Chapter 641 - 641: You Have Good Medicinal Herbs? What a Joke

A little over half an hour later, Zhao Yuan arrived at the pharmaceutical factory.

Compared to the old factory, which had only one production line and was more like a workshop, the new factory was not only much larger but also far more impressive.

Seeing the factory in its current state, Zhao Yuan felt a little ashamed.

Although he was the big boss, aside from one trip to formulate medicine, he had been completely hands-off. He didn't manage a single thing, leaving everything for Fang Yi to handle. And Fang Yi was truly capable, keeping every single matter at the factory, big or small, in perfect order.

Zhao Yuan knew in his heart that if he had been the one to do it, he definitely wouldn't have done as good a job as Fang Yi.

The Bone Woman drove the car to the factory gate and honked the horn, signaling for the guard to open the electric gate.

"Unauthorized vehicles are prohibited from entering!"

A young man in a security guard's uniform walked out of the guardhouse.

"Who are you? What are you here for? Do you have an appointment?"

Zhao Yuan took a look. He didn't recognize the young security guard, but he saw a familiar face sitting inside the guardhouse—it was Peng Hai, a guard from the old factory.

After the new factory's expansion was completed, many employees had stayed on. Peng Hai was no exception; he had even been promoted and was now a group leader in the security department.

Zhao Yuan rolled down his window and shouted to Peng Hai, "Uncle Peng, open the gate."

Peng Hai looked up and saw that the person calling him was actually Zhao Yuan. He scrambled to his feet and hurried out. "Well, look who it is! Chairman Zhao! I'll open it right away." He then pulled a remote from his pocket, pressed a button, and the electric gate immediately retracted.

"Thanks, Uncle Peng," Zhao Yuan said politely.

Peng Hai was a bit overwhelmed by the gesture. "It's my job. I couldn't possibly have Chairman Zhao thanking me."

Zhao Yuan just smiled and said nothing more. The Bone Woman started the car and drove into the factory.

The young security guard came over to Peng Hai's side and whispered, "Group Leader Peng, who is that? Was it okay to let him in? What if management gets on our case for it?"

Peng Hai couldn't help but laugh. "Get on our case? No way! That's Chairman Zhao, the big boss of our factory! If we'd stopped him at the gate and refused him entry, *that's* when we'd be punished!"

"Huh? That guy is the big boss? He's so young!" the young guard exclaimed, his face full of surprise.

Peng Hai said smugly, "You're new, so you wouldn't know. Don't let his age fool you; our big boss is an incredible person! The only reason this factory has become so big and successful is all thanks to him!"

"The big boss is that amazing? Group Leader Peng, you have to tell me more," the young guard asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I can tell you. But first, give me a cigarette."

Peng Hai held out his hand, and the young guard immediately handed him a cigarette, even diligently lighting it for him.

Taking a long, satisfying drag, Peng Hai began to tell the story of Zhao Yuan and the factory, embellishing it with his own flair.

Zhao Yuan had no idea that he had already become a legend in the eyes and words of others.

Although he hadn't visited since the new factory was completed, he had been there a few times during its construction and had seen the blueprints. He knew where the office building was and now directed the Bone Woman to drive to the base of it.

He then got out of the car and went upstairs. This time, the Bone Woman followed closely behind him.

When he reached the general manager's office, Zhao Yuan was surprised to find that Fang Yi wasn't there and the office door was locked. However, in the outer reception area, a stranger in his forties was sitting and fiddling with his phone.

Hearing the noise, the stranger looked up but paid little attention, assuming Zhao Yuan was just a factory employee. It was the Bone Woman who entered with Zhao Yuan that caught his eye; he was so struck by her beauty that he couldn't help but stare a little longer.

Zhao Yuan asked politely, "Excuse me, do you know where President Fang is?"

The stranger replied, "He has a guest. He's giving them a tour of the factory. He should be back in a little while. You can just wait."

"Okay, thank you." Zhao Yuan sat down on the sofa, casually picked up the pot of Tieguanyin tea that Fang Yi had brewed, and poured himself a cup.

This action caught the stranger's eye, and he couldn't help but frown. 'This kid has no manners,' he thought. 'How dare he drink the general manager's tea.' He glanced at the Bone Woman standing behind Zhao Yuan and added with approval, 'Now, this pretty young lady knows her place. Of course you have to be cautious in a leader's office. You can't just do whatever you want.'

Since he wasn't an employee of the factory himself, the stranger, despite his disapproval of Zhao Yuan, didn't feel it was his place to scold him. He just asked casually, "Are you looking for President Fang to report something?"

Zhao Yuan shook his head. "I don't have anything to report. I just want to show him a few medicinal herbs for his appraisal and see if they can be sent to an auction."

The stranger was taken aback for a moment. "You're not from this factory?" he asked.

Zhao Yuan replied, "I am from this factory."

"Then you still dare to ask President Fang to appraise herbs for you?" the stranger asked, surprised.

In his eyes, with Zhao Yuan's age and attire, he was clearly just a regular employee at the factory.

A regular employee daring to ask the general manager to appraise herbs for him—was he just bold or did he have no emotional intelligence?

Zhao Yuan didn't know what the stranger was thinking and said jokingly, "What's there to be afraid of? President Fang is a man of good character; he's not going to steal my herbs."

"Is that what I meant by 'bold'?" The stranger was speechless. At the same time, he grew a little curious. What kind of herbs could possibly make this kid brave enough to come looking for Fang Yi's appraisal?

'Did this kid really just get incredibly lucky and find some rare medicinal herbs?'

So he asked, "What herbs are you having President Fang appraise?"

"Several kinds. Ginseng, angelica root, Polygonum multiflorum, and so on," Zhao Yuan replied, counting on his fingers.

The stranger asked again, "Where did you get them all?" Inside, he was thinking, 'There aren't really any remote, untouched mountains near Rongcheng City, are there? So where could this kid have gotten wild herbs?'

He assumed Zhao Yuan had gotten lucky and found some valuable wild herbs in the mountains, which was why he had the nerve to bring them to Fang Yi for appraisal and entry into an auction.

However, Zhao Yuan's answer was a far cry from what he had imagined. "Neither. I grew them myself."

"You grew them?"

The stranger was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

His laughter was filled with ridicule.

"Kid, are you joking? You should know that cultivated herbs aren't worth much these days. Even ten-year-old ones sell for an average price. And you want to take that junk to an auction? What a joke!"

He waved his hand dismissively, trying to shoo him away. "You should just leave. Otherwise, when President Fang gets back and hears about this, he's going to chew you out!"

Just then, Fang Yi's voice drifted in from outside the door. "Old Wen, who are you talking to? And who am I supposed to be chewing out?"