The air fryer Jiang Liu bought was 8 liters and could cook about eleven pounds of cumin beef bites at once.

The rich cumin aroma made Tongtong’s mouth water.

She loved beef.

The two of them crouched by the air fryer like a pair of hungry kittens.

"Mama, doesn’t it smell amazing?"

"Yes, it smells amazing."

"Wow, Mama, you think the same thing as Tongtong!"

Jiang Liu said with a smile, "If you two want some, go ahead and dish some out."

The moment he finished speaking,

Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong exchanged a look, walked over to Jiang Liu, and each took one of his hands.

"Daddy, are we a family?"

"Of course we are."

"But families eat together. Mama and I will wait for you, so we can all eat together, okay?"

Jun Qingmeng said unhappily, "Honey, what if I told you and Tongtong to go to bed while I stayed up to watch TV? How would you feel?"

Though they both wanted to eat, they cared more about Jiang Liu.

With both of his hands held, feeling the different warmth from his daughter and his girlfriend, Jiang Liu’s heart grew warm.

"Alright, it’s my fault. Once I’m done with my work, we’ll all sit down and eat together. We can even watch cartoons while we eat."

"That’s more like it. Daddy, you have to be a good boy, okay?" Tongtong said, mimicking a catchphrase from her preschool teacher.

Jiang Liu smiled and patted his daughter’s head.

"Honey~"

"I get it."

Jiang Liu quickly patted his girlfriend’s head too.

’These two,’ he thought. ’One is clingier than the other.’

6:40 PM.

The Vegetable Boss arrived at the shop with his wife.

As soon as they pushed open the glass door, they were hit by the aroma of cumin.

The eyes of the customers waiting in line outside went wide.

"What is that incredible smell?!"

"It’s kind of like BBQ beef skewers, but even more fragrant. Is Boss Jiang rolling out a new dish?"

"He’s about to open! Ten minutes left! Hurry up, hurry up, the wait is killing me."

The Vegetable Boss entered the shop, his face alight with excitement, while his wife, trailing behind him, took a deep whiff of the fragrance.

"Boss Jiang, you’re amazing. My cooking has never smelled this good!"

"I’d be happy if you just managed not to release any toxic fumes!"

The Vegetable Boss shot his wife a sidelong glance. ’Did she really think her cooking was in the same league as Boss Jiang’s?’

Jiang Liu came out. "You’re here? This is for you."

He handed the Vegetable Boss a takeout container filled with tempting, reddish-brown cumin beef bites.

"This looks fantastic! We could smell it from way down the street!"

The Vegetable Boss took the container and swallowed hard.

Jiang Liu said, "Eat it soon after you get back. If it gets cold, reheat it, or it won’t taste as good."

"Alright, sounds good. We’ll be heading back then, Boss Jiang."

"Take care on your way."

Grinning from ear to ear, the Vegetable Boss left with the takeout container in hand.

The customers in line were incredibly envious.

Pairs of hungry, envious eyes were fixed on the container in the Vegetable Boss’s hand.

If the Vegetable Boss hadn’t been known for looking out for Jiang Liu, they would have swarmed him and snatched it away.

Xia Changzhi, standing in line, couldn’t take it anymore.

The aroma made him ravenous.

He had originally planned to wait in line with everyone else like a regular person.

But now, he decided to show his hand. The charade was over.

Xia Changzhi clasped his hands behind his back, held his head high, and marched out of the line, heading straight for Jiang Liu’s shop.

The other old-timers who knew Xia Changzhi immediately got anxious.

"Old Xia, what do you think you’re doing?!"

"That son of a bitch, trying to cut the line and hog the food for himself again, is he?"

"Didn’t you just say yesterday that you’d queue up properly from now on? What a sore loser!"

Xia Changzhi flashed a triumphant grin. He entered the shop and said with a laugh, "Boss Jiang, are you busy? This old man is so hungry my vision’s going blurry. Could you possibly sell me some of that... what is it, cumin beef, a little early?"

