Zhang Yang was also looking down at the documents. The main production area for Sanqi is in Yunnan. With the current drought in Yunnan, the price of Sanqi is bound to rise, and with the intervention of some intentional speculators, a real boom is inevitable. There’s another point: Sanqi has wide applications. Zhang Yang knew from his previous life that Sanqi prices would continue to rise, changing almost every year, escalating exponentially.

“Forty-dollar-per-kilogram for thirty-head Sanqi now!” Su Zhantao exclaimed again, his face showing even greater surprise. Sanqi quality varies. The larger the tuber, the better the quality, which leads to the colloquial term of 'head count.' Generally speaking, the number of whole Sanqi tubers that add up to one jin determines the head count. For example, the commonly mentioned twenty-head Sanqi means there are twenty whole tubers per jin. Thirty-head Sanqi means the tubers are slightly smaller, with thirty per jin. The higher the head count, the smaller the tubers and the lower the quality. A hundred-head Sanqi is very common, and the price is not high.

“What about ten-head Sanqi?” Zhang Yang flipped through a few pages and suddenly asked. The materials in his hand didn't list the price for ten-head Sanqi. Among Sanqi, ten-head is already absolute premium stock. Only ten tubers per jin, these are significantly larger than others, and naturally, the price is much higher.

“Mr. Zhang, ten-head Sanqi is too rare. It seems that as soon as any appears in the last few days, it gets bought up immediately. I couldn't find the exact price, but the day before yesterday, Secretary Zhao sold five hundred jin of ten-head Sanqi at ninety yuan per jin!” Wu Sheng, who was driving, turned back and said with a smile. Ten-head Sanqi is scarce and expensive. It's always in high demand, never difficult to sell, not just now, but historically in the market. Because time was tight, Wu Sheng hadn't included this detail in his notes.

“Ninety? Are they all going mad?” Su Zhantao paused slightly and blurted out. Ten-head Sanqi used to be the most expensive, but its price hovered around fifty yuan. Now, ninety yuan per jin is almost double the previous price.

“Mr. Su, don't be surprised. Ninety was only because it was sold to a regular, familiar customer. Some places are already asking ninety-two. Some people are saying it will break the hundred mark in a few days. Quite a few people have been buying up Sanqi recently!” Wu Sheng let out a wry chuckle, speaking slowly while driving, not turning back as there was heavy traffic ahead.

“Many people have already started collecting Sanqi?” Zhang Yang frowned slightly and asked again. “Yes, there are quite a few people collecting Sanqi in the market lately. Many are even going directly to Yunnan to haul goods. Prices in Yunnan have also soared recently!” Wu Sheng nodded again. While he might not excel at everything else, he was extremely clear about market conditions. He answered immediately when Zhang Yang inquired.

“Shouldn’t we go to Yunnan too?” Su Zhantao’s heart stirred slightly, and he whispered to Zhang Yang. Judging by the overall situation, Sanqi was indeed very active right now, though he wasn't sure if it was being manipulated by major or minor speculators. If it were major speculators, the prices would surely keep rising; they wouldn't be satisfied with such small profits. Minor speculators, however, carried risk; lacking deep capital, they often cash out when they see a small gain, releasing their stock after doubling or tripling the price. Anyone following them at that point would be ruined and lose everything.

“No need. We’ll stay here. Give me all the materials; I need to look them over first!” Zhang Yang shook his head, taking the documents from Su Zhantao and studying them closely. After a short while, the car arrived at a hotel. Wu Sheng had already made arrangements, and they proceeded directly to a private dining room. It was in the private room that Zhang Yang finished reviewing all the documents. According to the data, the sharp rise in Sanqi prices had occurred within the last week, accelerating dramatically in the last two days. The severe drought in Yunnan had begun a month ago, but it had worsened recently, prompting drought relief efforts. If that were the case, the current Sanqi prices were relatively stable. Even purely due to the drought, a price increase was expected. Once prices rise, more buyers enter the market, causing further increases. The current price seemed reasonable. Since it was all rational, it meant that neither major nor minor speculators had fully entered the fray yet; they were still waiting for the optimal moment. Zhang Yang recalled the same period in his previous life. Sanqi did rise once initially, but then it fell back slightly before the real explosion—a price hike almost daily.

“Zhang Yang, when do we start buying in?” As soon as Zhang Yang put down the files, Su Zhantao asked impatiently. The three million yuan represented the biggest deal he had ever handled. If it really multiplied several times, as Zhang Yang suggested, he could potentially turn three million into tens of millions. After setting aside Zhang Yang’s share, he would still possess several million in assets, enough to easily become a genuine multi-millionaire. A multi-millionaire—that title carried real weight in business. It had taken his second uncle eight years to reach that level from starting out; he could achieve it in much less time.

“No rush. We won't enter for now. Wu Sheng, go find out which people have gone to Yunnan to source goods, and prepare their contact information first!” Zhang Yang smiled and shook his head. The real stimulation hadn't begun yet. Buying in now would only waste capital unnecessarily; there was no need to wait a few more days.

