Inside were all sorts of takeaway containers, filled with food Jiang Liu had made after 6 PM that evening. Only a small portion of it had even been served at the table.
Of course, Jiang Liu didn’t have such large plastic bags on hand; these were all left over from when Xue Guang had delivered fruit to him.
"Here, here, Uncle Xia, take this. Lawyer Wang, you take one too."
"Oh, I shouldn’t. I didn’t do much." Xia Changzhi took the bag, putting on a show of reluctance.
"Whoa, you’re too kind, Boss Jiang."
A huge smile blossod on Wang Cheng’s face. Though his words were bashful, his hands were quite honest as they took the bag.
Feeling the heavy weight, the two of them were thrilled.
This was good stuff, sothing money couldn’t buy!
’Even if you had the money, Boss Jiang might not be willing to cook for you!’
Jiang Liu smiled and said, "It’s the food we had at the table today. I made extra and specifically saved so for you to take ho to your families. If you can’t finish it all, rember to put it in the fridge and eat it soon. It might not taste as good by tomorrow afternoon."
"Ah, yes, we understand. Thank you so much! It’s so thoughtful of you to think of our families, Boss Jiang."
Wang Cheng was not just moved; he genuinely approved of Jiang Liu’s character from the bottom of his heart.
At the sa ti, he secretly thought, ’I have to do a perfect job on this case!’
’I can’t let Boss Jiang down.’
After a few more pleasantries, the two of them hurried ho, excitedly carrying their large bags of delicacies.
They wanted their families to share in their good fortune while the food was still hot!
They reached the corner by the tobacco and liquor store.
Xia Changzhi felt the bag. "Nice, it’s still warm. See? How about this gig I introduced you to?"
"It’s incredible. Not only is Boss Jiang’s character beyond reproach, but his food... it’s a delicacy rarely found in this world. Forget working for him for free—for a taste of Boss Jiang’s food, I’d pay to work for him."
Wang Cheng’s face was full of admiration.
Today, not only did he get to eat and take ho a pile of rare delicacies, but he had also built a connection with Jiang Liu. Those were two things that couldn’t be bought with money.
Besides, he wasn’t short on cash.
"At least you know what’s what."
Xia Changzhi revealed a mouthful of crooked teeth in a sly grin. "As your master, I always think of you when good things co up. Next ti Boss Jiang invites you for a al, don’t forget to bring along."
Wang Cheng smiled and nodded.
"Okay."
Seeing his apprentice’s ecstatic, almost dazed expression, Xia Changzhi felt the need to give him a reminder:
"You need to be clear-headed about Boss Jiang’s matter. Rember to give it one hundred and twenty percent of your attention, and don’t you dare screw it up. I don’t want to get on soone’s bad side along with you."
Annoyed at being doubted, Wang Cheng frowned and said:
"You can rest assured. Don’t you know what your apprentice is capable of? As long as Boss Jiang’s matter isn’t resolved, I won’t take any other cases."
"Besides, my whole family might be counting on his buns and juice from now on. You think I’d let him down? On top of that, I truly admire Boss Jiang as a person."
"If you put it that way, then I’m relieved!"
Xia Changzhi was satisfied with Wang Cheng’s attitude. When it ca to the important matter of food, failure was absolutely not an option.
He hefted the bag in his hand. It was heavy.
About a dozen pounds or so.
"Heh heh." Xia Changzhi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"You did a good job this ti. Look at this! Boss Jiang packed up a huge bag for each of us. I’ve been eating at his place for so many days, and I’ve never gotten to go ho carrying a big sack of his food like this. It’s unbelievable."
Wang Cheng glanced around. "Now that you ntion it, I’m getting nervous whenever soone walks past , you know?"
"Hurry ho, then. I have to go show off to my wife."
"I’m off. I have to let my family try this amazing food while it’s still hot."
The two parted ways at the traffic light.
...
「8:55 PM.」
The sky was like black ink splattered across a blue oil painting full of white clouds. If you stared intently, you could still see the azure and the clouds behind the blackness.
A mosquito BUZZED into the shop and was promptly swatted dead by a grimacing Tongtong.
"Ah! Daddy, there’s a mosquito! Let’s go ho quickly."
"Okay, let’s go."
Jiang Liu glanced around the shop. The work was done, and it was about ti to go ho and sleep.
’Today went very smoothly.’
’The shop is bought.’
