Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1013 Behcet's Syndrome Reappears, The War of Middlemen (Two Chapters Combined)
The car drove uphill along Pok Fu Lam Road, and after two turns, entered an area enclosed by an iron fence.

At the entrance, the security guard waved the car through as soon as he saw the license plate. The wrought iron gate was engraved with the words "FORTUNE VILLA", clearly indicating that it was a private villa area.

Tall palm trees line both sides of the road, and the lawns are trimmed like green carpets. Occasionally, you can pass by detached houses with exterior walls mostly made of beige stone or red brick, each with a garden and garage.

Le Miao's residence is Villa No. 3, which was obviously bought from someone else. It is a two-story English-style villa with a red sloping roof and a cluster of azaleas in full bloom in front of the door.

When the garage door opened, a white Triumph motorcycle could be seen parked inside. Fang Yan had also seen this motorcycle outside the Peninsula Hotel; it seemed to be a popular model among Hong Kong's upper class.

"This is Guo Zhen's motorcycle, the one that belonged to that girl before." At this moment, Le Miao seemed to notice Fang Yan's confusion and explained the origin of the motorcycle to him.

"Oh?" Fang Yan was taken aback, then exclaimed:
"I didn't expect she also liked riding motorcycles."

Le Miao said to Fang Yan:

“Her family is very strict. She usually drives a car, but she only occasionally sneaks out on her motorcycle. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have left it with me.”

He asked in dialect:

"So her family didn't know about this motorcycle?"

Le Miao parked the car, unbuckled her seatbelt, and said as she opened the door:
"Yes, you are right."

Fang Yan and the others got out of the car. After closing the doors, Fang Yan asked:

"What does her family do?"

Le Miao said:

Sun Hung Kai Properties.

Fang Yan was taken aback and asked:

"From Guo Desheng's house?"

Le Miao was surprised:

"You even know this?"

Fang Yan nodded:

"I've looked into it briefly."

In 1963, Kwok Tak-seng, together with Lee Shau-kee and Fung King-hei, founded Sun Hung Kai Properties. In 1972, they established Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited and listed it on the stock exchange.

Sun Hung Kai Properties is currently one of the largest property developers in Hong Kong, with businesses covering multiple sectors including property development, property management, construction, and insurance.

In the 90s, the Kwok Tak-seng family had an even more prestigious title: one of the "Four Great Families of Hong Kong".

However, this Guo Zhen is most likely not from the first wife's family.

Because of the dialect, they remembered the names of everyone in their family.

The name Guo Zhen is not on the list.

Follow Le Miao out of the garage.

Fang Yan said to Le Miao:

"It seems you're doing quite well in Hong Kong and have successfully made friends."

Le Miao said with a smile:

"Haha, you won't believe it, but I met her while seeking medical treatment."

"When we first enrolled, we both got sick and were assigned to the same hospital room, which is how we got to know each other."

Le Miao led the group through the garden path, her leather shoes making a crisp sound on the stone slabs. The light in the entrance hall turned on automatically, startling Li Chong and Deng Cai, who instinctively stepped in front of Fang Yan.

Le Miao was taken aback by this scene, and then said to them:

"Don't be nervous, this is a motion sensor light."

As she spoke, she pointed to a white sensor.

Li Chong and Deng Cai then relaxed.

Fang Yan explained to Li Chong and the others:
"This thing should be a pyroelectric sensor, which can detect infrared radiation emitted by the human body and is used for passive infrared sensing."

This technology has been around for eight or nine years, and sensor lights based on this technology have been tested in some areas, such as automatic lighting systems in laboratories, hospital corridors, or high-end buildings.

Beneath their secret formula research institute, there are even more advanced microwave radar sensors.

Stepping into the room, bathed in a warm yellow light, one can see a row of keys hanging behind the door. One of the silver keychains is engraved with the abbreviation "HKU," clearly indicating it's a key to a University of Hong Kong dormitory.

There was a faint scent of sandalwood in the main hall.

Fang Yan frowned upon smelling it.

"The air doesn't circulate very well in your place?" Fang Yan said to Le Miao.

Upon hearing Fang Yan's words, Le Miao said:
"There are bugs here, so we usually have to keep the windows closed. We'll open them to let in some fresh air later."

As she spoke, she quickly entered the main hall, went to the window, and opened the curtains and the window.

