Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

Lou Zhenhua's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't reply. He simply picked up the teacup and gently skimmed off the foam with the lid.

Seeing this, Zhao Ping'an didn't say anything more and waved to the soldiers behind him: "You guys wait outside first."

Then she looked at Lou Zhenhua and said, "Mr. Lou, could you please have your servants also temporarily withdraw? The fewer people who know about this, the better."

Lou Zhenhua put down his teacup, stared at Zhao Ping'an for a few seconds, and finally waved his hand gently.

The steward understood, bowed, and led the two maids serving in the hall out, closing the door behind him.

Only two people remained in the hall. The charcoal fire emitted a faint warmth, but the air seemed to freeze.

Zhao Pingan took out a small glass bottle, about the thickness of a thumb and sealed with a cork, from his backpack and gently placed it on the rosewood coffee table between the two of them.

The glass bottle was crystal clear, and inside was white powder.

Lou Zhenhua's gaze was instantly drawn to it.

He was initially puzzled, but when he got closer and saw that the bottle had no labels yet was extremely well-preserved, combined with its unique shape,

A name that made his heart race suddenly popped into his mind.

He suddenly looked up at Zhao Ping'an, his eyes filled with disbelief and a sudden surge of passion.

"This is... penicillin?" Lou Zhenhua's voice was extremely low, but it carried a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

He knew this stuff all too well! It was a real life-saving medicine, especially for the military and high-ranking officials!

In times of war, this stuff was more valuable than gold! Although with the end of the war, distribution channels loosened slightly, and prices weren't as ridiculously high as during the war,

However, domestically, especially in the north, it remains a scarce strategic resource with astonishing value.

"To be precise, it's purified sodium penicillin, 200,000 units per bottle. Of course, foreigners call it penicillin."

Zhao Ping'an's tone was calm and even, as if he were talking about an ordinary bottle of anti-inflammatory medicine, "It's well preserved and highly effective."

These are the items Zhao Ping'an just selected to purchase from the online store. In 2025, a bottle of 80 units of penicillin will cost 5 yuan.

I requested that the system be adjusted to produce penicillin at a rate of 20 units per bottle, in line with current standards, because of the additional packaging materials.

So the price has gone up a bit, now it's 2 yuan per bottle.

This is the allure of Industrial Cthulhu: the life-saving miracle drug of that era, penicillin, which was more valuable than gold, is now priced no more than that small glass bottle.

Lou Bancheng took a deep breath and sat up straight involuntarily. His previous calm and composed demeanor vanished, replaced by a focused and serious expression.

He looked at Zhao Ping'an more closely, this excessively young platoon leader in his worn-out uniform, and his eyes had changed completely.

Anyone who can produce something like this, regardless of its origin, is no ordinary person.

Then, recalling the two "brothers in charge" that the butler had introduced him to, Lou Bancheng quickly weighed the options in his mind.

"Platoon Leader Zhao...impressive skills." Lou Bancheng spoke slowly, his tone becoming much more serious. "How do you intend to proceed with this business?"

"Use this to trade for a large yellow croaker," Zhao Ping'an said succinctly. "Thirty pieces for one."

"Thirty?" Lou Bancheng raised an eyebrow, quickly calculating in his mind.

On the black market today, a single tube of reliable penicillin costs more than a small yellow croaker weighing an ounce.

Even at market price, one large yellow croaker can't be exchanged for 20 fish. Thirty fish can be exchanged for one ten-ounce yellow croaker. This price seems like a concession from the other party, but if the quantity is large...

"How much stock does Platoon Leader Zhao have?"

"Let's trade one case first," Zhao Ping'an said. "One case contains fifty boxes, and each box contains five sticks, for a total of two hundred and fifty sticks."

Two hundred and fifty! Lou Bancheng's heart skipped a beat. This was no small matter!

Even at the other party's price, this means a transaction of nearly nine large yellow croakers! More importantly, it represents the channels and possibilities behind it!

Lou Bancheng remained silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest of the chair.

He was rapidly calculating: risks, returns, the authenticity of the young platoon leader's background, the genuineness of the goods, and the potential consequences...

For Lou Bancheng, less than ten large yellow croakers were certainly a considerable cash expenditure, but while not a huge amount, they were certainly not going to cause him any serious financial loss.

But if the medicine is real, and if we can get in touch with this connection... then its value far exceeds what a little gold can measure.

Even assuming the medicine is fake, or the person has some kind of problem, losing this gold is certainly painful.

However, if one could thereby befriend two regimental commanders of considerable standing under the two deputy commanders, in the ever-changing political landscape of Beiping today,

It could be a potential investment.

As for whether the other party is really a swindler... Lou Zhenhua has been operating in Beiping for many years and is not someone to be trifled with.

In just a few dozen seconds, a series of pros and cons flashed through Lou Bancheng's mind.

He suddenly smiled, a smile that held a touch of businessman's warmth and decisiveness:

"Platoon Leader Zhao is a straightforward person, and I won't be pretentious either. Thirty for one, and I've gotten a good deal based on the market price."

In that case, I'll take the liberty of buying them at the market price of twenty for one, and I'll help Platoon Leader Zhao consign them. Your two hundred and fifty pieces will be equivalent to twelve and a half large yellow croakers.

Let's consider this a friendship with Platoon Leader Zhao, and also a way of supporting our meritorious soldiers, what do you say?

He both raised the acquisition price to show his sincerity and patted himself on the back with great enthusiasm, demonstrating his shrewd and skillful rhetoric.

A knowing glint flashed in Zhao Ping'an's eyes.

This old fox wanted to build a relationship but didn't want to appear too eager, so he also raised the price to show that he was "fair".

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

"Mr. Lou is very generous, so let's go with this price. However, I only want large yellow croakers, and they must be of good quality."

"It's a deal!" Lou Bancheng clapped his hands and immediately raised his voice towards the door: "Butler! Go to the secret compartment in my study and fetch twelve and a half large, fully-fledged yellow croakers! Be quick!"

The butler outside the door had obviously been waiting; upon hearing the call, he responded and hurried away.

Taking advantage of this brief pause, Lou Bancheng asked, seemingly casually:

"Platoon Leader Zhao, can the quality of this medicine be guaranteed? It's not that I don't believe it, but this matter concerns lives, so I have to be careful."

"Mr. Lou is free to have someone examine it," Zhao Ping'an said confidently. "If even one is invalid, the gold will be returned in full, and I will allow you to dispose of it as you see fit."

As he spoke, he picked up a slightly worn canvas backpack he had brought with him and reached inside, actually taking things out one by one from his system space.

The flat cardboard boxes, printed with simple English words and numbers, were well-packaged. Fifty boxes were neatly stacked on the floor next to the coffee table, forming a small pile.

Lou Bancheng looked at the packaging, which was slightly different from what he knew but was obviously more neat and exquisite, his eyes sparkling with admiration, and most of his last doubts disappeared.