Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

Wei Xiaobao and Shuang'er got off the boat and walked towards Shuri Castle, the capital of Ryukyu not far away.

Nestled between the blue sea and blue sky, the city is simple and tranquil, like a shining pearl inlaid in the Pacific Ocean.

The soldiers guarding the city gate saw that the two men were unfamiliar, so they stepped forward and asked, "Where are you two from?"

"Sir, my husband and I are from the Qing Dynasty," Shuang'er replied.

She looked a little reserved, but her eyes were full of curiosity. This was her first time in a foreign country, and she was extremely excited about all the new things.

"Ah! So you are from the upper country. It has been a long time since I have seen distinguished guests from the upper country come to Ryukyu." The soldier said. He showed a warm smile on his face and sincerely invited the two to enter the city. "What is the business of the distinguished guests in Ryukyu? Do you need me to inform the prefect?"

"Haha, thank you, sir. We are here to do business in Ryukyu, so we don't need to bother the prefect." Wei Xiaobao clasped his hands together and clapped his hands to the soldier. He had a bold look on his face, and people could tell at a glance that he was a worldly businessman.

"Then please enter the city, distinguished guest!" The soldiers let him go, and then sent someone to report to the prefect. The arrival of someone from the Celestial Empire in Ryukyu was a major event that could not be neglected.

Shuri Castle is not big, with a population of about 50,000 to 60,000. However, the total population of Ryukyu is only about 500,000 to 600,000. As the capital, Shuri Castle accounts for one-tenth of the population, which is considered good.

The streets in the city were clean, the houses were scattered and orderly, and it was a prosperous scene. The two found an inn to stay in and prepared to look for business opportunities in the city.

"My husband, I don't have much money on me. If I count the jewelry I haven't pawned yet, I probably only have about ten taels of silver, which is only enough for our expenses for one month." Shuang'er said after packing up. She always worried about money, after all, this was the main purpose of their visit to Ryukyu.

"Don't worry, I'm here, there will be bread." Wei Xiaobao said confidently. He had a confident look on his face, and people could tell at a glance that he was a man who could accomplish great things.

"Bread?" Shuang'er looked at Xiaobao with a silly look on her face. She felt a little unfamiliar with this word because this kind of food had never appeared in her world.

"Oh, I said it wrong, I said it wrong, steamed buns, steamed buns are bread." Wei Xiaobao explained with a smile. He is a smart man who knows how to use humor to resolve embarrassment.

Bread! Xiaobao was shocked and immediately felt that he could make money. As a college student, he ate Western bread every day and baked bread in the oven. He already had a grand plan in his mind.

"Shuang'er, go and buy flour with all the silver you have. Sir, do you want me to make a fortune?" he said confidently.

"Buy flour?" Shuang'er looked at Wei Xiaobao in surprise. She knew her husband was a man of his own ideas, but she didn't expect that he actually wanted to sell flour.

In her mind, Wei Xiaobao was a rich young man who had everything handed to him. He had never had to deal with flour.

"Haha, didn't you just say there would be bread? I'll make bread for you?" Wei Xiaobao explained with a smile.

"Husband, if you make buns with so much silver, won't Shuang'er be able to finish them all?" Looking at Shuang'er with a dazed face, Xiaobao burst out laughing.

"Go buy some flour, eggs and milk, and then ask the shopkeeper to lend me the kitchen." Xiaobao ordered. Shuang'er left half-believing and half-doubting.

Half an hour later, Shuang'er bought some flour, and Wei Xiaobao took off his long gown, rolled up his sleeves and started working. He kneaded the dough skillfully and fermented it, ready to show off his skills.

The flour with eggs and milk was fermented after an hour. While waiting for the fermentation, Xiaobao converted the large stove in the kitchen into a simple baking room by placing two pots on top of each other and a steaming rack in the middle.

At this time, a fragrance permeates the air, making people salivate.

The aroma of bread in the oven let them know that this is just the beginning. In this strange city, they will face more challenges. But as long as they have confidence and courage, there will always be bread (steamed buns), and a better life will come as expected.

Half an hour later, the fragrant, soft and glutinous bread finally came out of the oven. The steaming hot bread exuded an enticing aroma that instantly filled the entire kitchen. Xiaobao excitedly took a freshly baked bread, and the hot feeling made him blow it carefully with his mouth, and then handed it to Shuang'er.

"Let's give it a try!" Xiaobao said expectantly.

Shuang'er took the bread, sniffed it lightly, then put it in her mouth and took a small bite. The bread melted in her mouth, filling her mouth with fragrance, which surprised her.

"It's so delicious, my husband! It's even more delicious than the pastries in the imperial kitchen. This is definitely not a steamed bun, but... bread!" Shuang'er exclaimed excitedly.

