Divorced Dad's Gourmet Shop

Chapter 18: Chapter 17: Let’s Have a Good Talk Tonight

...

"Waaaaah... I hate you!"

After Jiang Liu’s "profound" guidance,

Tongtong clutched her butt and reluctantly went to school.

The kindergarten was only about a ten-minute walk from his shop.

Before leaving, Jiang Liu placed all the remaining buns on the steamer.

To prevent any accidents, he turned the heat to its lowest setting.

Even the fastest-cooking chive buns would need at least thirty minutes to be ready.

After leaving Yangzhai Street, they passed a tobacco and liquor store with a freezer full of ice cream bars by the entrance.

Jiang Liu glanced at his daughter.

He noticed her staring longingly at the ice cream freezer.

She was practically drooling.

"Want some ice cream?"

"Uh-huh!" Tongtong nodded emphatically.

"Come on, I’ll buy you one."

"Wow! Really? Thanks, Daddy!"

Jiang Liu took Tongtong’s little hand.

A minute later, Tongtong was happily licking a ten-yuan ice cream bar.

"Daddy, it’s sweet! You have a bite, too. We can share!"

"Are you sure?"

"I’m sure!"

Jiang Liu opened his "cavernous mouth" and, with one bite, devoured more than half of the creamy ice cream bar.

’Whoa! So cold on my teeth. So refreshing...’

Tongtong’s little brain couldn’t process it. She stared blankly at Jiang Liu, whose cheeks were bulging as he chewed,

then looked down at the single bite of creamy ice cream left in her hand.

Tears streamed down her face against her will.

"My ice cream! My ice cream! Waaaah... You owe me..."

Jiang Liu wasn’t the least bit worried his daughter would turn on the gas stove in the middle of the night for revenge.

He shrugged and said innocently,

"You’re the one who told me to eat it. Daddy just takes big bites. Can’t be helped."

"Hmph! I’ll make it up to you next time!"

Tongtong tearfully ate the last bite.

"Then I’ll buy you one next time,"

"I’ll bite ’oo!"

"Go ahead and bite. You bite me once, I’ll spank your butt a hundred times."

"Mean Daddy! Mean Daddy, yaaargh!"

Furious, Tongtong jumped up and down, stomping her feet hard.

The big one and the little one bickered all the way there.

Their antics drew envious glances from male passersby.

Who wouldn’t want such a cute and clever Little Princess?

Jiang Liu suddenly remembered something.

His shop was still missing a lot of disposable supplies, and he also needed to add a few more wooden tables.

Right now, there were only eight tables, and there was still some empty space in the corners.

He wanted to make use of all of it.

’Where am I supposed to buy restaurant supplies...’

Jiang Liu vigorously ruffled Tongtong’s hair, feeling a bit lost.

He was new to this business and had no resources or connections. He had to figure many things out one step at a time.

’Huh? That’s right, I’ll ask Uncle Xue. He might know something.’

At this thought, Jiang Liu felt much more relieved and quickly made a voice call.

It connected quickly.

Xue Guang’s exasperated voice came from the other end: "Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! Hey, don’t pull my hair! Xiao Jiang is on the phone!"

Jiang Liu wisely kept his mouth shut and didn’t say a word.

Tongtong covered her mouth and snickered. "The wife is hitting the husband, hehehe."

After about ten seconds, it grew quiet.

Xue Guang’s tone was a bit awkward. "Ahem, uh, Xiao Jiang, what’s up?"

His voice was very low, as if he were hiding in a corner somewhere. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Jiang Liu rubbed his nose, trying to suppress his laughter as he said,

"Uncle Xue, it’s like this: I want to buy some disposable supplies for the shop, like chopsticks, takeout boxes, plates, and things like that. I also want to buy a few more wooden tables. Do you know of any suppliers?"

"Oh? Sounds like business is good. Don’t you worry about it. I was just about to head out anyway, so I can swing by the wholesale market and grab some things for you. Don’t refuse, it’s really no trouble."

