Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 990 The Wine Cellar (New book seeking collection and recommendations)

The building didn't have a particularly distinctive style; it looked quite ordinary and bland. Miler, however, put some thought into it by building a large, European-style gatehouse in the very center, with a manor-style entrance and church-style windows on either side.

However, the solemn European-style gatehouse paired with the church-style pointed windows, with balloons and colorful flags hanging up, looks awkward no matter how you look at it.

There must have been flagpoles added to the rooftop; a row of red flags are now fluttering in the wind.

Chen Hui laughed and said, "Looking up there, it looks like a plenary meeting; looking down there, it looks like a tacky yet Westernized wedding. If we added a few more helium balloons, it would be perfect."

A window on the second floor opened, and Miler poked her head out: "Xiaowei, Xiaohui, come up, come up."

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui slipped past the busy crowd and entered the building through the main entrance. Inside was a hall, with the stairwell to the side. The hall was decorated with wood, which seemed nice; the large, rough wooden frames gave it a primitive, natural feel. But what was with the baby's breath hanging down there?

Going up the stairs, old photos hung on the walls, all of them from vineyards brought back from abroad. On the second floor, the right side had been opened up to form a large lobby, while the left side housed offices. Miler stood in the doorway of the innermost office, looking this way, and waved to the two people she saw: "Over here, over here."

This is Miler's office, somewhat modeled after his father, Mayor Miler's, office. It's over 300 square meters, complete with a break room, restroom, reception area, and office space. There are already five or six people sitting on the sofa inside, turning their heads to look over.

"How is it? Give me some feedback." Miler asked Xiaowei eagerly, like a child who had just received a cool toy.

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "It's great, it's lively."

Chen Hui said, "There's no sign. Why don't you put one up?"

Miler said, "No, I plan to make it a membership system so that not so many people will know about it."

Xiao Wei said, "That's a good idea. Are there private rooms upstairs? What's on both sides of the first floor? I don't see the foyer connecting to either side."

Miler said, "The kitchen is on the left, with a hidden door that leads down from the basement. Behind the staircase in the lobby is another staircase leading down. The right side is empty; we haven't decided what to do with it yet. Someone suggested using it as a dormitory. Upstairs, the third floor has private rooms for karaoke, and the fourth floor has guest rooms."

Chen Hui said, "Setting up a dormitory would be fine. It would be more convenient for the staff to live here. You'll definitely be staying up late tonight. Besides, living here can also help to win people's hearts, and the influence from outside will be much smaller."

Miler said, "I'm planning to move the dormitories underground. I feel it's a bit of a waste to put the dormitories on this floor. What do you guys think? The wine cellar takes up half of the space below, and the whole area below is empty, semi-underground, and not damp."

Xiao Wei said, "Then why don't you just open up half of the first floor and turn it into a high-end shopping mall, specializing in foreign wines and cigars, bottle openers and lighters, baijiu, red wine, champagne, beer, and all kinds of alcohol and cigarettes from different countries?"

Miler thought for a moment, clapped her hands and said, "That's a good idea, okay, I'll do as you say, I'll get someone to do it tomorrow. Xiaowei, you're the most reliable one. They also said we could rent them out and turn them into individual storefronts for rent, I almost did it, but then my dad said it would be a bit messy and lower the overall quality."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's build another gate across the street, this European style would be fine, and change the windows to those domed ones, and don't put up any signs."

Chen Hui said, "Use as much wood as possible, the darker the color, it's heavy and looks impressive."

Xiao Wei said to Chen Hui, "That's called class, can't we be less vulgar?"

Chen Hui curled his lip: "That's not impressive. Miler, when I see those shops on the streets abroad, they all have some kind of retractable awnings outside the windows, installed on the outside of the first-floor windows. They look pretty nice. You could get one."

Mile asked, "Where can I buy them?"

Chen Hui thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Forget it, just take the dimensions, and I'll have someone bring it back for you from overseas. They have it in Hong Kong."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's go check your cellar. Has the wine arrived?"

Miler said, "We're here, seventeen kinds. I didn't know about this stuff before, storing it is quite a hassle, I've really learned how now." He turned to the sofa and said, "Guys, you guys sit down first, I'm going downstairs for a bit."

The three of them went downstairs, followed the steps behind the first-floor staircase to the basement, and used a key to open the wooden door to the wine cellar. Inside was a secluded area; another door led to the main wine cellar. "They even installed an air conditioner and a ventilation system for these wines," Miler said, turning on the lights.

Rows and rows of wine racks, each labeled with a number, and at the very back, a row of oak barrels. The entire space is filled with the aroma of wine, like stepping into a spring garden.

Xiao Wei said, "It smells really good, but it doesn't taste very good. I can't get used to drinking anything except champagne."

Chen Hui said, "That's because you're unsophisticated and can't tell the difference between good and bad. Anyway, as long as it's sweet, that's fine with you."

Miler said, "I didn't understand before, but now I know that really good wine is made without sugar. One sip and you feel like you're choking, and it's a bit sour. I don't like it either. Haha, I also think sweet wine tastes better."

Miler went over and looked at the thermometer and hygrometer, saying, "Want some? There's new wine in that barrel, sold in bulk. It's sweet."

Chen Hui shook his head, reached out and touched the wine rack, took out a bottle of wine and looked at it, then asked Xiao Wei, "When will your wine cellar in the yard be ready to use? Let's get one of these too, it would be so comfortable."

Xiao Wei rubbed his eye, thought for a moment, and said, "If you want to do it, just do it. It'll be quick, won't it? The key is that we thought it was simple from the start. What's the point of doing that? Who's going to drink all that alcohol? You?"

Chen Hui said, "Just keep the good ones. These things don't spoil easily. Collect some good, famous ones and keep them. Besides, hey, what do you think? How about we set up a club like this in your annex building? It's for members."

Xiao Wei said, "Then why don't we use your yard? Anyway, your aunt and uncle have gone to Kyoto, so they're just sitting around doing nothing."

Chen Hui paused for a moment, then asked, "What about me? Where will I stay?"

Xiao Wei said, "Where do you live now? It's not like you can go back to live there. That courtyard is quite suitable, but there's not much parking."

Miler said, "Let's open one if there's a suitable location. We can make it a chain, and the memberships can be used interchangeably, okay?"

Xiao Wei said, "That's fine. I'll think about it when I get back. Have you hired anyone for the opening tomorrow?"

Miler said, "I've invited them all. I've sent invitations to all the prominent families in the province, and the performance troupes they've invited will perform tomorrow."

Xiao Wei said, "You also need to invite your dad, but it has to be done separately."

Chen Hui asked, "What kind of performance?"

Miler said, "Ladyboys, I'll show you what I'm made of tomorrow."

In the early 90s, ladyboy shows suddenly became popular in Northeast China for some unknown reason. Whether they were real or fake, it was unclear. They were heavily made up, wore wigs, and sang loudly, twisting and turning to music. The audiences were huge, and all kinds of venues, from high-end to low-end, were putting them on. Nobody knew where they came from. And the tickets weren't cheap.

I should be at the station by now. I hope this trip has been fruitful.

(End of this chapter)