lcionline Chapter 119 New Competitors Set Sail Again
Chapter 119 New Competitors Set Sail Again
New competitors set sail again
The news brought by Young Master Xiao was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.
Su Yunlan's originally clear eyes were now veiled with a thin mist. She put down the account book in her hand and tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, making a dull sound.
"A newly opened winery in the west of the city?" she murmured to herself, a hint of coldness in her voice.
She knew that the business world was like a battlefield, where no negligence was permissible.
Xiao Yuhan sensed her emotional fluctuations and gently placed his large hand on the back of her hand. The warm touch dispelled the unease in her heart.
"Don't worry, I'll be with you." His voice was deep and strong, like a reassuring pill, calming her restless heart.
Su Yunlan raised her eyes, her gaze filled with determination. She nodded to Xiao Yuhan and then instructed, "Fourteen, go and find out the details of the new winery, where their wine comes from, and how much it costs."
Young Master Xiao accepted the order and left. A short while later, he returned with the latest news: "Sister-in-law, that new winery has quite a background. I heard it's backed by the Wang family. Their wine is 20% cheaper than ours, and quite a few customers have already been attracted there."
"Twenty percent?" Su Yunlan frowned slightly; this was no small amount.
She took a deep breath, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the bustling street, her mind filled with countless thoughts.
She knew that if she didn't want to be defeated by this sudden competition, she had to find a solution as soon as possible.
She instructed her assistant to buy wine from the new winery.
Upon opening the wine jar, a strong aroma of wine wafted out, but it also carried a strange sour and astringent taste.
Su Yunlan examined the wine closely and found that its color was slightly cloudy, quite different from the clear and transparent wine from her own winery.
She took a sip, and her brows furrowed even more. Although the taste of this wine was somewhat similar, it lacked complexity. It was spicy on the palate and bitter in the aftertaste, and it was completely incomparable to "Drunken Spring Breeze" and "Winter Plum Blossoms Braving the Snow".
"Sister-in-law, why does this wine taste so awful!" Young Master Xiao couldn't help but complain, his face contorting after just one sip.
"They're grabbing market share by offering low prices." Su Yunlan's tone was heavy, her heart filled with anxiety. Her once-thriving business had seen a sharp drop in sales since the emergence of this new winery.
Her gaze swept over the wine jars piled in the corner, and a vague idea gradually formed in her mind. She wanted everyone to know that her winery did not only win with its taste, but also that good wine could withstand the test of time.
“Yuhan, I need your help…” Su Yunlan turned around, her eyes flashing with determination.
Xiao Yuhan looked at her with gentle yet firm eyes, waiting for her to speak next. However, she hesitated, her eyes filled with an indescribable complexity. She looked at the wine jar again and fell into deep thought.
Looking at the warehouse filled with wine jars, Su Yunlan gently stroked the rough surface of the jars with her fingertips, and a bold idea took shape in her mind.
She decided to start from the source of winemaking, improve the process, reduce costs, and enhance the quality of the wine.
She wanted to make those who only look at the price understand that true fine wine is by no means a simple, cheap product.
She called Young Master Xiao to her side and explained her plan in detail.
She asked the fourteenth young master to select the best glutinous rice and spring water, as these are the foundation for brewing good wine.
She herself began to make fine adjustments to each stage of the brewing process.
She combined modern winemaking knowledge with ancient traditional techniques, and after countless experiments and adjustments, she finally found a winemaking method that could both reduce costs and improve the taste.
After several busy days, a new batch of wine was finally brewed.
When the clay seal on the wine jar was broken, an even richer aroma instantly filled the air, more mellow and enticing than the previous "Drunken Spring Breeze" and "Winter Plum Blossoms Braving the Snow".
The new wine is clear and bright, like amber, with a faint luster. Under the light, the wine reflects a mesmerizing color.
The new wine caused a sensation as soon as it hit the market.
