Opening a Tavern in the Tang Dynasty

People come and go on the bustling streets of Chang'an Avenue.

A ragged beggar squatted in the corner, staring at the people queuing in front of Yu Yu's shop to buy beauty cream.

When he heard others talking about how this beauty cream costs 100 taels a bottle, he couldn't help but gasp: "This thing actually costs 100 taels? Humph, it's so expensive, I can't afford it, it's simply outrageous."

A scholar-like man nearby heard the beggar's words and said, fanning himself, "Brother, you don't know this. This beauty cream is no ordinary item. It can make a woman's skin look like it's been reborn. The ladies of the rich and powerful regard it as a treasure. Not to mention a hundred taels, even if it's more expensive, they would still rush to buy it."

The beggar turned his head and said: "You don't buy it yourself"

The scholar was slightly startled by this, then smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I'm a man, why would I need this beauty cream? All I want is the poetry and literature in my head and the writing I can do, so that I can make a difference in this world and leave a name for myself. These beauty products are of course not my thing. I don't have the spare money to spend on them, hahaha."

After saying this, he gently waved the fan in his hand, looking leisurely.

"Why are you here?"

The scholar turned to look at the person who had spoken. It turned out to be a familiar classmate. He smiled and bowed, saying, "Oh, it's you. I happened to be passing by here today and saw a long line of people buying beauty cream. It was very lively, so I stopped to take a look. What brought you here?"

"Haha, I just came out of the library. I've been studying some ancient books lately to prepare for the upcoming imperial examination. I was passing by here and was attracted by this scene. You said you are a beauty cream, which is quite interesting. Tell me, what's going on?"

The scholar looked at the other person curiously, his eyes full of inquiry.

The beggar raised his hand and pointed to a place not far away, saying, "It's the one in front. Look, there's a long line at the door. They're all there to buy this beauty cream. People like us are so poor that we can only watch from here. The price of one hundred taels per bottle is simply an astronomical figure for us. We can't even think about it."

The scholar looked in the direction the beggar pointed, frowned slightly, shook his head and sighed: "Is this it? Look at it, it's really very popular. Oh, huh... People in this world are willing to spend money for beauty, but we can only be spectators. After all, it has nothing to do with ordinary people like us." After all, he sighed helplessly.

"Right, right, right," the beggar nodded repeatedly, scratching his messy hair and saying, "We are both very poor. The few copper coins in our pockets are not even enough to buy a little beauty cream for others."

"I can only stand here and watch others scramble to buy them. When will I be that rich? I'm afraid I can only dream about it."

The scholar smiled wryly upon hearing this, and reluctantly agreed, saying, "Of course not. Such fine things are only affordable for the nobles. Their homes are full of gold and silver, so they don't care about the hundred taels of silver. They just want to make the women in their families more beautiful."

"We just have these few books and a little knowledge to make a living. How can we have the spare money to join in such fun?" After saying this, he sighed again.

The beggar hung his head, looking dejected. He said weakly, "That's fate. I wasn't born rich. I can only make a living on the street, watching those nobles enjoy all these good things."

"Other people use beauty creams to keep their skin smooth and tender, but we have to worry about even having enough food and clothing. Alas, this is God's arrangement, and we can only accept it." The scholar listened with helplessness on his face and nodded silently.

Suddenly, a lot of people came from nowhere and rushed towards Yu Yu’s shop like a surging tide. They were the crowd who heard the name of the beauty cream and rushed to buy it.

The scholar and the beggar were talking when they were suddenly hit by the crowd.

The scholar's fan was nearly squeezed out of his hand. He tried to protect himself while trying to move to the side of the street, muttering, "What should I do?"

The beggar was in an even more miserable state. His already worn clothes were torn into even more disarray. He staggered and nearly fell.

Pushed by the crowd, the scholar and the beggar were quickly pushed aside.

They stood on the street corner, breathing heavily.

The beggar wiped the sweat from his face and cursed, "These people are really crazy. It's just a bottle of facial wipe, but they are acting like they are risking their lives."

The scholar straightened his disheveled clothes and said with lingering fear, "This beauty cream is really powerful. Look how fascinated everyone is."

At this time, the situation in front of Yu Yu's shop was in chaos.

People were pushing and shoving each other, and the queue had long lost its shape. Some noble ladies ordered their maids to rush to buy things, and the maids' delicate bodies were squeezed and pushed in the crowd.

Some rich young men brought their servants and tried to force their way through the human wall.

The street vendors stopped their business and watched the chaotic scene with relish.

An old man selling candied haws shook his head and said, "In this world, people have lost their minds because of beauty."

The woman selling cloth nearby also agreed: "That's right, no matter how magical the beauty cream is, it's not worth it."

The scholar and the beggar watched from the side, feeling mixed emotions.

The scholar thought that he had studied so hard in order to pass the imperial examination and change his fate one day, but these people in front of him were so crazy about vanity.

He thought to himself, "If everyone in the world focuses on superficial things like this, then what hope is there in this world?"

The beggar was purely envious and jealous. He thought that he had trouble even making ends meet, while these people were spending a lot of money on such luxury goods. There was a huge difference between them.

As time went on, the rush to buy continued, with some people cheering for having snagged the beauty cream and holding the bottle aloft to show off to the crowd.

Some people were dejected because they didn't get the tickets and stood there sighing.

The scholar watched all this and said to the beggar, "This is just a passing fad, but these people are so obsessed with it. It's pathetic."

The beggar smacked his lips and said, "Yes, let's just live our own lives. We can just watch the excitement."

The beggar saw a gorgeously dressed lady walking towards him in the crowd of people rushing to buy beauty cream, supported by her maid. “She bought several bottles.”

The maid nodded: "Madam is so lucky."

The beggar stepped forward quickly, stretched out his dirty hands, and pleaded, "Miss, please be kind. I haven't eaten for several days. Can you give me something to eat or a few copper coins?"