Chapter 36: Counterfeit

Just past noon, Director Wang of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative rushed into the pharmaceutical factory, clutching his ledger. Sweat streamed down the lines of his face, and he hadn't even had a chance to reset the beads on his abacus before blurting out, "Director Su, we have a major crisis!"

Su Yao was in the laboratory adjusting the concentration of penicillin. Hearing the commotion, she hurried out to meet him. "Don't panic, Director Wang. Have some water and tell me slowly."

Director Wang took the bowl of water, gulped down half of it, and pointed to his ledger. "A pharmaceutical factory in the neighboring county is imitating your 'Red Flag Pharmaceuticals.' They renamed themselves 'Red Star Pharmaceuticals,' copied the packaging, and are selling each vial for twenty cents less than yours. It’s only been three days, and half our warehouse is full of their stock. The villagers are all buying the cheaper stuff!"

Su Yao’s heart sank. The factory had only just gotten on track, and the profit margin on each vial of penicillin was already razor-thin. After deducting the costs of medicinal herbs, labor, and equipment wear, there was little profit left. If the neighboring county grabbed the market with low prices and the villagers bought the counterfeits, the factory would suffer losses, and the military orders might also be affected.

"What is the quality of the fakes like?" Su Yao asked.

"Who knows?" Director Wang sighed. "The ingredients listed on the packaging are the same as ours, but something feels off. Old Man Zhang came by yesterday, saying he used it on his grandson, but the fever didn't break—it got worse. He came to argue with me, and honestly, I don't feel confident about it either."

Su Yao frowned. Penicillin was a life-saving medicine; if the counterfeits were ineffective, delaying treatment was a serious matter. After a moment of thought, she said, "Let’s go to the township health center and conduct a bacteriostatic test. We’ll show everyone the difference between the authentic product and the fake."

The two headed straight for the health center. When Dr. Wang heard they wanted to run an experiment, he quickly cleared out his laboratory. Su Yao had the technician, Xiao Li, take two petri dishes, pour identical concentrations of bacterial culture medium into each, add the authentic penicillin to one and the counterfeit to the other, then label them and place them in the incubator.

"Dr. Wang, I’ll trouble you to keep an eye on this. We’ll check the results in 24 hours," Su Yao said.

"Don't worry, I'll watch it closely," Dr. Wang nodded. "If the counterfeit really is problematic, the villagers need to know so they don't delay their treatment."

The news spread through the village, and by dusk, the entrance to the health center was packed. Widow Li, Erzhu, and Old Man Zhang, who had bought the counterfeit medicine, all squeezed in, eager to see the results.

"Do you really think you can tell the difference between the real thing and the fake?" someone whispered.

"I doubt it. It’s all penicillin, how different can it be?" another replied.

Old Man Zhang stood at the front of the crowd, his face grim. His grandson hadn't improved after using the fake medicine, and he was already filled with regret; now, he was hoping the experiment would prove the counterfeit was indeed defective.

Su Yao and Lu Zhanye arrived as well, with Lu Xingchen and Lu Yuxuan pushing to the front, staring curiously at the laboratory door. "Mom, what’s a bacteriostatic test?" Lu Xingchen asked.

"It’s to see if the medicine can kill bacteria," Su Yao explained. "The authentic product kills the bacteria, so the patient gets better. The counterfeit can't kill them, the bacteria keep multiplying, and the patient stays sick."

Lu Yuxuan took out a small notebook, wrote down "Authentic vs. Counterfeit: Bacteriostatic Test," and drew two small circles to represent the petri dishes.

The next morning, the villagers arrived early at the health center, crowding the courtyard. Dr. Wang opened the incubator and placed the two petri dishes on the table.

"Everyone, please be quiet and look at the results," Dr. Wang said.

All eyes focused on the dishes. The medium with the authentic penicillin was clear and transparent, without a hint of cloudiness; the one with the counterfeit was murky, and tiny clusters of bacteria could be seen multiplying.

"The difference is huge!" someone exclaimed.

Dr. Wang pointed to the dishes and explained, "The authentic medicine killed all the bacteria, which is why the culture is clear. The counterfeit had no effect, so the bacteria kept multiplying, making the culture cloudy. Using this kind of fake medicine won't just fail to treat the illness—it can also cause the bacteria to develop drug resistance, making even the real medicine ineffective later on."

Old Man Zhang slapped his thigh in anger. "I knew there was something wrong with that medicine! My grandson’s fever didn't break—it got worse. Thank goodness I switched to the real stuff later, or this could have been a disaster!"

