All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Why buy a white coat? Well, people are more likely to trust you if you have this uniform.

As for what Liu Feng is going to do, it's very simple: he's preparing a classic marketing campaign.

He and He Xiaoping each wore one set of clothes. They wore military uniforms underneath white coats, which didn't have the hospital's name on them. They were also carrying a large suitcase, so they really looked like doctors.

The next day happened to be Saturday. Led by Mao Chengcheng, the three of them rode bicycles towards the next village. Mao Chengcheng looked at Liu Feng and He Xiaoping wearing white coats and wanted to say something, but he was too embarrassed to say it. In the end, he could only silently lead the way.

Mao Chengcheng trusted Liu Feng quite a bit. During this period, under Liu Feng's care, his second sister's condition had improved significantly. She could now drink porridge, had a good appetite, and her energy and spirit had improved a lot. Therefore, Mao Chengcheng didn't feel too guilty about Liu Feng impersonating a doctor. Besides, he knew that the company commander was just trying to sell herbal plasters.

Liu Feng really only wanted to sell plasters; he had no intention of becoming a doctor. Selling plasters and pretending to be a doctor was understandable, but if he tried to steal doctors' jobs, someone would naturally take care of him. Don't underestimate local power.

However, today's trip to the surrounding rural areas wasn't to sell plasters, but to deliver them.

Word-of-mouth marketing is key; if the product isn't effective, why would people buy it a second time?

With everything prepared, the three of them soon arrived at the destination. The arrival of two doctors in white coats and carrying medicine kits in the village attracted a lot of attention. Liu Feng asked Mao Chengcheng to take him to the production brigade and meet the brigade secretary.

Upon arriving at the brigade headquarters, Liu Feng and He Xiaoping parked the car. They walked up to the group of brigade officers and gave a standard military salute. The brigade headquarters still had many veterans, who quickly returned the salute.

After saluting, Liu Feng stepped forward with a smile and said...

"Good morning, leaders. Let me introduce myself. My name is Liu Feng. I served in the army for ten years and was just discharged this year due to injuries sustained on the battlefield. In the army, I also learned some medical skills. Based on my family's medical knowledge, I developed a special plaster that can treat back pain. This plaster is based on a secret recipe from the Qing Dynasty imperial physicians. It is very effective and has been lost to the market."

Now that I've retired from the military, and with my injured left hand limiting my ability to do other things, I plan to use my medical skills to continue serving more people. I want to promote this secret-recipe plaster, so today my wife, He Xiaoping, and I—she was a nurse in a field hospital in the army—have come to the countryside to bring benefits to our fellow villagers. We brought some plasters to give away for free, so everyone can experience this imperial-recipe plaster!

Liu Feng's sincere words made the brigade secretary and others all look at Liu Feng's left arm. Seeing the drooping arm, they immediately gave this young man a silent thumbs up in their hearts. Despite his physical disability, he was strong-willed and determined. This is the epitome of a soldier!

Liu Feng never said he was a military doctor. He only said that he was a soldier who knew some medical skills in the army and that his wife was a nurse in a field hospital. This was all true. However, his white coat and the introduction made everyone think from the beginning that Liu Feng was a military doctor. In addition, when they heard that it was a free gift for everyone, the brigade secretary and others agreed to it without saying a word.

The brigade secretary sent someone to use the loudspeaker to call everyone to the production team for a meeting.

Soon, with the cooperation of the brigade cadres, people from every household in the village came. Over a hundred people crowded into the village brigade. Everyone thought something had happened, but when they heard that a doctor from the military had come to give everyone free plasters, their faces lit up with joy upon hearing the word "free." Moreover, when they heard that the doctor was a military doctor, everyone started talking excitedly.

Under the arrangement of the brigade leaders, a long table was set up outside. Liu Feng and He Xiaoping sat on it, and Mao Chengcheng took the plasters down and placed them next to the medicine box. It looked quite professional.

Liu Feng stood up, first asked everyone to quiet down, and then shouted to the crowd.

"Dear fellow villagers, I'm here today to bring you some goodies. The 'Imperial Secret Recipe Plaster' I'm bringing you today is a family secret recipe from the imperial physician who served Empress Dowager Cixi. It's specially formulated to treat back pain, swelling, and bruising, and the effects are immediate."

