Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Freeloading Food and Drinks

[Why am I drooling?]

[??? I’m so jealous! Why does Jiang Liu get such a cute daughter and such a beautiful wife? It’s not fair!!!]

"Here, Qingmeng, you should put on some mosquito repellent too."

"You spray it for me."

Qingmeng held out her arm, a hint of flirtatiousness in her tone.

This made Tongtong’s eyes light up.

Jiang Liu didn’t say anything, just patiently sprayed Jun Qingmeng all over.

Jun Qingmeng sniffed the air. She had never liked the smell of mosquito repellent.

But since Jiang Liu was the one spraying it, she liked it.

"Jiang Liu, the mosquito repellent you’re using smells really nice."

"It’s alright. I bought this repellent in Xinxiang City. If you like it, I can buy some for you."

[Are they starting with the public displays of affection already?]

[Has it started??]

Just then, a clean-cut, middle-aged man with glasses, a fishing rod slung over his back, walked down the slope.

Chu Songrong feigned surprise. "What a coincidence, Boss Jiang! You’re fishing too?"

Jiang Liu was surprised to run into him; he remembered the man.

"It’s Uncle Chu. You like fishing too?"

"Heh, I was just bored, so I thought I’d come hang out for a bit."

"Hello, Uncle Chu. My name is Tongtong."

Tongtong called out politely.

This made Chu Songrong laugh. "This little girl isn’t shy around strangers at all. That’s great."

"Little girl, Uncle works at a hospital. Next time you come for a shot, I’ll give you a discount."

Chu Songrong teased, trying to scare her.

Tongtong had been grinning, but when she heard the word "shot," her face immediately paled. She covered her bottom and shook her head. "No, no! Tongtong doesn’t want any shots!"

"Hahaha, this little girl is really something."

"Is this your wife?"

Chu Songrong looked at Jun Qingmeng in surprise.

’This girl is gorgeous, and it’s such a natural beauty.’

Jun Qingmeng bit her lip and looked at Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu explained helplessly, "This is Tongtong’s teacher. You’ve misunderstood, Uncle Chu."

’Why does everyone keep mistaking me and Jun Qingmeng for a couple?’ Jiang Liu wondered. ’It’s so strange. There’s clearly nothing going on between us.’

Chu Songrong gave the visibly unhappy Jun Qingmeng a suggestive look. As an old fox, he knew exactly what was going on.

Then, his gaze fell on the grilled fish. He pointed, feigning surprise again. "Boss Jiang, is that a fish you caught?"

Jiang Liu gave a reserved nod, though his heart was bursting with vanity. Who doesn’t like being praised?

Tongtong also looked smug. After all, she and her daddy had caught it together.

The expressions on their faces were identical, as if cast from the same mold.

"Amazing! It’s huge! I’ve never eaten a fish this big before."

"Then let’s eat it together in a bit."

"The fish are huge—there are two of them. The three of us can only eat a few pounds at most."

"Well then, it would be rude to refuse! Haha."

Chu Songrong put down his fishing rod and sat by the grill.

Jun Qingmeng arranged the plates on the folding table.

Tongtong circled Chu Songrong twice.

She asked quizzically, "Needle Uncle, when you go fishing, don’t you bring food that the fish like to eat?"

The words had barely left her mouth when the atmosphere suddenly went quiet.

Chu Songrong’s smile froze. He’d been careless; he hadn’t brought any bait. His mind had been so set on eating Jiang Liu’s grilled fish that he had just grabbed a fishing rod and rushed over.

[???]

[Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter!]

[I get it now. This guy just came for Jiang Liu’s grilled fish, right?]

[Damn it, he beat me to it!]

Jiang Liu said, "Tongtong, you don’t understand. Your Uncle Chu is planning to use worms for bait."

Chu Songrong breathed a sigh of relief and shot Jiang Liu a grateful look.

"Fishing with worms?"

Tongtong bit her finger, her big eyes blinking in confusion.

Suddenly.

"Aiyah! My foot got bit!"

"What’s wrong?!"

Jiang Liu jumped in alarm.

He rushed to Tongtong’s side.

"What happened?" Jun Qingmeng and Chu Songrong stood up worriedly and walked over.

The customers in the livestream stared with wide eyes.

[What happened?]

[Did Tongtong get bitten again?]

[Is she okay? My heart aches for Tongtong, the poor thing.]

Tongtong shook her little foot, tears streaming down her face.

"Waaaah!"

"Tongtong’s footie hurts."

"Daddy, look quick! Is Tongtong’s footie still there?"

"It’s okay, don’t be scared." Jiang Liu knelt to check and saw that Tongtong’s toe was a little red.

Chu Songrong also took a look and said, "She’s fine. The skin isn’t broken. A small animal, probably a crab, must have pinched her."

Jiang Liu and Jun Qingmeng relaxed.

Jun Qingmeng scooped Tongtong into her arms.

Tongtong buried her head in Qingmeng’s soft, fragrant chest, sobbing.

