Chapter 13 - 12: A Mountain of Pressure

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Tongtong sat by the entrance, watching five workers head toward their shop.

She quickly hopped down from her chair.

Huang Yunfeng and his four companions were surprised when they got a clear look at such an adorable little girl.

She was small and cute, with fair, smooth skin and soft, shoulder-length hair. She wore a cartoon frog T-shirt under denim overalls.

She nervously fidgeted with the straps of her overalls, her big, expressive eyes looking at them with anticipation.

’Isn’t she way cuter than those little influencer girls you see on Douyin?’

The hot-tempered Guo Zhifei stepped forward with a grin to strike up a conversation. "Hey, little one, is your family’s shop open for business?"

"Mhm, good uncles!" Tongtong nodded vigorously. "My family has yummy buns!"

"Hahaha, this little girl is so cute."

"Brother Huang, tell me, how can I skip marriage and just have an adorable kid like this?"

Liu Xing was incredibly envious.

A corner of Huang Yunfeng’s mouth turned up as he joked, "You could just snatch her and run."

"Whoa, how could you say that? Brother Huang, you’re being improper too!"

The men’s gloomy mood lifted considerably.

"Hmph!" Tongtong puffed up her cheeks, trying to look fierce as she piped up, "Are you going to eat or not? If you don’t, I’ll call my daddy to come beat you up!"

’She was a little angry!’

"We’ll eat, we’ll eat! Haha, don’t be mad, little one."

"Okay! That’s more like it. This way, you bad uncles!"

’Tongtong held a grudge. They’d actually just teased her!!’

’That’s how it happens on TV, hmph!’

The men glanced at each other, finding the situation amusing.

’Just a moment ago we were ’good uncles,’ and now we’re ’bad uncles’?’

"You little rascal, so fickle at such a young age. But I like it, haha."

Tongtong pouted. ’She didn’t like these people, she only liked her daddy. Hehe.’

The five men hadn’t planned on getting takeout, so they walked straight into the shop.

"Gentlemen, the tables are a bit small. You can just push a couple together."

Jiang Liu suggested from his spot at the counter by the door.

He also gave his little hero, Tongtong, a pat on the head.

"Okay, no problem."

Just then, Huang Yunfeng saw the price list on the wall and was shocked.

"Boss, your buns... why are they so expensive? The shop next door only sells them for two yuan!"

Hearing Huang Yunfeng, the other workers also looked at the price list.

"Leek and Egg Buns for 5 yuan each, Three-Delicacy Buns for 6 yuan each, Pork and Scallion Buns for 6 yuan each! Shrimp and Corn Buns for 15?"

"Holy crap, seriously, Boss? Your prices are honestly a bit much, aren’t they?"

Liu Xing grumbled loudly.

Guo Zhifei slammed his hand on the table in frustration. "Fuck! I can’t believe this is a goddamn rip-off joint. And here I was, actually looking forward to it."

He wanted to spit, but he saw Tongtong and swallowed it back down.

"Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll go next door."

Huang Yunfeng hesitated for a few seconds. He also thought it was a bit expensive and gestured for the others to leave.

Jiang Liu’s smile gradually stiffened.

’Here we go again, the same old scene.’

’What should I do? Gotta find a way to save this.’

He calmly explained, "Everyone, our buns are made with top-notch ingredients and craftsmanship. This price is already a steal; it’s not expensive at all."

"If you don’t think it’s worth it, I can give each of you one on the house to try first. You can decide after that. How about it?"

He was confident that ninety-nine percent of people who ate his buns would be won over.

Just then, Tongtong came in with a divine assist.

With a pout and a pitiful look, she rubbed against Jiang Liu’s clothes. "Daddy, if you can’t sell the buns, we just won’t pay Tongtong’s school fees for now. It’s okay!"

"Tongtong doesn’t want to be a burden on Daddy, WAHHH..."

Jiang Liu was dumbfounded. ’My daughter is practically a demon prodigy.’

’The pressure is immense...’

The men had just reached the door when they stopped in their tracks.

They had heard her, too.

Unable to bear it, Guo Zhifei turned back to look at Tongtong and said with a frown, "Boss, I’m telling you, no matter how poor you are, you have to find a way to send your daughter to school."

Liu Xing sighed.

"Yeah, that’s right! How can you not send such an adorable little girl to school?"

"You, honestly!"

"Tongtong, don’t be afraid! Uncle will buy your buns!"

The men’s attitudes changed completely, and they turned back around.

Jiang Liu was speechless.

"Alright, let’s just eat here today."

The men sat down, still huffing a bit.

"Boss, give us ten Leek and Egg Buns, ten Three-Delicacy Buns, ten Pork and Scallion Buns... and five Shrimp and Corn Buns."

