After New Year’s, ti seems to pass quicker day by day, and in the blink of an eye, it’s nearly ti for the sester exams.
Students, accustod to laziness, suddenly beca diligent and studious to avoid failing their exams. They climb out of their cozy beds early in the morning and rush to the library to review their lessons.
The Seventh Dining Hall remains unchanged, still bustling with students lining up to buy als during al tis.
The only difference is, previously, students would finish their als and leave in groups, either going to class or returning to their dormitories to play gas.
Now, many students don’t leave after eating. They simply push their trays aside and pull out their books from their backpacks to study right there.
They’ve actually turned the Seventh Dining Hall into a study room!
The most crucial thing is, it’s not just a handful of students doing this; many regard it as completely normal.
As a result, after al tis end, the dining area is filled with students revising their books.
Their serious, hard-working appearance makes Yan Tongtong and Chen Fugui, who are cleaning, hesitant to disturb them for fear of accidentally affecting them.
Back in the kitchen, Yan Tongtong, pouting unhappily, complained to Jiang Yu:
"Usually, you don’t see them so diligent and studious, but when sester exams are approaching, they all start cramming, and for whom are they putting on a show?"
"Isn’t it just because they’re afraid of failing?"
Lu Shuwu listened and couldn’t help but laugh,
"If the school had a rule that you don’t have to retake or resit if you fail, do you think they would still be this diligent?"
"There are study rooms in the library for revising, and if not, there are so many classroom buildings with plenty of rooms!"
This is sothing Yan Tongtong and the others couldn’t figure out. She argued,
"Why do they have to revise in our Seventh Dining Hall? This is a place to eat, not a study room. Their staying here is affecting us while we clean!"
"What’s so hard to understand? They just don’t want to run back and forth. Studying here ans they can queue anyti during al tis, and after eating, they can continue reading. How convenient is that?"
Jiang Yu also laughed, comforting her by saying,
"Alright, don’t get upset. Just sweep up the trash on the floor; no need to wipe the tables. If they are to revise, they’ll definitely clean the tables. You save ti that way!"
Hearing this, Yan Tongtong felt a bit better.
"Boss, once the sester exams are over, the school will soon be on holiday too, so when do we go on break?"
After working hard for a sester, Lu Shuwu was truly feeling exhausted. He used to be just a simple foodie, never having worked this hard before.
He’s done more work this sester than he has in the past few years combined, so as the year-end approaches, he’s eagerly anticipating the holiday.
"The school holidays when school holidays are. Rest assured, the cafeteria will be closed during the winter break, everyone will go ho for a good New Year, and we’ll resu afterward."
Jiang Yu thought it over and said,
"Before leaving, let’s all gather for a nice al; everyone has worked hard this half-year."
Hu Zhihai smiled cheerfully and said, "Not hard at all, not hard at all, Lao Jiang, you’ve worked the hardest!"
"Anyone here can say that, but a freeloader like you, who cos to eat and drink all the ti, how do you dare say it?"
Lu Shuwu sneered and looked at Hu Zhihai with disdain, saying,
"Little fatty, you really have thick skin!"
...
The group was chatting idly in the kitchen when Chen Fugui suddenly ran in from outside, saying to Jiang Yu,
"Boss, soone is looking for you outside!"
"Know who it is?"
"It’s the mother and son from Qiantang; I heard them ntioning the year-end is near, and they might be going back soon."
"Oh, alright, ask them to wait a mont; I’ll be right there."
Jiang Yu nodded at him, paused what he was doing, and went to wash his hands at the sink before heading out.
Entering the dining hall, he imdiately saw Liu Shurong and her son Wu Wenle sitting at a table, chatting happily together.
Having not seen him for a while, Wu Wenle, who used to look emaciated and frail, had transford quite a bit. He looked much stronger, had gained so weight, and had a healthy glow with bright, spirited eyes.
"Aunt Liu, what brings you to see today?"
Jiang Yu took a few more glances at Wu Wenle before walking over, greeting them with a smile,
"Lele looks great, his health must have vastly improved, right?"
"Thanks to Boss Xiao Jiang’s help, without your als, Lele wouldn’t have recovered so quickly."
Seeing Jiang Yu approaching, Liu Shurong quickly pulled Lele up and urged him,
"Lele, why don’t you hurry up and thank your big brother Jiang?"
Wu Wenle stood up, curiously looking at Jiang Yu, saying: "Thank you, big brother Jiang!"
"You’re welco, you’re welco!"
