Wanjin Lady

Chapter 47 Internal strife
"It's okay, as long as it doesn't delay anything." Wen Wan withdrew her gaze, and the group came to the door of the winery. Fortunately, the winery was cleaned from inside to outside today, and even the winery in the backyard was brand new.

Pushing open the door, you will see several wine jars neatly arranged in the wine cellar. There is yellow paper pasted on the belly of each wine jar, which is marked with the year of wine production.

Wen Wan made a rough calculation in her mind, and then told the two masters about her plan to clear out the inventory.

When Zhang Jiping heard about selling these aged wines to clear out the inventory, he was the first to jump out and object, almost pointing his finger at Wen Wan and scolding her for being a spendthrift. "Young Master, you can't do that! You've never done business before, so you don't understand the intricacies of this! We've worked so hard to establish our reputation for Bifang Wine. If we sell it at a low price once, we won't be able to fetch the same price again in the future! What's more, this is aged wine! If you sell even aged wine at a low price, then our Wen Family Winery is completely finished!"

Ma Changshun rarely spoke harshly. "Young Master, these wines are for the Bozhou Green Plum Wine Competition next summer. If we sell them at a low price now, what will we use to participate? If the funds cannot be recovered for the time being, there are always other ways! We must not cut off the source of funds!"

Wenwan's expression remained unchanged, but her tone was unquestionable.

"First, clearing out inventory doesn't mean selling at a low price. If done right, you can get a good price."

"Secondly, if the funds can't flow back, we won't be able to make any wine in the second half of the year, and won't be able to make it to next year's wine festival."

Master Ma opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of any rebuttal and could only feel anxious.

Everyone knows the truth.

But the reality is, which clearance store can still afford the price? Isn't it all about craning your neck to wait for someone to bargain down the price?
Even so, people still have to be picky.

Zhang Jiping, on the other hand, was very rude. "You're selling at a high price to clear out the inventory? Young Master, what are you dreaming of? Do you think everyone else is a fool? Who in Ping County doesn't know the current situation of the Wen Family Winery? How many people are waiting to see our boss make a fool of himself? If you sell the old wine at a low price, aren't you telling everyone that our winery is going to fail?"

When Zhang Jiping thought about the fact that he was about to retire but had no peaceful life, and also thought about Wen Wan's method of bullying him yesterday, the fire in his heart immediately turned to Wen Wan.

"This wine was made by the old man and his men. In the scorching heat, they steamed, stirred, raked, and pounded the wine. Every single one of them was exhausted. But you, with a simple flattery, gave away all the wine they worked so hard to make. I've lived for most of my life and have never seen such a disrespectful treatment! And the boss actually agreed to such a big deal? I want to ask him, will a young girl like you be the one running the Wen Family Winery from now on?"

Wen Wan was furious.

Didn’t this old guy understand the first point she said?

The more Zhang Jiping jumped up and down, the calmer Wen Wan's expression became. "Master Zhang, no matter who is in charge, this winery is named Wen, not Zhang, right?"

Ma Changshun's eyelids twitched when he heard this.

Young Master… he's got a good mouth. Doesn't this imply that Master Zhang is usurping the position of Young Master?

Zhang Jiping was so angry that his face turned pale. "Okay, okay, if the Wen family winery collapses, don't say I didn't warn you!"

Zhang Jiping turned around and left.

No one stopped me.

Mother Chen kept her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart. As long as the girl didn't let her move, she would be as steady as a rock.

For the first time ever... Ma Changshun didn't play the role of a good guy this time.

Compared to Zhang Jiping's stubbornness and pedantry, Ma Changshun's ideas were more practical. The young master was right; without selling the aged wine cheaply, there would be no money to pay for millet and rice, the distillery wouldn't be able to open in the second half of the year, let alone survive until next year's wine-making conference.

In fact, Ma Changshun didn’t care about the first thing Wen Wan said before: clearing the inventory does not mean selling at a low price.

It would be fine if you didn't lose everything by cleaning up the old wine, but you even want to make a fortune. That's wishful thinking!

But of course Ma Changshun would not contradict his young master in person, even though his young master was less than seventeen years old, weak and pale, and had no business experience.

He pondered it for a long while, then couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, we don't have to clear out the old wine just to recover the funds. Isn't there a Xinlong Bank in the county? Perhaps we can borrow some money from it to buy the corn and rice we need in the second half of the year, or at least get the winery started again."

Master Ma racked his brains, the muscles on his face were almost wrinkled, and the wrinkles on his face showed his anxiety.

But he was a technical person and knew nothing about business, so he could only think of common solutions. "Or...we do business with Zhu's Grain Store every year. The old boss and the shopkeeper Zhu are like brothers. Let the old boss come forward and buy some grain on credit...that's also possible."

The young lady didn't seem frightened at all. Instead, she smiled and called him, "Master Ma."

Ma Changshun immediately raised his eyes to look at her, "Ah——"

"Making wine is your job, and selling it is my job. You handle the technology, and I handle the management. If we don't interfere with each other and respect each other, the winery will surely grow bigger and stronger in our hands."

The young lady's voice was soft, but it had a calming power.

Ma Changshun understood Wen Wan's hidden meaning, and his face flushed. "Young Master, I... I understand. I will obey your orders from now on."

Seeing that Ma Changshun understood, Wen Wan smiled with satisfaction, "In that case, take the brothers to sort out the old wines and sort them into three grades: high, medium and low. Make a statistics of the year, quantity and cost for me as soon as possible. Don't worry, everyone will be busy soon."

After Zhang Jiping left the winery, he would definitely go to Old Man Wen to complain.

Although the Wen Family Winery wasn't a family business, its staff was a mixed bag. There were respected veterans like Master Zhang, who had been at the helm for over a decade, along with managers installed by the Wen Family, and confidants who had traveled extensively with Old Man Wen for years.

In ancient times, clans were highly valued. Whether one was an official or doing business, one could not stand out alone, and it was even more impossible to break away from the influence of the clan.

As the saying goes, imperial power doesn't extend to the countryside. Ancient grassroots governance relied primarily on clan constraints, which also resulted in clans having immense power. If Wen Wan wanted to carve out a niche for herself, she would have to smooth things over with the Wen family's powerful elders.

However, for Wen Wan, who had fought her way out of the real estate company, she was very familiar with appearing to be on good terms with her rivals but then stabbing them in the back.

It's not shabby to make money.

Wen Wan was lost in thought as she returned to the house. Passing the study, she saw Mei Qing clutching the account book, not even looking up. Little An Zhongrong, however, was quite well-behaved, playing with pebbles in the small courtyard outside the study.

Little boys of five or six years old are at their most naughty, but this child is sensible and well-behaved, with a round head, a round belly, and speaks like a little adult, making him a perfect example of other people's little boy.

Every time An Zhongrong saw Wen Wan, he would greet her politely, "Shopkeeper Wen."

(End of this chapter)