Chapter 100: Chapter 100: I’ll Call You Dad, Can You Hug Me?

"Good evening, Teacher Qingmeng. Here to see Jiang Liu again? He’s busy right now, so you’d better hurry on in."

"Tongtong, why are your lips so chapped? Did you eat ice cream?"

Tongtong immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, a guilty look on her face. "Nope. Tongtong doesn’t eat ice cream."

The woman chuckled.

’What a cute little girl.’

The entrance to the World’s Second Best Gourmet Shop was bustling with activity.

Jun Qingmeng led Tongtong back into the shop, and the coolness inside was an immediate relief.

Jiang Liu turned his head and glanced over.

"You’re back. Are you hungry?"

With that, he went back to work.

He cherished this moment, reuniting with his daughter after her day at school.

After a day apart, they had both missed each other.

It was a moment of comfort for the soul that nothing else could replace.

"Daddy! Sniffle... Tongtong dreamed about you during naptime! I wanted to hug you so bad!"

Tongtong threw her arms around Jiang Liu’s leg, rubbing her cheek against it.

She took a little sniff with her nose, taking in her daddy’s scent.

’So reassuring.’

’So charming.’

Jiang Liu smiled. His daughter was already old enough for senior kindergarten, yet she was still so attached to him.

’Having a daughter is the best!’

Lifting Tongtong up, Jiang Liu playfully tapped her little nose. "Were you a good girl today?"

"Yeees—!"

As Tongtong opened her mouth up close, Jiang Liu caught the scent of grape cream ice cream.

Jiang Liu’s brows furrowed. "Did you sneak some ice cream again? How many times does this make?"

Tongtong guiltily covered her little mouth. "No, I didn’t! Teacher Qingmeng ate it."

Her little hand struggled to point at Jun Qingmeng, who was standing nearby.

’Teacher Qingmeng is a grown-up. If I blame the grown-up, then Daddy won’t scold Tongtong.’

Jiang Liu said, "Then why does your mouth smell the most like ice cream?"

"Gasp! How did Daddy find out again? Poor Tongtong."

Jiang Liu gave her an exasperated look and shook his head. "Daddy’s not saying you can’t eat it, but you need to eat less ice cream. Too much isn’t good for you."

"Got it?"

"Tongtong will listen to Daddy. Sniffle..."

Tongtong had successfully bluffed her way through with cuteness.

Jiang Liu might have seemed strict in how he raised Tongtong, but he actually wasn’t.

Ice cream was fine, but only in small amounts.

Jun Qingmeng bit her lip. "Jiang Liu, I was the one who bought the ice cream. You can’t blame Tongtong."

Worried her dad would get upset, Tongtong took the blame. "It was Tongtong who asked Teacher Qingmeng to buy it! If you’re going to punish someone, punish Tongtong!"

Jiang Liu watched the two of them protect each other.

’He wanted to laugh.’

"Look at you two, so close you could be the same person."

Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng looked at each other and smiled.

Watching Jiang Liu affectionately holding Tongtong, Jun Qingmeng said shyly, "Jiang Liu, can you hug me too? I really missed you today!"

Jiang Liu froze for a second, then asked with an amused smile, "Qingmeng, you’re not a child like Tongtong."

Jun Qingmeng lowered her head and murmured, "What if I call you Daddy? Can you hug me then?"

Tongtong’s eyes lit up, her gaze darting back and forth between the two.

’Daddy, say yes!’

’Teacher Qingmeng, hurry up and say it!’

’Tongtong is about to have a big sister!’

Jiang Liu warned, "If you two keep talking nonsense, you won’t be having any of the Di San Xian tonight."

He had bought some potatoes and green peppers at the market that afternoon, planning to switch things up and make a stir-fry for dinner.

The first dish was Di San Xian—stir-fried green peppers, potatoes, and eggplant—and the second was Sour and Spicy Shredded Potatoes.

Paired with the seasonings he’d purchased from the Gourmet Book, the flavor was guaranteed to be top-notch.

Upon hearing this, the two of them immediately sat down on their chairs like well-behaved children, not daring to move.

They could handle being told off, but being denied Jiang Liu’s food was out of the question.

Jiang Liu grinned, pleased with himself.

