Being watched
After the market, word spread among the people, and Taibai wine became quite popular in Qingzhou.
At first, Fu Zhiqiao was worried that the people of Dawei would not be able to accept this strong liquor, so he did not distill it multiple times, and finally kept it at around 30 degrees, which retained both the crispness of rice wine and its strong, penetrating nature.
In an era when everyone drank turbid rice wine, the emergence of Taibai wine was like throwing a large stone into a calm lake, and the splashes stirred the hearts of all the wine shops in Qingzhou.
Penglai Residence was the most affected among them.
Penglaiju is an old restaurant that has been operating in Qingzhou City for more than ten years. It sells both wine and food and is a comprehensive restaurant, with the majority of its profits coming from the sale of alcoholic beverages.
The person who supplied wine to Penglaiju was named Xu Wu. Xu Shangqiang was the owner of Penglaiju, and Xu Wu was his nephew. The two of them worked together, one running the restaurant and the other selling wine, and they made it the number one restaurant in Qingzhou City.
Who doesn't have some kind of background or connections to supply wine for the entire Qingzhou City?
Xu Shangqiang's sister is the wife of Fang Licheng, the Sima of Qingzhou. With this connection, Penglaiju has connections in both the legal and illegal worlds of Qingzhou, and practically monopolizes the city's wine market, making it the most powerful company in Qingzhou.
Recently, guests who come to Penglaiju for drinks occasionally talk about Taibai wine, which aroused Xu Shangqiang's curiosity. After inquiring, he learned that the source was Gao's wine shop.
Old Gao... it's just a small workshop, what kind of trouble can it cause?
However, just to be on the safe side, Xu Shangqiang instructed Xu Wu: "I've been hearing a lot about Taibai wine these past few days. Go and find out what's going on."
The signboard of Gao Family Wine Shop has been taken down, and the shop door is tightly closed. It's unclear what's going on inside. The only strange thing is that there's a table set up next to the shop door, and someone is guarding it. People go up to talk to each other from time to time.
Xu Wu was puzzled. After observing the street corner for two days, he discovered that the people who went to the table to ask questions were all buying wine.
To gather more information, he disguised himself as a customer buying wine and approached the shopkeeper, asking, "Shopkeeper? You buy Taibai wine here, right?"
Song Dali was a newly hired employee, responsible for greeting customers at the door. There had been quite a few people asking about the wine these past few days. When he heard what Xu Wu said, he laughed, "That's right, only my family sells Taibai wine!"
"I've heard that this Taibai wine is comparable to the finest nectar. Is it really that magical?"
Without saying a word, Song Dali took the wine displayed on the wooden cabinet next to him, opened the sealed oil paper, and let Xu Wu see and smell it.
He was using body language to tell Xu Wu: I'm too lazy to explain it to you, just see for yourself!
Is it really as exaggerated as the rumors suggest?
Xu Wu curiously leaned closer to take a look, and he was immediately amazed by the color of the wine. The liquid was clear and free of any impurities, and the aroma was strong and pungent. If it weren't for the smell of alcohol, he would have thought the jar contained water...
He's an expert; he can tell the wine's uniqueness at a glance. The rumors aren't false. I wonder how this wine was made. It seems my uncle has met his match this time.
After looking at it, Song Dali quickly put the lid back on and put it away, always keeping in mind the shopkeeper's instructions: the lid must be closed tightly so that the smell of the wine can't escape.
Xu Wu composed himself and continued inquiring: "It is indeed fine wine! I wonder which master brewed it?"
Song Dali assumed he was a customer genuinely interested in buying wine and replied, "Master Gao! You have no idea, Master Gao is a master brewer, a family heirloom..."
Xu Wu knew Old Man Gao perfectly well. If Old Man Gao could brew such good wine, how could he have lived most of his life without making a name for himself?
It's fake, so obviously fake!
Not wanting to listen to the guy's nonsense, Xu Wu immediately changed the subject and asked, "I've never seen this kind of wine before. I'd like to buy some to try at home."
Song Dali's smile widened, and he said cheerfully, "Brother, you have good taste. However, we can't sell this Taibai wine for the time being. We'll have to wait until the shop opens."
