Top Scholar

Chapter 123 Where there is joy, there is sorrow.
Outside the restaurant, two hundred members of the Su clan sat on both sides of the street, anxiously awaiting the results inside.

Time had never seemed to slow down so much; it felt like they had been waiting for an eternity, but there was still no movement from inside.

"Could it be that it's fallen through?" a young man from the Shui generation couldn't help but mutter.

"Don't talk nonsense!" an elder from the senior generation scolded. "Didn't you see that all the guests were stunned? How could it have fallen through?"

"Grandpa, don't get upset. The child is just anxious," the clansmen quickly advised.

The generational names of the Su family for the past few generations are "Yong Da You Shui Chang". This generational poem looks a bit rough, but it was passed down from the official family genealogy and contains a beautiful meaning.

The character "永" means "water flows long", so the whole sentence means long-lasting, grand, and far-reaching.

Therefore, the younger generation has to call their elders "Grandpa".

"It's bad luck, you know!" The eighteenth grandfather wasn't very old, but as long as he was of a high generation, he could still act like an elder. "The hopes of the entire clan are pinned on this, so we must say auspicious words!"

The younger generation, both those with the surnames "Shui" and "Chang," secretly rolled their eyes. They were told to say auspicious words every day, but they never received their wages...

They waited anxiously until noon, when finally everyone saw Su Tai stride out of the restaurant.

They all jumped up and rushed forward, asking all at once, "How many were destroyed with those two palm strikes?"

"Come with me!" Su Tai, barely suppressing his excitement, suddenly waved his hand.

The tribesmen were taken aback at first. But Xia Ge'er had been the second-in-command for several months, so his words still carried weight.

"What should we do with this wine?" asked Grandpa Eighteen.

"It's alright, my uncle's men will be watching." Su Tai strode forward without turning his head.

The two hundred tribesmen had no choice but to follow him in a daze until they left the town, when they finally couldn't help but ask, "Second Master, what are we going to do?"

"Go back and pick out the wine," Su Tai finally replied in a deep voice.

"They're still picking and choosing wine?" The clansmen were initially surprised, then their voices suddenly rose: "Could it be that all 20,000 jin have been reserved?"

"Of course." Su Tai finally couldn't suppress his grin and said.

"Really? That's wonderful! That's wonderful! Aww!" The tribesmen were overjoyed. Many of the young people jumped three feet high and shouted loudly, startling the southward-flying geese in the sky!

This is why Su Tai has been holding back. If he had let them cheer like that outside the restaurant, wouldn't he have given himself away?
Our Brother Xia is rough on the outside but meticulous on the inside...

~~
The tribesmen were full of energy, their feet kicking up dust, and they rushed back to Erlangtan in less than a quarter of an hour.

Upon hearing the good news that 20,000 jin of wine had been sold out, the elderly, women, and children who remained behind naturally cheered with unbridled joy!
Even children know that how well the wine sells this time will determine whether they continue to go to school or drop out to work as salt carriers.

Without wasting a moment, they packed their dry rations and wine jars and headed for Taiping Town again!

Halfway up the mountain, there was the home of Scholar Cheng.

Cheng Xiangong, now a retired teacher, stood at the door with a cane, watching the Su clan members moving like ants, his face very unpleasant.

The faces of the eldest son of the Cheng family and Cheng Chengcheng behind him were even more unpleasant.

The latter, in particular, had endured twenty years of hardship and was only in his first year as the head manager of Chengji Distillery when he was dealt a heavy blow, leaving him extremely frustrated.

"They transported 20,000 jin to town before dawn, so why did they come back to transport it again?"

"Those 20,000 jin must have been sold out. Is it fun to pick and choose?" Old Master Cheng said with a dark face, "Su Ji used to sell less than 20,000 jin a year, and it's all gone in just one morning! Erlang Wine, it really works like a charm!"

"They can't be selling so fast, could they be selling at a loss?" Cheng Chengcheng guessed.

"Nonsense! People will do anything that could cost them their lives, but nobody will do a business that loses money!" Old Master Cheng said decisively.

"Alright, stop guessing!" Cheng Xiucai said impatiently. "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Boss, you haven't even figured out how much the competition is selling it for. Why don't you hurry up and go to town to find out?"

“I’ve already sent someone there…” Cheng Chengcheng said softly.

"Don't you have legs? Go yourself!" Scholar Cheng suddenly raised his voice and said, "Can what you see with your own eyes be the same as what you hear from others?"

"Hey, hey, I'll go, I'll go." Cheng Chengcheng hurriedly slunk down the mountain and headed towards Taiping Town.

~~
Inside Hongyunlou, colorful balls hang from the beams, like rosy clouds draped with pearls; potted chrysanthemums adorn the courtyard, vying for beauty.

The host held a grand banquet, and all the guests and merchants were treated as honored guests.

On stage, the melodious sounds of silk and bamboo instruments filled the air as the musicians gracefully sang and danced, their sleeves billowing in the breeze. Below, the crowd roared with excitement as guests peeled crabs, drank heartily, and in their tipsy state, they felt as if they were attending a celestial gathering, oblivious to the world of heaven and earth.

The proprietress and Su Youcai carried teapots among the guests, smiling and thanking them one by one.

These customers were basically invited by the two of them, who went door-to-door delivering wine and saying all sorts of nice things.

Although they had accepted the invitation, before today, the general perception of the two was that they were a couple who sold sweet water and had managed to get in touch with Magistrate Ma, so they didn't really take them seriously.

But after today's unprecedented "auspicious gathering", the merchants have completely changed their opinion of the two!
This couple is no ordinary people! From the setup to the process, from the overall layout to the smallest details, no one in Yongningwei, let alone Hejiang County, could put together such a grand event!

