After speaking, he led Qi Yun and Cao Yufei to the warehouse.

The warehouse was located in a large courtyard not far from the shop, with rows of bungalows and color steel houses inside.

Depending on the characteristics of the medicinal herbs, the storage methods varied; some required dry and ventilated environments, while others needed to avoid sunlight.

In one corner of the warehouse, there were quite a few Tufuling stacked up.

Cao Yufei walked up, squatted down to inspect them carefully. He picked up a piece, weighed it in his hand, sniffed the scent, and then broke it apart to check the powdery texture inside.

Afterward, he randomly selected a few pieces and examined them in the same manner.

"The quality is okay, barely making it to grade two, but some parts still need to be picked through,"

said Cao Yufei as he stood up, looking at Boss Li and asking, "What's the price for this batch?"

Boss Li rubbed his hands together, a sly smile appearing on his face: "Boss Cao, you know the current market for Tufuling; this grade two goods are not cheap."

"The cost price of this batch was high, so, it's 180 yuan per kilogram, which is already the lowest I can offer."

Cao Yufei frowned upon hearing this: "Boss Li, although Tufuling has been in high demand, your price is a bit inflated, we're long-time acquaintances, give a fair price."

Boss Li flashed a moment of embarrassment, but quickly returned to his shrewd appearance, apologetically saying: "Boss Cao, this really is the actual price. I had to go through great efforts to get this batch; the cost speaks for itself."

"150 yuan, and I won't argue more, you can still make a profit at this price, if not, we'll look elsewhere," Cao Yufei said, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

Boss Li, hearing this, felt a bit conflicted. At 150 yuan, he still had some profit, but much less than retail profit in the store.

However, the advantage was clearing out last year's stock in one go, then bringing in new goods from Guangxi Province.

Although it would take about half a month, the store still had dozens of kilograms left, which should suffice.

He quickly calculated in his mind, finally gritting his teeth with a forced smile, saying: "Boss Cao, you really are something, pressing my price until there's almost no profit."

"Alright, as you say, 150 yuan per kilogram, but I need cash."

Cao Yufei laughed, patting his shoulder: "Don't worry, deliver the goods to my factory, and I'll pay you on the spot after weighing."

Boss Li nodded at this: "Boss Cao, you're straightforward! With your word, I'm reassured."

"Additionally, the other two tons of goods came with this batch, they are of good quality, I'll deliver them to your factory together tomorrow."

Cao Yufei replied: "Alright, let's leave it at that for now, I still need to inquire elsewhere."

"..."

After returning to the car, the two continued to head to the next location.

By the time it got dark, they had received a total of 11 tons of Tufuling, with varying prices, costing around 1.6 million yuan altogether.

Qi Yun took out a cigarette, handed one to Cao Yufei, and said: "Do you know any larger herbal traders? We should try to receive the goods by tomorrow."

With the internet being so advanced, information spreads quickly, and perhaps in one or two days, market fluctuations in Southeast Asia could affect the domestic market.

Cao Yufei could sense his urgency, thought for a bit, and said: "This kind of thing can't be rushed. I'm wary of doing business with unfamiliar people, as it's hard to guarantee the quality, and with larger quantities, it's not unlikely to adulterate the goods."

He paused, continuing: "I do know a big herbal trader over in Fukang, shall I give him a call now and we can visit him?"

Qi Yun nodded: "Sure, you arrange it."

Cao Yufei took out his phone and started making contact. Two minutes later, he hung up and drove towards Fukang.

This visit was fruitful, as they received 7 tons of top-quality Tufuling from just one place.

The provider even arranged for the herbs to be loaded onto the truck and sent to Cao Yufei's pharmaceutical factory that very night.

By the time Qi Yun and his companion returned to Bird City, it was nearly midnight.

The factory was pitch dark, the employees had long since left, and there was no one in the guardroom at the gate.

Cao Yufei led Qi Yun to his dorm, where each of them made a bowl of instant noodles, treating it as dinner.

