His Excellency the Count of Grandet

As soon as Victor left, Charles' daily life in Bordeaux returned to the same as before—do what you want, and you don't have to worry about someone who will immediately reveal it after you have painstakingly buried or prepared a foreshadowing.

Victor's existence is simply for the pleasure of murdering him to make low-key money, is there?

After complaining a few words, Charles put the matter aside and continued his leisurely life.In the eyes of others, this young master from Paris likes to drink, ride horses and hunt. The habit of stepping down is already very good.Look, the post station delivers letters to this young master every now and then, and his father doesn't trust him at all!

Let's just say that Guillaume was completely shot in the face with a shattered knee in this one.Although it was true that he cared about his son very much, he really didn't send a letter every day to care.In fact, most of the letters sent to Charles were subordinates of the Grandet family, who regularly reported the fluctuating market prices of wines in various places and the progress of the acquisition, so that they could make new decisions in line with the market at any time.

In the beginning, both buyers and sellers were patient.Those who buy things have to shop around, and those who sell things also want to find a financial backer.Based on the situation in previous years, it is estimated that the new wines launched in September only accounted for about one-fifth of the annual output, and there are still nearly two months before the end of the usual buying season. Of course, everyone is not in a hurry.

Charles also stood still.He only asked the people in Nantes and Angers to get in touch with a few more vineyard owners, feel their attitudes, and inquire about the yield and quality, but he never let go.As for the other four cities, he had already obtained enough information quietly.

By mid-October, the normally ripe grapes are also brewed into wine, ready to go out of the cellar.Theoretically speaking, this is the peak period of transactions, because in theory, both buyers and sellers have already figured out the general situation.The two parties each bid a price, and then bargained with each other; in the market and by the pier, a group of old men were fighting like cockfights, blushing and thick necks, which is nothing more than commonplace.

It's just that this year's situation is special.Bargaining is naturally a necessary repertoire, but many vineyard owners have an extra calculation in mind.

There are many kinds of wine wholesalers - small mainland retailers who want to save some intermediary fees, foreign merchants who come by boat from other parts of Europe, and large wholesalers in their own countries.Among these people, the ones who received the largest amount and raised the price were undoubtedly the special suppliers of the army in their own country: because they had no worries about sales or bids, and the risks they had to take during transportation were much smaller than those of foreign businessmen.

The one who supplied wine to the army of the Duke of Orléans before the Charles, also imported from the Loire region.Because looking at the whole of France, the Loire Valley region has obvious geographical advantages-it is the closest wine-producing region to Paris, and the shipping cost is the cheapest.Many vineyard owners have tasted the benefits in the hands of their predecessors, and feel that this success can be replicated——

"Guillaume? I heard that this master has canceled the order in Burgundy! Where is he going to buy it from?"

"Although he didn't come to our place at all, it is absolutely impossible to buy from the Rhone Valley and Languedoc production areas, right? That's the other end of the country! would do such a thing!"

"His son, Charles? This young master is quite a talent, and he has not experienced much in the world."

"I also heard that he spent a lot of money and gave a very expensive gift to his uncle's house for the first time - what? Of course I didn't see it, but this is for sure. Otherwise, how could Grandet have no complaints?"

"I heard from the dock worker that he is going to Bordeaux now, and he will still pass by when he returns to Paris..."

"They're destined to buy over 1 barrels anyway, aren't they?"

The whispers are so common that the number of people who think they have a piece of the pie is growing.When there are more people hoarding goods, the market price will be higher and higher; those who don't know what to buy will see that the price will rise again, so they will wait.This creates a vicious cycle; the price keeps getting higher and higher, but no one sells.

Vineyard owners are patient, foreign businessmen are not.Shipping usually takes a long time, and they don't expect to have a good Christmas until they get the wine on their own ship in early November and take it back to sell.It doesn't make any sense to be late, they have been out for half a year, and they are rushing home for a reunion!Also, if the high price of two hundred francs a barrel is not sold, then what do they earn?

Come on, it's better to lose a little on the shipping cost than to lose the difference, so it's almost time to pack up and leave!

When this critical moment came, it was the end of October.Shire was thinking that it was time to spread the news that he had bought Myron Castle, but a small accident happened.

In the provinces, the center of activity in every small town and village is in the public domain such as the square or the dock.Men smoked pipes and talked; bought and sold goods and exchanged information; every eye was on any opportunity to make money.

The village of Poiillac is also on the list.In recent days, it has been rumored that the well-known Bordeaux wine merchant, Mr. Suberg, intends to sell three of the more than 30 wineries under his name, so that they can be cashed out for capital turnover.Pretty much everyone knows about it, but no one wants to take over—

Because the three wineries that Mr. Suberg is about to sell are really lackluster.Average houses, average management, average land, average grapes... Generally speaking, grapes are suitable for growing on calcareous soil with large stone layers; Can't grow.Because of this, the annual tax paid to the government on this piece of land is quite small.

