Chef at the University Canteen-Chapter 326 - 236: Love Takes Time; Good Food Should Be Savored Slowly

"This is Dining Room Seven. Xiaojiang should still be in the kitchen, busy preparing dishes for everyone." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Teacher Xiong led Chen Lei and the group through the somewhat crowded first-floor cafeteria hall, and up the stairs to the second floor. He turned to look at Chen Lei and the others, then smiled and explained,

"Let’s not disturb him now. Once he’s finished, I’ll have someone call him over."

"Alright, Teacher Xiong, you arrange it as you see fit."

People who are busy working least like being disturbed.

Chen Lei felt this way, and so did everyone else, so naturally, no one had any objections to Teacher Xiong’s arrangement.

As they stepped onto the second floor, they looked up and saw the hotel’s signboard hanging above the door, with large, flamboyant characters saying— "Dining Room Seven."

Downstairs, the cafeteria was bustling and noisy, the aroma of food wafting in the air; but upstairs, the restaurant was silent, only at the reception desk around the corner from the stairs stood a slightly young-looking waiter, smiling to greet the guests.

Here, it felt like a hidden paradise in the bustling city, quiet and leisurely.

Chen Lei and Lin Yahu curiously looked around the restaurant hidden within the student cafeteria, as they followed the waiter’s lead towards the private dining room.

The more they learned about Jiang Yu, the more intrigued they became.

This curiosity extended to everything related to Jiang Yu.

It wasn’t just Chen Lei who felt this way; whether it was Lin Yahu, Wang Dongkai, or the others, they were all very interested in this younger peer they had only heard of but not yet met.

A young man in his early twenties, a college student, how did he reach this stage?

As athletes, they knew very well that to excel in anything, talent alone was far from enough.

Talent only determines your starting point, but effort determines your endpoint.

They had seen far too many examples of people with outstanding talent but lacking effort, ultimately blending into the crowd, so many they couldn’t even recall them all.

Therefore, both Chen Lei and the others believed that Jiang Yu not only had a talent for cooking but was also extremely diligent; otherwise, how could his culinary skills be so superb, attracting so many students eager to line up for a taste of his dishes?

Even entrepreneurs were willing to donate two million, just to have him renovate the restaurant, allowing outsiders the opportunity to taste his cooking!

Just the image of someone "not only gifted but also diligent and striving" was enough for Chen Lei, Lin Yahu, and the others to greatly respect Jiang Yu and consider him one of their "kind."

Because each of them had achieved their current dazzling performance through relentless effort.

The group entered the largest private room, "Chrysanthemum," in Dining Room Seven. After the waiter served tea and left, Teacher Xiong smiled and said:

"This restaurant has no main dining hall, only private rooms, and you need to make a reservation in advance to taste Xiaojiang’s dishes. Booking a room here is harder than getting a ticket to a superstar’s concert.

I once heard that some foodies were even willing to spend thousands of dollars just to ’buy’ the chance to dine with customers who had reservations."

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

Wang Dongkai was the most easily surprised. Upon hearing Teacher Xiong’s words, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement and said with a face full of surprise,

"Even getting concert tickets from scalpers isn’t this exaggerated. Does it really cost that much just for a meal here?"

"You didn’t get it, that’s not the cost of the meal, but the cost of buying a ’qualification’ to eat here; the actual meal expenses are on top of that!"

Lin Yahu glanced at Wang Dongkai, pursed his lips, and said,

"We poorer folks shouldn’t try to figure out the thoughts of the rich. If the food here is good, does the cost really matter?"

"Uh... I was just saying."

Wang Dongkai, hearing Lin Yahu’s remark, realized he might be overthinking, scratched his nose in slight embarrassment, then seemed to remember something and turned to ask,

"By the way, since we’re dining here, did we book this room well in advance?"

"Xiaojiang is your junior. When senior brothers and sisters return to school wanting to try his dishes, do they need to compete with ordinary people to book a room?"

Teacher Xiong took a sip from the teacup on the table and smiled contentedly as he joked,

"If that were the case, wouldn’t it be like slapping his face?"

Chen Lei and the others couldn’t help but laugh at this, filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.

...

While Teacher Xiong and Chen Lei’s group were chatting in the private room, a different scene unfolded not far away in the kitchen from the "Chrysanthemum" room.

Pei Guofu and two junior apprentices busied themselves washing, chopping, and preparing ingredients, while Jiang Yu and Du Guangning toiled over the stove with the flames roaring, frying, baking, cooking, boiling, stewing, braising, and stir-frying. In a blink of an eye, the handled ingredients turned into mouthwatering delicacies with rich color, aroma, and taste.

The dishes for today were allocated by task.

Du Guangning pre-cooked for the other four private rooms, while Jiang Yu was responsible only for the final seasoning and quality check, and personally prepared the dishes for Chen Lei and the others.