Chapter 167 - 157: Tongtong Leaves This World

’This is an opportunity that could bring her huge profits!’

Old Xiang patted his chest and said confidently, "Don’t you worry, President Yang. I’ve been a chef for decades. How long has he been at it? He just got lucky and found a recipe somewhere. Just you wait. My first batch is almost ready. You can be the first to try it!"

Yang Yixue was still worried.

"What about the ingredients? The ones Jiang Liu used before looked to be of excellent quality."

"They were pretty good," Old Xiang said with a dismissive shake of his head. "But ours are just as good. We get them fresh from the countryside, and they’re all top-grade varieties."

"Jiang Liu’s ingredients definitely can’t be better than ours."

She didn’t say anything more.

Ten minutes later, a batch of steaming hot buns came out of the steamer.

Yang Yixue craned her neck to look into the steamer, and her expression immediately darkened. "Why are these buns twice the size?" she asked, annoyed. "Didn’t I tell you to follow the recipe one-to-one?"

Old Xiang was annoyed but explained,

"President Yang, you have to trust me. His buns are too small. If we make ours bigger, we can charge a much higher price. Customers these days like things big and delicious. Try one if you don’t believe me!"

"Really?"

"I guarantee it with my thirty years of experience!"

Half-convinced, Yang Yixue picked up a bun with her chopsticks.

It was heavy, almost too heavy to hold. ’This idiot, Old Xiang,’ she cursed inwardly.

The moment she took her first bite, Yang Yixue frowned.

"The taste is wrong!"

"Wrong?"

"Try some more, President Yang."

Yang Yixue took another bite, her face grim as she shook her head.

Old Xiang’s confidence wavered slightly. Without hesitating, he grabbed a bun with his bare hands, ignoring the heat, and took a bite.

???

’What’s going on? Why is the texture so much worse?!’

’The skin is too thick, and it’s thin in other places. The ingredients... The chives are soft and mushy, and the texture of the egg is all wrong.’

Whether it was seasonings or ingredients, Jiang Liu always used top-of-the-line products. That was why he’d felt safe giving his worst recipe to Yang Yixue. He had anticipated this exact scene.

"Old Xiang, what is wrong with you? I told you to imitate it one-to-one! What’s this ’trust me’ nonsense? Hurry up and make them again!"

Angrily, Yang Yixue threw the half-eaten bun into the trash.

’It’s disgusting. Compared to an ordinary bun, it might be twice as good, but compared to Jiang Liu’s, it’s lacking in more than just flavor. It’s not even close!’

’At best, it’s at a quarter of the quality.’

Old Xiang was baffled. In disbelief, he grabbed another bun and took a bite. It was even worse!

He began to question his life choices.

He muttered to himself, "That can’t be right. I followed the recipe exactly, just... improved it a little. How could it be so much worse? Impossible."

"What are you mumbling about?" Yang Yixue was extremely dissatisfied now and scolded him impatiently. "You’re useless! Hurry up and make another batch. This time, you must follow Jiang Liu’s recipe one-to-one. Can’t you even copy someone else’s homework?!"

"Okay, don’t worry, President Yang. I’ll get right on it."

Old Xiang lowered his head and began bitterly kneading the dough.

Water temperature, 36 degrees...

Knead, pinch, fold...

He took out his phone, mimicking Jiang Liu’s every move.

Chop the chives, quickly fry the eggs in the pan... take them out, drain the oil...

Salt... twenty grams.

The second batch came out of the steamer.

Old Xiang let out a sigh of relief.

He quickly gave one to Yang Yixue to try.

Under Old Xiang’s nervous gaze,

Yang Yixue picked up a bun that was now half the size and put it in her mouth.

"Wrong! The flavor is still wrong! Why is the texture so awful? The egg isn’t fragrant at all, and the chives... why are they mushy like mud? The juice has a raw, grassy chive taste, not that fresh fragrance like Jiang Liu’s!"

"Can you do this or not? If you can’t, I’ll find someone to replace you!"

Old Xiang was hit with a torrent of abuse.

He was getting a salary of 20,000 a month, plus five percent of the shares.

So naturally, Yang Yixue didn’t hold back.

Old Xiang still couldn’t believe it.

The third time, the texture was still wrong.

The fourth time.

The fifth time...

The eighth time.

Old Xiang was on the verge of a breakdown, his eyes shot with blood.

Yang Yixue’s stomach was about to burst, and so was her temper!

She waved her hand in frustration. "Forget it. If it’s only half as good, so be it. It’s still better than the average bun on the market. We’ll sell it like this."

Old Xiang immediately breathed a long sigh of relief.

He asked cautiously,

"President Yang, what about the price?"

Yang Yixue thought for a moment, then said casually, "Sell them for ten yuan each. And add some other dishes to the menu for tomorrow. Remember, I want the grand opening to be tomorrow!"

