What hurt Jiang Liu the most was that he hadn’t heard them working at all.

"Son, you get back to it. Your mother and I are heading back."

Jiang Dahai knew that Jiang Liu didn’t want them to work.

So he decided not to stay and be a bother.

Jiang Liu felt his pocket and said,

"Okay, go back and get some rest. Here are the car keys. It’s hot out, so just drive back."

Jiang Dahai pushed his hand away, refusing. "No need. It’s just a short walk. Your mother and I aren’t as delicate as you are. We’re leaving."

"Alright," Jiang Liu sighed, nodding helplessly.

Suddenly remembering the dinner meeting that evening, he followed them out.

"Oh, right, Mom! Come by the shop at eight tonight. We’ll eat here. The lawyer I hired is coming over to discuss Tongtong’s situation."

"Eight o’clock? Alright, your mother and I will come over then."

Jiang Dahai waved a hand, signaling that he didn’t need to see them off.

The two of them, holding a sun umbrella, disappeared into the bright white sunlight outside the door.

Jiang Liu purchased a batch of ingredients from the book.

’Thank goodness there are no cameras in the back kitchen,’

’otherwise, I would’ve had to cover them up.’

5:10 PM.

South City Kindergarten.

Since tomorrow was the weekend, the kindergarten let out a little early today.

The children skipped out of the school, their faces beaming with innocent, happy smiles.

"School’s out!"

"Tongtong, what are you going to do when you get back?" Jingjing poked a happy Tongtong.

"Eat the buns my daddy makes, of course."

"Buns? Aren’t those not very good?"

"Hmph, my daddy’s buns are delicious."

When Teacher Li saw Jun Qingmeng leading Tongtong out, she asked enviously, "Teacher Qingmeng, are you off to see Jiang Liu again?"

"Mhm!" Jun Qingmeng nodded sweetly.

She loved it when others brought up Jiang Liu in front of her.

’But they’d better not say anything bad about him, yo.’

’Or else she would get mad!’

Teacher Li sighed and smiled. "It’s great to be young. Look how happy your smile is. You might as well have Jiang Liu’s name written all over your face."

"By the way, Qingmeng, how are things progressing with you two? Has anything... you know... happened?"

The question was quite blunt, but a child wouldn’t understand.

Jun Qingmeng’s pretty face flushed red at the question. She mumbled, "No! It’s still way too early for that."

Another female teacher nearby said, a little jealously:

"I wouldn’t be so sure. Those two want to be stuck to each other twenty-four hours a day. Whenever she has a free moment, Qingmeng is just hugging her phone and giggling like an idiot. This girl is definitely love-struck."

The teacher who spoke was quite fond of Jiang Liu herself, but she never had the courage to confess.

Jun Qingmeng just shook her head and didn’t respond.

"Let’s go, Tongtong. Let’s go find your daddy."

"Yay! I miss Daddy!"

Tongtong was very, very happy, a smile she couldn’t contain spreading across her sweet, little face.

This afternoon, Teacher Qingmeng had told her that Daddy had already found a lawyer, and a famous one at that!~

Tongtong wished she could grow a pair of little wings and fly back right away.

She wanted Uncle Lawyer to chase away the bad ex-wife and let her good mommy, Qingmeng, stay.

Soon,

the two of them returned to the shop, one after the other.

The storefront was still lined with customers, and all of Yangzhai Street was bustling with activity.

Usually, there were people strolling around, but it was never this clamorous.

As for this change,

the shopkeepers on Yangzhao Street were grinning from ear to ear; their earnings were getting better day by day.

They couldn’t help but feel grateful toward Jiang Liu—with the exception of the other restaurant owners.

Back in the kitchen,

Jiang Liu was sterilizing utensils. The buns were already steaming.

A pleasant, familiar voice came from outside.

"Daddy, your little cutie is back!"

"Darling, your big cutie is back, too."

Jiang Liu gave a helpless smile and didn’t argue.

He walked out and said, "Are you two hungry? Have a seat and drink some juice first. We’ll have a big meal tonight."

"Okay~" Tongtong replied in her sweet, childish voice, obediently sitting down in a chair.

Jun Qingmeng gazed gently at Jiang Liu and nodded. "Whatever you say."

Another twenty-odd minutes passed.

Half of the buns were steamed, and Jiang Liu had already placed the other half in the steamer.

Waves of fragrant heat from the piping hot buns rushed out of the glass door.

The customers outside couldn’t help but gulp.

"Brother Jiang, are the buns ready? Let’s start selling them."

"Will there be shrimp noodles tonight? What about money string skewers?"

A saleswoman from Xinxiang City was passing by, a look of surprise on her face.

"It smells so good! Why are so many people lining up for this shop?"

"You don’t know?" An office worker sized up the saleswoman as if she were some kind of oddity.

"What do you mean? Should I know?"

"Then you’re totally out of the loop. This shop has been open for a week. They sell buns, juice, and wild tuna. It’s affordable, healthy, and incredibly delicious. I come here every day."

"Really? I’m getting in line, too." The saleswoman was eager to try the buns that so many people were waiting for.

The office worker tut-tutted. "If you get in line now, you definitely won’t get any. You’ll have to come back tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Are you guys that intense? Does the boss not want to make money?"

"Heh, you’ll understand eventually." ...

6:03 PM.

Jiang Liu announced that he was open for business.

At the front of the line was Yang Tuoyang. The classy little rich girl was back again, and again.

Yang Tuoyang excitedly led her classmate to a seat inside the shop.

