Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Delinquent Youths
"Daddy, is this the place where we’re going to make money?"
"Mhm, it is."
Jiang Liu gave a small smile and patted Tongtong’s head.
He was about to take out his keys,
when Tongtong beat him to the door.
Today, Tongtong was wearing a cartoon frog T-shirt and denim overalls, looking incredibly cute.
"You’ve worked hard, Daddy. Let me help you open the door!"
Jiang Tongtong turned her head and gave him an "OK" sign. Then she bent over, stuck her bottom out, gritted her little teeth, and tried to lift the roll-up door with all her might.
"HEAVE—" ...
The roll-up door didn’t budge an inch.
"Hold on, Tongtong’s gonna use her full strength now!"
"Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Tongtong mimicked the gesture, spitting into her palms.
"HEAVE—!"
"Hah! Is it rusted shut?"
Half a minute later.
Tongtong’s lip trembled as she looked at Jiang Liu with her big, blinking eyes and said pitifully,
"Daddy, I have some bad news. The door is broken."
"I see. Let me take a look."
Jiang Liu nodded silently. He really wanted to laugh, but he held it in.
He took the key from his pocket, turned it with a CLICK, and with a casual lift, the roll-up door slid open.
"??" Tongtong stood there, dumbfounded as if struck by lightning. ’Why didn’t you say so earlier? Why didn’t you say so earlier!’
"Ahem, let’s go. I’ll show you Daddy’s food workshop."
Tongtong clenched her little fists and stared down at her little shoes, her face hidden in shadow, her expression unreadable.
Jiang Liu first flipped on the main breaker.
Then, he put the bags of ingredients into the refrigerator and started to knead the dough.
His technique was skilled and fast.
Five minutes later.
Once the dough was kneaded, he left it to rise. The fermentation time was usually about an hour, depending on the temperature. Since it was summer, Jiang Liu checked the thermometer and set a timer for fifty-one minutes.
He began to prepare the fillings.
First, he scrambled the eggs until they were fragrant.
Then, he chopped them together with the five-color chives and mixed in the appropriate ancient-recipe seasonings...
He worked with the speed and ferocity of a tiger.
Time was tight. He had just finished wrestling with the dough,
and now he had to prepare eleven pounds of filling.
Since it was their first day, Jiang Liu was a little nervous, and he was soon covered in sweat from the rush.
Tongtong also bustled about, following at his heels.
Her little face was flushed with excitement.
’This is for helping Daddy make money! Oh, right, I also have to watch him! Can’t let some bad woman trick him and lead him astray!’
"Daddy, put down the mushrooms! I’ll wash them!"
"Daddy, please move aside! I can do it! I’ll peel the scallions."
"Daddy, stop getting in the way! Let me do it!"
"Ah! Daddy, put down that eggplant! I’ll peel it!"
...
Finally, with Tongtong’s "help," Jiang Liu was thrown into a state of utter confusion.
He had originally planned to open at five-thirty.
But they were delayed until five-fifty.
Jiang Liu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
His own daughter was trying to help with the best of intentions, and he couldn’t just refuse her kindness.
By now, the back kitchen was filled with fragrant aromas.
Jiang Liu had four stove burners going, with two steamer baskets on each.
They were all steamed and ready. There were still some uncooked buns, which he planned to steam after the first batch sold out.
Otherwise, if they sat on the stove for too long, they would get soggy.
"Daddy, aren’t I a hard worker?"
Tongtong’s little face, hair, and clothes were all smudged with flour and water stains, with a few vegetable leaves stuck to her for good measure.
"Not bad at all. You’re amazing, Tongtong. Without you, Daddy would probably still be scrambling."
Jiang Liu praised her, though his words didn’t quite match his thoughts.
Tongtong’s cute face immediately beamed, and her faint, willow-like eyebrows couldn’t help but twitch a few times with delight.
"Of course! But Daddy’s pretty great too, hehe."
Even though she said that, Tongtong didn’t really think her daddy was all that great. This time, she deserved most of the credit!
Jiang Liu gave a noncommittal nod.
He glanced at the time. 5:56.
He brought out four of the steamer baskets and placed them on the glass sales counter at the entrance.
At this time of day, you could see the sunlight hitting the apartment buildings at the end of the street, the light glinting off their windows.
The street was already sparsely dotted with commuters on their way to work, students, and teenagers who had just finished their online gaming sessions.
"Tongtong, come try Daddy’s buns."
"Okay, okay! Let me try, quick!"
Hearing there was food, Tongtong’s eyes lit up, and she stared at the steamer baskets in anticipation.
"GRUMBLE..."
Her stomach rumbled on cue.
Her little face turned red. "Daddy, the buns smell so good."
From the four huge, truck-tire-sized steamer baskets under the glass counter, Jiang Liu picked out four plump, white buns from each.
They were scorching hot and soft and bouncy to the touch.
He placed the platter on the table.
"Wow, it smells so, so good! Daddy, can I eat now?"
Tongtong sucked on her chopsticks, smacking her lips.
"Go ahead. Daddy will make you as many as you want to eat."
Jiang Liu pushed the platter toward Tongtong and sat down as well.
Tongtong eagerly grabbed a bun and stuffed it into her mouth.
Jiang Liu glanced at the pattern on top and knew it was a Three-Delicacy Bun.