Today, I'm not charging anyone for these plasters. Every household can come up and take two plasters. One plaster can last for three days, and it's effective after just one application. If you find them effective after using them, you can buy more from Mao Xingwang in the neighboring Yushui Village next door. Of course, if they don't work, just pretend I wasn't here today!

Liu Feng's words made the villagers below nod in agreement. People in this era still believed Liu Feng's words. After all, they had never really encountered the tricks of the "miracle doctors" who sold medicine in later generations. This "Palace Secret Recipe Plaster" sounded impressive, and since it was free, everyone's enthusiasm immediately soared.

More than 170 households received over 400 medicated plasters. The reason for the large number was that many elderly people complained of back pain and asked Liu Feng to apply the plasters to them immediately. They could also take the two free plasters with them, which was a great deal. So everyone followed suit, and dozens of plasters were applied on the spot.

After delivering the plasters, Liu Feng also gave five plasters to each of the village cadres and left his address. Finally, after being warmly invited to stay, he had a very hearty lunch before leaving.

In the afternoon, they went to another village and used the same trick to quickly gain the trust of the village committee. They worked until it was almost dark before rushing back. The first batch of more than a thousand plasters had been delivered. This loss-making welfare distribution made Mao Chengcheng a little confused, but he was too embarrassed to ask.

After having dinner at Mao Chengcheng's house, Liu Feng smiled and gave ten plasters to Mao Chengcheng's parents. Judging from their appearance, they probably also had chronic back pain, so the plasters were really effective.

Liu Feng spent over two hundred yuan on the medicinal materials alone for these thousand or so plasters. With labor costs included, each plaster cost at least three or four mao (0.3-0.4 yuan). He planned to sell them for nine mao (0.98 yuan) each. There were plenty of plasters outside that cost two mao each, so Liu Feng's plasters, which cost almost one yuan each, were indeed exorbitantly priced.

But isn't it normal for good things to be more expensive?

Bai Jingqi's century-long life and his capitalist mindset deeply influenced Zhang Peng, which in turn influenced Liu Feng's identity.

In his mind, a unique business must have high prices and high profits. If it weren't for the fact that people really didn't have much money in the early 1980s, he would have made ten or eight times the profit from this plaster, otherwise he would have been doing a disservice to his wonderful secret recipe.

If Liu Feng were to sell such expensive plasters by shouting them out, he would probably go bankrupt sooner or later. So, Liu Feng's first thought was to give away the plasters. As long as they were effective and a good reputation was established, the money would naturally come into his pocket.

The fact that the plaster was delivered so smoothly this time was not only because the white coat and the soldier's identity fooled the village cadres, but also because of Mao Chengcheng. With Mao Chengcheng, a local, leading the way, some skeptical people were reassured. After all, China is a society based on personal connections, and many elderly people knew Mao Chengcheng's elders, which indirectly made everyone believe in Liu Feng's identity.

If Liu Feng had taken He Xiaoping alone, dressed in white coats, to a nearby village to carry out this operation, in 1981, when the shadows of class enemies and spies had not yet completely dissipated, two outsiders doing this locally might have been taken to the police station by the rigid brigade cadres.

After a busy day, He Xiaoping felt a little distressed about giving away several hundred yuan. After all, the two of them didn't have much demobilization pay. Fortunately, Liu Feng had saved some money over the years, plus his pension, so they could make ends meet for a while. This welfare distribution activity couldn't be stopped.

So Liu Feng found an empty house in Maocheng Village, set up a storefront, and put up a signboard that read "Imperial Secret Recipe Plaster". He really wanted to stick with plasters, focusing on a single product to make a name for himself and earn his first pot of gold.

At the same time, he hired six workers, all young men and women aged between their teens and twenties, to help make the ointment. It was hard work, and he could use machines to do it in the future if he wanted to expand and strengthen the business. For now, he would start a small workshop first.

They spent a lot of money, but it seemed like they had no chance of breaking even. In the second week, the three of them sped up their work and visited all the nearby villages. In two weeks, they had distributed nearly four thousand plasters, which cost them over a thousand yuan.

