Top Scholar

Chapter 121 The ancient routine has won the hearts of the people

The proprietress and Su Youcai greeted the guests at the door with smiles on their faces.

After the guests presented their invitations, a waiter led them into the hall to take their seats.

As soon as they entered, they were stunned by the interior decoration and layout. They all became restrained and controlled their words and actions, as if they were not worthy of such an elegant environment.

On the octagonal table were dried and fresh fruits and four kinds of tea snacks. After we sat down, a young girl served us fragrant tea and warm white cotton towels.

"Tsk tsk, it feels like we've entered the home of a wealthy family." The merchants, while wiping their hands and faces like others, remarked, "When the boss and his wife came to deliver wine before, we never imagined their business was so big."

"Yes, with such a large business, he still personally handles everything. No wonder he's successful!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

That's the effect of showing off; it makes people look at you with more respect...

Just then, someone recognized Su Daji sitting at the front table and greeted him with a smile, "Hey, Master Su, what brings you here?"

"This wine is produced by our Su Ji!" Su Daji said proudly, "It's just that it's sold by Tian Shui Ji on their behalf."

The merchants suddenly realized, "No wonder this wine tasted so familiar, it's from your Su family!"

"You can still taste something different. Erlang wine is smooth on the palate, and the initial taste is better, but the later taste is slightly inferior to the original. It's fair to say that each has its own merits," someone commented.

“Brother Ji is absolutely right.” Su Daji nodded and said, “This wine is made using the secret recipe of the He brothers from back then. It has been improved by our master craftsmen and blended with ten-year-old wine.”

"No wonder then." Everyone nodded in agreement. "They acted so maturely; it's clearly the work of a major winery."

Su Ji is an old distillery with decades of history, and it's still highly regarded by business people. However, the local high-end liquor market is too small, and with the existence of better brands like Cheng Ji, no one will buy Su Ji at a similar price.

Suji can only sell its liquor if it is priced at the mid-range level, but it loses money on every bottle it sells, and no one can afford to do that!

"This wine must cost at least sixty or seventy coins?" someone asked tentatively, referring to Su Ji's previous shipping price.

"I don't know yet, they set the price." Su Daji kept them in suspense, complaining, "That boss lady is quite domineering!"

"It's not easy being a master craftsman..." Everyone looked at Su Daji with sympathy, knowing that Su Ji was having a hard time.

When business is tough, it's easy to be taken advantage of.

~~
As noon approached, all the merchants arrived, and a loud announcement rang out at the entrance:
"Lord Commander has arrived!"

Everyone quickly got up to greet him, and saw Commander Ma, dressed as a wealthy man, appear at the entrance of the hall, surrounded by Commander Li and others.

"Greetings, Master Qianhu."

"Greetings, Lord Qianhu!" The merchants hurriedly nodded and bowed, offering their greetings.

Although most of them were traveling merchants such as salt merchants and tea merchants, and did not rely on Ma Qianhu's whims, they still had to give face to the local tyrants.

"Good, good." Ma Qianhu was in a good mood today; the scene outside had greatly boosted his pride. He had thought it would just be a lion dance or a Yangko dance, but the proprietress had done it in a unique, high-end, and fashionable way!
It was an eye-opener for the townspeople, like someone pulling their buttocks with a knife.

With today's "Erlang Jiaji", from now on, who would dare say that Commander Ma is an uncultured soldier?
So he was happy to reveal his relationship with Erlangjiu, and smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting to everyone, saying, "You are all my honored guests. There is no need for formalities today. Please take your seats."

"So, Commander Ma is the host?" The merchants suddenly realized. In fact, they had guessed it from the flags all over the streets and the fact that Commander Ma had someone sing "The Song of the Bacchus" for Magistrate Lu that day.

I just didn't expect Commander Ma to admit it so readily. He nodded and smiled, "That's right, I am also one of the hosts. I wonder if you all could order a few more jars for my sake?"

"Of course, of course." The merchants nodded with smiles, realizing they had to spend some money today.

After exchanging pleasantries with the merchants, Commander Ma approached Su Dacheng, his smile growing even brighter. "Brother Su!"

The old man felt a little embarrassed and was about to bow when the man stopped him, saying, "Haha, brother, don't be so polite!"

