“What’s this, ‘Nine Black Qi Hands’? A pigeon that has grasped the essence of qi? What on earth is that?”
The postman asked while staring at the white pigeon with blue feathers on its head that his friend was holding.
Grasping qi? Is this pigeon actually using martial arts or something?
“This friend of yours is quite oblivious! Even if the postman is busy, if he’s back in Wuhan, he should at least know what’s going on in the world.”
“Living without knowing about such a miraculous Nine Black Qi Hands that can grasp qi. Tsk, tsk.”
The friends shook their heads in disapproval, clicking their tongues at the postman.
“You have to explain what a pigeon is for me to understand.”
“This is why you can’t pick up on things, you should be the postman! Hold on! I’ll show you the food of a whole new world today. Let’s see… where is it?”
The friend of the postman looked around.
“Looking for a menu? Here it is!”
One of the other friends quickly pointed out a wooden menu in the corner and threw it over.
“A menu?”
The postman frowned, unable to comprehend the situation.
No way. Isn’t it the menu that the innkeeper hands out? Do these friends have a habit of stealing? Why did they bring the menu from the inn all the way here?
The postman was utterly confused.
“Since this friend lives, let’s order four jjajangmyeon and one large sweet and sour pork.”
“I prefer jumppong.”
“It gets messy when cleaning up. Let’s order four jjajangmyeon.”
The man quickly wrote something with a fine brush on paper, then opened the window to send the Nine Black Qi Hands flying out.
“Now, let’s sit and wait!”
“What in the world…”
As the postman was dragged to his seat by his friends, he still couldn’t grasp the situation.
The Nine Black Qi Hands, what on earth is that? Isn’t that a carrier pigeon used by the postman? What does that have to do with food?
It’s not like he’s going to bring food like the storybook tale of a master delivering food when hungry.
These friends wouldn’t dare let me starve just because they’re late, would they? When hungry, the brain doesn’t function. Are they trying to turn me into a fool today? Or are they just making fun of me?
While the postman was engulfed in unresolvable questions, a knocking sound was heard.
“Is this the place that ordered four jjajangmyeon and one large sweet and sour pork for the 53rd Nine Black Qi Hands?”
A man wearing a straw hat knocked on the door of the room where four men were.
“Yes, yes! Bring it this way!”
The friend of the postman opened the door to welcome the delivery person and guided him to a table to place the food.
By this point, the postman could finally understand the situation.
“Did, did we really order food with a carrier pigeon?”
The postman asked in astonishment.
“Yes, exactly. Didn’t you notice that yet?”
“What kind of nonsense is this…”
The postman couldn’t close his mouth.
Using a carrier pigeon to order food? Not even in Wuhan, where he’s traveled across countless towns, has he heard of this.
“Where should I place the food?”
“Put it here on the table.”
The delivery person with black hair uniquely placed a black box on the table, positioned a vertical wooden plank on top, and began to take the food out from inside.
“What a unique bag?! I’ve never seen one like this before.”
It was a black box with handles, and the internal space was partitioned like a drawer. To think they could take food out of it!
The postman looked at the wooden bag with curious eyes.
“Our innkeeper made it. It’s called a steel bag.”
“A steel bag? You mean, you’re carrying a bag made of steel?”
If it’s steel, it must be extremely heavy. Is this Joseon person a martial artist? The postman looked at the black-haired delivery man with surprise.
“It’s made from good wood and lacquered multiple times, so it’s as sturdy as iron.”
“Oh! It’s made spacious to hold plenty of food. Whoever thought of it is truly amazing.”
The steel bag was not only unique in shape but also well-crafted. It was undoubtedly made by a skilled artisan.
“Haha. Our innkeeper is quite the remarkable person. Four jjajangmyeon and one large sweet and sour pork will be 4 silver.”
“What?! Four jjajangmyeon and one large sweet and sour pork should cost 3 silver, right?!”
Hearing the price quoted by the delivery person, the fascinating expression on the postman’s face vanished, replaced by shock.
No matter the inn, 3 silver would be enough for a meal. How can they ask for one more silver? What kind of rip-off is this?
“Hey! Why would a delivery person come all the way here if you could just eat at the inn!”
