roccoschili Chapter 58 Out of money, need to make money.
Chapter 58 Out of money, need to make money.
The sun in mid-May had lost the warmth of early summer, and its rays felt scorchingly warm on one's back.
Even the jujube leaves in the corner of the yard drooped listlessly, too lazy to sway even slightly.
Wang Zhihuan squatted at the foot of the courtyard wall, holding a dry twig between his fingers, slowly drawing his name on the soft soil.
A crumpled piece of mulberry paper lay at my feet, on which a few lines of faint ink were written in a crooked manner. They were not elegant poems or prose, but rather plain accounts.
The rent was all collected last month, and the tenants paid with newly harvested millet, which piled up in half a warehouse and looked golden.
They had accumulated a full basket of eggs, and whenever the Cheng brothers visited, they would always bring some delicious meat, more than enough to keep up with social obligations.
However, the actual amount of real money that can be used for circulation is pitifully small.
He counted on his fingers, carefully calculating.
When the distillery was being built, the bricks were sold at a low price by Li Laosan, a friend of the village; the timber was cut down by Lao Zhangtou and his neighbors; and the labor was provided by the tenants who volunteered to help out out of gratitude for his past kindness. All the major expenses were saved.
The copper pots, tin pipes, earthenware urns, and steamers that are essential for brewing wine—all these iron and porcelain utensils had to be purchased with cash, and not a penny could be spared.
In addition, the recent expenses for treating Madam Li's health included purchasing nourishing items such as honey, red dates, and longan, resulting in a continuous stream of miscellaneous expenditures.
In the end, he found that he had less than two strings of cash left.
Two strings of cash, during the Zhenguan era, would have been enough for an ordinary tenant farmer's family to live on for more than half a year.
But for him, it wouldn't last more than a few days.
The cats and dogs in the yard need to be fed, the chickens need to be cared for, and the winery needs to maintain its daily operations.
The medicinal herbs he collected from the back mountain were piled up in the yard, but they were easily damaged by the sun and rain. He wanted to build a special drying shed for the herbs so that they wouldn't always be fighting with the cats and dogs for space.
Wang Zhi threw the branch to the ground, dusted off his clothes, and stood up.
We have to find a way to make money, otherwise, if we just sit around and live off our savings, our comfortable lives will eventually become unsustainable.
He walked to the jujube tree, picked up the earthenware pot, and poured himself a bowl of cool tea.
The moment the porcelain bowl touched my fingertips, I felt a refreshing coolness.
Ah Huang was dozing at his feet, its tail idly sweeping the ground.
Grey leaped lightly off the stone table, rubbed against his ankle, and made a soft, gurgling sound in its throat, showing its affection.
Wang Zhi held his teacup, his gaze drifting leisurely toward the winery in the backyard, already secretly plotting a long-term plan in his heart.
He has plenty of ways to make money, but due to certain factors, he can't stand out too much.
Any jar of the raw liquor stored in the distillery would be considered an exceptional brew in Chang'an.
After tasting it last time, the Cheng brothers were all wide-eyed with amazement, and Cheng Chumo was full of praise, calling it "a wine that is absolutely unique in the world."
This wine was a rare and unique item in the Tang Dynasty. It had no competitors and no market price to refer to, making it almost a monopoly.
The needs of the elite are obvious; what's lacking now is a reliable way to sell them.
Should we open a store and sell directly?
Too much trouble.
He was lazy by nature and didn't want to worry about purchasing, accounting, or training his employees. He also didn't want to deal with the tedious social obligations of officialdom and was stuck in the shop every day.
Besides, my time is very precious, and there's no need to waste it on such trivial matters.
However, if the liquor is wholesaled to restaurants in various regions, the risks are even greater.
Once the liquor is in someone else's hands, it's inevitable that it will be adulterated, counterfeited, or priced arbitrarily, ultimately ruining the reputation you've worked so hard to build.
Furthermore, if one wants to integrate into the elite circle of Chang'an, simply offering gifts of alcohol and engaging in ordinary social interactions will yield very little result.
