Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1206 Japan's Visit to China and Gift of Ancient Books: The Kobayashi Family Reveals Its Prominence (Two Chapters Combined)
Unlike before, this time Fangyan is not only integrating their traditional Chinese medicine department, but also other departments.

The TCM department is directly under the leadership of the hospital director, and other vice directors and others cannot manage it. However, the Western medicine department is different. To ensure that the equipment needed for Western medicine examinations is in place, Fang Yan still needs to inform the vice director.

There are several vice presidents at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Fang Yan is quite familiar with two of them. One is Vice President Chen, Huang Li's superior, and the other is Vice President Gu, who personally prescribed medicine for Director Liao when he was not feeling well during the night shift.

Fang Yan thought for a moment and then called Vice President Gu. Vice President Chen was in charge of administration, while Vice President Gu was in charge of all departments of the hospital.

As soon as the call was made in dialect, Vice Dean Gu took it very seriously.

Of course, it's impossible not to take it seriously; all the people who came were big shots.

He then told Fang Yan that he would call several directors of the internal medicine, cardiology, and orthopedics departments at Peking Union Medical College Hospital to hold a meeting and arrange work, assuring Fang Yan that the Western medicine department would definitely cooperate fully with him.

The dialect sounded strangely out of place; it was the first time in my life I'd ever heard of Western medicine cooperating with traditional Chinese medicine...

After hanging up the phone with Vice Dean Gu, Fang Yan turned around and pulled a brand new notebook from the bookshelf.

On the title page, he wrote "Physical Examination Guarantee Plan No. 12".

He knew that preparations for this battle had to be meticulous, down to the last detail, and that these records would definitely be collected later.

After all, he had carried out missions for the China Academy of Engineering Physics before, so he had a pretty thorough understanding of his superiors' habits.

Since it's going to be taken away, I definitely have to take it seriously enough and show that I'm more attentive than usual. This is an opportunity given to me by Director Liao and Vice Minister Li, so I have to take it seriously.

So he went through the public resumes of each of the senior leaders on the list, and combined them with the underlying medical conditions marked, and specially designed a "special consultation form".

In addition to the usual "sleep, diet, and bowel movements", details such as "whether there has been palpitation when recalling past events recently" and "whether old injuries are aggravated on rainy days" were added. For these elderly people who have experienced the war years, many old injuries will recur with the weather or emotions, so it is necessary to find out the triggers in advance.

Customized pre-diagnosis assessment form.

I remember listening to a professor lecture at school. He said that when his teacher was treating high-ranking officials in Beijing, he would create a medical record like this to show respect for the leader. This practice then spread.

Fang Yan doesn't know if using this method will create an unspoken rule within the traditional Chinese medicine industry.

He came back on his own, bringing with him the knowledge he had learned, and recreated the rules taught by his professor, which made it seem like a grandfather paradox...

Fang Yan was momentarily distracted, but then continued to diligently organize all the personnel's information, ensuring that he had a basic understanding of the patients' conditions so that he wouldn't waste words during the consultations.

Only senior leaders with access to the data have this kind of opportunity; who else could handle such detailed work?
Overseas Chinese businessmen have to ask about their medical records on the spot.

At most, they will bring their previous medical records with them.

It takes an entire afternoon to work on a dialect at home. After finishing, I still need to go to the hospital to notify the relevant departments and pharmacy, as there are many things that need to be prepared in these places.

Even if the person doesn't want their medicine prescribed here, you still need to make sure the pharmacy has it. If they do want to get their medicine here, you need to make sure you can get it from them, otherwise it would be really awkward.

After finishing, Fang Yan returned home.

Old Hu, along with his father and father-in-law, have all returned.

Fang Yan asked them:
"How's it going? You've been busy all day. Is there any progress on the upgrade of the pharmaceutical production line over there?"

The old man said:

"Of course we have them, but they're not anything very advanced."

The father-in-law also said:

“Our approach is sound; all we need to do next is customize some materials for the modification.”

