People in Northeast China love to drink. Legend has it that there was a man who worked in a winery, could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, and only drank without asking for a salary. It was said that he had a worm called a wine treasure in his stomach.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, there was a small town in Northeast China called Xiujiaji. Though small, it was a must-pass point for those entering the country. Merchants flocked to the area, and shops were densely packed. The city was bustling with traffic, making it a bustling place.

A Stingy Boss

At the eastern end of the town stood a distillery owned by Wang Jiusheng. Three generations of his family had made a living from brewing wine. His generation’s wine had become increasingly refined, leading to a booming business. With this booming business, demand for wine soared, and the workers toiled tirelessly.

Wang Jiusheng was a greedy man, desiring to keep all the money in the world to himself. He only demanded overtime from his workers, refusing to pay them. Not only did he not pay them, he also refused to improve their food. Every day, they cooked rice, and the dishes lacked oil and salt. The workers suffered utterly, and they hated him to death.

That year, the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, the peak season for distilleries. Wang Jiusheng wanted to capitalize on the holiday and brew more pots of wine. So the men were told to get up early and come home late, fearing they would miss out on making the liquor. They were told to eat while working, working day and night.

Hiring Cheap Employees

Who could stand that? But he still complained about the low pay. So he gritted his teeth and decided to hire another worker. Wang Jiusheng was a penny pincher, and his wages were low. The job posting had been posted for days, but no one had applied. He was so anxious he couldn’t eat or sleep, like an ant on the hot pot.

One day, a strong man came to apply. He approached Wang Jiusheng and said he was from the south, his last name was Zhang Erbao, and he didn’t want any wages for his work, just food and wine. Wang Jiusheng was overjoyed, but he figured a few drinks were nothing. Besides, despite his sturdy build, how much could one man drink? Even a fool could figure that out. So Wang Jiusheng happily hired Zhang Erbao.

A Thousand Cups Without Getting Drunk

Zhang Erbao looked nothing like a southerner. He was broad-shouldered and worked tirelessly. Ever since he arrived at the distillery, his drinking capacity had indeed increased dramatically. This delighted the stingy Wang Jiusheng. But the joy didn’t last long before Wang Jiusheng started crying. Why? Because Zhang Erbao’s drinking capacity was incredible! He couldn’t live without alcohol at every meal, drinking a whole barrel of wine at every meal. Even when thirsty, he drank wine instead of water. Most amazingly, he never got drunk, no matter how much he drank. Wang Jiusheng lamented this, but he had only just hired him and felt embarrassed to let him go. Besides, Zhang Erbao worked so hard, and he was reluctant to let him go.

Sowing discord

Wang Jiusheng’s cousin, Li Dashan, also worked at the distillery, a small boss. Zhang Erbao was outspoken and often spoke up for the other guys, which inevitably led to him contradicting Li Dashan. So, Li Dashan would constantly speak ill of Zhang Erbao in front of Wang Jiusheng. He said he had a bad temper, was greedy, lazy, and drank like crazy. If this continued, sooner or later Zhang Erbao would drive everyone away and ruin the distillery.

Li Dashan’s words played right into Wang Jiusheng’s hands. He had long hated Zhang Erbao. In his eyes, Zhang Erbao was like a hedgehog in his hands. Finally, he decided to expel Zhang Erbao from the distillery, but he had to have a reason.

A Strange Encounter on the Road

A few months passed, and Wang Jiusheng asked Li Dashan to go out. First, he was going to collect some of the wine bill, and second, he was going to find a replacement for Zhang Erbao from the mountains.

As Li Dashan walked, he pondered: Wang Jiusheng was too cruel and stingy. He was working himself to death. He valued money more than his father. Although he was a cousin, he didn’t get any benefits. He paid him the monthly wages, not a penny more. So he didn’t bother to collect. After wandering around, enjoying themselves, and having fun for a few days, they headed home.

On the way back, they reached a fork in the road. They saw a Taoist priest sitting on a roadside rock, drinking wine with earthen lumps. He ate a lump of earth and sipped a sip of wine, enjoying his meal with great relish. A crowd gathered to watch, chatting enthusiastically. Li Dashan joined them. As they watched, he asked, “Master, why are you drinking with earthen lumps? Are they tasty?” The Taoist priest replied, “Every thing has something else that can overcome it, just like brine can cure tofu. Many things in this world are truly mysterious.”

