Chapter 461 - 360: The Shop Across the Street is Jiang Liu’s? Yang Yixue Doubts Life

Chapter 461: Chapter 360: The Shop Across the Street is Jiang Liu’s? Yang Yixue Doubts Life

News of his skills didn’t spread far among the less affluent. Even if they heard, they probably wouldn’t travel from another province just for a taste.

They weren’t rich enough to be flying back and forth every day.

As for Jun Qingmeng and Jiang Liu, nothing particularly special happened between them.

It couldn’t be helped.

Tongtong was always wedged between the two, acting clingy.

The child had no idea that adults had... business to attend to. She just stuck to Jiang Liu, wishing she could hang off his leg.

And another thing...

Jiang Tongtong, that little tattletale, had spread the news that Jiang Liu could make moo shu pork.

Now, the customers were all clamoring for a moo shu pork combo...

*

*

September 10th. Monday. A light rain fell, and the air was cool.

A fine drizzle fell outside the window. A leaf, drifting from some unknown tree, landed on the windowsill. A dark brown sparrow took shelter under the eaves, sneaking pecks at a handful of nuts Tongtong had left out.

Jiang Liu opened his eyes.

Jun Qingmeng was lying peacefully on his chest, fast asleep. Tongtong was curled up just as obediently in the crook of his left arm.

Jiang Liu smiled.

’I’ve figured it out,’ he thought.

The mother and daughter were exactly alike.

Every Monday and Tuesday night, the two of them were especially clingy, lying obediently in his arms all through the night.

Wednesday would be a little better.

But by Friday, their sleeping positions would be wild enough to take flight.

There was also another matter.

Just yesterday, Jiang Liu had given the two million he’d just earned back to his wife.

He couldn’t let his wife’s personal funds run dry.

Currently,

aside from the ten million he had invested in the joint venture with Jun Xinghe, he still had over 1.5 million left.

’I don’t want to draw a clear line between my finances and my wife’s.’

But Jiang Liu felt that for a woman like Jun Qingmeng, who’d grown up as a pampered daughter of a wealthy family, she wouldn’t feel secure without a large sum of money at her disposal.

After all, she’d been accustomed to a high quality of life since she was a child. Now that she was grown, she certainly wouldn’t be willing to settle for less.

"Time to get up," Jiang Liu called softly.

"Mmm, honey, hold me."

Like a little kitten, Jun Qingmeng nuzzled deeper into his embrace.

Jiang Liu leaned in for a sniff.

’My wife still smells so sweet, even right after waking up.’ As expected of a girl who’d been refined since childhood; she was exquisite from head to toe.

"Daddy, Tongtong thinks she has a cold."

Jiang Tongtong sniffled loudly, pretending to be unwell.

"Oh? Is that so?" Jiang Liu asked with a knowing smile.

He knew what his daughter was up to before she even started.

"Boo hoo... I feel so sick, Daddy. Can Tongtong please not go to kindergarten? Daddy, please, please, pretty please?"

Jiang Tongtong draped herself over Jiang Liu, pouting pitifully.

"Well, it’s not impossible. You have a choice: take medicine and get a shot, or go to kindergarten!"

Tongtong’s little face twisted in indecision.

"Mommy, I’ll take the shot and the medicine then."

"Alright. I’ll take you to get a shot and some medicine after you get back from kindergarten."

Tongtong: ???

It took Jiang Liu a good while to coax her.

Then, he waited on his little darling who hated school hand and foot—getting her dressed, taking her to the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth. The full service.

Today, Jun Qingmeng was wearing a chic, brown-and-white, long-sleeved dress.

The style was understatedly elegant.

Neither flashy nor plain.

After leaving Phoenix District,

they made their routine stop at the food market.

Jiang Liu glanced at the spot where he’d found the gold before, but unfortunately, there was nothing to be found this time.

He felt foolish, like he was waiting for lightning to strike the same place twice.

When they got back to the restaurant,

Jiang Liu couldn’t help but smile. It was still early, but the line already stretched all the way to the pine tree in Phoenix District.

A procession of nearly twenty massive umbrellas snaked all the way to the entrance of the barbershop across the street.

Drivers passing by would curse under their breath before driving away.