"Waaah, why is it always Tongtong who gets hurt?"

Tongtong was truly a little drama queen.

Jiang Liu rummaged around on the ground and finally found the culprit in the crevice of a rock.

It was a large crab, brandishing its big claws majestically as it hid warily in the crevice.

"Aha! So you’re the one who bullied my daughter?"

Fury rising, Jiang Liu roughly snatched the crab out.

"Tongtong, stop crying. Look, I’ve caught the bad guy that bit you. We’ll eat it in a little bit!"

Tongtong looked at the crab, which was waving its big claws unwillingly, and suddenly felt a pang of pity. "Never mind, Daddy. I think I might have stepped on it first."

"Can you let it go?"

"Let it go? What about the fragrant crab meat? You’re not going to eat it?"

"If Daddy wants to eat it, then we’ll eat it."

Tongtong was having an internal struggle.

Jiang Liu chuckled. He tossed the crab onto the grill and brushed a layer of oil on it to keep it from burning.

The unyielding crab tried to escape.

Tongtong held the crab down with a stick. "Mr. Crab, Mr. Crab, Daddy is the one who wants to eat you, not Tongtong."

[??? This...]

[Tongtong the little devil.]

[She knows how to pass the buck at such a young age!]

[I just laughed so hard I spit out the food in my mouth.]

[Crab: This is a claw-ful situation.]

Just then, a few aunties and uncles came down the hillside, carrying bamboo fishing rods on their backs.

They also feigned surprise. "Yo, Xiao Jiang! What are you doing fishing here too? What a coincidence, we came to fish as well."

Jiang Liu was expressionless. "Yes, what a coincidence. Did you also come to eat grilled fish?"

"Huh? What grilled fish? Xiao Jiang, are you grilling fish?"

"Grilled fish? We don’t know anything about grilled fish."

The auntie lied through her teeth.

The customers in the livestream gritted their teeth in frustration.

If they had known, they would have gone too.

They were all from South City; they could tell where it was from the video.

The uncles and aunties casually tossed their fishing rods aside and ran over to crowd around the grilled fish.

When they saw the huge fish spread flat on the grill, one of the aunties exclaimed,

"Goodness gracious! This fish is huge! And Xiao Jiang prepared it so well. It doesn’t smell fishy at all, just has a rich, meaty aroma."

"Yes, yes, Boss Jiang is amazing."

The uncles and aunties were all flattering Jiang Liu.

Speechless, Jiang Liu pursed his lips.

Before long, a few more familiar young faces arrived.

They were also carrying buckets and holding fishing rods, and they used the exact same excuse.

They didn’t even bother pretending, just stared blankly at the grilled fish the moment they arrived.

They were practically drooling.

What could Jiang Liu say?

’Might as well let them eat. Qingmeng, Tongtong, and I can’t finish it all anyway.’

Soon, the two fish were cooked through.

Jiang Liu sprinkled them with cumin and chili powder, then brushed on another layer of oil.

"Wow, the grilled fish is delicious! It’s crispy and fragrant!"

"Boss Jiang’s skills are really something else. If you sold grilled fish, I’d definitely buy it."

"Delicious, delicious! This fish is way better than the fish at First Grill. Boss Jiang truly lives up to his reputation!"

Chu Songrong and the others gave Jiang Liu a thumbs-up.

First Grill was a very high-end barbecue restaurant in South City, built in an ancient architectural style.

Jiang Liu chuckled. "If you like it, eat up. The three of us can’t finish it anyway."

These were all his customers, so it didn’t feel weird to spoil them a little. If they had been strangers, Jiang Liu definitely wouldn’t have shared.

"Alright, thank you, Boss Jiang."

"Xiao Jiang is such a good guy. I’ll help you promote your buns and juice from now on."

"Me too."

The group was overjoyed.

Jun Qingmeng picked out a piece of fish with the skin still on for Tongtong.

It was the choicest, most succulent piece.

"Thank you, Teacher Qingmeng."

Tongtong’s little lips were covered in fish oil as she ate.

Jiang Liu took the grilled crab’s large claw, cracked it open with his teeth, and peeled the meat out.

He placed it on Tongtong’s plate.

The white, stringy crab meat, dipped in cumin and seasoned oil, looked like a piece of white jade that had been polished for a long time.

"Hehe, Daddy, I love you!"

"Mwah."

Tongtong left a greasy print on Jiang Liu’s face.

Then, being a thoughtful girl, Tongtong divided the meat into three portions, giving a piece to Jun Qingmeng and putting another piece on Jiang Liu’s plate.

"Tongtong can’t finish it all. Daddy should eat some, and Teacher Qingmeng should eat some too."

"You’re such a good girl, Tongtong." Jun Qingmeng happily accepted the crab meat.

「Half an hour later.」

After packing everything up, the three of them left.

Jiang Liu even made sure to save a couple of pounds of grilled fish for Xue Guang.