Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 336 Stocking up on coal for the winter

Yuyu put down her teacup, tilted her head, and said with a puzzled look, "It's strange. I just went to the market, and there weren't many people. The streets were deserted, completely different from the bustling atmosphere of the past."

She held her chin and continued, "Of course, it's so cold, it's normal for everyone to not want to go out. And I noticed that the coal warehouses over there are almost empty. I guess they are stockpiling coal for the New Year, thinking that they can stay at home and hibernate comfortably during the winter."

Xiaoyu listened and nodded gently. "It's freezing cold, so it's really comfortable to store some coal at home and spend the New Year with the family around the fire. We should also pay more attention to the coal reserves in our tavern, so that when there are too many customers, we won't be able to keep warm."

Li Hao continued, "Mom is right."

Yuyu's eyes rolled, and she suggested, "Why don't we hold an event in the tavern called 'Fireside Night Chat'? When diners come, they can warm themselves by the fire and listen to our interesting stories. Maybe it will attract quite a few people."

Xiaoyu and Lihao looked at each other and smiled. Xiaoyu said, "Yuyu, that's a good idea. Let's prepare some warm snacks and fine wine so that our guests can feel the warmth of our tavern even in this icy and snowy weather."

Li Hao also nodded in agreement: "Okay, then I'll go prepare it right away, write some notices, post them nearby, and promote the event."

Yuyu clapped her hands excitedly. "That's great! Once the event starts, the tavern will definitely be bustling again. Maybe even on snowy days, people will want to come to our place."

Outside the window, snowflakes were still falling, and inside the pub, a family was enthusiastically discussing the details of the event, and warmth and anticipation filled the air.

In the market of Chang'an, the biting cold wind blew past, forcing pedestrians to wrap their clothes tightly.

A man who looked like a scholar, wearing a long green gown and holding a scroll, was walking towards the coal shop.

From time to time he stuffed books into his sleeves to keep out the biting cold.

When he arrived at the coal shop, the scholar was carefully selecting coal blocks when a figure next to him caught his attention.

It turned out to be a beggar, with ragged clothes but a determined look in his eyes.

The scholar was a little surprised and couldn't help asking, "Are you here to buy coal too?"

The beggar raised his head and grinned, revealing a few broken teeth: "No, I stockpiled firewood, so a little coal will be enough."

The scholar was stunned for a moment and asked curiously, "Why don't you just use firewood for heating? Isn't firewood cheaper than coal?"

The beggar rubbed his red, frozen hands and said, "Sir, you don't know, burning firewood produces a lot of smoke. The room I live in is drafty, so the smoke can't get out and it's choking me. Buy some coal and burn less. It will last for a while and I won't be uncomfortable with the smoke."

The scholar felt a pity for her and said, "I see. It's freezing cold out here, you should make sure you keep warm."

As he spoke, he took out a few coins from his pocket and handed them to the beggar, "This little money, you can use to buy more coal."

A trace of surprise and gratitude flashed in the beggar's eyes, and he quickly declined: "Sir, no, no, you are a kind person, but I can't take your money for nothing."

The scholar insisted on putting the money into the beggar's hand and said, "It's not easy to be away from home. Just accept it. It's my little token of appreciation."

The beggar thanked him profusely, took the money, tears in his eyes.

The scholar looked at the beggar and sighed in his heart, hoping that this little warmth could make him feel better in this cold winter.

Afterwards, the scholar bought the coal, said goodbye to the beggar, turned and left, while the beggar held the money tightly in his hand, looked at the scholar's back for a long time without taking his eyes off him.

On a winter evening, the wind was cold and the streets of Chang'an were covered with a thin layer of frost, emitting a cold light.

Sanniang stood at the gate of her own courtyard, looking into the distance from time to time.

"Mom, I'm back!" A crisp voice broke the silence. Shitou came jogging over with a cloth bag on his back, his face red from the cold.

