Chapter 69: Hard to Say

Wang Shengli's emphasis on Shumu Ridge wine greatly surprised Yuan Ping. After inquiring from a few acquaintances in the county town, he found out that Shumu Ridge wine had become very popular there. In Yuhua County, although Xiangshan Villa was located in a remote area, its decoration, service, and popularity were the best in the county, and it had always been a trendsetter in the local catering industry.

Now, Xiangshan Villa had suddenly introduced a new wine that was not available for sale elsewhere. Most importantly, the quality of this wine was very good. Many people, after tasting it once, specifically requested Shumu Ridge wine, which put other hotels in the county in an awkward position. Drinking Shumu Ridge wine had become a matter of pride, and serving a bottle of it at a home banquet was even more prestigious.

There were very few people in the entire county who could achieve this. Even a standing vice-county magistrate like Wang Shengli had to go to great lengths to obtain a few cases of Shumu Ridge wine for Yuan Ping, showing how difficult it was to get this wine. Of course, those with thick skin could go to Xiangshan Villa, order a few bottles of Shumu Ridge wine with their meal, and take the wine away after eating. But how could people of status do such a thing? Besides, at thirty yuan per bottle, not everyone could afford it. A bottle of Maotai outside only cost twenty yuan.

But human psychology is such that the harder something is to get, the more one wants it. Only what one cannot get is the best!

All the acquaintances Yuan Ping found without exception asked him to bring them a few bottles of Shumu Ridge wine, no matter what. Since you are the township head of Shumu Ridge, if you can't help with this, it would be a sign of disrespect. Yuan Ping had no choice but to smile bitterly and agree. What else could he do? He couldn't say that he didn't have the authority to dispose of the wine, as that authority lay with the township secretary and the director of the enterprise office. That would be a laughingstock!

Yuan Ping originally had some matters to attend to in the county, but he decided to put them off and return immediately. Now he needed to carefully calculate how many cases of wine he should ask Zhu Daizhong for. Of course, Yuan Ping wouldn't take the wine for free; he would go through the finance department and purchase it in the name of the township government. However, how to approach Zhu Daizhong was a dilemma, as it would mean slapping himself in the face again, and this time with his own hands.

Upon arriving at the township government, Yuan Ping found out that Zhu Daizhong was not there but had gone to Houjiatang Village. He knew a bit about the tofu factory in Houjiatang Village, but he had not commented on it. Initially, it was the Party Secretary of Jinsha Village, Hu, who told him about it as a joke, saying that the township secretary, Zhu Daizhong, had high ambitions and had persuaded him to invest over 40,000 yuan to set up a village collective tofu factory.

At the time, Yuan Ping just smiled. Zhu Daizhong had only lobbied and had not taken action, so he did not easily make conclusions. Especially after the Shumu Ridge wine incident, he was more cautious, like a venomous snake ready to strike, constantly flicking its tongue but making no sound.

With no choice, Yuan Ping had to call Houjiatang Village himself. The person who answered the phone was not Zhu Daizhong, and Yuan Ping asked them to relay the message for Zhu Daizhong to return to the township government immediately.

Zhu Daizhong had been spending most of his time in Houjiatang Village recently. Under his suggestion, the tofu factory added disinfection and mosquito control equipment to the production workshop. They also added a sterile packaging workshop, which might increase costs but would be a good promotional opportunity for the tofu's reputation.

The tofu factory in Houjiatang Village was funded by the villagers. Out of 425 households, each household had to contribute at least 100 yuan, with a maximum of 1,000 yuan. Because the villagers saw the potential of the tofu factory, the fundraising went smoothly. Some who couldn't immediately come up with 100 yuan borrowed from relatives and friends, while those with extra money invested 300 or 500 yuan. The Hou family, for example, directly invested 1,000 yuan.

Originally, the tofu factory was planned to invest over 40,000 yuan, but now it had 65,200 yuan. The enthusiasm of the villagers in fundraising indicated their confidence in the tofu's prospects. As the saying goes, the eyes of the masses are sharp, and Zhu Daizhong felt this was very appropriate here.

Because of the extra 20,000 yuan, the Hou family had the confidence to package the tofu. Zhu Daizhong also suggested that the tofu factory purchase a generator, as power outages were common in rural areas, especially in summer. The production of the tofu factory could not be interrupted, and although it would cost another 10,000 yuan, the Hou family agreed without hesitation.

Additionally, a water tank was built on the roof of the factory. The tofu factory required a large amount of water, and it couldn't rely on manual water fetching. Therefore, a water pump was also needed, making the tofu factory the first place in Houjiatang Village to use tap water.

Zhu Daizhong was calculating the costs with Houjiatang Village's accountant, Hou Feng, when he received Yuan Ping's notification to return to the township government immediately. The work at the township government was Zhu Daizhong's primary responsibility, so he did not delay and immediately rode his newly bought bicycle back to the township government.

"Township Head, you called for me?" When Zhu Daizhong arrived at Yuan Ping's office, he found Yuan Ping, who rarely stood in the middle of the room, pacing back and forth with a furrowed brow, seemingly deep in thought.

"Xiao Zhu, how is the tofu factory in Houjiatang Village coming along?" Yuan Ping's long-lost smile appeared on his face when he saw Zhu Daizhong.

"The factory is under construction, and the village will send people to the city to buy equipment in the next day or two," Zhu Daizhong said. Since the township head asked, he gave a brief report on the recent developments in Houjiatang Village.

"Hou Lihua has the courage, unlike the old Hu from Jinsha Village, who missed a good opportunity." Yuan Ping nodded, indirectly praising Zhu Daizhong.

"Old Hu's strength is his steady approach. After all, he is an old Party Secretary, unlike me, who is a bit rough around the edges." Zhu Daizhong smiled. Yuan Ping could comment on Old Hu, but he could not. Today's Yuan Ping was somewhat unusual, and Zhu Daizhong did not know what he wanted, as his approach was indirect, unlike his usual style.

"Xiao Zhu, when I saw you selling the wine last time, you seemed to have moved several dozen cases into the office, right?" Yuan Ping asked casually.

"Yes, Xiangshan Villa only needed 500 cases. Since the enterprise management fees were already recovered, there was no need to find another buyer for the remaining cases. I decided to keep them and drink them slowly myself," Zhu Daizhong explained, wondering why Yuan Ping was asking about this. The Party Committee had made a decision, giving him full authority to dispose of the wine as long as the enterprise management fees were recovered. Now that the fees were recovered, the wine was his.

"I was just asking casually, don't take it to heart," Yuan Ping smiled and waved his hand. "Xiao Zhu, can you sell some of that wine to the township?"

Yuan Ping had to muster his courage to say this. As a leader, he could have given it as an order, and Zhu Daizhong would have carried it out. However, the decision made at the Party Committee meeting made him feel guilty in front of Zhu Daizhong.