Chapter Fourteen: A Constant Stream of Guests (Part Two)

"A quota to look after your younger brother?" Zhang Qian put aside his playful demeanor, his brow furrowing slightly. "Was this requested by your grandfather?"

Based on his observations and intuition during his first few days after arriving in the Tang Dynasty, the little fatty's status in the Ren family was quite poor. Although he lacked neither food nor clothing and could spend money as he pleased, he generally lived on an estate outside Chang'an and rarely dared to step foot into the main Ren residence within the city.

As for the little fatty's stepmother, while she appeared gentle and loving on the surface, treating him as her own, in reality, she lived in constant fear that he might win the slightest bit of favor from his father, Ren Qiong. It was as if she believed the little fatty would one day turn into a tiger and devour her own children.

Therefore, if the request had come from Ren Qiong, Zhang Qian felt it might be worth considering, especially since both parties maintained a close partnership regarding the Six Spirits Trading House. But if the request had come from Madame Ren—well, he would have to think twice about that.

"It was my stepmother who asked me to help. She said my second brother, Ren Bi, is not getting any younger, and his aptitude for his studies is only average," the little fatty explained in a low voice, blushing with a sense of guilt. "My father has gone to Ganzhou and won't be back before spring. As the eldest son, it is my duty to share some of the burden so he doesn't have to worry about family matters while he is thousands of miles away."

This was the little fatty's weakness—he was simply incapable of remembering the malice of others. Zhang Qian sighed inwardly, hesitating whether to offer a few more words of caution, when the little fatty added in a low voice, "I know my stepmother doesn't like me, but she has never done what others might—withholding my food and clothing or forbidding me from studying. When I was obsessed with learning swordsmanship, she didn't try to stop me at all. So, when she asked for help this time, I couldn't bring myself to refuse. Besides, my second brother is my father's son, and he is a decent person..."

Zhang Qian completely lost his temper with the little fatty. He rolled his eyes and gave a low, reluctant agreement. "If you think your second brother is still capable of being useful, arrange for him to work as an official under your second junior brother. Don't put him in the Armory Bureau. You certainly won't be able to discipline your own brother!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother! Thank you, Senior Brother!" Ren Cong looked as if he had been granted an amnesty. He bowed and added with a smile, "I'll definitely put him with the Second Senior Brother. When shops recruit apprentices, it's common practice to exchange nephews or younger brothers. Besides, this place is an important government office! My second brother is quite clever. If he trains under the Second Senior Brother, he will surely make something of himself."

*(Note: "Exchanging nephews to be apprentices" was a traditional rule among merchants to educate their kin; they would not keep them by their side to avoid the indulgence that comes with a relative's soft-heartedness, instead swapping them with friends in the same trade.)*

"He can't even pass the Mingjing exam; just how clever can he be?" Zhang Qian muttered to himself, though he couldn't bear to crush the little fatty's spirit, so he kept the thought to himself.

***

Having settled a matter weighing on his mind, the little fatty was in high spirits. He leaned in closer and whispered, "Senior Brother, Zhou Jianliang is leaving the day after tomorrow. The Second Senior Brother and I are thinking of inviting him and Imperial Physician Li to drink, listen to music, and watch the Hu Xuan dance at the brothel owned by the Ashina family the day after tomorrow. I wonder if you..."

"You two should just go yourselves. I’ve had some insights recently and need to be quiet to work out what I’ve been thinking!" Zhang Qian quickly waved him off, the image of the ruby-eyed girl flashing through his mind.

"Then we shall go and enjoy ourselves," Ren Cong said, looking around suspiciously. Seeing no sign of any woman, he nodded regretfully.

In his eyes, his Senior Brother's reaction looked exactly like a man henpecked by a fierce wife. However, to his knowledge, apart from the maid Zijuan, there wasn't another woman around. Moreover, he had long ago figured out that Zijuan was merely playing the role of a personal maid; she would never have the audacity to boss his Senior Brother around.