The Secret of Drinking Thousands of Cups Without Getting Drunk

At this moment, Li Dashan thought of Zhang Erbao. After the crowd dispersed, he told the Taoist priest about Zhang Erbao’s remarkable ability to drink any amount of wine without getting drunk. The Taoist priest was astonished. After a long pause, he told Li Dashan that he had read about it in a book:

Some people have a worm in their stomachs called “wine treasures,” but their origins are unknown. It’s said that anyone harboring this worm in their stomach can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. If placed in wine, the wine will have a wonderful aroma. If placed in water, the water will turn into wine. Those with a wine-infected worm in their stomachs will first grow fat, becoming broad-shouldered and round-chested. Then they’ll become thinner, eventually becoming nothing more than a bag of bones.

The Taoist priest asked Li Dashan whose stomach had the wine-infected worm. If it was a relative or friend, he should remove the wine-infected worm immediately, or they would surely die within six months.

Li Dashan’s eyes rolled, his face etched with hesitation. He said, “Master, you don’t know. The person suffering from this illness is my cousin.”

The Taoist priest nodded and said, “I do know a way to remedy this…”

Upon hearing this, Li Dashan begged the Taoist priest to reveal the solution. Initially, the Taoist priest refused, but finally, unable to resist, he knelt and kowtowed, tears streaming down his face. Seeing Li Dashan’s eagerness to save his life, the Taoist priest sighed deeply. He helped Li Dashan to his feet and stroked his beard. Chanting “Wulian Tianzun,” he whispered, “Good, good! Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.” He quietly told Li Dashan the methods for luring out the wine treasure and destroying it.

Conspiracy

Li Dashan returned to the distillery and quickly told Wang Jiusheng about his encounter with the Taoist priest, seizing the opportunity to curry favor. Wang Jiusheng was naturally delighted and discussed with Li Dashan a plan to extract the wine treasure from Zhang Erbao’s stomach.

Li Dashan volunteered. Wang Jiusheng immediately promised that if the insect was successfully elicited, and it proved to be effective, he and Li Dashan would split the distillery’s income 50-50. Li Dashan was so delighted that he lost his mind.

It was just the beginning of winter, and people in Northeast China used earthen kangs to ward off the cold. That night, Li Dashan, who had been sleeping at the head of the kang, deliberately lied and switched beds with Zhang Erbao. Zhang Erbao was a deep sleeper, exhausted from a long day, and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. Li Dashan’s stomach was full of twisted intestines, so how could he sleep?

Hearing Zhang Erbao snoring, he hurried downstairs to the outer room to heat the kang until it was scalding hot. The heat rose, scorching Zhang Erbao and causing him to toss and turn. At midnight, unable to bear the heat, Zhang Erbao woke up from his sleep.

Someone asked him what he was doing. He said he felt like his whole body was on fire, his stomach felt uncomfortable, and something was moving. He felt extremely nauseous. Li Dashan hurriedly brought a basin of cold water, which he had prepared in advance, to Zhang Erbao, splashing the water with his hands.

Spitting Out the Wine Treasure

Suddenly, Zhang Erbao vomited a beige worm with a “whoosh.” It was about three inches long and an inch thick. It was pointed at both ends and thick in the middle, shaped like a date pit. The worm fell into the basin, and Li Dashan hurriedly took the basin to see Wang Jiusheng. Zhang Erbao lay down in a daze, smacked his lips, and fell asleep again. Wang Jiusheng was overjoyed upon seeing the wine treasure. Li Dashan, following the Taoist’s instructions, poured it into a water jar. He covered it tightly and, after a while, dipped it in the water to taste. The water had indeed transformed into fine wine.

The next day, Zhang Erbao woke up. The smell of alcohol gave him a headache, and even a small amount of alcohol brought a splitting headache. From then on, he stopped drinking. A few days later, he left the distillery and left his hometown.

Demolishing the Bridge

After Wang Jiusheng obtained the wine treasure, he stopped distilling wine. He dismissed all his employees, leaving only Li Dashan to fetch water for him. From then on, his wealth rolled in. At the end of the year, Li Dashan asked Wang Jiusheng for money, but Wang Jiusheng not only refused to pay him but also threatened to fire him. Li Dashan was heartbroken and angry.

One day, Li Dashan went to fetch water again. He quietly placed half a pound of realgar husk he had prepared in a bucket and poured it into the jar along with the water. Soon, the water in the vat became murky and filled with a foul odor. The wine sold turned out to be stinking swill, and all was returned. Shocked, Wang Jiusheng inspected the vat and discovered that the wine treasure had died, floating on the water. A few days later, the distillery closed down, and Wang Jiusheng’s family and Li Dashan disappeared.