Light streamed in from outside, and Fang Yan saw that the place was indeed very spacious. The living room had a ceiling height of about 3 meters, with a crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling. Below it was a dark brown solid wood coffee table with a complete set of Yixing purple clay teapots.

The sofa is made of dark green velvet, with a brocade rug draped over the armrests. On the wall behind the sofa hangs an embroidered screen depicting lychees from Lingnan.

A glass display case stands in the corner, displaying several kinds of antiques.

Fang Yan stared at these things carefully for a moment, then sniffed, walked around the room, and asked:

"What is emitting this sandalwood scent?"

Le Miao pointed to a box on her coffee table and said:

"The mosquito repellent incense was given to me by my mom."

After she finished speaking, she paused, then quickly asked:

"You mean... there's something wrong with this incense?"

Fang Yan said to her:
"Then think about it, when did your health problems start?"

Le Miao pondered for a few seconds, then tilted her head and said:
"Um... if you put it that way... the timing is indeed about the same."

"But my mom had no reason to harm me, did she?"

Upon hearing this, Deng Cai, Li Chong, and Wang Feng also sniffed and took in the smell of the room.

However, whether it's because people adapt quickly or the smell dissipates quickly, they couldn't smell it after a while.

He said in dialect:

"That might not be the reason. Let me take your pulse first!"

Le Miao nodded:
"Okay, come on, right here."

As she spoke, she pointed to the dining table at home.

Then I took a few Hong Kong magazines and books to use as a pulse pillow.

The top headline still says that Hong Kong Tongrentang's medicines are selling like hotcakes.

Fang Yan then took her pulse, checking both hands and finding it to be wiry and rapid.

Fang Yan also noticed that her skin was somewhat damp, as if she had been sweating.

"Open your mouth, let me see your tongue," Fang Yan said to Le Miao.

Le Miao obediently opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.

The dialect indicates a thin, greasy tongue coating.

Just as Le Miao was about to shut her mouth, Fang Yan said:
"Wait, don't move! Let me see your lower lip."

Speaking in dialect, he used his fingers to pry open Le Miao's lips, and then he saw the ulcer.

"Hiss..." Le Miao gasped in pain.

He said in dialect:

"Is this another ulcer?"

Le Miao said:

"It must be newly grown."

"It's also in other parts of the mouth."

Fang Yan asked her:
Do you have a flashlight?

Le Miao said:

"Yes, I'll get it for you."

As she spoke, she stood up and went to find a flashlight.

As Le Miao took out the flashlight, Fang Yan continued to survey the villa and asked Le Miao:

"Did you buy this place?"

As Le Miao searched for a flashlight, she said:
"Yes, it belonged to a British teacher. He was going back to his country, and Guo Zhen acted as the middleman and sold it to me."

Fang Yan stood up and asked curiously:
"This place looks quite Chinese in its decor."

He asked in dialect:

"Did you renovate it later?"

Le Miao said:

"Yeah, I did a little renovation, just so I'd like it."

After saying that, she added:
"But I still prefer the courtyard houses in Beijing. Living halfway up this mountain, every time I come back, it feels like I'm visiting a temple. In the inland areas, who would be so kind as to build a house halfway up the mountain if they have a place at the foot of the mountain?"

At this moment, Wang Feng said:
"That's not quite right. In my hometown, we have to build on the mountain because the area below is prone to flooding."

Le Miao said with a smile:

"Haha, okay, I guess I'm just ignorant... Hey, I found the flashlight!"

As she spoke, she walked over with a flashlight and handed it to Fang Yan:

"Here."

After she sat down again, she opened her mouth to let Fang Yan continue the examination.

Fang Yan noticed that her tonsils were red and swollen on both sides with a white membrane on the surface, she had many oral ulcers, and there were also lymph nodes the size of broad beans under her jaw.

There's a pustule that's about to grow on the upper part of my lip, where the makeup covers it.

He said in dialect:

"You have several ulcers in your mouth, and pustules on your face."

Le Miao said:

"Yes, I have a sore throat, mouth ulcers, and I feel generally unwell."

Fang Yan thought for a moment and asked:

"Besides fever, headache, mouth ulcers, and blurred vision, what other symptoms do you have?"

