Chapter 31: The Urge To Drink A Little More!
Lu Qian had been drinking alcohol for most of his life.
From loose wine costing a few yuan from a street corner convenience store to dry red wine costing over a hundred thousand yuan a bottle.
White, beer, red, yellow, he had drunk and tasted all kinds of wine.
Like the Nü Hong’er that Jiang Tao brought out today, with its mellow and soft aroma and sufficient age.
It was the first time in his life he had tasted it!
“Xiao Jiang, your old man really knows how to store wine!”
“As the saying goes, good wine is 30% brewing and 70% storage.”
“It’s already difficult enough for Nü Hong’er to not spoil after being stored for over 20 years.”
“It’s even more remarkable to have stored it to achieve such a wonderful taste!”
Lu Qian drank the Nu’er Hong from the enamel basin in one gulp, giving Jiang Tao a thumbs up in praise.
“Xiao Jiang, how much do you plan to sell this wine for?”
“If the price is fair, I know many friends who love to drink, and I can introduce some clients to you.”
Lu Qian was almost hooked by Jiang Tao’s Nu’er Hong and proactively inquired about the price after praising it.
For a wine lover like Lu Qian, encountering a good bottle of wine was like a lecher seeing a beautiful woman.
His eyes were almost glowing as he looked at the wine jar!
“Sir, this wine is not mine, I’m just selling it on behalf of someone else, and I can’t decide on the price.”
Jiang Tao smiled helplessly and fabricated without batting an eye:
“My old man sold two jars to a boss who develops real estate in our hometown, for a total of 70,000 yuan.”
“70,000 yuan for two jars?”
Upon hearing Jiang Tao’s quoted price, Lu Qian also gasped.
This price indeed far exceeded his expectations!
“Yes, 70,000 yuan for two jars! My dad was lucky to meet someone who truly loves to drink and has money to spare.”
Jiang Tao continued, “However, this time I’m selling more, and my family urgently needs money for building a house.”
“So the price is much cheaper than what I sold to that developer boss before.”
For 20,000 yuan per jar, you can take it home, whether for yourself or to entertain distinguished guests, and it’s so good no one will complain.
“Xiao Jiang, this wine is indeed excellent, but the price is also truly expensive!”
After hearing Jiang Tao’s mixed truthful and fabricated quote, Lu Qian didn’t immediately decide whether to buy.
“I’ll go back and think about it!”
Lu Qian said, casting a lingering glance at the wine jar on the table, and then stood up from the stool.
“Alright! Sir, please take your time to consider. I brought a total of 15 jars, and so far I’ve only sold 5.”
“This stuff is expensive and sells slowly, I can only sell a few jars a day.”
Jiang Tao also stood up with a smile to see off his landlord, subtly applying some pressure with his words.
Indeed, when Lu Qian heard that Jiang Tao had already sold 5 jars, he suddenly felt a sense of urgency.
It was as if if he acted too slowly, the Nu’er Hong in Jiang Tao’s hands would be sold out!
Moreover, since others had bought it, it meant that many people accepted this price.
This gave Lu Qian a sense of validation.
Although he had only had two small sips just now, the unique mellow aroma and taste of the Nu’er Hong still lingered in his mouth.
The delicate texture was like the smooth skin of a young girl.
The rich aroma was like the faint virgin scent on a young girl’s body.
The long aftertaste upon entering the mouth was like the lingering desire after an intimate encounter.
Lu Qian almost couldn’t resist swiping his card and paying Jiang Tao on the spot to take the Nü Hong’er on the table!
However, in the end, reason triumphed over impulse.
He planned to play hard to get with Jiang Tao a bit longer to see if he could get a better price.
“Landlord, please take care on your way out, I won’t see you off.”
Jiang Tao saw Lu Qian to the door and watched him go down the stairs at the turn of the central hall before returning to his room.
Back in the room, Jiang Tao’s gaze involuntarily fell on the opened jar of Nu’er Hong on the table.
He wanted to drink again!
But in the end, with great willpower, he controlled his impulse to have another tiny sip.
“Besides the landlord, who else can afford such expensive wine…”
“Perhaps, I should try the places that recycle old wine?”
Sitting on the single bed, Jiang Tao smoked a cigarette while strategizing about sales channels in his mind.
He had been drifting in the capital city for so many years, his life revolving around his rental room and the second-hand furniture market.
Apart from being close with Wang Lianming and Liu Zhiyuan, he didn’t have many acquaintances or friends here.
For a moment, he really couldn’t think of anyone to sell the remaining 10 jars of Nu’er Hong to.
He couldn’t pin all his hopes of selling the wine on the landlord.
Jiang Tao acted immediately. He grabbed a black backpack, lined it with a few old clothes from under the bed, and stuffed a jar of Nu’er Hong into it.
He also took a thermos cup and poured a cup from the opened jar to bring along.
This cup in the thermos would serve as a reference for potential buyers, providing concrete evidence.
It was just past 6 PM.
The lighting in the dormitory building was poor, and it was already pitch black inside. However, the sky outside was still somewhat bright and hadn’t completely darkened.
Jiang Tao slung the backpack over his shoulders, carrying it like a baby, and headed straight for a tobacco and alcohol specialty store on Xiao Shahe Street.
As a result, Jiang Tao entered with high expectations and left with deep disappointment.
Damn it, these wine collectors are too greedy!
The intelligence system quoted 20,000 yuan per jar for the old wine, but the unscrupulous merchants at the tobacco and alcohol store only offered 800!
Jiang Tao muttered in his heart that the tobacco and alcohol store owner didn’t recognize its value and moved on to the next place.
From 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM.
Jiang Tao visited a total of 12 tobacco and alcohol specialty stores, and the highest offer he received was only 5,000 yuan per jar!
If it weren’t for the valuation provided by the intelligence system as a reference, Jiang Tao would probably have started to waver by now.
“None of them recognize its worth, I definitely won’t sell it for 5,000 yuan!”
“I feel like this is just like the lucky number bill I sold before, it can only be sold at the right price to the right person.”
“Right, if it’s really difficult to sell, I can try taking it to the Antique Street.”
On the way home, Jiang Tao suddenly had an inspiration, recalling his previous experience selling a lucky number bill.
He searched on his mobile phone and found that there were indeed shops on Antique Street that specialized in buying and selling old wine.
There was even a news report saying that a bottle of Erguotou from over 40 years ago sold for a high price of 40,000 yuan at an old hotel!
Seeing this news, Jiang Tao felt a little invigorated, and the dejection from the series of setbacks that evening instantly disappeared!
The intelligence valuation of 200,000 yuan must have its basis and reasons.
Jiang Tao still had a lot of confidence in the valuation provided by the intelligence system!
It was just like the lucky number bill he had sold before.
Without the system’s valuation, let alone 40,000, he would have sold it for 4,000!
It was already past 10 PM when he took the last bus back to Xiao Shahe.
Back in his rental room, he carefully placed the backpack containing Nu’er Hong under the bed.
After a simple wash, Jiang Tao lay on the bed, listening to something, and waiting for the intelligence to refresh at midnight.
