Generally speaking, the longer the fermentation period for wine making,the better and more mellow the wine becomes. Though still in the initial stage, to secure the first batch of customers, Xu Mu insisted on fermenting for five to six days before proceeding to the second step of distillation.
"The wine produced in the first distillation is called the 'head wine', which is strong and astringent. If you like it, you can take some to drink."
"The second distillation yields the 'heart wine', the most mellow of all."
"The last batch is called the 'tail wine', which is bland in taste, and drinking too much is bad for the body."
The distillation process is not complicated, but the principles involved are probably hard for people in the Ji Dynasty to comprehend with their current knowledge.
"Chen Sheng, come with me to deliver the wine."
Over 400 catties of rice and wheat grains, after fermentation and distillation, produced at least 40 catties of wine. When packed into jars, that amounted to nearly 60 jars.
"Master, what's the name of this wine?"
"Already thought of it."
"Let's call it 'Drunken Fairy'."
"Tsk, Master is really ingenious."
Loading 50 jars of "Drunken Fairy" onto the carriage, Xu Mu, accompanied by Chen Sheng, headed for the Fortune Tavern in the market. From a distance, he could already see two or three carriages parked in front of the tavern, each loaded with jars of old wine.
"Master, those are from the February Spring Wine Shop."
Xu Mu frowned. Competition among peers was fierce. There were dozens of large and small old wine shops in Wangzhou City, among which the February Spring Wine Shop was the largest. A confrontation between them was inevitable sooner or later.
Zhou Fu, standing in front of the tavern, opened a jar of February Spring old wine, but after just a sniff, he lost interest and put it down. Several wine shop attendants looked disgruntled and started chattering on and on.
"Chen Sheng, squeeze through." Xu Mu said coldly.
"Yes, Master." Chen Sheng, upon hearing this, also put on a cold face and steered the carriage, sliding perfectly into a spot in front of the several wine shop carriages.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing!"
"We're from the February Spring Wine Shop!"
Xu Mu smiled, got off the carriage, pushed past the noisy attendants, and said, "Shopkeeper Zhou, were you waiting for me?"
Seeing Xu Mu arrive, Zhou Fu finally broke into a smile. Businessmen are always profit-driven, and Xu Mu's private wine had made his tavern packed almost every day during this period. The likes of February Spring and March Spring were already outdated.
"Got a name for it?"
"Yes, it's called 'Drunken Fairy'." Xu Mu replied calmly.
"Shopkeeper Zhou, our Master Lu will come to talk to you in person! And that vagrant, you just wait!"
Zhou Fu turned cold, cursed a few words, and the attendants, looking frightened, quickly drove their carriages away.
"Pay no attention to those scoundrels. In my eyes, I'll use whoever has good wine." As he spoke, Zhou Fu took a few steps forward, opened a jar, and instantly, the mellow aroma of wine spread in front of the tavern. Many diners inside turned around, sniffing.
Zhou Fu took just a small sip, and his tense expression immediately lit up with excitement. This batch of wine was stronger than the previous one, and the smooth, burning sensation going down the throat was even more pleasant.
"Shopkeeper Zhou, what do you think?" Xu Mu actually let out a sigh of relief. Seeing Zhou Fu's reaction, the answer was already clear.
"This batch is excellent!"
Of course it was. The previous batch was made from old corn, but this one used refined grains like rice and wheat.
"For our first cooperation, to show sincerity, I used refined rice and wheat. For the next batch of such quality, Shopkeeper Zhou will have to pay more."
"Another price increase?" Zhou Fu's expression changed slightly, but then he seemed to realize something. "If future batches are this good, I don't mind paying five taels a jar!"
"Deal!"
"Haha, great! I really didn't misjudge you!"
With the good wine in hand, Zhou Fu didn't hesitate and handed a bulging money bag to Xu Mu.
"Master Xu, aren't you going to count it?" Having struck a good deal, Zhou Fu even changed his address.
"I trust Shopkeeper Zhou. Why count?"
"Good! Master Xu is truly a man of character. Do drop by more often in the future!"
Leaving the Fortune Tavern, Xu Mu finally felt completely at ease. The first private wine business had finally paid off.
"Chen Sheng, head to the government office."
"Master, what are we going to the government office for?"
"To buy land."
Xu Mu had already thought it through. Staying in Wangzhou City was not wise. Building a wine workshop in a safer place outside the city would be the best option. Then, with the workshop as the center, he could expand the sales of "Drunken Fairy" not only in Wangzhou City but also in towns further away.
After setting aside money for the next batch of grain, the remaining 100 taels would be more than enough to buy a good piece of land.
...
"Name? Place of origin?"
"Xu Mu, a wanderer in Wangzhou."
Inside the government office, the old clerk in charge of registration looked up slightly, squinted at Xu Mu, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you used to be a vagrant."
"You have a sharp eye, sir."
"There are three million vagrants in the Great Ji. Today, you must be the most remarkable one."
Vagrants in the Great Ji had a reputation as bad as mud; many died on the streets. It was extremely rare for one like Xu Mu to earn money to buy land.
The old clerk, seemingly pleased, staggered to his feet, pulled out a stack of land deeds from a nearby shelf, sorted through them, and picked out one.
"If you want to build a wine workshop, it's best to be near a river for easy access to water."
"This piece of land was once a ranch owned by an old northerner. Fearing that Wangzhou City might be breached one day, he moved to the inner city early."
"It has mountains to the north and a river to the south. It's 40 li from Wangzhou and 80 li from Hezhou, with many large towns nearby."
"It's truly a good piece of land."
Xu Mu looked excited. He had to admit, the old clerk's recommendation was almost perfect.
"However, I should tell you first." The old clerk paused, his expression turning slightly serious. "If the northern barbarians ever breach Wangzhou City, your wine workshop on Sitong Road will be the first target for plunder."
"Besides, although refugees won't reach there, many bandits will likely set their sights on your business."
Xu Mu frowned.
"But it's fine. I have another piece of land, ten li from Wangzhou City. Though it's farther for water and firewood, it's close to the military camp and will be very safe."
"Sir, I want the land deed for Sitong Road." Xu Mu said earnestly, cupping his hands.
The original intention of setting up the wine workshop was to stay away from Wangzhou City and develop gradually.
"Good!" A glint of light suddenly flashed in the old clerk's previously dull eyes.
"I'll help you register it. For eighty liang of silver, I'll also give you three broadswords and two good bows to guard the workshop."
This last remark from the old clerk delighted Xu Mu even more. The Great Ji had extremely strict controls on iron weapons, but now, buying a piece of land even came with free weapons.