The morning was damp and the air was cool, likely because of the recent rain. The ground was a patchwork of wet and dry spots, with the occasional small puddle.

Jiang Liu had just reached the stone archway of the Phoenix Vegetable Market when a helpless expression crossed his face.

Beside one of the stone lions, Jun Qingmeng stood, watching him, a charming picture of vitality.

She wore a radiant smile.

Today, she wore a white shirt tucked into the waistband of loose, blue jeans. Below the jeans was a pair of stylish white shoes.

Very youthful, very innocent.

"What are you doing here?" Jiang Liu asked.

’How do I keep running into her? It’s unbelievable.’

Jun Qingmeng smiled and replied, "To eat your buns, of course. I have to take Tongtong to school in a bit."

"Alright, but you’re way too early."

"It’s never too early if it means I get to see you sooner."

Jiang Liu was caught off guard by the sudden sweet talk, and his heart felt a little flustered.

"Next time, you can come at six-thirty. Just find me at the shop."

"Mm."

Jun Qingmeng looked down at the outfit she had so carefully put together and said flatly, "If you don’t want to see me this early, I can just leave now."

She was a little upset.

Jiang Liu sighed. "It’s fine, that’s not what I meant. Come on, want to go grocery shopping together?"

"Okay!" The corners of Jun Qingmeng’s mouth lifted into a smile.

In his arms, Tongtong heard Jun Qingmeng’s voice. Her head immediately popped up and she looked all around.

When she saw Jun Qingmeng beside them, she instantly brightened up and stretched out her arms. "Teacher Qingmeng, I want a hug."

Jun Qingmeng ruffled her hair and took her from Jiang Liu’s arms.

"What’s this? Did you miss Teacher Qingmeng that much?"

"Mhm, I missed you a lot."

"Did you miss Tongtong, Teacher Qingmeng?"

"I did. I even saw you in my dreams."

"In your dreams? Was it Fried Chicken World? Or the Cola Cottage?"

The two adults were amused.

At the same time, they now knew what the little girl dreamed about every day.

"No, I dreamed you were at your house, calling me Mommy," Jun Qingmeng said, looking at Tongtong. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Tongtong pouted. "It’s all Daddy’s fault. Otherwise, Tongtong could call you Mommy right now, and we wouldn’t have to do it secretly in dreams."

Jiang Liu casually gave Tongtong a flick on the forehead. "Don’t talk nonsense."

Tongtong clutched her head, feeling wronged.

"Boo hoo, Daddy’s a mean daddy. Tongtong is going to write down your evil deeds in her little notebook."

Jiang Liu delivered the fatal blow, "Go ahead and write it down... if you know how to write."

"Waaaaah, I’m so mad!"

"You just wait! I’m going to go tattle to Grandma! Grandma said Tongtong can hit Daddy whenever she wants. You just wait."

Tongtong grit her teeth, her expression adorably fierce.

"Hm? From the sounds of it, have you been telling Grandma bad things about your daddy?"

Jiang Liu’s gaze turned menacing as he blew warm air onto his palms.

Tongtong instantly backed down, dropping the wronged act. "No! Not at all! I was just bragging! Daddy is the best, the strongest! Tongtong will always listen to Daddy!"

Jiang Liu and Jun Qingmeng chuckled.

Soon, they finished their grocery shopping, and Jiang Liu brought Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng to a nearby wholesale market.

"Jiang Liu, what are we doing here?" Jun Qingmeng asked curiously.

"Picking up some plates."

"Don’t you have enough?"

"The shop is launching a new item, and the old plates aren’t quite right for it."

Jiang Liu explained casually, taking out his phone to call the tableware supplier.

"A new item?!" "Something delicious is coming!"

Jun Qingmeng’s and Tongtong’s eyes lit up.

Everything to eat and drink at Jiang Liu’s shop was incredibly delicious.

Now there was a new dish coming. The anticipation was almost blissful.

Soon, a stack of round, white porcelain plates, tied together with hemp rope, was lifted single-handedly by Jiang Liu into the back seat.

The shop owner was amazed. "Do you work out? That stack has to be over a hundred pounds."

Jiang Liu waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing. I work out occasionally."

