Jiang Ji’s Branch is opening at Tianxing Plaza!
The storefront was leased from Jiang Han’s father, Jiang Guohui, and Jiang Fuyue was present when the contract was signed.
The renovation was nearly complete, and in about two months, the shop would officially open.
Currently, the business was still in its promotional phase. Since joining, Cao Dou had been helping out at the shop like Aunt Liu while also taking on a role in online marketing for the Jiang Ji brand.
Not only did he create and verify his own Weibo account, but he also applied to be the moderator of the #JiangJiJianbing super topic, where he regularly posted videos of Jiang Da and Han Yunru—the popular CP (couple pairing).
Sometimes, it was the two preparing ingredients in the kitchen, sometimes bickering, and sometimes just having a simple lunch together.
Through his lens, Cao Dou captured the warmth of everyday life, showcasing the simple yet touching moments of this middle-aged couple.
Seeing how well he was handling it, Jiang Fuyue had Wu Qian mentor him, since the latter was clearly more experienced in digital marketing and social media branding.
Cao Dou seized the opportunity and worked hard to learn.
After a while, his skills improved significantly—not only were his videos of higher quality, but his editing became smoother and more engaging.
In short, Cao Dou had now firmly secured his place and was secretly preparing to make his mark.
His first big challenge? The branch’s grand opening. He had been working hard on the preparations.
Back to the present.
The moment Jiang Han mentioned Tianxing Plaza, Jiang Fuyue immediately sensed something was off.
Sure enough—
Jiang Han said, “A group of people came to my dad. I was nearby and overheard a bit. They’re planning to open a savory pancake shop too. Talk about coincidence, huh?”
Jiang Fuyue’s eyes darkened.
“And they insist on setting up shop in Tianxing Plaza. They said they don’t need an upstairs space—just a spacious ground-floor store will do. There are so many locations available, but they won’t consider anywhere else. I’m starting to think they’re deliberately trying to compete with Jiang Ji…”
Right on target!
Jiang Fuyue asked, “Do you know where they’re from?”
Jiang Han hesitated before replying, “Seems like they’re from F City. Their accent was quite unusual.”
F City… selling jianbing…
That could only mean—
Cao Ji!
That evening, when Jiang Da and Han Yunru returned, Jiang Fuyue informed them about the situation.
Han Yunru frowned and murmured, “What exactly are they up to?”
Jiang Da had a good guess. “San Panger and the others quitting en masse probably made them angry.”
It was one thing if Yu Shangmei didn’t want them anymore. But the fact that they left voluntarily? That was a different story.
“How could she do this?” Han Yunru was both shocked and furious.
This is the classic case of ‘I can dump you, but you can’t dump me’—what a double standard!
Jiang Da remained calm. “No matter what they’re planning, we’ve done nothing wrong. We have nothing to fear!”
Jiang Fuyue raised an eyebrow and glanced at her father.
His determined expression suggested he had no intention of backing down. Clearly, that woman from years ago had pulled a lot of dirty tricks, forcing an honest man like him to still hold onto a grudge decades later.
Han Yunru, however, had concerns. “But… Cao Ji Jianbing is the original. If we compete head-on, I’m worried we’ll be at a disadvantage.”
She had a point. Two similar shops opening in the same location would inevitably split customer traffic, no matter how well they performed.
In the end, it could be a lose-lose situation.
A smart business wouldn’t normally take such a risk.
Maybe Cao Ji had deep pockets and didn’t mind burning money just to annoy them.
But Jiang Ji couldn’t afford to be so reckless. They had spent months preparing this branch, investing time, effort, and resources. Jiang Da and Han Yunru knew exactly how much they had put into it.
They wouldn’t let their hard work go to waste just to clash with some stubborn competitor.
Han Yunru said, “Now that we know about this in advance, we should do something, right?”
Jiang Da fell into deep thought.
Jiang Fuyue considered for a moment and then suggested, “Why not switch things up? Sell something else?”
Han Yunru’s eyes lit up. She had been thinking the same thing. “That could work.”
Jiang Da, however, was still a step behind. “Huh? Switch to what?”
Han Yunru replied, “You love experimenting with dishes. Why not open a private dining restaurant?”
Jiang Da hesitated. “Would that even work?”
“Why not? Your cooking is great. The kids working here have raved about it every time they try it.”
“But I just cook for fun—I’m not formally trained.”
Jiang Fuyue interjected, “Didn’t all those famous dishes start as someone’s experiment?”
Even Little Brother Jiang chimed in, “Dad’s cooking is way better than mine!”
Jiang Da suddenly felt a surge of confidence. “Actually, back in the day, I learned how to make some of Cao Ji’s dishes from my mentor. But when the restaurant failed, my mentor never touched those recipes again. He focused solely on making pancakes. If we do open a private dining spot, I can’t use any of those recipes…”
Han Yunru asked, “Are the dishes you usually make from the Cao Ji recipe book?”