"We have to build our reputation quickly. I’ll keep investing in advertising."

Right now, all she wanted was to make a lot of money, crush Jiang Liu, and vent her resentment.

She couldn’t care less whether the customers were satisfied or not.

’As long as it makes money, who cares?’

’Customers are like dogs. If you make something tasty, they’ll come running with their tongues hanging out.’

"Tomorrow??"

Old Xiang blurted out in shock.

’That’s too fast.’

’We’re not ready!’

"Is tomorrow a problem?!" Yang Yixue questioned, her eyes cold.

Her tone carried a hint of a threat.

Old Xiang placed his hands by his sides and quickly lowered his head. "No problem, President Yang. I’ll get in touch with some colleagues, get the storefront set up overnight, and put some flowers by the entrance. We can definitely open tomorrow."

"But, we still have to wait for the permits, so..."

"You don’t need to worry about that. I have money, which means I can get things done quickly."

Yang Yixue gave a faint smile.

’So what if the taste is much worse?’

’So what?’

’My shop has plenty of staff, an unlimited supply of buns, and no purchase limits.’

Besides, ’I’ll just spend a little money to hire some down-on-his-luck street musician to be a resident singer. Wouldn’t that raise the class of the place?’

’Then I’ll add some other high-profit-margin items.’

’The money will definitely come pouring in!’

She couldn’t help but feel smug.

Sitting in the restaurant, Yang Yixue unzipped her bag and took out her phone.

She opened up the burner WeChat account for Jiang Liu and typed: "Your recipe is great. The test run today was very successful. Old Xiang and I are opening tomorrow on Qinghe Commercial Street. Why don’t you come by if you have time?"

She was just showing off, trying to piss Jiang Liu off.

’Who told him not to remarry me? Who told him not to give me all his recipes?’

However.

The message sent, spun for a second, and then a red exclamation mark appeared.

’I’ve been blocked again???’

Yang Yixue’s beautiful face instantly darkened.

’That dead-broke, classless piece of trash!!’

’Just you wait. One day, I’ll make you beg me to remarry you!’

Yang Yixue used Old Xiang’s phone to send Jiang Liu a text message: "Your recipe is great, works really well. My shop is officially opening tomorrow on the bustling Qinghe Commercial Street. Why don’t you come take a look if you have time?"

Message sent successfully.

...

The sky looked as if a drop of ink had fallen into it, turning it a dark, dreary gray.

The drizzling rain had temporarily stopped. A droplet of water slid off a grape leaf and splattered onto the damp earth.

Inside the shop.

Jiang Liu was slicing sashimi. The wild tuna was incredibly fresh and tender; it was delicious even without any seasoning.

His phone chimed.

Jiang Liu called out, "Tongtong, can you check Daddy’s phone for me? See if Grandma has made it home."

"Okay~~"

Tongtong put down her tablet and scampered into the kitchen.

Tool Tongtong, reporting for duty.

She expertly unlocked Jiang Liu’s phone.

Tongtong took a look.

"Daddy, there’s no red dot on Grandma’s profile picture. Ooh, but there’s a text message."

"Then read it to me," Jiang Liu said, deliberately teasing her.

"Hey! You’re a bad daddy! Should I hit you?"

Tongtong rolled her big eyes and glared at Jiang Liu.

’Stinky Daddy!’

’Bullying your little padded jacket, are you?’

’From now on, this little padded jacket won’t keep you warm!’

Jun Qingmeng walked over with a smile. "What’s wrong, Tongtong? Why the pout?"

Tongtong held up the phone, ran over, and said aggrievedly,

"Mama, Daddy’s bullying me and being mean to me, boo hoo. Can you look at this for me?"

"What is it?"

Jun Qingmeng took the phone. After reading the message, she frowned and said angrily, "Jiang Liu, I think this is from your ex-wife. She says your recipe is great and wants to invite you to her shop."

’From Yang Yixue?’

Jiang Liu didn’t even have to think about it. "Please do me a favor and block the number."

He had a girlfriend now; he had to be even more careful about keeping his distance from other women.

Especially Yang Yixue. She was so annoying.

"Mhm!"

Jun Qingmeng nodded.

’I feel so at ease, so secure.’

’My boyfriend is such a sweetheart!’

Tongtong held out her hand. "Let me do it! Tongtong wants to block her."

Jun Qingmeng said, exasperated, "You little chicken. Why didn’t you say anything when she was here?"

"You all think I’m annoying, don’t you?"

"Fine, if you think I’m annoying, then I’ll just leave your world!"

Tongtong put on her little yellow duck backpack and pretended to leave!

Hmph!

’Your little cutie is unhappy again. Quick, bring on the ice cream!’