Reborn in a small mountain village in 1991

Chapter 102 The Mastermind Has Been Found

Xu Chunsheng knew that the repeated cancellations of orders from restaurants and customers coming to return goods were the work of competitors, but he did not rashly confront them.

Xu Chunsheng knew that without evidence, even if he went there, he wouldn't be in the right and would only give others grounds for criticism.

After most of the people who had come to the market in town had left, Xu Chunsheng closed the door of the distillery and then took Cheng Runshu home.

After sending Cheng Runshu off, Xu Chunsheng did not go straight home. Instead, he went to find Li Minfu and a few others, who were Xu's uncle's apprentices.

After the furniture ordered by the Liu family was completed last time, Xu Chunsheng asked his uncle to help with some extras.

Uncle Xu assigned these tasks to several apprentices to practice on.

Apprentices were not paid, but Uncle Xu would still give them some pocket money every day.

Therefore, Li Minfu and his group were still willing to help out when there was no work available.

When Xu Chunsheng arrived, the group was resting inside the house.

It was the hottest time of day, around 1 or 2 PM, and three young men sat inside, each fanning themselves with a tattered palm-leaf fan.

Xu Chunsheng walked into the house and called out to them, "Brother Minfu, are you all resting?"

The three of them turned to look at Xu Chunsheng when they heard the voice. Li Minfu was the one who had studied the longest and was the oldest among them, so he was considered their "senior brother".

Li Minfu looked puzzled. Xu Chunsheng had just come to collect the toys and equipment meant for employee welfare yesterday, and he wondered what business Xu had with him today: "Brother Chunsheng, what brings you here? Is the distillery closing so early today?"

The other two younger apprentices also looked at Xu Chunsheng with some curiosity in their eyes.

They learned carpentry from Uncle Xu. Ever since Xu Chunsheng placed an order, he often brought them food and never treated them badly. They had long regarded Xu Chunsheng as a good brother.

Xu Chunsheng walked to the bench and sat down. Without saying any pleasantries, he said directly, "I came here to ask for your help. It's a personal matter, but I can't handle it alone, so I need your assistance."

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Seeing Xu Chunsheng's calm expression, the group realized that something must have happened. They immediately put away their playful faces and asked seriously, "What's wrong? Brother Chunsheng, tell us. As long as we can help, we definitely won't refuse."

Xu Chunsheng nodded and told them about the recent situation at the distillery: "Recently, someone has been impersonating the Xu family's distillery and selling counterfeit liquor outside."

"There are people outside who are smearing my wine, saying that it is diluted with water and is not pure. The key issue is that many agreed-upon orders have been canceled, and some people have even come to the store to demand an explanation."

After hearing Xu Chunsheng's words, Li Mingfu and the others frowned. It was obvious that someone was jealous of the Xu family's business and wanted to ruin the Xu family's winery.

Li Mingfu, being the oldest and more knowledgeable than the other two, asked directly, "Was it the two distilleries in town that were behind this?"

Xu Chuanshan nodded in agreement, his tone revealing a certainty: "I'm pretty sure it was them who did it, but it's hard to say exactly who."

Before Xu Family Winery opened, there were only two wineries in Tuanjie Town, and the others were just peddlers who occasionally came to sell bulk wine.

There are two wineries, one on the upper street and the other on the lower street. They each do their own business without disturbing each other.

However, Xu Chunsheng forcefully disrupted this peaceful market, taking away most of the customers, which naturally caused dissatisfaction among some people.

Li Minfu and the others listened with faces full of anger, all indignant on Xu Chunsheng's behalf: "It's clearly because they're incompetent at doing business. Now that they see your business is doing well, they resort to underhanded tactics. They're disgusting people every day."

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Xu Chunsheng waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to be so angry. He continued, "I usually have to brew wine and run the shop, and I can't manage it all by myself. I just wanted to ask you to help me keep an eye on those people who sell bulk goods under my name and find out where they get their wine from."

It wasn't that Xu Chunsheng was unwilling to do it himself, but rather that he had been in the wine business in town for so long that the people at those two wineries must know him and be wary of him.

Even the Xu family members who frequently visit their own shop are not really suited to do this.

Li Minfu and his group were the perfect choice. They all knew each other well and had a good relationship. Besides, they had to call their uncle "master," so they were practically family.

"You guys take a few days off and help out by going around the neighborhood to see who did it."

Uncle Xu had been listening to Xu Chunsheng talk about the recent situation at the distillery, but he didn't interrupt their conversation.

