Transmigrating to the Song Dynasty: Water Margin Business Management

Wu Yong, having suffered a great deal of anger at Lü Wencai's place, returned to the company in a disheveled state. His hair was messy, his clothes were stained with foot bath water, and his expression was priceless—a mixture of helplessness and grievance, like a child whose candy had been stolen.

Zhao Tianming was furious when he saw him like this. He had been hoping that Wu Yong would handle things well, but the guy returned looking utterly defeated.

"Wu Yong, Wu Yong, are you on business or playing the clown?" Zhao Tianming said irritably.

Wu Yong, with a bitter face and a sob in his voice, said, "General Manager Zhao, I've had the worst luck imaginable. That Lü Wencai's wife is a complete shrew; she splashed my entire body with foot-washing water without saying a word. The smell... tsk tsk tsk, I'll never forget it. And that jailer, he's got his eyes on the top of his head, even money won't get him anywhere!"

Zhao Tianming listened to Wu Yong's tearful complaints, feeling both annoyed and amused, thinking to himself, "What is all this nonsense?"

"Alright, alright, stop complaining. Go and get some rest." Zhao Tianming waved his hand, as if shooing away a fly.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly nodded, "Thank you, General Zhao! You must avenge me!" After saying that, he disappeared in a flash.

Zhao Tianming watched Wu Yong's retreating figure, shook his head helplessly, and muttered to himself, "What a mess this is!"

Despite his anger, Zhao Tianming decided to find a solution. He paced back and forth in his office, his mind racing.

"That Lü Wencai dared to make my men suffer, I'll teach him a lesson!" Zhao Tianming said through gritted teeth.

He picked up the phone and started contacting people.

"Hey, Lao Wang, it's me, Zhao Tianming. Yes, I need your help with something. My brother, Li Kui,' is locked up. Could you help me find out what's going on?"

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Tianming began to think of other solutions.

At this moment, the secretary knocked on the door and came in. Seeing Zhao Tianming's serious expression, she said cautiously, "Mr. Zhao, there is a document that needs your signature."

Zhao Tianming took the document, didn't even look at it, and signed his name with a flourish.

Just as the secretary was about to leave, Zhao Tianming suddenly called out to her, "Wait, go buy me a cup of coffee, the strongest kind. I need to think of something."

The secretary quickly replied, "Yes, Mr. Zhao."

Zhao Tianming continued pacing around the office, muttering to himself, "Lu Wencai, Lu Wencai, just wait and see how I deal with you!"

When the secretary heard Zhao Tianming say he wanted coffee, he was taken aback. He didn't know what coffee was and assumed Zhao Tianming wanted to buy a turtle, so he asked, "Manager Zhao, do you want to buy a turtle?"

Zhao Tianming was racking his brains trying to figure out how to deal with Lü Wencai when his secretary's sudden question caught him off guard. His eyes widened, and he raised his voice, saying, "What turtle? I'm talking about coffee! Coffee! You don't even know that?"

Startled by Zhao Tianming's shout, the secretary shrank back and said timidly, "Manager Zhao, I really don't know what this coffee is. I thought you were talking about a turtle."

Zhao Tianming sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation, saying, "Oh dear, I can't explain this to you. Never mind, you can go now."

The secretary felt like she had been granted a pardon and quickly left, still wondering to herself: What's wrong with Manager Zhao today? He's saying things that are hard to understand.

Zhao Tianming sat back down in his chair, his mood even more agitated. "If I can't even figure out a cup of coffee, how am I supposed to get this done!" he muttered to himself.

After a while, Zhao Tianming calmed down and decided to go out and find coffee himself. He walked out of the company and onto the street, looking left and right, hoping to find a coffee shop.

Passersby cast curious glances at him, noticing his anxious demeanor. Ignoring their stares, Zhao Tianming grabbed a passerby and asked, "Do you know where I can buy coffee?"

The passerby shook his head blankly: "What's coffee? Never heard of it."

Zhao Tianming asked several people in succession, and received the same answer each time. He stomped his feet in frustration: "What kind of place is this? They don't even have coffee!"

Just when Zhao Tianming was about to despair, he saw a newly opened shop on the street corner with a sign that read "Western Drinks". He went in on a whim and immediately asked, "Boss, do you have coffee?"

Zhao Tianming arrived at the "Western Drinks" shop, only to find that the owner had misspelled the name; the shop sold items for the elderly, and had nothing to do with drinks. He was immediately furious and said to the owner, "How can you be so deceptive!"

The shop owner looked confused and said, "What do you mean? I don't sell cooked food here."

Zhao Tianming's eyes widened, and he raised his voice: "I told you your sign says it's a beverage shop, but all I find here is a jumble of random things, and there's no coffee at all!"

The shop owner scratched his head, then suddenly realized and said, "Oh, sir, you mean this? I made a mistake with this sign. I'm so sorry."

Zhao Tianming shook his head helplessly: "You're being so unreliable, you're wasting my time!"

