Sweat! How did I end up talking about this again? Oh man, this is really hard to explain.

Kevin Thompson was inwardly groaning. He had just spoken a bit too quickly and said a few extra words, definitely not on purpose. Discussing brand effect with an old man who can barely read a word—he was just asking for trouble!

But once words are spoken, they can't be taken back. Kevin Thompson had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, “Old sir, when you hawk your goods, do you just shout ‘shaobing’?”

The old man nodded and said, “Isn’t that what everyone calls it?”

Kevin Thompson rolled his eyes and said, “Exactly because everyone calls it that, you shouldn’t call it that. Brand effect—there’s a key word, and that’s uniqueness. To put it simply, you need to give your bing a unique name. Do you understand?”

The old man shook his head very honestly. Naming a bing? He had never heard of such a thing!

Damn! Still doesn’t get it. Looks like this old man really isn’t cut out for business.

Kevin Thompson felt quite helpless and didn’t bother explaining further. He said directly, “If you sell the scallion and egg bing I taught you to make, you absolutely can’t just call it ‘egg bing, egg bing.’ You need to add your own element. For example—right, old sir, what’s your name?”

After talking for so long, Kevin Thompson suddenly realized he didn’t even know the other man’s name, and felt a bit embarrassed.

The old man had been listening intently, but when he heard Kevin Thompson ask, he was momentarily stunned, then quickly replied, “My surname is Zhang, Brian Bolton.”

What a rustic name, but it actually fits the image of a shaobing seller. Kevin Thompson pursed his lips and cupped his hands, saying, “Old Bolton, my name is Kevin Thompson.”

Brian Bolton hurriedly bowed and said, “So it’s Young Master Thompson, I truly failed to recognize someone important.”

What kind of young master am I? Kevin Thompson quickly reached out to stop him, “No, I’m not a young master. Old Bolton, just call me Young Thompson.”

Brian Bolton smiled honestly and nodded, “Alright, Young Thompson.”

Kevin Thompson glanced at Brian Bolton, and suddenly a name popped into his head. He said happily, “‘Old Gen Egg Bing’—yes, let’s call it ‘Old Gen Egg Bing.’ It’s easy to remember and suits your image.”

“Old Gen Egg Bing?” Brian Bolton repeated, looking half-understanding, half-confused.

“That’s right! Just remember, whether you’re selling shaobing or egg bing, when you hawk your goods, always add ‘Old Gen’ in front. ‘Old Gen’ is your brand. Don’t underestimate it—maybe one day it’ll bring you unexpected surprises. So you should treat it as even more important than your own name,” Kevin Thompson said, nodding.

Brian Bolton nodded quickly, “Oh, I got it. Let me try shouting a couple of times, see if I’m doing it right.” As he spoke, he raised his voice and called out, “Old Gen Egg Bing! Old Gen Shaobing!”

Don’t be fooled by the old man’s age—he had a powerful voice, loud and clear.

Kevin Thompson smiled and nodded, “Not bad, not bad.”

Brian Bolton grinned widely, feeling very grateful to Kevin Thompson, and said, “Young Thompson, I really have no way to repay your great kindness—” As he spoke, he bent down and took a few shaobing from his basket to give to Kevin Thompson. But when he looked up, Kevin Thompson was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, he found Kevin Thompson already several dozen feet away, hurrying off with his head down. Brian Bolton quickly called out, “Hey, Young Thompson, why are you leaving already?”

Not leaving? Should I stay and wait for your shaobing? I’m not falling for that again. Without looking back, Kevin Thompson called out, “Old Bolton, sorry, I just remembered I have something urgent to do. Goodbye!”

……

After leaving the old man, Kevin Thompson found a foot shop and sat down, sipping tea while wondering why he always had to find something to do. Why couldn’t he just set up a little stall by the street like that old man, selling snacks and being his own boss? That had to be better than working for someone else. It wouldn’t even take much capital, and besides, there weren’t any city inspectors these days, so he wouldn’t have to run around every few days with his stall.

Kevin Thompson thought it sounded great, but little did he know that the yamen officers here were even fiercer than city inspectors. At least city inspectors had clear fines, but the yamen officers here would take as much as they wanted, and they “patrolled” at least twice as often as city inspectors.

“Alright, that’s what I’ll do. I refuse to believe I can’t do better than an old man.”

The more Kevin Thompson thought about it, the more he felt that setting up a stall was the way to go. After finishing his tea, he tossed down a few copper coins and got up to leave.

After leaving the teahouse, Kevin Thompson stretched, feeling much more refreshed. Truly, good things lift the spirit.

He walked quickly along the riverside toward Zuixianju. The most important thing now was to find Yvonne Foster and borrow some startup money. After all, he didn’t know many people here, and Yvonne Foster was the only one he could possibly borrow money from.

Halfway there, he suddenly saw a crowd ahead, noisy and bustling. From a distance, he saw dozens of scholars and literati gathered in front of a five-story pavilion.

What’s happening up ahead?