Chapter 157: Brainwashing Rhymes

In Li Xian's bedroom, Liu Weiye finally understood what a nouveau riche was.

The house, purchased for 80,000 yuan, was estimated to need at least 400,000 yuan for renovation and refurbishment. What kind of concept is this? With that money, you could buy a small factory in Bangye County!

Seeing Liu Weihan's expression of disbelief, Li Xian wrapped himself more tightly in the large quilt. After a night, the kang (heated bed) was no longer as warm, and the room was beginning to cool down. Only the kang and quilt still provided a sense of human warmth.

"You're still missing a warm room maid," Liu Weihan remarked, astonished by the opulent living conditions.

Li Xian smiled faintly, thinking that such things would come in due time.

The reason he was still wrapped in a quilt and had not gotten up yet was not just because of the cold outside, but also because there was another important reason—a certain part of him had been standing up all morning and still remained upright.

Whether it was due to drinking too much the night before or excessive excitement, the idea of a warm room maid was already part of Li Xian's plan.

Under Liu Weihan's urging, Li Xian finished getting ready and went outside.

The new list of appointments had been announced, and the appointments made by the organization were unlikely to change significantly. So even though Liu Weihan had not yet assumed his position, he was already receiving support from various quarters.

Liu Yuan, a section chief from the county government, had heard that Liu Weihan wanted to see the local situation in Bangye, and he personally guided the two around the county town.

Bangye County town was not large, and by the afternoon, they had toured most of it.

Although Liu Weihan had previously had a preliminary understanding of the county's situation, seeing the struggling factories and the dilapidated urban environment firsthand, he couldn't help but sigh.

Inside Li Xian's Cherokee.

Listening to Liu Yuan in the passenger seat describe Bangye's recent administrative policies and some projects, Liu Weihan's interest was tepid. Noticing that Li Xian was staring out the window in a daze, he patted Li Xian on the shoulder.

"Which of these factories do you like?"

"The Bangye Distillery and the Glass Factory," Li Xian answered directly.

Liu Yuan in the passenger seat laughed heartily upon hearing this. "Haha, Mr. Li is joking. If you want to talk about opportunities in Bangye, the two light chemical factories are doing relatively well. But the distillery and the glass factory… let me put it this way, these two factories are major beneficiaries of county subsidies. The distillery was recently sued by the county grain depot for owing more than 200 tons of grain payments for years, and the glass factory is in an even worse state."

Liu Weihan, knowing Li Xian's personality, immediately realized what Li Xian was planning.

"You want to start a liquor business in Bangye?"

Li Xian put down his arm from his chin and nodded with a smile.

"Can it work?" Liu Weihan felt it was unreliable. As part of a planned economy, the liquor industry was a byproduct of grain. Almost every grain-producing city or county in the country had a liquor factory. However, ninety percent of these factories were established to meet local demand.

Currently, the only successful local liquor brands nationwide were Moutai, Fenjiu, and Shandong liquor, which had a history of local production, strong cultural heritage, and mature blending techniques.

Moreover, liquor preferences varied by region. For example, Northeasterners preferred pure grain liquor, North China favored soy sauce-flavored liquor, and Southern regions had a variety of local options like yellow wine and rice wine.

So while local liquor industries could survive, it was rare for them to thrive.

The most successful local liquor brand was Kongfu Family in Shandong, which, as the first low-alcohol liquor brand in the country, sold well due to its advertising on CCTV and years of accumulated distribution networks.

Seeing the skepticism in Liu Weihan's eyes, Li Xian straightened up and said with a smile, "You still have a month before taking office. How about this: if I can get the liquor business up and running within this month, will you help me take over the county liquor and glass factories after you assume office?"

Seeing Li Xian's confident demeanor, Liu Weihan grinned and said, "There must be a standard for what you mean by 'getting it up and running,' right?"

Li Xian thought for a moment, "I know a small liquor shop. It's not big, but if the monthly revenue reaches 100,000 yuan and the profit is 50,000 yuan, would that be a good standard?"

"Deal!" Liu Weihan agreed readily upon hearing these figures.

The conversation between the two made Liu Yuan in the front seat marvel silently.

"Wow, the new county chief hasn't even taken office yet, and he's already bending the rules!"

...

Li Xian had previously discussed partnering in a liquor shop with Old Zhu. Originally, the small distillery Old Zhu had was just two small mud houses covering less than 100 square meters.

However, at Li Xian's request, the scale was expanded six or seven times. The row of empty mud houses in front of the small school had all been purchased by Li Xian.

Old Zhu had never done such a big deal before, but when faced with someone willing to invest in expanding the scale, Zhu Feng was extremely excited.

Since he was eighteen, Zhu Feng had believed that business was the only way to change his destiny. Back then, when authorities didn't allow him to do business, he used to push a bicycle with large barrels on both sides, secretly selling liquor in streets and alleys. In those days, he could earn twenty to thirty yuan a day.

Just as he hoped to get rich from this, the crackdown happened.

Because of selling alcohol, he was sentenced to seven years and spent more than five years in prison, wasting the most valuable years of his life behind bars.

So when he came out, he was full of resentment!

Now that he had this opportunity, he wasn't prepared to lose it again.

Old Zhu's brewing method was primitive but straightforward. First, he would sift the sorghum, then steam it in a large pot, put it into a large jar, add yeast according to proportion, and then seal the jar for fermentation.

Watching Old Zhu, bare-chested, working with his son and temporary workers in the distillery, and seeing pots of steamed sorghum emitting steam in the cold weather, Li Xian felt as if he was on the set of a "Taste of China" episode.

The aroma of fermented sorghum mixed with yeast, and the cheerful chatter of people, made Zhumo Village seem especially vibrant.

While the liquor yeast still had some time to ferment, Li Xian called Zhu Feng aside from the busy distillery.

Old Zhu was skilled in brewing, but considering his experience with the paper mill, he thought it was more suitable for young people to handle the business.

When Zhu Feng learned that Li Xian planned to bottle the liquor and label it, his eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

With great drive, Zhu Feng first bought 250 ml bottles from the glass factory, had labels printed with "Bangye Old Zhu's Liquor," and organized the women of Zhumo Village to label the bottles as they waited for the liquor.

Meanwhile, Li Xian had come to the streets of Bangye.

Looking at the bare walls, his professional instinct kicked in.

He felt that… any large wall without slogans had no soul!

Looking at the stark walls, he felt they needed something.

Three days later, children began running around Bangye's streets with printed templates.

Then, the people of Bangye County discovered that they had been brainwashed by a catchy rhyme.

"Carry a briefcase, wear a big black mink, drive a Santana, drink Bangye Old Zhu's liquor!"