I Came From Heaven [Transmigration/Time-Travel] - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“Mama, can we postpone signing this contract of indenture for a little while?”

“How so?”

The madam slightly opened her eyes, raised her teacup, took a sip, and waited for my explanation. I kept massaging, continuing:

“Let’s make a bet, Mama. If Sijie doesn’t earn fifty taels of silver in fifteen days, I will sign the contract with you.”

The moment I said this, the madam sat up straight and turned around, staring at me in disbelief: “Oh? Are you serious?”

“Absolutely! Do I look like someone who goes back on his word?”

“Good! I’ll take that bet. If you earn fifty taels of silver in fifteen days, I’ll let you go. If you don’t, don’t blame Mama for not giving you a chance.”

“Mama is truly a straightforward person.”

“I’d like to see how you pull a trick and conjure up that much money for me.”

“However, Sijie has one small request.”

“Tell me.”

“I need a small stall, set up right outside the Chun Sheng Lou entrance. Sixiao needs to come with me. I also need the kitchen to prepare fresh vegetables, meat, and some bowls and chopsticks. I will settle these expenses with you every day after closing the stall.”

“As long as you can earn me money and don’t block my business, you can do whatever you want. But are you so sure you can pay me back the money for the ingredients on time?”

“Since Sijie dares to make a bet with Mama, I naturally have a plan in mind.”

“Alright, then let the fifteen days start counting from today.”

My mouth was as sweet as honey, and the madam was pleased to hear it, making her very agreeable. I quickly hugged her head and gave her a giant kiss. The madam instantly pushed my head away with her hand:

“Oh heavens, damn it! Men and women shouldn’t touch! You boy are truly annoying!”

“‘Bao Xia Ju,’ why are you so adorable!”

I stuck out my tongue at her and laughed excitedly. Oh, my memory! I almost forgot, I’m supposed to be a man right now!

…

🛠️ Laying the Groundwork

Back in the backyard, I grabbed Sixiao’s small arm and led him to the storage room: “You little troublemaker, you’re working with me from now on.”

The little guy didn’t quite understand, tilting his head and staring at me: “Huh?”

“Look around and see if we have any unused small wooden carts or anything similar. Get me one.”

“Yes, we do!”

Sixiao pulled my hand and led me to the deepest corner of the backyard, pointing to a dusty wooden cart: “Big Brother, what are you going to do?”

“Do something big!”

With that, I instructed the little guy to run errands for me. He brought a basin of water and helped me wipe the wooden cart until it sparkled. It wasn’t mealtime yet, and there weren’t many guests in the morning, so I decided to strike up a conversation with the cooks. While helping organize the dishes that needed washing, I asked:

“Master Chef, I see you keep rubbing your neck. What’s wrong?”

The head chef, an old man about fifty years old, had a yellow towel draped around his neck. He was sorting vegetables with the chopper. He tossed the vegetables aside and complained: “My body is getting old. My neck, oh, it’s really sore!”

“Come, come, let me give you a rub.”

I eagerly approached him and started massaging his shoulders: “Oh my, your strain seems a bit serious. Your neck and shoulders are so stiff! Let me loosen your muscles.”

I won’t lie, when my short hair wasn’t taken care of for a month, it looked like a bird’s nest. I loved going to the barbershop and adding the Thai massage service when getting a haircut. The shampoo girl’s technique was enchanting; she could massage me until I groaned with pleasure. I would always chat with her, and over time, I picked up a few tricks.

This was an essential skill for showing filial piety to my parents! Get! This trick was consistently effective. Even the madam was satisfied with my massage. Since the chef was bigger, I put effort into the massage. Seeing him nod non-stop, Hmm, it was working.

“Young man, your technique is pretty good.”

“Just amateur stuff. You’re stirring woks in the kitchen every day; neck pain is normal. If you feel uncomfortable again, let me know, and I guarantee I’ll help you loosen those muscles.”

“Young man, you’re being so diligent without being asked. Tell me, what do you need from me?”

“Hehe, Master Chef, you’re experienced; you saw right through my little scheme. I made an agreement with Mama to set up a stall outside our door every night to sell things.

So, I need some ingredients and kitchen tools. Although Mama agreed, you are the boss of this precious kitchen. If I just take things without a word, it would be disrespectful to you. So, I need your approval before I can do my own thing, right?”

Whether in modern or ancient times, knowing how to interact with people is a profound subject. Although I’m still a freshly graduated young adult with little experience, I’m not so silly that I don’t know basic human relations. When interacting with different people in different places, observing their reactions and having a sweet mouth are essential.

Take what I just said: I casually brought up the madam, but in front of the other staff, I greatly praised the chef, saving his face and acknowledging his unshakable position in the kitchen. Even if he wasn’t happy, a hand wouldn’t hit a smiling face, right?

The chef saw that I spoke articulately and nodded with a smile, then signaled an attendant:

“Ah Qiu, later, help Young Master Ji move the things he needs out. Also, take inventory of our ingredients and make sure we have enough. If not, go restock quickly.”

Hehehehe, things just fell into place effortlessly!

…

🍢 The Grand Plan

…

To all my readers, aren’t you incredibly curious now? Do you want to know what I plan to do? Come on, let me share my fifteen-day business blueprint with you!

From my observation over the past day or two, it’s clear that Chun Sheng Lou’s business is exceptionally good, with customers constantly coming and going. There are enough gentlemen and officials entering and leaving during the day, let alone at night. In modern times, look at places like KTVs, bars, and other entertainment venues—isn’t there always a stall or two outside selling late-night snacks?

These ancient people aren’t advanced in their thinking; they can’t come up with a move like this. The street stalls only sell steamed buns, or simple noodle bowls, maybe fried rice at best. The rest are all formal restaurants, so the choices are incredibly monotonous.

People have a common habit: when they drink until they’re excited, those formal, regular dishes just don’t stimulate the appetite. Therefore, drinking must be accompanied by skewers (kebabs)! If you don’t have skewers, is that even drinking?

Internally, these wealthy patrons coming to the establishment to have fun won’t care about the price of a few skewers. Seeing something novel, they’ll definitely want a few bites, right? Externally, even if the guests inside don’t buy my skewers, there will always be a few passersby on the street who will support me.

Besides, I can offer more than just grilled skewers. Once I have repeat customers, I’ll make skewers, and I’ll also make malatang (spicy numbing hot pot)! Within three streets, I’ll set up delivery service for everything! People of ancient times, let me show you the IQ of a 21st-century human, ya ha ha ha ha!

As the saying goes (I made this one up myself): Look for the new, look for the strange, watch Sun Wukong fight demons. Come once, that’s buying curiosity and joining the fun. Come twice, and you’re a regular customer. Three days, I guarantee it, in three days, I can make this kebab stall famous. Don’t believe me? Let’s wait and see!