At nine o'clock in the morning, Wan Yunting arrived at the clinic precisely on time.
"Good morning, Brother Yunting."
Su Ke'er had also arrived early. She was in the first-floor lobby, where Wang Zhuyu, Mo Yaolin, Huang Fuxiang, Zeng Xiaomeng, and the others were chatting and eating breakfast. Upon seeing Wan Yunting enter, they immediately greeted him. Su Ke'er held out a fried dough stick, "Have you eaten breakfast yet? Here..."
Wan Yunting smiled and took a bite from the fried dough stick in her hand, saying, "I've already eaten. You eat it."
"Okay."
Su Ke'er smiled and didn't bother with him, returning to eat breakfast with Sun Xue, Zeng Xiaomeng, and the others. It was evident that with her lively and cheerful personality, Su Ke'er had already bonded with Sun Xue, Wang Zhuyu, and the other young people.
"Senior Brother Du, you're back?"
Seeing Du Hua returning from outside, carrying a large box, Wan Yunting quickly went to help him. Du Hua nodded, "These are the medicines I just replenished from the distributors."
"Oh."
Wan Yunting carried the box and placed it on the counter in front of the medicine cabinet. Pharmacists Huang Fuxiang and Mo Yaolin immediately came over to organize them. Meanwhile, Du Hua said, "Regarding the counterfeit drugs from Zhenghai Pharmaceutical Group, the merchants have already taken them all off the shelves. Their representatives said they didn't know the batch was fake and have now replaced them all with genuine Zhenghai Pharmaceutical products."
Wan Yunting listened and nodded, then asked, "What do you think, Senior Brother Du?"
Du Hua raised an eyebrow and said, "Yunting, it's possible that those merchants have colluded with Zhenghai Pharmaceutical Group!"
Wan Yunting raised his eyebrows and pondered for a moment, "Let's not jump to conclusions. Investigate it thoroughly and see if other merchants have the same problem."
"Alright."
Du Hua nodded, then immediately said, "Just now, I saw Liu Yuan from Liu Ping Tang across the street, along with Zhang Shunchang and Xue Tonghua, all leaving in a hurry together. I wonder what happened!"
"Is that so?"
Wan Yunting was surprised and also went to the doorway to look at Liu Ping Tang across the street. Liu Yuan and Tian Xiangrong had already gotten into a car and left. At this moment, Li Yuxiu and her assistant, Xiao Min, came downstairs from the second floor. Seeing them, Wan Yunting asked, "Doctor Li, are you going out?"
Li Yuxiu's expression was serious, and she nodded, "Yes, I'm going out."
"Alright, when will you be back?" Wan Yunting asked with a smile.
Assistant Xiao Min drove the car over, and Li Yuxiu said, "It's hard to say. I'm leaving now."
"Okay, be careful."
Wan Yunting, Du Hua, and the others who had come out, Su Ke'er and Wang Zhuyu, watched Li Yuxiu get into the car and leave. Su Ke'er asked, "Brother Yunting, where is she going?"
Wan Yunting crossed his arms, squinted as he watched Li Yuxiu's car gradually disappear down the street, and shook his head slightly, "She must have something important to do."
Just then, someone arrived to see a doctor. Wan Yunting stopped overthinking and immediately invited the person upstairs. He also called out for everyone to finish their breakfast and start work. Suddenly, he noticed someone was missing and asked Du Hua, "Senior Brother Du, why isn't Miaomiao here?"
"Oh, she said she's not coming today, she's accompanying Luo Tang," Du Hua replied.
Su Ke'er ran over, linked her arm with Wan Yunting's, and went upstairs together. She said disdainfully with a smile, "She probably doesn't want to see me."
Wan Yunting thought of Qi Miaomiao's temper, smiled, and shook his head. He put his arm around Ke'er's shoulder and said, "Don't pay attention to her. That's just how she is."
"I know, that's why I can't be bothered to argue with her. Whether she comes or not, it's best if she doesn't," Su Ke'er giggled.
Wan Yunting smiled and then took Su Ke'er to the consultation room, letting her assist him as he began to see patients. They were busy until almost noon. Throughout the day, people intermittently came to see the doctor, including ordinary people and wealthy individuals who had heard of them and come from affluent circles. Wan Yunting received them all...
Li Yuxiu was not present today, and Wan Yunting couldn't handle it all by himself. When the flow of patients lessened around noon, he finally had some time to drink tea and rest in the living room on the second floor. Wang Zhuyu had already ordered lunch downstairs and was asking everyone what they wanted to eat.
Just then, a man walked in, looking around. Chen Lin went up to ask, "Sir, are you here to see a doctor or sell medicine?"
The man said, "Is Boss Wan here?"
Chen Lin was stunned. It was the first time he had heard someone call Wan Yunting "Boss." He said, "Are you looking for our Doctor Wan, Wan Yunting?"
"Yes, yes, yes, that's him," the man nodded repeatedly and said, "I am a business friend of Boss Wan and have come to see him about something."
Upon hearing that the man was a business friend of Doctor Wan, Chen Lin and Zeng Xiaomeng naturally did not dare to neglect him. They invited him directly upstairs and called out to Wan Yunting, who was drinking tea with Su Ke'er in the living room, "Doctor Wan, someone is looking for you."
Wan Yunting turned around and was surprised to see him, exclaiming, "You, aren't you Boss Wang who grows dendrobium?"
"Boss Wan, it's been a long time."
Wang Meng excitedly went up, and Wan Yunting stood up to greet him with a smile, "It has indeed been a long time, Boss Wang. Are you here for a tour of the capital?"
