Chapter 59: Delivering the Wine

Zhu Daodong was genuinely worried that Yuan Ping might cause trouble, but Yuan Ping's words "just messing around" put his mind at ease. As long as Yuan Ping didn't "mess around," he was confident he could exchange the more than 500 boxes of premium Laobai Gan for 10,000 yuan.

He was now like a soldier who had signed a military order, and he had to exchange the more than 500 boxes of premium Laobai Gan for 10,000 yuan within a month. This was like a battle with no retreat; if he couldn't sell the wine within a month, losing his position would be a minor issue, and Chen Shuli might also be implicated.

However, the packaging, bottles, and labels had not yet been changed. With the current appearance of the premium Laobai Gan, even if Zhu Daodong was satisfied with it, he had no confidence in selling it.

Now, the premium Laobai Gan had not yet completed its transformation. Even with a wealth of business strategies, Zhu Daodong could only sigh in frustration. The next day was Sunday, the day he had agreed to go to the city with Hou Lihua to sell the tofu. Early in the morning, Zhu Daodong took a few bottles of premium Laobai Gan and went to the road in front of the township government, where the bus from Shumu Ridge to the county town waited. To go from Shumu Ridge to Shachang City, one had to transfer at the county town, so he had to catch the first bus to the county town to make it on time. If he had a car, he could go directly from Shumu Ridge to the neighboring Lion Mountain Township, and from there to the outskirts of Shachang City, which would be half the distance.

"Secretary Hou, Brother Hou, Brother Gan, why are you here so early?" When Zhu Daodong arrived, he found that Hou Lihua and Hou Gan were already there, and Hou Yong had also woken up early and was standing nearby.

"I was just about to go and call you, but Dad said you would definitely come, and sure enough, you did," Hou Yong said with a smile.

"Since I promised Secretary Hou, I must come. A man without integrity cannot stand," Zhu Daodong said with a smile. He noticed two aluminum buckets next to Hou Lihua and asked, "Is this all tofu? Why so much?"

"One bucket is tofu, and the other is braised tofu," Hou Gan said from the side.

"Braised tofu? Great, our Shumu Ridge's braised tofu is also a specialty!" Zhu Daodong chuckled. Thinking of the braised tofu, he also thought of the nameless Taoist. Now the nameless Taoist had become a real person on Wudang Mountain, and the chance to return to the Sanqing Taoist Temple was probably slim.

"Daodong, are you thinking of having a drink with braised tofu for lunch in the city?" Hou Yong saw the few bottles of wine in Zhu Daodong's hand and said with a smile.

"These are not for drinking in the city. We have to transfer at the county town, so I'm bringing them to a friend," Zhu Daodong smiled. The friend he referred to was Zhao Jinhai. To sell the premium Laobai Gan in the county town, he first needed Zhao Jinhai's approval. To avoid any preconceived notions, he had even removed the labels, as the current appearance of the premium Laobai Gan was quite poor.

After a while, the bus slowly arrived, and Zhu Daodong, Hou Lihua, and Hou Gan got on. After getting on, Zhu Daodong checked his watch; it was only 6:55. At 7:00, the bus left on time. After about an hour of bumpy travel, they arrived in Yuhua County Town.

The bus station and train station were not far apart. Every morning at 9:30, there was a train passing through Yuhua County. When they arrived in the county town, it was around 8:00, so Zhu Daodong took the opportunity to go to the Public Security Bureau. After entrusting Hou Lihua and his son to buy train tickets, Zhu Daodong agreed to meet them later and left. On the street, he hailed a tricycle, which was the main mode of transportation in the county town. For 50 cents, it could take him anywhere in the county town.

At the Public Security Bureau, the gatekeeper stopped Zhu Daodong. At first, he was puzzled because he had been there before and the gatekeeper had never stopped him. But when the gatekeeper spoke, he realized his mistake. It was Sunday, and if he was resting, wouldn't Deputy Director Zhao Jinhai also be resting?

Zhu Daodong did not know Zhao Jinhai's address, and no one would casually tell him. Looking at the time, it was a little over an hour before 9:30. Could he make a trip to Xishan Villa? Zhu Daodong stopped a tricycle and asked how long it would take to get to Xishan Villa. The driver confidently told him it would take about 20 minutes, but it would cost 2 yuan for one person. Zhu Daodong did not hesitate and immediately got in the car.

"Driver, can you wait for me for ten minutes? I'll pay you 2 yuan when I come back," Zhu Daodong said after getting in the car.

"No problem, but only ten minutes. Any longer, and it won't be worth it for me."

"If it takes longer, I'll pay you extra."

"Then there's no problem at all," the driver said with a smile.

When Zhu Daodong knocked on Xu Jun's office door, Xu Jun looked surprised, "Brother Xu, am I disturbing you?" Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"Not at all, not at all. What brings you here? It's not mealtime yet," Xu Jun, though surprised, quickly welcomed him warmly. Seeing the wine in Zhu Daodong's hand, he was momentarily stunned.

"I wanted to give it to Brother Zhao, but he's not working today, and I don't know where he lives, so I thought of you. You won't mind, right?" Zhu Daodong placed the wine with the removed label on the table and smiled.

"Of course, I mind. Next time, you must give me anything first," Xu Jun said in mock anger, but he quickly turned serious, "What is this? Wine or vinegar?"

It was no wonder Xu Jun asked this; the bottle of Laobai Gan looked very similar to a vinegar bottle.

"Of course, it's wine, and it's a good wine that you can't buy on the market," Zhu Daodong said with a mysterious smile.

"Really? Then let me taste it." Xu Jun picked up a bottle of premium Laobai Gan, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip, savoring it carefully before swallowing.

"How is it?" Zhu Daodong asked.

"It has the taste of Laobai Gan, but it's different. It also has the flavor of Wuliangye. Even compared to Maotai, each has its strengths. If I had to choose, I prefer this fragrant, smooth, and refreshing wine. Daodong, what kind of wine is this?" Xu Jun picked up the bottle and examined it carefully, but without a label, he couldn't be sure what it was.

"It was originally called premium Laobai Gan, but now it's called Shumu Ridge Wine," Zhu Daodong said with a smile.

"Premium Laobai Gan? The name fits, but it's a bit too common. Shumu Ridge is also a good name. Is this produced by your Shumu Ridge Wine Factory?" Xu Jun knew that Shumu Ridge had a wine factory that specialized in producing Laobai Gan.

"Yes, it was developed by the Shumu Ridge Wine Factory over ten years ago. The sales were not good at the time, so it was discontinued. Now there are still a few hundred boxes in the warehouse. I've been given the task to sell these wines. Brother Xu, is your villa interested in stocking this wine?" Seeing that Xu Jun also liked the premium Laobai Gan, Zhu Daodong quickly took the opportunity to promote the wine.

"I'm definitely interested in this wine, but the packaging, tsk tsk, is a bit too rustic," Xu Jun shook his head, looking at the vinegar-like packaging.

"The packaging is not a problem. I'm currently having it changed, and that's why I changed the name." Zhu Daodong was secretly pleased; as long as Xu Jun was interested, it would be easier to handle.

"As long as the packaging is decent, I can help you sell some," Xu Jun nodded. Since Zhu Daodong was now responsible for selling this inventory wine, he had to give him some face.