From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Pu Jian was a bit curious when he heard about it: "There are actually counterfeits of this wine? If people have that much skill, why don’t they go counterfeit Maotai or Wuliangye? The recognition and profit for those are so high."

Chen Qianfan gave him a look: "You just don’t get it, do you? It’s harder to fake Maotai and Wuliangye. The most counterfeited wines are actually the mid to low-end ones with high recognition. Erguotou is cheap enough, but it’s the most counterfeited. The real cost of the wine is very low; once you take out the promotion fees..." Chen Qianfan realized he was saying too much and laughed: "Let’s not talk about this, let’s drink."

Pu Jian was intrigued and encouraged him to continue.

Xu Chunliang said: "Don’t say more, discussing this further would involve trade secrets. Brother Chen, were that Qiu the Second and Cai Mazi both from your factory in the past?"

Chen Qianfan sighed: "The predecessor of Qianfan Group was Huangmao Town Winery. In the late 80s, my dad leased this winery. Qiu the Second and Cai Mazi were both workers there. Later, I took over the winery, and because they were long-serving employees, I treated them well. But they abused their seniority to form cliques and suppress newcomers. Not only that, they even engaged in some petty theft. If it were just minor issues, I would have turned a blind eye, but they went too far, and I had no choice but to fire them all."

Xu Chunliang was skeptical of Chen Qianfan’s words. Even if Qiu the Second and Cai Mazi’s group weren’t in league with Chen Qianfan, Chen Qianfan’s initial intentions to take over the Weishan Island Winery had undisclosed motives.

Pu Jian said: "I’m really puzzled. There’s nothing good in the wine cellar, so why do so many criminals keep coming in droves?"

Xu Chunliang laughed: "Aren’t you self-proclaimed an archaeology expert? If even you can’t figure it out, how could we?"

Chen Qianfan said: "Let’s not talk about this now. Thinking back, I have to thank Chunliang. If I had taken over the Weishan Island Winery back then, it would have been hard to explain, and others might think I had ulterior motives."

Xu Chunliang laughed: "If you’re innocent, you have nothing to fear; you don’t need to worry at all."

Chen Qianfan said: "Actually, I’ve been thinking about making a trip to Dongzhou these days. Dongzhou Barbecue is so popular, I want to hitch a ride on your success and promote Qianfan Group’s products."

Xu Chunliang said: "No problem, I’ll notify Director Fu for you. You don’t need to go personally; it’s the same if you arrange for someone else to go."

Chen Qianfan clinked glasses with him and drank up to express his gratitude.

Pu Jian said: "Won’t drinking too much of this medicinal wine make you get a nosebleed?"

Chen Qianfan said: "Can’t you tell? This isn’t medicinal wine; this is what I specially use to entertain guests. The quality of this wine is no worse than Maotai."

Pu Jian laughed: "Here you go again with your stories. When have you heard Maowu Jian tell stories?"

Yan Jingsong said: "I have to say, I find this wine pretty good. But isn’t the name a bit too straightforward? If you give it a more elegant name, or launch a separate series of regular wines, you might open up new opportunities."

Chen Qianfan said: "We’re working on it right now. We’re about to launch a Chen Lao Dao Sauce Wine series. The wine you’re drinking, aside from the packaging, is the flagship product of Chen Lao Dao Sauce Wine."

Pu Jian said: "I don’t taste any medicinal flavor; who’s this Chen Lao Dao?"

Chen Qianfan laughed: "My dad. Honestly, launching this product is mainly to commemorate my dad, and of course, to test the sauce wine market. If the response is good, I’ll increase the production. The packaging design is ready, but we haven’t started production yet. I estimate the first batch will officially hit the market by the end of May."

Xu Chunliang raised his glass: "Here’s to your new product selling well!"

Pu Jian and Yan Jingsong echoed him.

Chen Qianfan finished his drink and said: "Honestly, the few fermentation pits at the Weishan Lake Winery are quite valuable. Right now, you’re just leaving them as is, treating them as relics. Are you really not planning to do any development or research on them?"

Xu Chunliang guessed Chen Qianfan wasn’t giving up and said, somewhat ambiguously: "Why? Are you still interested in the winery?"

Chen Qianfan said: "I’m truly interested in the mud inside those pits; those ancient fermentation pits are very valuable. If possible, I’m willing to invest in establishing a fermentation pit research institute, and the results can be shared with the Hu Shan Town Government."

Xu Chunliang said: "That’s a good idea. I’ll discuss it with the town leaders later and also notify Mo Han."

Pu Jian said: "Why notify her? The fermentation pits belong to the state."

Xu Chunliang laughed: "That’s true, but right now, she’s the lessee. It’s only right to let her know both emotionally and logically."

Pu Jian suddenly remembered something: "Chunliang, how much do you know about the Mu Tian Group?"

Xu Chunliang said: "Isn’t it the leader in the domestic hot springs industry?"

Pu Jian said, "Mu Tian is a Sino-Japanese joint venture, Wang Hongfeng is only the nominal general manager, it’s actually his wife who is in charge."

