Chapter 168: On the Canal

And so, back and forth it went. The wine just sat piled up in the shop, ignored, except for that one jar Old Qian bought in a muddled moment that day. The storeroom was big anyway, so it wasn't in the way.

As time passed, no one really paid it any mind. Only a few nosy clerks gossiped in private, saying the eldest young master spent all his time in Xuzhou playing with spears and staves, and was worried the second and third young masters would take over the whole business, so he was just putting on a show of doing trade.

When night fell, the wineshops, brothels, and gambling dens of Yutou Town blazed with lanterns, bustling and lively beyond compare. But the wholesale cargo depots and trading firms like this one had already put up their door planks and closed for the night.

The clerks had eaten their fill and were tidying the counter out front, arranging goods, when they suddenly heard someone banging on the door outside. There was no need to worry about bandits in these parts, so the clerks just went to open it, puzzled.

When they opened the door, they saw two men dressed as a Canal Transport Battalion Commander and a canal worker. The two men got straight to the point and asked, "Do you still have any Hanjing Famous Wine here?"

When the name "Hanjing Famous Wine" was spoken, the clerks all paused a moment before it registered. One clerk nodded and said they did, while another dashed inside to fetch the owner.

At this Xu-Lei Cargo Depot, Sun Dalei's father, Sun Jia, was both manager and owner. Sun Dalei's father came out. Hearing that someone wanted to buy Hanjing Famous Wine, he also paused for a moment. When he saw Commander Wu and Gouyu, he paused again.

Merchants doing business around Luoma Lake naturally knew the clout these canal transport men carried. In name, they were military officers and soldiers, but in reality, they were a merchant fleet that held all the advantages. Moreover, these men traveled far and wide and had an extremely sharp nose for business. Anything they wanted to buy was sure to turn a profit.

He thought this to himself, but outwardly he said with great courtesy, "Sirs, this humble shop still has a few jars of Hanjing Famous Wine. However, the wholesale price is very expensive, sixty wen per catty. The price has risen these past few days; it is now seventy wen per catty. But if you sirs pay in silver, a twenty-catty jar can be priced at one tael and two mace."

This was the quick-witted adaptability of a businessman. These few jars of wine were of no consequence to the Sun family's depot; selling them or not didn't matter much. But Sun Jia wanted to use this price hike to test the other party's attitude.

"Bring them all out, hire a cart, and deliver them to the South Dock. I'll give you the silver right now!" The commander agreed crisply and without hesitation. Gouyu at his side cut in with a question: "I heard your wine can be tasted before buying? Does our Commander also get to taste it before he'll buy?"

Hearing this, Sun Jia was taken aback. Back when his son Sun Dalei had sent the wine over, he'd also sent word that customers could taste before buying. He had only taken it as a joke. With the price set so high, and taste before buying on top of it—did he even know how to do business? It was just a child's foolishness.

But hearing it now, Sun Jia suddenly felt there was sense in it. At such a high price, if you couldn't taste before buying, how could you set your mind at ease?

The wine jars were brought over, the clay seals broken open. That Gouyu was an old hand at drinking; he knew to stir it up first, then use the wine ladle to dip deep and draw. He tasted jar after jar, and the commander promptly and decisively slapped down the silver.

"Shopkeeper, where do you buy this wine from? I'd like to buy more," Commander Wu said in a loud, casual manner.

Sun Jia chuckled and said with a very sincere expression, "To be honest with you, sir, this wine is sold exclusively by this humble shop in Yutou Town, and the output is not large. If you, sir, desire more, we will prepare a larger stock next time."

The several jars of wine on the ground had all been resealed, and a clerk had already run outside to hire a cart. Commander Wu smiled, cupped his fists, and said, "Then I must trouble you, shopkeeper."

Before the cart arrived, tea had to be served, and they sat together for a few idle words. Commander Wu tried every which way to find out where exactly the Hanjing Famous Wine was bought from. Sun Jia smiled and exchanged pleasantries but did not utter a single word of truth.

They hemmed and hawed like this for a few moments until the cart arrived, and only then did the two men take their leave. Before stepping out, Commander Wu hesitated for a moment, then pulled a small gold ingot from his bosom and said, "This is one tael. Consider it a deposit for the shopkeeper. Next time goods come in, set some aside for your brother here first."

Sun Jia was also taken aback. He reached out and took the gold ingot, gave it a squeeze and a heft, and the smile on his face instantly thickened by several degrees. He said, "Please rest assured, sir. Next time you come, there will certainly be wine."

After an exchange of courtesies, Commander Wu rounded the street corner. Looking at the jars of wine on the cart, he hesitated, then spoke: "Gouyu, you don't need to go with the boat. Go back later, get ten taels for travel expenses, and stay here in Yutou Town. Search carefully. I refuse to believe only this one shop has the wine... If he really is the only one, you keep an eye out and see exactly where he gets his stock!"

Gouyu paused, then broke into a delighted grin and agreed. Traveling by boat in this cold weather was bitter toil. If they were delayed on the way, he wouldn't even make it home for the New Year. Staying behind in a bustling place like Yutou Town, with ample travel money provided—what was wrong with a bit of eating, drinking, and pleasure?

The shop door closed over there. Sun Jia weighed the tiny gold ingot in his hand. The moment Commander Wu had left, he immediately bit the gold ingot with his teeth. It was real gold.

