Chapter 385 - 384: Tongtong Who Can’t Get Out of Bed

Chapter 385: Chapter 384: Tongtong Who Can’t Get Out of Bed

Jiang Liu gazed into her gentle eyes, held her a little tighter, and said with a smile, "Your dad’s a great guy. I think it’s my responsibility to take good care of him in the future."

"And I’ll always be good to you, too."

"Mhm. Trust your husband."

She was cold on the outside and warm on the inside. She didn’t like sweet nothings, but she loved them if they came from Jiang Liu.

Jun Qingmeng happily rested her cheek against Jiang Liu’s chest, listening to his heartbeat as a sweet warmth spread through her.

"There, there. Go to sleep."

Jiang Liu gently patted Jun Qingmeng’s back.

"Mmm..."

Jun Qingmeng let out a soft murmur. She had originally planned on taking the initiative to get a little more intimate with her husband.

But it was just too comfortable lying in her husband’s arms, being lulled to sleep by his gentle pats. Before she knew it, Jun Qingmeng couldn’t help but close her eyes and drift off.

Jiang Liu went back to studying the Sichuan cookbook for a while.

The production methods and ingredient selection within were incredibly detailed.

It even contained many lost, traditional preparation techniques.

For example, the famous Sichuan dish, Chicken Tofu Pudding.

The dish has a history of over one hundred years. By modern times, its original, authentic flavor had all but disappeared.

Most modern versions of Chicken Tofu Pudding rely on chicken bouillon, spices, and overpowering chili for flavor, completely failing to bring out the inherent taste of the ingredients.

「The next morning.」

The family of three woke from their slumber.

Tongtong was the very picture of despair, lying face down on the bed with her butt in the air, refusing to budge.

This was her usual state after a weekend.

"Waaah, I hate kindergarten..."

"Time to get up, Tongtong!"

"No! I don’t wanna! Not unless Daddy carries me!" Jiang Tongtong said petulantly, hiding her head under the covers.

Jiang Liu had no choice but to carry her to the bathroom to wash up, and he even had to help her on the toilet.

Jun Qingmeng went to the bathroom to get ready.

Once they were all set.

Today, the three of them wore the matching family outfits they had just bought.

The outfits featured soft, skin-friendly white cotton short-sleeved shirts with a large smiley face on the chest, paired with loose, black athletic pants. They finished the look with the white SpongeBob sneakers they had bought last time.

They looked simple yet stylish.

Jiang Liu took six palm-sized slices of Chiffon cake from the fridge, leaving the rest for his mom to take home.

"Honey." "Daddy."

Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong both stared at Jiang Liu, their eyes wide with longing. The words "Desperate to eat" might as well have been written on their faces.

Jiang Liu chuckled.

"These six slices are for our breakfast today. We’ll take any leftovers to the shop."

"Okay~"

"Daddy, this is so yummy!" Jiang Tongtong took a bite and swung her little feet in satisfaction. "Tongtong loves it! Hehe."

Jun Qingmeng took a bite, and even though she had eaten countless delicious meals made by her husband, she was still surprised.

The texture of this Chiffon cake was nearly identical to what she had eaten at professional bakeries abroad.

It had a light, elegant, milky aroma that wasn’t the least bit cloying. The texture was perfectly moist, tender, and soft. It was fragrant and sweet in all the right ways.

The family of three ate three slices and packed the remaining three for Tongtong to take to kindergarten.

After getting out of the elevator, Jiang Liu took a deep breath.

A chaotic mix of smells shot up his nostrils and into his brain.

The smell of paint, the reek of gasoline, the faint stench of what seemed to be a dead mouse... and Jun Qingmeng’s subtle, sweet fragrance.

His body, having been enhanced, also felt much lighter.

Jiang Liu was stunned. ’This Strong Sense of Smell ability is pretty incredible.’

He could smell many faint scents that he normally wouldn’t have noticed.

’With this Strong Sense of Smell, I could select ingredients without even tasting them. A single sniff would be enough to know their composition and freshness.’

He didn’t dwell on it.

Jiang Liu drove to the vegetable market.

He had just parked his car when five aunties who had been waiting for him swarmed over.

