Chapter 533: When Are We Having a Second Child?

That’s why the ingredients he cooked were so incredibly fresh and tender.

As for Fu Yuan’s, take the duck blood for instance. The heat had been a bit too high. While it was soft and tender, it was missing the snappy texture it should have had when broken apart. Furthermore, it hadn’t blended well with the seasonings.

Of course, Fu Yuan’s skill already surpassed that of an authentic, high-end Sichuan restaurant, but it was nothing special compared to Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu thought for a moment before saying, “It’s bound to taste good if you cook with care. You were too hasty.”

Of course, he was just making that up.

Haste might cause mistakes, but for a chef of Fu Yuan’s caliber, the right amount of heat and seasoning was second nature.

His fingers might as well have been a scale.

Obviously, Fu Yuan lost because of his recipe. In Jiang Liu’s opinion, his recipe and cooking techniques, while tasty, were too flashy.

Besides, Jiang Liu had his top-tier, ancient-formula Premium Seasonings. Fu Yuan never stood a chance.

“Oh, so that’s how it is…” A flicker of resentment crossed Fu Yuan’s stoic face. “Jiang Liu, I lost this time, but next time, I’ll give it my all when we compete! I hope you won’t let me down.”

“Hmph…” Jiang Liu was speechless.

‘Even with more time, you’d have even less of a chance of winning.’

Morse, still skeptical, took a bite of Jiang Liu’s maoxuewang and was utterly blown away.

‘The texture and flavor of this are truly a cut above Fu Yuan’s!’

The arrogant, disdainful look in Morse’s eyes vanished.

The atmosphere froze. Meanwhile, the judges shamelessly started scrambling for the last of the maoxuewang Jiang Liu had cooked.

“Hahaha.” Jun Xinghe let out a few hearty laughs. He rose to his feet, fondly patted Jiang Liu’s shoulder, and gloated at Morse, “So, what do you think, Morse? My son-in-law’s cooking is pretty good, huh?”

“If you can’t accept it, that’s fine. We’ll have plenty of other chances, right? We can just have another match then. How about it?”

‘Another match?’ Morse wanted to retch. ‘Compete with this old fox again? He’d skin me alive.’ He’d lost more than enough this time. ‘I know this old fox is setting a trap, so how could I possibly agree?’

“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Jun. Your son-in-law is excellent, and you’re very lucky!”

Morse added with a hint of sarcasm.

‘He felt a pang of jealousy.’

‘If it wasn’t for this guy having such a good son-in-law, how could I have been put in my place?’

‘What a smug bastard!’

An idea struck Morse. He turned to Jiang Liu, who was whispering with Jun Qingmeng, and asked, “Mr. Jiang, I hear you’re not married yet, is that right? I have a sister who is twenty-one and currently studying at Columbia in Eagle Country. Would you be interested in getting to know her?”

The moment he spoke, several sharp glares shot in his direction.

Before Jiang Liu could say a word, the portly Morse quickly added with a smile, “If you get together with my sister, you’ll also gain access to our family’s fortune. Jiang Liu, you might not be aware, but my family’s corporate assets are worth five times more than your current girlfriend’s family…”

He was in the middle of his excited spiel when a furious roar cut him off.

“That’s enough, Morse!” Jun Xinghe could no longer maintain his refined demeanor. He was utterly incensed. “Have you no shame? Jiang Liu is already engaged to my daughter! He’s practically a member of the Jun Family now! Don’t you dare get any ideas!”

Jun Qingmeng grew jealous, her eyes turning cold as she stared at Morse.

‘She cared about Jiang Liu more than anyone!’

Even though Jun Qingmeng knew Morse was probably just trying to get a rise out of them, she couldn’t help but feel angry.

“Hahaha, Mr. Mo, Miss Jun and Jiang Liu are a done deal. You should stop trying to stir the pot,” Yu Guoguang chimed in, laughing as he tried to smooth things over.

