Chapter 174 - 164: Yangzhai Street is Bustling

Meanwhile.

That night, Jiang Liu’s social media account nearly exploded.

Every customer who had joined the group chat was excitedly discussing whether tomorrow’s new dish would be as good as the previous three.

Opinions in the group gradually became polarized.

Some blindly defended Jiang Liu, while others took a more conservative, wait-and-see approach.

After all, beef and potato stew was a common dish. Most of the beef on the market came from feedlot cattle, so it was rare to find a truly delicious version.

It was a restless night for Jiang Liu’s fans...

...

「The next morning.」

Jiang Liu, full of vigor, tumbled out of bed.

He pulled open the curtains. There was no sun as he’d imagined; the complex courtyard was pitch black.

"Ooh~"

Jiang Liu stretched languidly.

"Another beautiful day." ’Hmm? I feel even more excited than usual today... What’s going on?’

He could feel his abundant physical strength, the kind of energy that made him feel like he could work on an assembly line for twenty-four hours straight.

Jiang Liu’s expression turned odd. ’It feels like I’m evolving in a certain direction.’

"Ah, Daddy! Daddy, where are you?"

The room was dark, with no lights on.

Tongtong had been sleeping, but she suddenly couldn’t feel Jiang Liu next to her and began searching frantically all over the bed.

"You’re awake? I’m right here. Are you still sleepy? If you are, you can sleep a little longer. I’ll carry you to wash your face in a bit."

Jiang Liu sat back down on the bed and took his daughter’s soft little hand.

Ever since his divorce from Yang Yixue, the two of them had relied on each other, sharing a deep love.

And Tongtong had grown even more attached to Jiang Liu.

Hearing Jiang Liu’s voice, Tongtong immediately sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "I’m not sleepy, Daddy," she said, clearly in a bad mood. "Can you help me put on my pants? I want to brush our teeth together."

A short while later, the two of them were ready.

Jiang Liu left the house pulling a small cart, while Tongtong, with her little backpack on, helped push from behind.

Today, Jun Qingmeng was wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt, loose black pants, and a pair of silver heart-shaped earrings.

Her aura was as outstanding as ever; she would shine brightly even in a crowd of women.

"Good morning, boyfriend. Did you dream of me?"

"No."

Jiang Liu answered truthfully.

Jun Qingmeng’s smile froze. She turned her head away, refusing to look at Jiang Liu.

’My boyfriend is so infuriating,’ she thought.

"Mommy, give me a hug."

Tongtong wasn’t in high spirits.

She had to go to kindergarten today, and the little academic was annoyed.

The two of them were clingy for a while.

A short while later, after they finished buying groceries, Jiang Liu drove to Yangzhai Street.

He was a little surprised to see Yangzhai Street bustling so early in the morning.

"It’s so lively today."

"Are all these people here for your food?"

Jun Qingmeng was inwardly astonished. She hadn’t expected her boyfriend’s new dish to attract so many people this early in the morning.

Before the sky had even brightened, many shops on Yangzhai Street had already turned on their lights.

Today was the day Boss Jiang released a new permanent menu item, and perceptive shop owners had already guessed it would be a huge draw, opening early to cash in.

As it turned out, their decision was absolutely correct.

The customers, coming and going, greeted one another.

"Uncle Niu, aren’t you supposed to be on cleaning duty? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing opening up so early?"

Uncle Niu, smoking a hand-rolled cigarette, glanced at the owner of Yuzu Hall as if he were an idiot.

’Isn’t that an obvious question?’ He was on Yangzhai Street for Boss Jiang’s food, of course.

Suddenly, someone at the front of the line shouted.

"Look, Lazy Jiang is here!"

"Where?"

"Fuck, I see him! Boss Jiang is finally here to open up."

"Holy shit, I’ve been waiting for six hours. I’m freezing to death."

"Don’t block the way! Make room for Brother Jiang, he’s still got to work for us."

Most of the customers near the front of the line had dark circles under their eyes and looked completely drained.

It couldn’t be helped.

The competition was just too intense.

Boss Jiang’s food was famously delicious and inexpensive. With a new permanent item on the menu today, everyone wanted to be the first to try it.

If you managed to eat it early, you’d definitely be the envy of everyone else. What a way to show off!

If you could even get a portion to go, someone would immediately be begging to buy it off you.

Jiang Liu’s car pulled into a parking spot without any obstruction.

Chu Songrong had also rushed over in a mad panic early in the morning.

Right now, he was squatting in front of Xue Guang’s entrance with a grim look on his face.

He thought arriving at five o’clock would be early enough, but when he got there, the line was already over two hundred people long.

"Boss Jiang’s food is even more captivating than I imagined..."

He sighed.

Chu Songrong glanced at Wu Lingling, who was around fiftieth in line, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

’Good thing one of the ’cubs’ from my hospital came early,’ he thought. ’Maybe he can buy a serving of the yak, potato, and mushroom soup for me to try!’

Jiang Liu pulled his small cart, walking over from the parking spot under the eager, excited gazes of the crowd.

Chairman Zhang from Xinxiang City had also arrived too late to get a spot in line. He approached with a broad smile, extending his hand.

"Boss Jiang, let me help you push that. I’m fast."

"No need, I’ve got it."

Jiang Liu didn’t want to trouble others.

"It’s no problem, no problem at all! It’s just a small gesture. You should save your energy for making buns."

Seeing this shameless fellow, the other disgruntled customers who hadn’t gotten a spot in line also pushed forward to help.

They were all trying to get noticed by Boss Jiang and rack up some brownie points.

"Make some room! I’ll help push too. We need to get Boss Jiang to work as soon as possible."

"Get out of the way! You’re skinny as a twig, what strength do you have? Don’t you dare drop Brother Jiang’s ingredients on the ground."

"Holy shit, are you kidding me? Eight people pushing one cart?"

An uninformed passerby who had joined the crowd looked on, completely shocked.

’What the hell is going on?’

’Instead of sleeping in, they all run to Yangzhai Street to wander around?’

’They must be crazy. This is ridiculous.’

Jiang Liu took out his key, inserted it into the lock, and with a crisp CLICK, the lock opened.

That sound echoed in the hearts of the customers.

’What a truly invigorating sound!’ they thought.

He pulled up the rolling shutter door.

The first thing Jiang Liu saw was a meter-high pressure cooker sitting at the entrance.

He wasn’t surprised. He stepped forward and touched the cool stainless steel, a sense of reassurance washing over him.

"Whoa! Why is there such a huge bucket here?"