Jiang Liu raised an eyebrow.

The aunties were the first to speak, their tone aggressive:

"Well, well, if it isn’t Boss Jiang. Are you opening today?"

"You didn’t open yesterday, and you have no idea what a tantrum my grandson threw. He was dying for your juice," Aunt Wang lamented. "I wish I’d stocked up."

"That’s right! I was craving your buns last night. I was so hungry I couldn’t sleep for half the night. It was torture!"

"Are you taking another day off today?" a portly Aunt Liu asked, staring at Jiang Liu with expectant eyes.

"No day off. I’m opening the shop right away." Jiang Liu was starting to feel unnerved by their intense stares and made some small talk. "Are you all here to buy groceries?"

"Of course not. We came here specifically to wait for you."

"Alright, go on and buy your groceries. We’re just glad to see you’re here." Turning away, the auntie quickly told her companions to go get in line.

They just wanted to get the inside scoop.

Jiang Liu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’It seemed his customers were staging a stakeout to catch him.’

’There probably wasn’t another boss out there quite like him.’

Any thoughts Jiang Liu had about slacking off quickly vanished.

’Was this a joke? He took a single afternoon off and people were already cornering him at the market. If he slacked off for two days, would they be waiting for him under his bed?’

He went to the old granny’s stall and bought some fennel for the buns.

Jiang Liu wasn’t planning on adding any new types of buns for now; five was enough.

Next, he went over to the Vegetable Boss’s stall.

A smile immediately spread across the Vegetable Boss’s face when he saw Jiang Liu. "Finished with your business, Boss Jiang? Opening today, are you?"

"All done, and yes, I’m opening today," Jiang Liu said with a nod and a smile. He then asked, "Do you have any fresh beef tripe?"

He had decided that morning to make Fuqi Feipian, which would be incredibly delicious with rice.

Aside from the beef tripe, which he had to buy, he didn’t need any of the other seasonings like beef, tendon, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, scallions, or ginger. He already had his own top-quality, premium spices.

Of course, he had to buy the freshest tripe—he had a reputation to uphold and a responsibility to his customers.

The Vegetable Boss’s eyes widened, and he grew excited. "Yes! I just got a batch in last night and froze it immediately. It’s absolutely fresh!"

"Alright." Jiang Liu thought for a moment. "Give me fifteen pounds, and another five pounds of small celery."

"You got it. This way."

Fifteen pounds was just right. Based on the serving size, he could make about fifty portions.

Jiang Liu would never skimp on ingredients; his portions for every dish were always generous.

"Boss Jiang, what are you planning to make?"

the Vegetable Boss asked curiously as he opened his freezer.

"The Sichuan dish, Fuqi Feipian."

"Fuqi Feipian?!" The Vegetable Boss couldn’t help but swallow hard as he imagined the numbing, spicy, and savory slices of beef and tripe.

’Boss Jiang knows how to make Fuqi Feipian too? What a surprise.’

Soon.

He had weighed out fifteen pounds of fresh beef tripe for Jiang Liu, secretly adding an extra two pounds.

"See you later, Boss Jiang." The Vegetable Boss watched Jiang Liu, looking like he wanted to say something but was hesitating.

He was craving it. He wanted to send his wife to get in line right now, but it was hard to cut in line these days.

It used to be possible, but now there were too many bosses, secretaries, and other types. Those people weren’t short on cash, and there was no way they’d let you cut in line.

Jiang Liu picked up the bag and found it amusing to see the greedy look on the Vegetable Boss’s face. "Is your wife free in a little while?"

"? She is."

"Once I’ve finished making the Fuqi Feipian, if you want some, you can have your wife come to the shop and buy a couple of servings. I’ll make a few extra portions."

The Vegetable Boss was already thrilled. "Really? Thank you so much, Boss Jiang! I’ll have my wife head over to wait in a bit."

He didn’t even ask about the price. For one, he was desperate to try it; for another, he trusted that Jiang Liu wouldn’t overcharge.

Everyone knew that whatever Boss Jiang sold was an incredible value.

Jiang Liu carried the ingredients.

Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng followed obediently behind him, occasionally whispering secrets to each other.

The two of them were getting closer and closer.