Tavern big client

In the autumn of 626,Chang'an City was completely different form previous years.It's become very quietly.

Most of the pedestrians on the street are in a hurry,and even if they greet each other ,they speak softly,as if they don't want to talk too much.

Just three months ago , Li Shimin , king Qin of the Tang Dynasty , killed his brother at Xuanwu Gate, imprisoned his father , and became emperor one month ago.

For the common people living in Chang'an City ,the Xuanjia Army running through the streets from time to time was like the arrival of the God of death,and every once in a while they would hear news of the certain influential family being imprisoned.

Because they were under the emperor's feet,which family didn't have a few relatives who were eating from the public purse?

So during this period, almost half of the Chang'an City was like a ghost town. From the high ranking officials to the refugees ,everyone was frightened and feared that one day the ferocious Xuanjia Army would break into their house.

Zhang Nuo was bored and lying on the counter, constantly sighing as he watched the desolate street scene outside the door.

Three months ago,he was still a small restaurant owner living in the 21st century, accustomed to being a stay-at-home guy who relied on Wi-Fi to play games on his phone.

But in just one nap, he woke up in the 626 years, and became Zhang Nuo, a young owner of a small restaurant near the east market of Chang'an City.

As a restaurant owner, Zhang Nuo didn't have much trouble adapting.In his past life,his parents had left him a small restaurant after their passing,which he had managed quite well. At least he never had to worry about food.

But what years is it now? It's the Tang Dynasty!!

According to the traditional hierarchy of the four occupations (official,farmer,worker,merchant) in ancient China, merchants were considered to be at the bottom and were often subject to bullying by low ranking officials.

Even if you were the wealthiest person in the country and could rival a nation's treasury, in the eyes of high-ranking officials and nobles,you would still be seen as a fat lamb that could be slaughtered at any moment if they saw you were well-fed and in good shape.

So these days, Zhang Nuo has been thinking about two things:making money and becoming an official !

Unfortunately,he didn't have much luck.Maybe he didn't use the right method to time travel,when he arrived during the Xuanwu gate incident. Later, the Turks sent an army 200,00 troops to besiege Chang'an City . If it weren't for Li Shimin's wisdom and bravery, and his alliance with the Turkic leader Jie Li,Chan'an City would have been surrounded.

Due to the domestic and foreign troubles, people in Chang'an City were every anxious, and the business was not very prosperous. Zhang Nuo's "golden finger," which he counted on to achieve success quickly ,only provided a slight buffer of less than 10%, and it was uncertain when it would be fully realized.

With no other choice, Zhang Nuo could only manage his small store and avoid starving to death.

Just looking at outside the door, with the sun already high in the sky, according to the daily habits of the Tang Dynasty, it was already lunchtime, but there was not a single person in sight coming to his shop. Zhang Nuo figured that he would probably waste another day today.

Just as Zahng Nuo was about to head to the kitchen to prepare himself some food, a middle-age ma dressed in black silk clothes and wearing a jade pendant with a unicorn pattern on his waist entered the shop.

Zhang Nuo's eyes lit up and quickly stood up to greet the man,

"Sir, how many will be dining? Any dietary restrictions?"

The middle-aged man seemed to have something on his mind, with a somewhat furrowed brow and a look of worry. He nodded as if he heard something, looked around, and chose a seat closer to the inside before sitting down.

Zhang Nuo hurriedly went up to the counter and look the linen cloth place there to wipe the already clean tabletop. Then he spoke up,

"It's seem that you have something on your mind , sir. Since this is your first visit , why not try some of our new dished along with a pot of wine? Perhaps after some eating and drinking your worries will be resolved."

The middle-age man, seeing that Zhang Nuo spoke quite cleverly,finally showed a hint of a smile and said,

" let's try the boss's cooking.If the food is good, I won't hesitate to pay you ."

Zhang Nuo nodded with a smile and quickly ran into the kitchen to get busy.

Judging from his attire and demeanor,this man doesn't seem like he's short of money. With right arrangements, he could potentially become a valuable client in the future.

Leaving aside making money, if the big client bring their friend or other in the future, that makes more money!