Huang Yunfeng said, looking at the price list.

"We’ll just consider it a donation to Tongtong’s school fund. It’s not because we want to eat your ridiculously expensive buns, hmph."

They had just heard Tongtong refer to herself by name.

So they began to call her that naturally.

Jiang Liu, speechless, took out the plates and started picking up the buns.

’So my buns have become a stepping stone for their charity, huh?’

Tongtong tugged on Jiang Liu’s pants, then used her little finger to point at her own grinning mouth, showing off a canine tooth.

Her face screamed, ’Praise me! Go on, praise me!’

"Yes, Tongtong, you did great."

"Hehe, Daddy is amazing too."

"Boss! Do you have anything to drink here? I don’t see anything on the blackboard."

The unkempt worker, Lü Yuan, looked up and asked.

"We don’t have any other drinks for now, but we have free boiled water that’s been cooled."

Jiang Liu replied without looking up, continuing to place buns on the plates.

"You have something for free here?"

The men looked incredulous.

They were already convinced this was a rip-off joint.

Jiang Liu walked over and placed the four plates, piled high with buns, on the table.

"Gentlemen, eat them while they’re hot."

"We don’t have any drinks like congee yet. We have cooled boiled water, and of course the water is free, so please, drink as much as you’d like. Should I bring a pitcher for you?"

"Sure, thanks. A pitcher would be great."

Jiang Liu walked away.

The men looked at the plump, white, tender-looking buns, which were steaming with a fragrant aroma, and felt a little suspicious.

"Huh? Brother Huang, these buns don’t seem like the ones I’ve had before."

"This aroma... it smells pretty good, huh?"

As Lü Yuan spoke, he tore open a packet of disposable chopsticks and couldn’t resist picking up a Three-Delicacy Bun and putting it in his mouth.

He was stunned by the first bite. The savory, fragrant juices instantly conquered his taste buds!

The savory smoothness of the shiitake mushrooms, the soft tenderness of the eggplant...

"Mmm?! Holy shit! How is this so damn delicious!"

"You guys, hurry up and try it!"

Huang Yunfeng, Guo Zhifei, Liu Xing, and Zhang Jiayi were skeptical.

"Is it really necessary to make that face? Is it that good?"

"It’s not that the bun is bad and he’s just messing with us, is it?"

Lü Yuan ignored them.

The moment he finished the first bun, he reached for a Leek and Egg Bun.

He devoured it in one bite. The crisp, tender leeks were refreshing.

The free-range eggs, prepared with a special technique, were fragrant and tender.

Seeing that Lü Yuan didn’t seem to be acting, the other four picked up buns as well, deciding to give it a try.

Guo Zhiyuan took a bite of a Pork and Scallion bun. As he ate, his expression changed. He stared in disbelief at the half-eaten bun held between his chopsticks, dripping with lard, filled with minced pork and sweet, spicy flecks of green and white scallion.

"This! How is this bun so delicious?"

While he was still in shock, the others reacted faster and had already started wolfing down the food.

’Who has time to stand around looking stupid?’

"Shut up and eat!"

"Holy shit, Xiao Liuzi, you’ve already had three! Slow down, man!"

"Damn, this Shrimp and Corn Bun’s flavor is incredible! This shrimp is insane! What kind of shrimp is this?!"

"Let me try! Goddammit, leave one for me!"

Even Huang Yunfeng lost his composure. The men fought over the food, stuffing their mouths full.

Guo Zhifei lamented as he ate:

"And to think we were complaining about the price earlier. We were fucking blind. The boss must be furious with us.

Buns this delicious must be made with quality ingredients. Take this pork—my family used to raise pigs. This pork is tender and fragrant, not greasy at all. It’s definitely tender meat from a suckling pig!"

"For real?" Lü Yuan was skeptical.

"Would I lie to you?" Guo Zhiyuan said with a serious expression.

Huang Yunfeng took a huge bite of a Shrimp and Corn Bun, then exhaled a breath of hot, fragrant air that smelled of corn and shrimp, savoring the moment.

"These buns are something else. We’ve all been eating for decades; have you guys noticed that even the dough is special?"

Liu Xing licked his lips. "Now that you mention it, you’re right. The dough is very fragrant and has a great chew. The skin on a normal bun doesn’t have this texture or aroma after being steamed."

"So, you’re saying... what the boss said earlier about it being a steal... might actually be true?"

The men looked at each other, seeing the embarrassment and shame in each other’s eyes.

They weren’t fools who couldn’t recognize quality. Of course they could tell if something was good or not.

Just then, Jiang Liu returned with a teapot and several ceramic cups.