Chapter 25: No One Can Resist the Power of Money

The cover background was the ancient pagoda of Donghu Lake; Jiang Yuyue wore a black professional suit, slightly turned to one side, one hand cradling a glass of wine, with two lines of text beneath.

Gather heroes from across the land, pursue grand ambitions, establish new trends of the era, cheer for our motherland.

Jiangzhou Imperial Wine, wishing all the people of the nation a happy Spring Festival.

“Look at the back!” Jiang Yuyue eagerly flipped through the pages one by one; the backgrounds featured Jiangzhou River, snow-capped mountains, ancient trees, villages, hotels… the images showed Jiang Yuyue and the wine, along with haphazardly stitched advertising slogans.

The widest in the world is the sea, the highest is the sky, the most expansive is a man’s heart—Jiangzhou Imperial Wine, a century-old classic.

Time-honored wine, Jiangzhou Imperial sentiment.

The world is different because of me—Jiangzhou Imperial Wine, savoring China’s new fashion, embodying a noble new lifestyle.

“Are all one thousand copies here?” Zhou Andong asked.

Wu Xianping nodded: “All here.”

Zhou Andong said: “Prepare ten packing boxes, one hundred copies per box.”

Wu Xianping clapped his hands and summoned two men: “Find ten packing boxes, one hundred copies per box, load the wall calendars.”

Zhou Andong asked Yao Jun: “Did you give them clear instructions?”

Yao Jun nodded: “Clear instructions given.”

Zhou Andong turned to Wu Cheng and the other seven: “After this, go back to the distillery and get wine—each of you take four bottles. Remember, sell them only to stores, one bottle per store. Even if they offer more money, don’t sell more than one.”

“Why not sell more?” Wu Cheng asked.

Zhou Andong said: “Don’t ask why. Do exactly as I say. Understood?”

“Understood!” Wu Cheng and the others answered in unison.

After giving the instructions, the group carried the cardboard boxes filled with wall calendars out of the printing plant, went to the roadside, and Zhou Andong hailed two taxi cabs back to the distillery. Then he went to logistics to borrow a minivan; because Zhang Deyou had given orders, they approved it readily and even assigned a driver.

The driver’s name was Huang Shanhe, around forty; upon hearing it was a business trip and they might not return until night, he was clearly unhappy. But when Zhou Andong slapped a hundred yuan in travel allowance into his hand, Huang Shanhe’s face instantly changed—he grabbed Zhou Andong’s hand and shook it vigorously, nearly dislocating his shoulder, pouring out a flood of thanks, all of it meaning one thing: if there was ever another such opportunity, he must be remembered.

Then Huang Shanhe helped load the wall calendars onto the vehicle, helped carry the wine, and just before leaving, secretly slipped Zhou Andong a pack of cigarettes.

Watching the minivan drive off, Zhou Andong pulled out the cigarettes from his pocket—two-yuan White Hongmei—and smiled: “Indeed, no one can resist the power of money.”

He tossed the cigarettes to Yao Jun beside him: “Did you organize the people I asked you to?”

Yao Jun said: “Organized. All trustworthy.”

Zhou Andong said: “Good. Wait until Wu Cheng and the others return, see how things go. If there are no problems, send everyone out.”

“What do we do next?” Jiang Yuyue asked.

Zhou Andong kicked the cardboard box in front of him: “Take this hundred-copy set of wall calendars to your father. Whether you give them away or hand them out as employee benefits, I don’t care. And take these two bottles of wine too. Tell him this is *** wine—meant only for top leaders in Beijing, not available on the market.”

Jiang Yuyue rolled her eyes: “Everyone in Jiangzhou knows the distillery’s situation. *** wine? Dad won’t believe it for a second.”

Zhou Andong smiled: “He doesn’t believe it now. But after a while, he’ll treat this wine like a treasure—and very likely, he’ll ask you to buy more from me.”

Jiang Yuyue asked curiously: “Do you have another plan you haven’t told me about?”

Zhou Andong shook his head, mysteriously: “Can’t say. Can’t say. Once you say it, it loses its power.”

Jiang Yuyue pouted: “Whatever. Don’t tell me then.”

“And this!” Zhou Andong picked up the wine: “See this seal on the box opening? This wine is called Red Dragon VIP. The sealed ones are *** wine—they won’t circulate on the market. Even if any appear, they didn’t come from our factory. In the future, what circulates will be the regular version—no seal.”

“I know how to tell him,” Jiang Yuyue said, completely unfazed by lying to her father.

Zhou Andong smiled, hugging the cardboard box: “You take the wine.”

“I’ll take it,” Yao Jun grabbed the two bottles and followed Zhou Andong toward the gate.

“Can you borrow a car?” Zhou Andong asked Jiang Yuyue.

Jiang Yuyue blinked: “What car?”

Zhou Andong said: “A Benz or a BMW. Can you borrow one?”

Jiang Yuyue thought for a moment: “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

The three reached the gate. Zhou Andong waved down a yellow taxi, shoved the box inside: “Tomorrow, wear that professional suit. Be my secretary for the day.”

Jiang Yuyue gave Zhou Andong a look of disdain, slammed the car door shut: “Master, Gongye Branch on *** Street.”

Watching the car disappear, Zhou Andong slung an arm around Yao Jun: “Let’s go buy some proper clothes.”

Jiang Yuyue got out of the taxi, placed the wine on top of the box, then carried the box into the bank. Because the box blocked her face, no one recognized her. Too embarrassed to ask for help, she huffed and puffed her way up three flights of stairs.

“Phew!”

At the door of Jiang Zhengmin’s office, Jiang Yuyue set the box on the floor, took a deep breath, then knocked.

“Come in!” Jiang Zhengmin’s voice came from inside.

Jiang Yuyue pushed open the door, bent down, and shoved the box inside.

Jiang Zhengmin was reading the newspaper. He looked up, saw his youngest daughter, and smiled: “What brings you here? What’s that?”

Jiang Yuyue pushed the box to the sofa, plopped down on it: “I’m exhausted.”

Jiang Zhengmin spotted the wine on the box, his eyes lit up. He walked over from behind his desk and picked up the bottle: “Huh? Jiangzhou Imperial Wine?”

“Aren’t you always wondering what my brother-in-law and I are up to?” Jiang Yuyue opened the box and pulled out a wall calendar. “Take a look.”

Jiang Zhengmin stared at the image of Jiang Yuyue on the calendar, his eyes widening: “What… what is this?”

Jiang Yuyue grinned triumphantly: “This is my brother-in-law’s idea. His factory is reforming, and he asked me to be the spokesperson for their wine.”

“Wait, wait!” Jiang Zhengmin looked at the wine in his hand, then at the calendar. “Zhou Andong’s factory is reforming, and he asked you to be the spokesperson for this wine? Is that right?”

“Right!” Jiang Yuyue said. “They’ve been shooting calendar photos for the past couple of days.”

Jiang Zhengmin was bewildered: “How does a factory reform have anything to do with a lowly worker like him? And why ask you to be a spokesperson? This is nonsense.”