Daily Intelligence System: Financial Independence-Chapter 31: The Irresistible Urge to Drink Just a Bit More!

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The Irresistible Urge to Drink Just a Bit More!

Lü Qian has been drinking for more than half his life.

From cheap street-corner booze costing just a few yuan, to dry reds at over a hundred thousand a bottle.

White, beer, red, yellow—he’s tasted them all.

But this kind of mellow, smooth, aged Daughter Red Wine that Jiang Tao brought out today—

This was his first time ever having it!

"Xiao Jiang, your old man really knew how to stash wine!"

"As the saying goes, three parts in the brew, seven parts in the storage."

"It’s already something else that a Daughter Red Wine aged over 20 years hasn’t gone bad."

"To have it taste this damn good? That’s even rarer!"

Lü Qian downed the whole enamel basin of Daughter Red in one go, gave Jiang Tao a thumbs up, and sang his praises.

"Xiao Jiang, how much are you looking to sell this wine for?"

"If the price is reasonable, I know quite a few fellow boozers. I can introduce you to some buyers, easy."

Lü Qian was just about hooked by Jiang Tao’s Daughter Red at this point, praising it and asking about the price right after.

For someone like Lü Qian, a true wine lover—coming across a fine wine is like a lecher spotting a beautiful woman.

His eyes were practically sparkling when he looked at the jar!

"Sir, this wine isn’t mine, I’m just reselling it for someone else. I honestly can’t decide the price."

Jiang Tao smiled helplessly, making things up with a straight face:

"My old man back home sold two jars of this to a real estate developer for 70,000 in total."

"Two jars for 70,000?"

Lü Qian heard Jiang Tao’s quote and sucked in a cold breath.

This number was way, way higher than he expected!

"Yup, 70,000 for two! My dad just got lucky, ran into someone who truly loved wine and didn’t care about money."

Jiang Tao kept going: "But this time we’re selling more, plus my family needs money to build a house.

So it’s way cheaper than what that real estate guy paid.

Now it’s 20,000 per jar. For that, you can take it home—drink it yourself or serve it to some very important guests, no one will have any complaints."

"Xiao Jiang, your wine is truly excellent, but that price... damn, that’s really expensive!"

After hearing Jiang Tao’s half-real, half-pretend pricing, Lü Qian didn’t jump to say yes.

"Let me think about it when I get back."

He spoke as he took a lingering look at the wine jar on the table, before finally getting up from his stool.

"Alright, sir, you take your time. I only brought 15 jars over and have just barely sold five so far."

"This thing’s expensive, sells slow—you can barely move a few jars in a whole day."

Jiang Tao laughed and got up to see the landlord out, while also gently turning up the pressure.

Sure enough, hearing that five jars had already sold made Lü Qian feel a wave of urgency.

It felt like if he was too slow, Jiang Tao’s Daughter Red would sell out on him!

Plus, if others were buying, it meant people accepted the price.

That hit Lü Qian right in the feels.

Even though he’d only had a few tiny sips, that unique, rich flavor was still lingering in his mouth.

That delicate taste was like a young girl’s tender skin.

The heady fragrance was like the faint scent of a maiden’s body.

The long, lingering finish was like the unspeakable satisfaction after making love.

Lü Qian almost couldn’t help but whip out his phone and scan Jiang Tao’s QR code to buy the jar right then and there!

But, reason finally beat impulse.

He planned to hold off, see if he could squeeze out a better price.

"Take care, sir. I won’t see you out."

Jiang Tao walked Lü Qian to the door, watched him turn the corner in the corridor and head down the stairs, then went back inside.

Back in his room, Jiang Tao’s gaze couldn’t help drifting to that already opened jar of Daughter Red on the table.

He wanted to drink some more!

But in the end, he gritted his teeth and resisted the urge for another drop.

"Besides the landlord, who else can afford such expensive booze..."

"Maybe I should try those old wine recycling places?"

Sitting on his single bed, Jiang Tao smoked a cigarette while brainstorming new ways to sell the wine.

After drifting in Beijing all these years, his life was just bouncing between his rental and the second-hand furniture market.

Except for Wang Lianming and Liu Zhiyuan, he didn’t know many people, let alone close friends.

For a moment, he honestly couldn’t think of who to sell the remaining ten jars of Daughter Red to.

He couldn’t pin all his hopes on the landlord.

Jiang Tao was a man of action—he grabbed a black backpack, stuffed a few old shirts along the bottom, then dug out a jar of Daughter Red from under his bed and slid it inside.

He grabbed a thermos cup, poured a sample from the already opened jar, and brought that as well.

The cup’d be good to show to buyers—a little proof never hurts.

It was just after 6 p.m.

Cell block apartments had terrible lighting. It was already pitch black inside, but outside was still a bit light—hadn’t gone totally dark yet.

Jiang Tao slung the backpack on his chest, hugging it like a baby, and left the house, heading straight for a liquor and tobacco store on Xiaoshanhe Street.

The result? Jiang Tao went in full of hope and walked out just as full of disappointment.

Damn, these buyback shops are such bloodsuckers!

The Intelligence System valued the old wine at 20,000 a jar. The shady shopkeeper only offered him 800!

Jiang Tao cursed the tobacconist for having no taste, and headed on to the next shop.

From 6:30 in the evening until 9:30 at night,

he asked a total of 12 liquor stores of varying size. The highest offer he got was just 5,000 a jar!

If it weren’t for the Intelligence System’s valuation as a reference, Jiang Tao would probably have caved by now.

"None of them know what good booze is—no way I’m selling for a measly 5,000!"

"Feels just like that fancy serial-number bill I sold before—only the right buyer will pay the right price."

"Right, if I really can’t sell it, I can try at Antique Street."

On his way home, Jiang Tao suddenly remembered how he’d sold that fancy serial number bill.

He pulled out his phone and checked—sure enough, there were shops on Antique Street that specialized in old wine.

There was even a news story: a forty-year-old bottle of Erguotou just sold for 40,000 in an old hotel!

Reading that news, Jiang Tao felt a little more hopeful—the string of rejections tonight didn’t seem so bad now!

The Intelligence System valued it at 200,000—it must have its reasons.

He trusted the system’s price!

Just like when he sold that fancy serial-number bill before.

If it wasn’t for the system’s price, no way he’d get 40,000—if someone had offered 4,000, he would’ve sold!

By the time he caught the last bus back to Xiaoshanhe, it was already past ten.

Back in the rental, he carefully slid the backpack with the Daughter Red under the bed.

He washed up, then lay on the bed listening to something, waiting for the Intelligence System update at midnight.