Jiang Liu was pleasantly surprised and replied happily,

"Alright then, I won’t stand on ceremony with you, Uncle Xue. Just tell me how much it costs when you’re done. I’m taking Tongtong to school right now. When I get back later, I’ll treat you and Auntie to some buns."

"Hey, great, great! I’ve been thinking about those buns of yours all night. Your Auntie was just saying she wanted to try them, too."

At the mention of buns, Xue Guang’s voice became a few shades more excited.

"Haha, I’m glad you like them. Just come find me whenever you want more..."

After a bit more casual chatting, Jiang Liu delightedly hung up the phone.

He listed the items he needed and sent them to him as a text.

’When in trouble, find Uncle Xue. He’s a real jack-of-all-trades.’

Three minutes later, after passing through a dilapidated alley,

the two of them arrived on the street where South City Kindergarten was located.

From a long way off, Jiang Liu saw Jun Qingmeng greeting students at the gate.

Today she was wearing a loose, pure white T-shirt,

that covered half of her pale thighs.

Her tall figure and long, shapely legs drew occasional furtive glances from the male parents.

As stunning and alluring as ever.

"Teacher Qingmeng! Tongtong missed you so much!"

Hearing the familiar, eager voice, frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Jun Qingmeng had just turned around when a small, fragrant figure hugged her leg.

The soft little cheek rubbed and rubbed against her.

"Wow, Teacher Qingmeng’s legs smell so nice."

The moment she said this, the surrounding men nearly started drooling, wishing they could die and take her place.

"You little perv! What nonsense are you spouting?"

Jun Qingmeng vigorously ruffled Tongtong’s hair.

Tongtong grinned and giggled.

Jiang Liu stood to the side and said,

"Sorry for the trouble, Teacher Qingmeng. Tongtong can be quite a handful."

’No, I’m not! I’m not! Daddy always says bad things about me!’

Jun Qingmeng looked up at Jiang Liu with a smile and said,

"It’s no trouble. I love my job. You’re actually on time today. How rare."

She hated unreliable men the most.

"It’s fine. I didn’t have much going on today, so I came over right away."

Jiang Liu chuckled and waved a hand. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll get going. You look busy."

Jun Qingmeng brushed her hair back, and a wave of gardenia fragrance washed over a certain someone’s face.

"Mm, go on. Go get busy."

"Daddy, remember to pick me up, okay? You can’t forget! Last time, Tongtong almost got lost!"

Tongtong ran over and hugged Jiang Liu.

She covered her mouth and said excitedly, "Daddy, I took a look for you. They’re white! And they have little hearts on them!"

Nearby, Jun Qingmeng, who was counting the children,

suddenly froze, her smile stiffening on her face.

She subconsciously pulled down her T-shirt and clamped her legs together.

Jiang Liu was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn’t think too hard about what she meant.

He gave a perfunctory reply, "Alright, I got it. We’ll talk about it tonight when we’re in bed."

Tongtong nodded vigorously. "Okay, okay, roger that!"

She then gave a cool "OK" sign.

Jun Qingmeng lost her composure. A blush spread across her face, and even the fine hairs on her arms stood on end.

’Ah... this... Did Jiang Liu put Tongtong up to this?’

’He... really wants to see my...’

"Bye-bye, Daddy! Tongtong loves you, super loves you! Remember to pick me up, pick me up!"

...

Jiang Liu left the kindergarten and hurried straight back to the shop.

He checked the buns; they still needed another ten minutes or so.

"There are only sixty of each type of bun left. That probably won’t be enough to sell. I should go home and get some more ingredients first,"

he muttered to himself.

He checked the amount of flour, oil, and other supplies in the shop and realized he had already used up most of what he bought yesterday.

He casually bought fifty jin of flour, ten liters of cooking oil, and some seasonings from the [Gourmet Album].

’I should still go through the motions of getting some ingredients from home, otherwise people might get suspicious...’

Jiang Liu walked out, intending to lock the door.