Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 815: Hands are one's own, money belongs to the state (Combined Chapter)
They drove from Xiehe Hospital to the Moscow Restaurant, which was about thirteen kilometers away, and it took them more than twenty minutes.

When they arrived, Director Liao from the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the Vice Minister of Health, and Vice President Zhao Xiwu from the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine were already there.

Fang Yan and Lao Hu led Milos up to greet them, and then Director Liao and the others said to Fang Yan and Lao Hu:

"Everything is ready inside; we're just waiting for their embassy staff to arrive."

This is the difference between a buyer's market and a seller's market. The other party has money and wants to buy things, but they also know that the other side wants to sell things more, so they come later.

This small detail shows that they know everything.

Afterwards, Lao Hu, who had already set a bottom line price, went to tell Director Liao and the others about today's strategy because of Milos. Fang Yan and Milos stayed aside and did not discuss it.

They've been discussing this price all day, and Fang Yan wasn't involved.

So for now, we just let them talk amongst themselves.

Old Hu is a seasoned businessman; he quickly devised a strategy, returned, and gestured "three" to Fang Yan, mouthing the words.

The dialect indicated a 30% price increase.

Of course, a portion of the profits will be given out, as a kickback. They still understand the rules and local dialect.

Not long after, two Zastava 1100s drove up. Actually, Fang Yan didn't recognize this type of vehicle; he only knew about it from Lao Hu.

If this thing were translated into Chinese, it would be called Zastava 1100.

Originating from the Italian Fiat 128, it was a relatively common car model in Yugoslavia at that time.

Lao Hu guessed that this was probably a vehicle shipped from their country.

Next, the security personnel got out of the first car, and the people who were going to discuss business got out of the second car.

As soon as they got out of the car, everyone went up to them. Director Liao seemed to know the person who came, and they quickly hugged each other and started chatting.

Fang Yan, who was standing to the side, began to quickly sized up the man.

This man was probably in his forties, with short, gray-white hair combed back, a square face, deep-set eyes, and gray-blue pupils that gave him a sharp, eagle-like gaze. He wore leather shoes, was about 1.78 meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, and wore a dark gray three-piece suit. A gold-plated pen was tucked into his breast pocket, he wore a wedding ring on his right hand, and had a scar on his left wrist.

Fang Yan noticed that his hand movements were somewhat restricted.

Milos, standing behind Fang Yan, whispered to him:

"This is our Commercial Counselor, Ivan Kovac, 48 years old, from a military family in Belgrade. He graduated from the University of Zagreb with a major in International Economics and Trade, is fluent in five languages, and has participated in negotiations for transnational projects such as the Egyptian dam and the Greek port. He is currently in charge of the import of medical equipment and medicines."

"The imports were approved by him and the health commissioner."

As expected of a good brother who would do good deeds after receiving a gift. Old Hu, who was standing to the side, showed an approving expression after hearing this. This gift was well worth it. He had given so much information just from meeting him.

Fang Yan glanced at the several people behind Ivan Kovacs and asked:
"Health Commissioner? Who is that?"

Milos lowered his voice:
"That's the woman behind him."

Fang Yan looked at the woman behind Ivan; she was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties.

She had short, light blonde hair that reached her ears, icy green eyes, pale skin, and well-defined cheekbones. She was just over 1.7 meters tall and wore a beige business suit. Even from this distance, you could smell a lavender perfume, which must have been coming from her. In addition, she wore an Orthodox silver cross necklace, so she seemed to be a believer.

Milos lowered his voice and said to Fang Yan:

"Her name is Natalia Markovic. She is 37 years old and holds a medical doctorate from the University of Sarajevo, specializing in drug toxicology. She has participated in the development of vaccine standards. Her father is a well-known herbalist in Montenegro. She has been exposed to traditional medicine since childhood and can identify more than 200 kinds of Balkan herbs. She is currently in charge of reviewing pharmacological research on traditional Chinese medicine. I report my learning progress to her every week."

Fang Yan nodded to indicate that he understood.

Old Hu now had a better understanding of the situation.

After Director Liao and Ivan finished their conversation, it was the turn of everyone else present to shake hands with Ivan.

Milos then naturally returned to his own group.

"This is Director Fang, who provided us with the technical secrets. He is currently pursuing advanced studies at our Traditional Chinese Medicine University and also serves as the director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. He is responsible for treating many overseas Chinese businessmen and still maintains a 100% cure rate..." Director Liao introduced Fang to Ivan.

Upon hearing this, Ivan approached Fang Yan and smiled, saying:

"Haha, I know, he's the man Americans call the 'Sputnik crisis of the medical world!'"

“That’s right.” Director Liao nodded.

