Chapter 53 of 100

Chapter 53: Going to Houjiatang Village

13 min read3,142 words

Zhu Daodong ultimately paid for the two boxes of premium Laobai Gan. The regular Laobai Gan costs fifty cents per bottle at the factory, and retails for eighty cents in stores. The premium Laobai Gan, however, costs one and a half yuan per bottle at the factory, three times as much. Despite this, Zhu Daodong still counted out thirty-six yuan to Liu Wei and asked him to issue a receipt before leaving.

Back in the office, the two boxes of wine that Liu Wei had arranged to be delivered were already placed in his office. After opening one box and taking out a bottle of wine, he pushed the two boxes under the bed by the wall.

The bottles of premium Laobai Gan are identical to those of regular Laobai Gan, and the labels are almost the same, with the only difference being the addition of the words "premium" on the label. Seeing this wine, Zhu Daodong first shook his head. This wine is three times as expensive as regular Laobai Gan. Who would be willing to pay the price of three bottles of regular Laobai Gan for one bottle of premium Laobai Gan, just because of the words "premium" and "quality"? Could it be that each of these two characters is worth eighty cents?

Opening the bottle, a fragrant aroma filled the air. Without even finding a glass, he took a sip directly from the bottle. The wine was rich and smooth, with a clean and refreshing taste that lingered. This wine was not just two or three levels better than regular Laobai Gan; even compared to the Wuliangye used for receptions by the township government, it had its own unique qualities. If Zhu Daodong had to choose, he would prefer the premium Laobai Gan.

Although the premium Laobai Gan is three times as expensive as the regular Laobai Gan, it still only costs two yuan and forty cents per bottle, and only one and a half yuan at the factory. But how much does Wuliangye cost? Twelve yuan per bottle, exactly five times the price of premium Laobai Gan!

If the Shulinling Distillery can successfully produce and expand the premium Laobai Gan, it might be able to turn things around!

However, Zhu Daodong also understood that he had no say in the Shulinling Distillery. Although he was the director of the Enterprise Office and nominally in charge of the distillery, he knew that his only role was to collect the management fees every month. Any suggestions he made would not be accepted. The example of Jinsha Village was proof of this!

The Shulinling Distillery is currently the only enterprise in Shulinling Township that can be shown off. Although profits have been decreasing over the past few years, it has not been losing money. In such a situation, who would dare to attempt reforms at the distillery? If it fails, who would take the responsibility? As the current director of the Enterprise Office, Zhu Daodong was not in a position to bear that responsibility!

If he could establish a tofu factory in a village and generate enough profit to make people envious, perhaps Liu Wei would be interested. Or if he were promoted to deputy township head, or even township head, he might have the opportunity to implement major reforms at the distillery. Otherwise, he could only watch as the distillery maintained its current state.

This was Zhu Daodong's frustration, and also the frustration of the current system!

In the evening, he had agreed to go to Houjiatang Village with Hou Yong. It was Hou Yong's hometown, and the village party secretary, Hou Lihua, was his father. Tonight's visit to Houjiatang Village was both for work and as a friend. From what Hou Yong had told him, Hou Lihua was also a wine lover. Originally, he had been thinking about what to bring for his first visit, but seeing the two boxes of wine, Zhu Daodong had an idea.

After work, Zhu Daodong carried a box of premium Laobai Gan to the police station entrance, where he had agreed to meet Hou Yong. Hou Yong would ride the police motorcycle to take him to Houjiatang Village.

"Are you afraid there won't be any wine at my place, so you brought your own Laobai Gan?" Hou Yong, riding a sidecar motorcycle, appeared at the entrance on time and saw the box of Laobai Gan at Zhu Daodong's feet, smiling.

"Cut it out, if you call me Director Zhu again, I'll get mad. This isn't regular Laobai Gan. I bought two boxes at the distillery today, and I'm bringing one to your place to bribe the old man." Zhu Daodong laughed and moved the wine into the sidecar, then climbed in himself. The outer packaging of the premium Laobai Gan was identical to that of the regular Laobai Gan, and it was no wonder Hou Yong thought it was regular Laobai Gan, whether it was to save costs or because the distillery didn't want to put much effort into these details.

"Not regular Laobai Gan? Could it be premium Laobai Gan?" Hou Yong started the sidecar motorcycle and sped off.

"I didn't think there was anything in the township you didn't know about." Zhu Daodong laughed. The premium Laobai Gan had been off the market for many years, and he didn't expect Hou Yong to guess it right away.

"When the premium Laobai Gan first came out, I had just started working. I've tasted it, and the flavor is excellent, but it's too expensive. One bottle can buy three bottles of regular Laobai Gan. If it were me, I'd rather buy three boxes of regular Laobai Gan than one box of premium Laobai Gan." Hou Yong shouted, as the sidecar motorcycle left the township and the road became bumpy, the engine noise was loud, and they had to raise their voices to communicate.

Hou Yong's mindset represented the majority of people, especially those in rural areas. They had to be frugal in their daily lives. Although the premium Laobai Gan tasted better, the difference in taste was not enough to make them pay twice as much.

This was a problem of market positioning. The wine produced by the Shulinling Distillery was mainly sold to the various townships in the county, and it was rarely available in the county town. In the rural market, a wine that was three times as expensive would be seen as wasteful, and only those with extra money or true wine connoisseurs would drink the premium Laobai Gan.

Houjiatang Village was about five miles from the township, and the sidecar motorcycle took twenty minutes to get there. After getting off, Hou Yong took the wine in his arms first. It wouldn't be right to let the guest carry it.

Hou Yong's home was a two-story building with three large rooms. Each large room actually consisted of two small rooms, so three large rooms should have six rooms, but in the countryside, there had to be a hall. Therefore, only two large rooms were actually used, and the middle large room, including the second floor, became the hall. On the wall facing the door, various deities and ancestral tablets were placed. All ceremonies, whether for festivals or weddings and funerals, were held in the hall.

The first floor was made of red bricks, while the second floor was made of earth bricks. Earth bricks were made by mixing mud from the fields with straw, and after drying for about half a month, they could be used. This was a common method in the countryside to save on building materials. As long as the roof didn't leak, they could last for decades.

Hou Yong's father, Hou Lihua, was someone Zhu Daodong had met a few times before. He had a gaunt face, deep-set eyes, and always held a pipe. He didn't talk much, but when he did, his words were always to the point, and he was highly respected among the village party secretaries in the township.

After Hou Yong entered the house, a man who looked somewhat like him took the wine from his hands. Hou Yong led Zhu Daodong into the large room on the left. "Dad, you know this person, right? He's the new director of the Enterprise Office. The box of wine is from him."

"I received a call from the township this afternoon. Director Zhu, you didn't have to be so formal." Hou Lihua's gaunt face showed a hint of a smile.

"Secretary Hou, please don't be so formal. I'm the best friend of Chief Hou. It's my first time here, and I didn't bring much. I heard you like to drink, so I brought a box of wine." Zhu Daodong smiled.

"You are a township leader, and I won't refuse anything you bring. The food is ready, Houzi, wash your hands and let's eat." Hou Lihua had received the message from Hou Yong in the afternoon that he would bring a friend back for dinner, and he had already prepared the food. He just didn't expect that the friend would be the newly elected director of the Enterprise Office.

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