Moma Liangshan

Chapter 4: The Distillery is Completed, and We Go Down the Mountain to Buy Grain

After noon, Old Man Xu arrived at the mountain stronghold. Wang Hao, seeing the terrified Old Man Xu, asked, "Did you get the twenty strings of cash?" Old Man Xu timidly replied, "Thank you for your kindness, young master." Wang Hao couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Do you think I bullied you and forced you to come up the mountain?" Old Man Xu looked at Wang Hao, unsure how to answer. Wang Hao surveyed the crowd and said, "Whether you are willing or not, since you have followed me, you must abide by my rules. I will never mistreat you, but if I find anyone betraying me, beware of their head." Looking towards the door, he added, "Ma Decao, call Zhang Sangou and the others in." A moment later, everyone arrived. Wang Hao said, "Today, each of you will receive ten strings of cash. From today onward, you must not speak of what you saw or heard in the tavern to anyone. If you reveal any secrets, it will be the same as betraying me." Hearing this, the crowd chorused, "We will remember your teachings, young master. If we break our oath, may we be childless and die a horrible death!"

After everyone received their resettlement allowance, Wang Hao asked, "Have you gathered all the materials needed to build the winery?" The carpenter replied, "They've been prepared according to the list." Wang Hao looked at Old Man Xu and said, "You can freely choose any open space on Liangshan. Master Xu, please!" Old Man Xu, with a helpless expression, said, "I will obey your orders, young master!" Led by Old Man Xu, the group began searching for a suitable location on Liangshan. By evening, they had explored almost all the open plains. Wang Hao found a side room as a temporary gathering place for the group. Zhang Sangou brought two square wooden tables and placed them in the center of the room. Half a moment later, Ma Decao brought the food. After setting out the bowls and chopsticks, Wang Hao said, "You've all had a long day's journey. I'd like to offer you all a toast." Everyone raised their glasses. Wang Hao then looked at Old Man Xu and said, "Master Xu, where do you think would be a good choice?" Old Man Xu thought for a moment and said, "There's an excellent place, but it's very expensive." Wang Hao replied, "Tell me the approximate amount?"

Old Man Xu countered, "How many wine cellars does the young master want?" Wang Hao asked again, "How many days does it take for one cellar to produce wine, and how much wine can be produced at once?" Old Man Xu replied, "Eleven or twelve days in summer, fifteen or sixteen days in winter. One cellar can produce eight to ten jars of wine." Wang Hao thought to himself, "If the alcohol is concentrated three times after distillation, then one cellar can produce three jars. One jar of wine is about ten catties." He slowly said, "Five wine cellars." Old Man Xu replied, "Five tiled houses and ten thatched huts. About six hundred strings of cash." Wang Hao frowned slightly and asked, "Where will the location be? Is six hundred strings of cash the total cost?" Old Man Xu said, "Not including the cost of buying millet. The location will be in a mountain valley half a mile east of Duanjin Pavilion. There is a stream flowing there, making it an excellent place for brewing wine." Wang Hao felt a pang of regret at this moment; most of his one thousand strings of cash had been spent. Then he remembered that he still had eighty taels of silver in his bedside table, and gritted his teeth, saying, "We'll start tomorrow, and do as Master Xu says."

A month later, the thatched huts and tiled houses were all completed, and the five wine cellars were finished. For secrecy reasons, Wang Hao spent an extra fifty strings of cash to build a surrounding wall. The workers' quarters were then located outside the wall. By this time, not only had the one thousand strings of cash allocated by Wang Lun been completely spent, but Wang Hao had also spent five taels of his own savings. Wang Hao and his seven subordinates stood in the winery's courtyard, looking at the brand-new houses and the irrigation canal extending a hundred paces away, their faces filled with a strange sense of satisfaction. As everyone was immersed in joy, Wang Hao suddenly questioned, "Old Xu, tell me honestly, isn't our distillery a bit too big?" Old Xu chuckled and replied, "I wouldn't presume to flatter you, young master. I designed this distillery according to the standards of the official distillery in Yuncheng County. Every brick and tile is just right. If you had the chance to visit the official distillery in Yuncheng County, you would discover the unique and exquisite aspects of our distillery." Hearing this, Wang Hao said, "You keep mentioning the official distillery in Yuncheng County. Could it be that you once worked for the official distillery?" Old Xu sighed and said, "Fifteen years ago, I was the head chef of the official distillery in Yuncheng County. Unfortunately, my superiors abused their power for personal gain and forcibly drove me away. Without a livelihood, I had to sell my property in the city and return to my hometown to open the Xu Family Distillery."

Wang Hao said with great interest, "So, the Xu Family Distillery isn't a family business, but rather your personal property, Old Man Xu." Old Man Xu shook his head and said, "I founded the Xu Family Distillery myself, but the Xu family members contributed the capital and receive dividends annually according to their shares." Wang Hao then asked, "What are our next plans?" Old Man Xu said, "We'll go to the county town to buy millet, make yeast, and then open the cellar to brew wine." Wang Hao touched his increasingly empty purse and said, "Ma Decao, hurry down the mountain and ask Chief Zhu to help prepare an oxcart. We'll go to town to buy rice tomorrow."

Yuncheng County was located in the center of the four prefectures of Dongjing, Daming, Jinan, and Yingtian, bordering Liangshan Marsh to the east. With a population of tens of thousands, it was a vital thoroughfare for merchants traveling between the north and south. Wang Hao and his companions led an oxcart into the city through the east gate. Seeing a large crowd gathered at the gate, they stopped to observe. An old man, facing a notice on the wall, stroked his silver beard. After a moment, he shook his head and read: "The Daoist Emperor has reigned for nineteen years. The winter solstice of that year coincided with the time when the Yellow Emperor obtained the Precious Cauldron and Divine Strategy. To pray for favorable weather and national peace, His Majesty offered sacrifices at the ancestral temple, summoned his ministers, and after careful consideration, decided to change the era name from Zhenghe to Chonghe. In the first year of Chonghe, a general amnesty is granted to appease Heaven's benevolent rule." Wang Hao remained silent and disappeared into the bustling streets with the crowd.