The road was blocked, and complaining was useless.

The only response they ever got was: "Why don’t you go try and reason with those old folks?"

What a joke.

The authorities were regulars of Boss Jiang’s too. They were happy to turn a blind eye. Who gave a damn about some traffic complaint?

*

"Honey, I want you to feed me."

"Daddy, I want you to feed me too!"

His two darlings wheedled.

Jiang Liu fed each of them a bite of poached fish.

"After you finish eating, no more fussing. Off to school quietly, understand?"

"Okaaay~"

"I know, honey."

The two of them readily agreed.

Jiang Liu took out his phone for the first time since waking up.

Ren Qingqing had sent him two videos.

Jiang Liu tapped on the first one and was delighted.

It showed that the custom-made sign for the new store had arrived.

The sign had a vibrant orange background with white, three-dimensional lettering.

The letters were even backlit with color-adjustable LEDs, giving it a very premium look.

The name was still "Tongtong Restaurant."

Underneath, it listed: (Steamed Buns) (Multigrain Congee) (Stir-fries) (Juices & Drinks).

In the bottom-right corner, there were two lines of smaller text.

(Direct-Sale Branch 2)

(Qingliu)

Currently,

Branch 1 was the original store Jiang Liu had opened a while back on Huaidong Road. The company staff would find time to replace that sign as well, and touch up any renovations that were needed.

The second video

showed the finished interior of the new branch.

There were even men’s and women’s restrooms at the back.

The color scheme was primarily orange, accented with white.

It created a very warm and inviting atmosphere.

It didn’t give off a cold, unapproachably expensive vibe.

Many restaurants went for a high-end, grandiose style, but that often scared away regular customers. Most ordinary working-class people would see the fancy decor, subconsciously assume the place was a money pit, and be too intimidated to even try it.

Jiang Liu watched to the end.

In the kitchen, the freezers, stoves, and other equipment were all laid out logically.

Everything was ready to go.

Just then, a message from Ren Qingqing popped up: "Are you busy, President Jiang? Did you see the videos?"

Ren Qingqing: "Direct-Sale Branch 2 is all set. You can send people over to get ready for the opening!"

Ren Qingqing: "Also, one more thing. Regarding our Branch 1 on Huaidong Road, I had my team replace the soft furnishings last night. The old ones were getting a bit dated. I sold the old stuff for scrap for over a hundred yuan and deposited it into the company account."

Jiang Liu thought for a moment, then replied: "Good. Hang the sign up first. I’ll send someone over to get familiar with the new store."

Ren Qingqing: "Roger that, President Jiang! I’ll get it done!"

After getting Jiang Liu’s reply,

Ren Qingqing gave a decisive wave of her hand, and the crew began to hang the sign.

The owners of the neighboring shops cautiously gathered to see what all the commotion was about.

*

Yang Yixue pulled her BMW up to the curb.

She and Li Xiaoyan stepped out, each holding a Starbucks coffee.

Passing commuters on their way to work shot them longing glances.

Yang Yixue relished being the object of their envy.

Li Xiaoyan heard the rattling and clanking of machinery.

She cursed, "Those animals! Can’t they do this work at night!?"

"That noise is driving me crazy!"

She’d woken up in a perfectly good mood, but the moment she arrived at her shop, the racket from the crane gave her a splitting headache.

Yang Yixue frowned with concern, glancing around nervously. "Could you keep your voice down? Aren’t you afraid of offending someone we can’t afford to mess with?"

Li Xiaoyan immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.

She’d forgotten.

She was just so used to being loud and arrogant.

After chiding Li Xiaoyan, Yang Yixue turned to look. The faint smile on her face froze, as if she’d been struck by lightning.

There, she saw a conspicuous, bright yellow sign, with the words "Tongtong Restaurant" on it.

A worker was perched on top, connecting the wires for the LED lights.

"Mom, you... look!" Yang Yixue’s voice trembled, as if she had seen something both unbelievable and terrifying.

"What is it?"

Li Xiaoyan turned her head, still managing to take a sip of her coffee.

The next second...

SPLAT.

The coffee cup dropped to the ground, its brown contents splashing all over Li Xiaoyan’s brand-new leather shoes.

...