Chapter 40

“Tap tap tap…”

The office door was gently knocked, and Gao Qingkui knew it was Zhang Deyou: “Come in!”

Zhang Deyou pushed the door open, his gaze naturally falling on the telephone on the desk—the cord was gone, lying on the floor.

“I unplugged the phone line too.”

Gao Qingkui said nothing. Zhang Deyou wanted to speak, but seeing Gao Qingkui’s expressionless face, he cleanly chose to shut up.

The office sank into an eerie silence. Leaders like Gao Qingkui and Zhang Deyou weren’t incapable—but their abilities were all spent on undermining each other and lining their own pockets. After all, in the era of state procurement and distribution, there was no need to worry about sales; as long as they kept people in line and avoided safety accidents, they were fine.

When market economics arrived, they refused to adapt, clinging to outdated thinking, content to be mediocre officials who sought only to avoid blame, not to achieve anything. They lacked big-picture awareness, never considered the enterprise’s long-term development, only wanted to profit without exerting effort, and always thought first of their own little patch of land. They treated the enterprise as their private property, allowing no one else to interfere.

Now, Gu Bing’s actions were snatching meat already in their bowls, filling them with fury—but they inwardly looked down on Gu Bing, convinced he could never take the meat from their own bowls.

But yesterday afternoon’s phone call had genuinely unsettled them. Zhang Deyou asked around about what Gu Bing had been doing these past few days, then came back to tell Gao Qingkui.

The two studied until midnight but saw no hidden meaning—only something childish: sending a group of workers out to sell liquor, then arranging another group to buy it back. Was this a child’s game? The only highlight was the calendar ads—well-shot, with excellent slogans. As for the massive impact—even the provincial supply and marketing director calling to inquire—they believed it was pure luck.

After a long while, Gao Qingkui broke the oppressive silence: “I’ve received several calls from municipal leaders, all asking about Jiangzhou Yugong liquor.”

As soon as work started today, the office phone rang nonstop—still about Jiangzhou Yugong liquor, and many calls came from municipal leaders. This gave Gao Qingkui unprecedented pressure.

Municipal leaders didn’t care whether Jiangzhou Yugong had changed its name or repackaged high-sorghum—they only cared if the liquor sold. Gao Qingkui was respected; if he declared this fraud and refused to sell, the leaders would listen—but only if he could save the brewery and ensure over a thousand workers had food to eat.

Zhang Deyou hadn’t officially taken office yet, so he hadn’t received a single call from a municipal leader: “Then you…”

He didn’t finish, but Gao Qingkui understood: “Fraudulent goods? Of course we won’t sell them.”

Zhang Deyou also felt the pressure: “What do we do next?”

Gao Qingkui’s face twitched: “Tomorrow I’m attending a municipal meeting. I’ll report the brewery’s problems, especially Gu Bing—he must be removed. We absolutely cannot let him keep messing around like this, or disaster will follow. As for the brewery’s future, we’ll discuss it after the New Year.”

Zhang Deyou wanted to say, “In a few days you’re retiring,” but seeing Gao Qingkui’s expression, he dared not speak.

“Gu Bing held a workers’ meeting yesterday morning. I’ve thought about it—it’s not just about buying loyalty.”

Gao Qingkui snorted: “As long as he can’t sell his liquor, no matter what schemes he has, they’re useless to us.”

Gu Bing wrote a note and handed it to Zhou Andong: “What’s this note for? Just take them straight to the warehouse.”

Zhou Andong took the note: “I want them to know only Secretary Gu’s note can get them the goods—no one else’s counts.”

Gu Bing chuckled: “I like hearing that.”

Zhou Andong walked out with the note: “Director Jiang, go discuss with the boss where to eat. I’ll be right back—we’ll leave then. I’m already hungry.”

In the hallway, Jiang Yuyue was chatting with the individual vendors, occasionally laughing softly. Seeing Zhou Andong come out, she bounced over: “Why’d you take so long?”

Zhou Andong smiled: “The boss said it’s cold today, insisted I drink tea to warm up before leaving.”

Jiang Yuyue scoffed: “Liar.”

“The secretary’s treating us to lunch today,” Zhou Andong said casually, then took one last drag, crushed the cigarette underfoot. “Everyone, I’ve got the note from Secretary Gu. Let’s head to the warehouse now.”

“Great!” a young man shouted excitedly.

The group followed Zhou Andong and Jiang Yuyue out. Jiang Aimin was among them, feeling a surge of relief—it really was a turn for the better. He began calculating how much to order.

Zhou Andong first reported to the logistics department, then went with the warehouse manager to the storage facility. When the warehouse door opened, Jiang Aimin and the others rushed in eagerly.

Zhou Andong said: “Jiangzhou Yugong liquor comes in two types. Which one do you want?”

Everyone froze. The young man asked: “What’s the difference?”

“One has a seal, one doesn’t—and of course, the price differs.” Zhou Andong opened two crates, pulled out one box from each. “Look—this sealed one is for top officials. The unsealed one is for various ministries.”

Everyone held unsealed bottles. Jiang Aimin asked urgently: “What’s the price difference?”

Zhou Andong said: “I’ll give you factory price: unsealed, 32 yuan; retail 58. Sealed, 165; retail 198. Each case holds six bottles, all double-priced. But sealed ones—each person can buy only one case.”

“Why?” Jiang Aimin asked.

Zhou Andong said: “Sealed liquor is strictly forbidden from entering the market. I only got you each one case because it’s so cold and you came all this way—I pleaded with the secretary. For unsealed, maximum four cases per person.”

The young man asked: “What if I don’t want the sealed ones?”

Zhou Andong said: “You can swap.”

“Who doesn’t want sealed ones? Swap with me!” shouted a middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairdo, thick gold chain, and briefcase.

No one responded. In their minds, the sealed ones were the real tribute liquor—they wouldn’t give them up for anything.

Jiang Aimin said: “I’ll take all of it.”

“Me too!” others chimed in.

Zhou Andong’s lips curled into a faint smile. Jiang Yuyue looked at Zhou Andong with pure admiration. The warehouse manager, however, stared in disbelief—he’d mocked the pricing when he first heard it, cursed Zhou Andong and Gu Bing behind their backs. If the department head hadn’t ordered him to cooperate, he’d never have come to the warehouse on such a freezing day.