"It's just about speeding up production. There's no need to add automated components, so it's actually quite easy to handle. There aren't any requirements for materials or precision, and the scale of the modification isn't that large. We can draw up the blueprints and make it ourselves using machine tools."

Lao Hu said:

"It would be easy for a professor who works in the defense industry to work on small machines in a traditional Chinese medicine factory. It would be a waste of his talents. Given time, he could even build a more advanced production line."

Fang Yan nodded, then asked curiously:
"Then why did it take you so long? You didn't get back until evening."

The old man said:

"Hey, there's a lot of work involved, and there's still room for improvement in many areas."

"The original grinder had a fixed speed, grinding both angelica and astragalus at the same frequency, resulting in either insufficient grinding or waste as powder. We added a speed regulator with three speed settings based on the hardness of the herbs. For hard roots like notoginseng, we use high speed, while for light herbs like perilla leaves, we use low speed, which saves 30% of the material."

"We also have extraction tanks. They used to be open, so half of the steam escaped, and it took two hours to boil a pot of medicine. We added a sealing cap and a pressure valve, which can raise the temperature by five degrees and reduce the time to one and a half hours. The effective ingredients can also be extracted by more than 10%."

The father-in-law then said:

"We also connected a sheet metal pipe to the outside of the drying box to direct the hot air from the drying box to the washing pool. In winter, we don't need to boil water to wash medicine bottles, which saves two tons of coal a day. This is waste heat recovery."

“In the past, when manufacturing military machinery, even a slight deviation in tolerance was unacceptable. Although the requirements for this are not as strict, the principle is the same: waste less material, squeeze out more time, and little by little, it adds up to a lot of money.”

Fang Yan suddenly realized that they really did have something going for them.

So he asked again:

"With so much stuff, when will you be able to finish it?"

The old man said:

"I estimate the fitting will be completed next week. When you go and check it out, I guarantee it will be much faster than before."

Fang Yan nodded. As expected of a professor in the defense industry, it was indeed a waste of his talents to use him for these things.

……

That evening, while having dinner, Fang Yan mentioned to her family that she would be meeting with the Kyoto University Kampo Medicine delegation the next day.

When the family heard that it was Japanese again, they were worried that the Japanese would cause trouble again.

You should know that the last time Fang Yan met them, things were very tense. (See Chapter 932)
Moreover, this group of people caused trouble at the school. If it weren't for Fang Yan's clever handling of the situation, many people might have misunderstood that he had some shady dealings with the Japanese. (See Chapter 963)
Later, Fang Yan and his colleagues even publicized the negotiations in newspapers in Hong Kong.

The two sides have clashed back and forth many times.

I wonder what the Japanese will do this time.

"Don't worry, this is a political mission. I'm just attending as part of the reception team. Besides, Otsuka Keisetsu isn't here this time either, so there shouldn't be any major problems," Fang Yan said to everyone while eating.

As his mother put a piece of food on his plate, she couldn't help but start nagging:
"When have you ever said you were fine and then really meant it? Last time you met them at that restaurant, you came back and made it sound so easy, but in the end, the school still sent you that weird letter."

The second sister also put down her chopsticks, frowned, and said:
“That’s right, Third Brother, you can’t be careless. Those people are polite on the surface, but who knows what bad things they’re up to? Last time at our school, a professor was rumored to have connections with them, and then he was investigated.” (See Chapter 987)
Fang Yan almost lost his composure when he heard his second sister's words. The investigation into that professor was actually spearheaded by Fang Yan's side. Fang Yan realized this as soon as his second sister sent the telegram back.

"It's alright, I have nothing to hide! Besides, I'm not going to Japan," Fang Yan said to her second sister.

Father Fang Zhenhua said:
"Work matters still need to be done. So what if they're Japanese? We've dealt with precision equipment in school, disassembling and reassembling machines from different countries. The key is to have a good grasp of things, strong practical skills, and not be afraid of them trying to trip us up."

At this moment, the father-in-law, Zhu Guangnan, chimed in:

"Old Fang, don't worry! Fang Yan always does things in a methodical way."

