Dong Qiangqiang's Story of Leaving Germany

Chapter 1134: Fear in the wine cellar, hope for revival in the vineyard (Part 1134)
Worried that he would drink the wine in his hand if he continued to talk on the phone, which would cause big trouble, Dong Qiangqiang put the wine glass on the wooden rack and briefly repeated to Lao Bai what he saw and heard in Peter's village and the content of his conversation with Peter. Lao Bai waited for him to finish speaking and then asked after a moment of silence: "Is he next to you?"

"Yes, do you have anything else to ask?" Dong Qiangqiang walked closer to Peter.

“If tourists not only want to visit his vineyards, but also want to visit his winery and winery, can he accommodate them?”

After listening to Dong Qiangqiang's translation, Peter paused briefly and said carefully: "The winery and vineyards are fine, but only part of the winery can be visited."

"Which part?" Dong Qiangqiang asked.

"The core technology is a trade secret and is not disclosed to the outside world. Everything else is fine." Peter said seriously.

Dong Qiangqiang stood next to Peter with his cell phone in his hand so that Lao Bai could hear Peter's reply clearly.

Lao Bai immediately said, "I understand. I'll follow his arrangements. Also, did he tell you how long it would take for him to resume work? I went through so much trouble to get him over there, but everything has returned to normal."

"If you were at the scene, you wouldn't be so optimistic. These wine merchants lost their inventory and means of production almost instantly. Didn't I just say that? The second and third underground floors of Peter's wine cellar are still soaked in water. A lot of infrastructure in the village is also destroyed. The economy has suffered incredible large-scale damage. It's not easy to clean up this mess. The most important thing is that people are needed everywhere. With the Germans' work efficiency, rebuilding their homes is a long-term marathon. Bridges, roads, water, electricity, and natural gas may not be able to return to their pre-flood status until the end of the year. My estimate may be too optimistic. If things go wrong, we may have to wait until the beginning of next spring. But for you, this business is definitely better sooner rather than later, lest the Germans change their minds again."

"I think so too. I will try to go on a tour in September, or October at the latest. After that, most of the trips in Europe will be for shopping."

"Is everything going well for you?"

"What aspect do you mean?" Lao Bai was confused.

“Is it easy to organize a wine-buying tour group?”

"It's more troublesome than I thought. I have to change my strategy."

Dong Qiangqiang seemed to understand but didn't ask any further questions.

"It's okay. Let's do as we said before. You take care of the Germans, and I'll get the customers. Trust me." After SARS, Lao Bai gradually returned to the unquestionable tone he used when Dong Qiangqiang first met him. "By the way, if you want to buy (wine), just buy a few bottles of each type as Peter said. You'll have room for choice when you give gifts later."

"The wine here is very expensive, more than a thousand euros a bottle, you'd better find some rich people."

“For a wine collector with money, thousands of euros is just a drop in the bucket.”

"Then you should quickly find a few more sprinklers." Dong Qiangqiang was disgusted by Lao Bai's tone, which was as if he was very rich.

Seeing Dong Qiangqiang chatting enthusiastically with the other party, Peter, who didn't understand a word, hid in the darkness to avoid suspicion.

The two exchanged a few minutes of discussions about other issues that Lao Bai was concerned about and the development direction of Le Bai in the second half of the year that Dong Qiangqiang was concerned about. Before hanging up the phone, Lao Bai suddenly reminded him without any context: "Don't mention the wine matter to anyone, especially Xu Tongying."

"Okay, what about Lao Ding?" Dong Qiangqiang already knew that Lao Ding was Lao Bai's absolute confidant.

"Don't mention it to him," Lao Bai hesitated for a few seconds, "I know Lei Lanting has secretly contacted him several times. They are close. After the Hualing incident, I... have to be on guard. If necessary, I will tell him in person." "What's going on with Lei Lanting?" Dong Qiangqiang wanted to ask this topic a long time ago, "If you doubt him, why don't you just use him?"

