Chapter 29: The Best Of The Best!
Xiao Shahe Urban Village is home to tens of thousands of migrant workers from Beijing.
Inside the urban village, there’s a mix of people, with businesses from all walks of life.
There are small bosses from wholesale markets earning a million a year, and struggling workers with a salary of four or five thousand a month.
Then there are those like Jiang Tao and Zhang Chao, who own their own trucks and drive around for work, or fruit vendors who are cargo drivers.
Zhang Chao got into the business three years ago with his classmate Liu Zhiyuan, starting to sell fruit at local markets, with an annual income of around eighty to ninety thousand.
His income is considered quite good compared to many who work on assembly lines in factories or in various service industries.
Moreover, the work is relatively more flexible.
However, he enjoys foot massages and spends a considerable amount of money on them each year.
Similar work, similar income.
Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yufei can save sixty to seventy thousand a year, while he can’t even save thirty thousand.
This time, Jiang Tao invited his buddies to chip in and cooperate on a project; Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yufei can each contribute 50,000 yuan to participate.
Only Zhang Chao has no money to participate and can only offer his labor to help out.
Zhang Chao had good luck yesterday, playing Zha Jinhua with Liu Zhiyuan and Shan Yufei until past eleven o’clock at night, winning over 700 yuan, so he decided to reward himself.
He was attended by an elder sister in her forties, with heavy makeup on her face and a body that had lost some of its shape.
Just as Zhang Chao was about to follow the elder sister into a small room, a phone rang, and there was a call.
Seeing that the caller ID displayed “Brother Jiang,” Zhang Chao was taken aback.
It was past midnight, and he couldn’t imagine why Jiang Tao would be calling him.
However, despite his confusion, Zhang Chao signaled to the elder sister to be quiet, and then pressed the button to answer the call.
“Hello Zhang Chao, a driver in our small cargo hauling group just said they saw the anti-prostitution squad coming to sweep Xiao Shahe.”
“You kid likes to have fun, I’m just warning you, don’t run into trouble.”
“Ah? I, I, I’m at home, let them sweep, it doesn’t concern me.”
Zhang Chao said it didn’t concern him, but his heart was extremely nervous.
When it comes to anti-prostitution raids, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Although Zhang Chao liked to have fun, he didn’t want to get caught for it.
If he were arrested for this, and it somehow got back to the village, his reputation would be ruined for life.
Especially for someone unmarried like him, it would greatly affect future blind dates.
“Okay, as long as you’re at home, then it’s nothing, I’m hanging up.”
Jiang Tao hung up the phone after fulfilling his duty to remind him.
After ending the call with Jiang Tao, Zhang Chao’s heart pounded, and his expression turned tense.
After hesitating for three seconds, reason finally triumphed over desire.
“Uh, sister, my buddy said there’s some situation here tonight, I’m going to leave now, you be careful too!”
Before leaving, Zhang Chao didn’t forget to remind the elder sister who was attending to him, and then he quickly ran out of the massage parlor without looking back.
As expected.
Zhang Chao hadn’t even walked 200 meters after leaving when he saw a group of police officers in uniform carrying flashlights approaching him.
Seeing this, Zhang Chao broke out in a cold sweat all over again, feeling a surge of fear.
If not for Jiang Tao’s call just now.
He might have been in the middle of a transaction with that elder sister and been caught red-handed!
One of the police officers looked at Zhang Chao and reminded him:
“Young man, it’s late, you should go home early.”
“Ah, okay, okay, I just finished my night shift and was about to head back.”
Zhang Chao chuckled awkwardly and quickened his pace towards his home.
At the same time, he secretly noted down a favor owed to Jiang Tao in his heart, planning to treat him to a meal another day.
…
6 AM the next morning.
Jiang Tao, Liu Zhiyuan, Shan Yufei, and Zhang Chao, the buddies, had breakfast at “Lao Guo’s Shop.”
