After taking a hot shower, Jiang Yu felt much more relaxed. As he changed clothes and walked out of the bathroom, he suddenly felt something was off. Turning his head, he saw Lu Shuwu had already come upstairs. At this moment, Lu Shuwu was holding that little carrot bird, examining it closely.
Seeing Jiang Yu come out, he didn’t ask why Jiang Yu didn’t go to the kitchen on the first floor after work today. Instead, he lifted the little carrot bird in his hand with interest and asked:
"Boss, did you carve this?"
"Is there anyone else here besides you and me?"
Jiang Yu glanced at him sideways while vigorously rubbing his wet hair with a dry towel.
"Haha, that’s true. I just didn’t expect you, boss, to start practicing carving again!"
Lu Shuwu chuckled awkwardly. He had seen Jiang Yu carve carrot flowers before.
But back then, the store only sold soup dumplings, so there was no need for plate decorations. Jiang Yu lost interest after a few tries.
Of course, the store was busy at that time, and he didn’t have the luxury to waste time on this "useless" food carving.
What surprised Lu Shuwu was that Jiang Yu actually started practicing carving again this time, and judging by the little carrot bird in his hand, it seemed to be quite well done.
This was much more exquisite than those carrot flowers before.
Lu Shuwu looked at the little carrot bird again, suddenly remembering something, and asked,
"By the way, boss, are you practicing carving now to prepare for the Huaxia Youth Chef Culinary Competition in August?"
Jiang Yu had mentioned this to him before. Jiang Yu was not going to compete but was invited as a guest to participate in the pre-competition culinary performance.
Honestly, if Jiang Yu could quickly carve a piece during the culinary performance, it would indeed be quite an eye-catcher.
"No, I’m just carving for fun."
Jiang Yu dried his hair and tossed the towel onto the pile of dirty clothes, shaking his head.
Seeing the doubt in Lu Shuwu’s eyes, he explained further,
"I already have another program for the culinary performance."
Lu Shuwu was taken aback and quickly asked,
"Ah? What program?"
"Didn’t you say you were coming with me back to Tanzhou then?"
Jiang Yu gave him another glance, turned around to head back to his room to rest, and said,
"You’ll see by then, won’t you? If I tell you now, wouldn’t it be quite dull to watch later?"
Lu Shuwu: "..."
You make a good point, I find myself at a loss for words!
...
Jiangzhou University, outdoor track and field training ground.
The sun had yet to rise, and the grass on the track still felt a bit damp. The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and soil. Taking a deep breath, a once drowsy mind cleared up considerably.
In fact, nothing clears the mind better than the coach’s yelling.
At this moment, on the plastic track of the field, Liu Xiaohu, Du Hua, Yao Xuehui, and the rest of the track and field team stood in a nervous line.
In front of them was the Jiang University track and field team coach, Yin Tao, a muscular man in his thirties.
He was typically unsmiling, always with a stern face. At this moment, the expression on his face was even more severe, as if coated with a layer of glue, tightly drawn.
Coach Yin stood there with a sharp gaze sweeping over each one, breaking the silence after a long while:
"We started team training last September, taking only a short break for the New Year, and have been consistently training uninterrupted up until now.
Even though there have been various setbacks along the way, overall, everyone’s training has been considered diligent and consistent, completing the training plan on time and in quantity.
However!"
Coach Yin’s "however" suddenly raised in volume, causing Liu Xiaohu and the others to flinch and involuntarily tense up.
Having been with Coach Yin for so long, they knew him well. Generally, when his volume suddenly increases, it indicates that what he said prior isn’t important, and what’s to follow is the main point!
Especially with this "however," a turning point that surely doesn’t bring good news!
Following Coach Yin’s usual style, when he’s unhappy, it means no one else will be happy that day unless everyone’s trained to exhaustion.
So, while tensing their nerves, Liu Xiaohu and the others couldn’t help but pray silently, hoping that the old devil Yin wouldn’t be upset today, sparing them from another hellish training. They couldn’t handle it!
"While everyone has completed the training tasks on time, why haven’t the results improved over such a long period? Hmm?!"
Coach Yin’s face turned grim, evidently pondering over this issue for quite some time without arriving at an answer. He pointed at Liu Xiaohu and continued,
"Take Liu Xiaohu, for example. He cleared a height of 2 meters in his freshman year, reaching the national level one athlete standard. But after such a long duration of training, entering sophomore year, he’s only improved by 0.08 meters, not even reaching 2.1 meters!"
As he said this, he cast his gaze toward Liu Xiaohu, seeming a bit frustrated,
"The standard for a male high jump master athlete is 2.2 meters, above which stands the international master athlete at 2.27 meters!