"Grandpa Xia!"

"Ah, it’s Tongtong! Haha, this little girl’s greetings are so sweet!"

Jiang Liu said, "It’s not busy at this hour. Please wait a moment. Qingmeng, could you get Uncle Xia a bottle of juice to tide him over? I’ll go get him some cumin beef."

"No, no, it’s fine. I can get it myself."

Xia Changzhi felt awkward refusing. He was familiar with Jiang Liu, but not so much with his girlfriend, and he didn’t want to impose on her.

"Please, have a seat, Uncle Xia. I’ll get it for you." Jun Qingmeng turned and brought a bottle of watermelon juice for Xia Changzhi.

Xia Changzhi remarked with a sigh, "Boss Jiang, your girlfriend is a real keeper. You two had better have a good life together!"

"Of course." Jiang Liu smiled.

Soon, Jiang Liu brought over a plate of cumin beef.

The beef tallow rendered by the high heat was still SIZZLING on the meat.

It was sprinkled with sesame seeds, chili powder, and cumin, and smelled absolutely incredible.

Jiang Tongtong came over carrying a bowl of rice porridge. "Grandpa Xia, have some rice porridge."

"Oh, my. Tongtong, you’re such a hard worker! Does your daddy know?"

"Hehe, Daddy knows."

After praising Tongtong, Xia Changzhi eagerly picked up his chopsticks and dug in.

He first took a sip of the rice porridge to cleanse his palate, then picked up a piece of beef and popped it into his mouth.

It was searing hot, but incredibly fragrant.

The saltiness was perfect, with just a hint of spicy aroma.

With a gentle bite, a crisp CRUNCH echoed in his mind.

It was the sound of the outer coating—a mix of flour, starch, and egg—shattering.

Immediately after, scalding, rich juices burst from within the beef bite, flooding his tongue with flavor!

The beef was a mix of fat and lean—the fat was rich but not greasy, and the lean meat was fragrant and tender.

Xia Changzhi had just finished one piece when he hurriedly grabbed another. This time, he was reaching for a third before he had even swallowed the second.

This beef, whether in flavor or texture, was a perfect 100 out of 100!

It was so much more delicious than the roast beef he’d had at First BBQ!

The difference in the aroma of the beef alone was huge. You could tell that the beef at First BBQ was from grain-fed cattle; it had a gamey taste and the meat wasn’t firm enough.

It was nothing like the explosive texture of Boss Jiang’s beef that burst with every bite.

"Boss Jiang, this cumin beef is top-notch!"

Xia Changzhi gave Jiang Liu a thumbs-up.

"Tastes alright?"

"Alright? It’s more than alright! It’s absolutely incredible! After eating your cumin beef, I don’t think I’ll ever want to eat regular BBQ again."

"Boss Jiang, when are you going to make some roast lamb? I like lamb even more."

"We’ll see. It depends."

"Haha."

"We’ll see. It depends."

"Haha."

Xia Changzhi chuckled and lowered his head, furiously devouring the beef.

When it got a little too spicy, he took a sip of the light rice porridge.

Then he continued eating.

The customers waiting outside stood on their tiptoes, craning their necks to see.

They were all going wild with hunger.

In the line, there were some new faces, as well as a few blond foreigners.

Their friends had recommended the place to them.

And sure enough, the aroma of the cumin beef and the sight of Xia Changzhi gorging himself were making them drool.

At 7:10 PM, after a long wait, Jiang Liu opened for business.

"Today we’re introducing a new temporary special: Cumin Beef. Sixty portions available, about fifty pieces per portion, fifty yuan each."

"Alright, Brother Jiang, I suggest you skip the price announcement. We’ll buy it no matter how much it costs!"

"Go, go, go! Don’t dawdle up front, hurry up and get in!"

"Fuck, where did my insulated container go?!"

The customers who rushed inside were met with an even richer aroma.

The shop was spotless, and all sorts of fragrant, hot steam drifted gently from the counter.

.......................