Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Unlocking the Golden Dragon Fish

The twelve steamers of buns and four hundred bottles of juice on the counter were disappearing at a breakneck pace.

"Daddy, I think the buns are ready," Tongtong said, running over to tug on Jiang Liu’s pant leg.

Her little face was practically begging for praise.

"I know. Tongtong was a huge help to Daddy. You’re amazing."

"Hehe."

Jiang Liu hurried to the kitchen to get the buns.

This was the third batch, and when it sold out, that would be it for the night.

Just then, Jiao Shenghua, the owner of Jim’s Boxing Club from Yangzhai Street, finally got a table.

He had a burly, muscular build, and his hair stood on end like steel needles.

"Boss! Ten seafood buns and two meat buns!"

Jiang Liu clarified, "You mean the shrimp buns and the pork and green onion buns?"

"That’s right. You’ve got quite a crowd here, Boss. You didn’t hire a bunch of shills to fill the place, did you? Haha."

Jiao Shenghua said, half-joking.

’He found it laughable. How could a simple bun shop possibly draw this much traffic?’

The moment he spoke,

The customers behind Jiao Shenghua were delighted.

"Well, you found us out. Now hurry and leave, don’t stick around. Any longer and we’ll devour everything, not even leaving the bones for you."

"Alright, man, I’ll be honest with you. We’re the shills. You should go."

’Why is this lummox still here? If he leaves, that’s twelve more buns to go around.’

"Could you maybe go buy something across the street?"

Jiao Shenghua: "???"

An older woman sighed earnestly:

"Young man, let me tell you, the buns here are just okay. The boss pays us a hundred a day to put on this act. You should leave, and don’t say I didn’t warn you."

After speaking, the older woman looked at him expectantly.

’Go on, scram! If you leave, I can finally get a table!’

Jiao Shenghua was completely bewildered. He looked to Jiang Liu for confirmation.

Jiang Liu smiled and explained, "They’re not shills, they’re just joking with you. Our buns are pretty good. Why not have a taste before you make up your mind?"

"Fine! You’re a smooth talker, boss. As long as the food isn’t terrible, I’ll be back to eat here every day."

Jiao Shenghua grunted and sat down.

The other customers looked disappointed.

The older woman, in particular, shot Jiang Liu a resentful glare.

Soon,

Tongtong eagerly volunteered to bring the buns to his table.

"Here you go, mister! Your bunsies are here."

"Well, I’ll be! What an adorable little girl. How old are you?"

Jiao Shenghua’s heart melted as he looked at Tongtong’s innocently adorable face.

He had two sons and had always dreamed of having a daughter.

’It’s a shame such a beautiful daughter belonged to someone else!’

"Five," Tongtong said in her small, sweet voice, holding up her fingers.

Grinning, Jiao Shenghua rubbed his hands together.

"Can you give this old uncle a hug? If you give me a hug, I’ll come eat here every single day."

He looked like a big bad wolf trying to lure a little white rabbit.

Tongtong shook her head warily. "No way! I only let my daddy hug me. Don’t you dare try to sully Tongtong’s honor!"

"Hahaha! You’re a feisty one, aren’t you? And you know some big words!"

He was utterly charmed, and he burst out laughing.

’This kid is a riot,’ he thought. ’Judging by her features, she must be the owner’s daughter.’

’What did that guy do in a past life to be blessed with such an adorable little angel?!’

Jun Qingmeng peeked out from the kitchen. "Tongtong, come help your dad and me carry out the buns."

"Tongtong’s coming!"

When Jiao Shenghua saw Jun Qingmeng, he was stunned.

’Is that the little girl’s mother?’

’Holy shit!’

’This boss is way too blessed.’

’Waited on hand and foot by a gorgeous woman and an adorable little girl.’

’Un-fucking-believable!’

’And here I am, stuck with my frumpy old lady at home, who does nothing but eat and shit,’ Jiao Shenghua thought, wanting to roar at the heavens in frustration.

He casually picked up a shrimp and corn bun and took a huge bite. A second later, he was staggered.

Dumbfounded.

Holy shit.

’How could a bun be this delicious?’

The shrimp inside was plump, firm, and crisp. With one bite, the tender meat seemed to burst.

Scalding-hot juices flooded his tongue, flowing from the tender shrimp.

The corn kernels were delicate and crisp, their rich sweetness mingling with the savory flavor of the shrimp.

This was pure bliss!

He finally understood why so many people were lined up outside.

’What the hell have I been doing with my life until now?!’

Jiao Shenghua was filled with immense regret. He should have come here sooner.

"Boss, your buns are amazing! Can I get three bottles of juice, too?!"

Jiang Liu was busy packing an order for Jin Wei. He smiled and said, "They’re in the fridge. Help yourself." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Oh! Okay."

Jiao Shenghua found himself being much more polite to Jiang Liu.

He eagerly trotted over to the fridge.

