Chapter 220: Penicillin Plant, Seaplane Plan Advanced Promotion
Three months later, Fang Wen again piloted a seaplane to the Lancang River section outside Jinghong City.
The scene below was unchanged from three months prior, and Fang Wen did not see the site of the penicillin factory.
Wasn’t it said that production had already begun?
With this question, Fang Wen landed on the river surface and then turned the aircraft’s nose toward the riverbank.
After docking, Fang Wen shut down the engine and tossed a bundle of ropes ashore for someone to secure.
He then disembarked, carefully helping his wife down.
“Are you alright?” Fang Wen asked with concern.
“I’m fine. I know how to swim, so I’m not afraid if I fall in the water,” Kuang Mingzhu replied with a smile.
As they spoke, a group of people who had been waiting by the shore walked over.
“This is Jinghong.”
A raft paddled over, catching
the welcoming crowd who had been waiting by the riverbank.
Here were the Special Action Team members Fang Wen had sent to work here: Wu Yingzong, Zhao Wanping, Liu Jin Rui, and Li Tie Zhu.
There were also two professors from the Wuhan Biological Laboratory and their student assistants.
And the local powerful second-generation heir, Zheng Hanlong.
Zheng Hanlong enthusiastically came forward and said loudly, “Can you sell me the airplane this time?”
“Yes, let’s discuss it over a meal,” Fang Wen said, asking Wu Yingzong and the others to arrange a place for dinner.
It turned out to be the same restaurant.
After a table full of Jinghong specialty dishes was served, Fang Wen decided not to discuss his own affairs first, intending to deal with Zheng Hanlong before anything else.
This person’s family held considerable power locally, and to ensure stable production of the penicillin medicine factory, it was necessary to maintain a good relationship with him.
After clinking glasses, Fang Wen spoke, “Young Master Zheng, do you know that my Taishan Airlines recently changed ownership?”
“Changed ownership? What happened? Did someone hold a knife to your throat and force you out? If you want to take it back, I can lend you some men,” Zheng Hanlong replied, glaring.
His words, full of Jianghu bravado, were tinged with the subtle calculations of a local clansman; once his people were involved, it was easier to invite a deity than to send one away, and they wanted a piece of the pie.
Fang Wen smiled, “This owner, I cannot afford to offend, and neither can you,” he whispered in Zheng Hanlong’s ear.
Zheng Hanlong’s expression immediately changed drastically, and he was about to get up and leave this place of trouble.
But Fang Wen pulled him back, “I haven’t finished speaking, you might as well listen.”
Subsequently, Zheng Hanlong reluctantly sat down and listened to Fang Wen finish.
He was then surprised, “You can play it like that! I thought you were enemies, you scared me. No wonder my father said our family should just stay in Jinghong and not go anywhere else; outside dealings are too complicated, we really shouldn’t get involved.”
Fang Wen chuckled, “Please forgive my rudeness, Young Master Zheng. Let’s talk business. The new owner wants to expand the China air routes comprehensively. I proposed an idea: operate seaplane flights, allowing takeoff and landing anywhere with a water body. The Lancang River could also be used as a seaplane flight path. Would you be interested in joining, Young Master Zheng?”
Fang Wen’s words immediately stirred Zheng Hanlong’s interest.
“Can this venture make money?”
“Whether it can make money, I can’t say for sure. After all, the cost of flying will certainly be more expensive than taking a boat. This is something for the wealthy. Young Master Zheng, you can think about it before replying,” Fang Wen responded meaningfully. Air travel was not yet accessible to ordinary people; it was all about status.
Zheng Hanlong nodded and stood up to take his leave, “Alright, I will discuss it with my father. General Manager Fang, you are not leaving today, are you?”
“I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Then, please be my guest at the Zheng family today, General Manager Fang. You must come.”
Zheng Hanlong finished speaking and went downstairs.
Kuang Mingzhu then spoke to her husband, “Your aircraft manufacturing plant is still not settled, so why are you telling outsiders about the seaplane plan first?”
“This is for publicity. During this holiday, we will visit many rivers, and in the future, more people will hear me talk about this.”
Fang Wen did not hide anything from his wife.
This approach was a method familiar to businesspeople in the future; some eloquent individuals could attract countless investments with just a PPT.
Doing this would allow the entire business plan to ferment quickly, laying the foundation for future developments.
Kuang Mingzhu seemed to understand but not fully grasp it; the values of the Republic of China era made it difficult to comprehend future business concepts.
Fang Wen did not elaborate further, raised his cup, and stood up.
“Everyone, to achieve penicillin preparation and production in three months is truly remarkable. I’d like to propose a toast to all of you.”
Everyone stood up and drank with Fang Wen.
Afterward, they each explained their situations.
