Chef at the University Canteen

Chapter 555 - 295: Not Winning Gold Means No Right to Attend the Celebration Banquet

He didn’t want a life where the end was visible at a glance; he yearned for a grand and vast experience.

His dream had just begun, so how could it be stopped by a mere 2.2-meter height?!

He still aspired to win gold and silver at the Provincial Games, and then come back for a celebratory feast prepared by Senior Brother Jiang Yu himself!

Moreover, if he succeeded in jumping over it once, it proved he had the ability to clear this height; it was just a matter of mastering the technique.

So, what are you waiting for?

Keep running, Liu Xiaohu!

...

"Xiaohu seems like a different person these days, Xiaolin, how did you manage that?"

Another coach from Jiang University’s track and field team, Yin Tao, turned to look at Liu Xiaohu sweating it out at the high jump training area in the gym and couldn’t help but be amazed.

He turned back to look at Lin Yahu, who was sitting beside him with a relaxed expression, and couldn’t help but say,

"That little rascal Xiaohu used to slack off under my training. Leave him alone for a second, and he’d be goofing off. How come he’s so well-behaved and sensible with you now?

Tell me honestly, did you brainwash him?"

"You’re overthinking it. If I had such skills, wouldn’t there be better things for me to do?"

Lin Yahu glanced at him, letting out a wry smile, then pointed to the other athletes scattered around the gym, who were all sweating and training hard, and said with a smile,

"Look at the others in the gym; aren’t they all working just as hard?

It’s not just Xiaohu who’s willing to endure hardship."

"Tsk, tsk. Seems like the dishes made by Boss Xiao Jiang at the Seventh Dining Hall really have magical effects!"

Yin Tao couldn’t help but click his tongue, shaking his head in admiration as he said,

"Ever since everyone tried Boss Xiao Jiang’s nutritious meals, these young rascals have been acting as if they’ve been given an adrenaline shot. They train more diligently and are more willing to endure hardships.

It’s obvious they aren’t particularly interested in the Provincial Games’ gold medals, but they can’t resist the thought of a celebratory feast made by Boss Xiao Jiang with those medals!"

Saying this, he couldn’t help swallowing, suddenly leaning closer to Lin Yahu, and with a mischievous smile, he asked,

"Xiaolin, didn’t you try the food in the Seventh Dining Hall before? Is the food there better than the nutritious meals?"

Coach Yin, who was indifferent to the Seventh Dining Hall’s food before, had fallen for it after making a special trip last time to try it.

"Well, the nutritious meals are made in a large pot, while the dishes in the Seventh Dining Hall are cooked individually in small pans. Naturally, the taste is extraordinary."

Lin Yahu nodded in agreement, smacking his lips regretfully as he said,

"Unfortunately, I’ve only tried it once. The private dining room at the Seventh Dining Hall is very hard to book.

I hope this time Xiaohu and the others can pull it together and win some gold medals at the Provincial Games; then, as coaches, we can join them for the celebratory feast!"

"What?! Why didn’t you say so earlier?!"

Yin Tao’s eyes widened like saucers at this, and he slapped his thigh, standing up in a rush, and ran towards the training area, leaving with a final note,

"For this celebratory feast, I’ll push them to bring out their best state and strive to win gold and silver at the Provincial Games!

Oh! Silver won’t do, silver can’t get you to the celebratory feast, it must be gold!"

Lin Yahu was left baffled by Yin Tao’s reaction. He rubbed his thigh where Yin Tao had slapped it, grumbling to himself:

"If you’re going to slap something, slap your own thigh, why slap mine?"

He had refrained from telling the truth and instead played along with Yin Tao’s conjecture, attributing Liu Xiaohu’s mindset change to Jiang Yu’s celebratory feast mainly because it was hard to explain.

After all, everyone has their own circumstances. Liu Xiaohu’s previous laziness was due to a lack of direction, while for others, it might be practical reasons or mindset issues.

The most crucial factor is the difference in each person’s talent.

Lin Yahu was willing to invest time and energy in Liu Xiaohu because he believed Liu Xiaohu had enough talent.

He just didn’t want to waste talent.

As for others, it depended on their own willingness.

He wouldn’t deliberately persuade them, nor would he dampen their enthusiasm.

Just as he was thinking this, a tall, handsome young man entered the gym.

He scanned the room quickly, spotting Lin Yahu sitting by the training area, and walked over with large strides, calling out as he approached:

"Senior Brother Lin!"

Lin Yahu looked in the direction of the voice and was overjoyed, quickly going over to greet him with a smile:

"Xiao Jiang, done so soon?"

"Not that soon, you guys have been training for quite a while."

The young man who entered was none other than Jiang Yu. He glanced at Lin Yahu, smiling lightly as he said,

"I didn’t bring all the sour plum soup your academy ordered; I’ll deliver another batch this afternoon.

Though sour plum soup is great for cooling and thirst-quenching, drinking too much can upset the stomach and cause diarrhea.

It’s best to remind the athletes about that."

"Rest assured, we have a daily limit, one cup in the morning and one in the afternoon!"

Lin Yahu laughed, saying,

"I’ve already explained it to them; if anyone drinks too much sour plum soup and ends up with diarrhea affecting the Provincial Games, they’ll be kicked out of the school’s track and field team without question!

I trust no student would jeopardize their graduation for a fleeting appetite."

"Honestly, I’d still suggest cooking some mung bean soup instead."

Jiang Yu shook his head, saying,

"Mung bean soup also has cooling and thirst-quenching effects, but it doesn’t harm the stomach."

"We want that sweet and sour taste of the sour plum soup to whet the appetite!"

Lin Yahu chuckled, winking at Jiang Yu as he said,

"Don’t worry; there are only a few days left until the Provincial Games, and they wouldn’t be able to drink much anyway.

To put it bluntly, we’re just using your sour plum soup, Junior Brother Xiaojiang, to keep their training enthusiasm high for the last few days.

Once the Provincial Games start, they’re all hoping to perform well and win golds, so they can return for your meticulously prepared celebratory feast!"

Jiang Yu smirked: "Gold medals? Do you think they’re that easy to get?"

"Well, if gold medals are hard to come by, so is your celebratory feast!"

Lin Yahu teased, glancing at Jiang Yu,

"If they can’t win gold at the Provincial Games, they don’t qualify for your celebratory feast!"

"..."

Jiang Yu was speechless.

Oh man, my celebratory feast has become tied to Provincial Games gold medals!

The two of them stepped outside, and Lin Yahu immediately noticed the two large stainless steel barrels set on the bed of a tricycle, the bottom of which had spigots that could be used to pour sour plum soup into cups.

Jiang Yu motioned to two part-time students, and with Lin Yahu, they moved the two large barrels of sour plum soup into the gymnasium.

After setting them down, Jiang Yu didn’t linger, turning back to ride the tricycle and heading back to the dining hall with the two part-time students.

Lin Yahu wiped off the sweat from his forehead, looking at the two large barrels of chilled sour plum soup in front of him with a strong sense of fulfillment.

This was his idea too — though the athletes trained indoors, the stifling weather still made it easy to suffer from heatstroke.

Even though there’s always the herbal medicine for heatstroke, nothing beats the taste of Jiang Yu’s homemade sour plum soup!

Now, those athletes would definitely drive themselves hard for a taste of the sour plum soup!

With this thought, Lin Yahu couldn’t help but chuckle, then turned to shout at everyone still training hard,

"Come on, everyone, it’s time for some sour plum soup!

This is the iced sour plum soup made by Jiang Yu, only two barrels, better drink up before it’s gone!"