Chapter 10: 第十章 第一桶金

The success of the brewing process gave Du Rui a bit more confidence in his ability to survive in this era. This life was different from his previous one. In the era Du Rui lived in before, although social norms had decayed and morality had declined, there was still a rule of law; an ordinary person could find a path to rise above others through their own efforts. But now, having been born into this era, everything one did was dictated by one’s family background and social status. This was especially true for merchants; it was basically impossible to gain recognition or respect in this era.

Scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant—the social hierarchy had been in place for thousands of years by the time of the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenguan era. Although Du Rui’s mind held thousands of ways to provide a good life for himself and his family, he had to be cautious. After all, he was still the illegitimate son of Du Ruhui; if he were to rashly involve himself in commerce, he would inevitably be criticized.

Fortunately, Du Rui had a loyal servant by his side. He could safely and boldly leave these matters to Du Zhong to manage, and for the rest, he would simply sit back and wait for his first pot of gold since his rebirth.

After tasting this new liquor, Du Zhong’s confidence in the brewing process grew. He immediately ordered Du Gui to go out and purchase supplies. For the time being, Du Rui’s startup capital was not exactly abundant, so the brewing could only be done at home for now. Madam Xue and her daughter-in-law, Madam Liu, were responsible for the distillation process Du Rui had described, while the brothers Du Pingyuan and Du Pisheng were in charge of chopping wood. When the three women of the Ma family saw this, they wanted to help, but Du Rui and Du Zhong would not hear of it.

Once everyone was settled, Du Zhong asked Du Rui, "Young Master! I wonder what the price of this immortal brew should be?"

Hearing this, Du Rui silently calculated in his heart. He had spent two full strings of cash on thirty catties of rice wine earlier. Now, he figured that after distillation, this white liquor would need to sell for at least two strings of cash per catty just to break even.

After thinking for a moment, Du Rui said, "Uncle Zhong, what do you think of five strings of cash per catty of this distilled liquor?"

Du Zhong also began to calculate. Based on his knowledge of spirits, this liquor brewed by Du Rui was worth far more than five strings of cash; even ten strings would find buyers. In Chang'an, the wealthy were as numerous as the hairs on an ox. Spending ten strings of cash for a liquor that was clear and transparent, and left a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth, was well worth it.

"Young Master! In this old servant's opinion, this white liquor could sell for even ten strings of cash! Why don't we create a bit of mystery? We shall sell only one hundred catties a day, and set the price at twenty strings per catty!"

"Twenty strings!" Du Rui exclaimed upon hearing this. Based on his understanding of the current value of currency in the Tang Dynasty, twenty strings of cash would be more than enough for an average small household to live on for three to five months. To sell a liquor that cost only two strings to produce for ten times that amount was truly shocking.

"Uncle Zhong! This... this is a bit too high!"

Du Zhong stroked his beard and laughed, "It is not high! It is not high! Young Master, you may not know this, but Chang'an is filled with noble families, and there are countless officials of the sixth rank and above. Relying solely on these people, the liquor in the manor will have no trouble finding a market. Furthermore, by selling only one hundred catties a day, we will incite those people to compete for it. As long as this liquor makes a name for itself in Chang'an, then earning a fortune every day in the future will be no empty boast!"

Du Rui nodded repeatedly. Although he had read some books on economics during his university days in his previous life, he didn't know much about the ways of business.

"Good! Then everything shall be as Uncle Zhong says!"

***

People in this era lived by the rhythm of the sun—working at sunrise and resting at sunset. As soon as the sky began to brighten, the people of the Tang Dynasty in Chang'an rose from their beds. The civil and military officials of the court hurried to the Taiji Palace to attend their shifts, while the common folk rose to toil for their families' livelihoods.

The old Du manor was located in the West Market of Chang'an, an area mostly populated by peddlers and laborers. Today, after the commoners woke up, they suddenly felt that something was different. By the time they realized what it was, they were already somewhat intoxicated by the rich aroma of the liquor.

People from the Northwest had a fondness for liquor, a tradition that had existed since ancient times. Thus, the brewing industry in Chang'an was exceptionally developed. In his previous life, Du Rui had accompanied his father to Xi'an, where he saw more liquor shops and taverns than anything else. It seemed that the people there, regardless of age or gender, had a special affection for the contents of the cup.

However, what people were most familiar with at this time was the cloudy rice wine, or the "Three-Le" syrup imported from the Western Regions, which was sweet but lacked character. This was the first time they had encountered an aroma like the one they smelled today.

People gradually followed the scent to a tavern not far from the Du manor. As the crowd grew, the tavern keeper thought business had suddenly improved and hurried to call his staff to open for the day. But when the customers began demanding the liquor they smelled, only to have it spilled on the floor, he finally realized that all these people had been drawn there by the scent of the wine.

"Keeper! You have good liquor in your shop, why won't you sell it to us? Are you worried we don't have the money?"

"Exactly! Who wants your sour horse urine? I came here specifically for that liquor! Bring it out quickly!"

The customers made a clamor, and the keeper was at a loss. There were many taverns and breweries on this street, but as far as he knew, none of them could brew such an immortal nectar. Seeing that the customers were about to turn violent, the keeper panicked and hurriedly sent his staff out to inquire.

Leaving aside the situation at the tavern, back at the Du manor, they had distilled a hundred catties of fine liquor yesterday but had forgotten how to sell it. Du Rui was still in the period of mourning, and according to the rules of the Zhou Rites, one was not allowed to drink during this time. If Du Rui dared to defy the rules, he suspected that by tomorrow, the people from the Duke of Lai’s manor would be knocking down his door.

Looking at the distilled liquor, Du Rui could only offer a wry smile. Although he was brilliant, he was truly stumped here. The first pot of gold was right in front of him, yet he could not take it.

