Divorced Dad's Gourmet Shop

Chapter 220: Chapter 220: High Customer Demand Near the New Shop?

She was carrying several bags as she watched Jiang Liu up ahead, still receiving gifts.

A thousand thoughts raced through her mind.

’What’s the deal with Jiang Liu?’

’Why is he like some big shot on an inspection tour the moment he steps outside? He gets gifts wherever he goes.’

’The thing is, the people giving him gifts look totally happy about it, even desperate for him to take them.’

"Mengmeng, did your boyfriend save the world or something?" Guo Jia couldn’t help but whisper.

Jun Qingmeng huffed proudly.

She lifted her fair chin and said, "Nope. My boyfriend is just a good cook, a good person, and handsome, that’s all. Everyone just wants to show him their appreciation. It’s like this every day; you get used to it."

Guo Jia: ????

She pursed her lips.

"Look at that smug look on your face. If you had a tail, it’d be sticking up higher than Jiang Liu himself right now."

"If I had a tail, only Jiang Liu would be allowed to see it."

"Fuck! You’re so hopelessly love-struck!"

Guo Jia was completely speechless.

Her best friend was a hopeless case.

Back at their parking spot. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Jiang Liu opened the trunk and stuffed the pile of things inside.

Tongtong climbed into the back seat, comfortably propping her legs up as she licked her ice cream bar.

"Daddy, this is so comfy! Now that we have Uncle Che, we can go home and relax with ice cream every day. Hehe, this is the best."

Jun Qingmeng, sitting in the passenger seat, squeezed Jiang Liu’s arm. "Jiang Liu, is your arm sore? If it is, I can drive."

"It’s not sore. You should lie back and get some sleep," Jiang Liu said with a smile.

Starting the car, Jiang Liu casually put on the song "Exclusive Memory."

The speakers in the domestic car were decent—loud, but not harsh.

It was very pleasant to listen to.

Besides the music, the only other sound in the car was Tongtong slurping her ice cream bar.

As they drove past the food street, it was a blur of neon lights where many young punks and delinquent girls loitered. The air was filled with drunken shouts and hysterical crying.

It was a world away from the quiet, warm atmosphere inside the car.

With all the stalls crowding the food street, it took Jiang Liu ten minutes just to drive through.

"We should take a detour next time," Jiang Liu said. "This street is too narrow."

"Okay! Whatever you say, I’m good with it," Jun Qingmeng said, looking at Jiang Liu with a sweet, compliant expression.

Guo Jia was hit by another unexpected public display of affection.

Listening to the sappy love song filling the car, Guo Jia couldn’t take it anymore.

"Hey, hey, hey! Can you guys change the song? I don’t want to listen to love songs!"

No one paid her any mind... Jun Qingmeng curled her legs up, propped her chin on her knees, and simply watched Jiang Liu drive.

Tongtong was absorbed in her ice cream bar.

Jiang Liu was thinking about the layout for the new shop.

Guo Jia: ... ’Birds of a feather really do flock together, huh?’

Before long, Jiang Liu turned left at a traffic light in the middle of Huaidong Road, entering an alley about ten meters wide. The first things they saw were a fruit stand under a utility pole and a Tianlala drink shop.

The alley was lined with businesses, and since it wasn’t far from the food street, it attracted a lot of young people at night.

He found a spot and squeezed the car in.

The four of them got out of the car. Jiang Liu held Tongtong, who was now licking her empty popsicle stick.

Jiang Liu used his phone to navigate to "Delicious and Affordable Pickled Fish." The breakfast shop was right next to it.

After walking for a minute, Jiang Liu saw Wang Cheng and his friend, Liu Yang.

The corner of Liu Yang’s mouth twitched. He was practically traumatized by Jiang Liu; ever since their last handshake, he never wanted to shake hands with anyone again.

’It was too painful!’

Wang Cheng greeted them. "Boss Jiang, you made it."

"Sorry for the trouble today, Lawyer Wang." Jiang Liu smiled and walked over quickly, handing Wang Cheng two bags.

Inside was a portion of wild tuna sashimi, complete with wasabi and a secret-recipe soy sauce, thirty steamed buns, and three bottles of juice.

Taking the bags, Wang Cheng felt their considerable weight and almost laughed out loud.

’Looks like at least twenty buns, plus the tuna. I’ll have to take this home to share with my wife.’

"Hahaha, you’re too kind! No need for formalities. Come on, Boss Jiang, let’s go see the shop first so we don’t waste any time."

