Chapter 9

"Sir, are you just passing through, or are you staying for the night?"

"Uh... I'm here looking for work."

"Looking for work?"

"Oh, I mean, I'm here to find a job."

"Uh... I already have enough people. You should try another place."

.....

"Sir, please sit down. What would you like?"

"I'm here to find a job."

"Perfect, I happen to need a bartender."

"Really? That's great. What's the pay like?"

"Room and board included."

......

"Is that all?"

"Of course, what more do you want?"

......

At the dock.

"Brother, do you need any more hands?"

"I do, but are you up to the job with that small build of yours?"

"Of course, I'm very strong."

"Alright, take this and go to the back to queue up."

"Hehe, got it."

"Hurry up, you lazy good-for-nothing, haven't you eaten?"

Slap slap slap! Bang bang bang!

"Ouch ouch ouch!"

"Sorry, I just remembered I have something to do at home. I'll come back tomorrow."

------

"Ah, I didn't expect the job market in the Northern Song Dynasty to be even more competitive than in my time. And those bosses, typical capitalists. Damn, work yourself to death and only get room and board, not even a salary. What a rip-off." Li Qi stood by the river, complaining to the water.

In less than a month, Zui Xianju would probably change hands. Li Qi had to find a job quickly, or he might end up sleeping on the streets.

But after searching for the whole morning, he hadn't found anything decent, which made him very anxious.

"Flatbread, flatbread..."

Flatbread? Wu Dalang?

Li Qi's face lit up, and he turned around quickly. Unfortunately, the person shouting "flatbread" wasn't the legendary Wu Dalang, who was less than five feet tall, but an old man with white hair and beard. The old man was wearing a hemp shirt, carrying a bamboo pole, and slowly walking towards Li Qi while shouting.

Li Qi's face fell, and he sighed.

Li Qi wasn't really interested in Wu Dalang, but he did want to meet Wu Dalang's beautiful and flirtatious wife, Pan Jinlian.

However, according to "Water Margin," Wu Dalang was from Qinghe County. How could he be in Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty? Besides, he was a fictional character, and whether he existed in real history was still uncertain. Most importantly, Wu Dalang didn't sell flatbread but steamed bread. Li Qi had just remembered incorrectly.

Not seeing Wu Dalang, Li Qi's stomach started to rumble. He had been running around all morning without even a drink of water. He was starving. When the old man approached, he quickly called out, "Old man, how much for the flatbread?"

The old man smiled kindly, "One coin each."

That's cheap. Li Qi nodded, "Alright, I'll take one."

The old man's face lit up with joy. He quickly put down his pole, opened one of the baskets, and revealed a bamboo basket covered with a white cloth. When he lifted the cloth, the basket was full of flatbreads, round and about the size of an adult's palm, thick and solid, but the color was not good, looking burnt.

The old man took out a flatbread, wrapped it in yellow paper, and handed it to Li Qi.

"Thank you!"

Li Qi took the flatbread and pulled out a coin from his pocket, placing it in the old man's calloused hand.

Li Qi had eaten many kinds of bread in his life, but he had never tried Northern Song flatbread. He was quite looking forward to it, and his stomach was already empty. So he took a big bite.

Wow! So terrible! What is this? It has no taste at all.

Even if it was tasteless, it was hard to swallow. After the first bite, Li Qi almost choked to death. He urgently asked the old man for help, "Cough cough cough, old man, do you have any water?"

The old man smiled awkwardly, "Young man, I'm sorry, I've already finished the water I brought."

Damn!

Inhale! Hold! Exhale!

Li Qi did several deep breaths before he could recover.

"Are you okay, young man?" The old man saw Li Qi's face turn red and asked worriedly.

Li Qi took a deep breath, shook his head, and looked at the flatbread in his hand. He felt like crying but was too hungry. Reluctantly, he started to eat it slowly, taking small bites, feeling quite miserable.

How can such terrible flatbread still sell?

While eating, Li Qi thought about it and found it increasingly unbelievable. He asked the old man, "Old man, how's business lately?"

The old man sat on the pole, wiping his sweat, and shook his head, "It was okay in winter, but since spring, it hasn't been good. To be honest, you're the second customer I've had today."

It seems I'm not the only one suffering.

Li Qi felt a bit more balanced and asked, "How much do you earn in a month?"

The old man chuckled, "Not much, just enough to get by."

Miracle!

Such terrible food can still barely make a living. What else could it be? If this flatbread were sold on the streets of Beijing, it would probably lose money.

Actually, the flatbread wasn't as terrible as Li Qi said. Otherwise, the old man would have starved to death long ago. It's just that in Li Qi's time, there were so many delicious breads, like hamburgers and pizzas, with meat and fruits inside. How could they not be delicious? This flatbread only had flour, with nothing added, and Li Qi couldn't get used to it.

Li Qi had never missed hamburgers so much. Although he had always considered them junk food, compared to this flatbread, they were much better.

Seeing the old man's honest and hardworking nature, and that he was still working at his age, Li Qi felt a bit sorry for him and wanted to help. He smiled, "Old man, do you want to earn more money?"

Of course, who wouldn't want more money?

The old man's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly, "Young man, are you going to buy more flatbreads?"

Sweat! Buy more? Do you really want me to die?

Li Qi shook his head, "Even if I buy more from you, it will only help temporarily. If you want to do this long-term, you need to improve the flatbread."

The old man was disappointed when he realized Li Qi wasn't buying more, but he was puzzled by the last part, "Young man, do you mean there's something wrong with the flatbread?"

"Not just something wrong, it's a big problem." Li Qi scared the old man a bit and then said, "To be honest, the taste of the flatbread is really hard to swallow. If you want to do well in business, you need to change the flatbread."

"Change?" The old man was confused.

"Exactly!"

Li Qi nodded and smiled, "Let me explain how you make the flatbread. Do you first mix the dough with cold water, then stir it with chopsticks, and when it's evenly mixed, knead it into a dough ball, and then bake it in the oven?"

The old man was surprised, "Young man, are you from a family that sells flatbread?"

If I were selling flatbread, would there be a place for you?

Li Qi broke out in a cold sweat, "Just tell me, is that how you do it?"

The old man nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, that's exactly how I do it."

"That's right." Li Qi nodded, "Using this method, the flatbread will be coarse and hard, making it hard to swallow. Customers will only come once and never return. This is a big no-no in business, especially in the food industry. You must attract customers with the taste of the food, which is the most basic requirement."

The old man nodded and asked, "So, how should I make the flatbread, according to you?"

Li Qi smiled, "It's simple. First, use warm water to mix the dough, and add water gradually while stirring. This will make the dough softer. When there's no dry flour left, knead it into a soft dough ball. Remember, after kneading, let the dough rest in a warm place for fifteen minutes before baking it."

The old man, who no longer doubted Li Qi, nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, I remember. Use warm water, add water gradually, and let it rest in a warm place for fifteen minutes."

Hey! The old man's memory is pretty good.

Li Qi smiled and continued, "But that's just the basics. If you want everyone to buy your flatbread, you need to make it more special."