Chapter 59: Chapter 59: How Good Can Buns Be?

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"Damn, it’s finally ready! I can smell it. I can finally freaking buy some today."

"Heh, I got in line two hours early for this."

Jiang Liu’s customers grew restless.

Tongtong stood at the door and said in her sweet, childish voice, "Grandpas, grandmas, big brothers, and big sisters, please form a proper line."

"Okay, okay, Tongtong! We’ll listen to you!"

"Tongtong, you worry so much about your dad!"

"What do I do? I want a daughter too!"

"You couldn’t have one this cute..."

"WOW! What an adorable little darling!" an office worker gushed, her eyes sparkling.

She absolutely adored the little girl.

Jiang Liu and Jun Qingmeng carried the steamed buns to the front.

"Hello everyone, I’m the owner. Just a quick announcement: to make sure the customers further back get some, there’s a limit of ten per person."

"Also..." Jiang Liu hadn’t finished.

An impatient auntie at the front of the line cut him off.

"Alright, alright, Xiao Jiang, we all know! Can you stop dilly-dallying? My grandson is waiting for these buns!"

"Hurry up and sell them! I’m not short on cash, and I’m dying of hunger. If you keep this up, I’ll go eat somewhere else!"

"Me too! Brother Jiang, if you drag your feet any longer, I’m taking off and not buying anything!"

The customers chattered away with their threats, but they remained firmly rooted in the queue.

Jiang Liu rolled his eyes.

’His customers really make themselves at home.’

"Give me five shrimp buns and five three-delicacy buns! My family loves those two fillings the most!"

"Three chive and egg, five pork and scallion, two three-delicacy, and two juices!"

"I’ll take one cup of juice and ten shrimp buns."

"Faster, Boss Jiang! Can’t you be any faster? I’m starving to death!"

Jiang Liu noticed something. Lately, his customers had been complaining about him more and more. ’What’s up with that?’

’Could it be they’re resentful because there are too few buns?’

Next in line was a man in his fifties. He had salt-and-pepper hair, a lean build, and was wearing a tracksuit.

He was the captain of the South City Criminal Bureau. His team had just finished a mission, so he came out to buy some food to take back. Seeing the long queue at Jiang Liu’s door, he had joined out of curiosity.

"What kind of buns would you like?"

Jiang Liu looked at the calm, middle-aged man before him. He seemed familiar, but Jiang Liu was too forgetful to recall where he’d seen him.

Captain Liu Honglei said,

"Hmm, give me three shrimp buns, three chive, three pork and scallion, and one three-delicacy bun. And five bottles of juice."

"Okay, one moment. By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you do for a living?"

Jiang Liu just had a feeling he’d seen this man before.

Liu Honglei didn’t hide it. "I’m with the South City Criminal Bureau."

Jiang Liu understood why he looked familiar now. He was from the same unit as his old man. They had probably crossed paths at some point.

"How is your business so good?"

"They’re probably just tasty. We get a lot of repeat customers."

Liu Honglei chuckled. ’How good could a steamed bun be?’

’He’d eaten buns that cost over a hundred yuan, and they were just so-so.’

He bought his buns and left.

Jiang Liu continued selling.

The customers further back watched wistfully as others walked away with their buns, cursing themselves for not coming to line up earlier.

In less than half an hour,

Over eight hundred buns were sold out, and not one of the four hundred bottles of juice was left.

"Sorry, everyone. We’re sold out of buns and juice for today. Please come back tomorrow,"

Jiang Liu said apologetically.

The people who didn’t get any buns were devastated.

But they understood it wasn’t because Jiang Liu made too few. There were just too many customers, and Jiang Liu had done his best.

"I didn’t get any hot buns for lunch or dinner today! I’m so pissed!"

"Whose fault is that? You should’ve come earlier."

"I didn’t expect so many people again. Boss Jiang has more and more customers. I feel like I’ve been cast aside."

"Hahaha, are you trying to make this all about you?"

