Chapter 37: Chapter 36: Tongtong Spilling the Beans?

’There were some things that he, as a father, could never provide. What he could give, perhaps, were only a stern hand and harsh words.’

Jiang Liu pedaled his bicycle and sighed. "Tongtong, it’s not that Dad disagrees. Just think about it. I’m a divorced man with you to take care of. I don’t have a house or a car. Your Teacher Qingmeng is so beautiful, she must have tons of suitors. How could someone like her possibly be interested in me? Right now, we can still be friends. If I say something, we won’t even be able to be friends anymore."

Saddened, Tongtong bit her fingers.

"Silly Dad! You don’t know! You just don’t know! Teacher Qingmeng doesn’t mind!"

"You’re just a little kid who needs to count on your fingers and toes all day to figure out what thirty-five plus twenty-nine is. What could you possibly know? How could you understand an adult’s mind?"

"Hmph, that’s not true! I know how to use a calculator!"

"Heh heh..."

"When we’ve earned enough money, Dad will find a mommy for you."

「A few minutes later.」

The pair, one big and one small, returned home.

In a strikingly similar fashion, they both tossed their shoes by the door and then flopped lazily onto the sofa to watch SpongeBob.

Jiang Liu crossed his legs, and Tongtong copied him.

Jiang Liu propped his feet up on the coffee table, and Tongtong quickly did the same.

"Tongtong, get Dad a bottle of coke from the fridge."

"Can I have some?"

"You can have a smack."

"Then I’m not getting it." Tongtong went back to watching TV.

"You can have some."

"Dad, your coke is here! Open it up. This is my little cup, you can just fill it up!"

Tongtong clutched her "small-sized" cup, watching with an expectant look as Jiang Liu gulped down the coke with a GLUG GLUG GLUG.

"Dad, did you hear my cup?"

"Daddy? It’s not healthy to drink coke all by yourself. Hurry up and pour me some."

Finally, Jiang Liu had nearly finished the entire bottle of coke.

Only then did he pour Tongtong a small half-cup.

The dark red coke was still fizzing with bubbles.

Tongtong was ecstatic, carefully cradling the ice-cold paper cup.

"SLURP."

"Ahh, yummy! Coke is so yummy."

"SLURP..."

"Hehehe."

Tongtong savored it sip by sip, her big eyes squinting into thin lines.

Jiang Liu suddenly remembered he hadn’t checked the system’s backend for several hours.

’The positive review points should be around eight or nine thousand by now, right?’

He closed his eyes in anticipation to check.

[Current Points: 13,570]

’Huh? Over ten thousand? This is way too fast.’

Jiang Liu was pleasantly surprised.

He stared at the lock on the second page.

The familiar, cold, androgynous voice rang out again!

[Spend 12,000 Points to Unlock?]

Excited, Jiang Liu didn’t hesitate. "Yes, open sesame!"

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the right to purchase Apple Juice, Watermelon Juice, Kiwi Juice, and Orange Juice.]

[Note: Each liter of juice costs ten yuan.]

Below that was an introduction to the fruits’ places of origin.

’It’s juice? Seems pretty good...’ Jiang Liu read through it all in one go, marveling internally.

All four types of fruit used were high-quality products.

For example, the apples were the Venus variety. Venus apples have a rich, aromatic fragrance and a high level of sweetness in their juice. The juice pressed from them would be delicious without any added sweeteners.

The oranges were Gannan Navel Oranges from Hua Country. The pulp was plump and distinct, with an addictively sweet and sour flavor. The initial taste was slightly tart, followed by a sweetness so intense it made your tongue go soft. The orange aroma was so strong that a single orange could keep a bedroom fragrant for days.

The watermelon was top-grade Qilin Melon—refreshingly sweet, a great palate cleanser, and its juice was pink.

The kiwis were Red Star, red-hearted kiwis, rich in vitamin C and full of kiwi flavor, but very sour—the kind of sour that gets between your teeth. For someone who loves sour flavors, one bite would send them to heaven.

Originally, Jiang Liu thought he’d have to juice them himself, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

He could only purchase the freshly squeezed juice provided by the [Gourmet Album].

It was perfect, since Jiang Liu’s shop was lacking in beverages. Customers couldn’t just eat buns and drink water. The juice would fill that gap nicely.

Next up was pricing.

For a moment, Jiang Liu couldn’t decide whether to stick with his strategy of attracting customers with cheap and delicious food, or to raise the price and increase his income.

If it was cheap and tasty, he could attract more customers and build an unshakable foundation for his shop.

’Oh well, I’ll think about it tomorrow.’

At his side, Tongtong was getting sleepy, yawning and dozing off.

"Dad, hurry and give me a bath so I can sleep! I’m stinky!"

Jiang Liu replied perfunctorily, "You’re not stinky."

"Smell me! Smell me!"

Tongtong pressed her little foot against Jiang Liu’s nose.

She nearly made his nose bleed.

Jiang Liu was suddenly wide awake, pretending to be angry as he glared at Tongtong.

"Are you trying to start a rebellion?"

"Hahaha, Daddy got stunk out!"

"Go wash yourself. How old are you that you still need me to wash you? Go on, go on, don’t bother me."

"Nooo, Daddy is the best! Tongtong doesn’t want to wash by herself. Tongtong is scared Brother Octopus will get her!"

"Pleeease, preeeetty please~"

"Are you tired of me, Daddy?"

"Waaah, you won’t give me a bath, you’re tired of me."

Jiang Liu was speechless.

"Alright, stop the drama. I’ll give you a bath."

"Yay! Daddy, I love you sooo much."

"Tongtong will wash Daddy all clean too! Yay!"

Tongtong happily jumped up and knelt on Jiang Liu’s stomach. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Jiang Liu: ...

Soon, the two of them finished their baths.

Jiang Liu lay in bed, planning their wonderful future.

"Tomorrow I can launch the new products. I wonder how many customers the fresh juice will win over..."

"What price should I set... Ten yuan for 500 milliliters? Bullshit, that’s too cheap. Cheaper than even the most rock-bottom places. Thirty yuan?..."

Tongtong was lying on Jiang Liu’s chest, scrolling through TikTok on his phone.

One moment she’d be covering her mouth in suspense, the next she’d be slapping Jiang Liu’s thigh and laughing out loud.

After a while, she saw a video about a girl who had run away from home and suddenly asked Jiang Liu, "Daddy, will you ever get tired of me? Will there be a day when you’re just... tired of me?"

"Of course not. Why would I get tired of you? You’re my daughter. I can’t even spoil you enough. Don’t be scared."

Jiang Liu stroked Tongtong’s soft hair.

Tongtong snuggled closer into Jiang Liu’s embrace. Her heart ached for him as she gently caressed his face.

"Dad, I feel like you work so hard. If I were a grown-up, you wouldn’t have to be so tired."

’A daughter really is the best,’ Jiang Liu thought with emotion. He smiled and said, "If you were a grown-up, you could earn money to protect Dad."

Lying in his arms, Tongtong shook her head.

"No, Dad. By the time I’m a grown-up, you’ll definitely have saved up lots and lots of money. Then I’ll take you traveling."

"That way you won’t have to work so hard, Dad."