"I'm looking to raise the next round of funds, aren't I? He introduced me to a few investors, but I can't part ways with him just yet," Lao Bai said, "It's not the right time yet."

Lao Bai comforted Dong Qiangqiang a few more times before ending the call. When Dong Qiangqiang put down the phone, Peter appeared from the darkness like a night elf: "Do you still want to go downstairs to take a look?"

"Aren't the two lower floors still soaked in water? Can we see anything?" Dong Qiangqiang glanced at his watch. It was almost time. If he wanted to visit the vineyard, he had to hurry up, otherwise it would be too late to go home. He was also anxious to see if he could get online at home and whether the results of other subjects would be released in the afternoon. "Forget about that. Let's go directly to the vineyard."

"I can't see anything," Peter said, turning around and pushing a box of wine in front of Dong Qiangqiang. "According to the agreement, there are three kinds (Hongshui wine), four bottles of each, and the unit price is less than one hundred. If you think it's expensive, you can change it. But these wines are discounted, and you can't get a better deal if you buy them by the box."

"That's all," Dong Qiangqiang knew that he couldn't bargain when doing business with the Germans. He lowered his head and quickly glanced at the box. "How much is it in total?"

"Eight hundred and twenty-three point sixty-nine euros. I'll give you the receipt."

While Dong Qiangqiang was rummaging through his bag to get the money, Peter looked around. Just when Dong Qiangqiang thought he was looking for the opened bottle of Riesling, Peter took two quick steps and picked up a bottle from a pile of bottles on the wooden shelf: "Is this the bottle you just dug out?"

Dong Qiangqiang handed the counted money to the other party and took the bottle of wine. When he smelled the Riesling just now, he put the bottle he dug out on the shelf next to him without paying attention to where he put it. He glanced at the mud on the bottle in the weak light. The mud was even and full, and he couldn't tell whether it was the bottle he dug out. He thought Peter wanted him to buy this bottle as well. He thought that this German was quite cunning. As long as he touched it, he had to sell it to him. But he didn't want to stock up so much at once. If Walter didn't reimburse him, the cost would be too high.

"It looks like this bottle. I dug it myself so it's a commemorative bottle. I'll exchange it for another one. How much did you say it was? Seventy or seventy-five (Euros)?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Peter pointed to one of the bottles to indicate that the two bottles were of similar price. Dong Qiangqiang quickly took out the bottle and returned it to Peter, then threw the one he had dug into the box.

Dong Qiangqiang thought that he was here to introduce business to him, but the other party didn't even offer to give him a few bottles as a thank you. He was really petty. It seemed that the Germans were really rigid in doing business.
Peter went out to get him the receipt and quietly carried the case of bottles out of the cellar.

Dong Qiangqiang said he didn't want to look, but before leaving, he couldn't suppress his curiosity. He ran to the stairs leading to the second underground floor and looked down. He saw waves of yellow-brown sewage lapping against the steps, and nothing could be seen under the water.

By the time he walked outside the winery, the light in the distance had begun to fade. A box of wine was neatly placed in the trunk of a pickup truck. Every bottle was dirty, as if it had just taken a mud bath.

"Dong," Peter's voice came from behind. Dong Qiangqiang turned around and the other party handed him a note with a long box underneath. "Keep the receipt. If you encounter corks or any problems, come to me at any time. I'm here every day, or at the winery."

Dong Qiangqiang put the receipt close to his body and raised the box: "What is this?"

"I forgot to introduce it. We also have a cigar workshop at home. If anyone is interested in rolling their own cigars, you can come and try it. Take this box back and try it."

It seems that the Germans are still good at dealing with things, and Dong Qiangqiang thanked them politely.

Peter jumped lightly onto the passenger seat of the pickup truck and patted the passenger platform in front of him.

As the pickup truck started, Dong Qiangqiang saw the group of people in suits again.