“You are an official, and I am a commoner,” Su Dacheng said awkwardly. “Propriety cannot be disregarded.”

His sons were still working for someone else, and no matter how unwilling they were, they had to respect Commander Ma.

"What do we brothers care about?" Commander Ma warmly put his arm around his shoulder and loudly introduced him to everyone: "This is Cheng Hua Nian, my sworn brother who fought alongside me against the Du Zhang barbarians!"

"Big brother, do you still remember your little brother?!" Li Baihu exclaimed excitedly, "I'm Li Datou, the squad leader under you back then!"

"How have you been, sir?!" The other centurions and garrison commanders also bowed to the old man with the respect due to juniors, giving him ample face.

"Very well, everyone." The old man responded to the officers with a slightly embarrassed expression, but he felt a little more at ease.

He was extremely concerned about his reputation throughout his life, and feared nothing more than being looked down upon...

After exchanging greetings, Commander Ma and Su Dacheng sat down arm in arm, and Commander Ma sighed with emotion, "It's been ten years since we last met, brother. You've aged quite a bit."

"The commander hasn't changed much," Su Dacheng said with a wry smile. This wasn't flattery; the two looked to be more than ten years apart in age.

"Alas, I'm getting old." Commander Ma shook his head and sighed, "The older people get, the more nostalgic they become. I often think of my brother, but Youjin invited you several times and you still didn't come."

"I'm too old to go out," Su Dacheng sighed. "I'm too ashamed to go out either."

"What are you saying!" Commander Ma shook his head resolutely and said loudly, "I'll put my word here: within ten years, the Su family will become the most prominent family in our commandery!" "Commander is joking," the old man quickly said, "The most prominent family in our commandery will always be the Ma family; no one can catch up!"

The Ma family is a hereditary commander of a thousand households... Although they will definitely have to inherit the position at a lower rank, their starting point is still much higher than others.

“Your family will definitely surpass mine. We’ll see.” But Commander Ma shook his head firmly and sighed with a touch of desolation, “The world has changed. Your family’s path is the only way to succeed.”

"Isn't your grandson also studying?" the old man asked, puzzled.

"Studying requires a lot of talent; Qianli can't compare to your grandson," Commander Ma said calmly. The unusually high regard that Magistrate Lu and Headmaster Zhu held for Su Lu made him understand this principle…

But not wanting to chat in front of everyone, he lowered his voice and said, "We're about to start, so let's not steal the show. You can stay at my place for the next few days, and we can catch up..."

Suddenly, music began to play on the stage, but it was no longer the stirring "Bacchus," but instead the melodious sounds of the pipa and guqin.

A courtesan sang with a beautiful voice:

"The Chishui River rushes past dangerous shoals, and spring wine is brewed at Erlang Beach."

Dewdrops from Dan Mountain condense into the marrow of clouds, while red sorghum steams and seals the ancient altar.

The first sip upon opening the jar is sweet and refreshing, while the subtle fragrance lingers from years of aging in the cellar.

Merchants paused their saddles, thoroughly enjoying themselves, while beautiful women sipped their drinks, their faces beaming with smiles.

Do you not see, wine flags fluttering at the head of the Chishui River?
A single drop can dispel a thousand years of sorrow; Erlang's fine wine is renowned far and wide..."

~~
Upstairs, Su Man, Su Lu, Su Dan, Su Lang, and other brothers also sat at a table.

The group of brothers were also shocked by today's scene. Watching the singers performing downstairs, Su Man said worriedly in a low voice, "How much will it cost today? Don't let us lose money when we calculate the final cost."

“It’s a lot of money, but it’s necessary.” Su Lu said softly, “The hardest part of selling liquor is opening up the market. We’re not doing this for the 40,000 jin of liquor right now, but for a long-term business.”

"Hmm, brother's method works." Su Dan never argued with Su Lu, and nodded, "Now I feel that our wine is too high-end, ordinary stuff can't compare at all!"

"I used to think that entrusting the wine to Sweet Water Diner for resale was completely unnecessary, but now I realize that we should let them make the money. We couldn't have created such a big scene ourselves," Su Lang sighed.