’Tongtong’s situation is basically resolved.’
’Nothing bad happened at the shop.’
’Everything is moving in the right direction.’
Lin Qiu winked at Jun Qingng, then turned to Jiang Liu and said, "Son, your dad and I are going to the supermarket to buy a few things. You can take Qingng ho."
Jiang Liu noticed his mom’s little sche and felt a bit helpless.
’Are they teaming up again?’
Jiang Liu thought for a mont, then took out his keys. "You two should take the car. It’ll be inconvenient to carry things back."
"No need, we can just walk."
Jiang Liu didn’t say anything more and just stuffed the keys into Jiang Dahai’s pocket.
"Ah, you kid. The weather’s so hot and stuffy."
"We’re off. You two take care on the way."
Jiang Liu took Tongtong’s hand and waved behind him without turning around.
"Alright then. This kid... sigh."
"Grandpa, Grandma, Tongtong is going ho to sleep now! I’ll wait for you~"
"Yes, we heard you! Tongtong is so polite."
Jiang Liu held Tongtong’s hand, and Jun Qingng walked beside him.
At this hour, the streets were a bit deserted.
There weren’t many people around.
However, many shops didn’t close until ten.
They all knew Jiang Liu.
The manager of the 24-hour convenience store was wiping the glass and called out, "Boss Jiang, taking your wife and kid ho?"
Jiang Liu shook his head. "You’ve misunderstood. She’s not my wife."
Jun Qingng pursed her lips, hiding a smile.
’The way Jiang Liu has to deny it is so cute. I love it!’
’But... I’m also a tiny bit unhappy about it...’
The convenience store manager slapped his head in a mont of realization.
"You two must be dating, then? That’s great. Co here, Tongtong. Uncle will get you so chocolate to eat at ho."
Tongtong looked at Jiang Liu.
Jiang Liu nodded. "Uncle is giving it to you. What do you say?"
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"This little girl really looks like you. Even the way she talks and acts is just like her dad."
"Heh heh, of course Tongtong is like Daddy."
Hearing soone say she was just like her dad, Tongtong was so excited her tail would have been wagging.
If she had one.
They hadn’t gone more than a few steps when the owner of a small fruit stall called out, "Tongtong, co here! Want a peach? Call Grandpa, and I’ll give you one."
"Grandpa," Tongtong called out obediently, clutching her chocolate.
This made the fruit stall’s Uncle Xu grin from ear to ear.
He reached out a wrinkled, dark hand, picked out three peaches, and put them in a bag.
"Here, Tongtong, take this."
"Heh heh, thank you, Grandpa. You’re so nice."
"Haha, okay. Be careful on your way back."
「Along the way」
Tongtong also received a bag of shrimp crackers, a pack of gummy candies, a small fist-sized cake, five cucumbers, and a box of digestive tablets.
The neighborhood shopkeepers were all extrely enthusiastic when they saw Jiang Liu and his group.
After all, Jiang Liu had brought a lot of foot traffic to Yangzhai Street.
People from the nearby residential complexes, schools, hospitals, big companies, and many other places would co to Yangzhai Street whenever they had free ti, so the shopkeepers naturally benefited, earning several hundred more.
The three of them, carrying a pile of things, walked along the quiet brick path in their residential complex.
Cicadas CHIRPED from the trees in the small landscaped garden.
Jun Qingng bumped her hand against Jiang Liu’s.
The soft warmth from her fingertips made Jiang Liu frown. "What is it? Is sothing wrong?"
"In a mont like this, don’t you have anything you want to say to your big cutie?"
"No."
Jun Qingng puffed out her cheeks. "Jiang Liu, I really, really like you! Be my boyfriend!"
Jiang Liu didn’t want to speak.
He just kept his head down and walked forward.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to agree. He just wasn’t ntally prepared. There was too much to consider, and besides, he didn’t know Jun Qingng very well, having only known her for less than ten days.
Jun Qingng turned to Tongtong, looking pitiful. "Sob, sob, your teacher is being ignored again."
"It’s so hard to pursue your dad."
Tongtong mimicked Jiang Liu’s expression, pinching her chin and furrowing her brow as she said:
"This child is getting more and more outrageous. He was disobedient when he was little, and now he’s even more of a troublemaker. I’ll give him a good talking-to when we get back and see if he’ll still be so naughty."
Her tiny, milky voice held no threat whatsoever; instead, it was just incredibly soft and cute.
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