Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 186 is my guarantee!

Zhai Da pondered for a moment.

"I don't have experience in this area, but if you're asking for my opinion, at least your judgment is correct: craft beer will become the mainstream of 'premium beer consumption' in the future, and it will grow very quickly."

"But whether you can do this depends on the specific circumstances. There are many profitable projects, but that doesn't mean that every one of them can be implemented."

Wu Yue pointed to the equipment and said, "That's why I asked you to take a look. I had a good chat with the bartender. He said the boss imported this equipment from Germany for over 300,000 yuan. It can't be bought domestically. But no matter how I look at it, I don't think it has any technological content. You know about this. Do you think the price is too high?"

Such a small piece of equipment cost over 300,000 yuan, which only shows that the domestic craft beer market is still a new thing, and foreigners have ripped them off.

Based on Harbin's prices in 08, opening this bar would probably only cost three or four hundred thousand yuan.
Zhai Da was also a little curious, so he got up and walked towards the bar.

The bartender immediately asked, "What do you need, sir?"

Zhai Da casually ordered a cocktail and then sat down in the seat closest to the equipment.

He flicked his fingers lightly.
Well, the stainless steel and brass color are probably just for decoration.

Then he carefully observed the overall structure of the equipment. He didn't understand food or brewing, but he knew about machining. He could easily guess the function of the pipes and valves.

Pressure gauge, thermometer, observation port
I touched the surface and the temperature was different. Considering the thickness I estimated from the tapping earlier, it needs to have a better insulation effect. The heating should be electric, but the bar counter probably can't be connected to natural gas, although natural gas would be cheaper.

In the corner, there was a small canister that looked like an oxygen cylinder, labeled CO2. Wow, so that's how the beer gets its gas? I've been drinking beer for half my life and I never knew that.
Excluding some instruments, this thing is made entirely of stainless steel. At most, the sealing and heat insulation are somewhat technically advanced, but what's inside is another matter. But I reckon a small-scale food processing workshop couldn't possibly be that sophisticated.

This thing is ridiculously expensive, costing over 300,000! What's the difference between this and robbery?
Indeed, some things are more expensive the earlier they are produced, because more people have to pay the "intelligence tax" for them.

As I was mentally complaining, I suddenly heard a familiar name behind me.

"Xiao Bai, have a couple more drinks with me, I'll take you home tonight."

"No, no, I can't drink anymore, my stomach is so bloated!"

Zhai Da turned his head and thought to himself, no wonder the auto-aiming system was on just now, it turns out it was his personal mentor Jiang Xiaobai.

The counselor didn't dress up just because she was in a nice bar; she seemed to still be wearing her daytime work clothes, which were old-fashioned and ill-fitting. Sitting there, her back view made her look at least ten years older, so I didn't recognize her before.

Now that they were close by, Jiang Xiaobai's face was flushed, as if he was already too drunk to hold his liquor.

The person drinking with Jiang Xiaobai was also a woman, who looked a few years older, but was dressed much more fashionably and attractively than Jiang Xiaobai.

Running into his advisor off-campus, especially in a bar, felt a bit awkward, so Zhai Da decided to just slip away quietly.

Then, right after that, I heard...
"Tell me again about that troublesome top scholar? Weren't you just berating him quite enthusiastically?"

Zhai Da:
Jiang Xiaobai quickly waved his hand: "I didn't curse anyone, I just said that he was under a lot of work pressure but he's still a very nice person."

Zhai Da nodded inwardly, thinking, "You're honest."

"He's just too fussy."

Zhai Da: ? ? ?
Jiang Xiaobai wailed, "I originally thought that managing just two students wouldn't be too busy, but I found out that I'm completely overwhelmed. Today, I had to find six teachers for him because he wanted to skip class but still get participation grades. When the teachers heard about it, they all thought I was joking."

The stylishly dressed woman opposite laughed and said, "Who told you Harbin Institute of Technology to spoil him like that? He's the top student they recruit only once every few decades. If he were at our school, it would probably be even worse; they'd even arrange for girlfriends to be assigned to us."

