Chapter 171: The Dong Family Elders

They went from shop to shop asking around. The stories varied, but only one place could actually produce Han Well Famous Liquor — Sun Jia's Xu Lei Freight Depot.

Though he had only seven jars, the other shops didn't have so much as a single catty. What's more, Sun Jia beat his chest and swore that only his shop could get the goods; even if other shops managed to source some by hook or by crook, it would only be loose stock.

Once this was confirmed, buyers from all sides placed their deposits without the slightest hesitation. The deposits alone were enough to buy a hundred jars. As a seasoned businessman, Sun Jia knew exactly what this meant, and without a moment's delay he rushed over to Xuzhou.

Before coming, Sun Jia felt a golden road was unfolding before his family. Every New Year, Sun Dalei would go to Yutou Town. During idle father-son chats, Sun Jia had heard quite a bit about Zhao Jin's exploits. In his mind, Zhao Jin was nothing more than a martial man with a few tricks up his sleeve. Coming to negotiate business this time, he was certain he could get the better end of the deal.

But when the two sides met and talked, after just a few words, Sun Jia overturned all his previous assumptions. Zhao Jin's manner was something only the shrewdest of merchants possessed. Sun Jia immediately grew cautious. Xuzhou was not far from Yutou Town — one could get there by water heading east. If this Zhao Jin shipped the liquor over and sold it himself, this glittering business would be entirely snatched away by him. Seeing Zhao Jin smile, Sun Jia couldn't help but tremble inwardly, realizing that all his little concealments had been seen through by the other party.

"Since Uncle has put it that way, your nephew will also lay out the distillery's terms. Cash for goods, transport costs borne by the buyer. In the eleventh and twelfth months, I'm afraid we can't supply a hundred jars — only thirty jars per month. Once spring arrives next year, everything will be open to negotiation." Zhao Jin said with a smile.

Sun Jia's heart finally relaxed. He thought to himself that this Zhao Jin didn't seem quite so shrewd after all, and agreed on the spot.

Once the deal was settled, Sun Jia made a show of generosity and put down a hundred taels of silver as a deposit. Zhao Jin accepted it with a smile. Doing business between elder and junior was already a bit awkward, so there was no idle chat. Sun Jia simply said he needed to go back and rest, and took his leave.

"Dalei, you kept signaling your father with your eyes, but he didn't seem to notice!" The moment Sun Jia walked out the door, Liu Yong teased.

Sun Dalei grinned awkwardly, then walked up to Zhao Jin, cupped his fists, and said, "Many thanks, Big Brother. My father always thinks he's sharper than everyone else, that his schemes can fool anyone. I'm sorry you had to witness that, Big Brother."

Zhao Jin stood up and shoved Sun Dalei, laughing as he scolded, "What's with the fake politeness? Now that a big client has come to your family to buy liquor, we make money together. The more your family sells, the more we sell along with you."

Sun Dalei's expression was uncharacteristically solemn. He had been at Zhao Jin's side for several years now and knew his big brother's capabilities inside out. Selling liquor to Yutou Town would have been effortless for Zhao Jin, but Zhao Jin hadn't done so — instead, he let Sun Dalei's family profit. It was laughable that his own father was still there putting on a show of cleverness.

"Big Brother, your generosity — this little brother understands..." Sun Dalei wanted to say more.

Zhao Jin smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "We're brothers. No need to say more."

Sun Dalei said nothing, just nodded heavily.

Father and son hadn't seen each other in a long time, and with this rare visit home, there were bound to be things to talk about in the evening. Originally, Sun Dalei and Dong Bingfeng were supposed to stand night watch at the distillery tonight. Zhao Jin specially gave Sun Dalei leave and sent Ji Xiang in his place.

In private, there was nothing that couldn't be said. Sun Dalei repeated to his father Sun Jia everything he had told Zhao Jin. It left Sun Jia stunned for a long while. Only after a good half day did he say, "Following a big brother like that — who knows how much it will benefit you in the future."

"Dad, right now there's no telling how many people are coming from all over to buy liquor from Big Brother Zhao. Don't think that giving our family only thirty jars is a small thing — it's tremendous face. He's handing money to our family to earn!" Sun Dalei emphasized.

Sun Jia nodded with a smile and lowered his voice. "Our family won't shortchange your big brother either. Once we start selling over at Luoma Lake, who knows how many gentlemen from the canal transport crews will come to buy. The more our family sells, the more goods your big brother moves, right?"

After saying this, Sun Jia added a special warning: "Dalei, you have to know what's inside and what's outside. Don't go telling your big brother about this!"

Sun Dalei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Shaking his head, he said, "Dad, Big Brother Zhao said it right when this liquor was first made — only by selling it on the canal will the business grow big. If you hadn't come, Dad, Big Brother would have gone over to sell it himself sooner or later."

Hearing this, Sun Jia was dumbfounded. He paused, then shook his head and said, "He really is a decent kid."

Sun Dalei, however, was growing restless. He stood up and said, "Dad, you rest first. I'm going to make a round at the distillery. For over a month now, things haven't been peaceful over there — either someone's trying to run, or someone's trying to break in."

With that, he picked up the double-bladed axe from the rack and rode out. Sun Dalei and Dong Bingfeng were the first two to have horses. Finding a mount suited to himself had taken Sun Dalei considerable effort. The horse he found wasn't fast, but it was sturdy enough to carry a big fat man like him.

Sun Jia followed him out of the house and watched as Sun Dalei adjusted the saddle and bridle himself, waved from horseback, and rode out the gate. Sun Jia shook his head and muttered to himself, "The boy really has grown up."

