| TBBOTOF | 328
When Wei Dong was working in the wine business, he had already planned to get into the alcohol trade.
Later, when he traveled with the merchant caravan, he saw the huge profits that alcohol brought, and his heart grew restless, as if it were growing weeds.
However, it was hard work to make it, so he kept this desire hidden and didn’t bring it up to Tang Xu.
But then, Wei Dong started to become restless again. It had already been agreed that the owner would transfer the business after the New Year, but just three days after they discussed it, early in the morning, Wei Dong hurriedly drove the mule cart to the town.
He didn’t go there to discuss business, but told Tang Xu that he was going to pick up his father-in-law and aunt to bring them back for the New Year.
Tang Xu was a bit puzzled at the time, thinking, "The New Year is still more than a month away. Isn't it a bit early to bring them back now?"
So what did Wei Dong say?
He said he was going to ask them, as he had missed them after not seeing them after two months.
Tang Xu glanced at him but didn’t say much. He clearly knew what was going on—he wasn’t missing his father-in-law, but rather probably thinking about the shop.
Wei Dong rushed to the town, went around the marinated meat shop, and the business was as good as ever.
Although the shop had only been open for a little more than two years, the town had already become accustomed to the taste, and if someone missed it after not having it for three or five days, they would feel uneasy.
Around the end of the year, people knew that the shop would close for at least a month since the owners would return to their hometown for the New Year.
So many regular customers would come early to buy extra portions of frozen meat to store, so they could heat it up and enjoy it when they craved the taste.
There were so many orders for the marinated meat, and the demand was high, so the shop had been busy from morning to night with hardly any downtime.
Wei Dong parked the mule cart at the back door. As soon as he entered the yard, he saw Tang Erhu, who was scooping marinated meat out of a steaming pot. He called out, "Dad!"
Tang Erhu turned around, looking surprised. "Why are you here?"
Wei Dong walked over quickly, reaching out to help, but Tang Erhu stopped him.
"Go, go, go! Stay aside! You’re all covered in dust, you’ll ruin my pot of old broth!" His tone was clearly disgusted, with no politeness.
Wei Dong stepped aside a few paces, grabbed a clean cloth from the clothesline, dusted himself off, and then went to wash his hands.
Once he was clean, he returned to help. This time, Tang Erhu didn’t stop him.
He grumbled, "When it gets close to the New Year, our business always picks up. We’re all so busy, even Da Mei had to send Goudan to the neighbor’s house to take care of him."
Wei Dong said, “Tomorrow, I’ll bring Ah Li and the others over. After we finish, we’ll tidy up and head home for the New Year.”
Tang Erhu nodded. "Alright, they should move around a bit too."
Wei Dong helped carry a large barrel of marinated meat into the shop. Wang Cuicui wiped the sweat off her forehead, turned around, and froze for a moment before happily asking, “Dongzi, what brings you here?”
“I just came to see you guys, and handle a few things,” Wei Dong said, placing the barrel on the nearby shelf.
He also noticed a couple of familiar customers and nodded to greet them.
Tang Mei turned to greet him and called out to the customers who wanted to buy marinated meat, quickly getting back to work.
Wei Dong glanced around. There wasn’t much for him to help with, so he went out the back door.
In the yard, Tang Erhu was sitting on a bench, resting. When he saw Wei Dong come in, he asked, “You ran over early in the morning, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just came to take a look, and handle a few things,” Wei Dong shook his head, looking at the two large pots in the yard, which had been rekindled to boil.
“That pot’s going to stew for an hour, right?”
Tang Erhu nodded. "It needs to stew, then soak. If it’s not soaked long enough, the flavor won’t be strong. Our marinated meat broth has been used for so long. It’s been passed down since we first opened the shop, and it smells so good. There are still people wanting to buy the old broth, but I never sell it."
Wei Dong smiled and nodded. “That’s right, we can’t sell it. If we did, there’d be no market for our own.”
“Exactly,” Tang Erhu suddenly became a bit agitated. “Last year, when we closed the shop for a long time, someone started copying our marinated meat and sold it at a cheaper price!”
Wei Dong raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. “I didn’t hear anything about that.”
“What could we say? You guys are so busy. Besides, the taste of our food... people crave it every day. Even if we don’t open the shop, once we do, you’ll see, they’ll come rushing back for it,” Tang Erhu said with confidence.
When they first opened the shop in town, he was anxious and uncertain. For someone who had lived off farming for so many years, running a business seemed like an impossible dream!
But his son had worked hard and made it look like a real success.
They both chatted for a few more minutes. Then Wei Dong glanced at the sky and said, “Dad, I’m going out for a bit. Don’t worry about lunch for me.”
“Alright, go ahead, but be careful drinking. Don’t forget, you’ll need to catch the cart later,” Tang Erhu said, watching him head toward the back door.
Wei Dong nodded. “I know.”
The shop was called Wang’s Wine Shop. It had been in town for many years, and Wei Dong’s father used to buy alcohol there when Wei Dong was little.
"The Wang Family's Wine Shop has been around for at least thirty to fifty years. The business has always been the same. Their wine is just regular, turbid wine—not like your family’s clear wine," The shopkeeper said as he popped a peanut into his mouth, chewing and chatting with Wei Dong.
"Old Wang is sixty-three this year. After all these years, he’s saved quite a bit of money. He should be at the age to enjoy his grandkids, but the problem is, he can’t find anyone to take over the business."
Wei Dong raised an eyebrow. "No sons?"
"Five sons," The shopkeeper said with a chuckle, holding up five fingers. "But none of them understand filial piety."
Wei Dong wasn’t very interested in family gossip, but he needed to ensure there wouldn’t be any problems if he took over the tavern. So, he asked, "If he sells the shop, does his family agree?"
After all, it was a profitable business. Even though he was getting older, Old Wang still had the skills. If necessary, he could even direct the workers to keep things running.
Why would he have to sell the shop?
Wei Dong was thinking to himself that if the shop was for sale and Old Wang hadn’t discussed it with his family, then he’d have to think twice. He didn’t want to get involved in family disputes.
"Old Wang is determined to sell, and no one can stop him. I asked him once, and he said his five sons can't endure hardship or handle the work. They didn't even bother to learn his craft properly. All they care about is dividing the money and living an easy life. He’s scolded and beaten them, but it’s useless. So, he decided to sell the shop, and now no one’s looking after it,"
The shopkeeper said as he took a sip of the liquor. The spicy alcohol slid down his throat, making him squint his eyes in pleasure. He put the glass down and smacked his lips. "Ah, that’s good!"
Wei Dong couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him enjoying the drink. He asked, "So, the shop is transferable?"
"Yeah," The shopkeeper replied, nodding. "The location is still good. It’s a two-courtyard layout—front for the shop, back for living quarters, and there are workspaces too. If you buy it, just tidy it up and you can start using it right away."
The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together, clearly excited, and asked, "Does your husband really agree to sell liquor in town?"
Wei Dong nodded. "Yes."
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. If Wei Dong and Tang Xu really took over the shop, he wouldn’t have to be stingy on himself and could enjoy his share of the good liquor without holding back!
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