Chapter 57: The Tangible Dao Valley

Jiang Liu slept until three o’clock.

When he opened his eyes, Tongtong was sprawled on top of him, wrapped in a blanket and fast asleep.

He carefully moved her to the side.

After brushing his teeth and washing his hands, Jiang Liu went to the kitchen to prepare the fillings.

This afternoon’s batch was another eight hundred buns, which meant about twenty pounds of filling—not too much.

He had already left two jugs of juice at the shop, storing them in the cooler.

Jun Qingmeng, hearing him stirring, came out of her room and stretched.

Her round, firm bust strained against her top, threatening to burst.

She was like a large, ripe apple, about to split open under the scorching sun.

"You’re awake? Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?"

Jiang Liu, who was squatting by the kitchen door shucking corn, glanced up and spoke casually.

’He felt their relationship was growing more comfortable and harmonious.’

"I’m done sleeping. If I sleep too much now, I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Besides, I’m not a kid."

"Where’s Tongtong?"

"Still eating fried chicken in her dreams."

To demonstrate, Jiang Liu held up an ear of corn and pretended to gnaw on it.

That made Jun Qingmeng laugh.

Her affection for Jiang Liu was growing deeper and deeper.

She walked over and casually squatted down across from Jiang Liu. They started chatting about Tongtong’s funny antics as they both shucked corn.

When she heard Jiang Liu recount the story of Tongtong secretly peeing in the bathtub and the mortified look on her face when he "ordered" her to practice her submarine dives...

Jun Qingmeng doubled over with laughter.

She was like a rose blooming in the sun.

Since Jun Qingmeng was wearing a skirt and squatting right across from him...

’The pressure on Jiang Liu was immense. Every so often, he’d catch a glimpse of the scenery in the Dao Valley.’

’She’s a grown woman, but she still dresses in such a cutesy style...’

"Do you like to fish?" Jun Qingmeng asked.

"It’s alright. Tongtong loves it, so I’ve taken her a few times."

"How about we go night fishing tonight?"

Jun Qingmeng asked, her beautiful eyes fixed on his.

Fishing was just an excuse, but it was true that night fishing appealed to most men.

Jiang Liu was definitely tempted.

Most men enjoyed this kind of activity, and besides, Tongtong loved seeing little fish.

"Sounds good. I haven’t taken Tongtong out for fun in a while. How about we go this evening after we sell all the buns?"

"We’ll bring a small grill and some seasoning. We can cook whatever we catch right there."

"Mhm! Okay! Whatever you say." Jun Qingmeng nodded eagerly, biting her lip as she shot Jiang Liu a happy glance.

Just as they finished preparing the fillings...

Tongtong woke up and began to groggily feel around the bed.

Her first instinct was to find her dad.

"Daddy, Daddy, where’d you go!"

The little girl always felt a bit insecure right after waking up.

"Tongtong, I’m out here."

Jiang Liu called back.

Tongtong came out, rubbing her drowsy eyes.

She held out her arms. "Daddy, carry me."

Amused, Jiang Liu picked her up and gave her a playful pat on the butt.

Tongtong puckered her lips and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"MWAH! That’s your reward!"

"Teacher Qingmeng, come quick! Tongtong has a reward for you, too."

"MWAH! Teacher Qingmeng, your face smells so good!"

Jiang Liu feigned anger. "So you’re saying Daddy stinks?"

"Giggle giggle... Daddy’s jealous!"

The three of them were huddled close, creating a warm and tender scene.

Jun Qingmeng and Jiang Liu’s eyes met for a moment. She quickly averted her gaze from his questioning look.

「Four o’clock.」

Jiang Liu headed out with the other two.

The amount of filling wasn’t huge, so they could just carry it. That’s why he hadn’t taken his bicycle this afternoon.

Jiang Liu decided he would go pick out a car tomorrow or the day after.

’Not having a car is such a pain.’

At four o’clock, the sun was no longer scorching, leaving only the warmth of its fading light.

The trio walked in the shade cast by the eaves of the buildings and soon arrived at the shop’s entrance.

A crowd of seniors and young office workers was already lined up at the door.

There were about forty or fifty people in all!

What was most astonishing was that there were even two small tents pitched in the middle of the queue.

They had practically moved in.