“It’s already shot up this much, and we still aren't buying?” Su Zhantao was momentarily stunned, then asked anxiously.

“Trust me, don't buy today. However, starting from today, we need to make a log to record the price of Sanqi at every moment of every day. Not buying now doesn't mean we do nothing. Wu Sheng’s task is also very important!” Zhang Yang nodded with a smile. Wu Sheng quickly agreed; he was adept at gathering intelligence and could handle the assignment well. The dinner service began. There were only six dishes, but the liquor was good—Wuliangye. Wu Sheng knew his boss’s habits: he wasn't extravagant but never let himself down. The food didn't have to be the absolute best, but it couldn't be subpar either. This arrangement suited his preference perfectly. As soon as the drinks and food were served, Su Zhantao stopped being reserved and began eating heartily. He was truly hungry. Lunch had been at a service area—the food was bad, and he hadn't eaten much. After driving all day, seeing the delicacies, he couldn't resist any longer. The main drinkers were Zhang Yang and himself. Wu Sheng had low tolerance, and besides, he was driving. Though the law against drunk driving wasn't as strict as it would become, drinking and driving was still unwise, and for his own safety, Su Zhantao didn't let him drink.

“Zhang Yang, tell me, how much do you think we can actually make on this?” Halfway through the liquor, Su Zhantao became more talkative. He was most concerned about the profit from this venture. If it weren't for Zhang Yang telling him the returns would be excellent, he wouldn't have been so resolute in following Zhang Yang’s wild plan.

“Hard to say. It depends on the actual execution. It might only be two or three times the investment, or it could be over ten times!” Zhang Yang lowered his head to think, then shook his head slightly. He only possessed some knowledge from his past life; he couldn't state definitively how much they would earn. Even so, his words startled Su Zhantao. Ten times—Zhang Yang had never mentioned such a possibility before.

“Zhang Yang, are you saying that if we operate this well, our three million could turn into thirty million?” Su Zhantao swallowed hard. That number genuinely frightened him. Thirty million might mean little to Su Shaohua, but to him, just starting his career, it was an unimaginable fortune. Even Zhang Yang saying it was only a possibility had thoroughly shocked him.

“If operated well, yes!” Zhang Yang smiled and nodded. He could see that Su Zhantao lacked confidence, so offering some encouragement now was appropriate. Besides, he wasn't exaggerating. According to his plan, if everything was executed correctly, reaching tenfold returns was absolutely achievable.

“Zhang Yang, cheers!” I’ll listen to you completely this time. Even if it’s just two or three times, that’s still a massive profit! Su Zhantao’s face was flushed. He suddenly picked up his glass, clinked it against Zhang Yang’s, and downed the contents in one gulp. It was a two-liang-and-a-half glass, still more than half full. That single swallow was nearly two liang of alcohol. Even with Su Zhantao’s good tolerance, he choked slightly. But he was too excited; drinking like this was a form of release.

“Take out my two hundred thousand later and put it in too. For this business, the more money we have, the more we earn!” Zhang Yang hadn't finished his drink in one go, but he didn't put his glass down either. While sipping, he spoke to Su Zhantao. The initial capital had all come from Su Zhantao. Zhang Yang hadn't invested because he lacked funds. But now, with two hundred thousand, there was no reason to waste it; every extra penny invested meant potentially more profit. And Zhang Yang had a share of the earnings.

“Alright, I’ll put it all together later. The more money we have prepared, the more we earn!” Su Zhantao hesitated only briefly before agreeing immediately. He accepted Zhang Yang producing money without pretense; there was no need for false modesty. Though he hadn’t known Zhang Yang long, he had figured out some aspects of his personality. If he refused now, Zhang Yang would surely be displeased.

Wu Sheng, who had been quietly eating on the side, was internally in turmoil. When Su Zhantao first introduced Zhang Yang, he assumed Zhang Yang was some rich young master just dabbling in business for fun. Then he realized something was off: Zhang Yang was a doctor, and a very skilled one—the scene outside the hotel was proof enough. But now, he realized that Zhang Yang was actually the driving force behind this venture, and his boss, Su Zhantao, was merely playing a supporting role, following Zhang Yang’s every instruction. This realization genuinely stunned him. He knew a little about Su Zhantao’s family background, but he also understood Su Zhantao’s personal capabilities and knew that his current success was built entirely on his own efforts. In his eyes, Su Zhantao was already an extraordinary person. He had even said that no young person today could compare to his boss, and that his boss was destined for even greater achievements. In short, Su Zhantao had always been someone Wu Sheng deeply admired. For a person he admired to be so completely subservient to another—what did that imply? At the very least, Zhang Yang was becoming increasingly mysterious and elevated in Wu Sheng’s mind, making him hesitate about his own previous assumptions… Adding an extra chapter for thirty monthly tickets; we haven't reached forty yet. Many friends should still have some base tickets to give to Little Yu, right? When we hit sixty monthly tickets, Little Yu will add another chapter. Can you friends please give Little Yu some motivation? RQ