"Alright, alright, go to sleep." Jiang Liu patted their heads.

The moment he got out of bed, Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong hugged each other tightly, their cheeks pressed together as they slept sweetly.

Jiang Liu went to the kitchen and started preparing the ingredients.

Ten eggs, 190 grams of flour, 180 grams of corn oil, 70 grams of milk powder, 50 grams of butter, 90 grams of fresh milk, and 220 grams of white sugar.

Chiffon cake, named after the fabric, is just as you’d imagine from the name—a cake as delicate and soft as silk. Though considered a beginner’s cake, it’s also jokingly nicknamed the "drive-you-crazy" cake for how often it can go wrong.

Chiffon is both simple and complex. A perfect chiffon not only has a delicate and soft texture, but it must also be "bouncy."

Jiang Liu cracked all the eggs, portioning out the ingredients into small bowls.

Then, he found a larger bowl and sifted the flour through a fine-mesh sieve. Flour granules that were too large would affect the cake’s delicate texture.

After sifting the flour, he added the egg yolks and corn oil, stirring until the batter in the bowl was uniform and yellow.

He set it aside.

He took the separated egg whites and added a spoonful of white vinegar before whipping them. The white vinegar would neutralize the pH, making the foam more stable and less likely to deflate...

He put it in the oven to bake.

It would be ready to eat in twenty minutes.

Jiang Liu hadn’t made a huge amount this time.

But it was definitely enough for the family.

While the oven was working, Jiang Liu slipped back into bed.

The moment he was back under the covers, the two beauties eagerly draped themselves over him, each claiming a side.

He dozed for about ten minutes.

Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong woke up.

They rested their chins in their hands, their eyes full of anticipation as they watched Jiang Liu.

’They were getting hungry!’

But neither of them could bear to wake Jiang Liu up.

So they could only wait, staring with wide eyes.

Jiang Liu yawned. When he opened his eyes, he was met with two pairs of big, bright eyes. One pair was shimmering with love, while the other blinked innocently.

"Er, you’re awake?"

Jiang Liu sat up, patting Tongtong’s head.

"Mhm! I just woke up. Is the cake ready, honey?"

"Daddy, I want cake!"

Jiang Liu said, "Let’s go. I’ll take you to have some right now!"

The oven was on a timer, so there was no fear of it burning.

The three of them padded into the kitchen in their slippers.

Jiang Liu opened the oven, took out the cake, and removed it from the pan.

The yellow Chiffon cake had risen perfectly.

He cut a slice. The air pockets inside were fine and dense, and it was springy, but not with the chewiness of gluten.

"I’ll have the first taste."

"Mmm, eat it!"

Under their intense gazes, Jiang Liu took the first bite.

The sweetness wasn’t cloying, and the milky flavor wasn’t overpowering. Both the sweetness and the milkiness were just right, and the texture was moist, soft, and tender.

’It’s good. Better than any Chiffon sold in stores.’

Jiang Liu was very satisfied. He had thought it would be good enough if he could just match the flavor of store-bought versions, but he hadn’t expected that the high-quality ingredients would allow him to surpass them.

"Daddy! Can I eat it now?"

"Honey~" Jun Qingmeng whined coquettishly, tugging on Jiang Liu’s arm.

’Women really are all foodies.’

Jiang Liu quickly cut a few more slices and handed them to the two of them.

"Wow, it’s so yummy, Daddy!" Tongtong devoured the cake in her hand in just a few bites, not forgetting to lick her fingers clean.

After finishing her piece, Jun Qingmeng said in surprise, "Honey, the Chiffon you made is really good!"

It wasn’t that she had never had Chiffon cake before; in fact, she loved it. Unfortunately, there were too few professional Chiffon shops in the country, so she rarely ate it anymore.

But the Chiffon Jiang Liu made was actually on par with what she had eaten abroad.

’He’s simply amazing.’

"If you like it, eat up. I’ll make it for you both again next time."

"Okay~ I love you, Daddy!"

