âThere were some things that he, as a father, could never provide. What he could give, perhaps, were only a stern hand and harsh words.â
Jiang Liu pedaled his bicycle and sighed. "Tongtong, itâs not that Dad disagrees. Just think about it. Iâm a divorced man with you to take care of. I donât have a house or a car. Your Teacher Qingmeng is so beautiful, she must have tons of suitors. How could someone like her possibly be interested in me? Right now, we can still be friends. If I say something, we wonât even be able to be friends anymore."
Saddened, Tongtong bit her fingers.
"Silly Dad! You donât know! You just donât know! Teacher Qingmeng doesnât mind!"
"Youâre just a little kid who needs to count on your fingers and toes all day to figure out what thirty-five plus twenty-nine is. What could you possibly know? How could you understand an adultâs mind?"
"Hmph, thatâs not true! I know how to use a calculator!"
"Heh heh..."
"When weâve earned enough money, Dad will find a mommy for you."
ăA few minutes later.ă
The pair, one big and one small, returned home.
In a strikingly similar fashion, they both tossed their shoes by the door and then flopped lazily onto the sofa to watch SpongeBob.
Jiang Liu crossed his legs, and Tongtong copied him.
Jiang Liu propped his feet up on the coffee table, and Tongtong quickly did the same.
"Tongtong, get Dad a bottle of coke from the fridge."
"Can I have some?"
"You can have a smack."
"Then Iâm not getting it." Tongtong went back to watching TV.
"You can have some."
"Dad, your coke is here! Open it up. This is my little cup, you can just fill it up!"
Tongtong clutched her "small-sized" cup, watching with an expectant look as Jiang Liu gulped down the coke with a GLUG GLUG GLUG.
"Dad, did you hear my cup?"
"Daddy? Itâs not healthy to drink coke all by yourself. Hurry up and pour me some."
Finally, Jiang Liu had nearly finished the entire bottle of coke.
Only then did he pour Tongtong a small half-cup.
The dark red coke was still fizzing with bubbles.
Tongtong was ecstatic, carefully cradling the ice-cold paper cup.
"SLURP."
"Ahh, yummy! Coke is so yummy."
"SLURP..."
"Hehehe."
Tongtong savored it sip by sip, her big eyes squinting into thin lines.
Jiang Liu suddenly remembered he hadnât checked the systemâs backend for several hours.
âThe positive review points should be around eight or nine thousand by now, right?â
He closed his eyes in anticipation to check.
[Current Points: 13,570]
âHuh? Over ten thousand? This is way too fast.â
Jiang Liu was pleasantly surprised.
He stared at the lock on the second page.
The familiar, cold, androgynous voice rang out again!
[Spend 12,000 Points to Unlock?]
Excited, Jiang Liu didnât hesitate. "Yes, open sesame!"
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the right to purchase Apple Juice, Watermelon Juice, Kiwi Juice, and Orange Juice.]
[Note: Each liter of juice costs ten yuan.]
Below that was an introduction to the fruitsâ places of origin.
âItâs juice? Seems pretty good...â Jiang Liu read through it all in one go, marveling internally.
All four types of fruit used were high-quality products.
For example, the apples were the Venus variety. Venus apples have a rich, aromatic fragrance and a high level of sweetness in their juice. The juice pressed from them would be delicious without any added sweeteners.
The oranges were Gannan Navel Oranges from Hua Country. The pulp was plump and distinct, with an addictively sweet and sour flavor. The initial taste was slightly tart, followed by a sweetness so intense it made your tongue go soft. The orange aroma was so strong that a single orange could keep a bedroom fragrant for days.
The watermelon was top-grade Qilin Melonârefreshingly sweet, a great palate cleanser, and its juice was pink.
The kiwis were Red Star, red-hearted kiwis, rich in vitamin C and full of kiwi flavor, but very sourâthe kind of sour that gets between your teeth. For someone who loves sour flavors, one bite would send them to heaven.
Originally, Jiang Liu thought heâd have to juice them himself, but now it seemed that wasnât the case.
He could only purchase the freshly squeezed juice provided by the [Gourmet Album].
It was perfect, since Jiang Liuâs shop was lacking in beverages. Customers couldnât just eat buns and drink water. The juice would fill that gap nicely.
Next up was pricing.
For a moment, Jiang Liu couldnât decide whether to stick with his strategy of attracting customers with cheap and delicious food, or to raise the price and increase his income.
If it was cheap and tasty, he could attract more customers and build an unshakable foundation for his shop.
âOh well, Iâll think about it tomorrow.â
At his side, Tongtong was getting sleepy, yawning and dozing off.
"Dad, hurry and give me a bath so I can sleep! Iâm stinky!"
Jiang Liu replied perfunctorily, "Youâre not stinky."
"Smell me! Smell me!"
Tongtong pressed her little foot against Jiang Liuâs nose.
She nearly made his nose bleed.
Jiang Liu was suddenly wide awake, pretending to be angry as he glared at Tongtong.
"Are you trying to start a rebellion?"
"Hahaha, Daddy got stunk out!"
"Go wash yourself. How old are you that you still need me to wash you? Go on, go on, donât bother me."
"Nooo, Daddy is the best! Tongtong doesnât want to wash by herself. Tongtong is scared Brother Octopus will get her!"
"Pleeease, preeeetty please~"
"Are you tired of me, Daddy?"
"Waaah, you wonât give me a bath, youâre tired of me."
Jiang Liu was speechless.
"Alright, stop the drama. Iâll give you a bath."
"Yay! Daddy, I love you sooo much."
"Tongtong will wash Daddy all clean too! Yay!"
Tongtong happily jumped up and knelt on Jiang Liuâs stomach.
Jiang Liu: ...
Soon, the two of them finished their baths.
Jiang Liu lay in bed, planning their wonderful future.
"Tomorrow I can launch the new products. I wonder how many customers the fresh juice will win over..."
"What price should I set... Ten yuan for 500 milliliters? Bullshit, thatâs too cheap. Cheaper than even the most rock-bottom places. Thirty yuan?..."
Tongtong was lying on Jiang Liuâs chest, scrolling through TikTok on his phone.
One moment sheâd be covering her mouth in suspense, the next sheâd be slapping Jiang Liuâs thigh and laughing out loud.
After a while, she saw a video about a girl who had run away from home and suddenly asked Jiang Liu, "Daddy, will you ever get tired of me? Will there be a day when youâre just... tired of me?"
"Of course not. Why would I get tired of you? Youâre my daughter. I canât even spoil you enough. Donât be scared."
Jiang Liu stroked Tongtongâs soft hair.
Tongtong snuggled closer into Jiang Liuâs embrace. Her heart ached for him as she gently caressed his face.
"Dad, I feel like you work so hard. If I were a grown-up, you wouldnât have to be so tired."
âA daughter really is the best,â Jiang Liu thought with emotion. He smiled and said, "If you were a grown-up, you could earn money to protect Dad."
Lying in his arms, Tongtong shook her head.
"No, Dad. By the time Iâm a grown-up, youâll definitely have saved up lots and lots of money. Then Iâll take you traveling."
"That way you wonât have to work so hard, Dad."