Seeing Jiang Liu’s leisurely arrival, the customers’ tempers flared, and they started making passive-aggressive remarks:

"Well, look who finally decided to show up. Have a nice nap?"

"Get in there and steam those buns! If they’re not ready in an hour, this aunty is going to lose it!"

"Oh, if it isn’t Boss Jiang? Are you back from your honeymoon?"...

Faced with the customers’ snide remarks...

Jiang Liu could only explain helplessly, "I’m not slacking off. I work from dawn till dusk. I just take a two-hour break in the afternoon to rest and prepare the next batch of fillings."

The older women huffed and turned away, their expressions clearly saying, "I don’t want to hear it."

Jiang Liu suddenly had the strangest feeling,

He felt like a little fat sheep, penned in by a pack of hungry wolves and forced to produce lamb after lamb.

Jiang Liu had Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong sit off to the side.

He’d ask them for help once things got busy.

Jiang Liu expertly flipped the main power switch, kneaded the dough, and set it aside to rise.

The dough would ferment quickly in the hot weather.

「Five o’clock.」

Xue Guang rushed in, flustered. "Jiang Liu, this is bad! Look at this!"

He held his phone in front of Jiang Liu.

"What’s wrong?"

"You’ll know when you see it."

Jiang Liu set down the bun he was folding and leaned over curiously to look at the phone.

On the screen was a WeChat group chat.

[Jiujiu Restaurant Discount Group]

Announcement: Anyone who joins this group gets a discount!

Our buns are absolutely delicious—the best of the best!

Shrimp and Corn Buns: 3 yuan each!!

Chive and Egg Buns: 1.5 yuan each!!

Three-Delicacy Buns: 1.5 yuan each!!

Pork and Scallion Buns: 1.5 yuan each!!

All Juices: Only 10 yuan!!

Cheaper and tastier than certain *other* shops! Don’t just think about it, come on down and join Jiujiu!

...

Xue Guang said coldly, "It just opened across the street. His shop is practically identical to yours. That fucking shameless bastard!!"

"He’s trying to steal your customers with lower prices! It’s a classic case of undercutting you."

"I saw some shifty-looking guys hanging around before. They even sent people to buy your food. They were trying to steal your methods!"

Jun Qingmeng frowned worriedly. "That person is so malicious! As soon as they saw you making money, they started playing dirty!"

Both of them were indignant on Jiang Liu’s behalf.

Tongtong asked in her small, sweet voice, "Daddy, what’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing, Tongtong, go and play."

Jiang Liu shook his head.

He wasn’t the least bit concerned about these pathetic clowns.

He had considered this possibility from the very first day. If his business did well, would people try to copy him? The answer was, of course, yes. It was the same in every line of work, no exceptions.

But he wasn’t worried in the slightest. Anyone trying to imitate his buns was just asking to become a joke.

Tongtong tried to comfort him. "Daddy, don’t be sad. We’ll just take our time, one step at a time. We don’t need to make that much money. Tongtong doesn’t like spending money anyway."

Jiang Liu lovingly stroked her little head.

"You’re so smart. Don’t you worry, Daddy’s not in a rush."

He smiled at Xue Guang. "Don’t pay them any mind. All I need to do is focus on my own business. Doing what you’re supposed to do, and what you’re good at—that’s more important than anything else."

"A lot of the time, people get fixated on the wrong things. The more anxious and angry you get, the more you let others trample all over you. So, we just need to keep a level head and take things at a steady pace. Some messes clean themselves up."

Jun Qingmeng’s brow unfurrowed. Her gaze softened as she watched the unfazed Jiang Liu.

’She was filled with admiration and pride.’

’This was the man she’d set her sights on.’

’You could always see something different in him. He stood out in a crowd, shining so brightly it was almost blinding.’

Jiang Tongtong nodded. "That’s what I meant, too."

It was a moment of sudden realization for Xue Guang as well.

’He suddenly felt that despite being in business for so long, his understanding couldn’t compare to Jiang Liu’s clarity.’

’That’s right. Isn’t the essence of business just to satisfy your customers?’

’Compared to all the scheming and backstabbing, focusing on your own work was the only way to sit securely on the fishing platform.’

"That business philosophy of yours... I’ve got a lot to learn. You’re really something else!"

Xue Guang looked at Jiang Liu, his face full of admiration.

They chatted for a little while longer before Xue Guang left.