Chapter 526: ?

Chapter 526: Chapter 526: ?

Tongtong’s greatest wish was to join Mommy in taking care of Daddy and protecting him. Daddy would always be their greatest treasure, hehe.

Of course, the task of earning money was still up to Daddy. She and Mommy were only responsible for spending it!

"Just a few casual sips..." Jun Xinghe said, looking a little awkward. "Xiao Jiang should be able to hold his liquor. One glass of red wine is no big deal."

A flash of anger crossed Jun Qingmeng’s face. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Liu reached out and squeezed her thigh, signaling her to stop.

"Hmph!"

Jun Qingmeng turned her head away, refusing to look at Jun Xinghe.

’She hated people who led her husband astray. What kind of competition involved drinking? Weren’t they just trying to sabotage her husband?’

At that moment, Jun Xinghe watched his daughter and son-in-law exchanging looks, then turned his head to meet Jiang Dahai’s eyes.

"Pfft!"

The two of them couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing at the same time.

They were both gratified and happy to see their children so in love with each other.

Besides, for his daughter to talk to him like this was much better than her giving him the cold shoulder. Jun Xinghe was already content.

"Ahem." Jiang Dahai stood up and picked up the red wine. "Old Jun, let’s just the two of us have a drink. To tell you the truth, I’m actually pretty nervous."

Leaning on his wine glass, Jun Xinghe chuckled. "Me too, a little. Although I have complete confidence in Xiao Jiang, his opponent seems quite skilled. Hey! Don’t pour too much. We’ll drink more after the competition is over."

"Alright!"

The two men poured half a glass each into their wine glasses and took a small sip to ease their nerves.

Jiang Tongtong looked at the two men, then at the food on the table, and asked impatiently, "Can we eat now, Grandpa, Grandfather? Tongtong is hungry."

After speaking, Jiang Tongtong pouted and looked up pitifully at Jiang Liu.

"Haha, let’s eat, let’s eat! We can’t let Tongtong go hungry."

"Go ahead and eat. Eat if you’re hungry," Jiang Liu said, stroking Tongtong’s hair.

The others were amused, and even Jun Qingmeng’s face showed a hint of a smile.

"So, can we eat?" Kui Shen asked, staring at the food with undisguised longing.

He’d been craving it for half a month and had never gotten a single bite.

"Please, go ahead, Reporter Kui," Jiang Dahai said politely.

"Alright!"

Kui Shen hurriedly broke apart his chopsticks, picked up a piece of stir-fried pork coated in chili, put it in his mouth, and followed it with a mouthful of rice.

The stir-fried pork was made with meat from Xiangxiang pigs. The texture was delicate, with no gamey smell, and an incredibly rich, meaty flavor filled his mouth from the first bite.

Combined with the chili peppers and seasonings, the flavor was so shocking that Kui Shen’s eyes went wide.

It was mind-blowingly delicious. He’d never had stir-fried pork with a texture like this before.

The spicy flavor lingered on his taste buds, and the fragrant, springy-soft rice made him want to devour a whole large bowl in one go!

"So, Reporter Kui? My son-in-law’s cooking is decent, wouldn’t you say?" Jun Xinghe asked unhurriedly as he wiped his mouth.

His smug expression made Kui Shen desperately want to roast him.

He smiled and said, "Boss Jiang’s stir-fried pork is fragrant without being greasy. The skin is crisp and spicy, with a natural, sweet finish. Of all the stir-fried pork I’ve ever eaten, this is number one."

Kui Shen wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest. This was his honest, heartfelt opinion.

’It really is delicious. The texture of the ingredients, the blend of seasonings, the cooking technique—none of it is simple.’

’Otherwise, how could it taste so incredible?’

"Heh, if you like it, eat up. But you’ll have to put in a little more effort for us later," Jun Xinghe said lightly.

’He was on cloud nine right now. In the past, whenever he’d asked this guy for a favor, he’d always been so high and mighty. After all, the man was practically a government official and wasn’t afraid of him. But now things were different. Here he was, working diligently without a single complaint. The feeling was unbelievably satisfying!’

