Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

In Zuixianlou, Yuyu's family sat around a table, chatting about preparing a birthday gift for the retired emperor.

Yuyu blinked her big eyes, tugged at her mother's sleeve, and asked curiously, "Mom, what birthday gift should we prepare?"

Xiaoyu was thinking about what to give as a birthday gift, so she decided to give a cake. "I think a nine-layer peach cake would be best. The cake is stacked layer upon layer, and the top is made of fresh cream to look like cute pink peaches. It looks festive and delicious. Besides, the emperor in ancient times must have never seen such a novelty."

Li Hao listened from the side, nodded repeatedly, and applauded loudly: "Great, this is great, they have never seen it before. If we put this nine-layer birthday peach cake there, it will be so eye-catching, it will definitely make the emperor's eyes light up and be very happy."

Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao were puzzled when they heard this. They came over and asked, "What haven't you seen? You sound so amazing. Tell us about it."

When the Yuyu family heard this, they suddenly became a little nervous. They winked at each other, quickly waved their hands and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing, it's just an idea we came up with, haha."

Seeing this, Xiaoyu scratched his head and explained with a smile: "It's nothing special, it's just a new delicacy we came up with. It's called cake."

Yuyu nodded. "It's made with flour, eggs, and butter. It's soft and fluffy and delicious."

Xiaoyu lifted her robe and said, "And it can be made into various shapes according to your preferences. Like the nine-layer birthday peach cake I just mentioned, it looks so beautiful, layer upon layer, and the birthday peaches on it look like real ones. But this thing didn't exist before the Tang Dynasty, so I thought of using it as a birthday gift for the emperor."

Yuyu also nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, this cake is very rare and it took a lot of effort to make it. If it can be given as a birthday gift, it will be unique."

Li Hao said to Cheng Chumo seriously, "Cheng, go find a skilled carpenter to make a small cart. It needs to be strong and light, and it should be stable when pushed."

"Then, have the carpenter make a large round wooden plaque. This plaque must be made exquisitely. We can engrave some auspicious words on it. When the time comes, we can put the nine-layer birthday peach cake on the cart, and use the large round wooden plaque as a backdrop. The scene will be so grand and solemn. Send it to the retired emperor to celebrate his birthday. It will be so prestigious."

Cheng Chu listened silently, nodded repeatedly, stood up, and patted his chest and said, "Okay, I'll take care of it. I'll go find a reliable carpenter and have them make this cart and the big log properly, and make sure they meet our expectations."

Cheng Chumo walked without stopping and rushed towards the market in a hurry.

The market was bustling with people coming and going, including vendors carrying loads and shouting about their wares, people bargaining with vegetable baskets, and children playing and laughing. All kinds of noisy sounds were intertwined together.

But Cheng Chumo didn't care about these things at all. He had a determined look in his eyes as he nimbly moved through the crowd, occasionally moving sideways to avoid others, muttering, "Hurry up, don't delay the birthday ceremony."

After finally squeezing through the bustling crowd, he finally arrived at the street where the carpenter was.

There were several carpenter shops on the street. He looked at them one by one and finally stopped in front of a shop that looked quite neat and had many exquisite wooden products displayed at the door.

He stepped in and shouted to the carpenter who was busy working inside, "Master, are you there? I have an urgent job that needs your help!"

The carpenter stopped his work and looked up. He was wearing a coarse linen shirt with some sawdust on it, a leather apron tied around his waist, and a somewhat worn hat on his head. He looked at Cheng Chumo in confusion and asked, "What's going on?"

Cheng Chumo pointed to the open space outside the shop and said, "This is it. I want a cart this big and a big log."

The carpenter frowned, looked at Cheng Chumo, and asked, "What is this for? It takes a lot of effort."

Cheng Chumo smiled, patted the carpenter on the shoulder and said, "It's the Emperor's sixtieth birthday. My friend Yuyu and her family want to give him a birthday gift. It's a novelty called a cake. It needs to be placed on this big cart to be stable, and with that big round wooden board, it looks grand."

The carpenter's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Cake? I've never heard of it."

Cheng Chumo scratched his head and explained, "The cake is just a novel delicacy. It looks good and tastes good. Don't worry about it. This birthday gift can't be sloppy. It must be prepared carefully."

The carpenter thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Oh, I see. But there's no need for such a big cart. It seems like a waste of such good wood."

As he spoke, he patted a piece of wood beside him.

Upon hearing what the carpenter said, Cheng Chumo hurried forward to explain, "Master, don't underestimate this cake. It's no ordinary treat. I heard from Yuyu's family that it has nine layers, each one exquisitely crafted. It's quite large, and ordinary small items won't fit in it."

"We're going to use this to celebrate the Emperor's birthday, so it has to be something special. Using this big cart and a big log will make it look grand and sincere."

The carpenter's eyes widened slightly when he heard this, his face full of surprise. "Oh, so it's for the Emperor's birthday? It has to be made well. But this is the first time I've heard of such a cake. It has nine layers. It must be something rare."

"Well, in that case, I will carefully build this little cart and the big log for you. I guarantee they will be strong and beautiful, and you will be satisfied."

Cheng Chumo finally breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on his face. He patted the carpenter on the shoulder and said, "Thank you, Master. This is urgent. I'll have to trouble you to make it as soon as possible. Don't miss the deadline."

The carpenter nodded repeatedly and replied, "Don't worry, I'll get started right away. I'll work day and night to finish it for you on time." After that, he turned around to prepare the materials and started working.

Cheng Chumo jogged all the way back to Zuixianlou, with a little sweat on his forehead, and his brocade robe was a little messy from running.

As soon as he entered the door, he shouted to the Yuyu family, "The carpenter's business is done, but he's a little confused about how to put the cake on this cart."

Yuyu was wearing a pink ruqun with a light white gauze dress on top. Upon hearing this, her eyes sparkled as she said, "Really? That's great! We can't let this birthday gift lose its dignity."

Xiaoyu was wearing a lake blue dress with a silk ribbon tied around her waist. She frowned when she heard this: "Why are you confused?"