"Uncle Big Eyes is very thoughtful. Our bean sprouts are a new kind of vegetable, and if we want others to quickly open up the market, we naturally need a way to promote them..." Henry Thompson paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing he had fallen into his professional habits, using the same phrases he used in meetings with employees in his previous life. He had completely forgotten that this was the early Tang Dynasty, and that the people in front of him, like William Foster Sr., were not his employees. Now, each of them was staring at him in confusion, because they simply didn't understand what he meant by words like "market" and "promotion."

Seeing this, Henry Thompson couldn't help but laugh at himself. He had originally decided to let work go to hell after traveling through time, but unexpectedly, for the sake of survival, he ended up doing the same thing again. He didn't bother to explain further, but instead turned to William Foster Sr. and said, "Uncle Foster, go call Aunt Foster out. I have some things I need to tell her!"

Chapter 6: Bean Sprouts Hit the Market

The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten, and the curfew in Chang'an City was finally lifted. The gates of each ward were opened one after another, and the streets of Chang'an became lively once more. If you were to say where the liveliest places in Chang'an were, it would naturally be the East and West Markets. However, in the morning, most of the shops in the East and West Markets had not yet opened, so the busiest place at this time was the vegetable market. Almost every ward in Chang'an had its own vegetable market, but the largest and most comprehensive was the Le'an Vegetable Market near Anhua Gate.

The Le'an Vegetable Market was, of course, inside Le'an Ward, which was one of the wards closest to Anhua Gate. Because it was convenient to enter and exit the city here, many vegetable farmers from outside the city would bring their produce here to sell. The wealthy families in the city also liked to come here to pick out fresh vegetables and meat. Over time, this place became the largest and most complete vegetable market in the capital. As long as something was available for sale on the market, you could almost always find it here.

Mr. Clark brought two house servants, driving a carriage to the Le'an Vegetable Market. After getting off, he plunged straight into the market to select the ingredients needed for the mansion—rice, flour, oil, and salt were all on his shopping list. Many vendors in the market knew him, and when they saw him, they greeted him and tried to sell him their goods. However, Mr. Clark was extremely picky when shopping; if the quality wasn't good, he wouldn't spare it a second glance.

Speaking of Mr. Clark, his background was quite impressive. His master was none other than Thomas Parker, known as the number one chancellor of the Tang Dynasty. Back when George Washington was still the governor of Taiyuan, Thomas Parker was the deputy supervisor of Jinyang Palace in Taiyuan, and the two of them were old friends. At that time, they often drank and had fun together, even sharing women. Their relationship was so deep that it was more like a pair of close companions than just friends.

Later, when George Washington raised an army, Thomas Parker also contributed greatly. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, he was appointed as the Right Deputy Director of the Department of State Affairs. George Washington was a man who valued old friendships; even after becoming emperor, he still called Thomas Parker "Supervisor Pei," which was Thomas Parker's old title from Taiyuan. This shows how much favor George Washington bestowed upon him.

A few years ago, another important contributor who had followed George Washington in raising the army, Richard Foster, was jealous that Thomas Parker's position was higher than his own and often targeted him. In the end, George Washington actually had Richard Foster killed. Later, when Thomas Parker suffered a crushing defeat while attacking Robert Grant, he was only symbolically demoted by George Washington, and soon after his position was restored, with the same trust as before. With a master like Thomas Parker, even though Mr. Clark was just a minor purchasing steward in the Pei household, he was not someone ordinary people dared to offend.

The staple foods were quickly purchased, but at this moment Mr. Clark was inwardly troubled. Others only saw the prestige of his position as the Pei household's steward, but they didn't know his difficulties. Mr. Parker was famously picky about food, with strict requirements for ingredients: for example, only eating Huainan rice, only eating Guanzhong lamb, and so on. Although these requirements were tedious, with some effort they could be met. But some demands were more troublesome—for example, in winter, Mr. Parker required at least one plate of vegetables every day, and no repeats within three days. That was much harder.

Eating fresh vegetables every day in winter was nearly impossible for most noble families; only the royal family could barely manage it. There were hot springs in the western hills, so some vegetables could be grown there in winter, but the yield was low and could only supply the royal family. However, because Thomas Parker had a special relationship with George Washington, his household also enjoyed the same treatment. But this autumn, there was a locust plague in Guanzhong, and the western hills were affected as well, producing even fewer vegetables. Now, deliveries came only once every five days, and only enough for two days; for the remaining three days, he had to find a solution himself.

It had been a bit better a while ago, since the weather had just turned cold and, although vegetables were getting scarcer, you could still find some if you were willing to pay. But as the weather grew colder, even with money, Mr. Clark couldn't find any vegetables. For the past few days, he had been buying radishes day after day. Radishes could be stored underground for the whole winter, but after all, his Sir was the prime minister of the nation—eating radishes all the time was not acceptable. Moreover, the butler had already scolded him yesterday: if he bought radishes again today, the whole radish would be stuffed up his nostrils.