Just as he was puzzled, he heard Zhang Qian ask in a low voice, "Is the alcohol for the Shuofang Army ready? How many catties can Commander Zhou take with him? It’s freezing outside; how is he planning to transport it?"

"The imperial court has reinforced the Shuofang Army with two thousand cavalrymen. Each soldier can carry ten catties in a leather bag, so twenty thousand catties can be easily transported!" Hearing his Senior Brother ask about business, Ren Cong put away his smile and answered seriously. "But the court only approved ten thousand catties of alcohol for the Shuofang Army as a trial. Following the Second Senior Brother's advice, Zhou Jianliang went to pester Overseer Zhang and managed to get another three thousand catties. That's thirteen thousand in total, well within the cavalry's transport capacity."

"Hmm," Zhang Qian nodded, then gave a solemn instruction. "Take two thousand catties of our family’s 'Chrysanthemum White' and let Zhou Jianliang take it. Tell him this is specifically for the soldiers to drink, not for cleaning wounds or starting fires!"

"Yes, I knew you would help him, Senior Brother!" Ren Cong had expected this and agreed with great excitement.

"For the alcohol taken to the Shuofang Army, have Guo Nu add some sulfur powder to it. From now on, let this be the rule: for any alcohol labeled as 'gunpowder alcohol,' add a small amount of sulfur powder." Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment before quickly adding.

Sulfur could destroy the organic protective film on the surface of bacteria, causing them to die. A small amount of sulfur dissolved in alcohol would only increase its disinfecting effect without causing any harm to the human body. However, alcohol with sulfur would have a terrible taste. Even if diluted, it would be impossible for anyone to drink it as spirits to satisfy a craving.

This was a precautionary measure to prevent the alcohol supplied to the front lines from being misappropriated. After all, the current alcohol was distilled and purified from high-quality grain-based yellow wine. The cost of raw materials alone was more than ten times that of the yellow wine. If it were used to satisfy the appetites of officers instead of cleaning soldiers' wounds or defeating the enemy, then he, the first person to introduce the white spirit distillation technology to the Tang Dynasty, would be a great sinner.

"Add sulfur?" Ren Cong's brain couldn't keep up with Zhang Qian's rapid shifts in thought. After pondering for a long time, he still asked blankly, "Why add sulfur? How much is appropriate?"

"Just tell your Second Senior Brother what I told you. For the dosage, try one tael per barrel first. Remember to use sulfur powder and have someone stir it evenly with a wooden stick," Zhang Qian added after a moment of consideration. "I'm talking about the two-hundred-catty large barrels, not the small ones you use for mixing drinks!"

"Yes, Senior Brother! I've noted it down!" Ren Cong didn't dare to ask further; he nodded and grabbed a charcoal pencil to record the numbers on paper.

"I'll be making some things over the next few days, which might cause quite a bit of noise. When you have a moment, tell the workers in the workshop to help me dig a large cellar in the back garden. That way, the sound will be muffled so as not to disturb the neighbors." Taking advantage of Ren Cong's presence, Zhang Qian handed the task of setting up a site for testing gunpowder over to him as well.

"Yes, Senior Brother!" Having witnessed too many miraculous things from his Senior Brother, Ren Cong had long since ceased to be surprised. He agreed immediately and quickly recorded it on the paper.

"Dig the cellar two zhang deep. Once down, expand a separate room at the bottom and use high-quality timber to support it to prevent a collapse. The room should be one zhang high, one and a half zhang long, and about one and a half zhang wide!" Seeing him take notes diligently, Zhang Qian simply dictated the specifications for his "underground laboratory."

He was just about to give instructions on the details of the steps for entering the cellar and the heating and lighting equipment when he caught a glimpse of the head steward, Ren Quan, running over in a flurry. "Master, Master! There are distinguished guests! Bi, the Ambassador of the Ministry of Waterways, and Master Yan from the Directorate for Palace Buildings are here. Magistrate Fang of Weinan County has also arrived. I didn't know whom to lead in first, so please, Master, give your orders!"