Xu Wu knew, of course, that the Taibai Wine Shop wouldn't open until next month. He feigned regret: "Why do we have to wait so long? Is there any way to make an exception?"
Song Dali shook his head: "No."
"What if I pay double the price?" Xu Wu asked, still unwilling to give up.
You can't buy it even if you have the money, unless the boss gives the order.
Seeing Xu Wu's sincere attitude, Song Dali opened up: "Let me tell you a secret, even if Master Jiang in the east of the city offered a hundred taels of silver to buy a jar, he couldn't! Our Taibai wine is all sold out, and we don't have any left to sell to you."
Xu Wu was shocked. The wine was sold before the shop even opened? Master Jiang from the east of the city was willing to pay a high price for this wine?
Seeing Xu Wu's shocked expression, Song Dali said with some pride, "Haha! Our Taibai wine is in high demand."
Hearing Song Dali's words, Xu Wu sighed softly, "Alas, then I definitely won't be able to buy it."
Song Dali comforted him, "Brother, come find me when the wine shop opens, and I promise to save you a jar."
*
Having gathered the information, Xu Wu went back to report to Xu Shangqiang.
When Xu Shangqiang heard the news that Taibai wine had sold two thousand jin in just a few days, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "Is this true?"
“It’s true!” Xu Wu reported truthfully, without embellishment.
Good heavens, two thousand catties is almost half a month's worth of their restaurant's sales! Just by selling Taibai liquor, they were able to sell two thousand catties of liquor before the shop even opened.
It's truly enviable.
Xu Shangqiang did some mental calculations, but that wasn't the most important thing. The most fatal thing was that the high-ranking officials and nobles in the city had also noticed Taibai Wine. This news was a very bad sign for Xu Shangqiang.
Xu Wu tentatively said, "The shopkeeper said the wine was brewed by Old Man Gao. I think Old Man Gao's brewing skills are probably not enough..." Xu Wu paused, glancing at Xu Shangqiang's expression, "There must be a master behind Taibai Wine Shop. I heard Old Man Gao's son is in debt from gambling and is short of money. We should be able to get a lot of information from him, or else..."
Xu Wu simply didn't believe that Old Man Gao could brew such good wine.
Old Gao? A master to guide me?
Xu Shangqiang frowned, his face suddenly turning grim. Suppressing his discomfort, he desperately wanted to know who dared to oppose Penglai Residence and steal his business.
Xu Wu's meaning was very straightforward: the most direct way to defeat the opponent was to poach the brewers or seize the brewing recipe.
No, that's not enough!
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head...
Xu Shangqiang whispered some instructions to Xu Wu, then said in a deep voice, "Continue to observe, act carefully, and do not alert the enemy."
Xu Wu's eyes lit up: "Your methods are truly superb. I'll make the arrangements right away."
On the other side.
Defu was no longer a servant; Fu Zhiqiao let him stay in the shop as the manager.
Defu knew that the girl valued him, so he worked hard at the winery every day without daring to slack off. When he noticed suspicious people loitering outside the winery, peeking inside, he worried that someone might be after the secret recipe, so he immediately reported it to Fu Zhiqiao.
With winemaking and winery construction proceeding simultaneously, Fu Zhiqiao has been extremely busy lately, unaware that someone is already envious of her wine recipes.
She immediately arranged for Defu to organize a group of people to wait for the person to come to them. They caught the person, detained him, and locked him in the woodshed. Two days later, she had the workers pretend to have failed to keep a close watch on him and release him back.
Fu Zhiqiao did not choose to report to the authorities because she wanted to follow this trail to find the person behind it all.
To prevent an undercover agent from infiltrating, Fu Zhiqiao screened everyone in the wine shop. When she asked Old Man Gao, she learned that the people from Penglaiju had already sent someone to inquire about the recipe from Old Man Gao and were willing to pay a high price to buy it.
Old Gao was also annoyed. The news of his new and unique wine had spread throughout the city, and many people were asking him about it openly or secretly. Some even wanted to pay money to buy his recipe.
Although Taibai wine was brewed by him, how would those people outside know that he didn't actually brew the wine?
Old Gao sighed.
"Don't worry, boss, I haven't told anyone, not even my wife knows." To clear himself of suspicion, Old Gao had been spending almost the entire day at the winery making wine and hadn't had any contact with outsiders.
