Drinking Challenge
Old Gao held the cup with both hands, took a small sip of wine, and coughed.
"This, this..." Old Gao choked and tears welled up in his eyes instantly, too excited to speak.
The liquor is rich and spicy, one second it is fragrant and refreshing, the next second it is spicy and strong, catching you off guard. After swallowing, the taste in your mouth is slightly bitter, with a very rich and complex flavor.
It looked like water, but when you drank it it felt like fire. He had never drunk such strong liquor in his life, nor had he ever seen such a way of brewing it.
"Don't get excited. This is just a preliminary test. It's only a semi-finished product. There will be even better ones in the future."
There's something even better... what would that taste like...?
How can ordinary wine and liquor have such a magical power to be transformed after being distilled once?
Old Gao felt a mix of emotions. He immediately bowed to Fu Zhi Qiao. Although he had not yet figured out Fu Zhi Qiao's background, his superb brewing skills at such a young age could only be described as talent.
He was completely convinced.
"I was blind to your greatness. I never expected that my master would be so capable at such a young age."
Fu Zhiqiao waved his hand dismissively, saying that this was not a very good wine. The freshly distilled wine had not been aged in cellars, so it was very pungent and spicy, which would greatly diminish the flavor of the wine.
To make good wine, it needs to go through multiple steaming and fermentation processes during the brewing period, which is very complicated. Not to mention the subsequent aging period in cellars, which can last for several years before it can be sold.
Distilled spirits take on a different flavor after being aged in cellars. Cellaring allows some of the impurities in the spirit to evaporate, making the taste more mellow and rich. Only then can it be considered a truly good spirit.
This was just a small test, but it was enough for the common people of the Great Wei who had only ever drunk turbid wine.
The distillation process is more than half successful. If the liquor is of good quality, it can be mass-produced. The next steps will depend on time.
Old Gao's eyes were fixed intently. "May I ask, sir, what is the name of this wine?"
"Taibai wine!"
"Taibai wine? Taibai wine? Good, good, good!" Old Gao said "good" three times in a row, looking completely intoxicated.
Fu Zhiqiao smiled slightly and said "Hey" twice to bring him back to his senses. "Taibai wine is not like ordinary cloudy wine. It's very intoxicating. Just take a small sip. You still need to keep an eye on the stove."
He instructed Old Man Gao to keep a close eye on the water in the large pot, and to promptly empty it and replace it with cold water if it got too hot, in order to create a good condensation environment for distilling the liquor.
"I have already taught you the brewing method. Observe it more and you will gradually become familiar with it. If you don't have enough grain, tell Defu. When brewing, remember not to let others get close. If you have any problems, come to the Fu residence to find me."
Old Gao's face lit up with delight upon hearing this.
In the Great Wei Dynasty, learning a skill is an extremely difficult thing.
Whether you're learning calligraphy, embroidery, cooking, or carpentry, you must go through the process of becoming an apprentice. But finding an apprentice isn't easy; masters choose their disciples based on talent and a rapport, so every skill is a closely guarded secret.
Now, Fu Zhi Qiao had just taught him her family's techniques. Old Gao was so moved that he almost cried. He bowed deeply to Fu Zhi Qiao again and said, "Yes, I will definitely do my best. Don't worry, Master!"
With the wine successfully distilled, Fu Zhiqiao finally felt relieved. The next step was to increase production and stockpile a batch of wine so that the wine shop could open before the end of the year.
Old Gao tended to three stoves simultaneously every day to distill liquor. Because outsiders were not allowed to enter during distillation, Old Gao's wife would steam rice and mix yeast in the distillery, and pump the cool well water into a water tank for later use.
Gao Hai used to work in a shop, but because of his unstable temperament, he couldn't resist the temptation to gamble. Fu Zhi Qiao didn't trust him, so she simply let him stay in the winery to dry grains. This was a physically demanding job. Spreading the steaming hot rice evenly on the drying rack was a tiring and hot process.
Old Gao had no objection to this at all. Fu Zhiqiao had done his family a great favor, and he couldn't be ungrateful.
If efficiency is lacking, make up for it with quantity.
With three large stoves operating simultaneously, the distillation process was faster, and the previous few hundred catties of grain were quickly used up. Old Gao then ordered another two thousand catties of grain.
The grain store owner and Old Gao were neighbors on the same street, and the owner was well aware of Old Gao's debt-push. Seeing him start buying grain and brewing wine again, the owner knew that Old Gao had overcome his difficulties and asked him how he had resolved that large debt.
Old Gao smiled and publicly stated that he had reopened the wine shop with the support of a distant relative, and hoped that everyone would come and support him.
Days passed, and the three members of the Gao family were all busy at the winery.
Due to limited brewing facilities, only 3,000 jin of Taibai wine were produced in the end.
The jars were sealed with yellow clay, and all the wine was stored in the wine cellar. The original wine cellar in the wine shop was too small to hold so much wine, so some of the Taibai wine had to be stored in the backyard of the wine shop.
A month passed quickly, and Fu Zhiqiao also ushered in an important opportunity.
The annual grand market in Qingzhou City is about to begin.
In this era, people mostly relied on horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts for transportation, as transportation was underdeveloped and currency circulation was not very mature. Fortunately, Qingzhou had relatively convenient water and land transportation, and people from surrounding towns could gather here to barter and sell goods for money, which eventually formed a "market".
There are small markets in Qingzhou every month, which are places for local residents to buy and sell. The big market is held once a year for ten days. Merchants from surrounding towns and other places come here. Merchants transport goods from north to south to do business, while the locals pick some of their own mountain products to sell, or they can set up a tea stall at the city gate and make a lot of money.