When nothing happened, days passed with nothing at all. When things did happen, they piled up all at once. Today, Sun Dalei's father Sun Jia had come to visit, and the Zhao household also had a guest — likewise the father of one of Zhao Jin's companions. It was Dong Bingfeng's father, Dong Jike, the Battalion Commander of Xuzhou Guard.

Though Zhao Jin's father Zhao Zhentang usually kept a stern face, he was normally quite courteous to visitors. But when Dong Jike walked through the door, Zhao Zhentang gave him no pleasant expression. Instead, he said in a barbed tone, "The great Battalion Commander has actually come to this humble official's tiny residence. What an honored guest."

Dong Jike was no more polite on his side, retorting bluntly, "I'm not the one who worked you like a beast of burden. Spare me your theatrics."

This exchange left Zhao Jin and Dong Bingfeng somewhat stunned. But Zhao Zhentang's next words put everyone at ease: "Wife, stir-fry a couple of dishes. Slice up a plate of that sauced lamb leg. And open one of Xiao Jin's jars of liquor."

Serving wine and meat — that was the treatment for close friends and family. Let them bicker if they wanted. On such occasions, He Cuihua did not take a seat at the table. She simply had Zhao San and his wife lay out the food and dishes.

The women didn't sit at the table, but the two juniors, Zhao Jin and Dong Bingfeng, could. It was the duty of the younger generation to serve the elders, pouring tea and wine. But once they sat down, Dong Jike waved his hand and said, "You two eat on your own. We old folks can serve ourselves."

Drinking among hereditary military officers was a bit different from elsewhere. The clay seal was broken off the twenty-catty jar, and the two men each took a bowl first — each bowl held about two and a half taels. They both downed them in one go, then switched to small cups.

Dong Jike drained his bowl, exhaled deeply, and shook his head. "Fine liquor. Now this is a drink for real men. Old Zhao, your son's got a lot more going for him than the one from my house."

"What's he got going for him? He's a real expert at stirring up trouble." Zhao Zhentang replied with a laugh, though his expression was thoroughly pleased.

"I hear Xiao Jin trades liquor for sorghum with Cloud Mountain Temple. Your uncle here also produces quite a bit. After paying the taxes, it doesn't fetch much money. How about trading it for your liquor?" A military man at heart, Dong Jike spoke very directly.

Zhao Jin glanced at his father, then gave an awkward laugh. "Uncle Dong, the distillery's output is only so much right now, and it's all been completely booked by various parties. Squeezing out a little to trade wouldn't mean much. How about this — every day I'll set aside two jars, and Uncle Dong, you can just pay me in sorghum at the market price."

Paying at market price — Dong Jike was getting a huge bargain. A smile immediately spread across his face, and he continued with breezy familiarity, "That liquor of yours sells well, and plenty of people can afford it. You ought to add a few more stills to produce more. That's how you really make money!"

He really didn't treat himself as an outsider. Zhao Jin smiled wryly and answered, "We've already bought up all the land we can around Piaoxiang Distillery. At most, we can add four more stills. Factoring in building the fermentation pits and the time for the grain to ferment, by the end of the first lunar month we can at most double production — and it still won't be enough to meet demand."

In truth, the land Piaoxiang Distillery had purchased was enough for ten more stills, but Zhao Jin worried that expanding too much would stretch the household guards too thin to watch over everything. So he kept it within the range that sixty to seventy household guards could fully secure. But this was something better said by Dong Bingfeng in private later, not mentioned face-to-face.

Dong Jike had only brought it up casually. He waved his hand. "No room inside the city? There's plenty of land outside the city, and it's not worth much. Go out and open a brewery — now that would be a real operation!"

At this point, a smile spread across Dong Jike's face again. "When the time comes and you're using more grain, buy from us Dongs first."

This was no Battalion Commander military officer — this was clearly a grain merchant. Sitting off to the side, Dong Bingfeng's face flushed red as he lowered his head, looking deeply embarrassed.

Over on his side, Zhao Zhentang slapped the table impatiently. "You finally come over once, and you're prattling on about business. Drink, drink."

Zhao Jin laughed inwardly. His father was helping him out of a tight spot. Dong Bingfeng looked so honest and sincere — who would have thought his father was such a shrewd character? Beneath that rough, blunt manner this evening, he'd managed to snag quite a few advantages for himself.

Han Well Famous Liquor was strong stuff. The two had started off drinking too fiercely, and the alcohol quickly went to their heads. Their talk began to lose its purposefulness.

"... Back then, your Zhenxing gave up taking the military exams for your sake, and you went and took up this beheading trade. What a waste of that blade of yours..."

"... And why didn't you take the exams? How come you ended up learning to do business..."

"... Our generation's lot in life is just this. At least the younger ones have all made something of themselves..."

Drinking and talking, both men's tongues grew thick. Zhao Jin and Dong Bingfeng exchanged wry smiles. Still, Zhao Jin wanted to ponder the old stories the two elders were mentioning.

Just then, a sudden "Bang! Bang!" of pounding on the gate rang out from outside. Everyone in the room jumped. Dong Jike tried unsteadily to stand several times but couldn't. Zhao Zhentang got up, but perhaps he'd had too much to drink — he stumbled and nearly fell.

Zhao Jin and Dong Bingfeng, on the other hand, reacted very quickly. The moment they stood, their hands were already on their weapons. Dong Bingfeng covered the left side as the two strode swiftly out of the room.

Zhao Zhentang and Dong Jike were slow to move, but their minds were perfectly clear. Watching the younger generation's performance, they looked at each other. For a moment, a flood of emotions passed between them. They wanted to say they'd grown old, yet felt a twinge of unwillingness.