Chapter 160: Marketing Tactics (Third Update)

The workers carried the wine jars over to the table, then brought out empty flasks one by one. To prove the flasks were indeed empty, they deliberately turned them upside down.

"Everyone, please see for yourselves whether these flasks contain anything," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Was he about to perform some sleight of hand? Still, a few people took the flasks, weighed them in their hands, and sniffed them. Everyone here had been in the wine trade long enough to know the weight of a flask by heart — a quick heft told you whether it was empty or not. After a few of the more prudent types had tested them, the others didn't bother.

Using ladles and funnels, they drew wine from the jars into the flasks, then filled the wine cups on the table to the brim. The teahouse also sold wine, and the workers' movements were practiced and smooth. As more and more cups were filled, the fragrance of wine in the teahouse hall grew richer and richer. The sound of indrawn breaths rose continuously as everyone savored the aroma.

Even the dozen or so large-establishment managers who had taken seats were growing restless, glancing at the wine in their cups, then turning to look back toward the wine jars. Zhao Jin said with a smile, "Zhao invited everyone here precisely to let loose. Anyone who wants a closer look, please go right ahead."

The large-establishment managers all gave a couple of dry laughs, but no one actually moved. Someone, however, muttered under his breath, "That jar only holds about eight catties. With this many cups, the first round will pretty much drain most of it."

Once the cups on the table were full, the workers set the wine jar down on an empty space on the table. Zhao Jin raised his hand and announced, "This is the white liquor produced by Zhao's distillery. Please, everyone, taste it. Take any cup you like — it doesn't matter whose place it's set before. If anyone wants to drink straight from the jar, just say the word."

The crowd exchanged uncertain glances, still not understanding what Zhao Jin was up to. The manager of Cloud Mountain Tavern had the backing of Cloud Mountain Temple. He could hardly claim any friendship with Zhao Jin, nor did he feel inclined to show any courtesy. This whole elaborate rigmarole was beginning to try his patience. Frowning, he picked up the cup in front of him and drained it in one gulp.

No one else had moved; all eyes were on this manager. After drinking, the man froze in place for a moment, then abruptly set his cup down, stood up, and walked to the far end of the long table — the area where the wine had been poured last. He picked up another cup and drank it down, let out a soft breath, pointed at the wine jar, and said, "Young Master Zhao, this humble one would like to draw a flask of wine himself."

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. The manager did not stand on ceremony. Rolling up his sleeves, he stepped forward, first swirled the ladle around inside the jar several times to stir things up, then drew out a flask of wine. He poured himself a cup and drank it down. An expression of utter disbelief spread across his face. Turning, he pointed at the wine jars stacked over to the side and said, "Young Master Zhao, this humble one would like to open another jar."

"Just say the word if you want a jar opened," Zhao Jin replied without the slightest objection. Seeing this manager's actions, the others began to sense something. Manager Wang of Jade Willow Inn also grabbed the cup before him and took a sip. His eyes immediately went wide as he stared at Zhao Jin. He hastily rose, went to another part of the table, randomly picked up a cup, and drank again.

Seeing how these two were behaving, everyone surged forward to grab cups and drink. After each person drank, their reaction was much the same — they all had to go to a spot farther from where they'd been sitting and drink another cup, and then one after another, they all asked to have another jar opened.

The teahouse workers were nearly overwhelmed. Zhao Jin and his companions, however, watched with amused smiles. Chen Sheng observed the chaotic scene and said in a low voice, "Their actions really did play out exactly as you predicted."

"Brother Zhao, your talent is immense!" Wang Zhaojing remarked with a grin.

The fragrance of wine inside the room grew ever stronger. All thirty jars of wine set out had been opened. Some managers had sampled at least ten jars. Though the cups were small, the total amount was considerable, and their faces were now somewhat flushed.

By this point, however, everyone had drunk their fill. They returned to their original seats, the dissatisfaction on their faces now replaced by shock, their indifference transformed into fervent eagerness. All eyes were on Zhao Jin.

Zhao Jin clapped his hands, and the room fell silent. He stood and said with a smile, "This is the wine produced by my family's distillery. Zhao can guarantee every one of you that the wine currently stored in the distillery, and the wine to be produced going forward, will at the very least be no worse than what you've just drunk — and more likely, it will be even better."

"Master Jin, when we fellows go to buy wine, can we test every single jar?" Someone, emboldened by drink, blurted this out. Immediately, everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice, wanting to see who had drunk enough to court death.

Under the converging stares of the crowd, the face of the speaker — the owner of a small eatery — had turned deathly pale. He wished he could find a crack in the floor to hide in. When he saw Zhao Jin looking his way, his knees went weak and he dropped straight to the ground. Just as he was about to weep and beg for mercy, he heard Zhao Jin say with a laugh, "You may test every jar."

The room fell silent for a beat, then erupted. Zhao Jin's attitude was simply too accommodating, and the quality and flavor of the wine were astonishingly excellent. Everyone's interest was piqued; they couldn't help but start discussing among themselves.

Only after a few moments of chatter did everyone realize there was actually nothing here to be suspicious about. For instance, Zhao Jin might have colluded with shills to fake things during the tasting, but everyone had drunk as they pleased, and even the most discerning palate could detect only the subtlest of differences — the flavor was uniformly crisp, mellow, and full-bodied. If there were fakery, it could only mean that all thirty jars brought here were fakes. Even if Zhao Jin had substituted good wine bought elsewhere, the fact that every jar could be sampled when they went to buy from the distillery completely eliminated any possibility of deception. And if Zhao Jin kept substituting wine bought elsewhere, then let him — with good wine like this, the loss would be his alone, while their own businesses would certainly profit.

