"Not bad, my favorite tuna and salmon are back in stock? So delicious, I'm digging in then."
Ge Hong held his chopsticks, his eyes shining, eager to start.
However, he still understood etiquette and didn't rush to eat before others.
Gu Zhaobei smiled, "If you like it, eat it. No need to be polite at my place."
With Gu Zhaobei's encouragement, Ge Hong felt like he had received a permit. He immediately happily put a large piece of salmon into his mouth and began to eat heartily, like a cow chewing on peonies.
The hot pot broth was made from three small lobsters and bone broth, with Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, and a bundle of scallions to remove any fishy smell.
At this moment, the hot pot was bubbling, already boiling.
Everyone began to eat slowly and deliberately.
Ge Hong saw Gu Qingcheng take out the *maotai* and pour it for everyone, saying,
"I'll only have one cup of this wine today."
"Why? Don't you really like this wine?" Gu Qingcheng asked, puzzled.
This wine was too expensive. When she had fewer *shuang dian* (satisfaction points), she was reluctant to buy it. Even for her father, she would only get a bottle for celebrating special occasions.
Now that she could use her *shuang dian* freely, she had become generous. She hadn't expected the wine-loving Daoist Ge to refuse more?
"This wine is too strong. It will make me sleep for a whole night, which is too much of a hindrance."
Ge Hong always felt that sleeping was a last resort. If it wasn't necessary, he wouldn't sleep; he just wanted to work.
Ge Hong truly loved the cause of "alchemy." During the research and development of the zombie antidote, Ge Hong even, on impulse, followed Gu Zhaobei's hints and refined effective medicines like artemisinin, aspirin, and berberine.
Seeing that Daoist Ge was serious, Gu Qingcheng took out another bottle of wine with simple packaging and a crystal glass, pouring him a small cup. She said,
"Daoist Ge, try this wine. How is it?"
"Oh, this wine is good. Slightly sour, slightly sweet, with a wine aroma. It seems it won't have much of a kick, and it has a lychee fragrance." Ge Hong praised.
"Yes, this is lychee wine. I found wild lychees on the mountain in the summer. I couldn't finish them all, so I made all the picked lychees into lychee wine. It's warming and nourishing. You can drink more of it. It's perfect for drinking in this weather."
Gu Qingcheng explained the origin of the wine.
"This wine is good," Ge Hong asked impolitely, "Can you give me a pot?"
"No problem, I'll send two jars back later."
Gu Qingcheng was not stingy either. Daoist Ge had given her a bottle of hand cream when they first met. It's impolite not to reciprocate; there needs to be a give and take for the next encounter.
If Daoist Ge were not so obsessed with making medicine, in modern society, he could have earned a fortune by developing several hand creams and skin creams, using herbal extracts as a gimmick.
Even if he didn't want to be a big boss, just selling the formulas would have ensured a comfortable life.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingcheng suddenly had an idea and asked,
"Dad, how many medicines have you developed now?"
"What do you want to do?"
Gu Zhaobei raised his eyebrows.
He knew his daughter was already a "village overlord." Whatever she asked, she must have an idea, and she wouldn't ask casually.
"Listen, I want to start a pharmaceutical factory, mass-produce these medicines, and put them on the market so that ordinary people can also have access to cheap and convenient prepared medicines when they are sick."
"Oh, that's a good idea. These formulas were developed by Daoist Ge and me."
Gu Zhaobei deliberately emphasized this. He wasn't trying to take credit for himself, but to remind his daughter that Daoist Ge had contributed half of the effort.
"Once the pharmaceutical factory is established, do you want to sell the formulas outright to me, or become shareholders and take a cut of the future drug sales revenue."
Gu Qingcheng knew that the pharmaceutical industry was a lucrative business, but her primary goal was not to make money.
Instead, the system, which had been dormant for a long time, suddenly issued a mission.
The mission stated: The host needs to establish a pharmaceutical factory. For any prepared medicine produced that is used by patients for treatment and recovery, the host can earn a *shuang dian*.
Oh my, oh my, wasn't this another great opportunity for the system to send her to earn *shuang dian* while lying flat?
How many people are there in the world? Everyone gets sick. Who can guarantee they won't catch a cold or have an upset stomach in their lifetime?
As long as her medicine could cure one case, she could earn one *shuang dian*. That would be too great.
From now on, *shuang dian* would be endless. She wouldn't have to worry about not being able to earn *shuang dian* in the future. Gu Qingcheng immediately became motivated.
"I want to be a shareholder," Ge Hong, though an introverted man obsessed with his work, had ideas when it mattered. "I'm willing to let you produce the medicine, but you need to control the profits to ensure the drugs are affordable for ordinary people."
"Okay, I completely agree. How about this, I'll control the profit margin of the medicine to be just ten *wen* above the cost, what do you think? Of course, this cost needs to comprehensively consider transportation, sales, and all other costs."
Gu Qingcheng didn't expect Ge Hong to be so ungreedy.
It seemed he was a chosen one who wanted to contribute his talent to human progress!
It was just a pity that he had taken the wrong path at the beginning.
Gu Qingcheng didn't hesitate at all regarding Ge Hong's conditions because her main goal was to earn *shuang dian*. If she were producing it herself, breaking even would be enough.
However, for the pharmaceutical factory to exist and develop sustainably, some profit was necessary.
"I agree," Ge Hong said cheerfully.
"I have no objections either," Gu Zhaobei naturally supported his daughter's endeavor.
Moreover, he was also a conscientious doctor who upheld the principle of saving lives and healing the wounded, not profiting from patients.
Therefore, Gu Qingcheng seized the opportunity and went to the study to "swiftly" write a contract, formalizing the establishment of the pharmaceutical factory.
The contract was in triplicate, with her, Gu Zhaobei, and Ge Hong each holding one-third of the shares. The pharmaceutical factory would be named Phoenix Pharmaceuticals, and the three of them were its founding shareholders.
Over a year of experience had made Gu Qingcheng adept at writing contracts.
Gu Zhaobei carefully reviewed the contract and, finding no flaws, signed his name.
Ge Hong focused on Gu Qingcheng's profit requirements and, after confirming there were no issues, also signed his name. Gu Qingcheng signed hers as well.
The contract was in triplicate, and each kept one copy.
Gu Qingcheng added, "This is the original document. A series of related documents will be derived later, but all will adhere to this original document as the principle. Please also keep it safe and do not disclose it to outsiders; this is a huge commercial secret."
Ge Hong indicated that he understood.
Gu Zhaobei directly handed the document to Hu Lanfang for safekeeping.
He was too busy researching pharmaceutical formulas every day to bother with such matters.
Holding the contract, Hu Lanfang instantly felt as if she saw the birth of three billionaires before her eyes.