Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1165 Expensive Gift Boxes Scamming the Rich? New Pitfalls in Research Institute List (Two Chapters Combined)
Fang Yan said to Lao Hu:

"It seems your ideas coincide with Mr. Huo's. When you mentioned it last time, I just thought it was a novel idea. Now even Mr. Huo has sent a special telegram to place an order. It seems this market is really lucrative."

Lao Hu said:

"What a coincidence..."

"Look, he even listed specific requirements: to create a comprehensive gift box targeting insomnia, lower back and knee pain, and men's health, with a stylish packaging that highlights its differentiation from other products on the market."

"The main features are that it is expensive and exquisite."

Fang Yan smiled and said to Lao Hu:

"It's similar to what you said back then."

Upon hearing this, Old Hu burst into laughter:

"Haha, this is probably what they call great minds think alike."

Fang Yan was also amused; they were both mistaking other wealthy people for Japanese and making fun of them!

Old Hu then spoke into dialect:

"Back then you were preparing for your postgraduate entrance exam and didn't have any free time. Now you should have time to work on this project. Although the output is not large, the profit after selling it can be quite substantial."

Zhu Lin, standing to the side, asked curiously:
"Will the wealthy in Hong Kong really buy into this?"

Before Lao Hu could answer, Huang Huijie said:
"Of course, for example, if Mr. Huo gives this to someone in front of everyone and says that it is a health gift box specially made by Fang Yan himself, others will definitely be impressed."

"Even if Mr. Huo just puts a stick in his mouth, people will still ask him where he bought it and what brand it is the next day."

"Some wealthy businessmen in Hong Kong are quite superstitious. They believe that as long as they dress and eat and use similar things as those rich people, their good fortune will fall on them. Although I don't know if this belief works, quite a few people do indeed do it."

"For example, look at their cars, they basically only have a few models."

"When they attend events, they wear the same few styles of suits, and even the food they eat is copied from each other."

This statement elicited a strange expression from the crowd, who said in a dialect:

"This is called the leadership effect, or the idol effect. Here, people all over the country are learning from it."

"..." Old Hu and Huang Huijie were taken aback, and suddenly realized that most people here were dressed the same way.

That makes perfect sense.

He said in dialect:

"But then again, people aren't stupid. If you want them to buy, the price can be high, but the effect is definitely there."

Old Hu tapped on Mr. Huo's telegram:

Insomnia, lower back and knee pain, and men's health—these three things need to be combined into a high-end gift box… Do you have a clue? Can what we have now handle it?

Fang Yan took a sip of water, thought for a moment, and then said:
"We do have them now, but the ingredients are not significantly different. Using the same formula and just changing the packaging is a bit of a rip-off."

"To differentiate ourselves, we need to offer something different from what's already available on the market..."

"It's actually not too difficult. For insomnia, use Albizia bark and Polygala tenuifolia, these two are a classic combination, mild and harmless; for lower back and knee pain, you need Eucommia ulmoides and Achyranthes bidentata, plus some wolfberry as a base, all of which are gentle tonics."

He paused, then added, "When it comes to men's health, don't use those strong remedies. Use some dodder seed or raspberry; they're gentle, long-lasting, and suitable for daily conditioning."

"Medicinal herbs alone aren't enough!" Old Hu reminded him.
“We can’t expect him to go home and brew the medicine himself, can we? Mr. Huo wants the ‘refined’ medicine, something ready-made and edible.”

“Of course I know, the formula I mentioned can also be made into pills, powders, ointments, and elixirs,” Fang Yan chimed in.

Fang Yan thought of the small jar of tea from his past life and said:

"Boil the medicinal herbs into a paste, thicken it, and store it in a small, gilded porcelain jar. One jar can treat all the same ailments."

"Then add two packets of portable honey pills, so you can take them anywhere."

He gestured with his hand on the table:

"The gift box has three layers. On the top is a jade pendant-like medicine grinder ornament, in the middle is a jar of ointment, and on the bottom is a hand-painted herbal medicine chart, which is both cultured and sophisticated."

Old Hu's eyes lit up:
"It's interesting!"

He added:
"The porcelain jars are made by artisans in Jingdezhen, and the inscription is just the words 'Secret Imperial Recipe,' plus gold foil stamping. The wax shells for the honey pills also have to be custom-made, printed with our company logo, so that others can't imitate them."

