao went to Yang Chenshan's room, intending to discuss the issue of formula confidentiality with him. Yang Chenshan was watching television in his room, and upon seeing that the person knocking was Zhang Wenhao, he immediately invited him inside.

Zhang Wenhao sat down in a single-seater armchair and said to Yang Chenshan, "Uncle Yang, I'd like to discuss with you the issue of how to keep the formula confidential once formal production begins."

Yang Chenshan did not yet know whether Zhang Wenhao's formula would be effective, but he trusted Zhang Wenhao's medical skills implicitly, so he spoke up, "Regarding confidentiality, it mainly depends on what the core secret of the formula actually is. Is it the names and proportions of the ingredients in the recipe, or is it the special techniques used during the manufacturing process?"

Zhang Wenhao replied, "The combination of every herb in the formula and the proportion each herb occupies in the overall recipe—that is where the critical secret lies. The formula first needs to be blended, then brewed and refined into the essence liquid. The most crucial part is the blending of the formula. The fewer people who know about this step, the better."

Yang Chenshan nodded and said, "Frankly speaking, the medicines I produced before had no secrets to speak of, so I'm not very experienced in this area. However, I have heard about some practices regarding formula confidentiality during the mass production of traditional Chinese patent medicines."

"Oh?" Zhang Wenhao asked, "What kind of process is usually involved?"

Yang Chenshan said, "First of all, regarding the procurement of medicines, you must be careful. For example, if a formula contains ten herbs, those ten herbs must never all be purchased from the same supplier. If they are, the main components of the formula will be easily leaked."

Zhang Wenhao nodded thoughtfully, realizing he had overlooked this step during his own procurement. Fortunately, when he previously bought the herbs for the dampness-dispelling decoction, the sales company had no idea what he intended to use them for. However, once purchases were made in the name of a pharmaceutical factory, this aspect had to be taken seriously.

Yang Chenshan continued, "Suppliers are just one link. If this isn't handled properly and the main components of the formula are leaked, the other party probably won't find it difficult to figure out the exact blending proportions through a bit of experimentation. Therefore, once production begins, we must select multiple suppliers and intentionally order from several different vendors, varying the quantities of various herbs to be more or less each time."

"For instance, suppose we need two herbs: cinnamon and peppermint, and their ratio is one to two. When purchasing from the first supplier, we can order them in a three-to-one ratio; when purchasing from the second supplier, we can make it one-to-one; and when purchasing from the third, it can be one-to-six. Doing this will create a certain amount of confusion for outsiders."

"Furthermore," Yang Chenshan added, "we can intentionally order some completely useless herbs. For example, if borneol is not in your formula, we order borneol anyway; if musk is absent, we order musk anyway. That way, outsiders will find it even harder to figure out. As for these useless herbs we bring in, there is no need to worry; we can resell them at a slightly lower price to other lower-level agents or other pharmaceutical factories with very minimal losses."

Zhang Wenhao nodded and said, "That deals with outsiders, but how do we handle things internally within the factory? The blending process inside the factory is also crucial."

"This..." Yang Chenshan said somewhat helplessly, "I'm not quite sure either. Do you have any good ideas?"

Zhang Wenhao frowned in thought for a moment before saying, "Since the formula requires manual blending, it is inevitable that a small number of people must master it. However, this small group of people must be entirely trustworthy. I was thinking: could we build a dedicated, enclosed production area inside the factory workshop specifically for producing the core medicinal liquid? I will hand the complete formula over to you at that time, and you can break down the formula and assign parts of it to trustworthy workers. Then, to prevent them from communicating with each other and piecing the complete formula together, I will retain one or two key ingredients myself and handle their blending personally."

"That works," Yang Chenshan nodded and said. "Doing that can minimize the chances of the formula leaking." With that, he cast a surprised glance at Zhang Wenhao and asked, "Wenhao, do you trust me that much? Handing the entire formula over to me?"

Zhang Wenhao smiled faintly and said, "Since I chose to partner with you, Uncle Yang, I naturally trust your character. Besides, this plaster is only a preliminary test. I have other formulas in my hands that I will bring out when the timing is right. I believe you are not someone with short-sighted vision, Uncle Yang; long-term cooperation is what brings long-term profits."

Although Zhang Wenhao wouldn't dare say he trusted Yang Chenshan completely, a single formula for a dampness-dispelling decoction wasn't truly a big deal to him. If this prescription could test Yang Chenshan's true nature, he wouldn't mind this minor loss. Moreover, Yang Chenshan lacked sufficient capital himself; even if he harbored malicious intentions, at most he could only sell the formula for a one-off quick buck. Only someone short-sighted would resort to such crooked ideas.

Yang Chenshan was deeply moved by Zhang Wenhao's trust. He immediately nodded and said, "Wenhao, rest assured. I, Yang Chenshan, am definitely not the kind of person who betrays his trust. Not only did you cure my liver disease, but you also cured my heartache. The pharmaceutical factory has always been where my heart lies, and now that you've brought it back to life, you are my great benefactor!"

Zhang Wenhao smiled modestly and said, "Uncle Yang, between the two of us, this is a partnership, not a matter of one person helping another out. As long as you trust me, I will definitely make the name Dongchen resound across the entire country!"

Yang Chenshan nodded repeatedly. To him, he had previously thought he could only eke out a miserable existence in Miao Family Village until the end of his days, believing his time was short and holding no further expectations in life. He never imagined that Zhang Wenhao's appearance would grant him a chance to start anew—and perhaps even a chance to soar to the skies. Toward Zhang Wenhao, his heart held only gratitude, without a single shred of betrayal.

Immediately afterward, Yang Chenshan suggested, "Right, I think that if we want to completely eliminate any possibility of the formula leaking, we can also take the multi-person blended ingredients, pack them into gauze bags, and put them directly into the decoction equipment for brewing. The spent herbal grounds of the day can be incinerated in the furnace on the same day, leaving not even the tiniest opening for anyone. I will personally supervise this matter and carry it out with trusted people from the village, so there shouldn't be any risks."

Zhang Wenhao nodded in agreement. "The formula must not be leaked. If it leaks and large manufacturers get hold of it, they will instantly usurp the entire market. The last thing we want to do is work hard only to make wedding garments for someone else."

Yang Chenshan immediately patted his chest and vowed, "I will do everything in my power to prevent such a thing from happening!"