Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Daily Life of the Eldest Brother

Headache, a real headache.

Perhaps it was because the white liquor distilled by Zhang Qian himself contained far more harmful impurities than the mass-produced spirits of later eras. Perhaps it was due to the countless toasts exchanged with the likes of Wang Han, Zhang Xu, and Wang Zhihuan, those wine sages of the Tang Dynasty. That day, Zhang Qian could not even recall how he made it home. Collapsed on the bed, he slept until noon the next day before finally regaining some clarity.

Yet his head throbbed as if cleaved by an axe; every movement sent the world spinning.

Still, he dared not sleep again. First, he asked Zijuan to bring him a bowl of hangover soup to soothe his numb stomach. Summoning his strength, with the support of his servant Zhang Yi, he made his way to the flower dew distillery.

The distillery’s great copper cauldron was currently employing the “water bath heating—condensation” method to distill the essence—alcohol—from purchased rice wine. Owing to incomplete condensation, the entire workshop was suffused with the pungent smell of poor-quality moonshine. Prolonged exposure to the alcohol vapors had left every face, including Ren Chong and Guo Nu, flushed crimson, their tongues thick as they spoke.

“Senior brother, you’ve sobered up?” Guo Nu, seeing Zhang Qian personally arrive to “supervise their studies,” greeted him with a courtesy tenfold more respectful than any modern graduate student meeting a professor, stumbling forward with concern.

“I’m awake. Quickly, open the windows! Who told you to keep them shut?” Zhang Qian steadied Guo Nu, who nearly toppled into his arms. “Ren Chong, stop adding rice wine to the pot—bring some men and open every window. Remember, from now on, always work with the windows open. Never shut yourselves in again!”

Having released Guo Nu, Zhang Qian turned swiftly, pushed open the door, and gulped down the bracing autumn air, silently thanking his lucky stars.

Had he not arrived in time, Ren Chong, Guo Nu, and the other workers would surely have suffered alcohol poisoning! If any lasting effects remained, such obedient “graduate students” would be hard to find. And today’s promised delivery of medical alcohol to Zhang Ruoxu’s home would have to be canceled.

“Senior brother, it’s cold—if we keep the windows open, the liquor heats slowly, and barely anything distills out after ages!”

“The smell will drift all across the estate. I’m worried that with the windows open, others will see from afar how we make Six Spirits Flower Dew!”

Ren Chong and Guo Nu, oblivious to the danger, staggered over with drunken arguments.

“No matter. Station servants around the perimeter—no unauthorized persons within forty paces.” Zhang Qian shook his head decisively, issuing further instructions. “Also, when distilling alcohol, we don’t need so many people in the workshop. One to tend the fire, one to monitor water and liquor levels, one to collect the alcohol. The rest will be split into three shifts. From now on, rotate every four hours. You two, never spend more than three hours a day by the distilling pot!”

Better to mend the pen before the sheep are lost! While flower dew was not yet in mass production, it was prudent to establish shift rotations now, rather than grudgingly shorten work hours once high profits appeared.

Moreover, the entire alcohol production process demanded little technical expertise and certainly did not require Ren Chong and Guo Nu to keep constant vigil.

With this in mind, Zhang Qian quickly added, “Once the windows are open and the workers sorted, you two bring a barrel of the most distilled alcohol to my study. I’ll teach you how to measure alcohol purity and prepare a barrel for wound cleansing.”

“Yes, yes! Understood, senior brother—we’ll do it at once!” Hearing there was a new skill to learn, Ren Chong and Guo Nu had no time to argue about the windows, eagerly rushing to obey their elder’s orders.

“If there’s time later, get the craftsmen to make another—on second thought, order three more copper cauldrons. With four distilling together, the alcohol output will be much faster.” Zhang Qian glanced at the number of workers, took a deep breath, and continued, “Otherwise, someone won’t have their turn. If we lack manpower, we’ll draw servants from the estate!”

Six Spirits Flower Dew was positioned as a luxury item; one cauldron’s capacity was more than sufficient. However, after yesterday’s chrysanthemum banquet at Zhang Ruoxu’s home, Zhang Qian estimated he would soon have to found his second enterprise in the Tang—an alcohol trust. He had to prepare in advance!

Unlike flower dew, once white liquor hit the market, demand would likely skyrocket to astronomical levels. The production techniques could not remain secret for long. In a Tang Dynasty without patent law, the best defense against rivals, aside from relying on the authorities, was to compete in quality and capacity.

In other words, the more distilling pots Zhang Qian’s estate erected in a short time, the more skilled workers he could cultivate. The more skilled workers, the better the liquor quality and the higher the output. After all, the entire brewing industry of the Tang was still primitive; high-end brands like Maotai or Wuliangye were impossible for now—at best, a few street-vendor vodkas, with the highest quality barely reaching the level of Erguotou.

