Chapter 199: The Debut of Bangye Black and White

After more than ten days of study, the first batch of trainees at the Black Pottery Association had completed their training.

Originally, Yang Shuzhen planned for this batch of trainees to be taught for at least a month before they could operate independently and be assigned to the factory for production. 

But there was no way around it.

After seeing the black pottery created by Teacher Yang, which could easily sell for tens of thousands of yuan each, the trainees who initially planned to stick around for a month just to earn a thirty-yuan subsidy were now driven mad. 

During the day, they attended classes at the association, which was akin to following a great hero like Li Xiaoyao meeting the Wine Sword Immortal for the first time, observing with awe as if they were witnessing flying swords before a broken temple. Even after class, instead of dispersing like before, they gathered to review what they had learned during the day, using the association's equipment for hands-on practice and solidifying their knowledge.

Stimulated by Yang Shuzhen's auction, which earned nearly a million yuan, they envisioned themselves as young adventurers who would become wealthy and reach the pinnacle of their lives through their superb pottery skills.

They were incredibly diligent.

The most helpful thing in learning was not books, not life-enhancing products, not brain supplements, and not even teachers.

It was the willingness and desire to learn.

Sun Jing hung himself for study, Su Qin endured the cold, Che Yin used fireflies to read, and Sun Kang read by the reflection of snow.

Whether one can master a skill has little to do with material conditions. The desire, belief, ideals, and pursuit of the individual are the greatest motivators to success. Under initiative and passion, any difficulty is powerless.

Of course, a good household registration is also indispensable.

As Bangye people, the students were eager to seize this opportunity to change their fate brought by the Black Pottery Association's first batch of trainees.

When Li Xian saw the students producing black pottery wine bottles according to his arrangements and in close coordination, he was greatly encouraged.

Now that Bangye Black Pottery's reputation was rising and the packaging issue was resolved, the timing for launching Bangye's high-end liquor was ripe!

He immediately instructed the association to recruit the second batch of trainees. After ensuring the factory's production capacity, he directed the winery to start preparing the second edition of Bangye's premium products.

After some discussion, the second edition of Bangye's premium liquor was named "Bangye Black and White." The name was derived from the liquor's packaging features and the highlights of Bangye's local industry.

The bottle was made of traditional black pottery, ancient and simple, with deep black. The liquor was handcrafted in Bangye, clear and pure, like a heavenly spring.

Black and white, though incompatible, complemented each other perfectly. When the bottle was opened and the fragrant white liquor flowed out like spring water, the liquor alone was enough to intoxicate.

The core members of the winery were stunned when they saw the finished product with its packaging.

Even they could hardly believe that such exquisite items came from their own hands.

"How should we price this liquor?" 

A business manager in the bottling workshop asked.

Previously, Bangye's premium packaging was priced at twenty-five yuan, mainly considering its competitor, Kongfu Family Liquor. However, the previous premium version was a failure, so pricing for Bangye Black and White was a critical issue.

If priced too low, the excellent quality of the liquor would undermine its value.

If priced too high, the high-end liquor market was limited, and it might not sell in large quantities.

Li Xian had already considered this issue.

If you're going to do it, you should do it big. Kongfu Family, as the most popular white liquor on the market, was naturally Li Xian's target to surpass, and that had not changed.

Considering Kongfu Family Liquor's price of thirty yuan for 300 milliliters, he suggested, "Let's set it at thirty-nine yuan."

Thus, Bangye Black and White was priced at thirty-nine yuan per bottle and officially entered the production and preparation phase. The sales department of the winery then began distributing it to regional agents.

…

Yang Shuzhen felt that everything happening to her these days was like a dream.

The craftsmanship, which had been passed down for a hundred years and was thought to be lost in her generation, had suddenly become so prominent in such a short time. Almost every day, there were visitors from other places requesting to see her and buy her handmade black pottery pieces. Even county leaders now called her "Teacher" instead of "Comrade"…

What was even more startling was that the items she made were sold for over a hundred thousand yuan by Li Xian. She had gone from being a housewife who did laundry and cooked to becoming a celebrity who was sought after for photos with outsiders.

This kind of transformation was hard for her to accept immediately.

However, thinking about how her stubborn old husband no longer dared to make her get up to cook breakfast and she now brought breakfast home herself while walking the dog, Yang Shuzhen couldn't help but smile.

They say women can hold up half the sky, and now she was the one earning the most in her family!

Although she was very proud, her feminine nature made her feel a bit guilty about this new lifestyle.

With the first batch of apprentices in the factory and the second batch of about three hundred apprentices recruited, and according to Li Xian's plan to find a larger space for the association, she took the opportunity to pick up the vegetable basket she hadn't used for days and rode her bicycle to the market.

She was so busy recently that her family hadn't had a decent meal in a while.

Old Zhu liked to eat spicy intestines, Da Feng enjoyed braised meat, Juanzi liked cumin meat slices, and Xiao Jing preferred two other dishes.

Taking advantage of the time, she wanted to cook a good meal that evening.

While planning her dinner, a small car pulled up in front of her. Yang Shuzhen intended to avoid it, but the car blocked her path.

"Comrade, is there something you need?"

Yang Shuzhen stopped her bike, seeing a man with a large gold chain in the car, and frowned.

"Hey," the man in the car opened the door and got out, "Sister Yang, greetings. I'm Gao San, from Gao San's Four Liu's Ten Thousand Fa. I am Gao San."

Yang Shuzhen recognized the name after some thought and realized, "Oh, you're the one who runs the scrap collection station on the east side of the county, right? What can I do for you, big brother?"

Gao San was clearly displeased to be associated with scrap collection but was not angry. Instead, he cheerfully invited Yang Shuzhen into the car.

"Ah, big brother, I still need to buy some groceries. If you have something to say, just tell me here."

Gao San's reputation was not great, so Yang Shuzhen was a bit cautious.

Gao San rubbed his bald head and laughed, "Sure, we can talk here. Sister Yang, I want to cooperate with you to get this black pottery business going."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shuzhen quickly waved her hand.

She hadn't even agreed to the bosses from Hong Kong before, so it was impossible now!

Without waiting for Gao San to finish his conditions, she flatly refused and rode away.

Watching her retreating figure, Gao San clenched his fist and spat on the ground in frustration.

"Damn it, how dare she refuse me!"

In the car, a young man in the passenger seat who was smoking watched the scene and chuckled, "Third Brother, this woman is quite tough. What should we do?"

Gao San put his hands on his hips, stood still, and fanned himself with his coat before getting back into the car.

"Going hard won't work. The county is taking black pottery seriously now, so if things get too big, we won't be able to mix here anymore."

"Third Brother, if being soft doesn't work and being hard doesn't work, what else can we try?"

"I heard they moved here from Hailin. Go to Hailin this afternoon and check out Old Zhu's family. I don't believe we can't find a way to deal with this woman! If soft approaches don't work and hard ones fail, then we'll try something dirty."

Gao San squinted as he restarted the Santana, giving his orders.