Chapter 236: Jiang Liu Gets Caught Sneaking Food
Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Jiang Liu Gets Caught Sneaking Food
"Oh, right. My parents are coming over tomorrow. We can all sit down and have a nice chat."
"Yay! Grandpa and Grandma are coming!"
Tongtong happily raised her little hands. She loved it when the family was all together.
Jun Qingmeng smiled and said, "Of course. I’ve been missing your parents."
Jiang Liu’s parents were very good to her. Jun Qingmeng could feel their genuine affection, and because she loved Jiang Liu, that feeling extended to his parents, making her miss them as well.
The three of them shared another reluctant hug.
Jun Qingmeng shyly pressed her cheek against Jiang Liu’s for a moment before letting go. "We’re leaving now."
"Bye, Daddy."
"Okay, off you go. Stay to the right and watch for cross-traffic."
Jiang Liu waved goodbye.
Once outside, they both waved vigorously at Jiang Liu.
The customers at the door watched the happy family of three with envy.
After Tongtong and Jun Qingmeng left, Jiang Liu got straight to work.
It was raining today, so he wanted to open as early as possible. He didn’t want his customers to get soaked.
At seven o’clock, Jiang Liu announced he was open for business.
"So early? Did Brother Jiang get possessed or something? Damn! Not that I’m complaining."
The customers were ecstatic, and a chorus of praise for Boss Jiang rose endlessly from the line.
"Yes, yes, yes! Brother Jiang finally opened early, haha."
"I’ve noticed Boss Jiang looks extra handsome today."
"You’re the best today, Brother Jiang. I hope you can open even earlier every day from now on."
The buzz of voices at the door was as noisy as a school playground.
Jin Wei shouted excitedly from the entrance, "Brother Jiang, pack me ten three-delicacy buns, five shrimp buns, and a bottle of juice!"
Huang Yunfeng: "Six bottles of juice, one order of yak meat, one order of tuna, and thirty buns, Boss Jiang. It’s for me and Old Guo."
There was a group of big shots waiting at the construction site.
They wanted to eat but were too lazy to wait in line.
Someone further back in the line heckled, "Hurry it up at the front! Someone’s about to pass out back here! Quick, quick, quick!"
Meanwhile, in the other line for customers dining in...
Aunt Xu, who was first in line and had rushed inside, suddenly frowned.
She sniffed the air and commented casually, "Little Boss Jiang, what’s that smell in here? I don’t think I’ve ever had it before."
The moment she spoke, the other customers noticed it too. In an instant, dozens of eyes turned to Jiang Liu.
"I smell it too!"
"Boss Jiang, have you been secretly eating something delicious without us?"
Yang Tuoyang, who had also come to line up early today, chimed in with a grin, "Yeah, really! Brother Jiang, whatever delicious thing you have, bring it out and sell it to me. I’ve got plenty of money in my pockets~"
"It smells like tomatoes, and—HISS—it’s amazing! So fragrant. Don’t tell me Brother Jiang is planning a surprise for us!"
The customers were no longer in a hurry to order. They crowded around the counter, each adding their voice to the chorus demanding Jiang Liu surrender the delicious food.
"Er..."
Jiang Liu felt a headache coming on. He had to stop packing orders and explain with a smile, "Everyone, it’s a misunderstanding. There’s no surprise. It’s just some tomato and eggs I made for myself for breakfast. I already finished it."
’Tomato and eggs that smell *this* good!?’
The customers were practically drooling.
’Just how delicious would tomato and eggs made by Boss Jiang be?’
’Would you just explode on the spot after eating it?’
"Tomato and eggs?? Damn, that’s my favorite! And made by Boss Jiang, no less!"
"I’ll have one! There must be some left in the pot, right? How much for an order!"
"Brother Jiang, I want to eat it! Can’t you sell some? I’ll buy it even if it’s expensive!"
"Where’s the trash can? I’m gonna see if there are any leftovers."
The customers inside clamored to have some.
When the takeout customers outside heard that Boss Jiang had secretly been eating something delicious that he wasn’t selling, they immediately got worked up too.
Jiang Liu thought for a moment and said, "If you all want to try it, I can sell some at noon. I definitely can’t make it right now."
"Really? You’ll sell it?"
The older ladies and gentlemen were overjoyed.
"That’s a promise!"
"Then I’ll have to come back early for lunch. I’ve never had Boss Jiang’s stir-fried tomato and eggs."
"Xiao Jiang, the money’s right here in my pocket. We’ll see how hard you work at noon."