Le Miao hesitated for a moment, then said:
"I also have two ulcers the size of coins on my inner thigh. I went to the hospital and they said it was because my immunity was low."

Fang Yan turned off the flashlight and then began to think.

Le Miao's illness reminded Fang Yan of a fellow overseas Chinese businessman who was also a patient.

That person also had the surname Fang, and his name was Fang Yongxiang. His family was in the palm oil processing business in Malaysia.

The initial symptoms were oral ulcers, which were initially diagnosed as riboflavin deficiency.

After two years of treatment, both eyes became red, swollen, and painful again, and the hospital diagnosed them with keratitis.

Two years later, I developed pain in both fingers, which first started with bleeding points and then gradually turned into pustules. I went to the hospital for examination and was diagnosed with erythema multiforme and lupus erythematosus.

Subsequently, more severe gastrointestinal ulcer bleeding occurred, accompanied by new symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and memory loss. The patient felt sleepy but could not close their eyes, had no appetite, and abhorred the smell of food. Hospital examinations revealed blood clots in their blood vessels, abnormal bruising in the genital area, and abnormal enlargement of the liver and spleen. (See Chapter 694.)
Le Miao asked in dialect:

"So, what's wrong with me?"

Fang Yan said to her:
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be 'fox bewitchment,' which is a disease called Behcet's syndrome in Western medicine."

Le Miao clearly had never heard of this disease before and seemed somewhat bewildered.

She said:
"It sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it."

Fang Yan said to her:
"The clinical manifestations of this disease include oral ulcers, conjunctivitis, skin lesions, joint pain and swelling, bleeding and perforation of digestive system ulcers, comprehensive damage to the nervous system, and vascular thrombosis."

"Western medicine believes this is an immune system response caused by infection with bacteria or viruses."

"This disease is relatively rare and is considered one of the most difficult to treat in Western medicine. Treating it is like playing whack-a-mole; once one area is cured, it recurs in another area."

Le Miao asked:

"What about traditional Chinese medicine?"

He said in dialect:

"Traditional Chinese medicine already had treatment methods in the Eastern Han Dynasty."

Le Miao exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? The Eastern Han Dynasty?"

Fang Yan nodded and said:
"Yes, traditional Chinese medicine believes that fox-like disease is mainly related to damp heat in the body."

"For example, if you are accidentally infected by external damp-heat pathogens, or if you do not pay attention to your diet, such as frequently eating spicy, stimulating, greasy and fatty foods, these will all impair the function of the spleen and stomach, making it impossible to digest and transform properly, thus generating damp-heat in the body."

"This damp-heat toxin will cause trouble everywhere along the meridians, going up to the mouth and eyes, and down to the private parts, corroding the mucous membranes, which is why ulcers appear in the mouth and eyes."

"In addition, people who are always in a bad mood, easily get angry, or have a naturally yin-deficient constitution are also prone to this disease."

"Because these situations weaken the body's vital energy and reduce its resistance, making it unable to resist damp-heat toxins, which then make it easier for damp-heat toxins to enter the body and cause damage."

Le Miao asked in dialect:

"Then...how did this happen to me?"

"I usually eat very light meals, and my mood is pretty good..."

He said in dialect:

"That has to do with the climate. Hong Kong has a subtropical climate with high humidity and high temperature. In particular, although the villa area in the Mid-Levels has good ventilation, you said that you have to keep the windows closed to prevent mosquitoes. This will lead to insufficient indoor air circulation and the stagnation of hot and humid air. Being in such a closed environment for a long time may aggravate the accumulation of damp heat in the body."

"In addition, although the sandalwood incense you are using is for repelling mosquitoes, the incense itself is warm. If it is burned in a closed space for a long time, it will help to generate internal heat, which will combine with damp heat and cause or aggravate symptoms such as oral ulcers and pustules, similar to the traditional Chinese medicine theory that 'excessive heat will cause flesh to rot and become pus.'"

Le Miao thought for a moment and said:

"It might be true. I did start getting sick not long after I moved here. There was nothing wrong with the dormitory I lived in before."

After saying that, she asked Fang Yan:

"Now what?"

He said in dialect:

“I’ll prescribe some medicine for you to take first. As for this house, I think we should either do some pest control and air it out, or you can just move into the school dormitory for now.”

"Okay!" Le Miao agreed.

