Chapter 492 - 391: Boss Jiang Might as Well Sleep in the Shop

Chapter 492: Chapter 391: Boss Jiang Might as Well Sleep in the Shop

"Daddy, Tongtong doesn’t just eat! I love Daddy and Mommy too! Hehe, here’s a big kiss for Daddy."

"MWAK."

"Was that a sweet kiss? Do you love Daddy?"

"It was sweet. Daddy loves you," Jiang Liu said with a smile.

"MWAK, MWAK, MWAK."

Tongtong planted three more kisses on Jiang Liu, nuzzling his neck and giggling happily.

’One kiss means I love Daddy, so three kisses means I super, super love Daddy!’

Delighted by his daughter’s sweet talk, Jiang Liu asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"Daddy, I’ll love anything you make!"

"Alright, how about some Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions then?"

"Yay! We’re gonna have yummy food!"

Jiang Liu playfully tossed Tongtong into Jun Qingmeng’s arms.

He sent a message back to Jun Xinghe: "I’ve asked Qingmeng, and she has no objections."

"Uncle, you must have many business associates coming too. Won’t this be too simple?"

Jun Xinghe was delighted to get the message. "Don’t worry about it. The scale of the wedding isn’t important; the people getting married are what matters. I’ll just book a grand hotel, and that’ll be perfect."

When you reached his level, you could afford to be much more casual about such things.

He had no fear of being looked down upon. Everyone knew he wasn’t short on cash; if he wanted a lavish wedding, he could throw one at the drop of a hat.

This was true understatement.

Jiang Liu got in the car.

He checked the date. The wedding was still over two months away.

There was no rush. The timing was just right.

Back on Yangzhai Street.

Jiang Liu glanced over. The line was about five or six hundred people long.

It stretched all the way to the entrance of Phoenix District.

He chuckled to himself.

’Looks like everyone has gotten the hang of it.’

There used to be lines of one or two thousand people, which put a lot of pressure on him.

Imagine telling a crowd of people whose eyes were gleaming with hunger that you’d sold out. Who wouldn’t feel overwhelmed?

Fortunately, everyone was quite considerate.

They never blamed him.

"Morning, Boss Jiang!"

"Morning."

"Boss Jiang still isn’t working hard enough. If you came in at three in the morning, I bet you could make two thousand buns!"

"If he’s coming in at 3 AM, might as well have Brother Jiang sleep in the shop."

An old man nearby chimed in, saying seriously,

"If he’s already sleeping in the shop, he might as well use the quiet night to make even more buns."

"Hey, that’s a good point! Brilliant! Boss Jiang, what do you think of that proposal?"

???

Jiang Liu was speechless.

His customers were getting more and more creative with their ridiculous suggestions.

He went next door to check on the situation.

Wang Han told him they were planning to knock down the wall tomorrow afternoon.

Back in the shop, Jun Qingmeng was helping him pour juice while Tongtong helped peel potatoes.

"Daddy, when can we eat?" The little foodie was getting impatient.

"In a little while. It’ll be ready soon."

Six o’clock.

Jiang Liu started making the Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions.

First, he sliced open the sea cucumbers’ bellies, rinsed out the gray intestines and any grit, and left them to soak in water.

Next, he sliced the white parts of the scallions, setting the green tops aside.

Jiang Liu picked up a small knife and, in a few swift movements, made beautiful, decorative cuts on the scallion whites...

He blanched the sea cucumbers in boiling water with slivers of ginger for five minutes, then removed them and set them aside.

The cooking time varies depending on the quality of the sea cucumber, a task that requires experience and precise control.

Jiang Liu strictly followed the recipe from the Shandong cuisine cookbook.

...He fried the scallion sections until they were golden brown and fragrant, then removed them, reserving the aromatic scallion oil.

Jiang Liu sniffed the oil and nodded.

’The Wanshou Scallions are high quality. The oil is intensely fragrant, which should make the sea cucumbers even more flavorful!’

In a separate wok,

He added some chicken fat to enhance the umami, along with salt, ginger slivers, cooking wine, and white sugar, bringing it all to a rolling boil over high heat.

Once the sauce had thickened, he added the sea cucumbers...

The sauce is a crucial component of this dish. In theory, the longer it simmers, the thicker the dark, reddish-brown sauce becomes, and the more flavor the sea cucumber absorbs. However, if it cooks for too long, the sea cucumber will disintegrate.

