Ye Tian nodded and asked Zhu Hongyan, "How is Aunt Liu's treatment?"
Zhu Hongyan replied, "Her monthly salary is 4,500 yuan, and she has two insurances and a housing fund."
Ye Tian then asked Liu Meihong, "Aunt Liu, how old is your son?"
Liu Meihong said, "He's exactly twenty years old this year."
Ye Tian remarked, "You've taken care of him for fifteen years, that's not easy."
Liu Meihong lowered her head, "It's all fate. I don't think about anything else now, I'm content as long as I can take care of my son."
"Does your son stay at home every day?" he asked.
Liu Meihong replied, "His hands can move, and he reads and writes every day. The books at home are almost overflowing."
"Is that so? It seems he's quite a calligrapher," Ye Tian chuckled.
Liu Meihong said, "My son started writing at five years old and has been writing for fifteen years. Although my education isn't high, I think his writing is exceptionally beautiful."
Ye Tian commented, "With him being at home every day, he can focus on everything he does, and he's bound to achieve something."
Liu Meihong then took out her phone and showed some of her son's calligraphy that she had photographed.
Ye Tian glanced at them and felt that the characters possessed a profound charm. Even though he didn't understand calligraphy, he found them very pleasing to look at.
He smiled and asked, "Auntie, could you perhaps show me some complete pieces of his work?"
Liu Meihong replied, "Of course. Boss, do you want to see them now?"
Zhu Hongyan chimed in, "Aunt Liu, go and get them now."
Liu Meihong was happy to be able to showcase her son's talent and immediately returned to the dormitory to retrieve them.
After she left, Zhu Hongyan smiled and asked, "Boss, you don't seem to recognize her, do you?"
Ye Tian replied, "No, this is my first time meeting her."
"But I feel that your attitude towards her is very gentle," Zhu Hongyan observed, her keen observational skills picking up on Ye Tian's unusual demeanor.
Ye Tian remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "She looks remarkably like my mother."
A pang of sorrow struck Zhu Hongyan's heart. She knew that Ye Tian's parents had passed away, and he must miss them dearly.
"Then I'll instruct HR to give her more consideration."
Ye Tian shook his head, "No need. I think your son's calligraphy is good, I can buy some."
Zhu Hongyan smiled and asked, "How much are you planning to buy?"
Ye Tian took a sip of soup and said, "Ten yuan per character, and I'll buy as many as he writes."
Zhu Hongyan pursed her lips and smiled, "Isn't this a way of taking care of her?"
Ye Tian said calmly, "The calligraphy is indeed good."
Ten minutes later, Liu Meihong returned with a stack of calligraphy. Ye Tian took them and found the characters to be very vigorous and possessing a unique flavor. Whether it was running script, regular script, cursive script, or Wei stele style, each had its own distinct merit.
After examining them for a while, Ye Tian smiled and said, "Aunt Liu, I'm actually a calligraphy enthusiast, and I particularly like your son's work. Let's discuss this: from now on, don't discard any of his calligraphy. Sell them all to me, and I'll pay ten yuan per character, how about that?"
Liu Meihong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved her hands, "If the boss likes it, I'll have him write more."
Ye Tian said earnestly, "Your son is a calligrapher, and the price I'm offering isn't high. How about this, have him write five hundred to a thousand characters for me every day?"
Liu Meihong seemed a bit flustered, "This..."
Zhu Hongyan interjected, "Aunt Liu, the boss really likes calligraphy. He wants to collect your son's calligraphy works, so please agree to his request."
Liu Meihong hesitated for a while, but seeing Ye Tian's sincerity, she finally agreed.
Ye Tian instructed Liu Meihong to deliver the calligraphy once a month, directly to Zhu Hongyan, who would then settle the payment based on the character count. Liu Meihong had brought dozens of pieces this time, totaling about fifteen hundred characters, and Ye Tian immediately paid her fifteen thousand yuan.
After dinner, Ye Tian continued to extract medicinal components, working until three in the morning. He then asked Zhu Hongyan to rest while he continued his work. As the sun rose, he extracted seven more types of medicine, working even faster than during the day.
Thus, Ye Tian worked tirelessly at the research center for three consecutive days, finally extracting the active ingredients from all forty-five types of medicine.
He then mixed all the active ingredients together and subjected them to high-pressure heating and distillation. Half an hour later, a drop of green liquid dripped into a reagent bottle. The liquid flowed faster and faster, soon filling the bottle to just under half.