If there is an official among friends, if you get to know him, can ask for a letter of recommendation or something ,wouldn't you enter the officialdom?

Zhang Nuo ,who keeps his thoughts in his heart, can be said to have shown his true skills in the kitchen. In less than 20 minutes, four dishes and one soup were served on the table.

These days, not only are resources scarce,but cooking skills are limited to stewing and roasting. Therefore , when Zhang Nuo's carefully stir-fried dished seasoned with rich broth come to the table , their appearance and aroma alone set them apart from ordinary dished .

The middle-aged man looked at the ordinary porcelain bowl in front of him , which was filled with fragrant dishes, and even though he didn't have much appetite , he still couldn't resist the temptation , completely around his cravings.

Without a word. He picked up his chopsticks and tried each dish. The more he ate , the brighter his eyes became, and after taking a sip of the small wine poured by Zhang Nuo with a smiling face, he was completely happy.

"Boos, your cooking skills are unbeatable. I've almost eaten at all the taverns and restaurants in Chan'an City, but I've only tasted such delicious food for the first time . It seems i have to pay you reward today ! "

Zhang Nuo laughed at the works, joking that in his previous life he had been running a restaurant for years without fail,and who didn't have some tough skills in hand?

However, seeing that the customer just kept eating with his head down, Zhang Nuo felt that it would be inappropriate to disturb him.

He was hungry to, so he turned to go to the kitchen to get something to eat for himself.

Before he entered the kitchen, the customer said,

"Boss, I can see that you haven't had lunch yet. Why don't we join forces and share a table? Eating and drinking along is so boring. Let's chat while we eat, it'll be a great way to relive boredom."

Zhang Nuo wasn't at all embarrassed. He had accompanied guests for meals more than once in his previous life. He took a clean chopsticks and sat down opposite the customer, grabbing a few dishes and taking a bite before opening his mouth and asking,

"What would you like me to call you,sir?"

The middle-aged customer was about to pour wine when he heard this, and his hand hesitated, but then he picked up the wine jug mouth answered smoothly,

"Just call me Li. I'm a merchant too. Business hasn't been good these past few months, and I've been feeling really stressed. I came out for a walk, and I didn't expect to find such delicious food that I've never encountered before. I'll have to come back and try it more often in the future!"

Zhang Nuo nodded with a smile and poured himself a cup of wine without showing any hesitation. He raised his glass, gestured towards Li ,and then took a sip. He said with a grin,

"Ah, these past few months have been chaotic and emperor stepping down and the saint taking the throne, Li ,you should put your worries aside. It seems that good times are not far away!"

Li's eyes shone briefly and then he smile,

"It seem that you are optimistic about the current saint. I also hope so. The world has been in chaos for so many years, it's time to enjoy peace and prosperity."

Zhang Nuo nodded naturally. Although he wasn't particularly good at history in his previous life, he still knew about the Zhenguan Reign, which was praised even after thousand years as the grand style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. How could that be a joke?

Li saw that Zhang Nuo was no longer talking, and he knew that talking about the royal family on their first meeting was a bit too much. He changed the subject and started talking about the customs and people of Chan'an City and his adventures traveling south and north.

Although Zhang Nuo is not yet twenty years old, he has seen all kinds of jokes and heard all kinds of obscure knowledge in his past life. He has a lot of back forth with Li, and they chat like crazy.

The two of them drink and eat while pushing their cups and changing their cups , and it takes half a day to finish a meal.

Li took two strings of money from his pocket and put them on the table, bowing his hands and saying goodbye and he would definitely come to taste food in the near future.

Zhang Nuo naturally nodded and agreed , but in his heart was wondering how wealthy this man was, as he could easily take out a month's expenses for a ordinary person.

Li left the door, and immediately got on a carriage without a logo.

Sitting on the seat, Li, who was now known as Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, was not as casual and relaxed as he was in the tavern, with a stern face and eyes full of power.

He said,

"Back to the palace!"

The driver in front of the carriage , even though he was separated by a curtain, respectfully replied,

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Li Shimin, who was sitting in the swaying carriage, was thinking about Zhang Nuo's evaluation of himself today. Suddenly he felt that perhaps this unremarkable small tavern really needed to be visited a few more time!