Chapter 70 of 100
Chapter 70: Everyone Likes This Wine
11 min read2,831 words
"Village Chief, if the village needs wine, just come to me and take it. No matter how much you need, I'll send it to you." Zhu Daodong never thought that one day, Yuan Ping would actually ask him for Shumu Ridge wine.
"That won't do. The Party Committee has already made a decision that you are fully responsible for the disposal of Shumu Ridge wine. If the village needs wine, of course, we have to pay for it. Here, write a note, and I'll sign it." Yuan Ping said.
"Village Chief, I sold the wine to raise the enterprise management fees for this year. Now that the fees have been collected, if the village pays again, wouldn't that be putting me in a difficult position? Besides, Secretary Chen has already taken ten cases." Zhu Daodong insisted on not taking money, even mentioning Chen Shuli. Last weekend, when Chen Shuli said he needed more wine, Zhu Daodong and Wang Bo moved ten cases of Shumu Ridge wine to his jeep and let him take it back to the county.
Now that Yuan Ping also wanted wine, it seemed that Shumu Ridge wine was very popular, which Zhu Daodong was happy to see. When both the Secretary and the Village Chief were interested in Shumu Ridge wine, the proposal to restart production at the Shumu Ridge Wine Factory would be on the agenda.
"Secretary Chen also took ten cases? Alright, I'll take advantage of your generosity. To be honest, the leaders in the county really like our village's Shumu Ridge wine. Daodong, you've done a great job this time." Yuan Ping said with a smile.
"It's my duty." Zhu Daodong quickly smiled in response.
Zhu Daodong's office originally had thirty-four unopened cases of Shumu Ridge wine, plus one partially opened case. He gave two bottles to Chen Shuli as a fee for writing the wine's name, and he only drank two bottles himself. Of the remaining thirty-four cases, when Hou Lihua came last time, he let Hou Gan take four cases back. His bicycle had two foldable racks on the back, and he could place four cases of wine on the side and still have room for Hou Lihua.
Later, Zhu Daodong gave five cases to Hou Yong, but he specified that one case should be kept for him. This was the wine Zhu Daodong prepared for the nameless Taoist master, and he found it hard to resist the temptation when it was in his office. After giving another ten cases to Chen Shuli, only fifteen cases were left.
After moving ten more cases to Yuan Ping, Zhu Daodong was left with only five cases. But even these five cases, Zhu Daodong couldn't keep for himself. Just after he moved the ten cases to Yuan Ping's office, Li Shaohua informed him that there was a call for him at the telephone station.
"Hello, Director Zhu!"
As soon as Zhu Daodong put the receiver to his ear, he heard a teasing and coquettish voice. Zhu Daodong was exceptionally sensitive to any sound, and he immediately recognized it as Tang Xiaoyu's voice. He could even imagine her smiling face.
"You seem to know everything." Zhu Daodong chuckled. "You never come without a reason. What can I do for you?"
Zhu Daodong had spoken on the phone with Tang Xiaoyu a few times. Since he transferred to the village government, Tang Xiaoyu was the only one from the Tang family who still kept in touch with him. Despite the fact that Zhu Daodong didn't become her brother-in-law, their relationship didn't become cold. On the contrary, Tang Xiaoyu often treated him as a future brother-in-law, and sometimes, when she encountered work or life troubles, she would confide in him.
"I want wine, Shumu Ridge wine." Tang Xiaoyu said.
"How much?" Zhu Daodong asked. He wasn't surprised by Tang Xiaoyu's well-informed nature. Although she had only recently joined the county finance bureau, she had a wide social circle and was quite resourceful.
"At least two cases, preferably three." Tang Xiaoyu was quite straightforward. At Xiangshan Villa, a bottle of Shumu Ridge wine sold for thirty yuan. At this price, three cases would cost over a thousand yuan. And even if you had a thousand yuan in the county, you might not be able to buy three cases of Shumu Ridge wine.
"What do you need so much wine for? To give as gifts?" Zhu Daodong asked.
"Of course. This wine is the best gift right now." Tang Xiaoyu nodded. Initially, when she learned about Shumu Ridge wine, she didn't think it would be connected to Zhu Daodong. She saw him as just a secretary in Shumu Ridge Village, and since the wine wasn't available on the market, she had even asked the Shumu Ridge Wine Factory. The factory had sold all its wine and wouldn't produce new batches for at least half a year.
But yesterday, she accidentally learned that Zhu Daodong had sold the wine to Xiangshan Villa. Now, even the Party Secretary and Village Chief of Shumu Ridge Village had to rely on Zhu Daodong for the wine. She then inquired about Zhu Daodong and found out that he had become the director of the village's enterprise office just a month and a half ago, a significant and challenging promotion for someone who had only been a regular employee for half a year.
"Alright, I'll have the bus bring it up. You can pick it up at the bus station." Zhu Daodong didn't hesitate and agreed immediately. He liked Shumu Ridge wine, but if it wasn't available, he could use ordinary old white wine. He wasn't a picky person.
Zhu Daodong was genuinely happy that Shumu Ridge wine was so popular. This meant that the wine had gained market recognition, at least in Yuhua County. As long as the wine factory could reintroduce Shumu Ridge wine, turning the situation around wouldn't be difficult.
Others might think that giving away the wine would be a loss, but Zhu Daodong saw it as an opportunity to promote Shumu Ridge wine. It was a great free advertisement. It could smooth relationships and expand the influence of Shumu Ridge wine. Why not take advantage of it?
"Thank you. Don't worry, I won't take the wine for free. I'll give one case to our bureau chief in your name and another to the education bureau chief. You'll benefit from this in the future." Tang Xiaoyu said happily.
"I don't know your bureau chief, and I don't want you to use my name for the education bureau. You understand." Zhu Daodong was puzzled.
"You, you really know nothing. Others would kill for such an opportunity. Alright, leave it to me." Tang Xiaoyu said with a scolding tone.
Since Shumu Ridge wine was so popular, Zhu Daodong wouldn't miss this opportunity. When he was left with only two and a half cases, he decided to give away all the wine to maximize its impact. He gave two bottles of Shumu Ridge wine to each of the three deputy village chiefs, two deputy secretaries, the head of the People's Congress, the head of the CPPCC, the organization commissioner, the discipline commissioner, the armed forces minister, the trade union chairman, the finance director Xu Rui, and the police station chief Chen Shijie.
Zhu Daodong's actions immediately won the favor of all the leaders. The legend of Shumu Ridge wine had already spread to the village, and these people were wondering how to approach Zhu Daodong for the wine. They were surprised when Zhu Daodong brought the wine to them. Although it was only two bottles, Zhu Daodong made it clear that this was the last of the wine, and each village leader got exactly two bottles. This made them feel very comfortable, knowing that Zhu Daodong was sincere.
From Deputy Village Chief Wang, Zhu Daodong learned a piece of news. According to Deputy Village Chief Wang, he was likely to be transferred next month, which was good news for Zhu Daodong. In the village government, every position was filled, and now a new "position" had opened up, making Zhu Daodong eager to try for it...
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