17: Purchasing medicines

The signing ceremony was low-key, but the publicity campaign from Tianyun Pavilion later on would definitely not be small.

This piece by Duke of Zhou was absolutely the clarion call for them to march into the top-tier auction market.

They would definitely make this 10 million rent worth every penny.

At this moment, Lu Fan didn't care how they operated; he had only one requirement, and that was anonymity.

When he received the fiery red employment certificate from Xia Yunting, the system notification sounded as expected.

[Mission Complete: Completion 70%, Evaluation: B, Reward Points: 3,000.]

Judging by the mission completion rate, only by donating Duke of Zhou's work for free could the mission be perfectly completed.

However, he didn't regret it; the choice that suited him was the best choice.

After leaving Cloud Pavilion, Lu Fan headed straight for the Shanghai Pharmaceutical Wholesale Market.

He had to prepare for the next time-travel.

The wholesale market was very deserted in the afternoon, with only a few people scattered across the vast space.

The shop owners were either lying down scrolling through short videos or gathered together to play Fight the Landlord.

Lu Fan looked at the shops as he walked along; judging by the advertisements on the storefronts, they had every kind of medicine imaginable.

But he didn't see a single trace of the penicillin he wanted.

Out of options, he could only find a shop called Zhang's Pharmacy that sold antibiotics, hoping for a stroke of luck.

"Brother, do you have penicillin for sale here?"

"penicillin? Who uses that stuff nowadays?"

The middle-aged man on the recliner squinted at him: "Go straight to the end and head to the veterinary wholesale section."

Hearing that he had to go to the veterinary section, the medicine was clearly meant for cats and dogs.

He was buying penicillin to save human lives, so Lu Fan felt a sudden surge of anger.

"Brother, if you don't have it, you don't have it. Why send me to buy veterinary medicine?"

"I'm trying to treat and save people."

"What are you shouting about, you layman?"

The middle-aged man put down his phone and looked Lu Fan up and down with a cold, condescending gaze: "What era do you think this is? Still using penicillin?"

"Not only does it easily trigger allergic reactions, but long-term use leads to drug resistance. That stuff was phased out long ago."

"Brother, are you living in the last century?"

Facing the ridicule, Lu Fan gave a bitter smile. Thinking about it, it was true; without realizing it, he hadn't seen this 'miracle drug' for a long time.

Just as he was about to try his luck elsewhere, a gentle and slightly timid voice stopped him.

"Sir, I have penicillin in stock. Would you like to take a look?"

Lu Fan turned around and saw a woman wearing an oversized T-shirt and washed blue jeans.

She was holding a large box in her arms and looking at him, drenched in sweat.

Seeing her posture, Lu Fan repeated his requirement: "I want penicillin for human use."

"Yes, it's for human use. I'll get a sample for you to see."

The woman put down the cardboard box and ran back into the shop.

Lu Fan walked over; a little girl and a little boy were busy packing items.

He was very familiar with this scene; it looked like the business was folding.

"Boss, this is our penicillin. Produced by Shiyao, all certificates are in order. Please take a look!"

With thirty percent hope and seventy percent trepidation, the woman handed over the sample and the certificates.

Lu Fan took the items and asked while looking through them, "Miss, how should I address you?"

"I can't claim to be a beauty. Just call me Yu Fang."

The woman wiped her sweat, brought a stool over for Lu Fan, and then began her introduction.

"This penicillin is for export. It's not as white or fluffy, and the shelf life is a bit shorter—it has two years left."

"But it doesn't affect the efficacy at all."

This person revealed the flaws of her own goods as soon as she spoke; she was an honest person.

"Proprietress, how much of this do you have? What's the price?"

It wasn't easy to encounter an honest person in business. Lu Fan thought that if the price was right, buying it all wouldn't be a problem.

Yu Fang hesitated, then gritted her teeth and said, "Boss, the market price for penicillin is 260 yuan per kilogram."

"As you can see, I'm planning to close down the business."

"There are eight hundred kilograms of stock left. You name a price; I'll sell it even at a slight loss."

"Eight hundred kilograms?"

Lu Fan shook his head in disappointment, grumbling to himself that this small amount was barely enough to fill a tooth gap.

"Boss, if it's too much, I can sell it in smaller quantities, but you can't make me lose too much on the price."

Seeing Lu Fan's head-shaking and hesitant expression, Yu Fang quickly spoke up.

The stock in this shop was stockpiled by her father; it was all battlefield supplies. He had thought he could make a fortune from wars abroad.

Who would have thought he'd end up losing more than he gained.

Not only did he not make any money, but the massive debt crushed her father. She was now in desperate need of money to save him.

Lu Fan scratched his head, feeling helpless: "Fine, fine, eight hundred it is. It's a bit little, but it'll have to do."

"Miss, write up the invoice, calculate how much it is, and give me your payment QR code."

This 'Versailles' remark left Yu Fang stunned on the spot.

Complaining that eight hundred kilograms of penicillin was too little? What normal person would use eight hundred kilograms? You could eat it as a meal for several months.

After being dazed for a while, Yu Fang ran into the shop to look for the invoices to write up the order.

Lu Fan lit a cigarette and slowly examined the medicines on the shelves.

vitamins, hemostatic cotton, painkillers, tetanus antitoxin... Not only were the items on his shopping list here, but the selection was even more comprehensive than he had expected.

He picked up a form on a cardboard box, glanced at it, and asked, "Proprietress, is this the inventory list?"

"Mhm..."

Yu Fang, who had just recovered from her shock, responded blankly.

"I'll take everything you have. Give me a bundle price!"

Lu Fan's nonchalant words once again froze Yu Fang in place.

At this moment, she wasn't just shocked; she was completely stunned, petrified on the spot.

This batch of medicine was more than enough to support a small-to-medium-scale war.

He's taking it all? What is he planning to do?

Could he also be an overseas engineer—moving bricks by day and fighting wars by night?

After a long time, Yu Fang suppressed her questions and confirmed again: "Boss, you want everything?"

"Yes. Also, can you share the sourcing channel for this penicillin?"

"It won't be for free; I can pay a commission."

These days, if you want the horse to run fast, you have to be willing to spend money.

If a problem could be solved with money, Lu Fan never chose a second option.

"Boss, 450,000 yuan for this batch will be fine!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her phone notification rang: "Alipay has received 450,000 yuan."

After the instant payment, Yu Fang's curiosity was completely ignited: "Boss, just how much penicillin do you need?"

"I still have some stock in the warehouse."

"Let's start with 5 tons. The exact amount depends on the situation. I'll give you a list for other supplies later."

Lu Fan didn't hide anything. With the Battle of Shanghai about to begin, it was foreseeable that he would be exceptionally busy during this time.

Purchasing medicine required various qualifications; the optimal solution was to find an agent.

Yu Fang lowered her head in thought. There was no such thing as a free lunch.

Him asking her to be a buyer meant risks and opportunities coexisted.

However, she didn't have much room for choice. In the face of massive debt, there weren't many paths she could take.

"Fine! I can be your buyer. A 10 percent commission."

"Deal~~"

Having reached an agreement, Lu Fan discussed some details with Yu Fang.

Then, he rushed to the next stop without stopping.