Those customers who were initially drawn away by the low-priced wines all said that the previous wines were simply unpalatable after tasting Su Yunlan's new wines, and they returned to the embrace of "Zuiyunfang".
Zhang, the drunkard, took a sip of the newly brewed "Drunken Spring Breeze." A satisfied smile spread across his usually picky face. He smacked his lips and exclaimed repeatedly, "Good wine, good wine! This is truly fine wine!"
"Zuiyunfang" is thriving again, and the aroma of wine fills the entire town.
Meanwhile, the newly opened winery is feeling unprecedented pressure.
Their low-price strategy proved utterly ineffective in the face of Su Yunlan's high-quality wine.
Just as Su Yunlan was extremely busy, Xiao Yuhan appeared in front of her.
He was carrying an exquisite food box containing Su Yunlan's favorite snacks.
He placed the food box on the table, gently wiped the sweat from Su Yunlan's forehead, his eyes filled with tenderness and love.
Su Yunlan looked at him, her heart filled with sweetness, and all her fatigue vanished.
She picked up a pastry and was about to put it in her mouth when Xiao Yuhan snatched it away and fed it to her personally.
Her heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she gave Xiao Yuhan a coquettish look that contained a thousand unspoken words.
The atmosphere between the two became ambiguous.
She looked at Xiao Yuhan, his gaze deep and unfathomable. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Liu, the bartender, rush in from the doorway, a hint of panic on his face. "Manager, something terrible has happened..."
Liu, the bartender, reported breathlessly, "Manager, something terrible has happened! That old fox, Wu, is spreading rumors behind our backs, saying there's something wrong with our wine and that drinking it will cause stomach aches!"
Su Yunlan's eyebrows furrowed, and a surge of anger rose from the bottom of her heart.
This wine merchant from Wu dares to be so despicable!
She stood up abruptly, her eyes sharp as knives. "Where is he spreading rumors?"
"It's all over the teahouses and taverns in town!" Liu, the bartender, wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice anxious.
Su Yunlan made a decisive decision: "Fourteen, go find some reliable people and suppress these rumors for me! Also, we must find the source; I want this Wu wine merchant to pay the price!"
Young Master Xiao accepted the order and quickly gathered his men, who then split up to carry out their tasks.
Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan went to the town's largest teahouse, which was the epicenter of the rumors.
The teahouse was bustling with noise and discussion, all about the problem with the wine at "Zuiyunfang".
Su Yunlan's arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"Manager Su is here!" someone shouted, and the noisy teahouse instantly fell silent as everyone's eyes were fixed on her.
Su Yunlan looked around, her gaze firm and composed. She said loudly, "Fellow villagers, the claim that there is a problem with the wine in our shop is pure malicious fabrication! I, Su Yunlan, dare to guarantee with my life that there is absolutely no problem with the wine in our shop!"
Someone in the crowd questioned, "But I heard that some people have had stomach aches after drinking your wine!"
"That's right! I heard about it too!"
Su Yunlan remained calm and composed, responding, "May I ask, who drank our wine and got a stomachache? Do you have any witnesses or evidence?"
Everyone looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
Just then, a clear voice rang out from the crowd, "I know who's spreading rumors!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Miss Sun and Young Master Xiao walking side by side, with Miss Sun holding a stack of papers in her hand.
"These are all evidence that Wu, the wine merchant, paid people to spread rumors!" Miss Sun showed everyone the papers in her hand. Wu's name and the content of the rumors were clearly written on them, and there was even Wu's signature and fingerprint!
The truth came out and everyone was shocked.
Wu the wine merchant's conspiracy was exposed, making him the target of public criticism and despised by everyone.
The crisis at "Zuiyunfang" was thus resolved, and business flourished once again.
Su Yunlan breathed a sigh of relief, a huge weight lifted from her heart.
However, at that moment, Miss Sun suddenly walked to Su Yunlan's side, her expression grave, and whispered, "Manager Su, I've discovered..."