"I love you too, honey," Jun Qingmeng murmured. The faint blush on her just-woken-up face deepened.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them had polished off half the cake.

The remaining half was saved for Jiang Dahai and Lin Qiu.

After cleaning up, Jiang Liu returned to the shop with Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong.

It was raining today. The customers outside the door were wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas.

The old men stubbornly continued their card game under a large umbrella.

The place next door was still under renovation, and some construction materials were piled up by the entrance.

Seeing Jiang Liu approaching with his cart, several of the old men abandoned their card game and immediately gathered around.

Uncle Niu tossed his cigarette and walked over. "Here, Boss Jiang, let me push that for you."

"Let me, let me! I was just looking for some exercise."

"Hey, you, Old Wang. Didn’t you say your back hurt when I asked you to go for a run yesterday?"

"Did I say that? It must have been Old Xia, right?"

Old Wang passed the buck without batting an eye.

Jiang Liu asked, "It’s raining today, why are you all here so early?"

The cart had already been taken from his hands.

A crowd of people held umbrellas over him, afraid he would get wet.

Jun Qingmeng was even pushed to the side.

The old men said, "Hah, don’t even mention it. We live right here in Phoenix District. If we let those outsiders take our spots, we’d lose face for all of Yangzhai Street."

"If you ask me, Boss Jiang, you should set a rule so those out-of-towners can’t eat here."

The few old-fashioned men were disgruntled because their spots had been constantly snatched by out-of-towners these past few days.

They decided to show them a thing or two.

Even though they were in their seventies and eighties, a man’s competitive spirit never fades.

Jiang Liu smiled, changing the subject and making some small talk with the old men.

Today, he noticed some new faces in the line. Many were dressed in fine, bright clothes, with drivers holding umbrellas for them.

They had quite the entourage, but here at Jiang Liu’s place, they just looked pathetic.

「Inside the shop.」

Jiang Liu turned on the air conditioner to drive out the dampness in the air.

Jun Qingmeng and Tongtong helped Jiang Liu wash eggplants and peel potatoes.

Jiang Liu deftly processed the ingredients.

There were no new dishes this morning.

「6:30 AM.」

Jiang Liu cooked some dough drop soup, and the three of them sat down to a delicious and filling meal.

After eating, Jiang Tongtong leaned back on a chair at the counter, patting her little belly with a satisfied look.

’Hehe, I don’t have to go to kindergarten today, and I don’t have to go tomorrow either!’

’It would be great if I never had to go again!’

’Then she could stick with her daddy forever.’

「7:05 AM.」

Jiang Liu opened for business as quickly as possible.

Some of the lightly-dressed customers shot Jiang Liu grateful looks.

They knew Jiang Liu had arrived late today, so opening at 7:30 would have been perfectly normal.

The customers swarmed into the shop.

They were loud and boisterous, afraid they wouldn’t be able to buy anything.

"Boss Jiang, any new items today?"

"Not today."

"Brother Jiang, give me fifteen buns, all shrimp! And a bottle of juice and a bottle of beer."

Several hundred yuan gone, just like that.

The new customers’ expressions changed.

’Good heavens, a few hundred for just that? That’s enough for their family to have mutton hot pot at home several times.’

"I’ll have the ham, Brother Jiang. You know, I don’t even want to go back to school anymore. Your food is just too good."

"Business is booming, Boss Jiang! I’ll take thirty buns, a plate of ham, a plate of beef, and two bottles of beer," the barbershop owner said, showing off to the friend he had brought along.

Taking advantage of a lull, Jiang Liu ladled out four bowls of beef soup and placed them on the counter. "Qingmeng, Uncle Niu and the others who were playing cards helped us with the cart today. Can you take this over to them so they can warm up?"

"Tongtong will go!"

Tongtong was acting like she’d been shot up with chicken blood today.

She was scrambling to do every little chore.

Jun Qingmeng smiled, pressing her lips together. She loved this life with her family.

Xiao Han and her four sisters were back again.

The group sat inside, sporting dark circles under their eyes.

...