Sanniang walked over with a smile and took his cloth bag. "How was school today? Are you tired?"

Shitou waved his hands, looking excited: "I'm not tired, the teacher taught me a lot of new knowledge!"

At this time, Shitou's father came out of the house with a few hundred yuan in his hand and said, "Shitou, you're back just in time. The weather is getting colder and the New Year is coming soon. Go to the market and buy some more coal. We need it for the New Year."

Shitou nodded quickly: "Okay, Dad, I'll go right away!" Then he carefully put the money into his arms and turned to walk towards the market.

The market was bustling with people coming and going.

Shitou slid through the crowd and soon found the place. The man saw him and greeted him with a smile: "Hey, Shitou, are you here to buy coal again?"

Shitou looked up and said seriously, "I want to buy a lot of coal for the New Year!"

As the clerk shoveled coal, he asked, "Are you preparing for a happy New Year with lots of fun? Can you carry all that?"

Shitou patted his chest and said, "I'm strong enough to move it! If I really can't, I'll ask my friends for help."

After a while, the coal was weighed.

Shitou carried the bag of coal with great effort and walked home step by step.

The cold wind was blowing, and his little face became even redder, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

When passing the street corner, Shi Tou saw a ragged beggar huddled in the corner and shivering.

He hesitated for a moment, stopped, took out a few coins from his pocket, and put them in front of the beggar: "Grandpa, please use this to buy something to eat. It's too cold today."

The beggar raised his head, his eyes full of gratitude: "Good boy, thank you, you are so kind!"

Shi Tou smiled and continued walking home.

Although the coal bag on his shoulder was heavy and the cold wind was still biting, his heart was warm.

A few days passed like this, and the howling north wind became more and more fierce, as if it wanted to blow through every corner of Chang'an.

The bustling and lively scenes of the past in Chang'an's market are no longer there. Now there are almost no people shopping, and everyone is hiding at home during the winter.

Most of the shops had their doors half-open, and the signs hanging on the door panels swayed weakly in the cold wind.

Occasionally, there were a few shops still open, but the owners were huddled behind the counter, staring at the empty streets, hoping that a customer would come.

Yu Yu stood at the door of Zuixianlou, looking at the deserted streets, and couldn't help feeling a little lost.

"Mom, why has this market become so deserted? There are hardly any people here."

Xiaoyu came over from behind and gently put her arm around Yuyu's shoulders: "Winter is too cold, and everyone likes to stay at home where it's warm. When the weather gets warmer, the market will be bustling again."

"Will no one come to our tavern?" Yu Yu asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, we have prepared so many warm fires, delicious hot dishes and hot wine. People will always come." Xiaoyu comforted Yuyu with determination in her eyes.

Li Hao walked out of the house with a stack of papers in his hand. "Mom, Yuyu, I have an idea. Let's write some notices and go around the neighborhood to advertise our tavern. We'll say that our tavern has a warm fire and it's a place where people can gather in this cold winter. Maybe it can attract some customers."

"Good idea!" Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. "I'll go get some pen and ink right away."

After a while, the three of them got busy.

Yuyu was in charge of grinding the ink, while Xiaoyu and Lihao wrote a notice which read, "Zuixianlou, the fire is burning brightly, hot wine and delicious food are served, and all neighbors are welcome to come and warm up and gather together."

After writing it, Li Hao went out with the notice.

Yu Yu and Xiao Yu continued to work in the tavern, lighting the fire, arranging the tables and chairs neatly, and preparing some melon seeds and snacks.

In the evening, Li Hao came back with a smile on his face: "Mom, Yuyu, many neighbors are very interested in the notice and may come tomorrow."

"Great!" Yuyu jumped up excitedly, "I hope the tavern will be lively tomorrow."

At night, Chang'an was covered with ice and snow and was silent.

In the tavern, warm light shines through the window and falls on the snow.

Yu Yu and his family sat around the fire, looking forward to tomorrow.