Seventh Dining Hall, in the kitchen.
A morning may seem long, but once you get busy, there isn’t much you can actually accomplish.
Just like Du Guangning, he felt that he had only made four or five cold dishes when the guests who had reserved the private room for lunch arrived. Helplessly, he had to pause his learning to join Pei Guofu and others to start preparing the ingredients.
Progress can be addictive.
Especially when Du Guangning gained a new cooking trick while making a cold dish, the sudden surprise was like buying a drink and finding "Try Again" written under the cap, making him overflow with joy.
And every time he completed a cold dish and tasted his own delicious creation, the immense satisfaction and sense of achievement came crashing in like a wave, enveloping him completely.
This feeling he had never experienced made Du Guangning appear very excited, and even though he had been busy all morning, he didn’t feel tired at all, working with great enthusiasm.
After lunch, everyone had eaten, and Jiang Yu was planning, as usual, to rest for a while in the private room on the first floor when Du Guangning approached with an expectant look and said:
"Boss, now that everyone is done with lunch, how about I continue learning to make cold dishes?"
"......"
Jiang Yu turned and gave him a curious glance; are you being a bit overly enthusiastic?
You’ve been busy for most of the day already. Are you a machine that doesn’t feel tired at all?
Plus, even if you’re not tired, I am!
Thinking for a moment, he said to Du Guangning,
"You’ve been busy all morning, better take a break first. It’s still early for dinner; if we make the cold dishes too early, the taste will change by the time the guests arrive."
"Oh, okay."
Hearing the boss say so, Du Guangning was a bit disappointed, but he had to accept it. He thought for a moment and asked again,
"Then, shall we start in an hour?"
"Alright, let’s start in an hour."
Du Guangning’s enthusiasm for learning cooking made Jiang Yu feel a bit embarrassed, but he didn’t think that rushing through learning was a good choice.
Whether it’s acquiring knowledge or skills, progressing step by step is best; you need to leave some time to consolidate your memory and reinforce practice.
After thinking it over, he couldn’t help but remind him,
"Use this break to recall the methods for the cold dishes from this morning. Don’t learn too much now and then find yourself unable to make them when asked later."
"Yeah, yeah, don’t worry, boss, I won’t."
Du Guangning quickly nodded his head, and after watching Jiang Yu go downstairs, he also prepared to find a place to rest.
Truth be told, after a busy morning, he was actually quite tired; he wasn’t truly a machine, and even machines need oil after working long hours.
But when Du Guangning told Jiang Yu he wanted to continue making cold dishes earlier, he wasn’t lying, albeit exhausted, as he still wanted to learn how to make more dishes.
After all, only when you’ve learned something is it truly yours!
An hour later, Jiang Yu returned to the second floor of the Seventh Dining Hall. From a distance, he saw Du Guangning already busy with preparations in the kitchen.
Seeing Jiang Yu arrive, Du Guangning quickly paused what he was doing and said with a smile:
"Boss, I’ve already prepared the main ingredients for the cold dishes we’re making this afternoon."
"Mmm."
Jiang Yu nodded, his expression calm and composed.
He was different from other head chefs; other head chefs might worry about their chefs surpassing their skills and taking their job.
But Jiang Yu didn’t have to worry about these things at all.
Not only was he the head chef, but he was also the owner of this Seventh Dining Hall. No one could shake his position. And as far as cooking goes, he didn’t think many could surpass him.
Moreover, those who can cook tastier dishes than he can disdain this small restaurant in the student cafeteria.
Du Guangning’s eagerness to learn cooking was a good thing in Jiang Yu’s view.
Only when Du Guangning improved his culinary skills could he share some of the pressure, giving Jiang Yu more time and space to do what he wants but hadn’t had time for.
Looking over at Du Guangning, Jiang Yu couldn’t help but smile and ask,
"Are some of the cold dishes we’re preparing this afternoon the same as the ones at noon?"
"Yes, garlic white meat, ginger tripe slices, salt and pepper chicken nuggets, smashed cucumber... Several cold dishes are the same as those made at noon."
Du Guangning didn’t even need to look at the menu on the wall; he blurted it out without thinking, showing clearly that he had already memorized these dishes, never forgetting.
"Alright, let’s not worry about the dishes we made this noon; I’ll first teach you the ones you haven’t done."
Jiang Yu nodded, turned to glance at the menu on the wall, and then told Du Guangning,
"As for the dishes we’re making, you’ll handle them when dinner time is near. I’ll be cooking the stir-fries then, so I’ll have no time to keep an eye on these."
Anyway, you’ve made these dishes once at noon; there shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Du Guangning nodded confidently and said, "Don’t worry, boss, I definitely won’t have any problems!"