Divorced Dad's Gourmet Shop

Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Customers Go Crazy for the Twice-cooked Pork

Many of the more carefree customers had left home without any rain gear.

Thankfully, some of the older folks had brought oversized umbrellas, and a large crowd huddled underneath them, chatting and watching people play cards.

Jiang Liu let the customers without umbrellas come inside to wait out the rain for a bit.

Amid a chorus of grateful voices, Jiang Liu started stir-frying the twice-cooked pork.

The rice porridge was already simmering.

He planned to sell a bowl of rice porridge and a plate of twice-cooked pork as a set for one hundred yuan.

A half-kilo portion of twice-cooked pork at a regular restaurant would cost around forty yuan.

Jiang Liu didn’t think his price was too expensive.

Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng were in the kitchen, watching *Boonie Bears*.

They wanted to watch the stinky bears bully Bald Qiang to get revenge for Jiang Liu.

6:30 AM.

"You two, stop watching and come eat."

"Daddy, what’s for breakfast today?"

"I’m already starving, Jiang Liu. What did you make? Is it shrimp?"

The two of them put down the cartoon and crowded behind Jiang Liu.

"It’s stir-fried broccoli and shrimp."

Jiang Liu scooped the chunks of Little Cyan Dragon meat and broccoli from the wok onto a plate.

Steam rose from the freshly plated stir-fried broccoli and shrimp, its fragrant aroma filling the air.

Jun Qingmeng took the plate, lowered her head to take a sniff, and praised in amazement:

"It smells so good! The oil itself is infused with the scent of shrimp."

"Daddy, I want to eat! Mommy, hurry up and put it on the table."

Tongtong jumped up and down, urging her on. The aroma made her so impatient that drool started trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Jiang Liu said, "I used high-quality oil. I infused it with dried river shrimp powder at the very beginning, so it’s normal for the shrimp aroma to be strong."

"Hurry and take it over to the table. You have to go to kindergarten soon."

"Okay~"

The three of them sat down at the small table in the kitchen.

"Boyfriend, you worked hard. You eat first."

"Daddy, you worked hard. Tongtong will spoil you."

The two of them placed a few pieces of broccoli and several red-and-white clumps of shrimp into Jiang Liu’s bowl.

’She was a pro at doting on her boyfriend.’

’A happy day starts with loving Daddy, hehe.’

The two of them exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

"Wow, Daddy, the broccoli is so, so tender! It’s delicious."

Jun Qingmeng ate the savory shrimp while sipping the rice soup.

Both of their eyes lit up.

’So delicious!’

Jiang Liu smiled. "Eat up. Broccoli is full of nutrients."

’Of course it’s delicious. Everything from top to bottom, except for the broccoli, came from the [Gourmet Album].’

’Nutritious, healthy, and delicious!’

After breakfast, Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng were unhappy again.

The two of them sat gloomily on either side of Jiang Liu.

"Daddy, Baby Jiang has to go suffer at kindergarten again. You don’t have to worry about her, just wait for her to come back, okay?"

"Jiang Liu, I’ll miss you while I’m at kindergarten."

Jun Qingmeng couldn’t bear to leave Jiang Liu either, and a bitter expression crossed her stunningly beautiful face.

’Once I go to kindergarten, I won’t be able to see my boyfriend all day.’

’So annoying.’

Jiang Liu was clearing the plates. He poured all the leftovers into his soup bowl, then picked it up and finished it in one go.

Only after finishing did Jiang Liu smile and console them. "Look at you two being all sentimental. The weekend is the day after tomorrow. Won’t you be able to stay in the shop for two whole days then?"

"Mm."

"Daddy, suddenly I don’t feel so sad anymore."

They sat for a while to let their food digest.

The two of them stood up.

They leaned over to hug Jiang Liu, and Tongtong gave him a little kiss.

"Daddy, I’m really leaving this time. Tongtong loves you very much and will miss you a lot."

Jun Qingmeng said, "Jiang Liu, same here. I love you very much, and I’ll miss you a lot."

"Okay, I know. Watch out for cars on your way, and don’t rush."

"Then can I kiss you too?" Jun Qingmeng looked at Jiang Liu expectantly.

"Tonight."

"Mm, okay then."

