Chapter 42: Gu Bing with No Presence

"Factory Director, although the liquor changed packaging and name, and the price rose, it's still big sorghum liquor. It won't kill anyone. What problems can arise?" Liu Jian was nothing, but he had one good point: if he didn't understand, he would ask.

"What problems can arise?" Zhang Deyou was so angry he pointed at Liu Jian: "Use your pig brain to think. When this liquor reaches the market, will anyone buy it?"

Liu Jian shook his head: "No, especially the sealed version, retail 196, it's expensive as hell. Only a fool would buy it."

"That's it then." Zhang Deyou said: "Retailers spent tens or over a hundred to buy the liquor, but can't sell a single bottle. Can they be happy? If the liquor has no problems, no matter how unhappy they are, they have to accept it. But if they know that this so-called tribute liquor is actually big sorghum liquor that changed the soup but not the medicine, do you think they will make a scene?"

Liu Jian nodded: "They will definitely demand a return."

Zhang Deyou snorted coldly: "Just returning the goods and refunding the money is a small matter, but affecting the winery's reputation is a big matter. Once this happens, who will believe us? Even if we develop liquor with a better taste in the future, the common people will think it's big sorghum liquor. By then, our factory will really be finished."

Liu Jian asked: "Then what should we do?"

Zhang Deyou pondered for a moment, picked up the phone, and called Qu Hongqi, the Section Chief of the Security Section: "I am Zhang Deyou!"

Qu Hongqi said: "Factory Director, you speak!"

Zhang Deyou said: "From now on, no one is allowed to enter the main gate except factory employees. No matter who says hello, it's not allowed. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" Qu Hongqi hung up the phone.

Zhou Andong, Gu Bing, Jian Qiu, and Jiang Yuyue finished lunch and returned, playing poker for an afternoon. Zhou Andong won over a hundred, and treated them to hot pot in the evening.

January 9th, Thursday. The sky was still overcast, and the snow wasn't heavy, but it was still falling.

Last night, a north wind blew all night, whistling through the cracks in the back door. Who knew what had been blown away, and the courtyard was making *pitter-patter* sounds from time to time, quite a commotion.

In the second half of the night, Zhou Andong was frozen awake. Shivering, he got up to light the stove, filled it with coal, and then slept until after eight o'clock before getting up.

"Achoo!"

Zhou Andong was brushing his teeth when he suddenly felt his nose itch. A sneeze came out, and the foam in his mouth sprayed everywhere.

"Damn it, who's cursing me."

At this moment, *creak*, the door opened. The thick cotton door curtain was lifted, and Jiang Yuyue entered the room, braving the wind and snow, carrying steamed buns and soy milk in her hands.

"I knew a lazybones like you wouldn't have left." Jiang Yuyue placed the buns and soy milk on the stove with a smile. "I bought them on the side of the road in front of your house. They're still hot, eat quickly."

Zhou Andong rinsed his mouth, washed his face, and wiped it messily with a towel: "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean why am I here." Jiang Yuyue was immediately unhappy. "Ah, if you have something for me to do, I can come, but if the matter is finished, I can't come? This is typical of killing the donkey after it's done... no, that's not right, crossing the river and tearing down the bridge."

Zhou Andong smiled: "I meant, with such a big north wind and snow, aren't you afraid of the cold?"

Jiang Yuyue took off her gloves and squatted by the stove to warm herself: "Staying at home is really boring, so I came to find you to play."

Zhou Andong picked up the plastic bag, which contained six buns and two bags of soy milk: "You haven't eaten either, right?"

Jiang Yuyue said: "With such a big wind, how can I eat on the side of the road."

Zhou Andong poured the soy milk into a bowl, then grabbed a bun, and squatted by the stove to start eating.

Jiang Yuyue wasn't picky either, took a bun, and took a bite: "Mmm, mmm, mmm, this is my first time eating buns from their place, they're quite delicious."

After eating, Zhou Andong put on his cotton coat and buttoned his cotton hat: "Let's go!"

The north wind made people's faces ache. Zhou Andong walked forward with his head down, and Jiang Yuyue chased behind, running in small steps: "Slow down."

Zhou Andong slowed his pace helplessly. It was simply too cold and the wind was too strong; he just wanted to get to the factory as quickly as possible.

Jiang Yuyue held her ears with her gloved hands, her pretty face frozen red: "Where are we going?"

Zhou Andong then noticed that Jiang Yuyue wasn't wearing a hat, and he scolded angrily: "Are you stupid? It's so cold and you're not even wearing a hat."

After saying that, he took off his own hat and put it on Jiang Yuyue's head: "And this broken down jacket, it doesn't even have a hood. Why did you buy it? It looks good but is useless."

Jiang Yuyue felt the warmth of the hat, along with the faint smell of tobacco and sweat. A smile that was hard to detect curled up at the corners of her mouth, and the look in her eyes when she looked at Zhou Andong became inexplicably soft.

"Broken hat, it stinks." Jiang Yuyue said with a sharp tongue.

"Give it back." Zhou Andong raised his hand to grab it back.

Jiang Yuyue pressed the hat on her head and ran away laughing loudly: "In your dreams."

The security guard nodded: "I recognize him, Secretary Gu."

"Section Chief Yan, look at this calendar. The advertisement is printed on it, Jiangzhou Winery. How could there not be this liquor?"

"That's right, Section Chief Yan. We know this is tribute liquor, and we don't expect the ex-factory price. Isn't it okay to give it to us at the retail price?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I don't need much."

"Give me two cases, no, one case is enough."

The office was noisy, making Yan Guohai's brain ache.

"Everyone, everyone, everyone be quiet and listen to me."

The noisy sound quieted down. Yan Guohai said helplessly: "I really don't know what's going on with this so-called Jiangzhou Imperial Tribute Liquor. You all think about it, you know the situation of our winery. We can't even pay the employees' wages. If this liquor were produced by our factory, could we not sell it?"

Can't say... ===== CHAPTER 43 =====

Zhou Andong grabbed Jiang Yuyue's hand, looked at the watch on her wrist, and said with schadenfreude: "Leader, it's already been ten minutes, and the person still hasn't come. They really don't take you seriously. I think we should stop struggling and stop taking this abuse. Let's just resign. You have money, I have ideas; let's partner up and do some business. I guarantee we can make a lot of money. I wouldn't dare say we'll become the richest in the world, but becoming the richest in the country shouldn't be a problem."