Chapter Fifty-Nine: Three Bowls Before Entering the City

The morning bell rang out, mingling with the birdsong, reaching Wei Renshi’s ears.

He opened his eyes to find a ray of dawn shining through the window into the room. Sitting up, he saw that Xi’er, curled up beside him, still clutched the corner of his robe in her hand. She had been so frightened by the haunted house that she dared not sleep alone. She had spent half the night in Wei Renshi’s room listening to stories, but still could not muster the courage; even staying overnight, she refused to sleep on the outer side of the bed.

Wei Renshi rose and stepped out of bed, gently pulling the thin quilt over Xi’er. He smoothed the creases from his long robe and quietly slipped out of the room.

Outside the door, he breathed in the crisp morning air, feeling his mind clear. Truth be told, Xi’er sleeping beside him had kept him awake all night—she tossed and turned, and he had to be careful not to touch her.

“Young master, you’re up so early?” Old Sun came in from the front courtyard, saw Wei Renshi, and bowed in greeting.

“Sun Grandpa, aren’t you even earlier?” Wei Renshi replied with a smile.

Old Sun glanced back toward the front courtyard and said, “Today we’ve got to set up our pavilion outside the city gate, so I’ve gotten up to divide the wine.”

Wei Renshi nodded, then asked, “Sun Grandpa, what do you think would be best for renovating the front courtyard? Should we turn it entirely into a warehouse, or build a place for brewing wine?”

Old Sun replied, “I’ve considered both options and see advantages to each. If we convert it all into a warehouse, we’ll need to haul wine from Changgu regularly. If the shop in front opens, we’ll go through quite a lot each day, and the wine cart will have to make frequent trips. The benefit is that in Changgu we can brew as much as we like—the space is large, production is plentiful, and brewing is easier. If we turn the front courtyard into a workshop and brew wine locally, it’ll be more convenient, no need to transport back and forth. But then, the courtyard would be too small, only enough for a modest workshop.”

“You’re right, it’s just as I thought,” Wei Renshi said, having made up his mind after Old Sun’s words.

He looked up and saw Sun Peng entering from the front courtyard. Seeing Wei Renshi speaking with Old Sun, Sun Peng came over to bow to them both.

Wei Renshi repeated the question to him, sharing Old Sun’s comments as well.

“Sun Peng, you’re the manager of the wine workshop. This matter requires your decision,” Wei Renshi said. “How do you think we should renovate?”

Sun Peng furrowed his brow in thought. “Sir, I believe we should convert it all into a warehouse.”

Wei Renshi smiled. “Why?”

“If we turn it all into a warehouse, the front courtyard becomes a very large storage space and can hold a great deal of wine,” Sun Peng explained. “I’ve seen the workshop in Changgu—even if we turn the front courtyard entirely into a workshop, it wouldn’t be as big as Changgu’s. Besides, to brew wine, apart from the workshop, we’d need to store plenty of grain, and there’s no space here for that. Brewing here wouldn’t be as convenient as in Changgu, and the quality might not match, either. As for hauling wine, that’s not a big problem. First, Changgu isn’t far from Luoyang; even for a convoy of carts, it’s only two or three days at most. Second, once the workshop starts making a profit, we can organize our own team of carts to transport wine between Changgu and Luoyang. We might even haul goods for others, or trade items between Luoyang and Changgu, earning a bit of extra money as cart drivers.”

Wei Renshi’s eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands together. “Excellent! You’ve thought of exactly what I had in mind—and even more besides. In that case, you needn’t go outside the city gate today. Begin immediately with renovating the front courtyard and the storefront. I’ve arranged for Shopkeeper Tian to send someone to guide you and help find workers. Gather your team and overhaul the storefront and courtyard as quickly as possible. Oh, and remodel the ice workshop as well. Follow your own ideas.”

Sun Peng was elated and bowed deeply. “Thank you for your trust, sir! I’ll see it done!”

Outside the city gates, there were many grass shelters—no one knew who had built them. Four simple pillars held up a thatched roof, offering shelter for rest and protection from rain, and they were scattered along the roads outside the gates where foot traffic was heavy.

If one spoke of the busiest gate in Luoyang, it would surely be the southern Dingding Gate.

Dingding Gate was the main south gate of Luoyang’s outer city—called Jianguo Gate in early Sui, renamed Dingding Gate in the Tang. The street inside was known as Heavenly Avenue. Emperor Yang of Sui once established four pavilions outside Dingding Gate: the East for the Eastern Barbarians, the West for the Western Rong, the South for the Southern Tribes, and the North for the Northern Nomads—each pavilion to receive foreign envoys and manage trade affairs.

Both the Sui and Tang dynasties often held grand gatherings outside Dingding Gate to display the Empire’s wealth and strength to foreign envoys.

Thus Dingding Gate was the main portal in and out of Luoyang, and the busiest by far.

Wei Renshi, Old Sun, and several others hauled carts of wine jars outside Dingding Gate, passed through the gate inspection, and arrived at the nearest grass shelter to Dingding. They set up several tables beside the road, then laid out the high-proof wine. On the tables inside the shelter, they arranged various aromatic wines, mixing them together.

Old Sun took a large banner from the cart, unfolded it, and had Sun Youqing hang it up on the shelter.

The banner unfurled in the wind, displaying five bold characters—Three Bowls, No Entry!

Passersby had already noticed the banner, many staring in puzzlement.

Sun Youqing and Sun Youquan took their places on either side of the road, calling out loudly, “Wei’s Strong Wine—three bowls and you can’t enter the city! If you can drink three bowls without getting drunk, ten jars of wine and a hundred coins are yours!”

They also shouted, “Wei’s White Wine—cool as water, flavors unlike any other! Anyone who can taste the difference wins wine as well!”

As they spoke, the two of them opened a jar of wine and poured it out onto the road.

Instantly, a rich, intoxicating aroma filled the air.

Hearing their cries, many people who had already stopped now lingered further, drawn by the fragrance.

The two continued their calls, drawing all eyes their way.

Soon, a wine lover approached and asked, “This wine smells incredible, but claiming three bowls and no entry to the city—isn’t that a bit much?”

Wei Renshi loved such people—they were free shills.

He smiled and replied, “Today, you may taste as much as you like, free of charge. Whether our claim is exaggerated, you’ll see for yourself.”

Wei Renshi had great confidence in his strong wines. All those displayed were high-proof, distilled several times. By his own estimate, they contained at least fifty degrees of alcohol—perhaps even sixty or more.

He had no precise way to measure, so he relied on his own palate.

At this time, the strongest wine Tang people drank was perhaps thirty degrees at most. Tasting such potent spirits for the first time, few could handle it.

Moreover, Wei Renshi had chosen the bowls with care—they looked modest, but held quite a lot, and the wine poured into them was no small measure.

So he was certain: few would manage three bowls of such strong wine without getting drunk.

“Well? Brother, do you dare try?” Wei Renshi picked up a wine jar, his face showing a hint of challenge as he smiled.