But this meager advantage is not enough.Vineyards have no scenery, no quality, no history, no reputation, and cannot meet the high quality requirements of this region.It is also because of the trouble of taking care of it that even Mr. Subberger, who is famous for his crazy acquisition of vineyards in the region, does not want to bother.He hopes to sell it as a package. Hundreds of hectares of land can only be sold for 80 francs, which is simply the price of cabbage——

Unfortunately, no one cares.

But Charles was a little moved.He has lived here for two months and has heard of this place for a long time.There is no big problem with the soil quality. You can buy cuttings from other companies for grapes, but digging the stone layer is a big project.Suberg has too many wineries in his hands, and his manpower and funds are stretched. Of course, he can only choose to give up the least valuable chip in his hand to keep other more valuable ones.

And he just happened to have this condition - Guillaume mentioned excitedly in his letter a few days ago that he had raised close to 150 million francs in the one and a half months in Paris, which was 50 more than their predetermined goal.

Shire hadn't thought of the use of this money yet, but it was just right at this time.Of course, it's still far from 80, but judging from the current situation, no one would exchange gleaming gold for a large gray stone.

To be on the safe side, Charles asked for Mr. Myron's opinion—since the deal was concluded, the old man has become more pleasant to him. "From your point of view, how much is Mr. Suberg's business worth?"

Anyone else would have thought that Shire was just asking out of curiosity—because the business couldn't make ends meet.But Mr. Myron already knew Shire a little bit, guessed that he was interested in those lands, and couldn't help shaking his head, trying to dispel his thoughts. "My dear young master, you must not throw away the hard-won gold! One-third of that land is barren! Even if it is flattened with gunpowder, high-quality grapes will not grow!"

"Why?" Charles humbly asked for advice.

"The stony ground can't retain water," Mr. Myron explained. "Our grape seedlings will grow very slowly in such an environment. Even if they can ripen, the fruit will be sour."

Making good wine requires good grapes, and one of the most important criteria is the sweetness of the grapes.Shrewd vineyard owners will accurately judge the weather and maturity, and wait until the moment when the grapes are ripe and about to rot, and then pick them off the tree as quickly as possible to make wine.The most typical example is Chateau Lusalus, which is famous for its noble rot liqueur. It takes the huge risk of all the grapes rotting in the ground every year.

Of course, not everyone can do this.But if there is too little sugar in the fruit, the fermentation level will undoubtedly be poor, and the gap in taste cannot be made up anyway.

Charles nodded thoughtfully.Mr. Myron is a local native, so it must be true. "Is there really no other way?"

Mr. Myron shook his head regretfully. "If you want to grow in that place, I'm afraid you can only grow some grass. If it is blown into gravel, you can probably grow some shrubs." But the income is much lower than that of grapes, and no one in Bordeaux is willing to do it.

But Shire was inspired almost immediately. "Shrubs?" he asked tentatively. "I remember that oaks are also very drought-tolerant. If you buy some seedlings and plant them with roots and soil, will they survive?"

"Oak?" Mr. Myron asked back in surprise, and then guessed what Charles meant. "You want to hold all the factors that can affect the quality of wine in your hands?"

Charles nodded of course.Famous wineries in later generations did this to ensure the quality of the wine; now that he can't grow good grapes like Lafite for the time being, at least he can start with the management level first, right?

Shocked, the old man stared at Charles from behind his monocle for several seconds, almost staring. "I see," he murmured then, turning the cane he leaned against the chair involuntarily. "It doesn't matter if ordinary grapes are grown in other places, the best way for you to have these table wines..."

It is not easy to pay back the cost of planting oak, but the investment is not large; if the grapes are interplanted, they can bear fruit in the same year.If all goes well, starting next year in Bordeaux, Shire will be able to own a vineyard covering an area of ​​more than [-] hectares, an oak forest of about [-] hectares, and three or four houses. .

"The plan sounds all right." Mr. Myron was finally persuaded. "But I suggest you wait a few more days—Mr. Suberg is eager to get rid of it, and you should be able to buy it at a lower price than the listed price." At the same time, he reaffirmed his vision in his heart, this young man can indeed achieve something event!

This coincided with what Charles thought.So he continued to wander aimlessly in the square, and on the third day, he pretended to walk near Mr. Subberger pretending to be unintentional.

At that time, Mr. Suberg's asking price had dropped to 45 francs (truly a big sale), and finally a few people expressed a little interest; but he had to pay in cash, so those people were still hesitating.

Charles appeared at the right time, because the money order he took out had a face value of 50 francs, and the bank where the account was opened was the most reputable bank in Pergo in France-this bank guarantees that no matter who withdraws cash or how much, they will be able to withdraw money. Let the withdrawer see the full amount of gold within three days.

Buying close to 150 hectares in one go is a sensation, for better or worse, anywhere.So rumors about the Grandet family in Paris spread all the way across rivers and basins, spreading at a speed with wings.

Another deal was made. In this way, the end-of-October gift package carefully prepared by Shire became buy one get one free.This is certainly a good thing for him, but not at all for some people.