Fang Yan took out paper and pen, paused, and said:

"But let me tell you first, there's a medication for this disease that you might find a little hard to accept."

Le Miao frowned:

"Unacceptable traditional Chinese medicine?"

After saying that, she smiled and said:

"No, I've been exposed to traditional Chinese medicine since I was a child. Even if you prescribed Ren Zhong Bai (a traditional Chinese medicine), I could accept it."

Give a thumbs up to the dialect:
"You were right!"

"Huh?" Le Miao looked at Fang Yan.

He said in dialect:

“Ren Zhongbai, you’re right.”

Le Miao's pupils dilated in shock as she asked:
"Is someone really poisoned by white?"

Fang Yan nodded and comforted her:

"Yes, but not much, only 5 grams."

"..." Le Miao opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. She never thought that one day she would have to eat human flesh.

At this time, the dialect began to be written as prescriptions.

After writing it down, Fang Yan handed it to Le Miao.

Le Miao looked at the list and saw that it was written very clearly:

3g of Coptis chinensis (for clearing heat and drying dampness)
Raw white peony root 9g (nourishes blood and softens the liver)

Raw licorice root 3g (clears heat and detoxifies, relieves spasms and pain)
1.5g of Evodia rutaecarpa (to counteract the effects of Coptis chinensis and harmonize the cold and heat).

Trichosanthes root 12g (nourishes yin and promotes body fluid production)
5g of Phellodendron bark (to clear damp-heat in the lower burner)

9g of Poria cocos (for strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness)
Honeysuckle vine 30g (clears heat and detoxifies, promotes blood circulation)

Plantain 30g (for promoting diuresis and clearing heat)
Human placenta white 5g (clears and reduces internal heat, treats oral and throat ulcers)
As expected, someone has been infected with the virus... The key is that Le Miao still can't find the flaw in this formula.

He spoke to her in dialect:
"Coptis chinensis and Phellodendron amurense can clear away damp-heat toxins from your body, and are specifically effective against ulcers in your mouth and lower body, as well as pustules on your skin. This is the key to clearing heat and drying dampness."

"White peony root and trichosanthes root can relieve your yin deficiency and internal heat. Your pulse is wiry and rapid, and your liver fire is excessive. You need to use them to nourish yin and soften the liver."

"Poria cocos and plantain are good for regulating the spleen and stomach, and can expel dampness from your body, thus strengthening the spleen and removing dampness."

"Honeysuckle vine and human placenta are for your mucosal ulcers and potential blood clots. Human placenta, in particular, is best at clearing away internal heat. You absolutely must have this medicine; don't even think about removing it."

"As the saying goes, good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease; you must understand that."

Le Miao nodded, agreeing somewhat reluctantly.

The dialect also served as a reminder:

"By the way, you should eat more foods that help remove dampness, such as winter melon and barley. You've studied traditional Chinese medicine, so you must know this, and I won't go into too much detail."

Le Miao asked in dialect:

"Then...how long will it take to cure?"

Fang Yan thought for a moment and said:

“My patient had been sick for many years, but was discharged after just over twenty days of treatment.”

He paused and said:
"You should be faster."

Hearing this, Le Miao breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, it didn't take too long.

She nodded and said:

"Then I'll go get the medicine now."

Fang Yan stood up and said:
"Let's go together then. I'd also like to check how well the medicines are selling at Tongrentang."

“That’s all,” Le Miao said.

Dialect puzzled:

"What's missing?"

Le Miao said:

"The medicine is gone, it's all sold out, you won't be able to see it even if you go."

Dialectal astonishment:

"Sold out? All gone? Not a single one left?"

Le Miao nodded and said:
"That's right. There's no crackdown on speculation in Hong Kong. There are many middlemen who start buying up goods as soon as they see good sales."

"They ate everything; nothing that appeared in the advertisements was left."

Fang Yan said upon hearing this:

"How can this be? Hasn't Tongrentang taken any measures here?"

Le Miao said:

"Yes, there is a purchase limit of one box of each type of medicine per person, but it's no use. People just line up and the medicine sells out in no time."

"..." Fang Yan was speechless. As long as there is profit, there will be people doing the job of scalping.

In other words, scalpers are now getting their hands on new drugs from the market and then reselling them at a higher price.

There's no way to manage this situation yet.

Beneath this seemingly positive short-term appearance, sales figures appear inflated.