The news that Boss Jiang would be selling the tomato dish at noon spread through the line in an instant.
All the customers were thrilled!
They were so excited for a new item. Even if it was temporary, it did nothing to dampen their passionate craving for his food!
「...」
Liu Honglei shouted, "Nephew Jiang, pack me fifteen buns and a plate of beef!"
"I want ten beef and scallion, five corn and shrimp, and one bottle of juice. Boss Jiang, your buns are so delicious! I was miserable yesterday because I missed out."
"I’m addicted too. If only I could be Brother Jiang’s boyfriend."
As business continued...
Jiang Liu was swamped behind the counter.
He was too busy.
Even though he had prepared all the food and brought it to the counter, he still couldn’t quite keep up.
Fortunately, his customers were very considerate. They would always clean up after themselves before leaving, which saved Jiang Liu a lot of trouble.
7:55.
The rain stopped, and all the food was sold out.
Customers who had finished eating didn’t forget to remind Jiang Liu on their way out, "Boss Jiang, you promised us for lunch! Don’t you forget about the tomato and eggs. If you don’t make it, I’ll lie down on your doorstep and wipe the floor with myself!"
"Brother Jiang, tomato and eggs!"
"Tomato and eggs, okay, Brother Jiang? I’m going to take time off work later to come and line up."
"Tomatoes, tomatoes! Eggs, eggs!"
They really adored Jiang Liu. No matter what he made, they wanted to buy it.
Simply because it was too delicious!
Standing behind the counter, Jiang Liu bid farewell to each customer with an exasperated but amused expression.
’I might as well just turn into tomato and eggs myself,’ he thought.
He glanced at his Good-Reputation Points; they had already reached 490,000.
Jiang Liu was looking forward to seeing what kind of changes his new dish would bring.
After all the customers had left...
Jiang Liu swept the floor, wiped the tables, washed the collected plates, and then sat down in the kitchen with a glass of apple juice to rest.
He opened his phone. There were WeChat messages from his clingy girlfriend.
Super Invincible Little Baby: "Arrived safely at the school. First hour of missing you."
Super Invincible Little Baby: "Second hour now. Tongtong misses you a lot too. She just called you a big meanie."
Super Invincible Little Baby: "Did the new shop open? How’s it going? Jiang Liu, if it just opened, there might not be many people. Don’t be sad. Tongtong and I will be with you and take it slow."
Super Invincible Little Baby: "Going to work on the class schedule now. I’ll message you when I’m done."
A small smile appeared on Jiang Liu’s face as he finished reading.
’My girlfriend is a really good person.’
’She’s so considerate.’
Jiang Liu replied: "It’s normal for a new shop to be empty. I’m not in a rush."
He refreshed his WeChat.
Hu Yongfa hadn’t sent him any messages.
Jiang Liu guessed he was probably busy working.
’No news is good news. Everything must be proceeding as normal.’
Jiang Liu went out to buy tomatoes.
He had already used the two pounds he bought this morning, so there wasn’t much left.
He planned to buy thirty pounds this time.
He headed out.
Dozens of customers were already waiting in line.
Their eyes lit up when they saw Jiang Liu come out.
"Boss Jiang, are the tomato and eggs ready?"
"How many servings are you selling? Is there a limit?" an employee from the massage parlor asked. If there wasn’t a limit, he planned to buy ten orders to freeze and eat slowly.
"Not yet," Jiang Liu said as he walked. "I’m planning on fifty servings, with a limit of one per person."
The customers were deeply disappointed.
"Fifty servings? That’s way too few! And there’s a limit? Brother Jiang, can’t you just work a little harder? That’s not even enough for one day for me."
"Exactly! If only Boss Jiang could clone himself, I’d invest in him. Then all of Yangzhai Street would be filled with Boss Jiang’s restaurants."
"Brother Jiang, I want to have your babies..."
Jiang Liu decided to pretend he didn’t hear that.
He walked quickly to his parking spot, started his car, and headed for the market.
The vegetable vendor who sold tomatoes was a rough-looking man.
At that moment, there were five or six customers picking out vegetables at his stall.
The Vegetable Boss recognized Jiang Liu and greeted him with a broad smile. "You’re here, Boss Jiang! What can I get for you today?"
"I’ll take thirty pounds of tomatoes, please. The freshest ones you have."
"You got it! I’ll give you a 20% discount."
The stall owner ignored his other customers to serve Jiang Liu first.
A customer who had been about to get their vegetables weighed looked at Jiang Liu with envy.