During these three months, there were initially some problems, such as language barriers and a lack of connections, relying entirely on outside introductions.
Fortunately, Zheng Hanlong stepped in to help, and things gradually improved.
Later, the houses were purchased, and the two professors from Wuhan came to inspect.
To ensure a clean laboratory environment, they modified the houses, using multi-layered gauze curtains inside to isolate dust.
Once the new laboratory was renovated, the entire Wuhan laboratory was relocated.
They used water transport, with Taishan Airlines arranging for someone to charter a ship and travel upstream from Wuhan.
They transferred to the Wujiang River in the upper reaches of the Yangtze, then passed through Guiyang—Kunming. After a combination of water routes, the equipment was finally transported here.
It can be said that most of the three months were spent on this aspect.
Fang Wen sighed at the inconvenience of transportation in this era. If he hadn’t gone to the United States, he could have sent the equipment to the Kunming airport, saving a lot of detours.
After a round of conversation, the meal was finished, and it was time to visit the factory.
The group got up and left the restaurant, heading to a fabric workshop inside Jinghong City.
It turned out the penicillin factory was set up in the fabric workshop; a place that made cloth and valued ambiance was actually a good idea.
Entering the fabric workshop, it was no longer used for printing and dyeing fabric; instead, a group of workers in white robes were busy at work.
The two professors introduced the process flow of the penicillin factory to Fang Wen.
Simply put, it was an scaled-up version of their laboratory preparation process.
The entire factory was divided into five areas: strain culture area, fermentation area, fermentation broth treatment area, penicillin extraction area, and refinement and drying area.
In the strain culture area, the special Penicillium strains to be cultivated were placed on fruit, with suitable temperature and humidity, to allow them to quickly mold.
Once they had thoroughly molded, workers would collect the Penicillium with tools.
The collected Penicillium would be inoculated onto a solid culture medium with more suitable nutrients, in order to obtain higher quality Penicillium spores for cultivation.
This was the first step.
Next, the spores were collected, made into a suspension with sterile water, and inoculated into the culture medium in a sterilized seed tank.
Sterile air was supplied, stirred, and cultured at a temperature of 27 degrees Celsius for about 24 hours, allowing the spores to germinate and grow into mycelia.
This step was called making the seed liquid.
The seed liquid would then be placed into a larger container: a fermenter.
Inside the fermenter, which was also sterile, there was an environment more suitable for the growth of Penicillium.
After 7 days of fermentation, the entire tank was filled with fermentation broth rich in Penicillium.
Subsequently, the fermentation broth would be filtered to remove the mycelia and other impurities, yielding a solution containing penicillin.
This Penicillium-rich filtrate would then be acidified with a weak acid substance at pH 2 to pH 2.5, to facilitate subsequent extraction.
The penicillin extraction process involved the alternating use of acidic and alkaline substances; acidic extraction and alkaline dilution were repeated to obtain high-concentration penicillin.
Finally, there was purification and drying.
Through purification and distillation methods, white penicillin salt was obtained.
After listening to the explanation, Fang Wen looked at a bottle of white powder in front of him.
That was the first batch of dried powder from penicillin injection, prepared so far.
He asked, “Have you conducted experiments?”
The professor replied, “We have tested it. Local villagers who showed symptoms of bacterial infection showed significant improvement after being injected with penicillin. We have calculated the dosage required for an adult, and to prevent penicillin allergies, we also applied the skin testing method mentioned by the General Manager. The skin test was very effective, preventing multiple potential injection accidents.”
Fang Wen was surprised, “You used it directly on people? Not on animals first?”
Wu Yingzong explained, “Initially, we planned for animal testing, but at that time, a local employee fell down the mountain while carrying spring water and sustained multiple injuries, leading to a purulent infection. Ordinary medication could not treat it, so we used penicillin injection as an emergency measure. To our surprise, the penicillin was very effective, and the infection healed quickly. We discussed it internally, and since it was successful once, we decided to continue. We collaborated with the most famous traditional Chinese medicine apothecary in the area. Only those with severe infections were injected with penicillin, and through the treatment results, clinical experimental data was formed.”
The traditional Chinese medicine apothecary was called ‘Ren Xin Tang’ (Hall of Benevolent Hearts).
Because the owner of the apothecary was a traditional Chinese medicine doctor who practiced there, and the medication prices were low, a large number of people from the surrounding area came, surrounding the entire apothecary three layers deep.
Fang Wen and his group did not need to push through the crowd; they entered through the apothecary’s back door.
Coming from the back to the front hall, Fang Wen saw the old doctor treating a patient with external injuries.
The patient’s leg joint was severely swollen, and yellow liquid was oozing out.
The old doctor cleaned the wound, used a small knife heated by fire to dig out the necrotic tissue, poured white powder onto it, and then carefully bandaged it.
