Chapter 30

Zhu Dayong said with a smile: "Old Wang, you must have nothing to do at work today, trying to have some fun at my expense?"

Wang Wanli became a bit anxious: "Don't believe it if you want, but this liquor is called Jiangzhou Jiangzhou Yugong. Yesterday, a noble guest from the capital came to the guesthouse to eat and drank this very liquor. The empty bottle and packaging are still here; I'll have someone send them to you right away."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

A busy signal came from the receiver. Zhu Dayong put down the phone with a confused look on his face. He knew the situation at the Jiangzhou Liquor Factory like the back of his hand. Just last month, Zhang Deyou had personally come to see him, all to find a market for the slow-selling high-proof sorghum liquor. Because the two had always had a good relationship, he had to give him face, so even though the sorghum liquor wasn't selling, he still purchased two hundred cases.

If this so-called Jiangzhou Jiangzhou Yugong Liquor were truly a special supply, even if the factory were suffering heavy losses, the Jiangzhou finance department would certainly ensure the factory's normal operations. Zhang Deyou wouldn't have to go around begging everyone just to keep his seat secure and sell a few bottles of liquor to pay the workers' wages.

Just as Zhu Dayong was full of confusion, there was a knock on his office door. A young man in his twenties walked in carrying a large black plastic bag.

"Director, this was sent to you by Manager Wang from the guesthouse."

"Leave it there." Zhu Dayong tapped on the desk.

The young man placed the bag on the desk, turned and retreated, gently closing the door behind him.

Zhu Dayong looked at the liquor box. His first impression was that it was high-end and classy; his second was that this liquor must be very expensive. He examined it for a while before opening the box, pulling open the drawstring of the red silk bag, and taking out the empty bottle.

"Hmm?" Zhu Dayong was very familiar with the high-proof sorghum liquor. He took the bottle and sniffed it: "Why is it so similar to the sorghum liquor, and the bottle seems to be the exact same one?"

"Ring..."

The phone rang. Zhu Dayong picked it up, and Wang Wanli's voice came through the receiver: "Did you see it?"

Zhu Dayong said: "I saw it. I'm going to call the Jiangzhou Liquor Factory now to ask what's going on."

Zhang Deyou was at home picking up a box of tea, about to send it to the old factory director Gao Qingkui, when the phone on his desk rang.

"Hello, this is Zhang Deyou."

"Factory Director Zhang, this is Zhu Dayong."

"Director Zhu!" Zhang Deyou asked: "I just got to the office and your call comes through; something up?"

Zhu Dayong said: "Nothing major, just asking if your factory has a type of special supply liquor called Jiangzhou Jiangzhou Yugong."

Zhang Deyou was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter: "How did you know about that?"

Zhu Dayong said: "It's real?"

Zhang Deyou said: "That bullshit Jiangzhou Jiangzhou Yugong Liquor exists, but it's not any special supply. Let me put it this way: this liquor is something our factory's Party Gu Shuji came up with for his reform. It's just the original sorghum liquor with new, nice-looking packaging."

Zhu Dayong was silent for a moment: "You're not lying to me?"

Zhang Deyou said: "Why would I lie to you?"

Zhu Dayong said with a smile: "Your Party Gu Shuji really knows how to play games. Alright, that's all for now."

"Reform, I'll make sure you don't sell a single bottle." Zhang Deyou snorted coldly and hung up the phone. He picked up the tea and walked out, then arrived at the office of the old factory director, Gao Qingkui.

"Old Factory Director, taste this tea of mine and see how it is. It's top-grade Maojian; I usually can't bear to drink it."

Gao Qingkui was reading the newspaper. Seeing Zhang Deyou with a smile on his face, he asked: "What's so happy?"

Zhang Deyou recounted the phone call from Zhu Dayong.

Gao Qingkui said: "Gu Bing engaging in such deception will definitely lead to problems. Therefore, no matter who comes to us, this liquor cannot be sold. At the very least, it cannot be sold through our hands."

"However!" Gao Qingkui smiled and continued: "Gu Bing's reform has actually helped you out of a predicament."

"Helped me out?" Zhang Deyou said: "Helped me out of what?"

Gao Qingkui said: "The New Year is almost here. If you can't pay wages and the workers start causing trouble, will you, the acting factory director, have an easy time? Now that Gu Bing is pushing reform, he has attracted all the conflict to himself. When the time comes that wages can't be paid, it won't be your fault. If the workers riot, it will have nothing to do with you."

A while ago, Zhang Deyou had been begging everyone, pulling strings everywhere, trying to sell the eighty tons of liquor in the warehouse, all because he was afraid that if he couldn't pay wages and the workers rioted, his seat would be threatened.

But apart from Zhu Dayong of the Hu Yang Supply and Marketing Cooperative, who took two hundred cases out of friendship, he hadn't sold a single extra case. He was so worried his hair was turning white.

Thinking back to when the sorghum liquor was selling well, whether it was the local supply cooperatives or individual distributors, everyone would call him 'brother' and bow and scrape when they saw him. The cigarettes and gifts they sent to his house were like they cost nothing. Now, they all avoided him, which made him so angry he would curse out loud every time.

"I hadn't thought that far ahead." Zhang Deyou laughed, "When I get the chance, I must personally thank Party Gu Shuji."

Gao Qingkui looked at Zhang Deyou, and Zhang Deyou winked at Gao Qingkui. The two of them burst into laughter.

At this moment, Wang Wanli was on the phone with Zhu Dayong. The expression on his face was uncertain, his breathing becoming increasingly heavy, and then, with a 'slap', he slammed the phone down heavily.

"Damn it, you little bastards, you actually dared to scam me. Don't let me run into you again."

After two o'clock in the afternoon, Gu Bing returned, travel-worn. He didn't go back to his office but came straight to the packaging workshop. As soon as he entered, he saw Zhou Andong wandering around inside.

"Zhou Andong!" Gu Bing shouted.

Hearing the shout, Zhou Andong turned his head, grinned, and laughed: "Party Secretary, I've missed you to death."

Gu Bing rolled his eyes: "How are things at home?"

Zhou Andong said: "Everything's fine. How did your business go?"

Gu Bing nodded: "Tomorrow, the seventh, I will go to the grassroots to visit those veteran cadres and heroes of the War of Resistance. Our liquor has already been included in the list of comfort items."

"Snap!" Zhou Andong snapped his fingers, "Great! I just don't know when it will be reported."

Gu Bing said: "It should be in the papers around the ninth or tenth."

Zhou Andong turned and walked out: "I'm going to find Yao Jun to proceed with the next step of the plan tomorrow."

Gu Bing nodded: "Go ahead. I'm going back to my office to rest for a while; let's go out for a drink together tonight."

Zhou Andong didn't see Yao Jun in the second workshop, but upon coming out, he ran into Liu Zhiguang and Qian Wei.

"Oh, college student, what are you wandering around here for?" Qian Wei said with a sarcastic tone, "Measuring the distance from the second workshop to the gate so you can calculate how long it will take you to crawl?"

Liu Zhiguang gave a sinister smile: "By the way, I heard you have a thing with Wang Ruomei and were caught in bed by your wife, which is why your wife wants to divorce you. Tell me quickly, is that true? It's spread all over the factory. Wang Ruomei hasn't come to work for two days; how come you're still acting like nothing happened?"