Chef at the University Canteen

Chapter 547 - 291: Can’t Betray Jiang Yu’s Trust

"Boss, are you going to help out at the nutritional restaurant on the third floor of the first cafeteria this afternoon?"

Du Guangning had already prepared all the other dishes ordered by the diners in the four private rooms, except for the few specialty dishes made by Jiang Yu, the rest were quick dishes, and once they’re really cooked, they come out quickly.

Especially for someone like Du Guangning, who has worked in the restaurant kitchen for several years, he can basically dish out a meal in a few minutes.

"Yes, I promised them yesterday."

Jiang Yu took a sip of water from his teacup, cleared his throat and said,

"The Provincial Games are about to be held. Our school’s student athletes still have to go for gold and silver. Making something delicious for them is just a way to wish them good results in this Provincial Games."

"Oh, can you still make it back to the kitchen tonight?"

Du Guangning is not at all concerned about the Provincial Games; he is more worried about whether Jiang Yu, if he helps make nutritional meals at the nutritional restaurant on the third floor of the first cafeteria, can make it back in time to prepare dinner.

If he can’t make it back, then for dinner, the diners in the four private rooms would be his sole responsibility to cater.

He’s worried that if Jiang Yu is not around, he won’t be able to handle it all alone, but with Jiang Yu around, he feels more at ease.

No matter what the dish, he dares to try his hand at it. Even if it doesn’t turn out well, Jiang Yu is there to cover for him, isn’t he?

"Hmm, I should be back a bit later."

Jiang Yu thought for a moment and said to him,

"In the afternoon, I’ll pre-prep the few special dishes ordered by the customers ahead of time. You just proceed as usual, make cold dishes and stir-fry, and when I come back, I’ll complete the pre-prepped special dishes, which should be just fine."

After a pause, he turned his head to Xiong Zhengtao and said,

"While Xiaodu is preparing cold dishes, you can watch closely and pay attention, since you might be responsible for those cold dishes in the future."

"Yes, yes, don’t worry boss, I will definitely learn well."

Xiong Zhengtao nodded immediately upon hearing this, feeling excited and thrilled inside.

He originally thought that even if Jiang Yu intended to teach him culinary skills, he would still assess him for a period of time and wouldn’t teach him heirloom skills so easily.

Even if Jiang Yu did it like this, Xiong Zhengtao would have no complaints and would highly understand.

After all, when chefs are first hired, who knows if you’re trustworthy? Maybe you’re just here to learn their skills for your own purposes.

If they teach you, and you decide to leave, whether you open your own restaurant or go to another establishment, it would be a blow.

So, most senior chefs will assess newcomers even if their intention is to teach them culinary skills. This assessment period can vary based on the chef’s decision.

And during this time, senior chefs are often on the lookout, guarding against newcomers stealing their skills.

But Jiang Yu seems to not care about this at all. Xiong Zhengtao had only been there for a few days, and Jiang Yu already had him learning cold dishes from Du Guangning.

This made Xiong Zhengtao both surprised and happy.

Because of this, he’s secretly resolved that even if he learns culinary skills and plans to leave, he will stay longer here at the Number Seven Restaurant.

His reason for doing this is nothing else but to not betray Jiang Yu’s trust in him.

Jiang Yu, meanwhile, doesn’t realize Xiong Zhengtao has these thoughts. He simply wants to allocate the kitchen workload reasonably.

Otherwise, Du Guangning alone having to make both cold dishes and stir-fry, with the quantity of four table banquets, might manage for short periods, but over time, even an iron man couldn’t handle it.

But if Xiong Zhengtao helps share some of the load, handling the cold dishes while Du Guangning focuses on stir-fry, then with Jiang Yu and the two of them, the workload becomes manageable.

The key is that even if more private rooms get booked at the restaurant, three chefs can cover each aspect and handle it all easily.

After resting a bit on the side, Du Guangning then stir-fried several quick dishes and invited Pei Guofu, Yan Tongtong, and others to have lunch together.

After lunch, Jiang Yu headed to the first-floor private room to rest for a while and played a few rounds of chess.

Seeing the time coming up, he then returned to the second-floor kitchen to prep the dishes ordered ahead by the four private rooms. He packed them in freshness preservation bags and put them in the refrigerator.

After finishing these tasks, Jiang Yu greeted Du Guangning, Xiong Zhengtao, and others, and then leisurely walked down the stairs.

He had already promised the School of Sports yesterday to make a nutritious meal for the school’s athletes, so now it’s about time to start preparing.

...

Jiangzhou University, indoor sports gymnasium.

July had arrived, and the scorching sunlight turned the entire city into an oven, even the air breathed into the lungs felt fiery.

Forget about vigorous exercise under the sun, even hiding under the shade of a tree, sweat poured out freely before long, soaking clothes inside and out.

But with the opening day of the Provincial Games drawing nearer, Lin Yahu and Yin Tao, the coaches, naturally could not pause the athletes’ training because of the weather.

However, to prevent athletes from suffering heat stroke or injuries due to high-intensity training, after discussions, the coaches transitioned the team from the outdoor stadium to the indoor gymnasium.

Jiang University’s indoor sports gym consists mainly of a competition hall, training hall, and function facility rooms.

At this moment, within the spacious and bright training venue, a group of student athletes are focusing their training diligently across various areas; some are in strength training, some in endurance training, others are repeatedly doing short sprints along the track to enhance their leg explosive power.

Liu Xiaohu was guiding some high jump athletes on the jump training area, practicing their run-ups.

High jump run-ups differ from regular running; sprinting seeks speed, while long-distance centers on endurance. The Fosbury Flop high jump run-up demands rhythm, elevation of the center of gravity, and combines stored accelerated kinetic energy with muscle bounce to jump higher.

Therefore, an athlete’s mastery of the run-up plays a crucial role in their potential achievements.

Although Liu Xiaohu has impressive high jump results, his grasp of the run-up is shaky. It’s purely his innate high jump talent that allows him to clear 2.2 meters.

According to Lin Yahu, if Liu Xiaohu mastered a run-up suited to him, his current achievement would certainly exceed 2.2 meters.

Regarding this, Lin Yahu had recently tailored a set of run-up actions for Liu Xiaohu based on his specific condition; including rhythm control, stride planning, and the integration of run-up with jumping.

If Liu Xiaohu manages to nail the run-up, his high jump performance could significantly improve by the time the Provincial Games officially kicks off!

Whether he can surpass a 2.27 meters international elite standard is uncertain, but winning a gold medal at the Provincial Games is much more promising.

Finishing several sets of run-up drills, Liu Xiaohu, drenched and panting heavily, moved aside to take a break, preparing for another round once recovered.

A short-distance runner student saw him coming and handed him a bottle of water from afar, teasingly saying:

"Old Liu, seeing you train so hard lately, are you aiming for the high jump gold at the Provincial Games?"

"Who knows?"

Liu Xiaohu took the mineral water, twisted it open, and drank down half the bottle in one go, then dumped the rest over his head before exhaling comfortably. Tossing the empty bottle into a nearby trash bin, he shook his head and said,

"It doesn’t matter how high I jump in practice; it depends on performance at the competition. If I don’t perform well then, it’s just going through the motions."

"Don’t be so modest, claiming the gold is claiming the gold, we guys won’t be jealous of you!"

The sports student patted Liu Xiaohu’s shoulder, laughingly saying,

"Winning a gold means treating us to a celebration feast at Number Seven Restaurant, don’t forget to pack some of it for your old buddy to taste, I’ve never tried dishes from Number Seven Restaurant before!"