Fang Yan shook hands with Ivan and then said:

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Counselor Ivan."

Ivan nodded, and then said:

"I'm also very happy. If possible, I hope Director Fang can help me resolve my old ailment."

His words were very direct, and Fang Yan was slightly taken aback before asking:
"You mean the hand?"

Ivan raised his wrist to show his wound and said:
"Yes, this is an old injury I got from my time in the army. You have such good eyesight."

Fang Yan did not refuse his request, saying:
"Then I'll show it to you after we finish our business."

The wound looked like it had been cut by some kind of sharp instrument.

There must be some aftereffects from the recovery. You can basically guess from the dialect. These can actually be solved with a secret plaster.

"That's wonderful." Ivan was quite pleased to hear Fang Yan's words.

Given Fang Yan's current reputation, being treated by him is, in a sense, equivalent to being cured.

After all, it has a 100% cure rate.

At this moment, Ivan certainly didn't want to be the one who was caught in the accident.

"This is Mr. Hu Daohu, an overseas Chinese businessman. He came back to China for medical treatment and also made some investments. He is now our partner and the main investor." Then, Mr. Hu was introduced.

Old Hu stepped forward and shook hands with Ivan with a smile:

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Counselor."

Ivan, true to his position as commercial attaché, knew that today's price was very likely determined by Hu Daohu, and he cut to the chase:

"Hello Mr. Hu, we hope you can give us a suitable price later."

Hu Daohu smiled and nodded:
"Of course, we came with great sincerity."

Next, the group went into a private room at the Moscow restaurant.

Then everyone was assigned a seat.

The location in such international settings is also quite important.

The highest-ranking Chinese leader, Director Liao, sat in the main seat, either facing the door or in the center of the long table.

The key figure from the guest country, Counselor Ivan, sat to the right of the host, reflecting the principle of diplomatic equality.

Other personnel were arranged on both sides according to their rank, with the Vice Minister of Health, Vice President Zhao Xiwu, Lao Hu, and Fang Yan sitting to the left of Director Liao.

The other party's representative, Natalia, was seated to Ivan's right.

The interpreters were positioned diagonally behind the main guest to facilitate whispered translation. They were responsible for translating unfamiliar words, as Ivan might not understand some technical terms.

The secretary and recorder are seated at the end of the table, near the door for easy access.

Milos sat to Natalia's side, which showed that he held a considerable position.

A variety of exquisite dishes have already been prepared here.

The Moscow restaurant primarily serves Russian-style Western cuisine, while also incorporating some specialty dishes from neighboring countries and regions.

Yugoslavia and Russia are geographically close and share some similarities in their food culture.

For example, both Yugoslavia and Russia have a tradition of eating meat, bread, and dairy products, and they also share similar cooking methods, such as being good at roasting meat and stewing.

To meet demand, the Moscow restaurant is offering dishes with Yugoslavian characteristics and similar flavors, such as roasted meats, stews, and specialty breads.

There is also a traditional Yugoslavian rakija fruit wine.

It is obvious that these were obtained through the efforts of higher-level leaders.

According to Russian Western dining standards, the fork is on the left and the knife is on the right. The spoon is placed horizontally in front of the plate, and the dessert fork and spoon are placed horizontally above. The stemmed glasses are arranged in the order of use from left to right as water glass, white wine glass, and red wine glass.

The fruit wine rakija was served separately in a small tulip-shaped glass.

Director Liao gave the opening remarks, briefly outlining the theme of tonight's banquet.

The theme was discussing business and cooperation, emphasizing the vision for the partnership.

He then raised his glass of baijiu and invited everyone to drink together.

After finishing their drinks, Ivan from Yugoslavia raised his glass in return, praising the efficiency and professionalism of the Chinese side, and also mentioning Milos's learning achievements.

After finishing our drinks, dinner officially began.

Of course, this meal wasn't for eating.

After putting down his wine glass, Director Liao immediately steered the conversation, first emphasizing the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine, and then the friendly relations between China and South Africa.

Ivan also started making polite remarks, talking about how he and Director Liao had known each other for many years, and about the friendship between China and South Africa.

The dialect gives you the feeling of watching the evening news.

Then we got down to business, which was about pricing. There were a total of nine types of finished Chinese medicine products, and Lao Hu, as the person in charge of quoting, started to quote prices from the list.

The staff listened to Lao Hu's quote while taking notes by hand.

After hearing Lao Hu's price quote, Ivan and Natalia began to discuss it in hushed tones.

After a while, Ivan thought the price was a bit too high and wanted to lower it.

"We can bundle the 'Remote Consultation with Master TCM Doctors' value-added service."

