Such a huge amount of traffic naturally attracted many new customers.

Whenever a new customer tried one of Jiang Liu’s buns, they were instantly stunned speechless, finding it unbelievable. Then, they became an instant Jiang Liu fan.

All one could say was that they were just too delicious. With their top-tier ingredients and professional, handmade craftsmanship, these were buns that no ordinary person could resist.

By seven o’clock, all of Jiang Liu’s buns and juice were sold out.

The customers who hadn’t been able to buy any were left fuming and clamoring at the entrance.

They insisted that Jiang Liu make more.

’Not bad. Twenty-two thousand in revenue tonight, bringing today’s total net profit to seventy-one thousand.’

Jiang Liu was very satisfied with his income.

He was astonished, even.

Ninety-nine point nine percent of the people in the country had an annual income of less than a hundred thousand.

And yet, his revenue in a single day was more than what an average person earned in a year!

’Maybe I should consider opening a branch... take things to the next level...’

Jiang Liu mused.

’If I were to open a branch, I definitely couldn’t use the ingredients from the Gourmet Album.’

’But the natural Premium Seasonings, flour, and recipe ratios could be the same.’

’As for the other ingredients, I’d just have to choose fresh and clean ones.’

’The branch would focus on being delicious and hygienic. Even if it only had a fraction of the original store’s flavor, I wouldn’t have to worry about making money.’

’Besides, with the reputation of the main store, customers who can’t get the originals would be happy to buy the watered-down version.’

’I’ll think about it next month. No need to rush.’

The three of them sat together, chatting and having buns and juice for dinner.

Just then...

A clap of thunder echoed from outside.

The light drizzle turned into a downpour, cascading from the sky with a RUSH.

Bubbles frothed up from the puddles forming on the road outside, and the rain hammered against the glass door with a PATTER.

The damp scent of earth and leaves drifted into the shop on the wind.

There was only one umbrella in the shop.

It was getting late.

"Tongtong, you wait here in the shop. I’m going to see Teacher Qingmeng off. I’ll be right back."

Jiang Liu instructed her.

Holding the umbrella, he led Jun Qingmeng outside.

"Why is it so hard to get a cab around here? I’ve tried calling several. As soon as they hear it’s Yangzhai Street, they refuse to come. This is the fifth one, and he only agreed after I pleaded with him and added twenty yuan to the fare," Jiang Liu said in frustration.

This made his plan to buy a car feel even more urgent.

’Not having a car is just too inconvenient. I have to suffer on rainy days like this and be at the mercy of others.’

’That’s one thing...’

’...but the most important thing is, what if Tongtong gets caught in the rain and falls ill? Her immune system is weak, and whenever she gets sick, she needs shots and medicine, which isn’t good for her.’

"Maybe business is just good for them on rainy days. Everyone needs a cab, so the drivers are too busy to keep up," Jun Qingmeng said, stealing a glance at Jiang Liu by her side. Smelling the same sweet scent on him that she always noticed on Tongtong, her heart felt as sweet as honey.

’How wonderful it would be if the three of us could go home together.’

The two of them stood under the eaves for a while, feeling the spray of the rain on the wind.

The taxi finally arrived.

The driver was surprised to see it was Jiang Liu.

His food stall had caused a traffic jam that blocked the entire street; every driver had heard about it.

Jiang Liu held the umbrella as he opened the rear door for Jun Qingmeng, helping her into the car. He even pulled the seatbelt across for her.

It was a completely subconscious action on his part.

"Message me on WeChat when you get home safe."

"Mm! I know."

Jun Qingmeng nodded, her heart feeling as if it were filled with honey.

However, as she lifted her head to look at Jiang Liu one more time, she noticed that one side of his clothes was already soaked.

Her heart ached, yet the feeling was beautiful.

She hadn’t even noticed that the entire other side of his body was getting soaked.

’What a dummy!’

But it was a kind of foolishness that she liked, one that made her feel safe and sound.

Jun Qingmeng waved her hand, her brow furrowed with affectionate concern. "You should hurry back inside! Your clothes are soaked. It would be terrible if you caught a cold. Remember to take a hot bath when you get home to warm up, okay? Listen to me!"

Jiang Liu brushed the raindrops from his clothes and nodded with a smile. "Okay, I got it. Don’t worry, just get home safe. You don’t need to worry about me."

Jun Qingmeng rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, you... Forget it, I won’t nag you. See you tomorrow?"

"See you."

The taxi disappeared into the curtain of rain.

Jiang Liu walked back under the eaves of the shop, still holding the umbrella.

