Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Jun Qingmeng is Sad

A new item?

It was a well-known fact: if Boss Jiang made it, it was guaranteed to be top-quality.

And it was so cheap, too!

’We really lucked out today!’

Everyone’s heart pounded with excitement.

’Can’t miss this!’

The line started to get disorderly.

"Damn it, what the hell are you shoving for, old man? Can’t you stay in your spot?"

The old man who tried to cut in line, his face turning red as a beet, retorted indignantly,

"You’re a young man, hale and hearty. Don’t you know to give up your spot for an old man like me?"

"Give you my spot? My ass! If I give you my spot, are you going to make Brother Jiang cook shrimp ball soup for me?"

Before that argument even died down, two aunties started squabbling on the other side.

The cause was, once again, cutting in line.

The line was a total mess.

Everyone was willing to get into a fight just to taste Jiang Liu’s new creation.

The line stretched for dozens of meters, all the way to the other side of the street. A large gap was left in the middle for cars to pass through.

The customers at the front stood warily close to each other, while those at the back were noisy and argumentative.

Just then, Wang Dongxu arrived on schedule to deliver disposable cups to Jiang Liu.

After settling the bill,

Jiang Liu finally began to pack up the food orders.

The shop was already packed with seated customers.

Outside, the entrance was still a crowded, noisy mess.

"It’s finally my turn, haha! Brother Jiang, I’ll have one shrimp ball soup, fifteen buns, and a juice to go, please!"

The office worker was unconsciously polite when facing Jiang Liu.

The customers inside began to place their orders.

"Table one, one order of tuna, and a shrimp ball soup! Boss, your food is just too amazing. I feel like I can’t go a single day without it."

Jiang Liu just smiled, not saying a word in reply.

He was too busy.

Inside and out, the shop was full of customers, all eagerly waiting to be fed.

The customers who got to eat the shrimp ball soup were ecstatic.

So savory!

It was too delicious!

The best decision they’d made all day was to come and line up early.

Didn’t you see the long faces on those outside who couldn’t get any? They looked like they were dying of regret.

"Boss Jiang, I’m in awe. Everything you make is delicious. By the way, quick question, will you be selling the shrimp soup at noon, Boss Jiang? I’d be willing to pay two hundred for it! Seriously!"

The speaker was a customer Jiang Liu didn’t recognize, a very large man with fleshy cheeks.

Every customer, inside and out, perked up their ears.

Jiang Liu answered casually, "Not at noon."

Aww!

’Why not?’

’This shrimp ball soup is so good, it completely crushes everything else in South City!’

All the customers felt a pang of disappointment.

They started discussing it:

"Brother Jiang isn’t making his regular items anymore."

"Yeah, there hasn’t been anything for a few days."

"Maybe he’s not selling them anymore. What a shame. Brother Jiang’s regular dishes were all timeless classics you could never get tired of."

As he spoke, his face was filled with fond remembrance.

The morning’s business was explosive.

Many in the line had come from far away just to have a taste of a dish made by Jiang Liu.

There was even a young man named Wang Yasai, who, after being hooked by a friend’s recommendation, had driven 110 kilometers from the neighboring Chang City.

After tasting the food, Wang Yasai immediately decided to rent a place nearby.

’First, I’ll eat to my heart’s content!’

He was just that impulsive!

At 7:30, the golden morning sun fell upon the sign of the World’s Second Best Food Shop.

The air was gradually growing hotter, but even with the discomfort,

the long line didn’t get any longer or any shorter.

It snaked all the way to the barbershop across the street.

"Uncle Niu, why are you still in line? At this hour, from your spot, you’ll never be able to buy anything!"

Uncle Niu snorted, taking a frustrated drag from his cigarette before exhaling and grumbling,

"None of your business! I’m just standing here for fun. It makes me happy!"

He was clearly fuming.

He had arrived late this morning because he was drying his crops. That already had him in a bad mood, but then he heard Boss Jiang had a new item. At that point, Uncle Niu completely lost his composure.

"Who wants to bother with you, you stubborn old man?" Aunt Meng, holding a bag of buns, chuckled and sashayed away. "So stubborn, you just can’t admit defeat."

Meanwhile, a few customers in neckties entered the already jam-packed shop.