Although He Xiaoping felt sorry for Liu Feng, she still silently supported him from behind. Mao Chengcheng couldn't help but suggest to Liu Feng several times that they should start by collecting two cents a piece of paper and then sell it for ninety-eight cents later.

Liu Feng smiled and refused outright. He said it was either free or he should sell it for 98 cents. If he sold it for 20 cents now and then sold it for 98 cents later, the first reaction from ordinary people would be that he was making too much money.

But if we give it away now, when they come to buy it later, we'll ask for 98 cents and just say how high the cost of this stuff is, how many precious medicinal materials it contains, like tiger skin, ginseng, and century-old snow lotus, whatever is precious. Anyway, in this day and age, there's no such thing as false advertising.

Back then, it took Empress Dowager Cixi 10,000 taels of silver to brew a pot of herbal plaster. Now, with reform and opening up, and the people being the masters of their own destiny, many precious medicinal materials have become cheaper. The imperial plaster that Empress Dowager Cixi used in the past can now be enjoyed by ordinary people. It sells for 98 cents a piece, with a profit of only a few cents per piece. This can be considered a benefit for everyone.

When everyone heard Liu Feng say that, they felt that it made a lot of sense. There was a reason why it was expensive, because its medicinal materials were precious, which was why it had such a good effect. At that time, everyone had already seen the effect, so they felt it was worth it to endure spending 98 cents to buy a plaster.

Two weeks have passed, and the bait has been cast. Whether any fish will bite depends entirely on the weather.

He Xiaoping and Mao Chengcheng were extremely nervous, but Liu Feng was not nervous at all. He was confident in his secret recipe, and besides, this was Guangzhou, where everyone was starting to have hope for the future. These 98 cents plasters were still affordable.

During this period, Mao Chengcheng also left his job and started to really follow Liu Feng.

As for why he left, it was just as Liu Feng had predicted: he was suppressed by Wang Linsheng, who directly asked for 500 yuan. This made Mao Chengcheng see the true colors of this person, so he left immediately.

Liu Feng was quite pleased with this outcome. Having a loyal and hardworking subordinate would save him a lot of trouble. Moreover, Liu Feng planned to teach Mao Chengcheng some skills in the future, whether it was the secret recipe for making ointments or cooking skills. As for martial arts, there was no need for that, since those were no longer necessary in this era.

To avoid worrying Mao Chengcheng's parents, Liu Feng proactively told them that he would give Mao Chengcheng a monthly salary of 100 yuan. This salary was much higher than what he earned at the grain bureau. As a low-level employee with no extra income, he only earned a few dozen yuan a month. Moreover, Liu Feng told Mao Chengcheng that this 100 yuan was just the base salary, not including bonuses. As for how much the bonus would be, it would depend on his performance.

With Mao Chengcheng joining the team, Liu Feng's workload was reduced considerably. He began teaching Mao Chengcheng the secret recipe, leaving him to manage the younger staff. The key to this was controlling the heat, which required constant monitoring. The quality and efficacy of the plaster were closely related, and Liu Feng trusted Mao Chengcheng's work ethic.

After distributing all 5,000 plasters as a welfare benefit, Liu Feng completely stopped. He was almost completely drained, and his meager savings wouldn't last much longer. The 5,000 plasters had been delivered to more than a dozen villages in the surrounding area, and now the truth was revealed.

Perhaps they gave away too many or something, but in the past two weeks, not a single person has actually come to the village to buy plasters. After they stopped giving away plasters, the villagers made another two thousand plasters in the past few days, but not a single one of the stockpiled plasters has been sold. Mao Chengcheng has been so anxious these past few days that he's been on edge.

Liu Feng wasn't in a hurry. That day, he even had the mood to go to town and buy a few pounds of pork belly, as well as two fish, a chicken, and a duck from the village. He happily cooked a meal and invited several workers and Mao Chengcheng's family to his pharmacy for a meal. He Xiaoping had been cooking for him these past few days, so this was the first time Liu Feng had shown off his skills.

Cantonese cuisine truly emphasizes preserving the original flavor. The poached chicken he ate at Mao Chengcheng's house last time is still vivid in his memory; the bloody, stringy texture is something he can never forget.