Just then, a message appeared on his phone.

He opened it and took a look.

Jiang Liu’s heart leaped with excitement.

He could finally buy a car!

Because of the city’s strict emissions quotas, he’d even had to ask someone to pull some strings for him just to get permission to buy a car.

Otherwise, he would have gone to a dealership to look at cars long ago.

His uncle had just messaged him, saying a registration slot had been secured for him!

Jiang Liu immediately added a saleswoman from a BYD dealership on WeChat.

He made an appointment to see a car the next day.

He currently had over 320,000 sitting idle in his bank account.

His apartment and storefront rent were already paid for a year, so he didn’t have any immediate need for the cash.

As for why he chose BYD...

Jiang Liu felt that...

...due to pressure from foreign auto brands, domestic cars were very reasonably priced. They were built with solid, quality materials—a conscientious choice.

As a domestic brand, aside from a few minor shortcomings, BYD was excellent in other respects.

The build quality was solid.

He had been looking online at a pure electric BYD model that cost over 200,000: the Tang New Energy.

Driving it would look quite impressive.

It was a car worth several hundred thousand, after all. It could definitely hold its own.

The Tang New Energy was an SUV with a spacious interior, a high-tech feel, and an aggressive, stylish exterior. Its summer range was around four hundred kilometers.

But what Jiang Liu liked most was that it had a sturdy frame, making it quite safe.

’A car is just a way to get around. Liking it is what matters most. It won’t be too late to upgrade when I have more money.’

Jiang Liu pushed open the rain-beaded glass door and stepped back into the shop.

He stood the wet umbrella upside down by the door.

Tongtong was sitting on a chair, taking small bites of a bun, her little legs dangling and swinging back and forth.

"Daddy’s back? Oh! Your clothes are wet."

Tongtong ran over and started vigorously patting the raindrops off his clothes.

"Mm, it’s nothing. Your daddy is a grown-up, I’m plenty sturdy. By the way, Tongtong, I have some good news to share with you."

Jiang Liu’s excitement still hadn’t faded.

Tongtong’s heart leaped with joy as she looked up and asked, "Did you and Teacher Qingmeng get together?"

"Wow! You must have confessed your love to each other in the rain just now, behind my back!"

The little girl jumped up and down with excitement.

Unfortunately, they were not on the same wavelength.

Jiang Liu pinched her soft little cheek. "What’s going on in that little head of yours!"

Tongtong hugged his arm with a pout. "Was I wrong?"

"You and Teacher Qingmeng are totally together now, right?"

"You don’t have to hide it from me. Tongtong’s a big girl now, I have a right to know about grown-up stuff too. I really want Teacher Qingmeng to be my mommy."

"Oh, you’re a big girl now, are you?"

Jiang Liu started walking toward the kitchen, dragging the little sloth-like Tongtong who was clinging to him. "Just stop with the wild ideas," he said, exasperated. "Me and your Teacher Qingmeng? It’s impossible."

Tongtong nibbled on her lip, unhappy. "Why is it impossible? Teacher Qingmeng is so wonderful, and you two are a great match, aren’t you?"

"Daddy, you don’t... not want Teacher Qingmeng, do you?"

"Waaaah, Tongtong wants Mommy Qingmeng."

Tongtong trailed after Jiang Liu, nibbling her fingers sadly.

Jiang Liu adjusted the settings on the freezer and shook his head, not wanting to say any more on the subject.

"Okay then," Tongtong said. "If Daddy doesn’t like Teacher Qingmeng, then Tongtong won’t try to force you."

"I want Daddy to be happy, and I don’t want to make things difficult for you."

"Tongtong will listen to Daddy!"

Jiang Liu smiled, relieved, and patted his little tagalong’s cheek.

"There’s no rush with this. We have plenty of time."

Honestly, he did have feelings for Jun Qingmeng.

’Jun Qingmeng was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.’

’She had a great figure and fair skin.’

’She was beautiful and gentle, and on top of that, her personality was flawless.’

’She was the absolute definition of a man’s dream girl.’

’But he was the one with problems.’

’First, he was a divorced single father. Second, he didn’t even own his own home.’

’His life wasn’t stable.’

Jiang Liu didn’t want to think about those things right now.

He just wanted to get his life in order first. Once he was on the right track, he could think about it then.

Besides...

...his marriage to Yang Yixue had left him disillusioned.

’He had already given his all for his family before.’

’And yet, it had all ended up like this.’

’Maybe he just wasn’t cut out for marriage.’