Seeing his wife was unhappy, Jiang Liu walked over and patted her head comfortingly. Then he turned to Morse and said coolly, “Thank you for the suggestion, Mr. Mo. My darling and I have a wonderful relationship, so you needn’t concern yourself with my marital affairs.”

A sweet warmth filled Jun Qingmeng’s heart. She lifted her head and gave Jiang Liu a cute, pouting look.

“Haha.” Morse chuckled awkwardly.

After a bit more conversation, the judges figured their part was over and got up to leave.

“Boss Jiang, your Sichuan food is truly authentic. Would it be alright if we added you on WeChat? We’d love to stay in touch for the future.”

“Sure.”

“I’d like to add you too, Master Jiang.”

The judges practically fell over each other to add Jiang Liu on WeChat.

After they left,

Jun Xinghe and Morse pressed their thumbprints onto the contract.

With a gloomy expression, Morse left with Fu Yuan and the reporters in tow.

‘I really shot myself in the foot this time!’

‘It’s finally over…’ Jiang Liu silently breathed a sigh of relief.

‘If I had lost, my own losses would have been one thing, but my father-in-law’s would have been immense.’

Jun Qingmeng turned her cool, beautiful eyes to Jun Xinghe. “You got what you wanted. What about my husband?”

‘I have to get something for my husband out of this, otherwise he did all this for nothing!’

Jun Xinghe, holding the contract, said happily, “How about this, Xiao Jiang? I’ll give you ten percent of the profits from the overseas market. That should be over a billion a year. What do you say? Don’t refuse. Just consider it a dowry for my daughter.”

“That’s too much,” Jiang Liu said. He felt he hadn’t done that much. Besides, he had no use for that kind of money. His branch stores were already up and running; the money he, his wife, and his daughter would make from them was already more than they could ever spend.

“I’ll just take one percent. Uncle Jun, your company has so many people working hard. I didn’t contribute that much, and the future success will depend on them. It wouldn’t be right for me to take ten percent.”

Jun Xinghe replied immediately, “That’s too little. How about this: I’ll set up an account for you two. Whenever you need the money, I’ll give it to you. If you don’t need it, I’ll just keep saving it for you.”

‘He’d just find an excuse to give the money to his son-in-law later.’

‘If you make money, who are you going to spend it on if not your own kids?’

Jiang Liu thought about it and didn’t refuse again. “That works, too.”

Jun Qingmeng blinked.

Jun Xinghe suddenly asked, “Xiao Jiang, are you two planning on a second child?”

As soon as the words were out, Lin Qiu and Jiang Dahai, who had been whispering off to the side, whipped their heads around, their eyes shining as bright as lightbulbs.

Jun Qingmeng’s face instantly flushed red. She glanced at Lin Qiu, then took the initiative and stammered, “If Jiang Liu and Tongtong don’t have any objections, I’m… I’m okay with it…”

Her voice trailed off, becoming barely audible by the end.

‘She was mainly worried that her husband would find it awkward to answer, so she wanted to speak up for him.’

Lin Qiu quickly seized the opportunity to ask, “Tongtong, sweetie, would you like a little brother or sister?”

“Yes! Daddy, I really want one!” Jiang Tongtong shot her hand up excitedly. “Tongtong super wants a little brother! I’m very generous, you know! But later, you have to remember to tell him that his big sister is the one who gave permission for him to be born, okay!”

Jun Xinghe was completely baffled.

‘What was his granddaughter even trying to say? None of it made any sense.’

“Jiang Tongtong!”

Jiang Liu pretended to be angry, ruffling his daughter’s hair and pinching her chubby little cheeks.

‘He knew exactly what little schemes were running through his daughter’s head!’

Jiang Tongtong shyly snuggled against her father’s warm hand and giggled. “Don’t be mad, Daddy. Tongtong just wants her little brother to know that he should always respect his big sister! Because if it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t even exist!”