Jiang Xiaobai chuckled dryly and said, "Why would a top scorer in the college entrance exam choose your school? What would they want?"

"Is it because we have so many beautiful girls? By the way, what does your top scorer look like? Is he as handsome in person as he is online?"

Jiang Xiaobai thought for a moment, then said with hazy eyes, "If I had to say, I think he looks better in person. I've secretly searched for his photos online, but they're too unreal. He's more sunny and has a great sense of humor in person."

Zhai Da nodded to himself: Yes, I've forgiven Jiang Xiaobai.

Wait, does what I did count as eavesdropping?

No, those two women were chatting too, weren't they? How can you call it eavesdropping on my business?

The woman opposite him was quite dashing. She lit a cigarette, puffed out smoke, and said:
"Don't you have any ideas? You know Li Yan from our college, right? That old woman is cunning. As a counselor, she knows the family situation of all the students. She directly picked the richest one and pursued him relentlessly until she won him over. Your family's top scorer probably earns a lot too. Aren't you tempted? You stayed on at the university right after graduation, and you're only four years older than her."

Jiang Xiaobai quickly waved his hand, his face turning even redder: "They're a couple, no, that's not the point. I'm a teacher, what kind of joke is this! I'll be struck by lightning!"

The man exhaled a practiced smoke ring that struck Jiang Xiaobai's "Will of D," and as a little B, she felt a pang of envy:
"Hehe, what era are we living in that you still think about being struck by lightning? You have to do all the bad things to get all the good things. You're all only a hundred or so pounds of flesh, don't you have to plan things out properly? Li Yan's belly is already big, she's just waiting for the little boy to graduate."

Jiang Xiaobai's eyes widened: "But this semester has just begun, how can we wait? It's not like I'm pregnant with Nezha."

"Are you stupid? It's precisely because we can't wait that we have a chance; we're forcing you to get the marriage certificate first."

Zhai Da's eyes widened, wondering if the counselor circle was really this chaotic.
That's not right. I never encountered anything like this even when I was in college in my previous life.
Was it because I was poor back then?
The woman drinking with Jiang Xiaobai was quite pretty, but she was a bit outspoken and the conversation was getting increasingly rambling. Zhai Da thought to himself that he should just quietly retreat.

But Jiang Xiaobai turned out to be a really nice person.

The main thing is that they have good taste; they know he's more handsome in person than in photos.

Zhai Da retreated to a corner, and Wu Yue asked in confusion, "Why did you take so long? How was it? Was that equipment worth over 300,000?" Zhai Da took another sip of the craft beer in front of him, confirming that it was indeed very ordinary and common, and after a moment's thought, said:

"I don't know anything about brewing, but if it doesn't involve any core technology, the cost would be at most 20,000 to 30,000 yuan."

Wu Yue asked in surprise, "Twenty or thirty thousand?"

Isn't that ten times cheaper?!

Zhai Da nodded and said, "The specific figures are related to the size of the product. Of course, I'm referring to direct costs; indirect costs also include tools, space, yield rate, manufacturer's profit, and so on."

Can you do it?

Zhai Da shook his head directly: "I have five big classes a day, what a joke, and besides, I don't even have a venue. But Old Xu at the entrance of Utopia can do it. Just give him a sample to study, and he'll definitely be able to make it, maybe even better quality. He knows where to get the materials he needs."

Are you planning to sell equipment or supply alcohol?

Wu Yue said, "We'll supply the wine first, and then expand as needed. If the equipment isn't technically advanced, it will definitely become more widespread in the future, but by then we'll have already made money, and it'll be too late to change our approach. I'll use craft beer to open up the distribution channels, and with those channels in hand, it'll be easy to do whatever we want."

Wu Yue quickly considered the situation. He had initially thought the job was manageable, but the equipment price was a bit higher than expected, which would lead to a high fixed investment. Now, he felt reassured.

Not to mention the whole of Harbin or even further afield, the market in Nangang District alone has great potential, and as for sales channels, that's precisely where he's most confident.