Penglaiju doesn't have a novel wine like Taibaijiu, and the taste of its other wines can't compare to Taibaijiu. They're afraid their business will be completely stolen away.
It turns out that Penglai Residence not only wanted the recipe, but also wanted to poach her people.
Fu Zhi Qiao was a bit of a headache. There were quite a few people who coveted Taibai wine, and Penglaiju's underhanded tactics came sooner than she had expected.
"Alright, stop looking so gloomy. I didn't say I didn't trust you. Tell me who's been asking you for information. I'll handle this..."
Hearing this, Old Gao finally felt relieved. He was already quite familiar with Fu Zhi Qiao and knew that she was a woman of her word. If she suspected him, he would be in deep trouble.
Outsiders were unaware that Fu Zhi Qiao was the real boss behind the scenes. Old Gao spent all his time at the winery, and outsiders couldn't find out anything about him for a while.
Fu Zhiqiao was not worried about the method being leaked. The winery was divided into different production areas. Each step of the winemaking process, from cooking the grains and cooling them to adding yeast and mixing the ingredients, was carried out by different people. The men carried the grains and mixed the yeast, while the women stepped on the yeast and tended the fire. Everyone did their job and did not interfere with each other.
The yeast cakes are also prepared in advance and managed by designated personnel who take out a fixed amount each day.
Although Fu Zhi Qiao holds all the contracts for Old Man Gao's family, she would definitely find a way out if she really betrayed them. If she wants Old Man Gao to work for her wholeheartedly, she must intimidate him and make him admire and submit to her.
Clearly, Fu Zhiqiao succeeded.
Apart from Fu Zhiqiao, only Old Gao knew the entire brewing process of Taibai wine. He was a wine lover and was too busy keeping the new brewing techniques he had learned to share them.
However, people's hearts are unpredictable, and the most difficult thing to control in the world is the human heart.
She wouldn't reveal all her cards; only she knew the recipe for the yeast, and signing the contract with Old Man Gao's family was just an extra layer of protection.
After a moment's thought, Fu Zhiqiao summoned the Wen brothers, Wen Jiang and Wen Shan, and asked them to find several more groups of people to form patrol teams.
The winery on the farm and the wine shop in the city, with two teams patrolling in the morning and afternoon, leaving no opportunity for others to take advantage. The effect of the patrol is visible to the naked eye, and people who want to sneak around and inquire outside the winery dare not approach.
The emergence of something new will inevitably arouse people's curiosity.
Fu Zhiqiao wasn't so optimistic. The more unattainable something is, the more she longs for it. She wondered what else these people might do.
"It's best to be careful."
*
Some problems need to be prevented at their root. Fu Zhiqiao instructed Defu to find someone to customize exclusive wine jars. She was going for a high-end brand route, so how could she not have her own packaging? Only by being unique can people recognize and remember you.
Through an intermediary, Fu Zhiqiao took Defu directly to Tongji Kiln.
Tongji Kiln is located in Hongyang Village, more than 20 miles outside the city. This area is rich in clay, and most of the pottery and jars used in Qingzhou City came from here.
The natural clay is pounded by hand thousands of times, making the clay structure more compact. The finished clay body is then coated with a layer of natural mineral glaze and fired at high temperature in an earthen kiln, ultimately achieving a leak-proof effect.
The long, tunnel-shaped kiln contained all sorts of jars. Fu Zhiqiao spent a long time selecting them, and after another hour or two of communication, he finally decided on the shape of the wine jars. After the samples were fired and inspected, Fu Zhiqiao placed an order for 10,000 wine jars, making the owner of Tongji Kiln beam with joy.
I bought three different sizes of jars this time, as the shop only sells four-jin and one-jin jars of wine.
There are 8,000 wine jars with a capacity of four jin (approximately 2 catties), which are the standard size and are supplied to restaurants and sold in various places; there are 1,000 wine jars with a capacity of one jin (approximately 500 kg), which are sold in shops as a common household product; and 1,000 wine jars with a capacity of one hundred jin (approximately 500 kg) are ordered for cellaring wine.
With the wine jars in place, the production of the wine gradually increased, and soon the new wine was already in use.
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