Kui Shen rapidly stuffed more food into his mouth, mumbling, "Don’t worry, President Jun, don’t worry. When the time comes, I’ll definitely use my best resources to promote your son-in-law."

After eating for a while, Jiang Liu suddenly remembered the hot and sour soup. He’d been distracted and had forgotten about it.

"Wait here, I’ll bring out the hot and sour soup I just made for you all to try."

Everyone looked up sharply.

"Hot and sour soup?" Jun Xinghe asked, craning his neck.

Kui Shen’s eyes widened.

Jiang Liu said, "Yes, it’s my first time making it today. I think the flavor turned out alright. You can all give me your feedback in a bit. Wait here, I’ll go get it."

"Hurry, go get it!"

"Daddy, Tongtong wants to eat it!"

Everyone was incredibly excited.

Kui Shen swallowed hard. Though he was already stuffed, he suddenly felt a renewed craving.

’He never expected to get to try one of Jiang Liu’s personal specialty dishes! He had to take a picture later and post it on social media to show off!’

Soon,

The hot and sour soup was brought out.

The aromas of sour, spicy, salty, fragrant, and umami all intertwined.

The hot and sour soup was a clear broth, filled with shredded Xiangxiang pig pork, shredded tofu, tomato, enoki mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, and egg.

The first taste was sour and fragrant, whetting the appetite and cutting through any grease, and it also aided digestion.

It was perfect for drinking after a meal.

"Wow, it smells so, so good, Daddy!" Jiang Tongtong stood up, clutching her little tummy as she took in the aroma, her eyes shining. "Daddy, can I have a sip? Quick, let me have some. I want to drink it."

The others also swallowed hard in anticipation.

Jun Qingmeng looked at Jiang Liu with reserved admiration.

’My husband is so amazing. I love him so much!’

Jiang Liu looked at his daughter’s round, bulging belly and asked, amused, "Can your tummy still fit any more?"

"Yes, it can, it can! Daddy, I have to try it! Just one little sip!"

Jiang Tongtong used her fingers to indicate a tiny amount.

"Pleeease, Daddy,"

"Alright, you can have some. Just drink a little, don’t upset your stomach."

Jiang Liu placed his daughter on his lap.

Young children could easily upset their stomachs by overeating, so Jiang Liu usually didn’t let Tongtong eat until she was too full, especially at night.

He opened the lid, and a rich, sour and savory aroma billowed out.

Jiang Dahai and the others couldn’t help but lean in, sniffing the air and salivating madly.

Jun Qingmeng was a little more reserved, just hugging Jiang Liu’s arm and peering forward.

Lin Qiu felt proud and asked curiously, "Son, how come the hot and sour soup you make smells different from the ones I’ve smelled before?"

"It’s so fragrant."

"Yeah, it really is different," Kui Shen said.

Jiang Liu glanced at them. "Hot and sour soup seems simple, but it’s actually not. This dish not only has high requirements for its ingredients, but the ratio of seasonings is also very difficult to control."

The dish combines many flavors, making it complex. The hot and sour soup made by many chefs is either too sour or too spicy.

Furthermore, there are many subtleties to the cooking process.

For example, you have to control the heat—it must be high heat. The ingredients must also be added at different times; since each ingredient has a different texture, the time required for each is naturally different.

Under several gazes full of longing, Jiang Liu ladled a spoonful for his daughter.

"Smells so good!" Jiang Tongtong leaned over the bowl and took a big sniff of the aroma, cheering with delight.

Her adorable appearance made everyone at the table break into doting smiles.

Even though everyone was eager to eat, there was something especially cute about Tongtong’s greediness.

Especially since Jiang Tongtong looked so much like her father, like a miniature version of Jiang Liu. Compared to the serious-faced Jiang Liu, it created a humorous contrast.

"SLURP." Tongtong took a sip and immediately stuck out her tongue. "It’s hot! I burned my tongue."

’But it’s super yummy! Sour and fragrant!’

Children have sensitive taste buds and can taste flavors that adults can’t.

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