Its appearance alone was enough to whet the appetite.

Guo Jia was slightly taken aback.

It wasn’t like she had never had geda soup before. She had even ordered takeout from a famous, time-honored geda soup shop in South City.

She had thought it would be pretty good.

But in reality, it just tasted like MSG and didn’t look that great. The dough clumps alone couldn’t compare to Jiang Liu’s. The time-honored shop’s geda soup had dough clumps of all different sizes, the tomato chunks weren’t as uniform as Jiang Liu’s, and the aroma was in a completely different league.

Guo Jia couldn’t stand the soup’s tantalizing aroma any longer and quickly took a sip.

It was sour, with a hint of tomato sweetness.

Savory and delicious! The saltiness was light, but the umami and fragrance were incredibly rich.

The dough clumps were silky smooth in her mouth, yet slightly chewy when bitten into! The egg was also fragrant and tender!

Heavens!

It was so, so good!

Guo Jia didn’t want to say another word. She just held up the thermal container and began gulping it down, sip after sip.

As for cleanliness, she had complete faith in Jiang Liu.

All she had to do was eat.

If it were food from anywhere else, she would have been much more picky and cautious.

Watching her best friend gobble down the food, Jun Qingmeng’s lips curled into a pretty smile.

She walked over and patted her head. "There, there. You eat up. Eat a lot and get nice and plump. Mama is going to take a shower."

"Don’t bother me, you love-struck fool!"

Guo Jia dodged her hand, turned her back, and stuck her butt out as she continued to eat.

Jun Qingmeng paid her no mind, changed into a nightgown, and went to shower. A short while later, she emerged from the bathroom, enveloped in a warm, fragrant steam.

Her skin was fair and seemed flawless, like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.

Though her figure was slender, she was well-endowed.

Guo Jia had already polished off the entire container of geda soup, down to the very last drop of broth.

Now, she was eating slices of ham, one after another.

The ham was marbled with red and white, like veins in marble. With one bite, the salty, savory flavor of the meat filled her mouth. A swig of bitter, unfiltered craft beer to wash it down—it was pure bliss!

"Is it good?" Jun Qingmeng asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course it’s good! Your husband is amazing. I’m really starting to admire your taste. How did you manage to find such a great guy?"

Guo Jia suddenly felt a pang of envy. Seeing her best friend find a man who brought her so much happiness made her start to feel anxious about her own life.

"By the way, Qingmeng, I weighed myself today and found I’ve gained over a pound. Have you gained weight too?"

"Have I? No, I haven’t."

Jun Qingmeng held up her hands and shook her head with a look of pure innocence, which, combined with her delicate and beautiful features, was utterly adorable.

"Tsk, tsk. I’ve figured it out. The three of you are all terrible, especially Jiang Liu! He makes all this delicious food, but none of you seem to gain any weight from it. It’s all going straight to me!"

"That’s not true! My husband is the best in the world. He’s not terrible at all."

Another public display of affection was shoved right in Guo Jia’s face.

She instantly lost her appetite and sighed, "Sigh... Being this love-struck is terrifying! How could you be so cruel to your own best friend! It shatters my worldview!!"

Guo Jia had figured it out. She could joke about Jun Qingmeng all she wanted, and she wouldn’t get mad. But the moment she said a single bad word about Jiang Liu, it was a different story!

Jun Qingmeng would genuinely fight her for Jiang Liu’s sake.

Seeing Jun Qingmeng blow-drying her hair, about to rush off to her darling lover, Guo Jia got down to business. "Mengmeng, have you worked things out for Jiang Liu to meet your dad?"

Jun Qingmeng frowned. She didn’t like talking about Jun Xinghe.

"Not yet. He’s busy with meetings. He probably won’t have time in the next few days."

Guo Jia saw the unhappy expression on Jun Qingmeng’s face and tried to comfort her. "Don’t worry too much. Worst case, just let your dad give Jiang Liu a beating. Then you just tell him you’ve already slept with Jiang Liu and see what he does."