"The key is that the formula must be unique to some extent." Fang Yan tapped his finger lightly on the table. "Add two kinds of sandalwood and agarwood to ordinary calming ointment, grind them into fine powder and mix them in. It not only helps you sleep, but also has a light fragrance, which sets it apart from those dark ointments."

"Adding a little bit of processed deer antler powder to the herbal paste for soreness in the lower back and knees can enhance the effect without causing internal heat."

Zhu Lin, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but interject:
"Agarwood, deer antler, such exquisite ingredients, how expensive must they be?"

"How can it be called a luxury item if it's not expensive?" Old Hu laughed.

He said:
"What Mr. Huo wants is the prestige of being 'unaffordable for others.' With three items in a box, including the packaging, and priced high, it's a status symbol. Once they get started, others will definitely be scrambling to buy it."

He turned to the dialect and said:

"You have to oversee the brewing of this recipe; I don't trust anyone else to do it. Especially the proportions of those fine ingredients—not a single bit more or less will do. We can't let anyone find fault with it."

Nodding in dialect:

“Of course, I’ll do it myself. We also need to add an instruction manual, written in both Chinese and English, explaining the proper use of each herb. For example, Eucommia ulmoides must be from Sichuan, and Achyranthes bidentata must be from Huaiqing Prefecture, so they know there’s a reason why it’s expensive.” He suddenly remembered something, “Oh right, add a small bottle of medicinal incense, made from mugwort, mint, and agastache rugosa. Burning it can calm the nerves and also act as an air freshener. This stuff is rare on the market, so it can add a touch of ‘completeness’ to the overall meaning.”

At this moment, the sister-in-law, Zhu Xian, said:
"Take another photo and video, and send them together. That way, it will be more convincing!"

Everyone present was taken aback. Old Hu slapped his thigh and said:

"Wow! A genius!"

The dialect also says:
"No wonder you studied journalism; your university education was worthwhile!"

Zhu Xian suddenly felt a little embarrassed, as this was the first time Fang Yan and the others had praised her like this.

However, she seemed encouraged and said:
"We need to be careful when filming. My brother-in-law should wear a Hangzhou silk jacket, and the background should be the row of medical books in the study, so that it looks like an old-fashioned Chinese medicine doctor. When filming the ointment making, we must give close-ups to see the strength of the ointment's stringy texture, and also record the sound of the spoon scraping the bottom of the pot when you put it into the porcelain jar."

"This highlights a single theme: craftsmanship!"

Upon hearing her words, Fang Yan realized that his studies had indeed paid off and nodded, saying:

"Okay, whatever you say. But we'll have to borrow the recording equipment from our workplace."

At this moment, the younger brother said:
"I'll call the Beijing Film Studio and ask them to borrow a team!"

Fang Yan nodded upon hearing this.

Director Chen went home to study today, otherwise you could talk to him.

The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) is on July 20th this year, which is only a few days away. He applied to the Beijing Film Academy this time, and he absolutely has to get in.

……

After the meal, the work here was arranged.

Fang Yan's family had enough precious medicinal herbs, so they found everything they needed.

We'll be filming the production process this afternoon.

Since the family didn't have any Hangzhou silk gowns, they had to borrow one from the Beijing Film Studio. After making the call, the team there, who had previously filmed domestic dialect movies, took over the task.

They said they'd be over soon and would bring props and makeup for Fangyan.

Song Jian, who was watching from the sidelines, felt that Fang Yan's daily life at home was really beyond her imagination. In the time it takes to eat a meal, they were actually going to shoot an advertisement at home in the afternoon?
Is this right?
I've never heard of a family like this before.

Song Jian felt like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.

The people from the Beijing Film Studio arrived faster than expected, around 3 PM. A green Jeep pulled up at the alley entrance, and three workers carrying equipment got out. The leader was a middle-aged man wearing glasses, who smiled when he saw Fang Yan.

"Director Chen specifically instructed that Dr. Fang's work should be filmed with care. He also said that he would come to see the finished film after the exam."

Among the workers carrying the equipment, Fang Yan recognized a familiar face—it was Tian Zhuangzhuang, who had visited Fang Yan's home before. (See Chapter 398)
"Old Tian, ​​what brings you here?" Fang Yan greeted him.

