Chapter 30: Selling Medicinal Wine

The Spring Festival holiday passed in the blink of an eye.

That morning, He Yuzhu rose early, ate breakfast with Yushui, and then dropped her off at his master's home.

"Master, this is some wild tea from the mountains I recently acquired. I’ve tried it myself and found it quite good, so I brought some for you to taste," He Yuzhu said, handing two boxes of tea to Fan Dakang.

"Is that so? Then I shall have a taste," Fan Dakang replied, taking the tea.

He opened a box, took a small amount of tea leaves, placed them in a cup, and poured in boiling water. After waiting a moment, he lifted the cup and took a small, gentle sip.

"This tea is excellent. It has a fragrant, refreshing quality that clears the mind," Master Fan Dakang remarked.

After finishing the tea, Fan Dakang said, "Let's go; it's time for work."

Fengzeyuan Restaurant.

Upon arriving at Fengzeyuan, the master went to his office, while He Yuzhu headed to Master Sun’s office.

"Master Sun, a friend gave me some tea over the holidays. They call it wild tea. I’ve had some, and the flavor is quite good, so I brought some for you," He Yuzhu said, handing him a box.

Master Sun did not stand on ceremony and accepted it. "Really? Then I must try it."

He Yuzhu grabbed the thermos and helped Master Sun brew a cup. "Please, have a taste and tell me what you think."

Sun Dahai took a small sip and said, "Not bad at all. Although it’s wild tea, it has a slight bitterness on the tongue that leads to a sweet aftertaste, accompanied by a faint, refreshing fragrance. It’s truly good."

"I'm glad you like it," He Yuzhu replied. "Please, enjoy your tea slowly. I’ll head to the kitchen."

After leaving Sun Dahai’s office, he went to see Manager Luan and gave him a box of tea as well. Finally, he found his senior fellow apprentice, Xu Guowei, and slipped him a box.

"Zhuzi, don't rush off just yet. I have something to ask you," Xu Guowei called out as He Yuzhu turned to leave.

"What is it, Senior Brother?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Do you still have any of that medicinal wine?"

"Wait, Senior Brother, I only gave you that wine before the New Year. Have you finished it already?" He Yuzhu asked in surprise.

"No, that's not it. I had a small gathering with Dongzi during the holidays, and he saw it. He asked what kind of medicinal wine it was and how it worked. I told him it was for kidney health and that the effects were quite good—after drinking it, my back felt warm, and the next day, I didn't feel any soreness or weakness. Dongzi heard that and asked me to help him get some; he’s willing to pay."

"I gave away quite a bit during the holidays, so I don't have much left on hand," He Yuzhu said. "Since he’s willing to pay, I’ll ask around for him, but it’s not cheap."

"That’s fine, just ask. The price is negotiable," the senior brother replied.

***

After parting ways with his senior brother, He Yuzhu went to the Lu cuisine kitchen to greet everyone. Since it was the first day back, there weren't many customers, and Manager Luan let them leave early.

The next day, He Yuzhu found Xu Guowei. "Senior Brother, I asked my friend last night. He can sell it, but it’s very expensive. After all, the medicinal herbs used for soaking are aged and hard to come by."

"As long as it can be sold, what's the price?" the senior brother asked.

"Five yuan per jin. I'm only selling it at this price because of our friendship," He Yuzhu said.

"Understood. I'll go ask him."

After work, Xu Guowei found Wang Dong. "The medicinal wine you asked about has some leads. It’s five yuan per jin. Do you still want it?"

"Yes! The wine I got from you over the holidays was truly effective. Five yuan per jin is a steal; I’d even pay ten," Wang Dong said.

"Alright. I’ll tell Zhuzi tomorrow. How much do you want?"

"Fifty jin to start. If that's not enough, I'll ask for more," Wang Dong said.

"Why do you need so much? Can you even drink that much?"

"It’s not just for me; I need to give some away as gifts," Wang Dong explained.

The next day, Xu Guowei told He Yuzhu, "Dongzi wants quite a bit—fifty jin to start."

"That much? I don't have that much. I only have twenty jin each of 'Green Ant' and 'Red Sleeve.' For any more, he'll have to wait for the next batch to be ready in the second half of the year," He Yuzhu replied.

Scarcity makes things valuable; he couldn't let people think it was easy to come by. Besides, selling too much at once could bring trouble.

"Fine, help me get what you can," the senior brother said.

"Alright, I'll let you know when it's ready."

A few days later, He Yuzhu notified his senior brother that the wine had arrived. "Senior Brother, the wine is here. When will you come by my place to pick it up?"

"Let's say the day after tomorrow. I'll bring Wang Dong with me," he replied.

"Understood. I'll be waiting at home."

On the appointed day, He Yuzhu rose early, went to the adjacent courtyard, and moved the prepared medicinal wine into the main room before heading back home.

Not long after He Yuzhu and Yushui finished their meal, the senior brother arrived with Wang Dong on a tricycle.

"Senior Brother, Brother Dong, welcome to my humble abode," He Yuzhu greeted them.

"If this is a humble abode, then what does that make the crowded compound I live in?" the senior brother laughed.

"Let's not stand on ceremony. Let's go get the wine; Dongzi has other business later," the senior brother added.

He Yuzhu led them to the adjacent main room. "It's all here: five three-jin jars and five one-jin jars, totaling twenty jin of 'Green Ant.' The 'Red Sleeve' is the same."

"No problem. Here is two hundred yuan," Wang Dong said, handing over twenty ten-yuan bills.

He Yuzhu counted them without pretense and pocketed the money. "Exactly two hundred. Let's load the wine."

The three of them loaded the jars onto the tricycle.

"Zhuzi, I noticed a few rooms in this house have collapsed," Wang Dong remarked.

"Ah, yes. The heavy snow over the holidays caused them to cave in," He Yuzhu replied.

"It hasn't collapsed enough, and it's not fast enough, you know what I mean," Wang Dong hinted.

"I understand. Thank you, Brother Dong," He Yuzhu said.

After seeing them off, He Yuzhu returned to the two-courtyard compound. It seemed he needed to take action. If he didn't want others moving in, the only way was to make the place uninhabitable.

Using his space, He Yuzhu began to dismantle the house bit by bit, ensuring no noise was made. He tore down parts of the walls facing the courtyard, collapsed some sections, and left the remainder in a precarious state.

From the outside, the courtyard looked fine, but from the inside, it was a ruin. Anyone wanting to move in would have to demolish and rebuild it, which would be more expensive than just finding a plot of empty land.

A few days later, a neighborhood committee woman came to ask about the condition of the adjacent courtyard. He Yuzhu led her to take a look.

"Oh my, the heavy snow over the holidays must have crushed the roof! Even the parts that didn't collapse have cracked walls and rotted beams. I don't have the money to repair it, so I haven't reported it yet," He Yuzhu lamented.

"What a shame, such a good courtyard," the woman sighed. "I'll help you report it."

Before she left, He Yuzhu slipped her a handful of candies.

"Oh no, I can't take these," she protested.

"Please, take them for the kids to enjoy. It saves me a trip to report it myself, and I'd really appreciate the help."

After much effort, he finally saw her off, successfully pulling off the ruse.