“What nonsense are you talking about, making the delivery man uncomfortable? I’m sorry! My friend is just being thoughtless!”
Seeing the postman’s expression turn grim, his friends scolded him.
“No, even so…”
“If you don’t want to pay, just say so!”
“Ah, no! I’ll pay!”
Once he had spoken, a man couldn’t take back his words. The postman quickly took out the money from his pouch and handed it to the Joseon man.
The delivery man felt the tremor from the postman’s hand but pretended not to notice as he accepted the four silver coins.
“If you place the empty dishes outside, we’ll take care of them. Here’s the 53rd Nine Black Qi Hands you sent.”
The delivery man finally returned the Nine Black Qi Hands that had just flown from the inn.
“Thanks! I’ll definitely order again next time!”
“Yes. With the Nine Black Qi Hands, our delivery service can find you anywhere! Our Yungi Inn run by Joseon people! Please use it again next time!”
The delivery man shouted the prepared catchphrase energetically and then left the room.
“Wait… food really gets delivered.”
The postman looked at the food on the table, still unable to believe what had just happened.
“Isn’t the Nine Black Qi Hands amazing? Delivery used to mean sending a servant from a wealthy family or having to pre-arrange with a regular inn to get food.”
In this world, it wasn’t that there were no delivery foods. However, that only applied to those with servants or regulars who order a lot.
It certainly wasn’t something four men in a room could do.
“The Nine Black Qi Hands can send orders immediately, right?”
“Right. See the number on the foot of the Nine Black Qi Hands? They say the innkeeper has the numbers for the Nine Black Qi Hands and your home. Once you write your food order on the Nine Black Qi Hands and send it off, the delivery person comes here.”
“Food arrives before it can get cold. How fascinating.”
“The price is a bit high, but it’s convenient. Recently, everyone is clamoring to get a Nine Black Qi Hands in this neighborhood.”
“I guess they don’t just give it to anyone?”
“There are some conditions. You have to be someone who regularly orders food from the inn, and if you don’t plan to order again within a fortnight, you have to return the Nine Black Qi Hands.”
His friend added that if the carrier pigeon dies, they’d pay a penalty, so it’d be better to just let it go if you won’t eat anymore.
“Ha! Who on earth thought of this?”
Ordering food with a carrier pigeon. The postman, who prided himself on having broad knowledge, found it impossible to hide his surprise at this.
“I don’t know. Raising a carrier pigeon is something only certain artisans can do.”
“Whoever it is, as long as it’s good for us, that’s all that matters!”
“Hey, aren’t you guys going to play mahjong after eating?”
“Of course, we’ll do it while eating!”
The four men gathered in the room happily played mahjong while enjoying jjajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork.
No need to waste energy going out to eat. They could enjoy their meal while playing games.
Eating without worrying about others’ eyes while playing mahjong at the same time.
Amid laughter and chatter, while filling their stomachs, the postman felt like he was in paradise.
“Delivery food… this is too great!”
The postman said, contentedly patting his full belly.
“Ever since I started ordering, I just don’t want to go to restaurants anymore!”
“Me too!”
“Thinking about it, considering the delivery cost, the prices seem reasonable.”
In his full and happy mood, the postman thought it through again.
He had ordered for four, including sweet and sour pork, which meant they paid quite a lot, but for just one serving, it wouldn’t cost that much, right?
Spending time going back and forth to the inn felt wasteful; enjoying food in the room while playing mahjong seemed like the better deal.
He finally realized the benefits of delivery food.
“Yeah. That’s right?”
“By any chance, can I also get a Nine Black Qi Hands?”
“They say if you apply by today, you’ll get it right away, but starting tomorrow, it will take a few days.”
“What?! Why didn’t you say that earlier!”
Now wasn’t the time to be talking about that.
The postman abruptly stood up.
“You’re not going to turn in your tiles; where are you going?!”
“I’ll just step out for a moment!”
*
The test-run of the Nine Black Qi Hands was successful.
“Club Leader! Another order has come in! Four jjajangmyeon and one large sweet and sour pork!”
“Watch yourself. Go down slowly.”
I gently admonished the postman carrying the order form written with the Nine Black Qi Hands as he went from the third floor to the first.