In any other shop, if the owner told him to get something himself, his hot temper would have made him raise a fuss.

He took a sip of the watermelon juice.

The ice-cold, sweet juice slid down his throat.

The fresh sweetness of the watermelon washed away the lingering seafood taste.

His throat, long irritated by chronic pharyngitis from smoking, actually felt soothed by the sweet drink.

Jiao Shenghua took a deep breath.

’So refreshing. Incredibly refreshing. This is amazing!’

’This juice is something else. It has to be freshly squeezed from the highest quality watermelons!’

He made up his mind right then and there: he had to get on good terms with Jiang Liu.

Buns this delicious, juice this refreshing... it was like finding a soulmate, the one you’ve been searching for your whole life!

And anyone who could make buns this incredible couldn’t be just some simple shop owner.

A thousand buns sold out by 6:55 PM.

By 7:10 PM,

the juice was also sold out.

The customers who hadn’t managed to buy any buns or juice looked utterly dejected.

"Boss Jiang, please, just make a few more! I came from so far away, it wasn’t easy!"

"I came from far away too, hundreds of kilometers! Brother Jiang, take pity on me, won’t you?"

"All of you, move! I came from a thousand kilometers away!"

The corner of Jiang Liu’s mouth twitched.

He didn’t believe a word of it. He’d seen these same people since his second day in business; their claims of coming from afar were pure nonsense.

They definitely lived nearby.

Jiang Liu said, "Just come earlier tomorrow. I’m out of ingredients, and I have to take Tongtong home to rest. Let’s call it a night."

The customers could only disperse, their cravings unsatisfied.

"Sigh, my wife is going to kill me when I get home."

"We’re off, Boss Jiang! Make sure you open on time tomorrow!"

"Take care of yourself, Brother Jiang! You’ve had a long day, so go home and get some rest. Don’t stay up too late. If you get sick, we won’t have any buns to eat."

Jiang Liu rolled his eyes at him but didn’t reply.

He checked his Praise Points and was surprised to see they had reached 89,650.

And they were still trickling in, ten or twenty points at a time.

If all went well, he could add the next item, the purple-quality Tuna, to the menu tomorrow.

Next,

Jiang Liu tallied up his earnings.

He had earned 28,000 tonight, and that was before taxes.

Including the morning and afternoon, he’d had nearly 390,000 before buying the car.

After buying the car, he had a little over 71,000 left.

Adding the 28,000 from tonight, his savings were now close to 100,000.

’I need to hurry up and save for a house,’ he thought. ’Living in someone else’s place doesn’t give Tongtong a sense of security.’

Jiang Liu wanted to buy Tongtong a warm, beautiful little home of their own.

Just then,

A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the sky, followed by a clap of thunder.

Jiang Liu looked up at the sky. It looked like it was going to rain again, and he sighed to himself.

’Wait, that’s not right,’ he thought. ’I have a car now. Why should I worry about the rain?’

He’d been so busy he was scatterbrained, almost forgetting he even had a car. Feeling the keys in his pocket, Jiang Liu’s mood brightened considerably.

「Meanwhile.」

A villa in the South City Suburbs.

Dozens of luxury cars were parked at the entrance.

Wang Han stepped out of a Mercedes-Benz.

Following behind her was an excited-looking Huang Yunfeng.

Huang Yunfeng was holding two exquisite gift boxes.

They were 55th birthday gifts for Wang Han’s uncle, Wang Guozhong.

Her uncle was in the construction materials business and was a local tycoon.

In one of the two gift boxes,

one was a handmade, solid-gold thermos that cost over a million.

In the other were Jiang Liu’s buns and juice.

Wang Han wanted to let her family have a taste.

The quality was absolutely on par with that of a chef who cooks for state banquets.

Even with her family’s status, they couldn’t hope to hire a chef of that caliber, the kind who cooked exclusively for Hua Country’s top officials.

"Miss Wang, you’ve finally arrived," the butler said politely. "Your uncle and the other elders are waiting for you."

"I know."

Wang Han nodded.

She walked into the villa.

The interior was magnificent.

Inside a spacious private room, a massive square table was surrounded by golden sofas, while a gigantic crystal chandelier hung overhead, glittering brilliantly.

There were more than twenty people in the room. They weren’t just relatives of the Wang Family, but also some of South City’s most prominent figures.

Wang Guozhong sat impatiently on the sofa, looking at the utterly conventional food on the table. "Abalone and lobster again? Can’t we have something new for a change?"

Wang Han’s father, Wang Jianguo, said helplessly, "Big Brother, this was prepared by the most renowned chef in South City. How can you still be unsatisfied?"

Wang Guozhong snorted. "I lose my appetite just looking at it. It all tastes the same. Look at that meat, it’s so greasy. And that big crab... what is that black gunk they poured on it? I don’t want any. You all can eat."

An awkward silence fell over the crowd.