Jiang Da shook his head. “Of course not.”
Back then, he had made a firm decision to cut all ties—he didn’t even want to hear the name Cao Ji, let alone use their recipes.
Han Yunru let out a relieved breath. “Then it’s fine.”
“?”
“What you already know is more than enough.”
Jiang Fuyue: “Dad loves experimenting with new dishes, right? Let’s create something totally original and unique—get a patent for it even! One of a kind, only available here!”
Jiang Da couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement.
They acted on the idea immediately. Since they were switching directions, the restaurant’s interior design needed a makeover too. That task was handed over to Han Yunru, whose taste was always spot-on.
When Cao Dou heard they were turning to private home-style cuisine, his eyes lit up with joy.
“This should’ve happened long ago! Pancakes and desserts are too limiting—cooking real dishes is where the future is! Once we gain some fame, maybe Senior Brother will even get invited to the national cooking championship!”
“And those food-loving netizens who’ve been begging for this—finally their prayers are answered. They’re probably clucking with joy right now.”
“I should start drafting promo posts and plan a few short videos. Oh, and we definitely need to schedule some livestreams! It’d be even better if we could get a feature on the local TV food show. Once that airs, there’s no way we won’t blow up.”
Ever since he learned from Wu Qian recently, he had clearly become more professional, showing strong initiative and planning skills.
Very full of ideas.
Han Yunru simply let him run with it.
As for Jiang Da, aside from managing the shop during the day, he’d head straight to the kitchen once he got home. The aroma of his cooking would drift out well past 1 a.m.
Little Brother Jiang was so tempted by the smell he couldn’t sleep properly—tailing his dad like a puppy, wagging and begging for a taste.
The next morning, Jiang Fuyue and her brother came downstairs to find Jiang Da already busy in the kitchen again.
The fragrance filled the whole house.
Han Yunru sighed, “Where does he get all this energy?”
Jiang Da just gave her a goofy grin and waved her over: “Wife, come taste this…”
For several days straight, Han Yunru and the siblings became his “happy little lab rats.”
Every day, new and unique dishes entered their bellies under Jiang Da’s hopeful and excited gaze.
Jiang Fuyue could see that Jiang Da truly loved cooking—his enthusiasm and energy came from genuine passion.
The development of new recipes went on for quite some time. Eventually, only Little Brother Jiang continued supporting his dad, while Han Yunru and Jiang Fuyue cut back out of concern for their weight.
Wu Qian and his two assistants, on the other hand, got to enjoy the spoils. In just half a month, their faces looked noticeably rounder, and they had to replace their old belts with new ones.
Especially Wu Qian—he often stayed up late, had an irregular schedule, and tended to stress-eat. The weight gain was visibly obvious.
He nearly scared himself when he looked in the mirror.
After that, he started watching what he ate too.
So, Little Brother Jiang became Jiang Da’s only loyal fan. Whatever his dad cooked, he ate it all—and even showed it off on camera to netizens, proving just how tasty the food was.
To the online world, the famous pancake shop was run by a “fairy couple” with a genius daughter. No one knew they also had a son who was basically a pro-level mukbang eater.
So, while fans didn’t know Jiang Da was the chef behind the dishes, they still flooded the comments with praise:
- “Men who can cook are the manliest!”
- “Is Xingxing’s dad a professional chef?”
- “I don’t know if he’s a chef, but I do know he loves Xingxing’s mom a lot.”
- “I swear I can smell it through the screen.”
- “What are these dishes called? They look amazing!”
- “Same! What’s that green and yellow soup? How can two colors mix without blending?”
…
Though Little Brother Jiang could eat, he wasn’t a bottomless pit. Jiang Da made so many dishes that eventually, no one could keep up, and he grew anxious.
Then, based on someone’s suggestion, he began sharing the food with neighbors.
He packed it neatly in small containers, sealed with cling film—clean and hygienic—so people were happy to accept.
And after trying it, many came knocking the next day, asking if he had a restaurant and where it was—they wanted more.
Jiang Da quickly handed out promotional business cards for the new place.
Cao Dou had thought it would be a while before those cards got used, but they were already being distributed—to a group of quality potential customers, no less. He gave Jiang Da a big thumbs-up—
“Senior Brother, you really are something!”
Being a chef himself, he knew exactly how skilled Jiang Da was. The new restaurant was bound to be a hit.
The only lingering issue was Sanpang’s resignation—it was still pending, which became a source of stress.
Little Brother Jiang: “Sis, are you going out again?”
Jiang Fuyue patted his head and pulled on her cap: “Mm-hmm.”
Soon, dressed in black, she vanished into the night…
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