Take Cheng Yaojin, for example. As a veteran duke, he was used to all kinds of benefits in his high position. Ordinary gifts were not worth his attention. Superficial friendships were ultimately just that – superficial – and he could not become a trusted confidant or a helper.
He tilted his head back and drank the cold tea in the bowl dry, then poured himself another bowl.
My gaze fell on the clear tea at the bottom of the bowl, and I suddenly remembered the business model of the modern wine industry in my previous life—not selling directly, but finding reliable distributors.
The agent is fully responsible for sourcing, sales, and customer acquisition.
He focused solely on controlling the quality of the brewing process and setting a uniform price, ignoring all other trivial matters.
This way, he can save time and effort without interfering with his leisurely days of farming, raising cats, and tending to herbs.
As for the candidate, he had already made up his mind: Cheng Chumo.
Once this thought came to him, his mind became much clearer.
Yes, rather than racking our brains to figure out and befriend an old fox like Cheng Yaojin who can stand firm in the face of turbulent times, it would be better to steadily support Cheng Chumo.
He never believed that having more knowledge from later generations would make him superior in cunning and shrewdness to those who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
They have probably seen more storms than the average person has in several lifetimes.
Trying to outsmart or negotiate with this kind of shrewd person is risky; if you're not careful, you might get sold out and end up unknowingly helping them count the money.
But second-generation nobles like Cheng Chumo are different. They are ambitious, have the protection of their families, and also yearn to prove themselves. Their thoughts are relatively straightforward, and their interests are clearer.
Supporting them is not only an investment in the future, but also a safer and more controllable endeavor.
It should be noted that Cheng Chumo is the eldest son of the Cheng family, a second-generation nobleman, and carries the future of the family on his shoulders.
By handing over this excellent business opportunity to him, it may seem like just supporting the younger generation in starting a business, but in reality, it's equivalent to firmly connecting with the entire Cheng family's influence.
Because the two are inextricably linked, yet they cleverly avoid the awkwardness of directly relying on the powerful.
Firstly, this business opportunity allows him to secretly hone and train Cheng Chumo, helping him accumulate connections and wealth, and indirectly helping Cheng Yaojin cultivate his heir. This favor is far more valuable than gold, silver, or wine.
Secondly, by leveraging the connections and social skills of the Cheng brothers, Cheng Chumo and Cheng Chuliang, they naturally infiltrated the second-generation elite circles of prominent families in Chang'an, gradually expanding their network of connections and establishing themselves in Chang'an step by step.
This is precisely why the exclusive agent was chosen carefully.
Moreover, the distillery is just starting out, and each distillation produces only a few jars of wine, with extremely limited production capacity, making it impossible to follow the path of low profit and high volume.
They can only take the high-end and scarce route, and the price must be high, so high that ordinary people can't afford it.
Only the most prestigious and aristocratic families in Chang'an were qualified to enjoy it.
After all, the nobles in Chang'an City probably have no shortage of money.
What's lacking are rare and exquisite items that can showcase one's status and give one a competitive edge at banquets.
The world of the wealthy is so simple and unpretentious: they only choose the expensive, not the right. Even more so, some people's own wines are not only expensive, but also excellent.
Wang Zhihuan was secretly weighing all the pros and cons when he heard the familiar sound of horses' hooves outside the courtyard gate.
Two fine horses, their hooves clattering rapidly and powerfully.
It was clear from his voice that the man on horseback was preoccupied and had come at full speed.
The voice arrives before the person.
"Brother Wang! Is Brother Wang at home?"
Cheng Chumo's voice was half a tone higher than usual, completely unlike his usual leisurely tone when passing by to ask for a bowl of water.
Instead, it seemed as if they had come in a hurry with an important mission.
Wang Zhihuan put down his teacup, slowly got up, and opened the door.
As soon as the courtyard gate was pushed open, the Cheng brothers dismounted swiftly.
Cheng Chumo was carrying a bulging money bag in his hand. The cloth was sturdy, and it was obvious that it contained a lot of money.
Cheng Chuliang was holding two oil paper packages in his arms. The aroma of braised meat mixed with the sweet fragrance of sugar cakes wafted over on the wind.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads, and their temples were damp with sweat, clearly indicating that they had been traveling at high speed without stopping.