Novel Full Chapter 224: Jiang Liu Was Kidnapped
Chapter 224: Chapter 224: Jiang Liu Was Kidnapped
Jiang Liu: "Yeah, something like that."
Jun Qingmeng: "Alright, alright, don’t be silly. You don’t have to worry about it. You’re tired enough as it is. I should be the one preparing a surprise for you."
She didn’t want Jiang Liu running around for her; her boyfriend was already exhausted.
’As someone who dotes on her man, shouldn’t I be the one surprising my boyfriend?’
Jiang Liu texted back: "Other guys’ girlfriends get nice things, so you should too. How about I buy you a gift?"
Jun Qingmeng: "What kind of gift? You’re not planning on going to Taobao to buy me one of those cheesy ’I’ll Deer-ly Love You Forever’ things, are you? (chin in hand)"
She knew her boyfriend could be a bit dense when it came to romance. He might actually be planning to buy her some childish little trinket...
But no matter what kind of gift it was, as long as it was from Jiang Liu, Jun Qingmeng would love it.
Jiang Liu raised an eyebrow in his reply: "Are you talking about one of those flashy little trinkets that cost a hundred-some yuan? Are you questioning your boyfriend’s taste?"
Jun Qingmeng: "Alright, alright, you have the best taste, okay? Now hurry up and go to sleep. The gift can wait. You’re already so busy, and you’re still thinking about buying your girlfriend a present. You silly goose!"
Jiang Liu replied with a sense of helplessness, "Good night."
After sending the message, Jiang Liu dried Tongtong’s hair.
"Papa, can we play a game?" Tongtong asked expectantly, holding up her tablet.
She loved the feeling of protecting her papa.
"How about tomorrow? It’s too late today."
"Okay!!"
After coaxing the little one to sleep, Jiang Liu went to prepare the bun fillings.
Out of habit, he glanced at the [Gourmet Album].
The fifth page hadn’t appeared yet, even though his review points had already reached 360,000.
Jiang Liu snapped out of it, disappointed.
"Why hasn’t it shown up yet? It’s been two or three days..."
There was a good reason for Jiang Liu’s impatience.
He knew that the more variety his shop offered, the more money it would make. It would also increase customer loyalty and build his reputation faster.
’The new shop will be for earning extra income, while the main shop will focus on high-quality, boutique items to build its reputation...’
’I wonder if there will be any problems with the new shop. The initial investment is estimated to be two million...’
Jiang Liu muttered to himself as he worked.
By the time he finished everything, it was 11:30 PM.
Outside, the autumn rain was still drizzling, pattering against the window with a soft THUMP-THUMP.
A WHOOSH of wind, carrying the earthy scent of rain, blew into the bedroom through a crack in the window.
Jiang Liu shut the window tightly and lay down on the bed, holding Tongtong close.
Just then, a text message from an unknown number appeared on his phone.
"What is wrong with you? Why do you love blocking my number so much?? Let me be frank with you. I’ve mortgaged the beauty salon, taken out a loan, and I’m planning to open more than ten new branches. You’re probably still making eighty or ninety thousand a day, right? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I’m now making ten thousand from a single shop."
After sending the message, Yang Yixue smiled smugly.
She was in a very good mood.
Today, her profit from a single store had risen to nine thousand!
Once her ten-plus new stores opened,
wouldn’t it be easy to just walk all over Jiang Liu?
She was glad she’d extorted the two bun recipes from him. Jiang Liu was practically her personal God of Wealth!
"It’s just... a shame..."
Yang Yixue thought about how two recipes could bring such enormous wealth.
A feeling of regret began to bubble up inside her again, unstoppable.
’If I hadn’t divorced Jiang Liu back then, would I have gotten even more recipes? Maybe he would have even handed over his supply channels to me?’
"Just you wait. You think you can compete with me in your state? Heh. One day, you’ll come crawling to me, begging for my forgiveness! When that time comes, unless you give me all your recipes, don’t even think about remarrying me!"
Yang Yixue let out a cold laugh.