Besides the seasonings, this one contained mushrooms, eggplant, and pork.
"Ow! Hot, hot!"
Tongtong took a forceful bite.
The skin of the bun was fluffy yet chewy, with the natural, fresh aroma of flour. It was soft and scorching hot.
She swallowed and chewed.
The soft eggplant enveloped the fragrant, tender pork.
It melted in her mouth. The unique, savory aroma of the soft-cooked eggplant mixed with the juices of the pork, bursting to fill her entire mouth.
Inside, there were also savory, springy mushrooms.
It was savory and fragrant amidst the scalding heat, with a hint of fresh sweetness within the saltiness.
"Eat slowly, don’t burn your mouth."
Jiang Liu watched his little treasure dotingly.
"Not hot! So yummy! It’s so yummy!"
"This is the first time I’ve ever eaten such a delicious bun! Daddy is the best!"
Tongtong’s eyes shone as she ate, her mouth full of savory juices.
As she ate, she gave Jiang Liu a thumbs-up.
Seeing his daughter gobbling down her food, Jiang Liu’s own appetite was stirred. He picked up a Chive and Egg Bun.
He took a bite and was conquered all over again.
Even though he had eaten the Shrimp and Corn Buns yesterday and built up some resistance,
this was a completely different experience.
The first-cut five-color chives were crisp and refreshing, completely lacking the mushiness of ordinary chives after being steamed.
Amidst the crispness, the unique, fragrant juice of the chives flowed into his mouth—scalding hot and incredibly satisfying!
The chive buns sold at other shops,
use the most common type of chives, and never the first cut.
The eggs are also from factory-farmed chickens.
The next flavor to erupt was the soft, tender, free-range egg. Compared to ordinary eggs, these free-range ones were not only more fragrant but also carried a unique milky aroma. It was faint, but that subtle, hazy flavor was precisely the point!
The duo, one big and one small, swept through the buns on the table.
The Pork and Scallion Bun.
Because it used the most tender meat from a free-range suckling pig and the sweet-yet-spicy Thousand-Year Scallions, the flavor instantly crushed every other pork and scallion bun he had ever eaten!
One bite, and the searing hot meat juices exploded. The pork was tender and soft, paired with the crisp, zesty Thousand-Year Scallions—it was simply divine!!
"So fragrant, so yummy."
Tongtong leaned back in her chair,
patting her round belly with her eyes blissfully closed, her eyelashes resting on her lower eyelids.
’Her daddy was simply the best! She loved him so much!’
Jiang Liu brought his daughter a cup of boiled mountain spring water.
Tongtong took a sip and let out a satisfied burp.
"This water is a little sweet. Daddy, did you put sugar in it?"
"It’s mountain spring water. It has its own natural sweetness."
"Wow, that’s amazing!"
"Daddy, I want to eat more, but... Tongtong is full."
Tongtong patted her tummy and pouted.
"No rush. Your dad sells buns for a living. Do you think I’d ever let you go without one?"
"Hehe, that’s true. After eating Daddy’s buns, I don’t even want fried chicken anymore."
"I’ll flick your little head. If you eat too much fried chicken, you’ll get worms in your body!"
Jiang Liu even made a gesture as he spoke.
"This long!"
"Eek!" Tongtong was so scared her face turned pale. "I won’t eat it! I won’t! From now on, I’ll only eat Daddy’s food."
The time was now 6:06.
A sanitation worker in a red uniform slowly rode past the entrance on a tricycle.
They had already finished their shift.
Even the sliced-noodle shop next door was already bustling with people.
Jiang Liu had only just discovered that the noodle shop next door also sold breakfast in the morning.
’How cunning.’
They sold breakfast in the morning and then switched to sliced noodles after noon.
"Daddy, why isn’t anyone coming?!"
Tongtong stood at the entrance, anxiously watching the pedestrians who occasionally passed by.
Some went to the breakfast shop farther away, while others went next door.
"It’s okay, Tongtong, don’t worry. It’s our first day. How could we expect a huge crowd? It’s not like your dad is some kind of celebrity."
"That’s true, that’s true. Then let’s wait."
Jiang Liu grabbed a few more buns and started eating.
The fragrance filled his mouth the moment he took a bite.
There was none of the harsh, stimulating taste of artificial additives.
Just gentle, delicious flavor!
Jiang Liu squeezed the soft, hot bun in his hand and suddenly realized something.
’These things seem to be addictive. I just ate until I was full, but in just a short while, I feel like I’ve already digested some of it.’
Tongtong brought a stool over and sat at the entrance, watching the passersby with wide, expectant eyes.
Every time someone passed, her eyes would follow them with anticipation.
The passersby all looked curiously at this exquisite and adorable porcelain doll.
"Whose child is that? She’s so beautiful!"
Just then,
a few delinquents with yellow and red dyed hair, sporting dark circles under their eyes, showed up at the entrance of Jiang Liu’s shop.
"Hi, big brothers! Are you here for buns? My family’s buns are super yummy!"
The moment Tongtong spoke, her sweet, milky voice, combined with her elfin face,
made the delinquents freeze for a moment.
"Uh, how can this little girl be so cute?"
"Hey, kiddo, what kinds of buns do you have?"
The leader of the group, a tall and skinny youth with red hair, asked gently.