With this in mind, even if all the estate’s servants and tenants became distillery workers, there would still be a significant shortage. If all manpower went into distillation, next year’s crops would remain unplanted. Stable supply of rice wine would become a major concern...

If he brewed the rice wine raw material himself, he’d have to recruit some of Ren’s and Guo’s servants and tenants, too. While that might solve the labor issue, the grain shortage would worsen. Then would come a host of new problems: abandoned fields, worker safety, housing and meals...

The deeper he thought, the more Zhang Qian’s headache intensified. He remained distracted until he stepped into his study, still lost in a daze.

Fortunately, Ren Chong and Guo Nu, dizzy from the alcohol vapors, were long accustomed to their senior brother’s frequent daydreaming. Upon entering the study, they set down the barrel and, as usual, sought out the maidservants for tea and snacks. Only after polishing off two whole pots of strong tea with pastries did they cast a glance at Zhang Qian, who was already sipping his tea slowly, and cautiously reminded him, “Senior brother, today you said you’d teach us how to measure alcohol purity...”

“Yes. We'll use grain measures and a rice scale as our instruments.” Zhang Qian set down his teacup and smiled, “Go fetch the scale and measures from the steward. And have someone bring a barrel of pure water!”

“Yes!” The two replied in unison and hurried out. With a rare moment of peace, Zhang Qian reached into his bookshelf, pulled out a cellphone, opened the calculator, then took a roll of white paper and a charcoal pencil to prepare for the calculation.

Pure alcohol has a density of 789 kilograms per cubic meter, water’s standard density is 1000 kilograms per cubic meter. Medical alcohol in later eras is standardized at seventy-five percent. The measuring tools were not precise, nor was well water pure, so Zhang Qian had to make do—ensuring the alcohol concentration reached between seventy and seventy-five percent would be sufficient.

Thus, it was simple: select a median value, a density of about 860 grams per liter. As long as the weight is eighty-six percent that of the same volume of clean water, it meets the standard.

When Ren Chong and Guo Nu returned, excitedly carrying water and measuring tools, Zhang Qian had already designed the whole measuring process on paper. With their help, he explained as he worked, and in less than fifteen minutes, measured the alcohol purity after the fifth distillation—astonishingly, it reached eighty-two percent, far exceeding medical standards.

Distilling to high purity was difficult; lowering the concentration was trivial. According to his calculations, simply add distilled water. Zhang Qian was being conscientious—otherwise, even river water would suffice.

So, the three brothers returned to the workshop, paused the distillation, freed up the cauldron, produced a barrel of distilled water, and then, by proportion, added it to the “five-distilled liquor.” Repeated testing confirmed the numbers, and thus, the first barrel of medical alcohol in the Tang Dynasty was born.

He personally escorted the cart, together with Ren Chong, Guo Nu, and Ren Quan, delivering the barrel to Zhang Ruoxu’s house just as night fell. After repeatedly declining the elder’s invitation for a late meal, Zhang Qian took his leave, exhausted, and set out for home with his companions.

Though his bones felt as if they’d fallen apart and his stomach drummed with hunger, the headache from his drunkenness had vanished completely. Taking advantage of the still-mild night air, Zhang Qian stretched his arms and legs, doing a few warm-up moves for kickboxing as he walked, and, unwittingly, felt a rare peace in this pastoral life.

But that peace lasted less than half a stick of incense before the sound of shouting and neighing horses shattered it.

Six two-horse wagons rolled swiftly toward his gate in the dusk.

From the leading passenger carriage, a plump, fair-skinned man pushed open the door and, from afar, waved energetically at Ren Chong. “Little Five, Little Five, your humble brother has come to visit! All the glass bottles you wanted are in the wagons behind. Fearing you’d be short, I made double the amount. The price is exactly as agreed—the extra bottles are all a gift!”

“It’s Wang Glass himself delivering the bottles, senior brother. I’ll go greet him!” After days spent watching the ever-growing stock of Six Spirits Flower Dew, yet waiting anxiously for the bottles, Ren Chong had been beside himself with worry. Now, seeing the bottles finally arrive, he turned to Zhang Qian and whispered before rushing toward the carriage, “Thank you, brother Wang—I didn’t expect you to come in person! Forgive my lack of welcome—”

“No need for formalities, Little Five, we’re family!” Though plump, Wang Yuanbao was agile. He leaped from the carriage and seized Ren Chong’s arm. “As long as I haven’t delayed your work, that’s all that matters. Little Five, come see—on the last wagon, I’ve brought something else for you!”

As he spoke, dragging Ren Chong toward the last wagon, his voice lowered, “You said your master likes girls who are plain and smooth, front and back. Your brother kept it in mind! Come, take a look—see if they’re to your master’s taste. It’s my first visit to his estate, and I had no other gifts, so I specially procured this pair of twins from the dealer! It took a great effort, but they’re worth every coin! Both have been trained in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—whether you take them out or keep them at home for warmth, they’re guaranteed not to disappoint your master!”