Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 858 - Chapter 858 Chapter 858 Immortal Brew

Chapter 858: Chapter 858: Immortal Brew Chapter 858: Chapter 858: Immortal Brew Wang Shiwei, having traversed north and south for half his life, understood immediately upon hearing Feng Jun’s words, “Are we talking about waterway smuggling or operating a private mine?”

After considering for a moment, Feng Jun saw no need to conceal it. In the entire Huaxia jade and jewelry circles, there were few who hadn’t heard of Luohua Manor, so he answered solemnly, “A private mine.”

A private mine… That’s somewhat better, Wang Shiwei thought, relieved. Waterway smuggling would have been too dangerous for him to get involved in, “So, from what you’re saying, is it still money laundering?”

Feng Jun couldn’t help but shake his head with a wry smile, “Do I need to go through all this for money laundering? There are plenty more methods for that… I just don’t want other matters to get entangled with this deal.”

Dealing in massive quantities of jade and amassing immense wealth was no secret within the jade circles, and he didn’t mind letting slip a thing or two.

After all, tales of his exploits had only spread within a small area and hadn’t caused any bad influence. The key point was that jade, unlike Gold, was not a national strategic resource, and since there was no victim of mine robbery stepping forward to accuse him, astonishingly, no one investigated him.

Wang Shiwei could understand his logic, but what he couldn’t understand was: if you don’t need to launder money and already have such a substantial income, why bother with the wine company?

He blinked in confusion and asked, “Do you really think that the wine you make can earn big money?”

“Of course,” Feng Jun nodded, looking at him with puzzlement, “or do you think I do this just because I’m full?”

Actually, I really think you’re just full, Wang Shiwei muttered to himself. Specializing in tobacco and alcohol wholesale, he knew all too well how difficult it was to develop a new wine that sells well.

Wine has only a few indicators; how good can you make it? Do you really believe you can outshine all those in the world’s number one spirit-consuming country’s liquor businesses, you, a novice?

The idea that you can take any legendary secret recipe and expect to make good wine… that’s simply not possible.

To increase wine sales, there are only a few tactics: reputation, distribution, branding, and marketing.

He believed that if Feng Jun were to reveal his true identity and spend heavily on advertising, the wine might have some potential, but Feng Jun had also made it clear he would keep a distance from the wine company.

Wang Shiwei couldn’t fathom why Feng Jun was so confident. He wanted to offer some advice, but considering Feng Jun’s young age and status as a billionaire, he wasn’t certain he was in a position to advise, and he doubted Feng Jun, flush with youthful pride, would heed frank criticism.

Seeing Wang Shiwei’s skepticism, Feng Jun guessed what was on his mind. He didn’t say much and instead took out a glass bottle, “This is a blend I’ve concocted… Would Boss Wang like a taste?”

Li Shishi’s tea ceremony utilized small cups. Seeing this, she hurriedly washed one, poured half a cup, roughly three to four liang in measure.

Wang Shiwei, the seasoned drinker, slightly twitched his nose, then his brows furrowed deeply. He lifted the small cup, inhaled slowly and deeply, holding his breath, then closed his eyes.

After roughly ten seconds, he exhaled deeply, “This aroma… is exquisite.”

Then, he opened his eyes, swirled the little tea cup slightly, observed it carefully for a moment, and nodded slightly, “The color is spot on.”

He brought the small tea cup to his lips, took a sip, smacked his lips a few times, then took another gentle sip.

After this sip, his brows furrowed again. He pondered for a moment before finishing the rest of the wine in one go.

After a while, he nodded slightly, “Good wine, mellow and lingering on the palate, leaving the whole body feeling refreshed…”

He paused, then added, “What’s odd is that it feels quite invigorating… The cost of this wine must be high, right?”

Feng Jun began to smile, “The cost is higher than you think.”

“That taste and aroma justify a higher price,” Wang Shiwei wasn’t surprised, being in the business of selling alcohol, he knew much more about what grade of wine should be priced.

However, a mere few liang of wine was not enough for him to make a comprehensive judgment, “If you could give me a few jin to take back and have my friends taste together, to experience the wine’s character, lingering taste, and potency, I could give you a rough suggestion on price.”

Feng watched him with a smile, “At least, my wine is presentable, right?”

“No question about it, it’s definitely good wine,” Wang Shiwei nodded earnestly in reply, “Your wine has a very subtle grainy earthiness to it, pure grain alcohol, it won’t be cheap. But… the blending still lacks a bit of maturity.”

Feng Jun laughed, “It’s certainly pure grain alcohol; I have no interest in enhancing blending techniques. If I sell, I’ll sell the concept of pure natural.”

“Then it can only be sold on health grounds,” Wang Shiwei said somewhat regretfully as he shook his head, “It’s good wine, but without getting rid of that slight earthy taste, it ultimately can’t reach the ranks of top-shelf liquor.”

“Heh,” Feng Jun laughed dismissively, “Top-shelf liquor… who is worthy of discussing top-shelf liquor with me?”

His words were filled with confidence, but Wang Shiwei merely thought President Feng had mastered an excellent brewing and blending technique and was somewhat undervaluing the rest of the wine world in his pride.