Widow Li added, "I thought saving twenty cents was a bargain, but now I see the real medicine is the only one you can trust. Money is a small matter, but health is a big one. You can't be greedy for small savings and end up suffering a big loss."

Watching the villagers' reactions, Su Yao felt a sense of relief. "Villagers, every step of our factory’s penicillin production follows military standards, and our medicinal herbs are carefully selected. The quality is guaranteed. Even though it costs twenty cents more than the fake, it treats the illness—it’s worth every penny."

At that moment, Lu Yuxuan suddenly raised his hand. "Mom, I calculated it. If we lower the price by five cents per vial, we can still make a small profit. That way, the villagers spend less, and the factory won't lose too much."

Su Yao was stunned; she hadn't expected him to calculate that. She took his notebook and looked at the calculations—they were correct. Lowering the price by five cents still left a profit of three cents per vial, which, though small, would add up enough to keep the factory running.

"What do you all think?" Su Yao asked.

"Lowering it by five cents is great!" Erzhu shouted first. "It’s only fifteen cents more than the fake, which is acceptable, and the most important thing is that the real medicine is safe."

"Yes, we’ll all buy the authentic product!" the crowd agreed.

Widow Li suddenly spoke up. "Director Su, I have an idea. Can the farmers who grow herbs for the village lower their selling price by five cents per catty? That way, the factory’s costs will drop even more, the medicine will be cheaper for the villagers, and we can all get through this tough time together."

As soon as she said this, the herb growers nodded. "Yes, we’re willing to lower it! If the factory is doing well, we can sell our herbs for a longer time. That’s better than being greedy for a small, immediate profit."

Su Yao felt a warmth in her heart; she hadn't expected such strong support from the villagers. She said to them, "Thank you all! Then it’s settled—the price of penicillin will drop by five cents per vial, and the purchase price of the herbs will also drop by five cents per catty. From now on, let’s help each other, keep the factory running well, and make sure everyone has access to affordable, effective medicine."

Applause rang out through the crowd, and all the previous worry and doubt vanished. Director Wang smiled and said, "Director Su, I can rest easy now. The stock at the cooperative will be sold out in no time."

Su Yao nodded and told Dr. Wang, "Please make several copies of these test results and post them at the cooperative and the village bulletin board so more people know about the dangers of counterfeit drugs."

"No problem," Dr. Wang agreed.

On the way back, Lu Zhanye held Su Yao’s hand. "Your method was excellent. Using facts is more effective than any amount of lecturing."

"It’s mostly because the villagers trust me," Su Yao smiled. "Without their support, the experiment alone wouldn't have been enough."

Lu Xingchen skipped along in front, holding the empty petri dish used for the experiment (which Dr. Wang had given him). "Mom, let’s do more experiments in the future so everyone knows the real medicine is better."

"That’s a good idea," Su Yao agreed. "From now on, the factory will conduct quality tests every month so everyone can buy and use the medicine with peace of mind."

Back at the factory, Su Yao immediately gathered the employees to announce the price adjustments. The staff were all supportive. Xiao Li said, "As long as the factory is running well, it doesn't matter if we earn a little less."

Over the next few days, the sales of penicillin at the cooperative improved, and the inventory was quickly sold out. Because the counterfeits from the neighboring county were ineffective, no one bought them anymore, and they gradually disappeared from the market. Old Man Zhang came to the factory specifically to bring Su Yao a basket of eggs. "Director Su, thank you. If it weren't for you, who knows how much longer my grandson’s illness would have dragged on."

Su Yao accepted them with a smile. "No need to thank me, Old Man Zhang, it’s what we should do. Just don't be greedy for cheap, unverified medicine in the future."

Old Man Zhang nodded repeatedly. "I won't be anymore. The real stuff is what matters."

In the evening, Su Yao stood at the factory gate, watching the villagers coming and going, feeling truly at ease. The fact that the factory weathered this crisis wasn't due to luck, but to everyone’s trust and support. No matter what difficulties they faced in the future, as long as they worked together with the villagers, there would be no problem they couldn't solve.

Lu Zhanye walked over and hugged her from behind. "What are you thinking about?"

"The future," Su Yao said. "As long as we work hard, the factory will only get better, and the lives of the villagers will become more prosperous."

Lu Zhanye nodded, holding her hand tightly. "We will. We’ll work hard together."

The sunset cast long shadows of the two of them. Faint smoke drifted from the factory chimney, weaving into the evening glow in the distance, warm and cozy. Su Yao knew that with this trust and support, her factory and her home would only grow better and brighter.