Uncle Xu was unaware that the Xu family's winery had only been open for two short months when someone, jealous of its booming business, began to sabotage it.

So he simply gave his apprentices a break and helped Xu Chunsheng resolve the matter.

Thinking of this, Uncle Xu said to his three apprentices, "You young people, if you see someone selling counterfeit liquor, or see where they pick up their goods, just write down the people and the place. Don't be impulsive and get into a conflict with them."

After his three apprentices nodded in agreement, Uncle Xu then said to Xu Chunsheng, "I'll ask your brother to come along too; it'll be easier to get things done with more people."

After telling them what they were going to do and where to buy loose liquor, Xu Chunsheng prepared to go home.

Before going home, he went to check on the pig farm again.

It was still quite hot at midday in early autumn.

Especially inside pig farms, the heat emitted by thirty or forty large pigs is considerable; if the exhaust fans aren't turned on, the temperature can be several degrees higher than outdoors.

Xu Chunsheng also checked whether the pig feed in the troughs was clean and whether any pigs had heatstroke. These were all items he checked every time he came to the pig farm.

After looking at them, Xu Chunsheng threw some sweet potato vines into each pen, casually leaned against the fence of the pigpen, and watched the pigs eating happily inside. Xu Chunsheng's mood improved a lot!

These pigs weighed only 15 or 16 pounds when they first arrived, and they have been fed for almost seven months now.

There are a few robust pigs in the pen, probably weighing close to 200 pounds, but most are around 150 or 160 pounds. There are also some smaller ones, probably because they were weak at birth and couldn't compete with the stronger ones for food, so they grow slower.

In another month or two, these pigs should be ready to be sold. Once they are sold, the piglets next to them can be separated and fed.

Last time, the sow gave birth to fourteen piglets, but only thirteen survived. One piglet was crushed by the sow when she rolled over, and although it didn't die at the time, it didn't survive later.

In addition to the thirteen piglets he owned, Xu Chunsheng bought another thirty piglets from the livestock station last month.

They also ordered five pigs from Uncle Liu's house that had straight backs, long and wide bodies, and strong limbs, and that had not been castrated, as well as three stronger piglets from their own piglets, to be reserved for breeding stock selection.

The eight piglets reserved for selecting breeding pigs were isolated and not raised with other piglets.

Unlike raising large, fattened pigs, breeding pigs cannot be fed too much concentrated feed to accelerate fattening.

Because the optimal weight for sows should be controlled between 140 and 160 pounds, and for boars between 160 and 180 pounds. They should never be fed to more than 200 pounds, as excessive weight can easily lead to failure to come into heat later and difficulty in mating.

And these eight pigs will not all be breeding pigs in the end, because after the pigs grow up, they will be selected for those with gentle temperaments, while the irritable ones will be separated and raised as fattening pigs.

So even Liu Shubing couldn't say how many breeding pigs he would get in the end. He thought the best he could get was one male and four females, and the worst he could get was one male and two females or one male and three females.

Xu Chunsheng had long ago instructed his family about these pigs: "We can't feed them too much refined grain. If they get too fat, they won't be suitable for breeding."

"Every day, we feed them pig feed, wheat bran, and a small amount of distiller's grains. This way, the pigs can grow longer and their skeletons can be expanded, making them easier to breed later."

After inspecting the pig farm, Xu Chunsheng locked the door and then played with the two dogs sleeping in their kennel.

It was hot at noon, and even Little Yellow, who loves to run around, didn't want to move. He curled up in the dog kennel and took a nap next to Little White.

When Xu Chunsheng walked over, Xiaobai glanced at him and went back to sleep. Xiaohuang, no longer bothered by the heat, darted out of the kennel and barked excitedly around Xu Chunsheng.

Xu Chunsheng stroked the dogs' heads a couple of times, added some more water to their bowls, and then went home.

After arriving home, Xu Chunsheng ate the porridge his family had left for him, along with some side dishes, and quickly finished it in a few bites before telling his family about what had happened at the distillery recently.

Xu Chunsheng felt that there was no need to hide these things from his family. Rather than waiting for them to hear exaggerated rumors from who-knows-where and worry unnecessarily, he decided to tell them directly.

Unsurprisingly, after hearing what Xu Chunsheng had to say, Xu's parents and eldest sister could no longer smile. Their faces fell, and they said with long, bitter expressions, "These bastards are no good at business, but they're very good at doing these unscrupulous things."

Xu Chunsheng reassured them, "Don't worry, it's not that serious yet. I've already asked Brother Minfu and the others for help, and I expect there will be results in a few days."