Qi Yun glanced around the room, which contained only a bunk bed made of iron, a desk and chair, and some daily necessities.

"Do you usually live here?"

Cao Yufei smiled and nodded: "A bit simple, right? Can't help it, the factory hasn't been able to pay salaries for a while, even the security guard left, staying here at night lets me keep an eye on the warehouse."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun couldn't help but feel a sense of empathy, as the situation was strikingly similar to his own past circumstances.

After finishing the instant noodles, they chatted for a while, until they heard the sound of a car horn from the factory gate – the truck delivering the herbs had arrived.

Cao Yufei and Qi Yun quickly got up and headed towards the factory gate.

Outside, the night was deep, with only the headlights illuminating a small area at the entrance of the pharmaceutical factory.

Cao Yufei directed the vehicle to the entrance of a newly cleared warehouse, then personally drove the only small forklift in the factory to start unloading.

Qi Yun didn't idle either, helping with the weighing and tallying on the side, and only after unloading all 7 tons of goods, did Cao Yufei open every bag to randomly check the quality of the Tufuling.

...

After everything was settled, Qi Yun returned home, already past 2 am.

Upon entering, he saw Zhao Qing sitting on the living room sofa, looking weary but trying to stay alert, which stirred a warm feeling inside him.

Returning home to a light left on for you, and someone who loves you still waiting, is a humble wish for many men.

"Why aren't you asleep this late?" Qi Yun asked softly.

Zhao Qing stood up and approached him: "I was worried about you. You were so late getting home, and I didn't want to disturb your work by calling."

She looked him over, seeing his dusty appearance, and asked in confusion: "What have you been up to?"

Qi Yun smiled at her: "I went to collect a batch of herbs, just finished unloading them."

Zhao Qing frowned slightly, her heart full of empathy: "Why did it take so long? Are you hungry? Go take a bath, and I'll heat up some food for you."

Qi Yun gently shook his head, holding her hand: "No need to trouble yourself, I ate instant noodles at the factory."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qing felt even more distressed.

At the same time, she also reflected internally, wondering if she was being immature for suspecting him despite how hard he was working?

Thinking about this, she gently hugged Qi Yun, resting her face against his chest.

"What's wrong?" Qi Yun noticed her low spirits and gently stroked her hair with concern.

Zhao Qing shook her head without speaking, just holding him quietly.

After a long moment, she finally composed herself, smiling at Qi Yun.

"Alright, go take a bath and rest early."

"You're so tired; you can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll sleep with Nuannuan."

After saying this, she stood on tiptoe to give him a peck on the cheek, then turned and headed to the bedroom.

Qi Yun didn't think much of it, quickly took a shower, then went to the balcony of the opposite room, lit a cigarette, and began reviewing the intelligence for today.

[Intelligence of the Day 1 (red): Qiu Jiahao was deceived into an opportunity by a trusted brother to make big money in the Myanmar North Park, where he suffered inhumane tortures, and is now planning an escape]

"Tsk~ that idiot."

Qi Yun had long expected that without his father's protection, this guy would eventually revert to his old self, and now he's even ventured to the Myanmar North Park.

Hopefully, he can manage to escape...

[Intelligence of the Day 2 (red): Zhang Dayong received a hint from an upper-level person; someone took a fancy to a bronze wine jar in the current bronze smuggling case, and he is troubled over how to handle it]

[Intelligence of the Day 3 (red): Re Lijiang from Kashi contacted his friend in Bird City yesterday to investigate your background]

After seeing the content of the third intelligence, Qi Yun frowned.

"Re Lijiang?"

The guy with the flashy hairstyle?

The only person he had interacted with in Kashi was the owner of that pigeon with the flashy do.

It seems that after being thwarted by him last time, the other party is clearly preparing a counterattack.

As he finished his cigarette, he was about to go to sleep when the phone suddenly rang. Looking at the screen, it displayed Cao Yufei's name.

Qi Yun's heart skipped a beat; calling so late at night, could there be trouble?

He quickly answered the phone: "Hey, what happened, Cao Yufei?"

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