He was in a hurry to get home to the delicious food.

Liu Yang swallowed hard off to the side. He decided that once this was all over, he had to get at least ten of those buns from Wang Cheng to satisfy his craving.

"Okay. Let’s take a quick look so we can all head home and rest."

The group of five walked into the shop together. Tongtong, nestled in Jiang Liu’s arms, looked around curiously.

Besides her kindergarten and Yangzhai Street, the little one hadn’t been to many other places.

Jiang Liu was also surveying the premises.

The floor was covered with beige tiles, the walls were paneled in orange, and the suspended ceiling was white. The main dining area was large and L-shaped. Further inside was the kitchen, which had a meter-wide service window.

In short, the shop was bright and airy, not dim, and the decor was modern and tasteful.

At that moment.

A plainly dressed woman in her fifties who was already in the shop stood up.

She was short and thin, with salt-and-pepper hair.

Lou Shuzhen forced a smile and spoke. "Lawyer Wang, which one is the buyer?"

Her gaze instinctively settled on Jiang Liu. Everyone was gathered around him, creating the subtle impression that he was the center of the group.

Wang Cheng smiled and gestured toward Jiang Liu. "Allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Jiang."

"Hello, Mr. Jiang. You’re very handsome. And this must be your wife beside you? She’s beautiful."

A look of envy crossed Lou Shuzhen’s face. The whole family was so attractive, and they all wore such happy smiles.

’Compared to her own miserable life, their happiness was almost painful to see.’

"Hello." Jiang Liu nodded but said nothing more.

’As the buyer, and with a lawyer present, there’s no need for me to say much.’

’Once I buy the property, we’ll have no reason to interact again.’

"Let’s all have a seat."

Everyone sat down.

Lawyer Wang folded his hands on the table and said with a smile:

"Ms. Lou, I believe you know my master. He’s helped you in the past. This Mr. Jiang is someone that even my master holds in high regard. With that in mind, could you perhaps be a bit more flexible on the selling price?"

Lou Shuzhen glanced at Jiang Liu, surprised.

’Xia Changzhi isn’t just a well-known senior lawyer in South City; he’s famous throughout all of Hua Country.’

’And he respects this young man?’

Still, she shook her head. "I’m sorry. One point one million. I can’t go any lower."

Wang Cheng persisted with a smile. "I think you can go a little lower. How about a flat nine hundred thousand? We can pay today."

Lou Shuzhen frowned. The offer of same-day payment was tempting, but the price was too low.

’If I weren’t in such a hurry to sell, I could get one and a half million for this place.’

"One million. That’s my final offer. If you want it, pay today. If not, I’ll sell it to someone else."

Wang Cheng was about to argue further.

But Jiang Liu held up a hand to stop him. "How about this? Let me take a look around the place first. We can continue this after I’m done."

"Ms. Lou, would it be all right for me to look around?"

"Of course. Look anywhere you’d like."

Jiang Liu got up. They had been sitting near the entrance.

He walked further inside. He counted twenty-five tables in total, a mix of large and small ones, all arranged against the walls to maximize the use of space.

He entered the kitchen.

The kitchen was rectangular, about twenty square meters in size.

There was a brand-new sterilizer cabinet, a dishwasher, an eight-burner stove, and a silver refrigerator in the middle of the room. The setup around the refrigerator was comprehensive and well-equipped.

Deeper inside, there was also a small storage room.

Overall, the layout was rational, with clearly demarcated areas for storage, prep, and washing.

Jiang Liu then opened a popular food delivery app and did a search.

Sanmi Porridge Shop (2,658 reviews, 5 stars)

Miaomiao Breakfast Shop (9,546 reviews, 4.5 stars)

There were two other breakfast shops nearby, and both seemed to be doing a roaring trade.

They also sold items like steamed buns, congee, and soy milk.

Their business model was not much different from what he was planning.

He scrolled through the reviews,

and Jiang Liu was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was significant customer demand in the area.

Many of the reviews were five-star ratings paired with dissatisfied comments.

For example, people complained about being tired of the food.

Or that it wasn’t very tasty.

Or that they’d bitten down on something hard.

’What did the five-star ratings mean? It meant the customers had a love-hate relationship with these shops. They didn’t want to eat there, but with no other breakfast options nearby and delivery being too expensive—who can afford delivery for every meal?—they had no other choice.’

’Looks like the pie in this neighborhood is pretty big...’