Tian Zhuangzhuang probably hadn't expected Fang Yan to address him so warmly, but he quickly got into character and greeted Fang Yan in return:

"I've been studying so hard these past few days that I'm almost dizzy. I heard that Dr. Fang was getting X-rays done at his house today, so I came over out of curiosity."

"Welcome, welcome, please come in." Fang Yan greeted him and the others as they entered the house.

Once inside, I first poured them tea, and then chatted with the people who had come that day.

This is Xu Lin, one of the assistant directors who worked with Director Chen before.

Fang Yan had never heard of this person before, but he was quite professional. He first listened to Fang Yan's needs, then began to plan the shooting order, and then started to draw storyboards using sketches.

On the other side, they arranged for Fang Yan to change clothes and then put on makeup.

Fang Yan has fair skin and relatively defined features, so she didn't need much makeup. She just changed her clothes and that was it.

Director Xu finished drawing the storyboard and then handed it to Fang Yan and Lao Hu, saying:

"This is my initial idea based on the needs of the two of you."

Director Xu spread his sketchbook on the table and pointed to the first drawing:

"Please take a look, this is my plan. I'll start with a panoramic view of the study, with sunlight streaming in through the window. Dr. Fang, you're sitting at a rosewood table writing a prescription, with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf behind you. The camera slowly zooms in, giving a close-up of your hand holding the pen. As the ink spreads on the paper, the voice-over will say, 'Medicinal herbs have properties, and their combination has its own principles.' That's how I'll set the tone."

Fang Yan looked closer and saw that the figure in the painting was himself, wearing a moon-white silk jacket with the cuffs neatly rolled up to the elbows, exuding the calmness of an old-fashioned doctor.

Zhu Xian added from the side:
"Director Xu, could you add a detail? When my brother-in-law finishes writing the prescription and presses it down with a paperweight, could the camera pan across the bronze medicine grinder on the table to add a sense of age and story?"

Director Xu glanced at her and recognized her as Fang Yan's sister-in-law. He immediately nodded.

"This is good! It's an idea, and it sounds like it has a story to tell."

After he finished speaking, he began to add a line of text next to it with a pen, which was what Zhu Xian had just mentioned.

Then he turned to the next page:
"The second set of shots is of the kitchen making the medicine, which requires a long shot. First, we film you selecting the medicinal materials, examining the color of each one against the light. For example, we break open the medicinal materials to see the details inside; for agarwood, we have to smell it up close, and the slightest movement of your eyebrows is the most telling action."

The dialect made me scratch my head, thinking, "Is this really that complicated?"
Just then, Tian Zhuangzhuang, carrying a video camera, wandered around the room and interjected upon hearing this:
"The steam during the decoction preparation has to be well controlled. It can't be too thick and block the camera lens, nor can it be too thin and lack feeling. Find a copper pot, the old-fashioned kind, where the thin white steam rising from the rim of the pot while the medicine is being decocted looks the best."

Before the dialect could even respond, Director Shen said:

“A copper pot won’t do, and Jin Kemu, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, doesn’t use that; we can only use a clay pot.” “We discussed this issue when we were filming.”

After saying that, he looked at Fang Yan.

"That's a saying," Fang Yan nodded.

Upon hearing this, Tian Zhuangzhuang quickly said:

"Then let's go with the clay pot!"

Director Xu then turned to the third page, which depicted a scene of canning:
"After the ointment is cooked, it is best to use a shiny silver spoon to scoop it out slowly, so that the audience can see the ointment hanging on the spoon and dripping down in strands, just like honey, so thick that it doesn't drip down. Not a single drop should be spilled when filling the jar. Finally, seal it with mulberry paper, and the ink stamp should be crisp and shiny, making a 'snap' sound, showing that you are particular about it."

Old Hu pointed to the gift box in the painting: "Director Xu, we haven't gotten this gift box yet!"

"No problem, then those at the front will be put in line today, and those at the back can fill in later." Director Xu drew the character for "fill in".

"The last shot is an overhead shot, showing the bowl containing the ointment. The camera pulls back, and the entire study is bathed in warm light. The voice-over concludes: 'Every prescription and every medicine is the product of time'—what do you think?"

Fang Yan stroked his chin:

"It's even more detailed than I expected. But isn't the voice-over a bit too literary?"