As early as a month ago, all the inns in the city were fully booked.
The Qingzhou government strictly controlled and managed the market. Merchants and farmers from outside the city had to register and pay rent before they could sell their goods there. During the market day, there were dedicated gatekeepers to supervise the market, and officials in charge of security patrolled the area.
After ordering a few more steamers, Fu Zhi Qiao instructed Old Man Gao to ramp up production. She had already planned this; she wanted to take advantage of this market day to establish the reputation of Taibai Wine!
*
Soon the day of the market arrived. The city gates of Qingzhou were wide open, and the gates were bustling with people.
The once empty imperial road has been transformed into a series of stalls where you can buy anything from precious jewelry and jade to ordinary farm produce, wild vegetables, mountain goods, and even horses, ironware, maids, and servants.
Similar products grouped together are called "Liesi".
Fu Zhiqiao rented a stall in the "Liesi" market. On the table, there was only a jar of wine and a white porcelain bowl. This simple display method puzzled Old Gao.
Fu Zhiqiao used Old Gao's name to renovate and reopen the wine shop, and renamed the original Gao Family Wine Shop to Taibai Wine Shop. However, the official explanation was that Taibai Wine Shop was jointly owned by Old Gao and his relatives, so Old Gao, as the nominal owner, still needed to appear in person.
"Master, why don't we display all the wine jars?" Old Gao was puzzled. Everyone displays their products to attract customers. Besides, displaying jars of wine would be much more eye-catching and attractive!
Fu Zhiqiao smiled without saying a word, picked up the wine jar and filled the white porcelain bowl with wine. The clear, watery liquid contrasted sharply with the murky rice wine on the stall next door.
With so many people and eyes in the market, Fu Zhiqiao took out a wooden board with the words pasted on it and placed it on the table next to the wine jar, so that passersby could understand it at a glance.
She had already secretly ordered people to spread the word: pay one tael of silver, drink a bowl of wine, and walk ten meters straight away half an hour later to receive ten taels of silver.
That's right, she's going to hold a drinking challenge in this market.
"Come and take a look! This is Taibai wine, made with an exclusive secret recipe, and it's one of a kind in the world!" Old Gao stood by his stall, calling out to passersby to take a look at his wine.
The market was crowded and noisy. Fu Zhi Qiao changed into men's clothing and sat quietly on a chair, holding a fan. He looked like a dashing young man, which immediately attracted the attention of many people.
"This is wine? It tastes like water."
"No, smell it, it really smells like wine!"
Wow! This is the first time I've ever seen wine like this.
Old Gao proudly introduced, "This is Taibai Wine! It's the only one of its kind in the entire Qingzhou!"
"You've never seen this before! This Taibai wine is pure and transparent, with a rich and mellow aroma and a long-lasting aftertaste..." The people were stunned by what Old Man Gao said, and then they saw the words on the notice: pay one tael of silver and you will get ten taels of silver.
Tempted by the prospect of ten taels of silver, someone soon couldn't contain themselves and asked, "Shopkeeper, are you really giving us ten taels of silver? You're not just bluffing us, are you?"
"Such a good deal, you can get money after drinking?"
Fu Zhiqiao immediately instructed Defu to bring out a tray and place ten silver ingots on it.
The ten taels of silver were stacked into a triangle. As soon as the silver was displayed, Fu Zhi Qiao could clearly feel that the people who came to watch were breathing much more rapidly.
Ten taels of silver was roughly enough for a family's living expenses for the first year or two for a country person, but the merchants who came and went were not short of that amount of silver, and most people here could afford it.
Marketing is all about creating buzz and attracting attention; Fu Zhi Qiao wanted the buzz about giving away money for drinking.
Zhang the butcher, who was watching, was secretly pleased. He was not short of a tael of silver.
As a butcher, he boasted that he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk and was extremely confident in his alcohol tolerance. In addition, since he was in the butcher's business, his family could eat meat for every meal. His greatest hobby was drinking and eating meat. He could get the drinks and the bonuses at the same time, so why not?
The first to take on the challenge was Butcher Zhang.
Are you sure you want to take on this challenge?
Butcher Zhang struck a pose, handed over an ounce of silver, and slammed his hand on the table with an air of grandeur, "Bring on the wine!"
"Good!" Someone in the crowd recognized Butcher Zhang. Last time, when the old master of the Zhang family celebrated his birthday, Butcher Zhang drank more than ten people under the table by himself. Those who knew him well knew that he had a high alcohol tolerance, and the onlookers were also aroused by him.
Defu poured him another full bowl of wine.
Zhang the butcher stared wide-eyed at the clear liquid, then picked up the porcelain bowl and sniffed it. A strong, pungent aroma of wine wafted out.
He couldn't wait to take a sip.
Sure enough, just like Old Man Gao, he choked on his first sip and couldn't help coughing repeatedly.
Unlike the mellow, cloudy wine, this Taibai wine is icy cold when you drink it, but it burns like fire when you swallow it.
"It is indeed good wine!" He originally wanted to drink it all in one gulp to show off his drinking capacity, but the wine was unexpectedly domineering. As soon as the wine entered his mouth, the spicy taste made him shiver. He felt as if he had swallowed a mouthful of fire, and the burning heat rushed from his throat straight into his lungs.
Butcher Zhang couldn't help but worry. He had never drunk such strong and spicy wine before, and he was afraid that he would have a hard time getting the ten-tael reward.
Those around him, seeing Zhang the butcher struggling to suppress his coughs, began to whisper among themselves.
Fu Zhiqiao tapped the table and said to Defu, "Order him some snacks to go with his drinks."
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