The Shandong cuisine cookbook provided specific timings and suggestions for flexible adjustments to handle this.

In just over twenty minutes, Jiang Liu finished cooking a pot of Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions that surpassed even state-banquet standards.

It was a massive pot, enough to make a state-level master chef weep.

Such a prestigious, high-class dish, and you cooked it like a common canteen meal in a giant pot?

Are you out of your mind, man?!

Jiang Liu plated three of the sea cucumbers.

The slit-open sea cucumbers lay soft and tender on the plate, drizzled with a thick, glossy, reddish-brown sauce.

The sea cucumber itself wasn’t the star; the true art lay in the composition of the sauce and the mastery of the heat.

The sea cucumbers Jiang Liu had chosen were all plump, fresh, and healthy.

He picked up a sea cucumber with his chopsticks and tugged gently. A small, springy piece tore off. Jiang Liu brought it closer to smell. The rich aroma of the scallion sauce was potent, with no trace of gaminess or fishiness—only a light, clean, savory scent emanating from the flesh.

Jiang Liu placed the piece in his mouth to taste.

It was still piping hot. The sea cucumber was soft, smooth, and delicious. The sauce was savory at first, followed by a hint of sweetness.

Utterly sublime.

That one bite was the pinnacle of gustatory pleasure.

The most exquisite dishes often don’t have convoluted flavors. They focus on a single point of perfection—extreme tenderness, for instance, or an ultimate savory aroma.

The simpler, the more refined, the more it allows the taste buds to blossom in comfort.

"Daddy?"

"Honey?"

Jiang Liu snapped back to reality, opening his eyes to find two pairs of sparkling eyes fixed on him.

The little foodies were in position.

"Daddy, is it ready yet? My tummy says it’s hungry," Tongtong said, poking her belly.

"Honey~ I’m hungry too," Jun Qingmeng pouted, feigning distress.

"Go on, take it. Go get some rice, too. Don’t just eat the sea cucumber, or it’ll be too salty."

Jiang Liu was worried it would be too salty for them on its own.

"Okay!"

"Got it, honey."

Jun Qingmeng ran to scoop some rice.

Tongtong went to get the chopsticks, placing the sea cucumbers on the table on her way.

Teamwork.

All for the sake of eating the delicious food faster.

Watching the two of them at the table, stuffing their faces without any regard for their "ladylike" image, Jiang Liu asked with a smile, "How is it?"

"Daddy, I’m all out of words to praise you! You’re this!"

Jiang Tongtong gave him a big thumbs-up.

’Daddy’s the best in the whole world! This little cutie is in heaven!’

"It’s delicious, honey! Your sea cucumber is so, so good!"

Jun Qingmeng looked at him with adorable adoration. "What am I going to do? I like you too much."

"Then just keep on liking me," Jiang Liu chuckled.

"Fine, I’ve decided to give you the silent treatment for one minute."

"Oh? To focus on eating, you mean?"

"Jiang Liu! Do you believe I’ll actually get mad at you?"

Jun Qingmeng huffed, pretending to be angry.

Unfortunately for her, she hadn’t unlocked the ’being genuinely angry at Jiang Liu’ skill.

When she tried to act angry, she just looked adorable, and Jiang Liu took the opportunity to pinch her soft cheek.

"Hurry up and eat. You have to go to kindergarten when you’re done."

*

The customers waiting in line outside saw Jiang Liu bustling about inside the shop.

This put their hearts at ease.

"Looks like he’s about to open. I wonder if there’ll be a new special today."

"I absolutely loved that Water-Boiled Fish from last time. It’s a shame I only got one bite. I’ll never forget that taste."

"I wonder if he’ll release a new dish today," a wealthy man near the back of the line said, looking nervous.

If a new special was released, he was sure he wouldn’t be able to get any.

He’d better release it at lunchtime!

Xiao Han and her friends were also in line.

Yang Zishan looked worried. "Did you guys hear about the competition last night?"

"We heard. I’m so ’worried’ about that Fu Yuan. I heard even Elder Yu got totally crushed, the poor man. It’s a good thing we have our Jiang God. He’ll be there to kick that moron’s ass!"

Rui Ning declared, her hands on her hips with a devil-may-care attitude.

Xiao Han said worriedly, "But don’t you get it? That Fu Yuan is challenging Jiang God to a Sichuan cuisine battle. Sichuan cuisine! Do you understand? Elder Yu is one of the most famous Sichuan cuisine masters in all of Hua Country, and even he was defeated..."