Lao Hu said:

"No, they understand this over there. The owners of those old trading companies in Hong Kong love to hear things that are well-founded and supported by evidence."

Just as she finished speaking, the older sister brought over a plate of sliced ​​watermelon:

"Masters, take a break and try something cold."

Director Xu picked up a piece, and suddenly his eyes lit up:
"Oh, I missed a shot! Dr. Fang was tired from brewing medicine, and his family brought him water and melons. Adding that scene would have made it more humane. Besides craftsmanship, it also needs to have a touch of everyday life."

Fang Yan thought for a moment and said:
"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Next, we simply set up the venue and then explained the actions to the dialect speaker.

Of course, the medicine still needs to be made properly according to local dialect.

Wait until everyone is ready.

Fang Yan began preparing according to the first scene of the storyboard.

"Alright, everyone to your positions!" Director Xu clapped his hands.

Then the camera started with a hum.

"Start shooting!"

……

That afternoon, Fang Yan and his team filmed from 3:40 to 6:30.

After using up all the valuable film reels we brought, we finally managed to shoot a satisfactory version.

It only had three or four scenes, but they filmed several versions.

In pursuit of professionalism and high-end quality, Fang Yan also prepared several medicines, all made from precious medicinal materials, which will be sent to Hong Kong as samples.

During dinner, Fang Yan remarked:

"I thought it would be simple, but I didn't expect it to take this long."

The older sister standing to the side laughed:

"Trouble makes things precious, it looks much more upscale than the face cream sold at the supply and marketing cooperative!"

Fang Yan was both amused and exasperated. The agarwood she used in the product alone was enough to buy a lot of face cream, which would fetch a high price in Hong Kong.

Old Hu, standing to the side, said:

"We'll need to take pictures of the gift boxes later. I think it would be best to have them made by the Palace Museum; they make beautiful ones!"

Dialect expression:

"Then I'll call Mr. Ji from the Palace Museum later."

……

The next day arrived quickly. After the previous night's work, Fang Yan had finished her task of making the medicinal herbs by hand, and now it was Lao Hu's turn to take over.

There was something even more important for Fang Yan: he went to the research institute.

In the past, there were two things to do. The first was to pay money.

Director Sun is very efficient. He has already calculated the salaries and benefits that the thirty people should receive from their original units, as well as 20% of each person's monthly salary and the talent loan compensation. Fang Yan needs to pay these first.

Fang Yan used to sign off on things, and the money definitely wasn't paid by him personally, but by the research institute and the company.

Of course, to some extent, a portion of his profits will also come from this, which will have a slight impact.

However, compared to the value generated by these thirty people, this amount of money is actually a very small expense.

The second thing is that the work of compiling ancient books from Southeast Asia has been completed, and now we need to start recruiting people, mainly professors from research institutes and teachers from schools.

It's like doing the same thing you did back in Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, only this time with more meticulous attention to detail.

It also takes longer.

When Fang Yan drove to the research institute, he found that Dean Zhao Xiwu was not there, and even Dean Ji Zhongpu was not there. Fang Yan then remembered that today was July 14th, and the postgraduate entrance examination was not over yet. Most of them were at Xiyuan Hospital as proctors.

Fang Yan could only go to the finance office to handle the payment of funds for the Secret Formula Research Institute.

The old accountant handed over the note, peered at Fang Yan through the top of his reading glasses, and said:
"Director Fang, it's 3924 yuan per month! Director Sun specifically instructed that the money must be transferred to the designated account tomorrow, without delay."

The list that was handed over was densely packed. Fang Yan reviewed it and found that it contained no names, only numbers of people. The relevant units were from seven cities: Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Shenyang, Changsha, Tianjin, etc., covering six major regions: East China (Shanghai/Nanjing), South China (Guangzhou), Central China (Changsha), Southwest China (Chengdu), North China (Tianjin), and Northeast China (Shenyang).

In total, the original salaries and benefits of the thirty employees amounted to 3270 yuan, and the talent compensation of 20% was 654 yuan.

Fang Yan silently calculated that the nearly four thousand yuan monthly expense was equivalent to twenty years' wages for an ordinary worker.

After signing the payment slip for 3924 yuan, Fang Yan did not leave immediately. Instead, he repeatedly checked the geographical list on the slip with his finger: "Shanghai, Tianjin, etc."

