William Thompson didn’t know how to brew alcohol; he had no idea that the technique recorded on the sheepskin scroll was actually the modern method of distilling spirits.

But Ethan Foster did know a little about brewing, so William Thompson handed the sheepskin scroll over to him for study.

“小乙, does this method work?”

“This method seems different from traditional techniques. It’s my first time seeing it too. Judging from the principles described, the resulting liquor should be stronger and purer than what we have now. It uses wheat to make the starter, and millet as the main ingredient. We happen to have both here, so we can give it a try. If it works, Brother Thompson, you’ll be the big boss in the future. Could you give your little brother a ten percent share and let me be a junior manager?”

Ethan Foster blinked his small eyes, looking at William Thompson with anticipation.

“Then I’ll give you half the shares—do you want that?” William Thompson sneered slightly.

But Ethan Foster didn’t catch on. He replied happily, “How could that be? Everything belongs to you. I only know a little about brewing, how could I possibly take half? If you give me ten percent, I’ll be more than satisfied.”

“All right! We haven’t even started the wine shop yet! Once we succeed, I’ll give you thirty percent. Now get to work!”

William Thompson wasn’t stingy; he just couldn’t stand Ethan Foster’s petty behavior. Suddenly, he thought of something and said urgently, “Only the two of us know this brewing secret. The rise and fall of the wine shop is in our hands. 小乙, you need to swear an oath first!”

Since this concerned intellectual property, William Thompson couldn’t afford to be careless. In ancient times, oaths were taken very seriously—much more effective than any contract.

Ethan Foster was stunned for a moment, then knelt down and solemnly swore to the heavens: “I, Ethan Foster, am grateful that Eldest Brother has not abandoned me. If this succeeds, I will be loyal to Eldest Brother and never betray him. If I break this oath, I will surely die by Eldest Brother’s blade in the future.”

※※※

Traditional brewing methods use fire to force or directly boil out the alcohol. Because there’s a lot of water, the alcohol content isn’t high, which is why people say you can drink dozens of bowls without getting drunk. The biggest difference with the secret recipe William Thompson obtained is the final step: instead of boiling, it uses high heat to distill the alcohol. So both the purity and concentration are much higher than traditional liquors.

First comes making the starter. Normally, the starter is bought from government workshops, but theirs is different and must be made themselves. The two of them pressed wheat and water into cakes, leaving a small hole in the middle. The sheepskin scroll’s instructions were very detailed, but they were still extremely cautious—especially Ethan Foster, who knew the quality of the starter directly affected the final product. After making the cakes, they placed them in a dark room to ferment, which took twenty-five days. In the days that followed, the two were so busy they barely took off their clothes to sleep. William Thompson stopped going to the smithy, drank plain water when thirsty, and ate cooked rice when hungry. After twenty-five days, the starter was finally ready.

“Brother Thompson, look—the broken parts of the starter are grayish-white, with very little dark color. That means this is top-quality starter. The most important step is done.”

Next, they soaked and steamed the millet for four or five days until it became a paste, then mixed in the starter to ferment. They had to add the starter three times in total. Since it was summer, each fermentation only took fifteen days. After all that, the final step was distillation, using a large iron pot to steam and press.

On a rainy night, it was finally time to collect the liquor. By the distillation pot, William Thompson and Ethan Foster stared unblinkingly at the distillation trough. Large beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, soaking their backs. The air seemed to freeze at that moment. They held their breath, nervously watching the spout.

“Drip!” A clear drop of liquid finally fell from the spout, followed by a second, a third, and then a steady trickle flowing into the storage jar.

“We did it!” they shouted in unison, hugging each other tightly.

Ethan Foster carefully scooped a little of the liquor with a spoon and tasted it.

“How is it?” William Thompson’s heart was in his throat.

“Something’s wrong! It’s a bit sour.” Ethan Foster simply drank the whole spoonful.

“This taste really isn’t right!”

William Thompson’s heart sank into an abyss. Two months of waiting had led to this result.

“Let me try!” He grabbed the spoon, scooped up a full spoonful, and gulped it down. Sure enough, it was very sour and astringent.

“What’s going on!” He stared at Ethan Foster, hoping to find an answer on his face.

“I don’t know either. I followed the steps on the sheepskin scroll exactly. Wait! Maybe the second distillation is the real product.”

William Thompson perked up at this. The sheepskin scroll did say that the mash from the first brew could be fermented and distilled again, possibly with even better results.

No sooner said than done. Another long fifteen days passed. The two worked in silence, each preoccupied with their own thoughts. Finally, the day to collect the liquor came again.

“How is it?”

“No good! Even more sour! The problem isn’t with the second brew—it’s in an earlier step.”

William Thompson suddenly punched himself in the head and squatted down in pain. After a long while, he rasped, “小乙, let’s start over from the beginning!”

Ethan Foster opened his mouth, but seeing the bloodshot, frightening look in William Thompson’s eyes, he swallowed his objections.