“Sure thing!”
The third floor was finally remodeled for the carrier pigeons to come and go. If you separate the places to receive carrier pigeons and the inn, it would just take more time.
“This actually works, huh? How on earth did you come up with this idea?”
Im Ha-yeon looked at me, astonished, as she observed the postman going downstairs.
“Wuhan is the provincial capital of Hubei Province. It’s the largest city in Hubei Province and has the Yangtze River running alongside it, which creates a surplus of jobs.”
“What does having plenty of jobs have to do with the Nine Black Qi Hands?”
“Countless men come to Wuhan looking for jobs. With good job opportunities, purchasing power emerges, and men with purchasing power are bound to buy food.”
In South Korea, it wasn’t that long ago that elders would say if children wandered around the kitchen, they should be castrated.
Unless one works professionally as an innkeeper, the average man wouldn’t cook at home, making the emergence of delivery food a matter of course.
“How can someone’s thought reach that far?”
“It’s all thanks to the Nine Black Qi Hands of Im Ha-yeon.”
Even a six-kilogram dagger wielding 300 soldiers to take on 5,000 enemies isn’t possible unless they reach a certain level.
Without Im Ha-yeon’s carrier pigeon, it wouldn’t have even been feasible at all.
Just like the flying rodents known in South Korea, the Nine Black Qi Hands grow quickly and reproduce efficiently.
They can survive even when hungry for long periods, delivering messages from far away. In other words, even if customers drop the ball on management, the pigeons could hold out.
They are the optimal medium for the delivery communication network.
“If I had to, I would have let them go anyway.”
The Nine Black Qi Hands were originally creatures that wouldn’t mind being let go.
While creatures like Gugu that understand human language are very rare, the majority are just decent pigeons. What’s important is Im Ha-yeon’s ability to train the carrier pigeons.
Besides, if they are let loose in the wild, they would soon turn into wild pigeons, so Im Ha-yeon didn’t hesitate to release them.
“When a customer sends an order, they return the Nine Black Qi Hands through the delivery person. If they don’t order within a certain period, they just need to return it. This way, we minimize the loss of carrier pigeons.”
“Even if we lose them, it’s not a big deal. As long as we keep a few like Gugu, they’ll multiply in no time.”
Each one is a profit, so they can’t let them all go.
“Customers should learn that the Nine Black Qi Hands are valuable, and they won’t handle them recklessly; that’ll be our little secret.”
“True. And the Joseon people also seem to benefit tremendously.”
Im Ha-yeon said, looking at the Joseon people working hard in the inn.
“It’s no wonder I’m sitting in the Club Leader’s seat.”
With just a shout for the assembly of Joseon people, it became incredibly easy to recruit the labor force I desired.
I had them hire Joseon craftsmen to make steel bags, remodel the inn, and even employing skilled cooks in case we were short.
I gave some money to Joseon people working as postmen in Wuhan and told them to promote the Nine Black Qi Hands.
Plus, by strictly selecting delivery workers, establishing the delivery food system became surprisingly easy.
“It seems profitable, but will it grow into more than its initial investment within the period?”
Im Ha-yeon, while amazed by my idea, couldn’t hide a hint of unease.
While it’s undoubtedly a good business, passing the test set by Man Geum-jeon in due time is a different concern altogether.
“This endeavor has to succeed.”
“Don’t worry,” I confidently reassured her, glancing over at the long line of people in the first floor.
“Is this the inn where they give out the Nine Black Qi Hands?!”
The first floor was suddenly bustling with people looking to get their hands on the carrier pigeons.
“I want a Nine Black Qi Hands too!”
“The applications are taken here. If your identity and residence are confirmed after checking…”
“I’ll apply first!”
“Get out of the way!”
“I’ll pay to take one! Give it to me first!”
My idea. Im Ha-yeon’s abilities. The power of the Joseon people to create the delivery food system.
Customers would experience the overwhelming convenience of using the Nine Black Qi Hands.
And once people taste that convenience, they come to a realization.
“Once you experience delivery, there’s no way you’ll ever go back to the time before delivery existed.”
Now it’s time to rake in the money like a harvester.
