The three of them devoured their meal like a whirlwind.
They leaned back in their chairs, clutching their stomachs.
Xu Zhiwen said intermittently between burps:
"So, HIC, full. Iâm stuffed to death. If you ask me, it wouldnât be an exaggeration to sell these buns for three hundred each. And this fish... it should be at least ten thousand a plate."
Wang Han glanced at Jiang Liu, who was packing up some buns, but didnât say anything.
"Wang Han, do you know what kind of fish this is? How have I never tasted anything with this texture before?" Shi Ruining asked, puzzled.
She had been to plenty of sashimi restaurants, big and small, but she had never had raw fish this delicious.
Her heart filled with curiosity and amazement for Jiang Liu.
âWhere did this owner get such top-quality fish?â she wondered. âEven the buns and the juice are this incredible.â
Xu Zhiwen chimed in:
"Exactly! I want to know too. Iâve had tuna before, but the texture was nothing like this!"
Wang Han shook her head. "I donât know." She glanced at the two of them. "All that matters is that itâs delicious. Everything here is healthy and fresh. Why overthink it?"
The two nodded thoughtfully.
Xu Zhiwen called out politely to Jiang Liu, "Boss, could you please pack three orders of tuna for us to go?"
He had just overheard from another customer that the buns and juice had purchase limits.
It was a bit of a shame.
"Thatâll be one hundred and sixty-five yuan in total."
Jiang Liu stated the price to a customer at the window before turning his head to reply, "Sorry, the tuna is limited to one order per person, first come, first served."
He hadnât set a limit in the morning because it was the first time he was selling it and didnât know how well it would do.
But since it sold so well, he had to limit it. Otherwise, it wouldnât be fair to the other customers if one person bought thirty orders.
"Huh? A limit??"
Xu Zhiwenâs eyes went wide. "Are you a foolish boss? Youâre turning down money?"
Jiang Liu raised an eyebrow. "Whatâs it to you whether I make money or not?"
âItâs not like Iâve ever had trouble selling my food,â he thought.
Xu Zhiwen was taken aback and a little angry.
Beside him, Shi Ruining tugged at his arm.
Xu Zhiwen snapped out of it. After a momentâs daze, he quickly apologized, "Iâm sorry, Boss. Your food is just too delicious, I got carried away. What I mean is, I can give you a lot of money. Can you sell me three orders?"
"Iâll pay triple the price, how about it?"
Wang Han frowned. âWhy are my friends so reckless?â
âItâs not just embarrassing... what if this affects my relationship with Jiang Liu?â
"Forget it." Jiang Liu waved a dismissive hand, not bothering to say anything more.
The many customers at the door breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, their fondness for Jiang Liu grew.
A boss like this not only made delicious food at a fair price but also considered the average customer.
It was just a shame that Jiang Liu had removed the "Care Box," or they would have tossed him ten or twenty yuan at the very least.
Yang Tuoyang stood on her tiptoes, looked Jiang Liu in the eye, and said, "Brother Jiang, can I get fifteen buns, three cups of juice, and one order of tuna to go?"
"Sure. Iâll go get the buns. Just a moment."
Jiang Liu went into the kitchen to get the buns.
The lunch rush was as busy as ever.
Jiang Liuâs shop had even indirectly boosted the revenue of the entire street.
An old man passing by marveled to himself, "Itâs been a long time since Yangzhai Street was this lively."
ă12:35 PM.ă
The buns, juice, and tunaâall the food was completely sold out.
A warm breeze blew into the small shop, only to be consumed by the cool air from the air conditioner.
âI made over thirty thousand from the tuna alone this lunch. I might as well call it money-sucking fish instead.â
At the counter, Jiang Liu was amazed after calculating his earnings.
After deducting costs, the profit from the tuna was 31,200 yuan.
Heâd sold a thousand buns again, with the profit still just over 2,000.
The net income from the juice was 12,000.
Including the morningâs sales, his net income for the day was 115,050 yuan.
âIf I keep up this pace, I could open a new shop as early as next month,â Jiang Liu thought.
He had been entertaining this idea for a while.
The shops would have luxurious decor, and heâd train three chefs and five waiters for each one.