Jiang Yu quickly waved his hand, smiling as he said,
"Actually, I didn’t do much; I just made a few dishes for you all. To be honest, I don’t even know if those dishes have any effect."
After a pause, he asked again, "Aunt Liu, has Lele’s anorexia truly improved?"
"No..."
Liu Shurong shook her head helplessly and explained,
"Earlier, I saw Lele’s health gradually improving and thought his anorexia was cured. But later, when I took him out for a walk, I found things weren’t that simple!"
"What do you an?"
"Lele has no appetite for food cooked by others; he can’t eat any of it."
Liu Shurong raised her hand to rub her forehead and said with a face full of distress,
"He can only eat the food you, Boss Xiao Jiang, cook. This ans his anorexia isn’t cured at all; he’s only able to eat your food because it’s so delicious, even his anorexia can’t resist!"
Jiang Yu: "..."
Even anorexia can’t resist?
Is my cooking really that good? Why do I not feel that at all?!
This matter is really too unbelievable; no wonder Jiang Yu himself found it hard to believe.
But Liu Shurong had no reason to deceive him, as it served her no benefit.
After thinking for a mont, Jiang Yu had no choice but to ask:
"Aunt Liu, what are you planning to do now?
Given Lele’s situation, it seems I really can’t do much. You have to think of a way to cure this illness quickly, or it might get more serious over ti.
One day, if Lele even loses appetite for my cooking, then it will be a real problem."
"What you’re worried about is also our concern, but right now, we really have no solution."
Liu Shurong sighed softly and said wistfully,
"Isn’t it almost the New Year? And your dining hall will soon be on break, right? Once you’re on break, Lele and I will also return to Qiantang for the New Year. We’ll just have to wait until after the holiday to figure things out."
After a pause, she added, "But before the break, I wonder if I could ask Boss Xiao Jiang for a favor?"
"What favor?"
Jiang Yu was surprised, then quickly said, "Aunt Liu, tell . If it’s sothing I can do, I will surely help."
"Since Lele can only eat the food you make, we’ll be back ho for the New Year for about a month. If Lele doesn’t eat for that long, his body won’t be able to handle it."
Liu Shurong turned to look at Wu Wenle, feeling helpless, and said,
"Boss Xiao Jiang, I wonder if you could find so ti before the break to make so long-lasting food for Lele so he can eat sothing occasionally during the holiday?"
"I can make so stead buns, flower rolls, or dried vegetable and at pastries for Lele."
Jiang Yu furrowed his brow slightly and thought for a mont before saying,
"But even though it’s quite cold now, these kinds of food can’t be stored for a month. Also, once these foods cool, they beco hard and dry, which isn’t good for the stomach if eaten too much."
"Then, what should we do?"
Liu Shurong, hearing this, looked distressed, "Such a long ti, Lele can’t possibly not eat."
As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up with hope, and she said,
"How about, Boss Xiao Jiang, you co to our ho as a guest during your break? We can pay you!"
"That’s impossible; I have to go ho during the break too."
Without thinking, Jiang Yu shook his head and refused directly, saying, "Don’t even ntion it; I absolutely can’t agree to that."
"Can you at least tell where your ho is, Boss Xiao Jiang?"
Despite the rejection, Liu Shurong wasn’t discouraged and continued,
"Rest assured, I an no harm. I’m just thinking that if one day Lele gets hungry, I can take him to find you for so help with als.
Don’t worry, we definitely won’t disturb you for anything else."
Truly, the loving hearts of parents are so pitiable!
Seeing Liu Shurong’s pitiful expression, Jiang Yu couldn’t bear it. He sighed internally and nodded, saying:
"Alright, I’ll leave you my phone number then."
After sending Liu Shurong and her son off, Jiang Yu returned to the kitchen. It was getting late, and Lu Shuwu and Qian Liwei, along with others, had already started preparing for dinner.
Ever since Jiang Yu passed on the secret recipes for soup dumpling fillings, chopped pepper fish head, dried vegetable braised chicken feet, and various other dishes to Lu Shuwu, he found himself suddenly with more free ti.
While others were busy working, he, the dining hall boss, just strolled around with his hands behind his back.
Of course, he wasn’t completely idle.
When he felt like it, he would still make one or two dishes to sell, but these were considered additional dishes, purely a "bonus" for the students.
Ti slowly passed between als, and as the leaves on the broadleaf trees around campus were about to fall off, the final exams quickly ca to an end.
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