"The Huaxia Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine can provide you with support, and we also know that you are researching the pharmacology of traditional Chinese medicine. We have sufficient data on this, and we can share it with you as long as the deal is completed."

"In addition, this is a chart showing the transaction price of similar medicinal materials in China in 1975. The areas marked by red arrows indicate price increases due to rising manual processing costs, which had already occurred three years prior..."

"...Actually, several other countries in Eastern Europe are also in contact with us about similar products. If you don't want them, they might import our products and resell them to your country, at which point the price will be even higher..."

Fang Yan found the negotiations here to be really interesting, with a mix of real and deceptive price bargaining. Fang Yan didn't even know if what they were saying was true or false.

Judging from what they prepared, it seemed that there was indeed a lot of data to support it. Moreover, not only Lao Hu, but also Director Liao, the Vice Minister of Health, and Vice President Zhao Xiwu all looked very serious.

After a series of punches, Ivan whispered to Natalia behind him again.

Then Milos joined their chat.

He didn't say much, and then Ivan, who had been somewhat conflicted, seemed to suddenly understand.

He said to them:
"Then let's go with your price. After all, this is our first time working together, and we hope for a good start."

Upon hearing this, the Chinese team members were slightly taken aback. They had many prepared strategies that they hadn't even used yet, but now Ivan had agreed directly.

Their eyes turned to Milos, all knowing that what Milos had just said must have taken effect.

Although I don't know what he said, with his help, we did manage to get the 30% price increase done in one go.

Next, everyone picked up the glass of Yugoslavian rakija, said "May our friendship last forever," and drank it all in one gulp.

After finishing the drinks, the contract details were finalized, and the staff on this side and the other side gathered together to work on the details.

They had just started eating dinner.

Tear-apart bread with dipping sauce, grilled beef short ribs, stew, and cream of mushroom soup.

After the meal, there was a Napoleon cake for dessert. It was actually alright; having it occasionally was a nice change of pace.

After the meal, the contract was finalized, and the representatives from both sides signed it.

Then it was time to make the payment after visiting the production line.

This was something we had planned for, and they readily agreed.

Then, Lao Hu took out the gifts he had given to these people.

Ivan received a box of Chinese chess pieces made of ivory, and Natalia received a jade hairpin.

Other accompanying personnel also received gifts; basically, everyone who saw them received one.

Everyone was deeply impressed by Lao Hu, the boss who was very generous.

After these important matters were discussed, it was time to talk about Fang Yan and Ivan's personal affairs.

After examining Ivan's hand, the wound appeared dark purple and made a clicking sound when he moved it.

In the dialect, they asked Ivan if he had anything to add.

Ivan said:

"The stinging pain worsens at night."

"I checked this in our country, and if it's translated into your Chinese... how should I say Natalia?"

He turned to Natalia and asked.

Natalia clearly understands Chinese better when it comes to medical matters; she said:

"His injury is an open, complex injury, with tendon adhesions, ulnar nerve damage, and joint capsule contracture caused by chronic inflammation."

Fang Yan nodded after hearing this.

He said to Ivan:

"In the words of traditional Chinese medicine, the dark purple color of your scar indicates that there is blood stasis and obstruction of the meridians. The abnormal sound when moving indicates that the tendons and muscles are stiff. The increased pain at night is due to cold stagnation and blood stasis. This is also a common post-war symptom reaction in soldiers."

Ivan couldn't understand either, which is when the professional translator came in handy.

After translating it for Ivan, he asked in the dialect:

"Is it treatable?"

Fang Yan nodded and said:
"Easy to say."

"I'll write you a prescription first, and then you can just get the medicine according to this prescription."

After saying that, he asked Natalia:

"Ms. Natalia, you must have studied Traditional Chinese Medicine, right? Can you decoct the medicine?"

Natalia nodded:
“I have no problem decocting medicine. Just tell me the prescription and I’ll write it down. I can’t read the characters used by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.”

Although she had never seen a prescription written in a local dialect, Natalia was deeply impressed by the traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions written in cursive script.

Without explaining the dialect, he immediately nodded:
"Okay, then I'll tell you and you write it down."

Natalia picked up a pen and paper, indicating that the dialect could begin.

"Danshen 30g, Danggui 15g, prepared frankincense 9g, prepared myrrh 9g, Huangqi 60g, Guizhi 12g, Baishao 9g, Dilong 6g, Quanxie 3g. Grind the Quanxie into powder and take it with water. For decoction, use 200ml of rice wine as a drink. Take it warm after dinner." Fang Yan said this to Natalia at a relatively slow pace.

The woman's Chinese was indeed quite good; she memorized it all in one go.

After saying that, Fang Yan turned to Ivan and said:

“Mr. Ivan, I’ll also have Milos bring you a few plasters later. They’re the ones we make. They can help improve blood circulation and remove blood stasis. You can just use them.”

