Top Scholar

Chapter 40: May our sales be phenomenal!!!
Just then, my uncle came with a food box to deliver the meal. Seeing everyone still gathered in the distillery, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "What's going on? Are you really going to brew wine?"

"Here, try this." Su Youcai handed the bowl to his elder brother.

The uncle glanced warily at the juicer and the tangerine peels on the ground, but still took the bowl, sighed and said, "As long as it calms you down, I'll drink it no matter how sour it is."

With a determined look, he tilted his head back and took a big gulp, then gritted his teeth and waited for the sourness to wash over him, making him shiver. But all his tension was for nothing; far from being overwhelmed by the sourness, it actually tasted surprisingly sweet and sour.

He smacked his lips, took another sip, and gave a thumbs up, saying, "It's delicious! Is it sweetened with sugar or honey?"

“Then don’t worry about it,” Su Youcai asked. “Just say that Jinbao wants to drink at the temple fair. How much are you willing to pay for a bowl of this?”

"I'll buy it no matter the price, as long as I can afford it," the uncle said matter-of-factly. Jinbao means Su Youjin's precious treasure...

"Then how much do you think is worth buying?" Su Youcai asked in a different phrasing.

"Two coins?" the uncle pondered. "Three coins seems a bit expensive."

"Why?" Su Lu asked.

“Three copper coins can buy a bowl of loose liquor. You can’t possibly sell it for more than white liquor, can you?” Uncle said. “But the loose liquor at the market is all diluted with water. It’s far inferior to our homemade liquor. I never drink it.”

"You've got to say both the truth and the sarcasm all by yourself..." Su Youcai said speechlessly.

"Then we'll dilute it too!" Su Lu said in a deep voice. "Since we can't raise the price, we'll find a way to lower the cost!"

Madam He glanced at Su Lu; in fact, she was just about to say something like that…

"Is this appropriate?" Su Tai scratched the back of his head. "My master said that only unscrupulous merchants dilute wine with water."

"It's different," Su Lu said matter-of-factly. "We dilute it with water to neutralize the acidity of the orange juice, and with the cool, sweet well water from Erlangtan, it will definitely taste even better." The Wumeng Mountain area is already considered subtropical; people drink cold water all year round, even their large bowls of tea are cooled down before drinking.

“Indeed.” The uncle, who also had the potential to be a shrewd businessman, agreed wholeheartedly. “A sweet and sour taste is enough. Do you expect to drink fine wine for three coins?”

"Ordinary people rarely eat sugar on a daily basis, so there's really no need for it to be so sweet. A little sweetness is enough to attract people." The young widow coughed lightly; birds of a feather flock together, as the saying goes.

“I just calculated that three tangerines weigh about one pound and can make one bowl of juice. There are a total of three thousand pounds of tangerines in the storeroom. Even without considering losses, it can only make three thousand bowls of juice.”

“A bowl costs three coins, which is nine thousand coins.” The uncle clicked his tongue and said, “A full nine taels of silver, that’s quite a lot.”

“But it cost five taels of silver just to buy these tangerines,” Madam He explained. “What I mean is, it’s not worth selling them too cheaply.”

“If you feel bad about diluting orange juice with water, then we can just not call it orange juice.” Even Su Youcai came to the same conclusion, clapping his hands and laughing, “For example, we can call it ‘Kumquat Honey Dew.’ And how we mix it is entirely up to us, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes, scholars always have the most ingenious ideas.” Uncle laughed. “Even if I add ten times the amount of water, you can only say that the honeydew tastes bland, not that I diluted it with water.”

"Is that how it is?" Su Tai scratched his head. Because he wasn't shrewd enough, he seemed out of place among this group.

So, with four votes in favor and one abstention, the decision was made to dilute the orange juice with water.

No, it's about mixing water to create a completely new drink!

Experiments have shown that the flavor is best when water and orange juice are mixed in equal proportions. Furthermore, the water volume should not exceed twice the volume of the orange juice, otherwise the flavor will be bland.

“Then let’s make two drinks.” This was no problem for Su Lu. He suggested, “A 1:1 ‘Kumquat Honey Dew’ will cost five coins; a 1:2 version will be called ‘Sweet Honey’ and will cost three coins!”