"Haha, that's right, this is bread, made by me, Wei Xiaobao." Xiaobao said proudly.

"Husband, where did you learn this skill? Why have you never made bread for us before?" Shuang'er asked curiously.

When Xiaobao heard this, he immediately realized that something was wrong. European culture at that time had not yet been introduced to China, and people did not know bread at all.

So, he suddenly had an idea and started to make up a story: "This is the biggest secret of the imperial kitchen. The eunuch Hai Dafu, who was then the chief eunuch of the imperial kitchen and my immediate superior, taught me the secret recipe of making bread privately before he died in order to thank me for taking care of him." Xiaobao said seriously.

"Husband, you are so awesome!" Shuang'er said admiringly.

At this time, a strange fragrance came from the front hall of the inn, which stimulated the appetite of the owner Qin. He couldn't help but put down what he was doing and hurried to the kitchen to check.

Shopkeeper Qin looked at the bread in Xiaobao's hand, his eyes sparkling, and asked excitedly, "Sir, what kind of delicacy is this? It smells so good?"

"This is bread. Come, try it." Xiaobao said with a smile, and then handed a piece of bread to Shopkeeper Qin.

Shopkeeper Qin took the bread, took a bite carefully, and then exclaimed loudly: "It's delicious, so fragrant and soft!"

"Boss, I plan to sell these breads for ten cents each. What do you think?" Xiao Bao saw that Boss Qin was enjoying his meal, so he suggested, "If I give you the bread to sell, I will give you two cents for each bread, how about that?"

Xiaobao knew that the cost of making each loaf of bread was only one cent, plus the labor cost, which was only two cents. If the two cents of sales cost were deducted, he could earn six cents per loaf of bread.

Although the amount is not large, he can earn 1200 coins for a batch of loaves of bread he just baked, which is one tael and two cents of silver. And the flour that Shuang'er just bought with ten taels of silver is enough for several days, and can make tens of thousands of loaves of bread. This makes Xiaobao full of confidence in the future.

After listening to Xiaobao's explanation, the shopkeeper's eyes sparkled with a business opportunity. He felt that the aroma of this bread was really irresistible, and this was a definite business opportunity. Moreover, the price of bread was ten cents each, which was equivalent to the price of a steamed bun, and it was not expensive, so it was definitely worth a try.

So he agreed to Xiaobao's proposal without hesitation and said to him: "Sir, I would like to ask what this bread is?"

"Bread is a delicacy made from the secret recipe of the imperial kitchen of the Qing Dynasty!" Shuang'er answered proudly.

"Ah, it turns out to be the royal secret book of the Celestial Empire!" The shopkeeper was amazed. He was extremely surprised by this secret book from the royal family. Xiaobao did not expose his thoughts and let him continue to be surprised.

"Sir, can we increase the price of bread tenfold? This way it will be worthy of the title of the royal secret book of the upper country." The shopkeeper suggested expectantly.

"Ah?" Xiaobao was confused. He didn't expect the shopkeeper to make such a suggestion.

Shuang'er was overjoyed when she heard this. If the price was increased tenfold, wouldn't she be able to earn twelve taels of silver for a batch of bread? Women are naturally sensitive to money. Shuang'er was afraid that the young master would not agree, so she immediately said, "Boss, if you think that the price of one hundred coins can be sold, then we will set the price at one hundred coins. Your sales commission will also increase tenfold, to twenty coins each."

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to sell it on the street right away." The shopkeeper was afraid that Xiaobao, who hadn't spoken a word yet, would disapprove, so he picked up the winnowing basket full of bread on the table and ran to the lobby.

After a while, a waiter came and bought all the remaining bread that Xiaobao had just baked. The shopkeeper was very good at doing business. He bought a piece of red paper and wrote a line of words by hand: "Secret bread made by the Celestial Empire, one hundred coins each."

In less than a quarter of an hour, the two hundred loaves of bread were sold out at the door of the inn. The guests who didn't buy any lined up in the hope of buying this delicious royal secret bread.

Xiaobao also gave it his all, baking five batches of bread from morning till night. Although he was exhausted, he was pleased to see that his bread was so popular.

Shuang'er saw that Xiaobao was tired after a day's work, so she massaged his back and said considerately, "Husband, can you pass on your secret recipe for making bread to others? Tomorrow, you can teach Shuang'er how to make bread, so you don't have to work so hard."

Xiaobao looked at Shuang'er with a smile, thinking that this caring little woman was really his lucky star. He nodded and agreed to Shuang'er's request. Tomorrow, they will pass on this royal secret recipe together so that more people can taste this delicious bread.