Dong Qiangqiang's Story of Leaving Germany

He didn't expect that the congressman had not left yet. What he didn't expect was that everyone else was walking in the water in leather shoes, but he had both of his trouser legs rolled up high. He was barefoot, holding his shoes, wading in the water, discussing something intensely with the people around him, and waving his arms at the vineyards on the hillside from time to time. He looked indignant and seemed very angry.

Dong Qiangqiang originally thought that politicians appeared in the disaster area mainly to show off, accumulate voter popularity and personal political capital, but he never expected that the other party was such a serious person.

Peter took in Dong Qiangqiang's look, and after reminding him to drive carefully, he explained in a tone of normalcy, "He is also a winemaker."

"Ah?" Peter asked suddenly, leaving Dong Qiangqiang unresponsive for a moment. "Who is also a wine merchant?"

"The fifth guy from the left in the first row, the one in the black suit," Peter pointed, "the one who's talking loudly."

"That congressman is also a wine merchant?" Dong Qiangqiang asked in surprise.

"He is not only a wine merchant, but also a family of winemakers. He made wine before he entered politics, and of course he also grew grapes. He is currently a member of the local winemaking association. Today is his second visit to the village. He also came last Saturday, but the water had not receded that day, so he did not stay long."

"No wonder he seems to care more about this than others. He must have some feelings for this place. Hey, are German parliamentarians allowed to have a second job? Isn't there a moral risk?"

"Germany allows MPs to have a second job, but there are indeed many restrictions. They must report and explain to the relevant departments in advance. If they encounter a very high salary, there will be a hearing."

"Mr. Peter, you are also from a noble family, right?"

“My ancestors grew white and red grapes for a long time, and later by chance they bought a winery, and then they opened the winery.”

"You just said that the local wine-growing association is responsible for collecting donations?"

"Yes, the funds raised will be used to rebuild the local wine industry, provide financial assistance to the entire industry, and maintain the local reputation as one of the important wine producing regions. You want to donate?"

"I will donate, but I want to find out more about this association first. Is it big?"

"The most important work of the association is to promote and help the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in grape cultivation, grape food and tourism. The existence of these small and medium-sized enterprises in turn promotes the development of the association. Currently, there are nearly 1,000 members."

“Can only winemakers and grape growers join?”

"The association has two types of members: wine merchants and non-wine merchants. Companies in the upstream and downstream wine industry chain can join, such as wine wholesalers and retailers."

"Well, the companies in the upstream and downstream industrial chains... well, it's probably uncertain what will happen next," Dong Qiangqiang muttered to himself.

"What?" Peter didn't hear clearly.

"Oh, I mean, can travel companies join the association?"

“Travel companies? Of course. The association already has many travel agencies as members. Every year they organize domestic and international tourists to participate in wine road events, as well as wine tastings at wineries and so on.”

"Will I be able to meet and get in touch with more family businesses like yours if I join the association?" Peter finally understood Dong Qiangqiang's intention: "You want to join the association?"

Dong Qiangqiang smiled and said, "My friend and I opened a German travel agency. Is the threshold for joining high? Are there any mandatory requirements for registered capital or the company's annual revenue and profit?"

"As long as the company's business is related to wine, you can join, but aren't you a college student?"

"I have many identities. Besides, German law doesn't say college students can't start a company. Even German parliamentarians can have a second job."

"That's right. I was also the executive director of the family business when I was in college. I'll tell you the details of joining the club later."

The two chatted all the way and the car soon stopped in front of the brewery gate.

The bottom of the door was covered with half-dried mud. Peter tried to push it in but couldn't, so he had to crawl into the winery. Soon Dong Qiangqiang heard a dull sound of metal colliding with the door from inside. After about five minutes, the door creaked open half from the inside.

"Come in." Peter casually threw the shovel in his hand aside and continued to pull the door hard. Seeing this, Dong Qiangqiang cooperated with him and pushed it in from the outside.

When Dong Qiangqiang stood at the gate of the winery for the first time in the afternoon, he did not see the scene inside the winery. Seeing that the outer wall was in good condition, he thought that the winery had limited losses. After entering the door and standing on the steps, he found that what Peter said was true. The extent of destruction inside the factory was far greater than the desolation he saw on the street.

The entire winery was covered with a thick layer of mud and sand, and the air was filled with an indescribable odor that was even worse than that in the underground wine cellar.

Dong Qiangqiang took a few steps forward and felt that he was standing on the beach again.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Not far from him, oak barrels, stainless steel cans, scattered machine parts, remnants of various materials, and discarded papers were all lazily stuck in the mud in every corner.

"As soon as the flood receded, I asked all the employees to go to the winery to help. After all, that side was more important, so we didn't have time to clean up this side. Watch your step." Peter pointed to several consecutive mud pits and an oak barrel with no hoops but only a few eye-catching holes on the barrel body and said, "When I came in, it was spinning as crazy as the spinning top that Josephine played with when she was a child. Several barrels nearby were also damaged by it, and finally it got stuck in the mud and stopped completely."

Dong Qiangqiang suddenly realized: the several huge dents he saw on the brewery door when he came here were probably caused by oak barrels hitting from the inside. Even after such a violent impact, the door could still remain solid. Peter's investment in the door was really worth it.

Ten meters away, the front mechanical parts of several narrow-gauge tractors were wedged into the walls and wine barrels, or completely broken into pieces. As the two stood and looked at the winery, broken bricks from the collapsed buildings fell suddenly from time to time. Dong Qiangqiang thought to himself: Although there is garbage everywhere outside the winery, it is really clean compared to the mess inside.

"Is the winery suffering a big loss?"

"The bad news is that the flood almost completely destroyed all the wineries in the village. Almost no winery was spared, and no family was not hit hard. My office was flooded, and most of the production equipment was damaged to varying degrees. The water lifted the refrigerator to the wall and stuck it in the window frame. Even after the water receded, it was still hanging there. The newly bottled wine was floating around in the factory like children in a swimming pool in summer. The factory has an open terrain, many metal objects and buildings, and a lot of wine barrels and raw pulp were scrapped. I have to admit that I was a little collapsed when I saw this scene for the first time. The good news is that I was lucky that nothing was washed away from the winery. A friend of mine who is also a family declared that he would never produce wine again as soon as the flood receded. His entire winery was razed to the ground, all the wine barrels were washed away, and the production equipment was not spared."

"What is that thing wrapped in canvas or oilcloth?" Dong Qiangqiang asked, pointing at an object tied up in a factory in the distance.

"The grape press. I had just done maintenance on the machine before the flood, so it escaped the disaster. When it is working, the grape juice will splash into a large stainless steel barrel, just like a continuous and fragrant autumn rain. I wonder if you will have the chance to see it next time you come."

There was nothing else worth seeing in the ruins. Before the two left, Peter dug out the winery promotional materials that were wet from the flood and still had mud stains on them from his office and gave them to Dong Qiangqiang. He also ticked off which types of wine he had bought in the product introduction. (End of this chapter)