While scalpers can instantly meet their KPIs and generate explosive growth in financial statements by buying up bulk goods, they can also create a "scarcity effect" by generating market buzz and driving up topics on social media.

However, in the long run, this will cause substantial damage: patients' trust in the distribution channels will gradually collapse, the failure rate of ordinary consumers to purchase medicines will increase, and the brand's premium pricing power will also be damaged.

Furthermore, the pricing system will become chaotic, and legal risks may accumulate, potentially leading to an investigation at any time.

“This is just the beginning. In the long run, it’s not a good thing…” Fang Yan said to Le Miao.

Le Miao said:

"We can only hope that they'll calm down once this wave of hype dies down."

Fang Yan shook his head:
"It's unlikely that things will stop going. We'll keep releasing new products and have invested a lot of money in promotion, so the hype will only get higher."

Le Miao said:

"So... do you have any ideas? If so, we can ask Tongrentang to cooperate. After all, they are partners, and it's only right that the sales side cooperates if they have ideas about the market."

Fang Yan scratched his head and started thinking quickly.

Solving the scalper problem is no easy task.

He could only come up with ways to restrict the other party; there was really no way to completely bring down the middleman.

If there's no solution for the future, there's still no solution for now.

If things get too serious, it might even affect current sales.

This can only be addressed by the government at the higher levels, but that's practically impossible, unless it's in mainland China where they can come up with some solutions and implement them promptly.

As expected, nothing goes smoothly when it's not your own territory.

"Are you still going to Tongrentang?" Le Miao asked Fang Yan.

Nodding in dialect:

"Sure, there's still plenty of time! Of course we're going!"

"After you finish watching, I'll treat you to a meal."

Le Miao said:

"Hey, no guest ever treats you to a meal. I'll treat you."

She also said:

"Besides, you also treated my illness, so consider this payment for the consultation. I know that your consultation fees are very high now. If those overseas Chinese businessmen want to see you for treatment, they can't even get a chance to wait in line without paying a hefty sum."

Fang Yan laughed and said:
"Alright, alright! Let's go then!"

Then everyone came out of their homes, ready to go to Tongrentang.

Tongrentang is located on Bonham West Street in Sheung Wan. The journey from the Mid-Levels villa area on Pok Fu Lam Road to Tongrentang on Bonham West Street in Sheung Wan is not short.

The garage door was opened, and everyone got into the car.

As Le Miao started the car, she turned to Fang Yan and said:
"It's probably more than ten kilometers away. There aren't many cars on the road right now, so it should take about half an hour to get there."

Fang Yan nodded.

Then the car slowly drove out of the villa area and down the winding mountain road.

The scenery outside the window kept changing, and before long, it gradually transitioned from a tranquil mountain forest to a bustling city street scene.

Fang Yan sat in the passenger seat, chatting with Le Miao every now and then.

Li Chong, Deng Cai, and Wang Feng sat in the back seat, their eyes curiously fixed on the neon signs and pedestrians flashing by outside the car window, discussing in hushed tones the novelties they had seen.

As they were talking, the car had already driven onto the main road, and the number of vehicles around them gradually increased.

Le Miao drove with focus, and when she encountered traffic jams, she patiently moved along with the flow of traffic little by little.

About twenty minutes later, the car finally turned into Bonham West Street in Sheung Wan.

Shops line both sides of the street, their signs dazzling the eye.

Tongrentang's signboard is very eye-catching, and its antique style stands out among a group of modern shops.

Le Miao parked the car in a nearby parking lot, and the group headed towards Tongrentang.

Surprisingly, there were advertisements around the parking lot advertising the acquisition of Tongrentang's medicines.

In addition, other pharmaceutical companies also advertise the same drug.

It's kind of darkly humorous that the ads of these scalpers and their competitors appear together at the same time.

Fang Yan took a closer look at the pharmaceutical company, and wow, it was an old acquaintance... Tsumura Pharmaceutical.

Damn it! Didn't he know the patent had already been registered?

As soon as they exited the parking lot, before they even reached the entrance, they saw a long queue outside the Tongrentang store.

Fang Yan was somewhat surprised and asked Le Miao:

"What's going on? They're all sold out, so why are there still so many people queuing up?"

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

There will be an extra chapter later!

(End of this chapter)