With a stern face, Jiang Liu pinched Tongtong’s cheek. "No more nonsense, you hear !"
"BOOHOO... okay!"
Jiang Liu smiled. ’His daughter is just too cute.’
’Her chubby little face was so fun to pinch.’
"Teacher Qingng, look what this is." Tongtong pulled the last remaining dried fig from her pocket. "Tongtong couldn’t bear to finish it, so I saved it for you!"
She looked up at Jun Qingng with an expectant expression, all but saying, ’Hurry up and praise !’
Jun Qingng took the sticky dried fig, overjoyed. "Thank you, Tongtong. I like it a lot."
"Hehe."
Tongtong cupped her little hand around Jun Qingng’s ear and whispered, "You’re welco. After school, can you take for an ice pop again?"
"What are you two talking about?"
Jiang Liu, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow. ’Whispering when I’m this close? My daughter is adorably silly.’
"Eek! Dad, you didn’t hear that, right? Tongtong didn’t say anything."
"Jiang Liu, let’s hurry up and go grocery shopping," Jun Qingng said, changing the subject.
’These two are getting closer and closer,’ Jiang Liu thought.
"Okay."
The two walked shoulder-to-shoulder into the food market, turning heads all the way.
Today, Jun Qingng was wearing a cinched-waist dress with a ruffled hem.
Her delicate, fair collarbones were exposed.
On her feet, she wore white sneakers paired with little white socks decorated with hearts.
She had even taken the ti to apply light, elegant makeup and a coat of polo-flavored lip balm.
As usual, Jiang Liu bought fresh fennel, then added two pounds of long, slender green chilies.
He planned to use these chilies to make a Chinese-style stir-fried tuna with chili.
The morning air was crisp and cool.
A long line had already ford at the door.
The custors were relieved to see Jiang Liu arrive at the shop on ti.
’As long as he doesn’t slack off, we’re good.’
The ingredients were carried back into the shop.
Jiang Liu started by proofing so dough, then moved on to preparing the sashimi and other ingredients.
Jun Qingng and Tongtong were by the beverage dispenser, bottling the drinks.
The two of them had a system down from experience. First, they’d line up rows of empty bottles on a nearby table. Then, they’d use a clean tal ladle to fill them up, with Tongtong in charge of putting on the caps.
Today, they were making waterlon juice and orange juice.
The two chatted as they worked.
Jun Qingng said excitedly, "Tongtong, I have sothing to tell you. Try not to get too excited, okay?"
"Okay, okay, tell ! Tongtong won’t get excited."
"I rented an apartnt on your floor, and I’m planning to move in today."
"Woah, really?!"
Tongtong covered her little mouth, unable to believe it.
The surprise ca so suddenly, the little cutie wasn’t prepared for it.
"Does that an... from now on, we can always be together?"
"If Tongtong wants to see Teacher Qingng, she can see her anyti?"
"Mhm! Tongtong can co visit my place anyti. Just rember to bring your dad along to hang out."
Hearing she had to bring her dad...
Tongtong hesitated, then asked in a tiny voice, "Can I bring Dad over a little later?"
’She wanted to eat an ice cream bar. Once she was done, she could bring her dad over.’
Jun Qingng was puzzled. "Huh? Why?"
"We can secretly eat ice cream bars! If Dad cos along, I won’t get to eat any."
Jiang Liu’s voice suddenly ca from behind Tongtong. "I think I heard soone talking about secretly eating ice cream bars."
Tongtong nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice. "Eek! Dad, you gave Tongtong a big scare!"
Realizing the situation, she put on an innocent face and shook her head.
"Tongtong doesn’t eat ice cream bars. Tongtong is a very good girl."
A smirk played on Jiang Liu’s lips. "I’m guessing you want to go over to Teacher Qingng’s place to mooch so ice cream bars. And you were just thinking about how to get her to buy a whole stockpile of them, weren’t you?"
WOW!!
Tongtong’s jaw dropped in astonishnt. "Daddy, how did you guess so perfectly?!"
’How could Dad see through her plan when she’s so clever?’
Jiang Liu chuckled. "It was just a wild guess. But now, it’s confird."
’an Dad!’
’Always bullying his little cutie!’
’Boohoo.’
’I’m so pitiful.’
’Dad is a big anie!’
Tongtong pouted pitifully. "Daddy, Tongtong won’t eat ice cream bars behind your back anymore. I’ll be very obedient. Can you believe , please?"
"I believe you."
Jiang Liu nodded with a smile and turned back to his work.
As her father, he could see right through all his daughter’s little sches.
The corners of Jun Qingng’s lips curled into a beautiful smile, her eyes filled with amusent.
She loved this kind of fun, lighthearted atmosphere.
It felt like ho.
Tongtong turned her pitiful gaze back to Jun Qingng. "Teacher, can Tongtong help you move?"
"What can a little person like you do?"
Jun Qingng glanced at Tongtong, a peculiar expression on her face. "You just don’t want to go to kindergarten so you can play outside, don’t you?"
Tongtong shut down.
’Why is everyone so smart? You all make Tongtong feel so dumb!!’
"No, that’s not it! Tongtong just wants to help Teacher Qingng."
Tongtong shook her head, not daring to admit the truth.
’Otherwise, Dad would spank her.’
Jun Qingng shot her a look. "I’m not taking the day off today. I already have people helping move."
"Okay..."
Tongtong felt wronged.
’Being a kid is so hard.’
Jiang Liu quickly finished preparing the wild tuna.
A thirty-pound tuna wasn’t much trouble for him to handle.
6:20 AM.
The buns were placed in the stear.
He set the temperature.
While he had a mont, Jiang Liu quickly made a dish of stir-fried fatty tuna belly with chili.
First, he cut the chilies into sections. He put them into a dry wok with no oil, pan-roasting them until their spicy fragrance was released. Then, he removed them.
Next, he placed the fatty tuna belly into the wok over low heat, again without any oil. The tuna was so rich that in less than a minute, the bottom of the wok was sizzling with rendered fish oil, releasing a fragrant aroma. He added cloves of garlic, wasabi, onion, and ginger to neutralize any fishiness and enhance the fragrance. Once most of the fat was rendered from the fish, Jiang Liu tossed the chilies back in. He followed with premium light soy sauce, oyster sauce, a pinch of white sugar, three spoonfuls of fine salt, a little starch, and his secret-recipe soy sauce. Finally, he sprinkled in chopped scallions and stir-fried everything on high heat to reduce the sauce.
Stir-fried wild bluefin tuna with chili, complete!
The fish slices, originally one-and-a-half centiters thick, were now rendered down, reddish-brown, and bursting with the aroma of chili.
Jiang Liu tasted a piece of the fish.
It was spicy at first, and the fish oil had a unique, savory aroma.
He placed the plate of stir-fried tuna with chili on the table, along with six stead buns left over from yesterday that he had reheated that morning.
"Big beauty and little beauty, ti to eat!"
"Coming, coming! The little beauty is here!"
Tongtong, who had been playing by the door, heard the call to eat and ca running over imdiately.
She propped her little hands on the table, leaned over the plate, and took a deep sniff.
"Wow! It slls so yummy! Daddy, what is this?"
Jiang Liu lifted her onto her chair. "It’s stir-fried tuna with chili. You’ve never had it before, have you?"
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