"Hmm, what Teacher Xiong said makes sense. No matter what, you need to be strong yourself to forge iron!"
Jiang Yu smiled, picked up his teacup again and took a big sip of water. Smacking his lips, he said with a smile,
"It's almost time for work. I'll head back to the dining hall first. I won't disturb Teacher Xiong at work. I'll come by for your tea again when I have time."
"No need to be shy, you can come by anytime you want."
Xiong Bingsheng also stood up from his chair and personally escorted Jiang Yu to the staircase. After watching him go downstairs, he turned and went back to the office.
After going downstairs, Jiang Yu didn't feel like sunbathing anymore. After a moment's thought, he turned and walked towards the dining hall.
By now, it was almost two in the afternoon, well past lunchtime. The hall of the Seventh Dining Hall was empty. Several part-time students were busy cleaning tables or sweeping the floors, thoroughly engrossed in their tasks.
As soon as they saw Jiang Yu, they quickly stopped and greeted him enthusiastically:
"Hello, Senior Brother Jiang!"
"Senior Brother is back!"
"..."
Jiang Yu nodded to them with a smile, didn't say much, and turned to walk towards the kitchen on the first floor.
In the kitchen, the exhaust fan was still running, making a "buzzing" noise, but the lingering aroma of food was still wafting through the air. Lu Shuwu and the others had probably just finished lunch and were scattered around, either playing on their phones or chatting.
But Yan Tongtong and the others weren't idle. They were standing in front of the sink, washing plates, bowls, and other utensils. Once cleaned, they placed all the utensils into the disinfection cabinet.
Seeing that Jiang Yu, who had gone out early in the morning, had finally returned, Lu Shuwu quickly came up with a smile and asked,
"Boss, what happened this morning? You seemed to rush off in such a hurry. Is everything alright?"
"It's nothing. A friend of mine had a stomachache in the middle of the night and almost fainted, so I took her to the hospital for a checkup. Thankfully, it's nothing serious, just gastritis."
Jiang Yu waved his hand, explaining briefly, and then asked,
"By the way, didn't Uncle Ma say he planned to make white sugar cakes this morning? How did that go? Did he make them?"
"Of course, he did. I even saved some especially for you."
As soon as Jiang Yu mentioned him, Ma Guoqiang suddenly appeared out of nowhere, carrying a plate. The plate was neatly arranged with seven or eight white sugar cakes, which he handed to Jiang Yu, saying with a chuckle,
"They're still warm, boss, why don't you try one?"
Jiang Yu looked down to examine them closely. The white sugar cakes looked like three tiny doughnuts stacked together, but they were snow-white and covered with shimmering sugar crystals, making them look very appetizing.
White sugar cakes are made from a dough of glutinous rice flour, which is rolled into thin strips about 30 centimeters long, then twisted into three circles with the ends joined, forming the cake blank.
Next, the white sugar cake blank is fried in oil and removed just before it turns yellow.
The fried white sugar cakes are drained of excess oil and, once cooled, evenly coated with a mixture of Zhangjiang's unique freeze-dried rice flour and sugar.
At this point, the white sugar cakes are ready.
Jiang Yu didn't bother with chopsticks, picked up a sugar cake with his fingers, and popped it into his mouth. With just a little chew, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but give Ma Guoqiang a thumbs up, praising,
"Uncle Ma, your skills haven't aged at all. These white sugar cakes are indeed excellent—sweet, refreshing, and soft with a chewy texture, truly authentic.
How many white sugar cakes did you make this morning? The sales must have been good, right?"