"You’re an idiot. Why don’t you get your grandma to line up for you? I’m planning to have my grandpa come line up for me at three in the morning tomorrow."

"Wow, what a filial grandson."

Brother Hai and his men watched the dispersing customers, their eyes lighting up.

’Isn’t this our chance?’

’Even if we’re just picking up the leftovers, we can still make a killing.’

Xiao Huzi picked up a megaphone and shouted:

"Come and see! New shop opening! We blow the competition away! Shrimp and corn buns, three yuan each! Chive and egg buns, three-delicacy buns, pork and scallion buns—not two yuan, just 1.5 yuan each!!"

"Juice, ten yuan a bottle! All-natural and freshly squeezed!!"

A young office worker was pleasantly surprised.

"Holy shit, is this a branch of Brother Jiang’s shop? They’re selling the exact same stuff!"

He eagerly headed over to buy some.

A construction worker nearby stopped him. "Are you an idiot? That place is a knock-off of Boss Jiang’s. Their buns are mediocre, and they have a strong, artificial smell. Aren’t you afraid you’ll get diarrhea?"

"Damn, thanks for the warning. I thought it was run by one of Boss Jiang’s relatives."

However, about twenty people who hadn’t gotten any buns were so desperate with hunger that they went to buy some, just to give it a try.

"Fuck, how can this be so disgusting? Why does this shrimp have such a foul, fishy smell? Gross! PTUI!"

"I knew it. No wonder those old folks didn’t come over to buy any. The older you get, the wiser you are. We’re the only dumb ones."

"Let’s go, let’s go. Boss Jiang’s buns are one of a kind. If we want to eat, we just have to line up earlier."

The customers left, cursing and grumbling.

Their palates had been spoiled by Jiang Liu.

They looked down their noses at Brother Hai’s buns.

After all, Jiang Liu’s ingredients were all top-tier, and his preparation was meticulous down to the last detail. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them world-class buns.

Who could possibly compete with world-class buns for two yuan?

The trash can in front of Jiujiu Restaurant was once again filled with a pile of buns.

Brother Hai and his two men fell silent.

They had thought their own buns were pretty good, but compared to the real deal, the difference was just too vast.

All they could say was that Jiang Liu’s buns were just too powerful.

And his customer loyalty was rock-solid.

"Brother Hai, do you have a plan?"

Brother Hai lit a cigarette and said thoughtfully,

"We’ll study the ingredients some more. We have to try and get the flavor closer."

"Also, we’re dropping the price of all buns by one yuan. That should work for tomorrow. We’ll lose money, but as long as we can take Jiang Liu down, it’ll all be worth it!"

"We’ll do what you say, Brother Hai!"

「Meanwhile.」

Liu Honglei bought ten boxes of hot dry noodles to-go, got into his black minivan, and drove back to the station.

He walked into the first floor of the office building.

A group of people immediately rushed over to greet him excitedly.

"You’re finally back! If you’d taken any longer, we would’ve starved to death!"

"Captain Liu is back? What goodies did you bring?"

Eight members of the criminal bureau team had just returned from a mission, and the station wasn’t providing meals.

They hadn’t eaten all day.

They were so hungry their stomachs were touching their backs, just waiting for Liu Honglei to bring back food.

Jiang Dahai was among them. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "What’s there to eat?"

"Hot dry noodles, and some buns." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Liu Honglei tossed the food bag onto the table in the interrogation room and basked in the cool air from the central AC overhead.

"Hot dry noodles are great! They’re amazing with some chili and garlic!"

The team members each grabbed a box and began wolfing them down with garlic.

"Delicious. These noodles are good."

"I hereby declare hot dry noodles to be the eternal god of food!"

"There’s also a box of buns. You guys not trying any?"

"You bought buns too?"

"Nah, you guys have them. I’m not a big fan of buns."

"Not for me."

"You have them, Captain Liu."

Just then, Jiang Dahai put down his chopsticks. He suddenly remembered that his own son sold buns too.