Fat Dongdong kept the three winning bottle caps. He found three wooden corks to reseal the liquor bottles.
"Alright, Boss Yu, I'm off."
Jiang Tao gave Yu Dongdong a cheerful wave, grabbed the three boxes of liquor, and headed out of the supermarket.
He hadn't walked ten meters when he spotted a familiar figure approaching.
"Well, well, Little Jiang! Not out working today, but buying liquor instead? Got guests at home?"
The speaker was a tall, robust man with a head full of silver-gray curls and a rosy complexion. This was Lü Qian, Jiang Tao's landlord.
Despite being 70 years old, Grandpa Lü was in great health and spirits. He received a monthly pension of 16,000 to 17,000 yuan, and the rent from his tenement building brought in over 30,000 yuan a month. A 70-year-old's income was worth that of seven or eight young men combined. Beijing's high average income owed a lot to retirees like him.
Grandpa Lü had little to do most days—just smoking, drinking, getting his hair permed, walking his bird, or playing with crickets. He lived a far cushier life than most youngsters.
"Guests? Nah, I just grabbed some liquor while buying cigarettes. I'm heading to work now," Jiang Tao replied with a grin, greeting his landlord before preparing to leave.
"Hey, isn't that Qinghua Lang? Not bad, Little Jiang! Did you strike it rich recently? Your taste in liquor's gone up a notch!"
Grandpa Lü's eyes caught the liquor boxes peeking out of Jiang Tao's bag—Qinghua Lang, his favorite brand.
Jiang Tao's mind sparked at the landlord's words. Anyone who'd rented from Grandpa Lü for a few years knew he was a liquor enthusiast. And he wasn't short on cash—his go-to bottles were never less than a few hundred yuan.
As Grandpa Lü often said, at 70, how many years did he have left? From now on, it was all about eating well, drinking well, and enjoying life to the fullest. And he certainly had the means to do so.
Jiang Tao's parents, in their sixties, were a stark contrast. They got up at four or five in the morning to ride in a foreman's van to work, returning home after dark. Busting their backs all month, they earned a measly 5,000 yuan—barely a fraction of Grandpa Lü's pension.
Some people are born in Rome, others as workhorses. Even among villagers, the "village" in Beijing and the one back in Jiang Tao's rural hometown were worlds apart.
"Grandpa, let's step over here. I've got something to say."
Jiang Tao gestured for the landlord to move aside for a private chat.
"What's with all the secrecy?"
Grandpa Lü, puzzled, followed Jiang Tao a few steps to a nearby alley entrance.
"Grandpa, these three boxes of Qinghua Lang are fresh from Boss Yu's shop. You can ask him if you don't believe me. Aside from scanning the QR codes on the bottle caps for the prize, the liquor hasn't been touched. I've already redeemed the codes, so these are just regular bottles now. If you don't mind them being opened, I'll sell them to you at a discount."
Jiang Tao got straight to the point, no nonsense.
"Oh? How much of a discount?"
Grandpa Lü looked intrigued. For true Qinghua Lang fans, the prize draw was just a small bonus. Even without it, those who loved the stuff would buy it anyway. And with the pitifully low odds of winning? Most people wouldn't even get a second-tier prize after ten tries. The vast majority—99.99%—ended up with a third-tier prize: a 100ml sample bottle.
Only someone like Jiang Tao, with his "cheat code," could hit the first-tier prize three times in a row. For real liquor fans, a discount was far more appealing than gambling on slim odds. And an opened bottle? That wasn't an issue. Good loose liquor sold for hundreds per jin, didn't it?
Jiang Tao thought for a moment. "Three bottles for 2,700—about 40% off retail!"
Grandpa Lü's eyes lit up. Three bottles of Qinghua Lang at a 40% discount would save him over 1,700 yuan!
He pondered for a few seconds, then held up two fingers. "2,000, and they're mine."
"Grandpa, that's brutal! You're chopping me in half! I paid 4,500 for these three bottles!"
Jiang Tao clutched the bag tightly, putting on a dramatic show of being insulted, his acting skills on point.
"2,100, no more," Grandpa Lü countered, stepping back.
"2,600, no less!"
Jiang Tao played the retreat-to-advance game, gauging the balance perfectly.
"How about we both give a little? I'll add some, you cut some—2,300, final offer!"
"Grandpa, you're loaded—does a few bucks really matter? Alright, I'll be straight: 2,400!"
"Fine, fine! 2,400 it is. Let me check the goods first."
Grandpa Lü didn't bother haggling over a hundred yuan, chuckling as he took the bag to inspect the liquor. For him, bargaining with Jiang Tao was just for fun. For Jiang Tao, it was about survival. Four hundred yuan could buy his daughter a decent down jacket.
Selling three bottles of Qinghua Lang for 2,400 was double what Boss Yu at the supermarket offered, and Jiang Tao was more than satisfied. He'd originally planned to keep them for himself, but with 80,000–90,000 yuan in family debt looming, he wavered. What kind of family could afford 1,000-yuan liquor? Enjoying life could wait—clearing the debt came first.
"No issues with the liquor! Come on, Little Jiang, let me scan you."
Grandpa Lü, a Qinghua Lang veteran, could tell the real stuff with one sniff. Plus, having known Jiang Tao for over six years, he trusted the young man wouldn't try to pass off fake liquor to an old comrade.
"Alright, scan here."
Jiang Tao grinned, pulling out his phone and flipping it to show the WeChat payment QR code tucked in the case.
"By the way, Little Jiang, what prizes did you win with those three bottles?"
As he spoke, Grandpa Lü scanned the code with a ding and entered 2,400 yuan.
[WeChat Payment Received: 2,400 yuan!]
Hearing the payment notification, Jiang Tao beamed—way sweeter than any song by Asen! "Just three first-tier prizes," he said with a smile.
"Three first-tier prizes? Kid, what kind of daydream is that?"
Grandpa Lü shook his head, chuckling, clearly not buying it. He'd just asked casually, and since Jiang Tao didn't elaborate, he didn't press further. Whatever the prize, it had nothing to do with him. Scoring three bottles of Qinghua Lang for 2,400 yuan, saving over 2,000, was a steal for a true fan like him.
"Haha, believe it or not. I'm off to work—see ya, Grandpa!"
Jiang Tao waved and headed out of the village.
"This kid, dreaming of first-tier prizes? As if they're that easy to win!"
"I've drunk dozens of bottles and only got one second-tier prize."
Grandpa Lü watched Jiang Tao's retreating figure, shaking his head with a smile, convinced Jiang Tao was joking.
…
Not far away, inside Yu Dongdong's Supermarket, Yu Dongdong, having witnessed Jiang Tao's insane luck with three first-tier prizes, felt a stir of ambition. He opened a new case of Qinghua Lang, picked two bottles, and scanned their QR codes.
[Congratulations, you've won a third-tier prize!]
[Congratulations, you've won a third-tier prize!]
As expected, both were third-tier prizes—the 100% guaranteed 100ml sample bottles.
"How's the gap between people so huge…?"
Yu Dongdong slumped into his chair, swearing off prize draws for good.
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