Chapter 48

The three leaders left; those in the conference room glanced at each other, then turned to Gao Qingkui. Some looked sympathetic, some mocking, some gleeful, but most showed utter indifference.

“Comrade Factory Director Gao, look—Jiangzhou Imperial Wine, this is People’s Daily! Your factory is truly famous now.” Liu Qingjun chuckled, placing the newspaper before Gao Qingkui, then stood and left.

Gao Qingkui lowered his head, staring at the newspaper. He had presbyopia and wasn’t wearing glasses, but the close-up photo of Jiangzhou Imperial Wine on the page was painfully glaring.

After an indeterminate time, the conference room door suddenly opened and Zhang Deyou walked in: “Factory Director!”

Gao Qingkui snapped back to awareness, realizing the room was empty, then saw Zhang Deyou approaching with a newspaper in hand.

“Hah!” Gao Qingkui let out a laugh, but it sounded bitter and angry.

“I’ve seen the newspaper,” Gao Qingkui said, lifting it and waving it slightly.

Zhang Deyou wore a troubled expression: “What do we do now?”

Gao Qingkui stood up: “Let’s discuss it back at the factory.”

At the Huyang City Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Zhu Dayong sat back in his chair, eyes closed, fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrests. On his desk lay a newspaper.

“Ding ling...”

The phone rang suddenly. Zhu Dayong opened his eyes, sat upright, and picked it up: “This is Zhu Dayong.”

Wang Wanli’s voice came through the receiver: “Director Zhu, have you seen the People’s Daily report?”

Zhu Dayong paused: “I’ve seen it.”

Wang Wanli, barely containing his anger, said: “I can’t believe what Jiangzhou Brewery is up to. Don’t we pay for our wine? Now they’re saying it’s just high sorghum!”

Zhu Dayong glanced at the photo on the newspaper: “Maybe Zhang Deyou wasn’t lying to us, but it doesn’t matter anymore. From today on, there will be no more ‘High Sorghum’—only Jiangzhou Imperial.”

Wang Wanli snorted: “There’s a reception at the city hall tonight. Director Xu from the Municipal Office specifically requested Jiangzhou Imperial. Can you get some?”

Zhu Dayong said: “I called Zhang Deyou and Gao Qingkui, but neither answered. Call the brewery’s supply and marketing department. But if you want to serve this wine tonight, you’d better go yourself—it’s just over an hour away.”

Wang Wanli said: “Let’s go together. Your cooperative needs to stock up anyway. If I go alone, Zhang Deyou and Gao Qingkui will play games with me—I won’t get a thing.”

Zhu Dayong smiled: “Don’t go to them. Contact Gu Bing, the Party Secretary of the brewery. This wine was his project. That’s why Zhang Deyou and Gao Qingkui have been suppressing it so hard—trying to keep it from leaving the factory.”

“You’re really not coming?” Wang Wanli said. “You know the brewery’s situation better than I do—it’s shut down. Stock is surely low. Go now while you can grab the first move. In two days, when everyone else catches on, getting wine will be a nightmare.”

Zhu Dayong had originally planned to send the procurement department, but Wang Wanli’s words made sense: “Alright, let’s go together. Come to my office—I’ll drive.”

As time passed, the power of People’s Daily gradually revealed itself, and Jiangzhou Imperial Wine truly entered the public eye. Especially in Jiangzhou, the impact was no less than dropping an atomic bomb. Brewery workers spread the news, rushing en masse toward the factory.

The supply and marketing department’s phones rang again, this time with the same reply: Jiangzhou Imperial ***-type is not for market sale; standard-type inventory is insufficient; sales suspended.

What? ***-type isn’t for sale? That’s impossible—I’ll go straight to your factory director!

What? Insufficient stock? No problem—we’ll take less.

Some well-connected individuals called directly into Gu Bing’s office. Meanwhile, Zhang Deyou and Gao Qingkui’s phones rang nonstop. The two old men’s only thought now: since they couldn’t suppress Gu Bing, they must tightly control the distribution channels. Whoever called asking for wine—they promised everything.

Gu Bing kept answering calls—all from people pulling strings and cutting corners. His throat grew hoarse. Finally, he set the phone down, stopped answering, picked up his teacup, and gulped down the tea in one go, then exhaled deeply.

“What do we do? Anyone who calls me directly is someone I can’t offend. And they all want the sealed ***-type. Worse, we only have twenty tons. This situation? Not nearly enough to go around.”

Zhou Andong rolled his eyes: “Don’t you know ‘rarity drives value’? Don’t give them whatever they ask for. Limit it. Even then, hold back—don’t hand it out easily. Make them understand: drinking ***-type Jiangzhou Imperial isn’t easy.”

Gu Bing sighed: “It’s truly painful—and pleasurable.”

Zhou Andong laughed heartily: “Don’t fear offending anyone. If ***-type really sells out, don’t you have plenty of paper notices? Just stick them up. Selling at 160 is better than selling at 32, isn’t it?”

“Corrupt merchant!” Gu Bing cursed, then burst into laughter.

At that moment, Jian Qiu and Jiang Yuyue entered the office carrying packed lunches: “Time to eat.”

Zhou Andong asked: “What’d you buy?”

Jiang Yuyue said: “We bought dumplings and lamb soup across from the factory. Hurry up and eat—it’ll get cold.”

Jian Qiu said: “All the factory workers have gathered at the main gate. Secretary Gu, aren’t you going to speak to them?”

Gu Bing blinked: “Speak about what?”

Jian Qiu rolled her eyes: “The workers only know what they’ve read in the paper or heard from others—they don’t know the real situation. The momentum is strong now. You need to explain things clearly, give them reassurance, build goodwill, and maybe even promise bonuses.”

Zhou Andong picked up a dumpling and bit into it: “Why wait? Go now while Gao Qingkui and Zhang Deyou are reeling! Workers follow whoever feeds them. If those two old bastards get out first and make promises, everything you’ve done so far will be ruined.”

“Alright, I’m going!” Gu Bing said.

Zhou Andong said: “Besides bonuses, give each worker a sales quota for one case of ***-type wine. Factory price remains 165. They can sell it at 265, 365—we don’t care. All profit is theirs.”

“What do you mean?” Not just Gu Bing—even Jian Qiu and Jiang Yuyue were confused.

Zhou Andong shoved the rest of the dumpling into his mouth, mumbling: “I’m going to inflate the price. Make ***-type a true premium wine—not just drinkable, but collectible. So, Boss, you must strictly control the shipment volume.”

Meanwhile, in Gao Qingkui’s office, Zhang Deyou listened eagerly as Gao Qingkui gave orders.

“Go now. Promise the workers: double this month’s bonus, year-end benefits too—not just fish and meat, but rice, flour, and oil. We’ll win back plenty of goodwill and undermine everything Gu Bing has done.”