Zhu Guangnan had a great deal of confidence in his son-in-law.

He turned to Fang Yan and said:

"Fang Yan, since the higher-ups have assigned you to receive them, they must value your abilities and know how to behave appropriately."

"In short, we just need to stay calm and deal with whatever comes our way. It's like modifying the machines in your pharmaceutical factory. Find the key points and start working on them. It doesn't matter if the materials and equipment come from the East or the West. As long as the principle is understood, we can fix them."

Fang Yan addressed the crowd:

"This time it's different. Last time it was a negotiation and a contest, very tense. This time it's just cooperating with foreign affairs work, making an appearance, showing the way, maybe accompanying someone to visit the achievements of our traditional Chinese medicine, it's a public trip."

"Without Otsuka Keisetsu, we've lost a troublemaker. Besides, I'm just a background character this time. The main character is the person in charge arranged by their superiors. At most, I'll just say a few meaningless words."

Zhu Lin said to Fang Yan:

"Anyway, I'll be more careful and dress more formally when I go out tomorrow."

As she spoke, she kept putting food into Fangyan's bowl, which Fangyan quickly accepted, replying:

"I know."

……

Time flies to the next day.

Fang Yan finished her rounds at Peking Union Medical College Hospital early in the morning and then went to the research institute.

When he arrived, Zeng Luquan was holding a morning meeting for everyone.

Yesterday was the first day of work for Fang Yan and his elite class. Judging from Zeng Luquan's words, he was quite satisfied with everyone's work.

Previously, everyone worked on traditional Chinese medicine, but now the work in the research institute is more focused on Chinese herbal medicine. The good thing is that everyone has studied it since childhood, so they have a solid knowledge of both traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese herbal medicine. What they need to understand is some pharmacological analysis that meets international standards.

Then we need to find a way to bring these things up to standard.

These requirements alone far exceeded Zeng Luquan's expectations.

His original expectation was that as long as he didn't cause trouble, it would be a great success.

That's not the case at all now; these people can help with so many things.

……

After the morning meeting here, Fang Yan came over to check on the production line.

Last night, my father-in-law and father talked about improving the production lines. I realized that the same methods apply here as well. However, the problem is that there are fewer production lines here. If we shut down one line to start the modification, the output will be halved.

Although there's a saying that sharpening your axe won't delay your work, it's really hard to say whether cutting production in half and spending a week optimizing the production line is worthwhile.

So he ultimately decided to first check on the situation in Chaoyang Dongba.

Just as Fang Yan was about to leave the Secret Formula Research Institute to report to the director, Zeng Luquan finished arranging his work and found Fang Yan:

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something. There's news from Lao He."

He Puren boarded Xiangyanghong No. 9.

The ship carried a team from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on its first long-range scientific expedition to the Pacific Ocean. The team members were seconded by their superiors to provide medical support.

The person transferred was still Vice Minister Qiu, who was in charge of this area.

Looking back now, it seems this person really was targeting their research institute.

"Are you coming back?" Fang Yan asked.

Zeng Luquan said:
"They'll be back at the end of the month. They've already returned and are still on their way."

Fang Yan exclaimed in surprise, "It's still so long?"

By the time Lao He returns, the work here will almost be finished.

Zeng Luquan said:
"It did take quite a long time. It seems that we resupply in some countries along the way and stopped in some countries to conduct some project exchanges."

Fang Yan nodded. There was nothing he could do; since everyone had been sent out, their return was ultimately up to others to decide.

Then Fang Yan recalled the matter of the remaining top experts. Currently, there are only six people in the institute, out of a total of thirty who should have been there, only six are present, leaving twenty-four who are missing.

Fang Yan asked Zeng Luquan:
"Did anyone report on the newly dispatched experts yesterday?"

Zeng Luquan shook his head:

"Not at the moment. If I do, I will definitely let you know as soon as possible."

He said in dialect:

"Okay, you go ahead and do your work. I'm going to see the dean. I have a Japanese delegation to receive today."

Zeng Luquan asked:
Would you like to come and visit us?