Because Pu Jian is responsible for the winery’s hot springs, he has more interactions with the Mu Tian Group, so he understands Mu Tian’s actual situation better than Xu Chunliang. Of course, this also has to do with Xu Chunliang being busy with many things. Mu Tian Group was introduced to Weishan Island by Equatorial Capital, and Hu Shan Town is very satisfied with this project. They are not short of money, and the construction of the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital and the hot spring resort is proceeding smoothly.

Xu Chunliang had never seen Wang Hongfeng’s wife: "That’s not unusual, in many companies, it’s the wife who calls the shots." Not to mention faraway examples, Enheng Pharmaceutical is like this too. Sheng Chaohui is just a figurehead; the one actually in charge is his wife, Liang Wenjing.

Pu Jian said, "His wife is a Neon woman named Shinobu Yamamura, and she’s Yamamura Ningji’s niece."

Xu Chunliang furrowed his brow. He had long known about Mu Tian Group’s Japanese capital background. This was why Tong Guangsheng was initially reluctant to cooperate with Mu Tian. However, Xu Chunliang didn’t know Wang Hongfeng’s wife was also a Neon woman.

Pu Jian said, "I’ve heard that Mu Tian Group plans to develop cross-border elderly care services in the future, and by then a bunch of East Asian old men and women will take over Weishan Island."

Chen Qianfan said, "There are similar things happening in Sichuan too. Right next to our Qianfan Group, they built a wellness city covering several thousand acres with an investment of over ten billion. It’s said to be designed in Neon style, mainly open to Easterners. They say it’s about making money from the Easterners, but now there’s a great public outcry. Back then, the Sichuan army fought bloodily to drive out the East Asian Ghosts, and now we are inviting them back to retire. This dishonors our revolutionary martyrs."

Yan Jingsong said, "Isn’t it as serious as you’re making it out to be? It’s just a normal Sino-foreign cooperation project. Let’s not elevate everything to a political level. Recently, there’s been a bad trend where a small group in society deliberately stirs up international tensions, jumping to conspiracy theories and turning issues into enemy and ally conflicts. Uninformed citizens are easily swayed by national enmity and resentment, which could affect economic development."

Pu Jian said, "What do you mean, Yan Jingsong? Are you saying I’m deliberately stirring up trouble?"

Yan Jingsong said, "I’m not talking about you, I’m addressing this societal phenomenon. Don’t think our relevant departments are so incompetent. Everyone has the ability to judge."

Pu Jian laughed and said, "Incompetent? Some things can’t even be described as incompetent. There’s nothing ordinary people can’t imagine that you guys can’t do."

Yan Jingsong found it both funny and exasperating: "I haven’t offended you, you can’t lump me in with your insults."

Pu Jian said, "I’m just reminding you, economic development is necessary, but vigilance must also be heightened, the imperialist wolf’s ambitions never die."

Xu Chunliang said, "Are you saying that our Healthy Elderly Care Hospital will mainly serve Neons in the future?"

Pu Jian said, "That’s what I’ve heard. If you want to clarify this, you can consult with Mu Tian Group."

Chen Qianfan said, "Neon has a precedent for exporting elderly abroad. Their country’s territory is small and resources are scarce, and they’ve long been eyeing the vast beauty of our homeland."

Pu Jian said, "You must be careful. The Mu Tian Group project was brought into Weishan Island by you. If anything goes wrong in the future, you’d be the traitor leading the way for the East Asian Ghosts."

Xu Chunliang glared at him: "You’re the traitor."

Yan Jingsong laughed, "Pu Jian, your wicked mouth is quite something."

Pu Jian said, "Being wicked is better than being foolish. I’m standing on the side of national righteousness. Alright, you cadres can take it or leave it."

Xu Chunliang said, "I’m also puzzled. Recently, Weishan Island has suddenly become a hot commodity in the eyes of foreign investors. The Mingde Group has recently taken an interest in Weishan Island too. They even want to take up the mess left by Da Heng. What treasure do you think lies beneath Weishan Island?"

Xu Chunliang said this deliberately looking at Chen Qianfan, who understood it was directed at him.

Yan Jingsong said, "They must be attracted by the natural environment - the lake and mountains, the natural oxygen bar, and now the newly discovered hot springs. It’s rich in resources, who wouldn’t want to retire in such an environment?"

Chen Qianfan said, "Maybe there is some unknown secret."

Pu Jian said, "The Cultural Relics Bureau has almost dug three feet under the winery, there’s no secret. They said that the land on Weishan Island has only produced one historical celebrity, Zhang Liang. Even if Zhang Liang’s tomb were on Weishan Island, its scale couldn’t be too large. At most, the winery area could be rated as a county-level key cultural relics protection unit."

Xu Chunliang said, "Don’t forget Weishan Lake also has an Underwater City, said to be Zhang Liang’s fiefdom in those days."

Chen Qianfan laughed, "What does the Underwater City have to do with Weishan Island? If their goal were the Underwater City, they should be getting a few large ships, recruiting some more divers, not coming to Weishan Island to lease land and invest in elderly care projects."

Pu Jian said, "Zhang Liang was a sage of strategy. How could an exceptionally intelligent man’s schemes be fathomed by ordinary people?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Since it can’t be fathomed, let’s drink heartily and not worry about ancient people. Cheers, cheers!"

This month’s updates are this much. There are a lot of things to handle before September, so I can’t go all out for now. I’ll try to make up for the three extra Chapters I owe to the alliance leader gradually.