Zhai Da gave a heads-up: "Alcohol has always been profitable, but alcohol has always been associated with a bit of 'dirt'. Craft beer can bypass the traditional alcohol market through regional distribution, but if you sell in large quantities, there's no guarantee that someone won't trip you up."

Wu Yue chuckled: "I expected it, but I don't think it's a big problem, especially if they play dirty tricks."

That might not be as dirty as me.
Zhai Da nodded and said, "Give it a try. There's no such thing as starting a business without competition and trial and error. At least it sounds plausible. Do you have enough money? I'd like to invest some."

Wu Yue clinked glasses with Zhai Da: "Of course, it's safest to do things with my brothers, but let me give you a heads-up: if it really works out, I plan to make the money-sharing rules a little different from the market rules."

Zhai Da was taken aback: "What do you mean? You're not like the market, what do you want to be like?"

"I want to be like you."

"I?"

Wu Yue breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both reassured by his good brother's support and satisfied with making a major decision.

Like many of his fellow Utopia friends, he witnessed miracles in his purest years.

Zhai Da's actions actually had a far greater impact than he imagined.

At least for Wu Yue, it redefined his views on money and career.

He felt that only by doing this could he truly "build a career" in the way he envisioned, and be befitting the identity of a member of a utopia.

At eighteen or nineteen years old, what's wrong with being a little wild?
Is there anyone more arrogant than him?
"If this can be accomplished, I also want to live like Utopia."

Zhai Da looked at Wu Yue and said seriously, "But this is much more complicated. You're not just facing a group of classmates anymore."

Wu Yue opened his arms wide, his tone filled with enjoyment: "I know, but does that matter? Whether we're classmates or not, we can all be 'like-minded' or 'comrades-in-arms'. With a little effort and step-by-step exploration, we can eventually gather the right people to work together."

For a moment, Zhai Da felt a sense of absurdity.
An absurd shock
Wu Yue said confidently and frankly:

“I believe that if other people in Utopia start their own businesses in the future, they will think back to this summer. At least it will be an option for everyone. I have just chosen this option. Only in this way do I feel that doing business is exciting! Otherwise, I would prefer to be a free and unrestrained city hunter. Zhai Da, you have made me realize that people need to know how to make money, but money is not everything.”

"So what if I fail? What's wrong with taking some detours in starting a business? Does having all the money in my hands guarantee success? Is that the key to building a business?"

Zhai Da thought for a moment, then shook his head and said with a wry smile, "You're such a braggart. Stop talking big and get some results first!"

"Would you invest in this kind of project? You might not get a return matching your investment, right?"

Zhai Da and Wu Yue exchanged a glance and gave each other a heavy high five.

"I'm paying for it all!"

Things are getting interesting!

A bald man at the table behind them stood up: "Hey bro, you're from Baotou too? What a coincidence! Want to grab a drink?"

Zhai Da:
Wu Yue:
Both of them burst into laughter, leaving the bald man completely bewildered.

As he was laughing, Zhai Da suddenly realized something.
Since ancient times, wine has been stained with dust. If Wu and Yue were to truly continue their utopian model of distribution according to work...
That group would probably be quite loyal and energetic!
　My biological clock is completely messed up, so I'm giving you all a shout-out.
　　For some reason, I'm not in the right frame of mind during the day, but my thoughts flow smoothly at night. I was originally planning to compile a backlog of chapters for everyone after the Spring Festival to prepare for a big update, but now I'm in a state of ecstasy myself.

　　One last thing: there has been a lot of discussion about the utopian model, and I've been considering writing a separate chapter about it, but I've ultimately decided against it.

　　In fact, "distribution according to work" and "joint shareholding" are not the same thing. Having a sense of social responsibility to do charity is also not the same thing as "distribution according to work". This is just how it is. Any roundabout way is just "unwillingness". It is easy to blame others, but difficult to restrain oneself. After all, this is a novel. Everyone can judge it according to their own ideas, but there is no need to take it too seriously.

　　Believe in the power of belief, at least let it have the right to exist in novels.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)