After being invited to sit, Wang Meng waved his hand and sighed, "Boss Wan, I'm not here for a tour. I've come specifically to find you!"
"Oh?"
Wan Yunting picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for him, smiling, "What business do you have with me, Boss Wang?"
Wang Meng glanced at Su Ke'er, who was sitting beside them. Wan Yunting smiled and said, "Boss Wang, please speak freely."
Wang Meng nodded, his expression solemn and very serious. "It's like this, Boss Wan. I want to report something to you. The people at our local Traditional Chinese Medicine Association are implementing a monopolistic acquisition of our dendrobium growers!"
"Monopolistic acquisition?"
Wan Yunting's expression faltered upon hearing this. Su Ke'er beside him didn't quite understand.
Wang Meng nodded and said, "They are forcibly requiring us growers to sell dendrobium to them at a low price. If we don't comply, they will revoke our permits for cultivating medicinal herbs on the grounds of the herbs not meeting the standards!"
After all, medicinal herb growers like Wang Meng had permits approved by relevant departments. They could cultivate medicinal herbs, and only after the cultivated herbs met market standards could they be sold. These were all controlled by the relevant departments.
"There's such a thing?"
Wan Yunting raised his eyebrows and looked at Wang Meng with great surprise. He nodded and said, "It's not just us dendrobium farmers. I've heard that growers in other areas are also facing these forced monopolistic demands. But because it's the people from the various Traditional Chinese Medicine Associations making these demands, we growers simply cannot report it to higher authorities."
"Even when someone reports the situation to higher authorities, it leads nowhere. So, I had no other choice but to come to the capital to find Boss Wan and ask if this matter was indeed ordered by the leadership of your Traditional Chinese Medicine Association?"
Wan Yunting frowned, his expression solemn, and immediately shook his head very seriously, "Boss Wang, I can tell you clearly that this kind of forced market monopoly is illegal. The chairman of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association would absolutely not issue such an order. Someone must be pulling the strings behind this!"
Wang Meng stood up, excited, "Boss Wan, I know you are no longer the chairman of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association, but I know you have great influence. You must help us growers with this matter. After all, the prices they are offering are too low. If it continues like this, there's no point in us growing medicinal herbs anymore."
Wan Yunting stood up, his expression serious, "Boss Wang, please give me some time. I will now discuss this matter with Chairman Gu to understand what's going on. But rest assured, I will definitely resolve this matter for you."
"Yes, yes, yes, thank you so much, Boss Wan."
Wang Meng nodded and also said, "After all, your company has always used our dendrobium. If this matter is forcibly implemented, it will also affect the supply of medicinal materials to your company."
"Yes, I understand."
Wan Yunting nodded and planned to go find Gu Yuanbai immediately to discuss this matter. After all, he couldn't guarantee whether these forced monopolistic demands on growers were indeed issued by the chairman of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association.
He heard that Wang Meng had just arrived in the capital and hadn't even found a place to stay. Wan Yunting first invited him to eat lunch and rest at the clinic. He then contacted Gu Yuanbai and, upon hearing that he was at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association's office, Wan Yunting arranged to meet him at a teahouse to have lunch and discuss important matters.
On the third floor of the teahouse, they requested a small private room. The window opened onto a bustling street. Wan Yunting ordered a pot of tea and waited for ten minutes. He then saw Gu Yuanbai being led in by a waitress. Wan Yunting stood up to greet him, saying, "Elder Gu, you're here. Please sit..."
"Mm."
Gu Yuanbai nodded and sat down, asking, "What is it that made you invite me here to talk?"
So Wan Yunting, without further ado, told Gu Yuanbai everything about the forced monopolistic situation faced by the growers like Wang Meng. Gu Yuanbai's face gradually became somber and serious, his old eyes filled with gravity, and he said in a cold tone, "There's such a thing? Those people are going too far."
Wan Yunting's brows furrowed and he said, "It can be confirmed that those people are behind it. They are forcibly monopolizing the market for growers, buying at low prices, and profiting from it. They are simply too greedy, extending their reach to those medicinal herb growers."
"If this continues, will the growers still be willing to cultivate medicinal herbs?"
"So, Elder Gu, this matter is very serious and must be investigated and dealt with!"
At this moment, Gu Yuanbai was also filled with anger, gritting his teeth and saying, "They don't even respect me as the chairman anymore!"
Wan Yunting nodded, his brows furrowed solemnly, "I also saw the news this morning about educational reform. Many parents are firmly resisting. This matter is very unfavorable to you!"
Indeed, this matter was being pushed by someone behind the scenes, and Gu Yuanbai was in a very precarious situation.
"How about this, Elder Gu? Let Old Shen and Old Wei investigate the matter of the growers and see who is behind this. As for the news about the parents causing trouble, I'll find a way to resolve it," Wan Yunting suggested.
Gu Yuanbai said, "I'll have Old Shen and Old Wei investigate. As for the news about the parents causing trouble, you'd better not get involved. Your reputation has just started to improve, don't get entangled in it again."
Wan Yunting, remembering something, said, "Oh, right. Kong Jingguo also visited my home this morning. I asked him about it, and he said that higher authorities cannot yet confirm who will succeed his position!"
Gu Yuanbai was surprised, "Isn't it Tan Jianlin?"
Wan Yunting shook his head slightly, "It's not confirmed yet!"
Gu Yuanbai nodded, his old eyes showing a flash of insight, "The matter of the growers is not necessarily a bad thing. At least it's good for us. If we find out who is behind it, we can corner them at that time!"
Wan Yunting's expression immediately became interesting, and he smiled, "Then we'll have to let Old Shen and Old Wei investigate thoroughly and see which greedy person is behind all this..."