He would provide some of the special ingredients and seasonings.
Heâd adjust his strategy based on the situation as it developed.
As for the cooking technique, the food at the new shops might not be as good as his own.
But even if it was only thirty percent as good, it would still be profitable.
As for his main shop, he didnât need anyone else involved. It would focus solely on building a reputation for high-quality, boutique food.
Jiang Liu started cleaning up the shop.
He swept the floor, wiped the tables, and emptied the trash cans of juice bottles.
He turned off the air conditioner to let the unit rest and cool down.
The room quickly became stuffy and hot.
ăDuring this time, Xue Guang paid a visit.ă
He got his wish and finally had the wild bluefin tuna sashimi heâd been craving.
After eating it, Xue Guang was completely stunned.
Heâd been eating fish for decades, but this was the first time heâd ever had sashimi with such a sublime texture.
This was no longer just about satisfying a craving; it was a full-body, all-encompassing experience.
ăAfter he finished cleaning the shop.ă
Jiang Liuâs cheeks felt itchy as beads of sweat rolled down from his scalp.
He turned the air conditioner back on.
Following some online tutorials and adding his own improvements, he prepared a braised tuna dish in the kitchen.
The bright red fish meat was sprinkled with chopped green onions.
"Not bad. It looks okay, but I wonder how it tastes," Jiang Liu said, nodding in satisfaction.
He took a small bite.
Jiang Liu wasnât entirely satisfiedâat least by his own standards. But if this dish were served in any other famous restaurant, it would definitely be a signature item.
ăWhile he was eating.ă
Jiang Liu habitually unlocked his phone.
He glanced at WeChat and saw another message from Jun Qingmeng.
Feeling a bit helpless, Jiang Liu opened it and took a look.
Jun Qingmeng: [Photo]
Jun Qingmeng: "Are you tired? I miss you. Tongtong and I just finished eating. The little one was complaining that the food at her kindergarten is bad. Itâs all your fault. (Heh heh.)"
In the photo, Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong had their cheeks pressed together, their arms forming a heart shape.
Anyone who didnât know better would have thought they were mother and daughter.
Jiang Liu replied: "Not tired."
Closing his phone, Jiang Liu pulled down the rolling shutter door, pushed some chairs together, propped his legs up on a chair back, and lay down comfortably to enjoy a moment of peace.
He had barely closed his eyes for a moment
when his phone rang.
Jiang Liu thought it was Jun Qingmeng.
When he picked it up and looked, his expression soured as if heâd just eaten a pile of shit.
It was a call from Yang Yixueâs mother, Li Xiaoyan.
Without a momentâs hesitation, Jiang Liu rejected the call.
As for Li Xiaoyan, his former mother-in-law, he didnât have a single good feeling about her. In fact, he found her even more disgusting than Yang Yixue.
When she first moved into his house, she had been decent enough.
But after Yang Yixue borrowed money from Jiang Liuâs parents and her business took off, Li Xiaoyan became so arrogant her head was practically in the clouds, and she looked down on Jiang Liuâs family more and more.
Every day, she acted like the master of the house, ordering Jiang Liu around.
She even told Jiang Liu to his face that his parents were nobodies and that if their son hadnât married her daughter, they would have amounted to nothing their whole lives.
Her attitude made Jiang Liu sick to his stomach.
âWhen had his mother ever enjoyed a single day of luxury because of Yang Yixue?â
âIf my family hadnât lent her the money, would she be where she is today?â
Another incident had made Jiang Liu furious.
Li Xiaoyan, annoyed that Tongtong was being mischievous, had locked the child in the study.
Then, she was called away by friends to play mahjong and didnât come back until that night.
Tongtong had been left to cry in the study until her voice was hoarse.
Jiang Liu had argued with Li Xiaoyan plenty of times, but it was useless.
That woman was so thick-skinned a laser couldnât get through.
Sure enough, the phone rang again the instant he rejected the call.
Jiang Liu directly blocked and deleted the number.
Not a moment later,
his phone started vibrating again.
"What is wrong with her?"
Jiang Liu was annoyed.
He finally had a moment to rest, and now this crap was starting to bother him.
Unlocking his phone, he was somewhat surprised. It was a call from Yang Yixue.