Chapter 11: I Support You Being a Stepmom—As Long as I Get Dumplings! Xu Na’s Blind Date is Nowhere Near as Good as Jiang Feng!
Rong Shuang stepped out of the shop and hailed a taxi.
“I’ll head off first.”
Jiang Feng watched her get into the car before leading Youyou home.
“You worked really hard today.” Youyou held his hand, feeling the tension in his muscles.
Her heart ached for him.
Jiang Feng smiled. “It’s fine. We made good money.”
“About 9,000 yuan in pure profit.”
“What’s ‘pure profit’?”
“That’s the money we actually earned after subtracting all our expenses.”
“Wow!” Youyou’s eyes sparkled. “That much?!”
“Dad, you’re amazing!”
“Let’s celebrate! Can I have ice cream?”
Jiang Feng, in high spirits, teased: “You can have two slaps instead.”
“Oh, Dad… don’t you think Teacher Rong Shuang treats you differently?”
Jiang Feng shook his head. “No. She and I wouldn’t work, Youyou.”
He was already divorced.
Why would someone like her see him differently?
It was all just wishful thinking.
Youyou rolled her eyes in frustration. “Clueless man!”
Jiang Feng chuckled. “Let’s focus on earning money first. We don’t even have our own place yet—how could we afford a stepmom for you?”
“Okay, Dad! But can’t we hire more people, train them well, and earn more that way?”
She was still fixated on expanding the team.
Jiang Feng replied, “This shop is fine with just me.”
“But once we save up, we can open another branch.”
He planned to keep this location as the flagship—only selling the highest quality.
Compromising on taste would ruin their reputation.
Once they had enough capital, he could standardize recipes for a self-service fast-food model.
New branches would prioritize cleanliness, affordability, and convenience. Even if the taste wasn’t top-tier, it’d still be delicious.
Those could run with hired staff, accelerating their earnings.
Youyou didn’t fully grasp it.
At five years old, she still counted on her fingers to solve *32 + 27*.
But she declared firmly: “I agree! Dad’s always right.”
Jiang Feng ruffled her hair. “As long as you’re on my side, that’s all that matters.”
Father and daughter arrived home.
Exhausted, Jiang Feng collapsed onto the sofa.
Youyou dutifully brought him water, then sat by his stomach, massaging his arms.
“Dad, do you have to wake up so early tomorrow?”
“No, 5 a.m. will be enough.”
Initially, he’d assumed dumpling sales would peak at breakfast.
But now, with growing popularity, he could adjust.
Sleeping until 5 a.m. felt infinitely better than 3.
Youyou hugged his neck. “Dad, you really work too hard. Just wait till I grow up.”
“Oh? You’ll earn money to support me?”
“No! By then, you’ll have enough. I’ll take you traveling!”
Jiang Feng laughed. “Slacker.”
“Do you think I’m lazy?”
“Hehe, then I’ll watch cartoons now.”
Curled against his stomach, she turned on the TV.
Jiang Feng closed his eyes and drifted off.
Meanwhile, Rong Shuang reached her apartment.
She rented in an older complex.
On the fourth floor, she pushed open the door.
The renovated interior clashed with the building’s aged exterior—she and Tang Hemei had pooled their savings to remodel.
“Wow! You actually came back!”
“Where’s the little cutie? Didn’t kidnap her?!”
A woman with messy chestnut-brown hair (unwashed for days) and wearing a ratty T-shirt and shorts burst out of a bedroom.
Tang Hemei rarely showed her face online and worked from home, barely stepping outside.
This was her default attire.
Rong Shuang set the dumplings on the table. “She’s not mine to bring back. But I got you some dumplings.”
Tang Hemei pouted. “You get a date with a hot dad, cuddle his adorable kid, and all I get is leftovers?”
“You don’t want them?”
Though not usually a dumpling fan, she was sick of takeout. She took a bite.
Even cooled, the filling stayed perfectly textured—juicy but not greasy.
Tang Hemei’s eyes widened. “Holy shit! Where’d you buy these?!”
“They’re better than Master Wang’s!”
“Did you strike gold? How much per bun?!”
Master Wang Jian’an, a nationally renowned chef, sold his dumplings for 188 yuan each.
Rong Shuang smiled. “He made them.”
“Who?” Tang Hemei blinked, then gasped. “Jiang Feng?!”
“This guy’s a dumpling god?!”
“Shuang’er, I’ve reconsidered.”
“You should totally marry him. Stepmom life gets my stamp of approval—just send me 10 dumplings daily.”
Rong Shuang tickled her ribs. “Traitor! Sold out for dumplings?!”
Tang Hemei giggled helplessly. “Can’t help it! These are legendary!”
Rong Shuang relented.
Catching her breath, Tang Hemei devoured another bite.
Watching her, Rong Shuang’s lips curved unconsciously.
“He’s not just good at making dumplings.”
Tang Hemei groaned. “Ugh, feeding me dogshit already? You’re not even together!”
“What does he look like? Show me a photo!”
“Oh, starting tomorrow, I won’t be home for dinner.”
Tang Hemei gaped. “You’re eating at his place every night?!”
Rong Shuang sighed softly. “He’s exhausted. I’ll help watch Youyou.”
“Liar! You just want to stare at him over dinner!”
“Abandoning your bestie for a man?!”
Rong Shuang laughed. “Guilty as charged.”
Tang Hemei flopped onto the couch. “Meals will be so boring without you!”
“If it’s convenient, I’ll bring you dumplings sometimes.”
Instantly sitting upright: “Go forth! I’d never stand in love’s way.”
Meanwhile, at the Jiangnan Grand Hotel…
Xu Na arrived in a sleek black dress and heavy makeup for her blind date.
Minutes later, a man entered.
“Ms. Xu Na? You’re even prettier in person.”
She took one look at him and barely suppressed a grimace.
At 28, he shared Jiang Feng’s age—and a net worth exceeding 200 million.
Just nowhere near Jiang Feng’s league.