Jiang Liu helped Tongtong put on her little yellow raincoat and watched his daughter leave.

「7:15 AM」

The customers were staring holes through the door with anticipation.

Words like "delicious food" and "buns" were constantly being muttered along the line.

"Boss Jiang is here! He’s opening up!!"

Jiang Liu stood at the door and announced the start of business.

"This morning, the shop is launching a new item: the twice-cooked pork and rice soup set. If you’re interested, it’s available for one hundred yuan per set."

The moment he finished speaking, the entire line erupted.

"A new item! Holy shit!!! I fucking picked the right day to come."

"Make a call, make a call! Will it be available at noon?"

"Twice-cooked pork set... one hundred yuan isn’t too expensive. The quality of Brother Jiang’s food is guaranteed."

"Little Boss Jiang, will you have this every day from now on?"

Uncle Li asked expectantly.

All the customers pricked up their ears, and the line fell silent, wanting to hear what Jiang Liu would say.

They were desperately hoping that Jiang Liu would add it as a permanent new item. That way, not only would their chances of buying his delicious food increase, but they could also regularly enjoy different flavors. Just the thought of it was exciting!

Jiang Liu smiled and shook his head. "This isn’t a permanent new item. I’ll just make it to sell occasionally."

"Huh??"

"It’s not a permanent item again? What’s up with Boss Jiang?"

"This is so annoying. What if I want to eat it again after today? Where am I supposed to go?"

"Boss Jiang is too much."

The discussion in the line grew heated.

Jiang Liu didn’t say much more. ’There wasn’t much point in selling the twice-cooked pork anyway.’

’That was because only dishes from the [Gourmet Album] would increase his reputation points. The rest were useless for that purpose.’

’Jiang Liu had noticed this rule two days ago.’

As the shop opened for business, it was instantly filled with people.

One of the older women had even brought a rug and placed it at Jiang Liu’s doorway.

"Everyone, wipe your feet before you come in. Don’t cause trouble for Xiao Jiang!"

"Relax! I’ll be on my best behavior for Boss Jiang."

The customers obediently wiped the rainwater from their feet at the entrance.

They were afraid of earning a scolding from the older woman who was glaring at them like a hawk.

"Brother Jiang, I’ll get ten shrimp buns and five three-delicacy buns to go. And one order of the twice-cooked pork set to try."

"One twice-cooked pork set."

"So expensive... one hundred yuan, that’s a whole day’s wages for me, boo-hoo... Ah, forget it. Give me one order of the twice-cooked pork, Brother Jiang."

Jiang Liu said, "A friendly reminder: this dish is made with Thai chilies. If you can’t handle spicy food, you probably shouldn’t order it."

The customers who couldn’t eat spicy food said it didn’t matter.

The customers who loved spicy food were ecstatic.

If it weren’t a limited quantity, they would have bought the entire pot of twice-cooked pork.

Soon, Jiang Liu had arranged all the in-store orders one by one on the counter.

He had stir-fried a large pot of the twice-cooked pork and then transferred it all into an insulated stainless steel bucket, which he placed under the counter.

This way, he didn’t have to run back and forth to the kitchen. The yak meat was also kept at the counter, just like the pork.

The sound of slurping rice soup filled the room.

They ate the spicy and fragrant twice-cooked pork with their buns. The pork slices were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, filling their mouths with the aroma of garlic.

When it got too spicy, they would take a sip of the rice soup with its hint of shrimp umami. The customers were in absolute heaven.

Jiao Shenghua was astounded with every bite. "This twice-cooked pork set is absolutely worth one hundred yuan. I’ve been eating this damn dish my whole life, and this is the first time I’ve ever had it this fragrant."

"Duh. It’s made by Boss Jiang. Would you expect anything less? I’d buy whatever he sells, sight unseen."

"So fragrant! The beef at this shop is incredible!!" a new customer in a suit and tie exclaimed in disbelief.

A friend had evangelized the place to him, and at first, he’d regretted wasting time waiting in line. But that changed the moment he took a bite of the fragrant, fall-apart-tender beef. It was so good his scalp tingled.

Forget two thousand—for yak meat of this texture and quality, even paying ten thousand for a taste wouldn’t be a rip-off!