Chapter 499 — Such Low Costs: "In That Case, Doctor Kang's Deluxe Wound Medicine Is Auctioned More Than Once a Year?" Wei Zhao Asked After Hearing This

"One box? There are at least twenty boxes every year," Fatty Lai said. "Though generally it's a fixed-price auction - the cap is five hundred thousand. Whoever hits five hundred thousand first gets it, which saves everyone the tedious business of bidding. Twenty boxes - it comes down to who's quickest. Whoever reaches five hundred thousand first takes it."

"So every box sells for five hundred thousand?" Wei Zhao nodded and pressed on.

"Not exactly. The first few all go for five hundred thousand, but once fewer people are scrambling, the price naturally drops - four hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, and so on," Fatty Lai said.

"Five hundred thousand will do. See if there's a pharmacy along the road later - I'll buy some herbs." Wei Zhao nodded. The profit was reasonably solid. Not on the scale of the Life-Extending and Toxin-Purging Elixir, but still considerable. Above all, it would help make a name for him.

"...," Fatty Lai had long since grown accustomed to Wei Zhao's miraculous abilities. Compounding medicine at the last minute the night before an auction - Wei Zhao was probably the only person alive who could do it. He hurriedly said, "Then I'll contact someone to order premium packaging and have it delivered overnight?"

"No need. I'll buy some disposable medicine bottles and fill them," Wei Zhao waved his hand. "Let them believe it or not - those who believe will bid; those who don't won't."

"True enough. Good medicine sells itself - why bother dressing it up? That saves a bundle, too!" Fatty Lai nodded.

"Heh..." Wei Zhao thought Fatty Lai really did have a gift for doing business. Placing him in charge of the pharmaceutical group seemed a wise decision after all. "By the way, what's the retail price for Doctor Kang's wound medicine?"

"Doctor Kang's wound medicine retails at two hundred and ninety-nine yuan a box, and our trauma medicine - I was thinking two hundred and eighty-eight," Fatty Lai said. "But since I don't know what our costs are, the price hasn't been announced publicly yet."

"What? We're charging two hundred and eighty-eight?" Wei Zhao's eyes went wide. A regular box of wound medicine, and Doctor Kang actually charged nearly three hundred yuan? That was plain daylight robbery! Something tied to people's livelihood - who could afford it at those prices?

Against people he found displeasing, Wei Zhao naturally swung his blade wide and gouged them until their heads spun. But toward the poor, he truly had no desire to squeeze them dry.

"Too cheap?" Fatty Lai was startled by Wei Zhao's expression. "Chief, Doctor Kang's wound medicine sells for two hundred and ninety-nine. Even though demand outstrips supply, if we price ours above his, I'm afraid we won't be able to break into the market! I know our efficacy is definitely better than his!"

Hearing Fatty Lai's words, Wei Zhao realized he had misunderstood and couldn't help laughing: "This stuff costs only a few yuan to make - I think we're already charging too much!"

"Huh? A few yuan?" Fatty Lai froze, nearly tripping over himself. "Chief, I didn't hear wrong, did I? A few yuan? How is that possible? Then wouldn't Doctor Kang's wound medicine also cost only a few yuan to make?"

"I don't know about his - I've never seen it," Wei Zhao shook his head. "But that's what ours costs. I suggest we price it lower so ordinary people can afford it!"

"All right, then - we'll be a company that benefits the people!" Fatty Lai gritted his teeth, speaking with clear reluctance: "Then we'll sell it at one hundred and ninety-nine!"

He was a born profiteer by nature, but since Wei Zhao had spoken, Fatty Lai could hardly push back. In his view, two hundred and eighty-eight would have sold splendidly - demand would very likely outstrip supply.

One hundred and ninety-nine? In truth, Wei Zhao still found it a bit steep, but he had no idea what running a company actually cost. Seeing how pained Fatty Lai looked, he simply nodded: "That works."

Only then did Fatty Lai breathe a sigh of relief. He had feared Wei Zhao would slash another hundred off, bringing it down to ninety-nine - that would have eaten enormously into their profits!

"Then I'll draft a plan. Next time our products go to auction, we'll announce the retail price!" Fatty Lai nodded. "Chief, what do you think would be an appropriate price for the analgesic?"

"The cost of a single dose is around fifty cents, though it would come down somewhat with mass production. Set the price as you see fit," Wei Zhao said.

"All right - a box of five doses, sold at one hundred and ninety-nine?" Fatty Lai ventured cautiously.

"Ninety-nine," Wei Zhao said after a moment's thought.

"Sure - whatever you say, chief!" In truth, Fatty Lai had deliberately quoted a higher figure, out of fear that Wei Zhao would bargain him down, leaving room for Wei Zhao to negotiate.

With the prices of both medicines settled, Fatty Lai could finally relax. More importantly, learning the cost of the medicines made him even happier - it meant Wei Zhao now considered him one of their own, and was gradually sharing core information with him.

They passed a rather large pharmacy, and the three of them—Wei Zhao and his companions—went inside. Wei Zhao did not use a prescription at all; he simply recited a list of medicinal herbs aloud and had the shop assistant weigh them out.

Of course, although Wei Zhao had come to place a measure of trust in Fatty Lai, it was not complete trust. When gathering the herbs, he deliberately named a number of useless medicines, and as for the dosages, those were a chaotic jumble as well. There were also several principal ingredients he did not mention at all; instead he named a few uncommon drugs, at which the assistant shook his head and said they were not in stock.

"No matter—there are plenty of pharmacies in Yanjing. We'll try a few others," Fatty Lai said hastily to Wei Zhao when he heard they were out of stock. "If it comes to it, I'll have someone buy them and drive them over."

"Not just yet. Let's check the other shops first," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

Once the herbs were gathered, Fatty Lai insisted on paying first. It was not much in any case—a few hundred yuan at most.

Guan Xuewen said nothing, nor did he make any deliberate effort to note what medicines Wei Zhao had bought. It was plain to see that he was an upright man; unless Wei Zhao chose to show him the prescription, Guan Xuewen would never take it upon himself to pry into another's formula.

The three had not long left the pharmacy when the young man called Xiaokun, watching Wei Zhao and Fatty Lai's receding figures, hesitated for a moment, then slipped into the very pharmacy where Wei Zhao had made his purchases.

This was a straight road, a pedestrian street in nature, with no side streets branching off along either side. That was why Xiaokun had dared to enter the pharmacy; otherwise he would never have risked losing them.

"Excuse me, miss, might I ask what those three people who just came in bought?" Xiaokun inquired politely of the assistant inside the pharmacy.

At that hour there was only one assistant in the pharmacy; being the night shift, it did not require many hands—a single assistant bustling about was quite enough. And so it spared Xiaokun the trouble of having to ask several people.