Wine and Women Are Hard to Resist (Continued)
"Brother Leung, do you know if there are any people from Chiu Chow people who run their own candy shops that make and sell their own products?" Song Tianyao asked, watching Wu Jinliang fiddling with the tea set in front of him.
Without even pausing to think, Wu Jinliang blurted out, "Of course I know them. Guangdong produces sugar, so there are naturally many people in the candy business. I know of more than a dozen of those candy shops that Secretary Song mentioned, with the storefront in the front and the workshop in the back."
As he spoke, he gestured for Song Tianyao to have some tea. "Please, have some tea."
"I'd like to commission a batch of medicinal candies, so I'm asking Brother Leung if you know of any reliable shops run by Brother Leung from Chiu Chow people." Song Tianyao picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and smiled at Wu Jinliang.
Wu Jinliang's face lit up with joy. "Then thank you very much, Secretary Song, for your consideration. Please enjoy your drink. I'll run some errands for you. By the way, how much sugar is in this batch?"
Song Tianyao put down his teacup and calculated the cost of the Hong Kong dollars 300,000 worth of Santonin Deworming Tablets in Likang's warehouse. At a purchase price of Hong Kong dollars 1,200 per kilogram, that's 250 kilograms. This guy named Zhang Yuliang is really having a blast, clearly using the number 250 to subtly mock his boss, Chu Xiaoxin.
"I don't know how many candies I need to make yet, but I know it will require at least 2,500 kilograms of sugar."
"Thank you so much, Secretary Song! I'll cover all your expenses at Lu Secretary Song Lu Yu Teahouse today. I'll go run the errand for you right away." Upon receiving the amount, Wu Jinliang practically jumped up from his seat and turned to run out of the private room.
With this amount, Wu Jinliang could navigate the dozen or so candy shops run by Chiu Chow people with ease. Whoever gave him the most benefits, he would naturally bring that person to Song Tianyao, which was Song Tianyao actively bringing business to his door.
Song Tianyao's plan was to process the batch of Santonin deworming medicine in Likang's warehouse into Pagoda Candy- shaped deworming pills. Although Santonin deworming medicine had low toxicity, it was the most effective deworming medicine in the world in the Song Tianyao. The deworming medicines on the shelves of Western pharmacies throughout Hong Kong were mainly based on * Santonin molle* extract, mostly in 0.2g single-tablet doses, with a few in 0.5g single-tablet doses, and they were very expensive. The deworming pills that Santonin his mother to buy from the United States were 0.2g doses, fifty pills a bottle, priced at Hong Kong dollars 57. This was already the cheapest Santonin deworming medicine in Hong Kong. Apart from foreigners in Hong Kong who would keep this deworming pill as a household medicine, almost no China person bought it, not because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't afford it.
As for Pagoda Candy, some developed Western countries and even a few pharmacies in Hong Kong now offer this semi- Pagoda Candy, semi-medicinal product, primarily targeting children. However, it is nearly twice as expensive as Santonin anthelmintic medicine because only one company, United States Pfizer, currently produces Pagoda Candy. Yes, the same company that produced Viagra in Song Tianyao's previous life.
Although Santonin is a potent medicine, its taste is comparable to Coptis chinensis (a bitter herb), making it unpalatable for children in Western countries. Therefore, Pfizer combined Santonin with candy, reducing the amount of * Santonin and adding fructose to increase sweetness. This completely changed the unpalatable bitter taste of the deworming medicine, making it as sweet as candy. Furthermore, it was shaped like a flower tower, a departure from the traditional, rigid appearance of medicine, making it more appealing. Upon its release, it became an instant hit, with children remembering to take their medicine more often than their parents, just to get to eat this candy.
The reason the price is twice as high is that Pfizer partnered with a Canada toffee manufacturer and used expensive almond toffee as an ingredient, which is more suitable for the tastes of Western children.
On the shelves of several pharmacies in Hong Kong, Pfizer's deworming Pagoda Candies cost HK Hong Kong dollars 125 per bottle. Each bottle contains twelve Flower Pagoda Candies, just enough to cover a child's deworming medication for a year. HK Hong Kong dollars 125 is more than the monthly salary of most poor people in Hong Kong.
To be honest, this kind of Flower Pagoda Candy doesn't actually require much technology. Just crush all the insect repellent tablets in the warehouse into powder, find a small workshop-style candy processing factory, design the shape on the cold sugar board, and as long as there is enough sugar or fructose toppings, and enough equipment and manpower, dozens or even hundreds of kilograms can be produced a day.
They could donate half of the medicine to charity, helping their boss gain a reputation for being a philanthropist and showcasing the effectiveness of the Pagoda Candy. The other half could be sold at a price and with packaging that even the poor could afford. In the end, they should still be able to make tens of thousands of dollars in profit from the 300,000 yuan worth of deworming medicine.
Song Tianyao gently turned the teacup in his hand. In fact, everything he was doing now, whether it was Shek Chi-yik or Flower Pagoda Candy, was to help Chu Xiaoxin gain a foothold in the small place of Hong Kong. Although Chu Xiaoxin was currently protected by the Chu Family's banner, that Chu was ultimately not Chu Xiaoxin. Once Chu Yaozong fell, Chu Xiaoxin would be exposed for who he really was. If he wanted to take advantage of the situation, Song Tianyao himself could only first help Chu Xiaoxin to a high enough position before he would have enough qualifications to take advantage of the situation.
"Tap tap." A gentle knock sounded on the door of the private room. Song Tianyao's lips curled up; he assumed it was the same girl who had come to play the pipa for him before. "Come in."
The door to the private room opened, and a young woman in her early twenties, wearing a floral-patterned jacket and holding a pipa, stood in the doorway and politely asked, "Sir, would you like to hear some music?"
"There was a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old before, but I haven't seen her today?" Song Tianyao asked, noticing that the girl outside the door wasn't the one who had sung and played music for him twice before.
"Sir, I only started singing at Lu Yu Teahouse yesterday, so I don't know much about what happened before." The woman, not receiving a response from Song Tianyao, dared not step into the private room and could only reply from outside the door.
Song Tianyao took out five yuan, placed it on the table, and shook his head. "No need. Consider this money as payment for listening to the girl play a tune. If you see a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl downstairs, ask her to come upstairs and play a tune."
The woman stood at the door for a few seconds, clutching the pipa tightly to her chest. She timidly approached, collected the money, and quickly retreated to the doorway. Throughout, her eyes remained wary of Song Tianyao. Only after confirming Song Tianyao no harm did she bow deeply to Song Tianyao at the door. "Thank you, sir."