Merchants who travel far and wide, trading goods, all have a knack for judging character. They unanimously agreed that this "couple" would definitely make a name for themselves and carve out their own niche! They certainly wouldn't be confined to the small town of Taiping, nor could they be controlled by a mere military commander like Ma Qianhu... So, making friends with them was truly essential.

Thinking this way, the businessmen showed great enthusiasm, each of them chatting with the couple and praising them sincerely, expressing their determination to cooperate for the long term.

How to express a desire for long-term cooperation? By placing additional orders, of course! After the two men toasted each other throughout the room, they ended up with an extra 40,000 jin (20,000 kg) of orders…

"But this time there really isn't any left. Even if we force Da Zhang to make a drink, he can't conjure up any more wine..." The proprietress was having some difficulty speaking at this moment. Although Su Youcai kept trying to drink for her, each time she drank half a cup, her face turned red, making her even more radiant and beautiful.

Unfortunately, the flower was already taken, so the merchants could only swallow their pride and chuckle.

"No problem, we can wait! This batch should be enough before the New Year!"

In fact, the additional orders they placed during the meal were entirely cost-effective—if the first batch didn't sell well, they would return the goods, and they wouldn't want the second batch at all.

Anyway, the boss will refund the deposit in full, so they won't suffer any loss.

But if the first batch of wine sells well, the subsequent batches will not only be in high demand, but may also increase in price, making their orders more valuable.

How shrewd are businessmen? Of course they'd go all out for something that only brings benefits and no drawbacks!
Seeing that the orders were so numerous that they couldn't all be hung on the screen, Commander Ma was completely relieved. He then stood up, toasted everyone, said a few New Year's greetings, and then pulled the old man to leave the banquet and return to his residence to continue drinking and reminiscing.

He was determined to rekindle his old friendship with the old man...

~~
The guests thoroughly enjoyed the banquet. In addition to the host's superb and meticulous arrangements, they were also able to catch up with colleagues, build relationships, and discuss other business opportunities.

Although they come to Taiping Town several times a year, it's impossible for them to all come together on ordinary days.

The proprietress was also very sensible. After the banquet ended, she ordered the leftovers to be removed and replaced with fresh tea and snacks, allowing the merchants to chat to their hearts' content.

“I understand now.” Su Youma finally realized, “So ‘appreciating chrysanthemums on the Double Ninth Festival’ is not a embellishment of ‘Erlang’s Gathering’, but a completely different theme!”

“You’re not stupid, ugh…” Su Youcai’s face was pale as he continued to bend over and vomit in the backyard.

While serving him, Su Youma laughed and said, "Brother, are you serious?"

"Slurp..." Su Youcai took the bowl of water handed to him, rinsed his mouth vigorously, and said, "Nonsense, do you think I'm like you?"

"So, are you serious?" Su Youma asked in a low, cheeky voice.

"Nonsense, do you think I'm like you?" Su Youcai replied with the same words, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

"Huh? I saw you two exchanging glances, like dry wood meeting a raging fire, how could you resist?" Su Youma exclaimed in shock.

"Nonsense, do you think I'm like you?" Su Youcai, drunk, revealed the true nature of humanity.

"Brother, can we say something else?" Su Youma was completely helpless.

"What did you say?" Su Youcai then changed his words.

"Find me a job too, anything is fine. I can't just keep drifting around outside." Su Youma said with a smile, "If I don't make some contribution, I'll soon become an outsider."

“You live in the county town, so there’s nothing I can do to help,” Su Youcai said.

"Then I'll be in charge of making a name for ourselves in the county town?" Uncle suddenly had a brilliant idea, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became. "The market in this county town is much bigger than in Erlang Town. We must take it over!"

“It’s no use talking to me, I don’t get involved.” Su Youcai shook his head decisively.

"Then I'll go find my second sister-in-law," Su Youma said with a smile.

"No, this is a crucial time. Don't bother your second... boss lady." Su Youcai still refused. "If you can't help, don't make things worse, third brother!"

"Sigh..." Su Youma sighed helplessly and had no choice but to stop.

~~
It wasn't until dusk that the merchants gradually got up to say goodbye.

Having regained his spirits, Su Youcai stood with the proprietress at the door to see off the guests, and even presented them with exquisite gifts—two tubes of Sweet Water's Double Ninth Festival special, 'Grape Dew Fragrance'.

As for the goods ordered by customers, the Su family members, who had put in a lot of effort, had already helped them load them onto the ships. Some customers who didn't bring their own ships had their goods temporarily stored in Sweetwater's warehouse and could pick them up at any time with their receipts.

After seeing off the last guest, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. This arduous battle was finally over!

As the merchants returned to their boats and the river breeze dissipated their drunkenness, some began to wonder... Had they made a rash decision and ordered too much?
When they normally prepare for the New Year, they always try to get a variety of things, including yellow wine and white wine, both high-end and mid-range. But today, for some reason, they actually spent all that money on Erlang wine.

Putting all your eggs in one basket with one type of liquor is ultimately a bit risky... What if it doesn't sell?

But no one dared to cancel their order at that moment—didn't they see Commander Ma overseeing everything? Returning the goods right after they arrived? Are they trying to make fun of us? Do they even want to do business in Taiping Town again?
Fortunately, the contract clearly stated that as long as the wine jars bearing the Su Ji label remained untouched, they could be returned at the original price at any time, so the merchants weren't too worried.

"Oh well, let's just sell them for now..." they consoled themselves on the boat back.

I'm also reminiscing about how great this gathering was, and I hope I'll have the chance to participate again next year.

But that would require Erlangjiu to live to that time first...

'Sigh, let's go back and push harder, and see how much we can sell?' The merchants couldn't help but start thinking, and now it was their turn to figure out how to promote Erlang wine.

(End of this chapter)