Chapter 10

"Special pancakes?" The old man looked at Li Qi with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Exactly!"

Li Qi nodded and said, "You need to make a type of pancake that no one else can make."

When it came to pancakes, Li Qi had already learned to make over fifty different kinds by the age of twelve. He originally intended to teach the old man some more complex and distinctive pancake recipes, but he was afraid the old man wouldn't remember them.

What kind of pancake is both delicious, easy to make, and relatively cheap?

Li Qi frowned in thought, then his eyes lit up. "I've got it, scallion and egg pancakes."

"Scallion and egg pancakes?" The old man asked in surprise.

Li Qi hummed in agreement. Scallion and egg pancakes were his favorite breakfast when he was a child, suitable for all ages, and the method was quite simple. Most importantly, there were no scallion and egg pancakes in the Northern Song Dynasty at the moment.

Then Li Qi explained in detail the method for making scallion and egg pancakes and some key tips to the old man.

The old man's face first lit up with joy, but then turned somewhat gloomy. "Young man, you don't know, my pancakes don't make much money. If I add eggs, I'm afraid—"

The old man really didn't know how to adapt. Li Qi smiled bitterly. "This is the simplest thing. Just raise the price a bit. There's no price control here, and you can set the price. As long as your pancakes are delicious, you won't have to worry about people not buying them. By the way, I have to remind you, your pancakes are too thick. Even if they are delicious, people will be full after one, and even if they want more, they won't be able to eat them. So, you should make the pancakes thinner and a bit larger, so they look more appealing. This way, they will be easier to eat, and you will earn at least several times more."

Li Qi's simple advice made the old man understand a lot. He nodded and smiled. "Young man, I know what to do. Thank you very much."

Li Qi sighed. "Actually, doing business ultimately depends on your own practice and understanding. For example, hawking also has many techniques."

The old man was puzzled. "Hawking has techniques?"

"Of course. Do you know what brand effect is?" Li Qi asked.

The old man shook his head woodenly. He wasn't from the future, so how could he know about brand effect?

Sweat! Why did I bring this up? Oh, this is really hard to explain.

Li Qi was in a bind. He had just spoken without thinking, not intending to say so much. Talking about brand effect with an old man who couldn't even read was really asking for trouble!

But the words were already out. Li Qi had to push through. "Old man, when you usually hawk, do you just shout 'pancakes'?"

The old man nodded. "Isn't that what everyone does?"

Li Qi rolled his eyes. "Because everyone does it, you shouldn't do it. Brand effect has a key point: uniqueness. In simpler terms, you need to give your pancakes a unique name. Understand?"

The old man shook his head honestly. Giving pancakes a name was something he had never heard of!

Damn! He still doesn't get it. It seems this old man isn't cut out for business.

Li Qi felt very helpless and didn't want to explain further. He said directly, "If you sell the scallion and egg pancakes I taught you, you can't just shout 'egg pancakes.' You need to add your own element. For example—oh, old man, what's your name?"

After talking for so long, Li Qi suddenly realized he didn't even know the old man's name, feeling quite awkward.

The old man, who was listening intently, was taken aback by Li Qi's question. He quickly said, "I'm Zhang, Zhang Ergen."

What a rustic name, but it does fit the image of a pancake seller. Li Qi pursed his lips and bowed. "Old Mr. Zhang, I'm Li Qi."

Zhang Ergen hurriedly bowed. "It's Li Gong, I really can't see the forest for the trees."

What kind of 'Gong' am I? Li Qi quickly stopped him. "No, I'm not a 'Gong.' Old Mr. Zhang, just call me Little Brother Li."

Zhang Ergen smiled honestly and nodded. "Alright, Little Brother Li."

Li Qi glanced at Zhang Ergen and suddenly thought of a name. He smiled. "Old Root Egg Pancakes, yes, that's it, 'Old Root Egg Pancakes.' This name is easy to remember and fits your image."

"Old Root Egg Pancakes?" Zhang Ergen repeated, with a look of confusion.

"Exactly! Just remember, no matter whether you sell pancakes or egg pancakes, you must add 'Old Root' before the name. 'Old Root' is your brand. Don't underestimate it. It might bring you unexpected surprises in the future, so you should value it more than your own name." Li Qi nodded.

Zhang Ergen nodded quickly. "I understand, I'll remember. Let me try shouting it." He raised his voice and shouted, "Old Root Egg Pancakes, Old Root Pancakes."

Despite his age, the old man had a strong voice and a loud shout.

Li Qi smiled and nodded. "Good, good."

Zhang Ergen grinned, feeling very grateful to Li Qi. "Little Brother Li, your kindness is beyond repayment—" As he spoke, he bent down and took a few pancakes from his basket to give to Li Qi. But when he looked up, Li Qi was already several yards away, walking forward with his head down. Zhang Ergen hurriedly called out, "Ah, Little Brother Li, why are you leaving?"

Not leaving? Not leaving to wait for your pancakes? I won't fall for that again. Li Qi called out without turning back, "Old Mr. Zhang, sorry, I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to do. Goodbye!"

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After parting with the old man, Li Qi found a teahouse and sat down. While drinking tea, he pondered why he had to keep finding things to do. Why couldn't he be like the old man, setting up a small stall on the street to sell some snacks? Being his own boss would be better than working for someone else. It wouldn't cost much, and there were no city management officers to worry about.

Li Qi's thoughts were quite rosy, but he didn't realize that the local constables were even more ruthless than city management officers. City management officers at least had a fixed fine, but the constables would take whatever they wanted, and they patrolled the streets twice as often.

"Alright, I'll do it. I don't believe I can't do better than an old man."

The more Li Qi thought about it, the more he believed setting up a stall was feasible. After finishing his tea, he threw down a few copper coins and left.

After leaving the teahouse, Li Qi stretched and felt much more energetic. Truly, good news makes one feel refreshed.

He walked quickly along the river toward Zui Xian Ju. The most important thing now was to find Wu Furong and borrow some capital. After all, he didn't know many people here, and Wu Furong was the only one who might lend him money.

Halfway there, he suddenly saw a crowd gathered ahead, making a lot of noise. From a distance, he could see dozens of scholars and literati gathered in front of a five-story pavilion.

What's happening?

Li Qi was very curious and walked quickly to the back of the crowd. Looking up, he was taken aback. A large sign hung from the eaves of the second floor, with three golden characters—Feicui Xuan (Jade Green Pavilion).

Hmm? Isn't this the Jade Green Pavilion that made Zui Xian Ju go out of business? It's really close to Zui Xian Ju, just a couple of miles away.

Li Qi observed carefully. The pavilion had flying eaves and intricate carvings, looking magnificent and grand. On Bian River Street, it had a commanding presence.

Damn! Is this the five-star hotel of the Northern Song Dynasty? No wonder Zui Xian Ju lost to it. Just by the appearance, they are not in the same league. If I were a customer, I would come here too.

Li Qi sighed inwardly and followed the crowd's gaze. Two red banners hung from the third floor, fluttering gently in the breeze. People were pointing and discussing them.

The left banner read, "A river of wind and moon, lingering in drunkenness."

The right banner read, "Sipping bamboo leaves, the heart turns green."