The shopkeeper quickly put on a smiling face: "Don't be angry, sir. Why don't you take a look at my other items? Maybe you can find something you need."

Zhao Tianming said irritably, "What use would I have for those things? I just want a cup of coffee to perk myself up so I can deal with this trouble!"

The shop owner asked curiously, "What is coffee? I've never heard of it in my little shop before."

Zhao Tianming rolled his eyes: "You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Forget it, I'll go look for it again."

After saying that, Zhao Tianming turned to leave. The shopkeeper called after him, "Please take care, sir! We apologize for the inconvenience!"

Zhao Tianming stormed out of the shop and continued searching for a place to buy coffee on the street. He muttered to himself as he walked, "What a terrible day! I can't even find a cup of coffee."

Zhao Tianming then realized he had traveled through time. Looking at the antique buildings around him and the passersby dressed in ancient costumes, he muttered to himself, "How could I be so foolish? How could there be coffee in the Song Dynasty? I must have been out of my mind." He patted his head, filled with regret.

Just as Zhao Tianming was about to turn back, two people emerged from the dark street. One of them was carrying a chicken, and the other was chasing closely with a stick. They quickly surrounded the person in front.

"You chicken thief, where do you think you're going this time!" the man with the stick shouted breathlessly.

The man holding the chicken looked flustered and stammered, "Brother, please spare me, I'm just too hungry to do anything else."

Seeing this, Zhao Tianming stepped forward and said, "It's so late at night, why are you two making such a fuss?"

The man with the stick glanced at Zhao Tianming and said, "Young master, this man stole my chickens, how can I let him off so easily!"

The chicken thief hurriedly pleaded, "Young master, my elderly mother is seriously ill, and I really have no money to buy food, so I resorted to this desperate measure."

Zhao Tianming then said to the man, "It's understandable that his elderly mother is seriously ill."

The man with the stick said to Zhao Tianming, "Don't listen to his nonsense. He's all alone; he doesn't have an old mother. He's a repeat offender, arrested and imprisoned time and time again, but released quickly. Do you know who he is?"

When Zhao Tianming saw the chicken thief, he noticed he had a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, and was as thin as a rake. Although his appearance was somewhat sleazy, his physique possessed a peculiar quality. He shook his head and asked, "Who is he?"

The man with the stick said, "He is the infamous thief Shi Qian."

"Shi Qian, the Flea on the Drum?" Zhao Tianming's eyes widened in surprise. He never expected that the unassuming chicken thief in front of him was actually the famous Shi Qian from the Water Margin.

Hearing their conversation, Shi Qian looked up, a sly glint in his eyes: "Hmph, now that you know my name, why don't you release me!"

Zhao Tianming came to his senses and said, "How could you, as Shi Qian, do such petty theft?"

Shi Qian pursed his lips: "I'm hungry, there's nothing I can do about it. Besides, it's not a big deal."

The man with the stick shouted angrily, "You thief, you think you're right to steal!"

Zhao Tianming pondered for a moment and said, "Shi Qian, I have heard that you are agile. If you can reform your ways, you will surely achieve great things."

Shi Qian scoffed dismissively, "I'm fine as I am, free and easy."

Zhao Tianming advised, "In this world, you can't keep going like this. Why don't you come with me and do something worthwhile?"

Shi Qian hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What benefits can you offer me?"

Zhao Tianming said, "As long as you are willing to correct your mistakes, with your abilities, you will surely achieve great things. Why bother about such a small gain?"

Shi Qian nodded and said to Zhao Tianming, "Well, what you said is not a bad idea. If we keep stealing chickens and dogs like this, we'll be arrested and thrown into jail every few days. Going to jail isn't a long-term solution. But if you want to hire me, my salary is very high."

Zhao Tianming said, "No problem." He first helped Shi Qian return the chicken to its owner, then gave him some silver and sent him home.

Zhao Tianming returned to his residence, pondering how to utilize Shi Qian. Although Shi Qian had a bad reputation, his thieving skills might prove very useful if used properly.

A few days later, Shi Qian came to visit.

"Young Master Zhao, I'm here!" Shi Qian swaggered in.

Zhao Tianming looked at him and said, "You've finally arrived. From now on, if you follow me, you'll have to abide by the rules."

Shi Qian patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Young Master Zhao, I, Shi Qian, keep my word."

Zhao Tianming said, "Alright, I have an important matter for you to handle now."

Shi Qian leaned closer: "What's up?"

Zhao Tianming lowered his voice and said, "I need you to infiltrate Lü Wencai's residence and gather some information for me."

Shi Qian's eyes lit up: "I'm good at this, leave it to me."

After saying that, Shi Qian turned around and prepared to take action.

Zhao Tianming called out to him, "Be very careful, don't get caught."

Shi Qian chuckled: "Young Master Zhao, just wait for my good news."

That night, Shi Qian, relying on his superb skills, quietly sneaked into Lü Wencai's residence. He carefully avoided the patrolling servants, searching everywhere for useful clues.