But Wang Shiwei felt this was quite normal; who hasn’t been young and arrogant? Besides, the wine was indeed not bad. President Feng elevating his own brand a notch and diminishing his rivals a few notches more could indeed be seen as looking down on his peers with a sense of superiority.

The most crucial part is, if you don’t have confidence in the wine you brew yourself, how big can your business grow?

So, he smiled and asked, “I’m not sure about President Feng’s pricing for this wine–what kind of price range are you considering?”

Feng Jun was taken aback at first, then smiled, “It will be very expensive. I’m not just selling wine, I’m selling health.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Shiwei also smiled, “I get it. It’s the intangible things that can really fetch a high price, such as style, such as sentiments… Health is priceless, are you planning to turn it into a luxury item?”

“Exactly,” Feng Jun responded with a nod and a proud smile, “If my wine can’t become a luxury item, what other wine is qualified to be a luxury item?”

No matter how luxurious, could it surpass those top-tier red wines? Wang Shiwei still had his doubts, but he felt that if Feng Jun had such ambition, it would not be strange for this wine to eventually rise to the ranks of the top domestic spirits.

Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “The price range for this wine… where do you plan to set it?”

Feng Jun smiled and did not answer directly, “I’ll give you a jar to take back. Drink it slowly and think about what the right price would be… Please help me inquire about the liquor company’s affairs.”

“That’s easy to handle, I can get in touch for you today,” Wang Shiwei replied with a smile, “Zhengyang has such a company. I’ll organize a potential contact for you so they can discuss directly with you, is that okay?”

“It’s better to get in touch with Xiao Li,” Feng Jun answered with a smile, “since I want to keep a low profile, it’s best not to make an appearance if I can avoid it.”

Wang Shiwei thought that this young man was really quite proud, but he was a billionaire at such a young age–just the size of this manor alone was enough to feel the aura of wealth.

Then, he indeed received a jar of wine, the kind that comes in a thirty-pound porcelain jar with a small, delicate brass tap at the bottom. Open the tap, and wine would flow out.

That very night, Wang Shiwei drank two liang (a traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately 50 grams). Although he was a regular drinker, when he was at home, he did not drink much–just two liang.

After finishing his two liang, he was quite excited and hinted to his wife with his eyes–he was in the mood to ‘collect some homework’ tonight.

His wife pretended not to see, and after a while, she casually placed an open pack of sanitary pads on the table.

What a letdown… Wang Shiwei simply drank another two liang and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

The next morning, he got up with a habit of coughing, coughing especially violently today. But unlike his usual dry cough, he coughed up a lot of phlegm, ending up crouching by the toilet, coughing continuously.

He coughed heart-wrenchingly for over ten minutes, spitting out nearly half a bowl of phlegm, then flushed the toilet.

Afterward, he washed his face and brushed his teeth, feeling unexpectedly clear-headed and refreshed, even feeling lighter in body, “The sleep quality was quite good this time.”

That evening, he had a dinner appointment– an old classmate had returned from the capital and invited a few close friends to get together.

He drank a lot that evening and felt terrible the next morning.

Then he drank outside for two consecutive days, not feeling well, and then again at home, he drank two liang of Feng Jun’s wine.

The thing about wine is, it fears comparison. Wang Shiwei was already very good at tasting wine, and drinking it again today, he felt that Feng Jun had some reason for his arrogance. His wine was even better than the Wuliangye he drank the night before.

Importantly, the next day he again coughed up a large amount of phlegm and felt clear-headed and refreshed.

He began to have a sneaking hunch, this wine might indeed have some health benefits.

That evening, there was another round of drinks, but this time, he was the host, inviting people from the tobacco company. He was mainly in the liquor wholesale business, but since tobacco and liquor often went hand-in-hand, he also sold cigarettes on the side.

Wanting to get hold of some popular cigarettes, mixing in some other brands, appropriate socializing was unavoidable.

This time Wang Shiwei took a five-jin (approximately 2.5 kg) plastic jug, filled it up from the jar, and offered everyone a drink.

This type of plastic jug for bulk wine is quite common in Zhengyang, with many private small workshops selling their wine this way.

The person who came from the tobacco company was a junior section chief. Seeing the plastic jug, he half-jokingly and half-seriously remarked, “Boss Wang, with such a big business you run, bringing bulk wine for everyone is a bit insincere… Have you sold out of your Maotai quota?”

Wang Shiwei sold cigarettes on the side, but his main focus was on wine, and indeed, his business was much bigger than a normal tobacco shop.

He responded with a smile, “Section Chief Liu, try it first. This wine is hard to come by for the average person, unlike Maotai, which you can buy with money.”

Section Chief Liu knew that among these bulk wines, there were really some well-made ones. Since Wang Shiwei, who was in the wine business, dared to say so, the wine must not be bad, so he replied with a smile, “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

The next morning, just as Wang Shiwei finished coughing and was feeling bright and breezy, he received a call from Section Chief Liu, “Boss Wang, that was some good wine. I’ll be the host tonight. You just bring the wine, okay?”

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