The commodity economy of the Southern Song Dynasty was the most developed in history. This flourishing commercial economy also brought about fierce business competition. As early as the Tang Dynasty, there were various industry guilds, and by the Song Dynasty, these guilds had sprung up everywhere, with even finer divisions of labor and a more prominent role. In Lin’an, various industry guilds held several gatherings each year, during which they would also rank the products of their respective trades. In half a month, it would be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Lin’an had the custom of tasting new tea and wine during this time. In addition to the government’s monopoly wine events, there was also a wine-tasting competition held by the wine merchants’ guild, which attracted countless wine enthusiasts from all over to join in the fun.

On this day, the sound of drums and music filled the air, and famous courtesans paraded through the city with wine, drawing crowds of onlookers.

A poem goes:

Qiantang courtesans, faces like jade,

Each dressed in new red attire.

Why are they so finely adorned?

Because in the eighth month, new wine is ready in the imperial capital.

※※※

At night, as a full moon rose, the wine-tasting competition reached its climax. The signature wines of the major restaurants made their appearance: Meishou wine from Fengle Restaurant; Xianlao wine from Xinle Restaurant; Qiongjian wine from Hele Restaurant; Yuye wine from Yuxian Restaurant; Biguang wine from Shi Restaurant; and from Gaoyang Shop, Liuxia wine, Qingfeng wine, Yusui wine, and dozens of other famous wines all took the stage. Palace wines such as Quanjiao, Tianchun, Qiongsu, Yaochi, Yingyu, as well as the noble families’ Qiongyu, Lanzhi, Yuli, Jinbo, and Qingchun wines were also brought out by famous courtesans. The packaging of the wine bottles competed in splendor—some ancient, some elegant, some carved from fine jade, others fired in renowned kilns—leaving the judges exclaiming in admiration, unable to decide which was best.

William Thompson and Ethan Foster each hid a jar of wine and sneaked into the venue. Seeing the other wine jars, William Thompson suddenly felt a bit of regret. In order to be unique, he had used the plainest clay jar, but now at the event, he felt embarrassed to show it. Ethan Foster, on the other hand, didn’t care; his mind was elsewhere. He looked around, his greedy gaze chasing after the famous courtesans rarely seen on ordinary days. Entering the competition hall, he saw the entire venue divided in two: the east side was the competition area for high-end famous wines, where ordinary people were not allowed; the west side was for ordinary wines, including homemade brews from wealthy families, signature wines from regular taverns, and famous wines sent from various places. William Thompson’s wine could only compete here.

“You brats, this is the competition area, don’t crowd in here!” a sergeant maintaining order shouted at William Thompson and his companion.

“We’re here to compete too.”

“To compete, you have to register at the entrance first, then the wine official will bring your wine here. You can’t deliver it yourself. Wait! Where’s your wine? Let me see!” Ethan Foster took the wine jar from his coat and handed it over. The sergeant took the clay jar, looked it over, and burst out laughing. “Everyone, look! Someone actually brought this pig-feed wine to the competition—what a joke!” The people nearby all roared with laughter, and someone even shouted, “I bet even pigs wouldn’t drink that wine—it’s only fit for flushing the latrine!” The laughter grew even louder.

William Thompson felt a rush of blood to his face. These people were going too far, humiliating him like this. He raised the wine jar in his hand and smashed it down hard. With a loud “clang!”, the jar shattered on the floor, and a rich fragrance instantly filled the hall.

After a moment of silence, a low murmur of amazement spread through the hall: “What a wine!”

“What kind of wine is this? How can it be so fragrant and mellow?”

“Who are these people, anyway?” The crowd pointed at the two of them, whispering among themselves.

William Thompson felt his face burning. He had learned this trick from the Panama Exposition a thousand years in the future—this was how Maotai wine became famous.

“They’re coming!” William Thompson saw an elderly man in brocade appear at the east gate, walking over with several venue attendants, and felt a surge of joy.

The elderly man in brocade strode forward and shouted:

“What’s all this commotion? What happened? Ah! What a wine—what wine is this? Whose wine is it?”

“Steward Harris, it’s their wine,” the sergeant said, bowing and pointing at Li and Jin.

The elderly man in brocade walked over to the wine jar shards, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and after a moment, a look of intoxication appeared on his face. He glanced at the broken pieces on the ground, sighed several times in regret, then turned to William Thompson and said, “I am Samuel Harris, the steward of this competition. Do you have any more of this wine?”

“There’s one more jar.”

“Good! Come with me.”

William Thompson and his companion followed Samuel Harris to the east hall. Inside, they saw painted beams and carved pillars, luxurious furnishings, and a vast space with hundreds of people seated, all dressed in bright clothes—officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants—whispering among themselves in a low hum. At the very front was a row of long tables, with ten people seated in front, all with serious expressions; these were the judges for the competition. On the large table opposite them were all kinds of famous wines. William Thompson also noticed, not far from him, an elderly man sitting alone, plump and white-haired, with a ruddy, bulbous nose, eyes half-closed, ignoring everyone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the last wine in the competition is a new brew this year, named ‘Jin Si Yin’—‘Drink Now and Think of the Past.’ As the name suggests, it means to reflect on the past while drinking in the present. The name is quite elegant, taken from one character each from the names of these two brewers.” With that, Samuel Harris placed the wine jar among the famous wines. Seeing how crude the jar was, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.