The regret in her heart twisted into hatred and a thirst for revenge, fueled by being ignored after the divorce.
...
Jiang Liu glanced at the text message and casually blocked the number.
He felt completely unfazed.
Compared to the days of enduring Yang Yixue’s harsh, cutting remarks every day,
an occasional text message now was much, much better.
"Papa... Daddy..."
Tongtong mumbled in her sleep, her brow furrowed and her little hands clenched.
"I’m here, Tongtong. Daddy’s here."
Jiang Liu reached out and stroked Tongtong’s cheek.
The little one settled down.
’I wonder if she was having a nightmare.’
「The next morning.」
The rain had stopped.
Jiang Liu pulled the small cart, Tongtong held Jun Qingmeng’s hand, and the three of them set out cheerfully.
The morning weather was a bit chilly, so Jiang Liu had put a blue hooded jacket on Tongtong.
In the car, Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong had fallen asleep again.
Jiang Liu parked the car at the produce market.
Just like before, the old granny greeted him with a happy smile and had fresh fennel ready for him.
"It’s autumn now, so vegetable prices are going up. Why haven’t you raised your prices?"
Jiang Liu had noticed that the price of fennel on the delivery apps had gone up, but the old granny’s hadn’t.
The old granny chuckled. "It’s no big deal. It’s from my own greenhouse, so I can sell it for whatever price I want, hehe."
The price she charged other people was higher than what she charged Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu chatted with the old granny for a few more minutes, then went to another stall to buy garlic sprouts and Thai chilies, which the granny didn’t sell.
He planned to make fifty servings of twice-cooked pork today, served with a nutritious rice soup, to give his customers a change of pace.
He drove back to the shop.
Early in the morning, Yangzhai Street was already bustling with people, and the line in front of "The World’s Number Two Gourmet Food Shop" was packed.
"Morning, Boss Jiang!"
"Did you get enough sleep? Any new items on the menu today?"
"New items, my ass! We’ve already got four amazing dishes. Isn’t that enough for you?"
"How is that enough?! I’d need a hundred different dishes to rotate through every day to be satisfied."
"Whoa, listen to you! Why don’t you just ask for the moon while you’re at it? A hundred dishes? Boss Jiang could work himself to death and still not satisfy you!"
"Brother Jiang, need any help?"
The customers greeted Jiang Liu enthusiastically.
Many people had brought little stools and umbrellas to wait in line.
Jiang Liu chatted casually with the customers for a bit, then opened the rolling shutter and went back into the shop.
Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng were in the back kitchen helping him prep the ingredients.
Jiang Liu took out his phone and sent a message to Wang Cheng.
He asked him to report any progress.
He also messaged Xia Changzhi.
He asked him to find out who the landlord of the shop next door was.
Jiang Liu didn’t have much cash on hand at the moment.
But he could at least ask. He was feeling more and more that his shop was too small. If he could buy the unit next door and knock a door through the wall by his counter, it would be wonderful to have that extra hidden-away space.
In the back kitchen, Tongtong was helping Jiang Liu wash the garlic sprouts.
She called out as she worked, "Daddy?"
Jiang Liu had just covered the dough to let it rise. Hearing his daughter call him, he turned his head and asked, "What is it?"
"Daddy, I had a nightmare last night. It was so scary."
"What kind of nightmare?" Jiang Liu asked, curious.
"Uhm, I dreamed that Daddy was captured by Bald Qiang and tied to a tree, shivering. Hehe, but it’s okay because Tongtong showed up just in time and scared Bald Qiang away! Oh, and Mommy was there too! The two of us saved you, Daddy!"
Several dark lines seemed to appear on Jiang Liu’s forehead.
’Why am I always the hostage in my daughter’s dreams?’
Jun Qingmeng smiled and said, "I helped save your daddy too?"
"Mhm! That’s right!" Tongtong nodded earnestly. "The three of us will never be separated, so we have to be together in dreams, too. Saving Daddy is definitely a job for Tongtong and Mommy."
...
As the sky began to lighten, a light rain started to fall outside again.
The customers in line started cursing and grumbling.