As soon as they sat down, she started a conversation with Jiang Liu.

"Brother Jiang, I didn’t see you at noon today. I really missed you, you know."

Jiang Liu replied irritably, "You missed my buns, you mean." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"No, I didn’t! I missed you, you, just you!" Yang Tuoyang whined playfully.

Jiang Liu couldn’t be bothered to reply. While packing up buns, he said:

"Hurry up and order what you want, or it’ll be gone."

’You could be a little nicer!’ Yang Tuoyang pouted.

"Well... a plate of fish, thirty buns, and three glasses of juice, then. Thank you, Brother Jiang."

Her friend Yao Yao stared at Jiang Liu’s face, starting to swoon again, and couldn’t help but say:

"Boss Jiang, you’re so handsome. How about you consider me for your girlfriend? I’m... well endowed! I can give you massages."

Not to be outdone, Yang Tuoyang cupped her cheeks with her hands and said in a sweet, gentle voice:

"Brother Jiang, what about me? Your future sweet little girlfriend!"

Jiang Liu turned a deaf ear.

Jun Qingmeng, who couldn’t stand listening from the kitchen any longer, came out from the back and said:

"Who gave you permission to flirt with my boyfriend?"

The three of them froze for a moment.

"Sister Qingmeng, you’re here too."

"Mhm?"

"Did you and Brother Jiang make it official? Alright, then I’ll back off. Remember to give me some wedding candy, okay?"

Yao Yao rubbed her eyes with both hands, pretending to cry. "This is so hard for me! WAHH, I just fell in love with Boss Jiang and Sister Meng stole him away."

The surrounding customers couldn’t help but chuckle.

These girls were interesting.

Jiang Liu glanced at the blissful look on Jun Qingmeng’s face and didn’t say anything to refute her claim.

The shifty-eyed Wang Dongxu had arrived very early today. "Boss Jiang, anything new?"

"Nope."

"Alright then. Pack up fifteen buns and two bottles of juice for me."

Seeing Wang Dongxu, Jiang Liu subconsciously glanced at the cups in the corner. It looked like there were fewer than five hundred left.

’Time to buy more cups...’

"Here are your buns. The shop is out of cups. Remember to deliver another five thousand sets of cups tomorrow. I’ll pay you when you get here."

"Five thousand sets?" Wang Dongxu’s heart skipped a beat.

"Is that a problem?"

"No problem, Brother Jiang! I guarantee they’ll be here first thing in the morning!"

Wang Dongxu headed home, delighted, with his buns in hand.

Inside the shop,

Jun Qingmeng placed a few bottles of juice on Yang Tuoyang’s table.

"Here you go. And no more trying to steal Jiang Liu from now on."

"Alright, alright, I get it, Sister Qingmeng."

Yang Tuoyang’s clear eyes darted playfully. "In that case, Sister Qingmeng, if Brother Jiang ever does something to make you unhappy, you’ll tell me, right? Let’s keep the good stuff in the family."

Jun Qingmeng turned to look at the busy Jiang Liu, shook her head, a beautiful smile playing on her lips, and said tenderly, "That won’t happen. I’m sure of it. I’ll love everything about him. Unless, one day, he falls in love with another woman. Then, perhaps, I might leave him."

Her love for Jiang Liu ran very, very deep.

Yang Tuoyang and her friend’s jaws dropped.

"Sister Meng, if I were a guy, I’d chase after you even if I had to sell my own dad to do it."

"Brother Jiang, you have to see this! Your girlfriend is so amazing!"

"Damn it, we came here to eat, so how did we end up getting a faceful of PDA?"

"Someone get Tongtong to drag this woman away! I’m getting jealous!"

Jiang Liu interjected, "Your buns are ready. Come and get them."

"Coming, Boss Jiang!"

After a bit more chatter,

Jun Qingmeng went back to the kitchen and brought out two plates of tuna.

She placed one on Yang Tuoyang’s table, Table One, and the other on Table Two, where the neighboring shop owner was sitting.

"Wow! After waiting for two hours, I can finally eat some sashimi!"

"Eat up! The sashimi will get warm soon," Yao Yao, her mind completely captivated by the food, urged.

The three of them stopped talking to Jiang Liu and dug in.

Boss Jiang might be handsome, but the food was even more attractive to them!

It was nearly seven o’clock.

Everything was sold out.

Even so, some disappointed customers still came over to ask.

"Brother Jiang, are there any more steamed buns?"

"Nope, all sold out."

"What about the juice? Just spare one bottle for me, please? I’m willing to pay fifty yuan for it."

Jiang Liu still refused.

When he said he was sold out, he meant it. Even if he had some left over, he wouldn’t sell them.

Otherwise, having stock one moment and being out the next would definitely upset the customers who had been turned away earlier.

"Fine. But can’t you just make more for us?"

The customer grumbled before leaving, dejected.

Jiang Liu sat at the counter and counted his earnings.

The net profit for the evening still hovered around 45,000.

A few minutes later, Jiang Dahai and Lin Qiu arrived right on time.

They had also brought a bag of cleaning supplies for Jiang Liu.

The group started helping to clean up.

Meanwhile, Jiang Liu was in the back kitchen preparing for the upcoming dinner meeting.

7:50 PM.

Xia Changzhi walked in with a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes, carrying a briefcase.

The middle-aged man was Wang Cheng.

He was very thin; his steps lacked force. The shoulders of his suit were obviously padded, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to fill it out at all.