Mrs. Xu frowned and said anxiously, "Why don't I go to town and ask around? You're just leaving me waiting; I'm getting worried!"

Mr. Xu patted his wife on the shoulder and continued her words: "Erwa has made all the arrangements, so you don't need to go and join in the fun. We're often at the distillery, and many people know us. Those people doing such dirty things will definitely keep it from us. You won't find anything even if you go."

After listening to her father's words, the eldest sister still voiced her thoughts: "Then I'll go to other villages and see if I can catch anyone selling wine under our name. Few people in the village know us, so it should be fine."

Xu Chunsheng shook his head: "It won't work. The villages outside are far away, and there are many intersections. It's not safe for a woman like you to go alone."

"Besides, people who impersonate us to sell counterfeit alcohol are definitely more vigilant. If you get caught, you're likely to suffer losses."

Xu Chunsheng paused for a moment and carefully explained to Li Minfu and the others what he had asked them to do: "They are young and they also help out in other villages, so many people know them and they are less likely to arouse suspicion."

"They'll let me know as soon as they find any leads. Even though business isn't good right now, someone still needs to be there to watch over the store; we can't let people think we're scared."

Xu's mother and eldest sister wanted to argue a bit more. It wasn't that they disagreed with Xu Chunsheng's words; on the contrary, they were eager to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

Mr. Xu interrupted them directly and made the decision himself: "Eldest son, for the next few days, you stay home with your mother to feed the pigs, and I will go to open the shop with Erwa."

Mr. Xu was thinking further ahead. Since his son had already made arrangements, all he needed to do as a father was support him.

As for why Xu's father went with Xu Chunsheng to open the shop, it was because Xu's father felt that once they found someone, conflicts were inevitable. If it was just some verbal arguments, that would be fine, but he was afraid of some physical conflicts.

In addition, Xu Chunsheng is young. Although he does everything very steadily, it is not easy for him to run a winery in the town for more than ten years.

Mr. Xu had lived most of his life. Although he was not good with words, his burly physique alone was enough to make any troublemakers think twice before they dared to cause trouble.

In case someone really causes trouble and a fight breaks out, with him there, at least Xu Chunsheng won't be the only one being harassed.

So for the next few days, the Xu family's winery changed from its usual quiet state, where only Xu Chunsheng was present.

Aside from market days, Xu does all the work of running the shop, cleaning, and selling alcohol by himself. There isn't much work, but he also lacks someone to talk to.

Now, besides Xu Chunsheng, Xu's father is also busy running around the shop.

He would wipe the table with a rag one minute and sweep the floor with a broom the next; he was never idle.

Xu Chunsheng, however, sat casually in the bamboo chair with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.

Occasionally, someone would come, and Xu's father could receive them all by himself, without Xu Chunsheng needing to get up and help.

Xu Chunsheng only glanced at people when they entered, and when he heard that they were there to buy wine, he continued to sit there and rest.

It wasn't that Xu Chunsheng wanted to just sit there and rest; it was simply because his father couldn't stay idle. Whenever he did, he saw anyone passing by the door as someone looking for trouble.

That's why Xu's father took over Xu Chunsheng's daily work, running around the shop.

Sometimes, Xu Chunsheng would also go for a stroll in the streets; he also had his own "intelligence network."

"Sister Liu, how's business today?"

"What's so great about it? There aren't many people on the streets on weekdays. Aren't you going to patronize your sister for one of her orders today?"

Xu Chunsheng was in Sister Liu's shop, chatting with her for a while, before revealing the purpose of his visit: "Sister Liu, I came to ask you about the two wine shops in town."

Upon hearing this, Sister Liu understood what Xu Chunsheng meant. She had also heard about the recent events at the Xu family's winery.

I was planning to go check on him before dinner and ask him something, but before I even got there, Xu Chunsheng showed up first.

"I'm not very familiar with those two distilleries, but they had a dispute a few years ago. I heard that Zhang Qiang from the lower street hired someone to dilute the other one with water. I don't know the specifics, but it was eventually dropped."

"Your wine is good; discerning people can recognize its quality. After a while, once you weather these storms, things will be fine."

Xu Chunsheng, however, did not want the matter to end so easily. Those who harmed him should always pay a price!

Four or five days passed like this.

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Xu Chunsheng was at home, looking at a "Practical Handbook for Beverage Processing".

Li Minfu's voice came from outside the door: "Chunsheng! Chunsheng! Have you found out who did it!"