“Okay!” Ivan nodded. He was quite pleased that the Chinese medicine he had imported could cure his illness.

Then, in dialect, he said:

"I'll give you one last acupuncture treatment to help you recover as much as possible."

Speaking in his dialect, he rolled up his sleeve and pulled out the silver needle.

No one expected that Fang Yan would carry silver needles with him.

This thing was long and thin; if you stuck a needle into someone's body, it felt like it could kill them. It startled the security personnel around, but at that moment, Counselor Ivan was already speaking:

"He truly is the most outstanding traditional Chinese medicine doctor; he always carries medical equipment with him."

They also came to their senses, realizing that someone like Fang Yan could not possibly assassinate their counselor.

He then regained his composure.

Fang Yan then used acupuncture needles to apply pressure to Ivan's hand.

After inserting the needles into the two acupoints, Fang Yan instructed Ivan to follow his hand movements.

Ivan's movements were originally limited, but when he followed Fang Yan's movements, he found that he could actually do it. Although his joints still made strange noises, he felt different after Fang Yan inserted the needles.

"How amazing!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.

They even expressed their shock to those around them in their own language.

Then Fang Yan gave him a massage, and when the time was up, Fang Yan removed the silver needles.

Then they made Ivan do the actions he couldn't do before.

Ivan started shaking his wrist as instructed in the dialect, and found that he could actually complete the movement successfully, now without the needle in his hand.

Ivan immediately became excited and said to Fang Yan:

"Director Fang, you are truly an amazing doctor!"

"I feel like I've recovered 90% now."

"This problem has been bothering me for many years, and I thought I had no hope of recovery."

Fang Yan said to Ivan:

"Actually, this isn't a big problem for you."

"As long as you follow my treatment plan, you should recover quickly."

Ivan heard Fang Yan's calm words and sensed his strong confidence.

He spoke in dialect:

"I love doctors like you so much. It's like you have mastered the ultimate secrets of the human body. There are no problems in front of you."

Fang Yan smiled at Ivan and said:

"Mr. Ivan, you have such a way of praising people."

"Our collaboration will bring health to more people, which is a very meaningful thing. I believe the people of your country will be grateful for your decision."

At the end of the treatment, Fang Yan didn't forget to elevate the theme of this collaboration.

When Ivan heard Fang Yan say this, although he knew it was just polite talk, after experiencing Fang Yan's treatment, he had a different feeling. At least he was certain that Fang Yan's medicine was effective.

A traditional Chinese medicine made from a miracle doctor's secret recipe is bound to be effective.

As long as it works, what does it matter if it's a little expensive?

After all, who would care about spending a little more money if they could recover their health?

Moreover, the people in their country are very wealthy.

They wouldn't care about that much.

More people should be grateful to him for importing these drugs.

……

After the banquet, Ivan and his people parted ways outside the Moscow Hotel.

After the person left, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.

Adding a 30% markup was easier than they had imagined.

Director Liao addressed the crowd around him:

"It seems we really should thank Mr. Milos, who was brought here by Fang Yan."

"If he hadn't spoken up for us, we really don't know how much trouble we would have had to go through."

Hu Daohu said with a smile:

"To be honest, I was just about to make a concession."

"Hahaha..." The others laughed too.

Then Vice Dean Zhao Xiwu said:

"Thank goodness you held on."

The Deputy Minister of Health said:

"I should say that Mr. Milos helped out."

"I don't even know what he was saying."

Fang Yan roughly guessed that Milos was referring to reminding Ivan to see a doctor.

After all, the money belongs to the country, but the hands are your own.

Even though Fang Yan didn't speak at the dinner table, he's a legitimate partner. If he haggles too much, it will harm Fang Yan's interests. He still needs Fang Yan to treat his illness.

Moreover, even if the price increases by 30%, it's not a big deal for Yugoslavia right now.

It would be better to use the money to do someone a favor, or consider it payment for medical expenses.

It's important to know that the fees for treating illnesses using local dialects are not low, and only overseas Chinese businessmen who have invested in the industry are eligible to receive treatment.

They can't be unaware of that.

Ivan isn't exactly a selfless person, but the fact that he proactively asked Fang Yan for help with his medical treatment in this situation shows that he actually values ​​himself quite a bit.

Of course, Fang Yan wasn't the only one who saw through this. After thinking for a moment, Director Liao said in a half-joking tone:

"Perhaps it was a reminder that the medical fees paid to Fang Yan should also be included in the calculation."

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Hahaha……"

In any case, the company's first order has finally come through today.

This marks the first step in the cross-border business of dialects.

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

There will be more later.

(End of this chapter)