Chef at the University Canteen-Chapter 499 - 279: Xiaojiang, You’re Our Recruitment "Secret Weapon

Chapter 499: Chapter 279: Xiaojiang, You’re Our Recruitment "Secret Weapon

"By the way, boss, aren’t we holding interviews for the chefs we recruited in the cafeteria this weekend?"

"Yes, we’ll choose three out of ten, should be done in one morning."

Jiang Yu didn’t stop what he was doing, continuing to mix the filling as he said, "When the time comes, you and Lao Jia should come along to help out with the evaluations."

"I don’t mind evaluating, I’m just afraid I might not be qualified enough."

Lu Shuwu chuckled a bit sheepishly, saying,

"Among these ten chefs, several of them were formally trained. I sense that their skills might even surpass mine. What right do I have to evaluate them?"

"Be confident, remove the words ’might even’ from that sentence."

Jiang Yu rarely joked with Lu Shuwu and said with a smile,

"Whether they’re formally trained doesn’t matter. The key is that they’re the head chefs at big restaurants. With your current skill level, you’d only be a junior chef at a big hotel."

"..."

After hearing Jiang Yu’s words, Lu Shuwu suddenly had a stunned expression on his face.

Listen to this! Can you believe what he’s saying?

But upon reflection, he sighed. Truth be told, if he put aside the dishes the boss taught him, his culinary skills were really nothing to brag about.

Just like when the Seventh Dining Hall first opened last October, the dishes he made such as farmhouse stir-fried pork, pickled vegetable stir-fried vermicelli, and spicy pickled duck offal weren’t even liked by the part-time kitchen staff. They weren’t nearly as popular as Ma Guoqiang’s fresh meat buns! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The blow was really quite significant.

That said, he’s been at the Seventh Dining Hall for quite some time now. Not only did he get pointers from Jiang Yu, but he learned a few tricks from Lao Jia now and then too. Yet, his culinary skills hadn’t improved much. It was somewhat embarrassing.

If he returned to Tanzhou in a few years with such poor cooking skills, his old man might jump up out of anger.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but say, "Boss, why don’t you just take me as an apprentice? I feel like my cooking skills haven’t improved much. I wouldn’t have the face to go back and see my grandpa."

"What apprenticeship? How can you call me master when I don’t even feel qualified to accept you as a disciple?"

Jiang Yu looked up and glanced at him with an exasperated expression, saying,

"I’ll give you back the notebook your grandpa gave me later. This notebook contains his lifetime of valuable experience. Study it seriously and ask me or Lao Jia if you don’t understand something.

I believe, if you thoroughly understand your grandpa’s notes and apply them to your cooking, you could at least reach eighty percent of his level."

"Really?"

Lu Shuwu’s eyes lit up, just like how Ultraman’s eyes glow.

Jiang Yu glared at him, responded with mock displeasure, "Do I have to lie to you for money?"

"Thank you, boss!"

Lu Shuwu grinned widely, feeling as if his face was blooming with joy.

Jiang Yu shook his head, "Thank me for what? It’s originally the Lu Family’s stuff."

The two of them chatted while making the soup dumplings. Before long, Ma Guoqiang, He Chunxiao, and others arrived one after another at the dining hall, with each person getting busy—cooking porridge, making buns, preparing cold dishes...

In no time, the kitchen bustled with activity, and the rich aroma of hot brine filled the air.

Soon, the dining hall started operating. Jiang Yu took a break, and with Hu Zhihai, each holding a large bowl of cold noodles, they sat in a corner and slurped their breakfast.

After graduation thesis defense, Hu Zhihai appeared to mature overnight. He no longer sought shortcuts like before, waking up early every day to memorize vocabulary. Aside from having meals at the dining hall, he spent his time in the library’s study hall, diligently reviewing and preparing.

Although it’s hard to tell if others were truly studying, Hu Zhihai’s efforts were obvious.

In just a month, he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight; his chubby face even gained some definition.

"Fatty, getting into grad school isn’t as important as you think, don’t wear yourself out."

Jiang Yu hadn’t intended to bring this up, since Hu Zhihai’s willingness to study wasn’t a bad thing. But seeing how much weight he’d lost, he felt concerned as a friend and couldn’t help but remind him,

"Looking at you now, if you went home, your mom might not even recognize you."

"Come on, it’s not that drastic. My weight loss is natural, not because of health issues."

Hu Zhihai chewed a mouthful of noodles, swallowed, and smiled,

"Look at how much I can eat; does it seem like I’m unhealthy? I can eat, drink, and sleep well, healthier than ever.

The reason I’m thinner is due to overusing my brain while studying, plus I jog every morning too. If I weren’t in good health, could I keep up with this intense study routine?"

"That’s good, just make sure you’re aware of your health. Staying healthy is most important."

Hearing this, Jiang Yu felt reassured. He glanced at Hu Zhihai and teasingly added,

"But really, you look pretty dashing now that you’ve slimmed down, not bad at all!"

"Tch! What kind of taste is that? Do I look just a bit dashing?"

Hearing this, Hu Zhihai couldn’t help but raise his chin proudly, saying with a self-satisfied look,

"Let me tell you, when I get handsome, even I get scared!"