"As long as we can open up the market, it's all worth it," Su Lu said softly.

The people present were all educated, so he didn't need to go into too much detail with them. In fact, this kind of trade fair model is more time-saving, labor-saving, and cost-effective than talking to customers one by one, and it also creates a herd effect.

When customers enter the venue, they fall into the host's carefully crafted trap, their guard gradually worn down, and their desire to buy aroused. In the end, almost everyone will make a purchase; it's just a matter of how much…

~~
After the warm-up song, amidst cheers, Su Youpeng, the emcee, took the stage and announced the official start of the first "Double Ninth Chrysanthemum Appreciation and Erlang Gathering"!
First, please welcome Su Daji, the head chef of Su's Winery, to the stage to introduce Erlang Wine. Having sold wine for many years, Head Chef Su has honed his craft and speaks eloquently:
"Our Erlang liquor is made with the finest red sorghum, each grain plump and pearl-like; it uses ancestral yeast and ferments for a full hundred days! The red clay at the bottom of the cellar has been aged for thirty years, which is why the liquor has such a mellow aroma..."

They didn't mention at all how long it took to brew this wine.

Of course, no matter how eloquently you describe it, nothing beats seeing and tasting it for yourself. The next step is to "open the jar and test the wine".

Two young men, singing "The Song of Dionysus," carried a large black earthenware wine jar. Su Daji personally removed the clay seal, and the rich aroma of the wine filled the hall.

"It smells so good!" The guests sniffed, and whether it was just their imagination or not, they all felt that this wine smelled even better than the one the proprietress had given them before.

The girls then presented celadon wine pots, using their large hands to scoop wine with long-handled wooden ladles. Their movements were skillful and precise, and in the blink of an eye, all the pots were filled with wine.

The young women then poured a cup of sake for each guest. At this moment, the beloved proprietress appeared, also raising a cup to display the Erlang sake, its surface gleaming with a faint amber light:

"When you taste wine, you should look at it, smell it, and taste it. In addition to looking at the color, you should also look at the quality of the wine: 'the wine clings to the glass like tears and drips slowly.' Only good wine that is not diluted with water can have this characteristic."

The guests nodded in agreement; indeed, they could see the wine clinging to the sides of the glass.

The proprietress continued, "Next is the 'second sniff.' First, gently swirl the glass to release the aroma. The first sniff is a crisp and sweet fragrance. Take a deep breath, and you can smell the aged aroma that has been stored in the cellar for many years. Our master craftsman has skillfully blended the two together perfectly. No other wine can achieve this level of quality."

The merchants followed the proprietress's example and indeed sensed something different.

"The final three 'tastes': first, take a small sip and hold it on the tip of your tongue; the initial sensation is a refreshing sweetness. Then, slowly swallow it, and a warm, mellow feeling will rise in your throat, like a warm current flowing through you. Even after the initial taste of the wine has subsided, the fragrance lingers on your lips and teeth, with an unforgettable aftertaste. This is what truly good wine is all about: it should not be harsh on the palate, nor strong in the throat, nor dry in the stomach. You will understand once you savor it."

"Excellent wine, excellent wine." Guided by the proprietress, the guests drank the most delicate cup of wine they had ever tasted in their lives, greatly enhancing their experience.

For a moment, I felt that this wine was even better than Cheng Ji's...

"So, how much does this fine wine cost?" the uncle, who sat among the merchants looking quite respectable, asked loudly.

"Yes, that's the most important thing!" the merchants echoed. While the quality of the wine was important, price was the key.

Even if the wine is of poor quality, it will still sell for ten or twenty coins and people will still rush to buy it; no matter how good the wine is, it will sell for eighty or ninety coins and no one will want it...

"Alright, let's cut to the chase and invite Commander Ma to reveal the price!" Su Youpeng then invited Commander Ma to the stage.

Two young girls presented a wooden plaque covered with a red silk ribbon. Amidst the increasingly intense drumbeats, Commander Ma reached out and tore off the red silk ribbon—

The huge red characters "Fifty Cash" immediately caught the merchant's eye!
"So cheap?!" All the merchants' eyes widened in surprise. Those who had only intended to make a token purchase now found it quite interesting!

(End of this chapter)