"Young Master! Young Master!" Du Gui suddenly burst in, shouting, "The Zuixian Tavern next door is fighting!"

Du Zhong, who was worrying about how to sell the liquor, couldn't help but scold him loudly, "Where are your manners in front of the Young Master! What does a fight at the Zuixian Tavern have to do with the Young Master?"

Du Rui didn't mind and asked, "Du Gui! Why are they fighting at the Zuixian Tavern?"

Du Gui hurriedly said, "I just went out and saw that the Zuixian Tavern was packed with customers early in the morning. I went over to take a look, and it turns out all those customers were drawn there by the fine liquor from our manor. The Zuixian Tavern couldn't produce such liquor, so the customers started making a scene."

"Oh!" Du Rui pondered for a moment and said, "Now I have it! Our white liquor finally has a market!"

Du Zhong asked hurriedly, "Young Master! Do you have an idea?"

Du Rui smiled, "Exactly. It is inconvenient for me to sell the liquor directly, but if I hand it over to someone else, there will be no such concerns. Uncle Zhong, go to the Zuixian Tavern and invite the keeper to the manor. I will discuss it with him in detail."

Du Zhong understood what Du Rui was thinking and hurried out.

Before long, Du Zhong returned with a dejected-looking middle-aged man—the keeper of the Zuixian Tavern. The keeper knew that the young son of the late Duke of Lai, Du Ruhui, lived in this abandoned-looking mansion. Although Du Rui was young, his status was not something a mere merchant could compare to. Upon entering the parlor, he bowed respectfully, "Young Master Du!"

Du Rui smiled, gestured for him to rise, and said, "Keeper Feng, there is no need for such formalities!"

After they were seated, Keeper Feng asked, "I wonder why Young Master Du has summoned me to the manor?"

Du Rui didn't rush to explain, but smiled, "I have caused Keeper Feng such trouble today, so I specifically invited you here to apologize in person."

Keeper Feng hurriedly stood up, saying he didn't dare, but he was still confused. He couldn't imagine what trouble this young illegitimate son of a noble family could possibly cause him.

Seeing this, Du Rui asked, "I wonder how things are at your tavern?"

If Keeper Feng didn't understand by now, he would have wasted all his years in business. He took a few deep breaths and realized that the aroma of the liquor was even stronger inside the Du manor. He asked impatiently, "Young Master Du! Was that liquor brewed by your manor?"

Du Rui shook his head with a smile, "No!"

Keeper Feng was immediately disappointed.

"It was not brewed by my manor, but it belongs to my manor!"

Du Rui's next sentence made Keeper Feng's eyes light up.

"Young Master Du! I wonder where this liquor is now?"

Du Rui signaled to Du Gui, who whispered a few words and left. A moment later, he returned to the parlor with half a bowl of liquor. He handed the bowl to Keeper Feng, who wrinkled his nose and took a deep breath. He was immediately captivated by the half-bowl of liquor. This was the first time he had seen a liquor that was clear and transparent, without a single speck of sediment, yet possessed such a fragrant aroma.

Following Du Rui's gesture, Keeper Feng took the bowl with trembling hands and, like Du Zhong the day before, drank it in one gulp. He felt as if a fire snake had slid directly into his stomach, and he couldn't help but cough. By the time he finally recovered, his face was covered in tears and snot.

"Young... Young Master Du! This liquor..."

Du Rui smiled as if he hadn't noticed, "Keeper Feng! What do you think of this liquor?"

"The liquor is strong, but it is too pungent. I have never drunk such spicy liquor before." Although he said this, he couldn't help but savor the aftertaste. He had drunk it too quickly; otherwise, he would have been cheering for it by now.

Du Rui replied, "This liquor is fresh from the still. To make it less pungent, it needs to be buried underground for a period of time. The longer it stays, the better the taste."

Keeper Feng guessed the reason Du Rui had invited him to the manor and asked anxiously, "Young Master Du! Does your manor sell this liquor?"

Du Rui nodded, "We do sell it, but I fear Keeper Feng cannot afford it!"

"Oh! What is the price?" Keeper Feng automatically ignored the second half of Du Rui's sentence. Hearing that Du Rui was willing to sell, he became excited. He could imagine that if this liquor were in his shop, it would surely cause a sensation in Chang'an, and gold and silver would come rolling in.

Du Rui didn't speak, but held up two fingers.

Seeing this, although Keeper Feng felt it was expensive, he hurriedly agreed, "Two strings is fine! Whatever amount your manor has, I will take it all!"

Du Rui shook his head and smiled, "Keeper Feng! Not two strings, but twenty strings!"

"What?" Keeper Feng was shocked, "Twenty strings! This... this is too expensive!"

At this moment, Du Zhong interjected, "It is not expensive! It is not expensive! Keeper Feng, you only see the surface, not the depth! This liquor is a method our Young Master found in ancient books, and we can only produce one hundred catties a day. As the saying goes, rarity makes things valuable. If Keeper Feng is willing to cooperate with our Young Master, then from now on, this liquor..."

"Everything north of the Yellow River will be sold exclusively by Keeper Feng!" Du Rui interrupted Du Zhong. It was not Du Rui's habit to hand over his sharpest weapons to others, and if this liquor could be transported to the cold regions of the Western Regions, it would bring him even greater profits.

Sure enough, when Keeper Feng heard that he would have the exclusive right to sell this liquor north of the Yellow River, he began to calculate again. As for what Du Zhong said about only being able to produce one hundred catties a day, he didn't believe it at all. However, if this immortal brew was limited to one hundred catties a day in Chang'an, that would be a good thing. Although twenty strings per catty was an outrageous price, as long as this liquor made a name for itself in Chang'an and attracted the wealthy and powerful, there would always be a profit to be made.