...Jun Qingmeng shot Guo Jia an exasperated glare. "Is this your idea of comforting me?"

She would rather take a beating herself than let Jiang Liu get hurt.

"Huh? What’s wrong? I’m just telling you the worst-case scenario, to prepare you for it mentally."

"No way! I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to find Jiang Liu."

"Why don’t you stay and keep me company for a bit?"

"No!"

"Damn it! You’re ditching your friend for a guy!!"

"Go on, curse. It’s not like you have anyone to run off to."

???

Leaving Guo Jia with the expression of a total sucker, Jun Qingmeng hummed a tune and triumphantly walked out the door.

’What’s a best friend compared to a husband?’ she thought. ’Next to Jiang Liu, Guo Jia only takes up a teensy-weensy spot in my heart!’

Taking out her key and opening the door, Jun Qingmeng smelled a familiar scent, and her foul mood from thinking about Jun Xinghe instantly vanished.

Jiang Liu and Tongtong were lying on the sofa, waiting for her.

"Darling~ Mommy loves her daughter the most."

"Mhm, hurry and come over. We’re watching Conan. We were just waiting for you."

"Mommy, Tongtong really missed you just now, hehe."

Jun Qingmeng sat her shapely self down on the sofa and hugged her sweet-smelling Xiangxiang Tong.

"Hugs! Mommy missed you too!"

"Hehe, we were both thinking of each other."

Jiang Tongtong hugged Jun Qingmeng right back.

The two of them leaned against Jiang Liu, eating fruit and watching the anime.

Jiang Liu opened his phone and replied to a few messages.

The new store’s revenue for the day had reached over 130,000.

Their income had hit a new record.

Hu Yongfa told him that they had completely sold out of all the ingredients stocked in the kitchen.

If it weren’t for the staff shortage, they definitely could have sold even more.

The situation at the new store wasn’t a lack of customers, but a lack of efficiency! As long as they could sell it, people would buy it!

He glanced at the system’s backend.

[Number of Positive Reviews Received: 32,568.]

[Praise Points: 462,546.]

Jiang Liu felt a sense of satisfaction.

The Praise Points were increasing like crazy.

In the future, he would have more and more delicacies, and his reputation would grow even stronger.

Wang Han sent a WeChat message with a few reference photos.

She asked if he was asleep yet.

The images were concept art for a traditional-style renovation.

It really did have the style of a tavern where someone like Wu Song might have gone for a drink.

Jiang Liu: "Just got out of the shower. These look great. Figure out a rough cost and I can pay you in advance."

Wang Han: "No need. You can just pay me after the renovation is done. I’m planning to schedule the construction work from noon to nine at night. What do you think, Jiang Liu?"

Jiang Liu: "That works. Just as long as it’s not too late, so we don’t disturb the neighbors."

"Thanks for all your hard work. If you’re ever craving some good food, just come over and I’ll cook for you."

Wang Han: "(Resting chin on hand emoji)"

Jun Qingmeng leaned over and asked, "Who are you chatting with?"

It had to be said, a woman’s intuition was terrifyingly accurate.

When Jiang Liu was chatting with men, Jun Qingmeng never came over to look. But the moment he chatted with a woman, she would immediately lean in and inquire.

Jiang Liu showed the phone to Jun Qingmeng. "I’m discussing the renovations with a construction manager."

"Okay. Are you short on money? If you are, I have some. What’s mine is yours, anyway."

Jiang Liu smiled and ruffled Jun Qingmeng’s soft hair. "You silly little goose! Don’t worry, your husband has money. You should keep yours to buy some nice clothes and skincare products."

"But... what if spending money on you and Tongtong makes me happier than spending it on myself?" Jun Qingmeng asked, pouting pitifully.

?

Jiang Liu put on a stern face and gave her a light flick on the forehead.

"Be good!"

’Why is my girlfriend always thinking about spending money on me?’ he thought. ’As a grown man, I don’t have many expenses.’

"Alright then. But if you’re short on money, you have to tell me right away. I still have some friends who can sponsor us."

...