Shaking his head in dialect:

"No, these are all production lines that Lao Hu brought back from Japan. How could we show them this?"

Zeng Luquan suddenly realized, then said goodbye to Fang Yan and left the Secret Formula Research Institute.

When he returned to the research institute, a banner had already been hung up.

"A warm welcome to the Kyoto University Kampo Medicine Delegation!"

The surrounding greenery has also been modified, with two rows of newly transplanted potted holly plants placed along the stone path, their leaves just sprinkled with water; chrysanthemum plants have been temporarily planted in the flower beds, their buds not yet fully open.

At this point, there were more people around. Four young men in khaki Zhongshan suits stood in the lobby, each holding a kraft paper-covered reception booklet and a pen. This must have been the guiding team.

Under the shade of the tree, two particularly alert-looking individuals, though dressed in plainclothes, had crisp trousers and spotless canvas shoes. With their hands behind their backs, they scanned the surrounding area. These were the newly added plainclothes sentries.

It is a basic standard feature.

Then Fang Yan entered the office building.

Before I had taken two steps, I saw a new wooden sign in Japanese at the entrance to the staircase leading to the research institute that read, "Technical Area, No Visitors Allowed."

This made the dialect guy laugh.

It's fine; they can receive guests, but they're not allowed to look at anything.

When Fang Yan went upstairs, there were already quite a few people in Dean Zhao Xiwu's office.

Professor Cheng Xinnong, Professor Ren Yingqiu, and even Professor Wang Yuchuan, who hadn't been seen for the past few days, appeared this time.

When Fang Yan arrived, everyone greeted him.

After greeting everyone in Fangyan, he asked:

When will the Japanese delegation arrive?

Vice Dean Zhao Xiwu said:

"I got off the plane at six in the morning, but I'm still at the hotel where I was being received. I should arrive at ten in the morning."

Professor Wang Yuchuan said:
"Among the people this time, there are several people we have met before. They are all students and grand-students of Otsuka Keisetsu, as well as some Japanese experts who are quite famous in the field of Kampo medicine."

Old Cheng said with a smile:

"They are all old acquaintances of Professor Tamagawa."

Professor Tamagawa said:

“After they learned of my stance in the last incident, they haven’t contacted me again. Now they might be secretly hoping to kill me.”

Fang Yan picked up the conversation and said:

"That's not the case. Right now, the person they hate the most is me."

Zhao Xiwu said:
"Who cares what they think? Politics is all about putting on a show. As long as things appear harmonious on the surface, that's enough."

"Just say some polite words and smile for the camera when the time comes."

That's the style of today's meeting; there are no demands here, just completing the task.

As long as everyone is happy, that's all that matters.

No research projects will be mentioned.

Unless they voluntarily return the Chinese books in the Imperial Household Agency's Library and Mausoleum Department, there's not much else to say.

Fang Yan then asked Wang Yuchuan about the results of the postgraduate entrance examination.

After all, he was the one grading the papers.

Upon hearing about the issue of dialect, Wang Yuchuan revealed:
"The results won't be announced until September, but from what I understand right now, the elimination rate is over 90%, meaning only a very small number of people will meet the requirements."

"But there are a lot of people taking the test this time, and there should be about a hundred people who will pass."

Fang Yan was taken aback when he heard the news:
"A hundred or so people?"

He had heard in his previous life that only eighty-odd people had passed, but this time it had become over a hundred.

In other words, my own existence caused a butterfly effect.

Professor Ren Yingqiu also said at this time:

"There might be even more, who knows? There are quite a few outstanding people."

"I heard it from Professor Yue Meizhong. There are more talents this time than expected. Originally, only one class was prepared, but now it is likely to be divided into two classes, and then more professors will be added."

Dean Zhao Xiwu, who was standing to the side, said to Fang Yan:

"Don't worry, you'll definitely be fine."

Fang Yan was both amused and exasperated, realizing that he wasn't worried about himself at all.

He just wanted to find out some information.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Dean Zhao Xiwu and said:
"Thank you for your good words!"

