Chef at the University Canteen-Chapter 308 - 231: The Agony of Waiting by the Kitchen Door

Chapter 308: Chapter 231: The Agony of Waiting by the Kitchen Door

"Don’t go downstairs, just rest here for a while and have dinner with us later."

"Ah? Senior Brother, wouldn’t that be inappropriate?"

Tongtong was flustered upon hearing this, her face full of nervousness as she stammered,

"Senior Sister Liu and they, they are all big stars, if I join the dinner, won’t they be unhappy?"

"Big stars are also people, and they need to eat too, what are you afraid of?"

Jiang Yu laughed at her embarrassed expression and comforted her,

"No need to be so nervous, you’re not eating their food. I cooked all these dishes, so why would they be unhappy?"

He paused for a moment and added, "Besides, your Senior Sister Liu and the others aren’t arrogant people, they won’t be upset."

"Oh, okay then."

Tongtong felt delighted to hear Jiang Yu say this. Although she was still a little apprehensive, knowing her senior brother was there put her at ease.

This was the first time Senior Brother Jiang had invited her to stay for dinner since the seventh dining room opened. How could she not be happy?

The meals she had eaten in the kitchen didn’t count; at that time, it wasn’t just her, there were many others too!

She stood quietly in a corner of the kitchen, watching Jiang Yu stir-fry at the stove. The shiny iron pan shook lightly in his hands, the food inside tossed up in the air, then fell back into the pan with a "big wave returns."

Sautéing, adding ingredients, tossing the pan, flipping the ladle...

A series of actions flowed seamlessly, with a rich, spicy aroma mixed with the fragrance of the dishes enveloping the air as if wrapping everyone in.

In just a few minutes, Jiang Yu adjusted the seasoning, and after stirring a few more times with the big ladle, he plated the finished dish.

As he turned to start the next dish, Tongtong, driven by the tantalizing aroma, couldn’t help but lean in closer to see. She realized that the dish Jiang Yu just made was a Zhangjiang-style Yugan chili stir-fried pork, no wonder it smelled so good!

This dish used chili peppers that are a local specialty of Yugan, Raozhou - Yugan maple tree chili.

Yugan chili stir-fried pork is characterized by "spicy on the tongue but not in the heart, with thin skin and thick flesh," a delicacy found in restaurants and hotels of all sizes in Zhangjiang.

Smelling the enticing spicy fragrance, Tongtong couldn’t help but lick her lips; oh my, it was really tempting!

While pondering which other dishes might be on the table, she suddenly heard a hearty laugh from behind:

"Oh dear, just the aroma of this dish is enough to make one’s appetite grow; looks like I’ll be eating a lot again tonight!"

Turning towards the sound, she saw Jia Dequan walking towards the kitchen with a bright smile, his hands clasped behind his back.

Tongtong hurriedly approached and greeted him crisply, "Hello, Grandpa Jia!"

"Hey, Xiaoyan, I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you downstairs; turns out you ran up here."

Jia Dequan stopped and looked at Tongtong kindly, saying with a smile, 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"How is it, standing guard at the kitchen door isn’t easy, is it? The fragrance of the dishes can make your stomach grumble."

"It’s okay, I’m used to it."

Tongtong’s face flushed bright red.

Since the "Jiang Family Steamed Buns" stall at the second cafeteria, she had been following Jiang Yu around for over half a year; apart from holidays, her three meals a day were all provided by Jiang Yu.

Having developed a taste over such a long time, although she still loved Jiang Yu’s cooking, her resistance was much stronger compared to others and wouldn’t start drooling just from the aroma.

Before they could chat for long, Jiang Yu had already finished the dishes and called over,

"Xiaoyan, come help carry the dishes over. We can start eating soon."

"Oh, okay, coming!"

Tongtong replied, blushing slightly towards Jia Dequan, and then quickly ran into the kitchen to help serve the dishes.

"Lao Jia, you can follow Xiaoyan to the private room."

Jiang Yu looked back at Jia Dequan, handed him two bottles of fruit wine, and said with a smile,

"Let’s relax tonight, skip other drinks and try my homemade kiwi fruit wine."

"Oh, that’s a treat!"

Jia Dequan’s eyes lit up as he hurriedly accepted the bottles, sniffed them, and said joyfully,

"I’ve heard that kiwi fruit wine is very nutritious, good for blood circulation and digestion, and most importantly, it tastes great. I’ll have to drink a couple of extra glasses later!"

"A little drink lightens the mood, excessive drinking harms the body."

Jiang Yu casually remarked as he took the steamed lion’s head from the steamer,

"Although the alcohol content of this wine is low, given your age, it’s best to drink less."

Jia Dequan smiled, "Don’t worry, I’m not someone who indulges in too much."

As they chatted, Tongtong had already fetched a serving cart and piled the prepared dishes on it, pushing the cart into the private room.

Jia Dequan then followed, holding a bottle of kiwi fruit wine in each hand, chatting with Tongtong as they headed forward.

Meanwhile, Liu Xining and Pan Jingchen were sitting in the "Spring" private room. Since the seventh dining room wasn’t open today, the door was left ajar. The fragrance of the dishes wafted over from the kitchen, filling the room and reaching their noses.