“Is he applying penicillin externally?” Fang Wen asked uncertainly, thinking that penicillin shouldn’t be used this way.
“General Manager, that’s not penicillin. It’s a local efficacious medicine called ‘Wanying Baibao Dan’ (Ten Thousand Efficacy Precious Pill), formulated by a great physician named Qu. It can treat bruises and sprains and promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis.”
Fang Wen mused, he remembered that this medicine should be called Yunnan Baiyao in the future.
Penicillin combined with Yunnan Baiyao, one injected and one applied externally, made a perfect match for treating external injuries.
After the old doctor finished treating the patient, Fang Wen walked over, “Elder, could I borrow some time to discuss some matters?”
Before the old doctor could refuse, Wu Yingzong introduced, “This is the owner. He wants to ask about the penicillin.”
The old doctor’s expression immediately softened, and he asked his disciple to announce a temporary suspension of treatment to the outside.
He stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed, “Sir, you have a benevolent heart and have brought such a divine medicine. I thank you on behalf of those who are freed from suffering.”
Fang Wen stepped aside, this bow was too profound, and he did not wish to receive it.
“Elder, you are too kind. Fang Wen has only done what he could, it is nothing. I came today to discuss with you, Elder, how is the effect of penicillin?”
He helped the old doctor to sit down and sat opposite him.
The old doctor replied, stroking his beard, “Extremely good. Western medicine’s efficacy is fierce. After injection, it takes effect on the same day. However, the dosage must be strictly controlled, and a skin test must be performed without error, otherwise, it’s a matter of life and death.”
The other party was right. In the future, penicillin injections would require a skin test, which was why Fang Wen had replicated the skin testing method.
Fang Wen continued to ask, “I saw Elder using ‘Wanying Baibao Dan’ just now. How is the effect when these two medicines are used together?”
“Extremely good. Penicillin injection can treat bacterial infections. Wanying Baibao Dan applied externally aids in wound healing. However, this injection is too troublesome; can it be taken orally?” The old doctor even used the word “bacteria,” indicating he had no prejudice against Chinese or Western medicine.
Listening to the old doctor’s words,
Fang Wen turned and asked, “Can it be taken orally?”
“No, the medicine would be decomposed by stomach acid,” replied the professor.
The medicine would be decomposed by stomach acid? Then how did the orally administered penicillin work in the future?
Fang Wen couldn’t help but ponder. This was not a difficult problem, and he quickly figured it out.
Because of the capsule’s protection, it would dissolve in the intestines and then be absorbed.
However, this technology would be too difficult to achieve in this era, so he decided not to think about it too much.
Fang Wen apologized, “Elder, I’m afraid not.”
“It’s alright. A medicine that can save lives, it’s fine if it can’t be taken orally. I have another question, Elder: How long can this medicine be used for free?”
The old doctor’s question was difficult for Fang Wen to answer.
He stood up to take his leave and returned to the penicillin factory.
Along the way, Fang Wen was deep in thought.
Penicillin had strategic significance and could bring significant benefits in wartime.
But as the old doctor asked, the medicine was for treating illnesses and saving lives. Should they abandon the medical needs of the populace solely for wartime profits?
Of course, that was not acceptable.
There had to be a trade-off.
Fang Wen’s thoughts began to wander.
Should he use the domestic price protection method?
No, if low-priced penicillin entered the market, countless people would scheme for it, and then large quantities of cheap penicillin would be collected and transported abroad for profit.
If domestic price protection was not used, and a unified global price was set, the exorbitant price would make it impossible for the poor to afford penicillin.
So, how could this matter be balanced?
This was a problem that even the future couldn’t solve, unless there was a high welfare system to balance it all, but that was the least likely scenario.
Seeing her husband’s troubled expression, Kuang Mingzhu asked with concern, “Sir, what is wrong?”
Her call pulled Fang Wen out of his thoughts. Fang Wen, without any solution, sighed, “I’m thinking about how those who can’t afford penicillin can still use it in critical moments.”
“Just that? I have a way,” Kuang Mingzhu said with a smile. “If someone truly needs penicillin and can’t afford it, we’ll lend it to them. Whether they repay it is their business; if they repay it, it’s a business transaction; if they don’t, it’s a good deed.”
Kuang Mingzhu’s words greatly eased Fang Wen’s heart. Yes, this was the best way to handle it. Repayment was up to one’s conscience; he had been overthinking it, and she had seen it clearly.
With his heart unburdened, Fang Wen continued to handle matters in Jinghong. He instructed Wu Yingzong, Zhao Wanping, Liu Jin Rui, and Li Tie Zhu to stay behind.
He held a private meeting with these four Special Action Team members.