He suddenly stopped at the end of the list, looked up and asked the old accountant, "Didn't they select a single person from the institutes in the Northwest? What about the experts from Shaanxi and Gansu?"

The old accountant pushed up his reading glasses: "This is the list that Director Sun has drafted. I don't know anything else. However, the Northwest is far away and coordination is difficult, so there have always been few transfers."

"Astragalus from Qin and Long is superior to that from Guandong," a local dialect member said, frowning. The effective components of medicinal herbs from the arid Northwest are generally higher than those from humid regions.

"The processing techniques for medicinal herbs in Northwest China are unique, such as the honey-processing of Astragalus membranaceus and the wine-steaming of Angelica sinensis. Without their participation in the selection of compound prescriptions, there would be problems!"

The old accountant said:
"Then you'll have to talk to your supervisor. I...I can't help you with this!"

Fang Yan snapped out of his daze and said to the old accountant:
"Okay, I'll talk to my supervisor about this. Thank you!"

Upon hearing Fang Yan's words, the old man waved his hand:

"You're welcome! You're welcome!"

Based on the list, Fang Yan ran to the People's Medical Publishing House next door, found Editor-in-Chief Xia's office, and borrowed a phone to call Director Liao.

After the call connected, the person got straight to the point in their local dialect:

"Director Liao, we just discovered that the list of seconded experts is missing from the Northwest. We need to develop the 'Sancai Guben Wan' from the 'Nanyi Materia Medica,' and the main ingredient in the formula is Astragalus membranaceus from Longxi! The lack of their team for other products is a weakness."

"Is there any way to get Director Sun to make some adjustments? He should at least give me one expert from the Northwest out of thirty people! The processing techniques from the Northwest are crucial for translating ancient prescriptions! I understand his concerns about travel and coordination costs, but you can't just consider economics when it comes to tackling technical challenges!"

Director Liao paused for half a second on the other end of the phone, and then his voice came through the receiver:

"What you're saying is very important! I'll make a call over there."

The dialect should be used:
"Then I'll wait for your news!"

If he hadn't signed here today, he really wouldn't have discovered the problem.

"What are you doing?" Editor-in-Chief Xia asked Fang Yan curiously.

The dialect explanation is as follows:
"My research institute expanded its enrollment and project approvals, but we were missing an expert from the Northwest."

Editor-in-Chief Xia asked:

How many slots have you been given?

Fang Yan didn't hide anything from him and said:
"Thirty top spots are available, and there are no restrictions on the rest."

"Wow!" Editor-in-Chief Xia exclaimed in shock.
"That's pretty good treatment!"

Fang Yan smiled:
"Thank you for your compliment."

He was thinking that Director Sun was probably about to have a falling out.

Seeing that Fang Yan seemed a little distracted, Editor-in-Chief Xia said:

"Director Qian Siming of the Shaanxi Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine is an old classmate of mine from the Party School. He has a research group that specializes in studying the active ingredients of medicinal herbs from the Loess Plateau. I can try to communicate with him. As long as they aren't top talents, I should be able to get one or two of them transferred over!"

Fang Yan was stunned when he heard Editor-in-Chief Xia's words, and turned around to ask:
"Hmm? You mean... to persuade local experts to come to Beijing directly, without going through the Ministry of Health's dispatch order?"

is it possible?

Back then, the capital city wasn't as attractive as it is in later years, especially for experts in scientific research. Their families were doing well locally, so most people were unwilling to come to the capital.

As a result, Editor-in-Chief Xia slapped his thigh and said:
“Oh, who told you he’s a local expert? How many people left Beijing in the last ten years? Now they want to be transferred back, and this is their chance to return to the city. Plus, he’s been doing research and work there for seven or eight years, and he’s no less capable than local experts in the Northwest. I guarantee we’ll hit it off immediately.”

Fang Yan suddenly realized that Editor-in-Chief Xia was referring to the Northwest Needle King, a person like Zheng Kuishan (see Chapter 12 for details).

"I never expected things to turn around like this," he said to Editor-in-Chief Xia.

"That's great! It won't take up any spots!"

After speaking in dialect, he asked again:
"Do you have any classmates from other places? Introduce me to some people like that."

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

(End of this chapter)