’This method always works.’

Business began at 6:30 PM.

Outside, the street was a cacophony of voices.

Inside, the atmosphere was joyous.

Every customer lucky enough to be eating was beaming.

They enjoyed the air conditioning, sipped sweet and sour, ice-cold fruit juice, and took bites of shrimp and corn buns.

Others savored wild tuna sashimi, each mouthful of the smooth, refreshing raw fish a moment of pure bliss.

In little more than ten minutes, all thirty servings of tuna were sold out.

Jun Qingmeng marveled, "Tongtong, your dad is getting more and more incredible. He earned tens of thousands in the blink of an eye."

Back in school, she’d been drawn to Jiang Liu’s character, talent, and good looks.

Now, she was discovering that Jiang Liu was like an unfathomable treasure at the bottom of the sea.

You never knew what new surprise he would pull out next.

Even if he had no more hidden talents, in Jun Qingmeng’s heart, Jiang Liu would always shine brightly.

Tongtong lifted her chin proudly and patted Jun Qingmeng’s leg. "Right? If you want to be amazing like Daddy, Teacher Qingmeng, you have to study hard with Tongtong!"

Jun Qingmeng smiled faintly and reached out to pinch Tongtong’s little cheek.

"You little cutie. That expression on your face... you look just like your dad sometimes!"

"Mmmph, if you keep pinching, Tongtong won’t be cute anymore," Tongtong protested.

7:15 PM.

Uncle Niu had eaten fifteen steamed buns and downed a cup of juice.

Clutching his stomach, he steadied himself on a table and shuffled out of the small shop.

A moment later, a commotion erupted at the entrance.

Apparently, someone’s freshly bought buns had been stolen.

When it was Aunt Wu’s turn in line, she gave her belly fat a conflicted pat.

She grumbled to Jiang Liu, "Xiao Jiang, there isn’t a single thing in this shop that isn’t delicious. I’m so hooked I come every day. Just look at me, now I’ve got a little potbelly."

Aunt Wu sounded as if she was blaming Jiang Liu.

’If this keeps up, I’ll probably gain ten pounds in a month, won’t I?’

’Then Uncle Li won’t want to dance with me anymore.’

Jiang Liu smiled helplessly. "Auntie, how about five vegetable buns today? And maybe skip the juice."

"Absolutely not!!"

"Give me five pork and scallion, five corn, three fennel, and two three-delicacy buns. And three bottles of juice! I need to stock up my fridge at home so I can savor them!"

Jiang Liu decided it was best to just shut his mouth.

He quickly packed up her buns and juice and sent her on her way.

Finally, it was Chu Songrong’s turn. He had rushed over the second he had a moment to spare.

"Jiang Liu, how much tuna is left? Quick, give me ten servings!"

Jiang Liu was left speechless.

’Ten servings?’

’Are you a pig or something?’

"Uncle Chu, the tuna sold out five minutes ago. How about you get something else?"

"What? It’s sold out?"

The disappointment on Chu Songrong’s face was palpable.

Ever since eating Jiang Liu’s tuna that morning, he’d felt more energized and enthusiastic, even when performing emergency surgery on patients.

It was because the thought of being able to eat such exquisite sashimi regularly in the future made the very air taste sweet with happiness.

"You couldn’t even save one serving for me... Sigh, but I guess you’ve got your own troubles. Never mind. Just give me fifteen buns and a bottle of juice. I’ll keep at it today."

"Alright, one moment."

7:30 PM.

One thousand buns and four hundred bottles of juice were completely sold out.

Jiang Liu hadn’t stopped for a second.

He was either taking money or in the process of taking money.

Net profit for the evening: 46,580 yuan.

Total profit for the day: 161,630 yuan!

Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng started cleaning the shop.

The two of them took the job very seriously.

’This is our family’s shop, after all!’

They didn’t miss a single nook or cranny, wiping everything down again and again with clean cloths.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Jiang Liu washed some long-grain rice and put it in a pot to simmer.

He also took a lump of dough left over from the afternoon, kneaded it into plum-sized balls, and placed them on a steamer rack over the pot.

Next, he peeled potatoes and washed the other vegetables. Soon, he had deftly sliced the potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers into long strips.