Jun Qingmeng was also secretly amazed, and at the same time, she found herself liking Jiang Liu even more.

’She liked this kind of commanding, powerful man.’

’She didn’t like weak men. They didn’t make her feel secure.’

’A man like that could lift her up so easily, right?’

At this thought, Jun Qingmeng blushed.

The tableware supplier saw Jun Qingmeng blushing and said admiringly, "Boss Jiang, you’re a lucky man, huh?"

’His own wife was ugly and fierce, nothing like this man’s wife, who looked so gentle and beautiful.’

Jiang Liu couldn’t be bothered to explain.

They all got back in the car.

Tongtong asked expectantly, "Daddy, are we having something yummy today?"

"Wild bluefin tuna sashimi."

"Raw fish? Is it yummy?" Tongtong’s mouth started to water.

She absolutely loved fish.

Jun Qingmeng, however, was quite surprised. "Wild bluefin? Where did you get it? I know we have tuna in South City, but there shouldn’t be any wild bluefin. You probably couldn’t find much of it even in the whole of Hua Country."

She had eaten this kind of fish before when her father took her traveling abroad. The texture was incredible, but it was very expensive.

Two hundred grams cost more than two thousand yuan.

’Where did Jiang Liu buy it?’

She was very curious.

’This man was so mysterious.’

Jiang Liu answered vaguely, "I have my sources. It’s not really convenient to go into detail."

"Alright, I’ll keep your secret."

Jun Qingmeng didn’t ask any more questions.

Tongtong nodded. "I’ll help Daddy keep the secret too. Only the three of us will know."

Jiang Liu suddenly realized something.

’This fish seems to be really precious.’

’So if I’m going to sell it, shouldn’t I be a little more low-key with the name?’

’Calling it ’wild bluefin’ outright is too high-profile.’

’It would definitely arouse suspicion from my competitors.’

’And that could lead to trouble.’

’He had some connections through his family, and he had built some of his own, but it still wasn’t completely safe.’

’I’ll just call it ’Tuna Sashimi’.’

’Knowledgeable customers will be able to tell what it is just by tasting it.’

’Those who don’t know will just think it’s delicious and amazing.’

’Anyway, if anyone asks, it’s just ’tuna’. He would never admit it’s wild bluefin.’

’The customers could know in their hearts, and that would be enough.’

A few minutes later, Jiang Liu parked in front of Xue Guang’s place with his two cuties and a pile of things.

There was no way to park in front of his own shop.

At that moment, a crowd was already waiting in front of the ’Second Best Restaurant Under Heaven’.

When the customers saw Jiang Liu’s car, they instantly broke into smiles.

"That’s Brother Jiang’s car, right?"

"Holy crap, he’s finally here. Three minutes late today. Heh, he’s getting slower and slower."

"Boss Jiang, when will the buns be ready? I have to catch a bus soon."

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

A clamor arose at the entrance.

"Everyone, please wait a moment. Don’t rush."

Jiang Liu unloaded everything and handed the shop key to Jun Qingmeng.

"You two go wait inside the shop. Leave this stuff here. One’s a little rascal, the other’s a patient. Don’t you two try to carry anything. I’ll get it when I come back."

"Okay, we’ll listen to you."

"Tongtong isn’t a little rascal, she’s a big rascal!"

The big one was obedient; the little one was full of rebellious spirit.

Jiang Liu chuckled, then drove the car to a parking spot diagonally across the street.

When he drove the car back, the battery was at 79%.

Now it was at 77%. Very efficient.

It used even less gas, getting around 59 miles per gallon.

With a full tank of gas and a full charge, it was super long-lasting.

He returned to the front of the shop.

Jiang Liu declined the customers’ offers to help.

He carried all the pre-packaged ingredients into the shop.

The last items were the juice container, the porcelain plates, and a box of cutlery.

Prepping the tuna was actually quite simple.

Because with ingredients like these, you want to enjoy their natural flavor.

There was no need for excessive embellishment.

Jiang Liu first handed the juice over to the other two to dispense, then put on a pair of disposable gloves and began by slicing the tuna.

He placed the sliced fish into a box of ice in the refrigerated display case.