"Old Zhang, you head back to Xuzhou first thing tomorrow morning. Ask Dalei how he bought this wine, and start by buying twenty jars to bring back," Sun Jia instructed.

After saying this, Sun Jia pondered for a moment, then added, "Tell Dalei it's best if our family gets exclusive selling rights. The price is negotiable."

Old Zhang was the deputy manager of this depot. He nodded hurriedly upon hearing this. Sun Jia took a couple of steps, then suddenly laughed in spite of himself and said, "A matter stirred up by a child, and it's got me all impatient. Buy ten jars of wine back first. When the time comes, we'll set up a couple of banquet tables at our place and invite those hard-drinking lushes over to taste it."

Old Zhang knew how to play along and said with a smile, "The owner has a fine plan. If this wine tastes good, who knows how much those men who make their living on the water will buy. The eldest young master is truly a business prodigy, to have thought things through so thoroughly."

Hearing someone praise his son, Sun Jia's face instantly bloomed with smiles. He shook his head repeatedly and said, "He just stumbled into it; it doesn't count for anything."

Modest as he was, even the wrinkles on his face seemed to vanish from smiling.

Everyone doing business along the canal knew one thing: wine sold best, and strong liquor sold even better. The profit on wine might not be large, but the volume and consistency made up for it. As long as there were men working the boats, there were men buying wine, all year round without stop.

On the journey from Hangzhou to the capital, the boats passed the Yangtze and the Yellow River, traversing Zhejiang, South Zhili, Shandong, and North Zhili. The scenery along the way was varied, with quite a few fine sights. But that was true only for those who rarely traveled by boat. For the canal workers who spent every day on board, it was mind-numbingly dull. And aside from the dull scenery, life on the river was harsh most of the year. In spring, autumn, and winter, traveling on the water meant a wind that cut to the bone—a very real torment.

Dull, and cold. To rest well and shake off the fatigue, to warm the body, wine was the number one essential.

The canal workers' pay was skimmed and squeezed, but they could pilfer a bit of the tribute grain on board or carry private cargo for others. Getting money was easy, so their purses were looser than most. They were never short of cash for buying wine.

The merchants doing business at the ports and docks along the canal all knew that wine was an easy sell. The shops in Luoma Lake's Yutou Town, situated at a canal transport hub, understood this even better.

There was, however, one strange thing: it seemed the tribute boats had a special place for buying wine. Occasionally, men from the canal transport would come to buy, but only a few catties, maybe ten, sold loose. With so many eyes in Luoma Lake, people soon spotted boats loaded specifically with wine jars being ferried out to the tribute boats.

Business is something anyone can try to get a piece of. Some thought, if my wine is cheaper, can't I go sell it too? But the men on the tribute boats paid them no heed at all, and they came back with a face full of dust. After all this fuss, everyone knew something odd was going on and simply stopped bothering to figure it out.

But what happened today at the Xu-Lei Cargo Depot made Sun Jia sense something out of the ordinary. This wine had actually made a canal transport boss come knocking on his door, and he'd even left a gold ingot as a deposit. Though it was only about ten taels of silver, it was more than enough proof of the man's eagerness.

Even if Sun Jia knew nothing about wine, he could see the business opportunity here. And this wine was something his own son had procured. He vaguely remembered that the wine was made by some kid from the Zhao family. At the time, he'd only thought it was children playing around and wasting money. Now, thinking back, his family really had seized a fine opportunity.

However, over the next ten-odd days, until mid-October, Sun Jia discovered it seemed to be more than just a "fine" opportunity. Almost every day, people from the canal transport came asking if the wine was in stock.

The Sun family's business at Luoma Lake hadn't been built in a day or two; they had some connections with the canal transport. A little chatting revealed that many of the canal workers and boatmen coming to inquire had rushed back from the north. That is, they were supposed to follow the boats north but had turned back halfway.

These canal workers and boatmen had nothing to hide. They simply said they'd tasted the wine on the way, found it good, and all wanted to come back and buy some, either to carry on the road or to resell. Asking a few acquaintances, it turned out they'd all cadged a few bowls of wine on Commander Wu's boat. The unambitious ones took a few sips and praised it; the calculating ones, after drinking, naturally realized the stuff could be sold. Everyone making a living on the river had a first-rate head for business.

With so many people asking, there was no need to even mention sales prospects or profit margins. Sun Jia's last shred of wait-and-see hesitation vanished like smoke. But Old Zhang, the deputy manager he'd sent to Xuzhou, still hadn't returned. He had no choice but to send someone else to hurry him along. In mid-October, the wine came back, but only seven jars were hauled in—a mere one hundred forty catties in total.

Seeing these few jars, Sun Jia flew into a rage and snapped at Old Zhang, "I just praised that rascal a few words, and he handles things so unreliably! Our own family business, getting stock from his friend, and he only manages seven jars? Are we selling this or drinking it ourselves?"

Manager Zhang hurriedly explained. The blame truly couldn't be pinned on Sun Dalei. These seven jars were all Sun Dalei had kept on hand and not yet distributed.

The reason was simple: sales of Hanjing Famous Wine were explosively hot. By early October, four stills were producing liquor simultaneously, but the stockpiled inventory from before the opening was completely empty. So the daily output was only around a thousand catties.