The aloof military doctor arrives at the unit, and the tough guy can't sit still.

"Comrade, didn't the document from above already come down, allowing individuals to sell goods on a small scale? I just want to make some plasters to sell at a stall, not for large-scale production," Xia Qiuran said with a smile.

The man showed no sign of leniency. "That won't do either. We wholesale herbs. If everyone were like you, wanting three pounds of this and five pounds of that, we wouldn't be able to do anything else."

Xia Qiuran: "Can't I just buy more? Besides, I'm going to use it long-term. If we cooperate in the future, it will be a win-win situation."

"I said no, no, stop talking nonsense and get out of here," the man said impatiently.

Xia Qiuran frowned deeply, her eyes filled with anxiety. The plaster business had just started to pick up, and they absolutely couldn't afford to have any problems with the raw materials.

He tried to be humble and said, "Comrade, how about this? I'll offer a higher price, and we can sign a contract. I guarantee I'll get the required weight of goods."

"Are you out of your mind? Can't you understand human language?" The man slammed his hand on the table and glared at Xia Qiuran, cursing fiercely.

"But didn't you sell small batches of herbs before?" Xia Qiuran asked anxiously.

The man chuckled, his eyes full of contempt. "You think you can compare? Do you have a man who's a bureau chief? Do you have a father who's a section chief? Do you have any relatives who are officials?"

"you…"

Xia Qiuran was speechless. She didn't have any of those things. Even if she didn't want to admit it, that was the reality. Many times, things weren't just black and white; gray areas were everywhere.

If she insists on making a scene, she might not only fail to buy the herbs in the end, but she might also implicate the clinic colleague who introduced her to the clinic.

Xia Qiuran glanced into the pharmaceutical factory and sighed deeply. Right now, she could only look for other pharmaceutical factories.

As she turned around, she bumped into a firm, warm chest without noticing, and the steady figure instantly enveloped her.

Looking up, she saw that Lu Zhenghan had appeared behind her at some point.

"Your factory manager's surname is Zheng, right? Go tell him that Lu Zhenghan from the 45th Regiment wants to see him."

Lu Zhenghan pulled Xia Qiuran by the wrist and walked to the man from before.

His voice was deep and sharp, seemingly devoid of any emotion, yet like a sudden gust of cold wind in the dead of winter, it carried an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Judging from Lu Zhenghan's tone and seeing the two bars and three stars on his shoulder, the harsh look on the man's face just now vanished instantly, and his voice softened considerably.

"Then please come with me. The factory manager is in his office right now."

The man jogged into the office to report, while Lu Zhenghan and Xia Qiuran waited in the corridor.

A short while later, a man in his fifties came out in a panic, bending over and adopting an extremely humble posture.

"Commander Lu, it really is you."

"Commander Lu, please come inside. If there's anything you need, just let me know and I'll come right over. There's no need for you to make the trip."

Lu Zhenghan walked into the office, his expression distant. "Director Zheng, you certainly have a lot of airs about you. My soldiers begged for so long at the gate, but they still couldn't get into your pharmaceutical factory."

Upon hearing this, Director Zheng immediately glared at the man from before, then turned around with a fawning smile, his tone respectful to the point of being almost ingratiating.

"Commander Lu, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault for mismanagement. Please don't be angry. I will definitely punish them properly later."

Lu Zhenghan's tone was icy: "You haven't wronged me."

Factory Director Zheng immediately understood and glared at the man who had just looked down on Xia Qiuran.

The man hurriedly walked up to Xia Qiuran and said cautiously and tremblingly, "Comrade, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was so blind to you just now. Please forgive my rudeness."

Xia Qiuran: "Don't say that, I can't accept that. I just came to buy some herbs."

Factory Director Zheng immediately replied, "Young comrade, what kind of herbs do you want to buy? We have a full range of Chinese medicinal herbs here."

"These are all." Xia Qiuran took out a pre-written purchase order from her pocket.

Factory Manager Zheng glanced at it first, then nodded repeatedly, "Yes, all of them." He then handed the purchase order to the man, "Hurry up and get it done."

"Yes, yes."

Having finally succeeded in getting the herbs, Xia Qiuran was relieved.

"Thank you, Director Zheng."

Factory Director Zheng: "No need to thank me, young comrade. If you need any herbs in the future, just come over. It's an honor for you and Commander Lu to come here to buy goods."

A short while later, the group came out. Xia Qiuran's eyes widened instantly when she saw the mountain of herbs piled up in front of her. It seemed that her prescription didn't require such a large quantity.

"Director Zheng, did we take too many herbs?" Xia Qiuran asked.

Factory Director Zheng: "Yes, there are too many. There are two kinds of herbs here that are always out of stock. We happened to have some today, so we asked them to pack a little more."

"Thank you very much, Factory Manager," Xia Qiuran said sincerely.

It's true that having connections in the imperial court makes things easier; without Lu Zhenghan, she would definitely have been kicked out of the pharmaceutical factory today.

All the herbs were loaded onto the truck, and because there were so many, Xia Qiuran could only sit in the passenger seat.

"Commander, thank you so much for everything today."

Lu Zhenghan's gaze was fixed on the road ahead, his profile cold and hard, and he replied indifferently, "You are my soldier. If you are bullied, it is my incompetence."

"As expected of a leader," Xia Qiuran continued, "Commander, that Factory Director Zheng seemed quite afraid of you today?"

Lu Zhenghan: "During the foreign war, he was just a junior director of this pharmaceutical factory. At that time, the army took over the factory as a backup medicine depot. I thought he was quite reliable and capable, so I promoted him to factory director."

Xia Qiuran nodded in understanding: "So that's how it is. You gave him the factory manager position, no wonder he's so obedient."

After saying that, he glanced at the blazing sun outside the window and realized that the two of them hadn't had lunch yet.

"Commander, it's getting late. How about I treat you to dinner at a restaurant when we get to the city?"

Xia Qiuran made a polite remark, which was actually just a polite remark according to international custom. After all, Lu Zhenghan had just said that he had things to finish and how could he have time to have dinner with her?

Seeing that Lu Zhenghan didn't react much after hearing this, Xia Qiuran immediately added, "If you don't have time, that's fine. I'll invite you another day when you have time."

That "some other day" could mean any day later.

Since Lu Zhenghan doesn't want to eat, why not give him some walnuts next time? They're delicious and good for the brain; you can't go wrong with that kind of gift.

"I have time today," Lu Zhenghan said without a trace of emotion as Xia Qiuran was pondering.

"Um?"

Xia Qiuran was taken aback when Lu Zhenghan actually agreed.

"What? You don't want to treat me to dinner again?" Lu Zhenghan glanced sideways.

"Of course not, of course not, let's go now." Xia Qiuran replied immediately after regaining her senses.

Lu Zhenghan had helped her so much, so of course she wouldn't be stingy with a meal.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Xia Qiuran ordered her food and immediately went to the counter to pay the bill.