The group then discussed the difficulty of the exam for a while. Everyone present felt that it was quite difficult, but these rising stars were also very talented. It was a great achievement for the TCM community to pass the exam under such challenging conditions.

When it was almost nine o'clock, the office phone rang.

After answering the phone, Dean Zhao Xiwu grunted a few times, then hung up and said to Fang Yan and the others:

"The person has already left the hotel and will be here in a little while."

"Let's go downstairs and wait."

Dialect of surprise:

"Just the few of us?"

Zhao Xiwu said with a smile:

"Isn't that enough? I'm the vice president of a research institute, Professor Yu Chuan is the vice president, Professor Ren is a senior professor, Director Cheng is the director of the acupuncture research institute, plus your 'Sputnik crisis,' isn't that enough to give them face?"

Thinking about it from a dialectal perspective, it makes sense...

“That’s enough,” Fang Yan replied with a smile, and followed the others downstairs.

As soon as I entered the stairwell, I could hear faint footsteps outside; it was the staff doing the final checks.

Upon entering the foyer, sunlight streamed through the glass doors, casting bright patches of light on the terrazzo floor. Zhao Xiwu straightened the collar of his Zhongshan suit and smiled at the person beside him:
"When we meet, we should be polite, but we also need to be confident."

Cheng Xinnong patted Fang Yan's arm:
"You're young, so talk less and observe more. If they ask any tricky questions, we old folks will handle them."

Fang Yan nodded in agreement, but she knew perfectly well that in this situation, "speaking less" did not mean being unguarded.

He glanced at the Japanese wooden sign at the top of the stairs that read "Technical Area, No Visitors Allowed." The sign was polished to a shine, and the words were written in red paint, exuding an unyielding and uncompromising force.

Not long after, the sound of a car engine came from outside the door.

First, two black sedans came to a steady stop at the bottom of the steps, followed by a minibus.

The car door opened, and a group of people in dark suits stepped out. The leader was a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a gentle expression and a top hat in his hand. He was Professor Matsumoto Kiyoshi of the Department of Kampo Medicine at Kyoto University.

The reporters started taking pictures, and Fang Yan and the others also went outside.

Matsumoto Kiyoshi spotted Zhao Xiwu and the others in the lobby at a glance. He quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said in Japanese:

"Dean Zhao, I've long admired your name."

"I am Matsumoto Kiyoshi. I have brought this delegation here to learn from the senior members of your esteemed institution."

Next came the translation of the speech.

Zhao Xiwu reached out and shook his hand:
"Professor Matsumoto, you're too kind. Welcome to the Huaxia Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine."

During the exchange of pleasantries, Fang Yan noticed several people following Matsumoto Kiyoshi. A young man wearing glasses was secretly observing his surroundings, his gaze lingering briefly on the holly bonsai and chrysanthemum plants before quickly shifting away. There was also a middle-aged man holding a brocade box with intricate embroidery on its surface, the contents of which were unknown.

Matsumoto Kiyoshi introduces himself from the side:
"This is Dr. Tanaka from our Kampo Pharmacology Research Laboratory, and this is Mr. Sato from the Literature Department..."

When it was the middle-aged man's turn to hold the brocade box, he emphasized his words.

"This is Mr. Kobayashi Kazumasa, who specializes in the research of ancient prescriptions. He brought some small gifts this time, saying that he would like to ask Mr. Fangyan for advice."

Fang Yan paused, "Kobayashi Ichiya?"
Why does this name sound so familiar?

Isn't this the name of the fourth president of the famous Japanese pharmaceutical company, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.?
Kobayashi Ichiya seemed to know Fang Yan already, and stepped forward to hand him the box:

"Mr. Fang Yan, I have long heard of your unique research on the Treatise on Febrile Diseases. This is a replica of the Tang Dynasty edition of the Treatise on Febrile Diseases from the Imperial Household Department's collection. It is a small token of my respect."

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

I've gained another 100 monthly votes, so I currently owe everyone 25000 words.

(End of this chapter)