| TBBOTOF | 327
In the season of autumn harvest, Tang Xu had been busy for three months. Thanks to the heated kang in the house, the temperature had remained consistently warm, allowing the batch of sorghum rice to ferment well.
However, it would still take some more time before it was ready.
The wine brewed last year by the old man was rich in flavor and had a high alcohol content.
Tang Xu couldn’t drink it; even licking a tiny bit felt too spicy on his tongue. But it was known for being strong and full of flavor.
Because sorghum wine sold exceptionally well, Tang Xu had already sold out the previous batch. Therefore, when the new batch was ready, Wei Dong discussed with Tang Xu about transporting it for sale.
While the two were talking, Old Sun overheard them. He thought about the letters sent by his relatives and nephews.
Although there were some grievances between them, it was still a good business opportunity.
Regardless of other issues, this deal could bring in a decent profit for the couple.
"Xu Ge’er, this batch of wine hasn’t been ordered yet, has it?"
Tang Xu turned around to see Old Sun standing not far behind him, smiling cheerfully while holding a small wine flask. His face had a slightly flushed, tipsy glow.
On normal days, Old Sun wouldn’t smile so kindly.
Tang Xu quickly helped the old man sit on a nearby chair, took the small wine flask from his hand, and handed it to Wei Dong. Then he brought over a bowl of honey water and asked, "Old Sun, what’s on your mind?"
Old Sun sipped the honey water, took two gulps, and said, "Kiddo, I have an idea for you two. Just listen and see if it works. If you agree, I’ll send out a letter."
Tang Xu nodded, sat down nearby, and Wei Dong joined him. The two looked at Old Sun, waiting for him to continue.
Old Sun then told them about his nephew, who had tasted the sorghum wine once and had become obsessed with it. He was now eager to buy more and even planned to establish a long-term business relationship for selling the wine.
When Tang Xu heard this, he furrowed his brows, not excited about the business expanding, but rather worried that this business was simply unsustainable.
Making the fermented wine and distilling it was already a time-consuming process, and every year, only a small batch could be made.
Occasionally selling a few as a surprise addition to a business deal was fine, but if they wanted to start a long-term liquor business, they wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand.
Unless they hired more people and set up a separate team to handle the alcohol production.
Aside from the high cost, there would be a lot of additional worries to manage.
Tang Xu lowered his head, thinking for a moment, and then spoke, "Old Sun, I can't give you an answer right now. We're short on staff, and brewing liquor isn't something that can be done overnight. The amount of sorghum we harvest each year isn’t guaranteed, so I don’t have plans to expand the alcohol production business at the moment."
Old Sun nodded, sighed, and said, "If you sell this wine of yours and some rich sons in the capital taste it, it could probably fetch a sky-high price."
Tang Xu smiled lightly and replied, "Making money brings trouble with it. I’m not making much now, and I don’t want to bring unnecessary trouble to myself."
He noticed the old man’s bowl was empty, so he poured him another bowl of warm water. "I don't have such grand ambitions. As long as life goes smoothly, that's enough for me."
Old Sun was silent for a while, then nodded and said, "I agree with that."
After that, Old Sun didn’t bring it up again, but in the following days, Tang Xu noticed that Wei Dong seemed a bit off, as if he had something else on his mind.
After observing for a while, Tang Xu couldn’t hold back any longer. One evening, while soaking his feet before bed, he casually brought it up.
"Is there something you want to say to me?"
After all, Wei Dong had been looking at him every day with that expression, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start. Tang Xu had already imagined several things that might be left unsaid.
"We could open a wine shop in the town," Wei Dong said, pulling Tang Xu to sit at the table and pouring two cups of water.
Tang Xu raised an eyebrow. It seemed his guess was right.
It was no wonder that after hearing Old Sun's suggestion about the liquor business, Wei Dong had started acting strangely—it was indeed because of this.
A shop...
Tang Xu lowered his head in thought for a moment before asking, "What’s your idea?"
Wei Dong said, "There are two wine shops in the town. Before, I used to buy their wine, but it’s nowhere near as good as ours. The taste is far inferior. The reason we can sell our wine at a high price is because it’s rare and valuable. That’s why I wanted to ask if we should go ahead and sell it all."
"Not long ago, when I was in town, I noticed one of the shops was about to close. They said the old owner’s health wasn’t good, and his children weren’t interested in managing the business. The owner was afraid that if they handed the business over, it would ruin their reputation. They were asking around, but no one was willing to take over. That’s when Boss Wu told me about it. He’s very fond of our sorghum wine and said that when the new batch comes out, he wants to buy some and keep it to drink it slowly."
Tang Xu blinked, looking amused. "You rarely say so much—are you trying to get into the wine business?"
Wei Dong didn’t hesitate, nodding. "It’s quite profitable, and it could also serve as a dowry for Xiao Bao."
"What?" Tang Xu was taken aback, his eyes wide in surprise. "A dowry for Xiao Bao?"
Seeing Tang Xu's shocked expression, Wei Dong quickly reassured him. "We need to plan ahead for the kids. We’ve made some money here and there, but the caravan isn’t something we can pass on to Xiao Bao. It’s better to provide something stable."
Tang Xu blinked, pausing for a moment before letting out a breath. "You really are thinking far ahead."
Wei Dong wasn’t wrong, though.
Looking at how the caravan fleet was shaping up, even if Wei Dong later chose not to continue with the business, the industry chain would still be established.
And considering the children, it seemed that their older son would likely follow the path of the imperial exams, while their second son couldn’t sit still, he wasn’t doing well in his studies, and liked martial arts. It was likely that he would continue down that path.
As for their youngest child, Xiao Bao is a soft little sweet cake. If he were to marry, even with his brothers' support, he would still need money in hand to avoid being taken advantage of.
Tang Xu sighed. As a father, he didn’t want to think so early about making plans for his children’s future, but he couldn’t avoid considering it either.
"Who knows, they might all end up in the capital. Who would care about this little shop in this small place?"
Wei Dong raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
Tang Xu pouted. Well, his sons probably wouldn’t look down on their poor father.
"Are you thinking about managing the shop? If we open it, what’s the plan? We can’t just leave it unattended." Tang Xu wasn’t really interested in running a business outside.
If he were, he wouldn’t have stayed in the village all this time. Whether it was because of social anxiety or simply not wanting to leave his familiar surroundings, one thing was certain: he wasn’t moving to the town or the county.
After living together for so many years, Wei Dong understood him well, so he shared his plan.
"We could hire a manager for the shop. We could also repurpose the old warehouse where we used to brew the wine. After a few adjustments, it should work just fine. You can set up the big pot and use it directly." Wei Dong added, "If you’re worried about people copying us, we can brew the wine in there and just keep an eye on things ourselves."
Tang Xu rubbed his chin and asked with a smile, "Have you been planning this for the past few days already?"
"Mm," Wei Dong nodded. "I’ve already spoken with the shop owner. Once the year ends, I’ll take over the place."
Tang Xu: "..." Okay, this can be regarded as acting first and reporting later.
As for how they would manage the shop after taking it over, the two of them still had some details to work out.
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