This time, he also made a poached chicken, a truly local poached chicken. The cooking time is actually very important, because the authentic poached chicken that people in Guangdong eat is all about tender, smooth chicken that doesn't stick to your teeth. When it's seasoned with a special ginger sauce, the unique ginger aroma and the perfect combination of chicken flavors make it really satisfying.

However, many people find it difficult to control the cooking time. The poached chicken at Mao Chengcheng's house was cooked too early, and the blood was excessive. People with a slightly sensitive palate could taste a faint bloody flavor, and the taste was hard to describe.

However, many people from other places cook poached chicken by overcooking it, making the chicken too dry and sticky, completely losing the true essence of poached chicken and giving the impression of wasting ingredients.

Six dishes and a soup were served, truly a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. Everyone sat around the table in a circle, somewhat reserved. Liu Feng smiled and stood up, poured a glass of baijiu for Mao Chengcheng's father, and then poured some for the others. The girls had prepared soda for them. Liu Feng raised his glass and smiled at everyone.

"This glass is a toast to everyone. Thank you all for your hard work these past few days!"

Everyone stood up, raised their glasses, and gestured in the air. Liu Feng picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp, then refilled everyone's glasses before continuing to speak.

"This toast is for everyone. Let's all work hard together and work for me. As long as you're willing to put in the effort, I guarantee you a bright future. You might all be a bit anxious these past few days, since we haven't even opened yet. But I want to tell you all, the best is yet to come. Have faith in our plaster..."

Before Liu Feng could finish speaking, a middle-aged man with his back in his hand knocked on the door. Liu Feng's words were interrupted, and everyone looked towards the door. They didn't seem to recognize the person who had come.

However, they soon understood the man's purpose. The middle-aged man, supporting his back in pain, walked into the house. Seeing that everyone was about to eat, he smiled awkwardly, took a step back, and then spoke.

"Hello, do you sell that kind of imperial plaster here, the kind that's effective for back pain?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately realized what was happening and stood up – a business opportunity had arrived.

Liu Feng also smiled and quickly stood up, walking towards the middle-aged man as he spoke.

"Hello, hello, yes, we specialize in selling royal court-made plasters here. Do you have back pain?"

Upon hearing that they had found the place, the middle-aged man finally smiled and said...

"Yes, yes, I want to buy some. Your place is a bit remote. I searched for ages before finally finding this place. I'm from Fenglin Brigade. You distributed plasters to our area last week, but I wasn't home at the time. When I got home, my back was hurting, and luckily I had one left. I used it for a few days, and it felt much better. This is much more effective than the plasters from the pharmacy in town. I've used so many plasters over the years, but none of them worked. Your plaster is amazing! I slept soundly the very night I used it. It's a pity there's only one left. My back pain is a chronic problem. I'm so grateful to have been able to get a good night's sleep!"

Liu Feng laughed heartily and stepped forward, speaking very politely.

"Don't worry, our imperial secret-recipe plaster is made with a secret imperial formula. It's definitely more effective than those ordinary plasters on the market. Come here, let me take a look at it for you. Or should I put one on for you now?"

The middle-aged man, supporting his aching back, nodded repeatedly.

Liu Feng glanced at the other man's waist, touched it, and had a good idea of ​​what was going on. He then smiled and continued to boast as he took out a bundle of plasters from the counter, took one out, and applied it to the other man's waist.

Middle-aged people often have some back problems, such as lumbar disc herniation. This disease is common among middle-aged and elderly people in rural areas, especially in this era when everyone does hard labor every day. Over time, most of them suffer from back pain and leg pain.

However, people in rural areas, whose families cannot afford it, do not want to go to the hospital until the very last resort. Liu Feng did not do good deeds; he only sold plasters. For severe cases, these plasters only treat the symptoms, not the root cause, but they are enough to relieve the pain.

Although the price was somewhat higher than the middle-aged man's expectations, he still bought ten tickets after being persuaded by Liu Feng. There was no discount, and the price was nine yuan and eighty cents. Liu Feng gave him two cents in change, saw him out, and then went back to his room satisfied to continue eating with everyone.

Back at the dinner table, everyone's spirits were noticeably higher. Having just made their first sale, their confidence had increased considerably. Liu Feng used the previous example to teach them a lesson and brainwash them, making them believe that the plaster he was selling was a secret imperial recipe. He emphasized that only when they believed it themselves could they convince others—this was the most basic principle of sales.