“Then it’s more cost-effective for customers to buy Sweet Honey.” He Chengshi calculated the cost instantly.

"Our main principle is not to rip off the poor," Su Lu nodded. "If you want better drinks, you have to pay more. That makes sense, right?"

"That makes sense, absolutely right." Everyone agreed wholeheartedly.

So the product design and pricing were finalized. After thinking about it, the uncle still said with some concern, "I still think it's too expensive."

“Uncle, you have to understand people’s psychology. People say ‘good things aren’t cheap.’ If you set the price higher, people will subconsciously assume your stuff is better,” Su Lu said with a smile.

"Then everyone will choose the cheaper one, right?" the uncle said.

“That’s how it is normally, but people only go to temple fairs during the Lunar New Year once a year. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy something nice? Setting the prices a little higher, but not so high that people can’t afford them, and then doing a little hype, will actually encourage people to try it,” Su Lu said confidently.

"What does 'hype' mean?" Su Tai asked, not understanding.

"It's about using publicity to create momentum and attract public attention," Su Lu explained in a low voice.

Madam He nodded and said, "What Qiu-ge said makes a lot of sense. That's just how we women are. Often, the more expensive something is, the more we want to buy it..."

He said somewhat guiltily, "Of course I'd be even more eager to buy if it were cheaper."

"Hmm, that makes some sense." The uncle touched his forehead, thinking that when he occasionally went to those kinds of places, he would try to choose the more expensive ones and not just the cheap ones.

I'm going to a tea shop to buy tea, don't get the wrong idea...

“And we can make it look even more valuable!” Su Lu said, placing a bamboo tube on the table.

This is also part of Heji Winery's inventory, originally intended for storing orange wine.

But a small hole was drilled in the center of the top of the bamboo tube. After filling it with kumquat honey drink and putting the top on, Su Lu inserted a wheat straw into the small hole, held the bamboo tube with one hand, and drank the beverage by sucking along the wheat straw.

"This method is quite novel." Su Youcai gave a thumbs up again. "Everyone knows that you can use bamboo tubes to hold water and wheat straws to absorb water, but I haven't seen anyone think of combining the two." "This method is ingenious." Madam He saw the key point: "This way, customers don't have to finish drinking at our stall. They can take it with them and drink as they walk, without affecting their shopping at all."

"Moreover, customers walking around with bamboo tubes and taking sips every now and then is great publicity for us. I believe many people will want to try this novel way of drinking after seeing it!" Su Lu added, then asked his uncle:
Do you still think it's expensive?

"It's not expensive at all." The uncle smiled as he held up the bamboo tube. "I would have tried it even if it were more expensive, just for the sake of trying something new."

“We need to focus on volume in the beverage business, so the price shouldn’t be too high,” Su Lu said. “However, our volume is also limited, so the price shouldn’t be too low either.”

These days, there are no suppliers to replenish your stock. Once your inventory is depleted, that's it—at least that's how it is in these mountains.

"So it can't be too high or too low, three or five coins is indeed suitable." Uncle patted Su Lu on the shoulder and praised, "Being smart is really great, you can do anything well!"

“However, there’s a problem with this method…” Madam He Cheng whispered again, “These bamboo tubes are carefully selected, the inner membrane is removed, and they are boiled and dried before they are suitable for use. Each one costs only one coin.”

She paused for a moment and then said with concern, "Besides, Curry only has these two thousand, and once they're used up, we won't be able to get any more for a while."

“Indeed, freshly cut bamboo has a slightly fishy smell, and it makes water taste astringent when filled with it,” Su Tai nodded in agreement.

“It’s alright, we can use a ‘refund the bottle and get your deposit back’ system to achieve recycling. This method can also encourage customers to return to our stall and increase repeat purchases.” Su Lu had already considered the whole picture.

"Return the bottle and get your deposit back? You're really something else!" Even the uncle was completely convinced this time.

Therefore, everyone unanimously elected Su Lu as the 'Commander of the Sweet Water Campaign', responsible for coordinating the entire production and sales process.