"Young Master Zhao, name your price. Jade Willow Inn will take all thirty jars!" Manager Wang was the first to speak up. The moment he did, everyone else came to their senses. The thirty jars right here were the most trustworthy — even if a fair amount had been drunk, buying them back would still turn a profit.

Realization was one thing, but Jade Willow Inn held an extraordinary position in Xuzhou. Since its manager had spoken, the others, however unwilling, would not contest it. Only the managers of Cloud Mountain Tavern and a few others seated there wore dark expressions.

"Thirty-five wen per catty. Each establishment may buy at most five jars per day," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Unrefined local liquor sold for under ten wen a catty, common sorghum liquor for thirty wen, and good wine went for forty to fifty wen a catty — but those were all retail prices at restaurants and taverns. Zhao Jin, of course, was not doing retail, so he set a suitable price. Though it was lower than they had expected, after deducting costs for materials and labor, there was still an eightfold profit margin.

Before Zhao Jin announced the price, everyone in the teahouse hall had been somewhat worried, afraid that with such fine wine he would name an outrageous price. To their surprise, the price was very reasonable. All their earlier misgivings vanished, replaced by solemn earnestness, because everyone now felt this young master was conducting serious business, not fooling around.

"Fifty wen per catty. My establishment and Jade Willow Inn will split these between us." The manager of Cloud Mountain Tavern spoke even more bluntly. The manager of Jade Willow Inn paused for a moment, then smiled and slowly nodded.

The patrons who frequented those two establishments didn't care about such sums of silver — in any case, they could earn even more. But the moment those words were spoken, the others' faces darkened. The manager from Adjutant Luo's household gave a cold snort, his face grim. The small and mid-sized businessmen along both sides of the long table were all visibly furious, and from the back rows, someone even cursed aloud with a foul word.

"Zhao does business fairly and squarely. All of you have ties of friendship with Zhao, so naturally, none of you will be left out. Thirty-five wen, limited to five jars per person," Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Since Zhao Jin was willing to leave money on the table, there was nothing anyone else could do but comply. The manager of Jade Willow Inn did not hesitate. He casually produced two small gold ingots and said, "This is a deposit. Please, Young Master Zhao, send someone to deliver five jars to our humble establishment — the sooner, the better."

"Delivery charges are separate," Zhao Jin said with a smile. He was unwilling to bear the transport costs, even though doing so was the custom of the era.

Manager Wang gave Zhao Jin a surprised look, then couldn't help but laugh out loud. Shaking his head, he said, "I never imagined Young Master Zhao would be so shrewd in business as well. Remarkable. We'll do as Young Master Zhao says — just name the price upon delivery."

Zhao Jin nodded. The others seated along the long table were equally decisive, directly producing ready silver to pay their deposits before taking their leave.

Only after they had placed their orders did the small and mid-sized businessmen, who had been waiting anxiously, surge forward. The wine jars brought this time were not large — each held only about ten catties. But even so, many of the small-time wine sellers could only afford to buy one or two jars at a time, and only the jars here on the premises, at that. They had to be reminded that back at the distillery, Zhao Jin still had a whole stockpile of large jars holding thirty and fifty catties.

Chen Hong was there, deftly collecting money and keeping accounts, with Ji Xiang assisting at his side. Both of them had experience in such matters. Wang Zhaojing stood nearby, watching with a smile. Whenever Chen Hong came across a name or shop name he couldn't write, Wang Zhaojing would step in and write it out with his brush. As he wrote, he chuckled and said, "If I were seen like this, it would surely be deemed a disgrace to scholarly dignity."

Everyone burst out laughing at this. By now, all their earlier worries had been swept away, and every single person was elated. It wasn't just Zhao Jin and his group who were excited — the wine buyers were delighted too. Even if they bought only a little, with fine wine like this, they might not make a fortune, but a tidy profit was guaranteed.

Lunch was eaten right there in the teahouse. By the afternoon, after everyone had paid their deposits, Zhao Jin led his people back to Fragrance Drifting Distillery, only to find that the number of idlers hanging around there had multiplied several times over compared to the morning.

These idlers knew how to read the mood. Seeing Zhao Jin and his group approach, they all shouted in chorus, "Master Jin, may fortune smile on you!"

Zhao Jin nodded with a smile. Ji Xiang, beside him, asked with a grin, "What have you all come to see?"

"Everyone's heard the news! Master Jin invited a deity and dug a divine well — fine wine comes bubbling right out of the well water! We've all come to soak up a bit of that immortal aura," someone hollered back in reply.

For a moment, Zhao Jin and his companions were all speechless. But on second thought, it was hardly surprising. A green, inexperienced kid, hiring two unremarkable craftsmen, buying a derelict distillery — and yet managing to brew wine this good. If not for help from gods and spirits, what else could explain it?

This time, the news spread exceptionally fast. The proprietors and managers from all over were themselves well-connected figures with wide social circles. They also needed to trumpet how good this wine was in order to draw in more customers for themselves. With them deliberately spreading the word, the news naturally raced across the entire city of Xuzhou, and even people outside the city walls had already heard of it.

Zhao Jin walked into the distillery. Shi Manqiang, who had been keeping watch there, immediately came forward to meet him. Zhao Jin's expression turned solemn as he spoke: "If anyone tries to force their way in, have the brothers spear them directly. If anyone dies, the responsibility is mine."