They used to go to Starbucks, but now, coming to the World’s Second Best Food Shop was the trend. If you mentioned going to Boss Jiang’s food shop to someone in the know, they would always have a few polite words for you.

’After all, you’re both fans of Jiang Liu!’

The group sat down and ordered three cups of juice and forty buns.

The tuna and shrimp ball soup were already sold out.

After all, they had been past the fiftieth person in line.

They opened their laptops and started to work.

Tongtong clumsily brought over the buns and juice.

"Enjoy your meal, good uncles!"

"Haha, what an adorable little girl. Helping your dad out at such a young age?"

"Hee hee."

Tongtong smiled and ran off. She loved being praised.

The men had originally planned to eat while they worked.

But by the time they had finished all the buns and juice, they hadn’t typed a single word.

’The buns were just too good! How could they possibly stop?’

’If you don’t believe it, you should come and try for yourself.’

At 7:56 AM, everything was sold out.

"Please come back at noon, everyone. We’re all sold out." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

After speaking, Jiang Liu flipped over the "Temporarily Closed" sign.

"Sold out again? I haven’t even bought mine yet, Boss Jiang! You can’t be so cruel to me!!"

"Damn it, I waited in line for nothing! Now I’m screwed. My boss is going to make me haul cement again."

The customers who hadn’t gotten any food left with long faces.

Yangzhai Street was as bustling as a marketplace.

An auntie fanned herself in frustration. "It’s gotten so hard to buy Boss Jiang’s food now," she said.

The coach from the boxing gym readily agreed.

"Exactly. A week ago it was still manageable, but now I haven’t been able to get any for two days. I’m dreaming about buns every night. You have no idea—yesterday, an employee from my unit managed to buy buns and juice. He spent the whole morning chatting and laughing with the boss in his office. No drills all morning, just playing video games."

’He was so jealous!’

He swore he would get some at least once this week!

Back in the shop,

Jiang Liu counted the earnings. He had made a profit of 45,000 this morning.

’There’s no more room for growth...’

’This is still too slow. I need to figure out a way to buy the shop next door, save up for a house, and save up to open a branch nearby...’

’There was so much to do.’

Jiang Liu glanced at his Good Review Points: [161,250].

He felt a sense of urgency.

’If I can unlock a new dish, I might be able to make money faster... If I open a new shop, should I open it nearby?’

Jiang Liu’s brow furrowed in thought.

Jun Qingmeng came over carrying a small stool. "Jiang Liu, let me massage your arms."

"It’s okay, Qingmeng. You’ve been running around all morning. You should sit down and rest."

With that, Jiang Liu, his mind preoccupied, stood up and began to clean.

"Okay."

Jun Qingmeng felt a little sad.

But she still obediently went to the kitchen to get a mop and start cleaning the floor.

’She had to work hard to share Jiang Liu’s burden.’

At 8:30, the weather grew even hotter. Outside, the sporadic shrill cries of cicadas began, each one searching for a mate.

Jiang Liu carried a black trash bag, intending to throw it in the green dumpster out front. The weather was hot, and he was worried it would start to smell if he left it in the kitchen.

Just as he stepped outside, he saw Uncle Xia lurking suspiciously under the eaves of the sliced noodle shop.

Xia Changzhi turned his head and was caught off guard by the sight of Jiang Liu. He froze for a second, then gave an awkward smile. "Busy, Jiang Liu?"

"Yeah, cleaning up." Jiang Liu casually tossed the trash into the dumpster and smiled at him. "Uncle Xia, what are you doing hanging around here? Want to come in and enjoy the air conditioning for a bit?"

Jiang Liu was very grateful to Uncle Xia, who had kindly helped him before.

Xia Changzhi turned his head away and waved his hand dismissively.

"No, no, it’s fine. You go on with your work. I won’t bother you."

Last night, he had taken some of Jiang Liu’s food to show off to his friends. Unable to resist their coaxing, he ended up getting dead drunk and didn’t wake up until 7:30 this morning.

He had completely missed the best time to get in line.

"It’s no bother at all. Come on in. I saved some buns and juice. I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet, have you, Uncle Xia? Come have a bite before you go back."

Xia Changzhi was very touched, a warm feeling spreading through his chest.

’Boss Jiang really looked out for him!’