With tuition fees at stake, Su Lu couldn't hold back any longer. Without hesitation, he efficiently assigned tasks...

"Second Brother, you'll still be in charge of sweet mash production. Grandma Li will help you start the fire." Su Lu said in a deep voice, "Pay attention to the batches. Starting today, produce seventy to eighty catties of sweet mash every day. Don't stop until I tell you to."

“Alright.” Su Tai replied in a deep voice, “Two jin of sorghum can produce one jin of sweet wine, so you need to give me two hundred jin of sorghum every day.”

Madam He nodded and said, "There are over a thousand catties of broken sorghum in the warehouse, enough for five days."

Sorghum is cheap to begin with, and for some reason, all the sorghum in her yard was crushed, making it even less valuable.

“That’s enough. If everything goes smoothly, we can use up all the tangerines in the warehouse in five days.” Su Lu nodded and then instructed, “Boss lady, you are responsible for boiling all the bamboo tubes again and cleaning them thoroughly. Food safety is the most important thing in this business; if someone gets sick from drinking them, we’re doomed.”

"Alright!" Madam He nodded and rolled up her sleeves. This was the first time she had regained her enthusiasm since the major upheaval in her family!

"What can I do?" Xiaotiantian also raised her hand, volunteering.

"You'll be your mother's assistant," Su Lu said with a gentle smile.

"And what about your dad?" Su Youcai was also eager to ask.

“Dad’s task is not easy either.” Su Lu counted on his fingers and said, “You have to write the signs and flags for our stall, and you also have to make sure the bamboo tubes are properly marked, firstly to distinguish between the two types of drinks, and secondly to make it easier to tell them apart when returning the bottles.”

"What about me?" Uncle also volunteered, "Seeing that you are all so busy during the New Year, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

“There really is something that needs to be done by your uncle.” Su Lu laughed, “How do we transport this stall to Taiping Town? Once we get there, which port should we visit, and where should we set up the stall? Only your uncle can handle these things.”

"Haha, you've got a good eye for talent!" Uncle was flattered and patted his chest, saying, "Don't worry, your uncle is a big shot in Taiping Thousand Household Garrison, he can do whatever he wants. Just leave these things to me!"

"Uncle is so reliable!" Although the brother who was supporting him no longer believed his story, he still immediately flattered him.

~~
Over the next two days, everyone worked diligently and enthusiastically, each fulfilling their assigned duties. Finally, on the evening of the third day of the Lunar New Year, everything was ready.

Before dawn on the fourth day, the four men of the Su family had already carried everything they needed up and down the river several times, transporting it from the He family's winery to the riverside pier.

These things are really heavy; the oranges, sweet rice wine, and well water alone weigh two thousand catties. There are also two thousand bamboo tubes, various tools and utensils... Fortunately, my uncle and Su Tai are both as strong as oxen, each doing the work of two.

Although the two scholars were weak, they tried their best. Even the three young widows did their best to help carry things.

Everyone did their best to escape their predicaments...

Before dawn, everything was loaded onto the ship.

Seeing that his uncle had found a crooked boat, Su Youcai whispered, "This kind of boat isn't cheap for a trip."

"Yeah, that brat charges me a hundred coins a day," the uncle said, wincing.

"It's just that there's no work during the New Year. I wouldn't do it on any other day." The old boatman wasn't afraid of that lowly flag officer.

"If I wasn't worried about damaging the tangerines, I wouldn't have chartered your boat," the uncle retorted first, then laughed, "But if we're going by water, we should definitely find this old man; he's safe."

“Uncle is right, we can’t skimp on this money.” Su Lu nodded. Having witnessed the tragedy that befell the young widow’s family, he was filled with awe for the Chishui River, his mother river.

What about his father and brothers? In the end, the family split into two groups: one group went by boat, and the other group went on foot. This way, they wouldn't be wiped out all at once, and the boat was lighter, making it safer.

Fortunately, the weather cooperated, and there was no wind on the river. The old boatman sailed the boat safely to the Taiping Town dock.

The dock was already packed with boats, all coming from all directions to attend the temple fair.

"Come on, let's wish us a big success!" Su Lu stretched his arms and legs, ready to go all out!
(End of this chapter)