A convoy of four trucks then drove towards the Huilongguan Fruit Wholesale Market.
They started hauling goods in the morning, ate a Jianbing Guozi each for lunch, and continued working.
They worked until past 4 PM, finally finishing loading the 10,606 boxes of Satsuma Mandarins ordered from Liu Yue.
Everything was placed in the small courtyard they rented yesterday and today.
After unloading the truck, Jiang Tao took his buddies to a small restaurant in the urban village for a meal.
They were full and satisfied, and it was only a little past 5 PM.
Liu Zhiyuan then invited Shan Yufei and Zhang Chao to his place to play Fight the Landlord.
Jiang Tao didn’t go; he was still thinking about the 10 jars of Nu’er Hong he dug up yesterday.
The wine in his hand was just wine; only when sold would it become money!
He arrived home a little after 5:30 PM, so it wasn’t too late.
However, Jiang Tao rented a place on the shady side, so the room was already dim.
After entering the room and turning on the light, Jiang Tao squatted down and pulled out a jar from under the bed.
“Before I sell it, I should check the quality first!”
“If it’s really good, I’ll keep a couple of jars to give to my father and father-in-law, one each, for Spring Festival.”
Jiang Tao thought to himself as he placed the wine jar on the floor of the rental room.
He began trying to remove the sealing clay from the wine jar using a method he found online.
By this time, all his external debts had been paid off, and he was no longer in debt.
Moreover, the Satsuma Mandarin project was expected to bring him hundreds of thousands in revenue within the next week.
Rewarding himself with a few bottles of fine Nu’er Hong wasn’t a big deal.
Besides, he dug all this wine up himself, he didn’t spend money to buy it.
Thinking this, Jiang Tao felt even more inclined to keep a few jars to treat himself!
After working hard all year, didn’t he deserve to enjoy a bottle of fine wine?
*Crackle crackle crackle*
Jiang Tao quickly knocked off the sealing clay on the wine jar with a small wooden mallet.
The moment he lifted the lid of the wine jar, a rich aroma of wine instantly wafted out.
“So fragrant!”
Jiang Tao sniffed, his eyes lighting up at the intoxicating scent.
The aroma of this Nu’er Hong was quite different from the clear fragrance and soy sauce aroma of ordinary Baijiu.
It was a composite fragrance, composed of esters, alcohols, aldehydes, acids, carbonyl compounds, and other components.
This aroma wasn’t singular but a fusion of multiple elements.
It had the sweet aroma of glutinous rice and longan, the mellow aroma of nuts, and a faint fruity and floral scent.
It was as if the gentleness of the Jiangnan water towns and the sedimentation of time were all infused within it.
The Nu’er Hong in Jiang Tao’s hand, aged for over 20 years.
Its aroma was rich and mellow, with complex layers, truly a top-tier vintage!
He picked up the wine jar and poured half a basin into the enamel basin he usually ate from.
The original Yellow Wine had turned a deep red color, similar to red wine, looking like Jade Nectar.
Jiang Tao took a small sip from the enamel basin, and his eyes instantly lit up.
The moment the Nu’er Hong entered his mouth, the mellow alcoholic liquid bloomed in his mouth.
It wasn’t thin like Baijiu, but possessed a rich, soft texture.
It was like a meticulously prepared milkshake, rich yet delicate.
Every sip brought a perfect fusion of the alcoholic beverage in his mouth, providing an ultimate sense of comfort and enjoyment.
The smoothness felt like a piece of fine silk gently gliding across the skin.
There was no roughness or stimulation whatsoever, only extreme delicacy and gentleness.
Although Jiang Tao wasn’t an expert in alcoholic drinks, he could tell this was definitely a rare and excellent wine!
Aged wine for 20 years, selling for 20,000 yuan a jar, shouldn’t be too expensive, right?
Drinking this kind of wine is not just about the drink, it’s about the taste of history!