Whether it was Liu Feng's excellent cooking skills or the fact that the restaurant had just opened, everyone ate with great relish. Six dishes and a soup, served in large bowls, were all eaten clean. After everyone was full, they finally dispersed.

After the first successful opening, three more transactions were completed on the second day, and eight more on the third day. From then on, it became the norm to have a dozen or twenty transactions every day.

It's true that business people are superstitious about the first sale of the day; the psychological reason behind this is very important!

This month, he sold over six hundred plasters, which only brought in about six hundred yuan. After deducting expenses, he barely made any money. But Liu Feng wasn't worried at all. Using word of mouth to open up the market was just the first step in his plan. The second step was yet to come.

Chapter 8: To Treat or Not to Treat?

The business has opened, and although it's still far from breaking even, Liu Feng immediately announced that monthly bonuses would be determined by sales volume, and set a reward commission standard.

This instantly ignited everyone's enthusiasm, and they were full of energy every day.

Because sales are getting better every day, most of the people who come to buy this "Imperial Secret Recipe Plaster" are people who have heard about it, and many are repeat customers. Everyone praises this plaster as truly excellent.

A good reputation isn't built in a day. Mao Chengcheng was particularly excited during this period, not for the bonus, but because he was overjoyed to see the number of customers buying medicine increasing day by day.

He felt really bad about earning only 100 yuan a month. He knew that Liu Feng was helping him, and his second sister had been sick for so long without ever asking his family for money. Every time he offered to give money, Liu Feng would smile and say that they would talk about it after she was cured.

Mao Chengcheng also remembered this friendship, so of course he especially hoped that Liu Feng's business would make a lot of money, and he sincerely hoped that Liu Feng could get rich.

After seeing that business was good, Liu Feng became somewhat complacent. He now sells a few dozen plasters a day, and in his opinion, this income is just small-scale. There's nothing he can do about it; he only has so much capital, and it's already quite an achievement to have made this much of a splash at the very beginning.

Business is no rush. The effects and reputation of this plaster are only just beginning to take hold. Let things develop for a while.

Liu Feng is still living in the house where Mao Chengcheng's uncle lives. Previously, his uncle did not charge him rent, but now that his business has started, he feels embarrassed to live in the house for free. In the end, he directly told his uncle that it would cost fifty yuan a month, since it is a whole floor and the area is quite large.

His uncle absolutely refused. In those days, the wages for working outside were only fifty yuan a month. How could he possibly pay fifty yuan to rent a single-story house? Besides, this was a rural area on the outskirts of the city.

Liu Feng offered to pay, but the other party refused. In the end, Liu Feng had no choice but to buy some good cigarettes and alcohol and deliver them to the old man. The old man reluctantly accepted them and then treated Liu Feng and his wife to a meal, buying them meat and wine to repay the favor.

People in this era still value relationships. At the dinner table, his uncle said directly, "You're Mao Chengcheng's company commander, and you're currently helping the Mao family's child get medical treatment. If I were to take money from you and your wife, would I still be human? Just stay here without worry, stay as long as you want!"

Since that's what they said, Liu Feng had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.

Liu Feng wasn't sure how long he would stay here, but at least a year. Besides curing Mao Chengcheng's second sister, he could also use the strategy of encircling the city from the countryside to gradually penetrate the urban area with his medicated plasters. Of course, this would have to be done slowly.

In this world, Liu Feng's desire to make money is far less than in other worlds, because he is very clear that his future is destined to be very wealthy, so why rush?

Business is slowly getting better, but this sales volume is not enough for one person's workload. In addition, with Mao Chengcheng watching over the pharmacy, Liu Feng has been able to free up some time.

In those days, resources were quite scarce. Although Liu Feng's house was quite large, with three bedrooms and a living room, it was not furnished at all. Apart from a bed, everything else was basically empty. Liu Feng took advantage of this time to go to the nearby market and buy a set of furniture, including a sofa, mattress, table, and tableware, all of which were new. He even bought a black and white television.

Although he only decided to stay for a year, Liu Feng would never compromise on the quality of life. He had promised He Xiaoping that he would make her happy and content for the rest of her life. A man keeps his word.