Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Can Juice Be Delicious?
5:25 AM.
Jiang Liu arrived at Yangzhai Street.
From a distance, he could already see the long line at his door.
It was a crowd of all sorts of people.
"Daddy, lots and lots of money."
Jiang Liu flicked her little forehead and corrected her.
"Those are customers!"
"Oh."
When the crowd saw Jiang Liu, a commotion instantly broke out.
Everyone was either excited or relieved to see him.
They had been genuinely afraid Jiang Liu might have slept in.
"Boss Jiang, you’re finally here! I’m dying of hunger. I was even dreaming about your buns last night."
"I got here at four to line up! I’ve been waiting for you for over an hour!"
"Boss Jiang, hurry up, walk a little faster!"
"I want thirty buns..."
Jiang Liu and Tongtong walked unhurriedly to the entrance.
The customers saw their matching father-daughter outfits and were filled with envy.
"Tongtong is so cute. She has such a good dad."
Tongtong bowed and said in her squeaky, high-pitched voice, "Good morning, big brothers and big sisters, grandpas and grandmas."
The customers’ impatience vanished into thin air, replaced by warm smiles.
"Hahaha, I just love this little girl!"
"Hey, good morning, Tongtong."
"Good morning. Did Tongtong miss me?"
"Nope." Tongtong shook her head, her face a picture of innocence.
"What, you didn’t? I’m heartbroken!"
Sporting dark circles under his eyes from pulling an all-nighter, Jin Wei clutched his face in a show of mock sadness.
The customers waiting in line all laughed.
"Boss Jiang, when can we get some buns? I spent all night thinking about them and got in line at four."
"Yeah, I was so hungry the rocks on the ground were starting to look like buns. Just kidding, haha."
Jiang Liu rolled up the shutter door and said over his shoulder, "It’ll be about another hour, everyone. By the way, the shop opens around seven, so you don’t have to come so early next time."
As soon as he said this, the customers in line were not happy.
"I like coming early. What are you gonna do about it? You just don’t want me to get any of your buns, right?"
"I’ll come at three next time!"
"Trying to one-up me? I’ll be here at two!"
"Don’t think I don’t know—if you come late, you won’t even get a bun wrapper to eat."
"It would be great if Boss Jiang could set up a pre-order system. Even better if you did delivery. You could have Tongtong deliver to my house."
This comment earned him the scorn of the crowd. "Are you here for the buns, or are you after his daughter?"
Tongtong nervously grabbed Jiang Liu’s pant leg, watching the speaker warily. She even secretly made a goofy face at him.
"I’m not going home with you!"
This made everyone roar with laughter.
Jiang Liu flipped on the main power switch and then started kneading dough.
He didn’t try to hide it, starting his work right on one of the restaurant tables.
His swift and exquisite technique left the older folks at the door dumbfounded.
The dough in Jiang Liu’s hands seemed to have a life of its own, moving in perfect concert with him.
One moment it was a long strip, the next a perfect circle. It was folded, kneaded, and folded again, over and over.
Jiang Liu grabbed the dough, slapping and slamming it against the countertop, which rang out with a loud THWACK THWACK THWACK.
He mixed in white sugar, baking soda, yeast, and cooking oil.
After a round of pounding and folding,
ten minutes later, the large lump of dough had taken on a smooth, delicate appearance.
For Jiang Liu, kneading dough was like washing clothes by hand.
It took skill to get the clothes clean without damaging the fabric.
There were all sorts of subtle techniques you couldn’t grasp unless you’d been washing clothes for decades.
An expert and a novice could wash clothes at the same time, but there would always be a slight difference in the result.
To the people outside, it was a delightful and pleasing sight.
A woman with burn scars on her face said, "I’m truly in awe of Boss Jiang’s skill. I used to work in a handmade pastry shop—I did it for twenty years—and now, compared to Boss Jiang, I feel completely inadequate."
Someone didn’t believe her.
"Ma’am, you’re not a paid shill, are you? That’s too much of an exaggeration."
"Yeah, I can knead dough too. I mean, he’s good, but not *that* amazing, right?"
The woman was annoyed at being contradicted.
She immediately pulled out her phone and showed them photos from her old job, including one of her in her youth, holding a trophy for an honorary pastry award.
That shut everyone up.
An inexplicable sense of awe filled their hearts.
"So skilled. It’s true what they say: amateurs watch for the spectacle, but experts see the technique."
"Boss Jiang is on another level. I never thought something as simple as kneading dough could involve so many hidden techniques."
"Well, what did you expect? Why else do you think Boss Jiang’s buns are so delicious?"
"I’ve been a supporter of Boss Jiang from the very beginning."
"Quiet, let’s watch Boss Jiang work."
Tongtong really wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do, so she just paced back and forth nearby.
Just then, Wang Dongxu rode up on an electric tricycle, delivering two thousand cups.
"Brother Jiang, your delivery is here!"
That "Brother Jiang" left the customers at the door stunned.
"Isn’t that the punk who was causing trouble yesterday? How is he all buddy-buddy with Boss Jiang now?"
"Damn, and Boss Jiang didn’t even correct him. I’m so pissed!"
"You’re just jealous, aren’t you?"
"I want to get on good terms with Boss Jiang, too! And it’s not for his buns, or for his pretty daughter. I just genuinely approve of his character."
"Boss Jiang’s character is indeed good, but aren’t you afraid of getting struck by lightning for saying those first two things?"
Jiang Liu came out and, with Wang Dongxu, started moving the cups into the shop.
The older folks and many of the young men also came up to help.
But Jiang Liu turned them down.
He tried his best not to be indebted to his customers.
A sharp-eyed customer noticed the plastic cups inside a black plastic bag.
They asked in surprise, "Boss Jiang, what did you buy cups for?"
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell everyone. The shop is launching a new product today: fresh-squeezed juice. I made it all at home, so it’s clean and hygienic. It tastes great, so feel free to buy some."
After speaking, Jiang Liu turned and went back inside.
The previous buckets had been cleaned out, and he had placed two buckets of juice there.
One was Kirin watermelon juice, and the other was Venus apple juice.
However, in contrast to the calm inside the shop,
the line outside erupted into chaos.
One customer immediately made a phone call. "Mom, wake up! Boss Jiang launched a new product! It’s fresh-squeezed juice!"
"What? You want to tell your square-dancing group? Don’t! It’s first come, first served. If they all show up, we won’t get any!"
People in the long line started whispering to one another.
After all, with the precedent of his exquisite buns, could Boss Jiang’s new product possibly be bad?
Still, some customers looked skeptical.
"The buns are delicious, but that doesn’t mean the juice will be good."
They decided to wait and see.
Just then, Wang Dongxu walked out holding three cups of juice.
He had a look of pure bliss on his face as he slurped it down.
He couldn’t help but share his thoughts:
"This juice is so good! It’s so fresh, so fragrant, and so sweet!"
"Amazing. Everything Boss Jiang makes is top-notch. I feel so energized after drinking this!"
The dozens of people in line were practically squirming with impatience.
It was summer, everyone had just woken up, and they had been waiting in line.
With no other shops open, they were naturally thirsty.
They stared at the pink juice in Wang Dongxu’s hand, with bits of pulp floating in it.