Upon arriving at the rice shop, the large storeroom was filled with countless cloth bags, emanating the natural aroma of grains. In the center of the hall stood wooden urns overflowing with various grains, each preceded by a wooden sign displaying its price. At this moment, a middle-aged man approached and said, "Master Xu, it's been a long time." Old Xu nodded in response, then said to Wang Hao, "Young master, this is Manager Zhou of the grain shop. We've known each other for over twenty years." Wang Hao sized up the middle-aged man before him and slowly asked, "What are the current grain prices? Are there any discounts for bulk purchases?" Manager Zhou approached the wooden sign and said, "Young master, please look. The prices listed on this sign are average. Rice is one guan (a unit of currency), millet is seven hundred wen (another unit of currency), wheat bran is six hundred wen, sorghum is five hundred wen, and beans and grains come in various varieties, ranging from thirty to sixty wen per dou (a unit of dry measure)." Wang Hao looked at Old Xu and said, "Bring our..." "Give the list to Manager Zhou. If everything is available here, we'll exchange money for goods on the spot." Manager Zhou opened the list and saw, "Ten shi of rice, ten shi of wheat bran, twenty shi of millet, and sixty dou of beans and millet in total." He said, "We have everything you need, young master. As for the price, please wait a moment." He then called towards the back door, "Second brother, serve tea to the guest." After half a cup of tea, Manager Zhou put away his abacus and said, "Young master, thirty guan will suffice." Wang Hao finished his tea, took out a handful of loose silver, and said, "This is fifteen taels of loose silver. Please keep it safe, Manager Zhou." Manager Zhou took the silver in his hand, weighed it briefly, and said, "Not a penny less."

Wang Hao was somewhat surprised and reminded him, "Manager Zhou, don't you need to weigh them?" Manager Zhou smiled slightly and said, "I have enough confidence in my hands. In thirty years of business, I've never made a mistake." Wang Hao looked incredulous and said, "I admire you!" Manager Zhou humbly replied, "It's just a small skill, nothing to boast about. Young Master Wang has a lot of goods today; one oxcart might not be enough. Our shop can send someone to deliver them to your estate." Wang Hao glanced at Old Man Xu and said, "That would be best. I thank you in advance. I'll trouble Manager Zhou to transport seventy percent of the goods to Xu's Winery; I'll transport the remaining thirty percent myself." Old Man Xu... Unexpectedly, Han replied after a short pause, "As you command, young master." With the business concluded, Wang Hao said, "Zhang Sangou and Ma Decao, you two hurry and load the cart. Today, I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant in Yuncheng County." The two were overjoyed and shouted, "Yes, sir! Please wait a moment, young master." Wang Hao turned to Manager Zhou and asked, "Are there any excellent restaurants in the county?" Manager Zhou replied, "A new restaurant called 'Xiao Fanlou' has recently opened. It's said that a chef from the former 'Fanlou' restaurant in Dongjing (Kaifeng) is in charge. They sell only official wines from Dongjing. You might want to give it a try, young master." Wang Hao said, "Then let's go to Xiao Fanlou."

Xiao Fanlou was located in the eastern part of the city, facing south, and had two floors. Behind the main building was a large courtyard. The kitchen was on the west side of the courtyard, the side rooms were on the north side, and the livestock shed was on the east side, directly opposite the side gate next to the main building. Ma Decao was responsible for driving the oxcart into the courtyard and leading the yellow ox into the livestock shed, filling it with hay and water. Wang Hao led his men straight up to the second floor and chose a table near the window. A waiter ran over, set out teacups, filled them with tea, and respectfully said, "What kind of food and drink would you gentlemen like? Our restaurant has both official wine from Dongjing (Kaifeng) and dishes prepared by the famous chefs of Dongjing Fanlou." Wang Hao said, "Give me four of your chef's specialties, two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, two catties of steamed buns, and two catties of official wine." He drank half a bowl of tea, and the food and wine were all served. Wang Hao called over a waiter and pointed to a dish that resembled pork, saying, "This dish looks unfamiliar, but it's pork. How is it cooked?" The waiter, beaming with pride, replied, "Young master, you may not know this, but this dish was brought back to Tokyo by the scholar Su Dongpo from Huanggang. He even wrote a poem about it: 'Huangzhou has good pork, cheap as dirt. The rich won't eat it, the poor don't know how to cook it. Slow fire, little water, when the heat is just right, it will be delicious. Every day I get up and have a bowl, I'll be full and don't worry about others.' Hence the name 'Dongpo Pork.'" Wang Hao questioned, saying, "What you just recited was just a doggerel. Can it really be Dongpo Pork?" "Written by Su Shi?" the waiter asked anxiously. "Of course it was written by Su Shi. This was specially written for the common people. If he had written a grand poem, no one would have been able to understand it!" Wang Hao thought this made sense and asked, "What about this fish dish?" The waiter replied, "It's not called fish, it's called 'ba'. Fresh fish is dried and then seasoned. It tastes very delicious and is a famous dish in Dongjing (Kaifeng)." The waiter then looked at the other two plates of vegetarian dishes and said, "The winters in the north are cold, so we can't grow any green vegetables. We only have radishes and bok choy." Wang Hao nodded and gave the waiter five coins as a reward.