Seventh Dining Hall, in the kitchen.

After discussing Jia Dequan's matters, everyone got busy again. Although there was still some time before lunch, it was essential to prepare in advance to avoid panicking when the time comes.

Lu Shuwu, Ma Guoqiang, and others went to the prep room to cut and prepare vegetables, while Yan Tongtong and other part-time students were busy washing dishes, cleaning plates, and tidying up the dining hall.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu was in the operations area heating up oil to start frying crispy meat slices.

Jia Dequan stood behind him, hands clasped, staring intently, making Jiang Yu feel quite uneasy.

It's like when you're doing homework and the teacher stands by your side watching you, making you feel like you're sitting on pins and needles, uncomfortable all over.

Jiang Yu felt exactly like that now. He was aware of his limitations; without the help of the Gourmet System, his cooking skills were only at senior chef level, while Jia Dequan was a true master technician, and the gap was significant.

Despite the pressure, Jiang Yu managed to finish frying the crispy meat. Luckily, he maintained his composure well enough, and the process went smoothly. The fried crispy meat was golden and aromatic, looking very appetizing.

To make the crispy meat even crunchier, he refried the drained pieces again for a shorter time, just two or three minutes, and then took them out.

While they were still warm, Jiang Yu put some of the drained crispy meat on a plate, sprinkled a bit of salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder on top, mixed it, and offered it to Jia Dequan with a smile:

"Old Jia, have a taste?"

"Sure."

Jia Dequan took a pair of clean chopsticks, picked up a piece of crispy meat, and bit into it. There was a crunch as the fried batter crust cracked open.

The tenderloin slice inside was juicy and still steaming, with the delicious aroma of meat wafting up.

With a crispy shell and tender meat, blended with the salt, cumin, and chili powder, the taste was both fragrant and spicy—absolutely irresistible!

"Hmm, not bad, it tastes great!"

Jia Dequan ate a piece and couldn't stop, eating several in a row before finally shaking his head repeatedly,

"I can't eat any more, I can't eat any more. My cholesterol is a bit high, so I should cut down on fried foods."

Saying this, he couldn't resist taking another piece and chewing it. Only then did he reluctantly put down the chopsticks, saying while chewing,

"I really can't eat more, this is the last one!"

"..."

Jiang Yu was speechless. You say you can't eat more, but you've eaten almost half the plate!

I just wanted you to taste it, maybe give me some pointers, not to fill you up!

After thinking about it, he asked, "Old Jia, how about my crispy meat?"

"It's very good. If we're talking about taste, I wouldn't dare say I can make it better than you."

Jia Dequan swallowed the food in his mouth, took a sip of water, and continued,

"Your timing and heat control for frying the crispy meat are quite well-managed. It's crispy and tasty; you see, I couldn't stop eating it.

Honestly, I don't have much advice to give you; it's better not to show off in front of an expert.

When it's time to prepare lunch, I should honestly go and give tips to Xiaowu and Xiaowei. I've tasted their dishes, and they're way behind you; I'm embarrassed to even comment!"

Jiang Yu: "..."

With words like that, I don't even know what expression to make.

But it makes sense. This crispy meat was made according to the system's recipe and instructions, followed to the letter—even the battering and coating were done precisely by the guide, so Jia Dequan saying he had no advice was genuine.

If Jiang Yu didn't follow the guide and relied solely on his skills to make this dish, it would likely be full of flaws, riddled with mistakes, and if Jia Dequan were a temperamental old chef, Jiang Yu might have been scolded harshly.

Of course, at this stage, Jiang Yu is not going to give up using the system, this "nuclear weapon." It not only provides seasoning recipes for various dishes but also perfect production processes. As long as he continues to learn and practice, his cooking skills will surely improve.

After finishing the crispy meat, Jiang Yu didn't immediately make the sour soup crispy meat. This dish is best served freshly made; when it's just out of the pot, the crispy meat is still crunchy on the outside and tender inside, and sipping on a mouthful of tangy, spiced soup is divine!

But if left too long, the crispy crust will get soggy, and the texture will naturally worsen.

Jiang Yu covered the prepared crispy meat with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. As for the portion he had set aside earlier, he took it to the prep room for everyone to taste.

Lu Shuwu, Ma Guoqiang, and others were in for a treat today, not only tasting Jia Dequan's roasted potatoes but also Jiang Yu's crispy meat—they were over the moon:

"If we could have special snacks like Old Jia's and the boss's from time to time like today, that would be awesome!"

"Haha, I could skip a bowl at lunch!"

"I've been wanting to lose weight. If I could eat such delicious snacks every day, I could skip lunch altogether!"

"..."

Jiang Yu couldn't be bothered to respond to them; getting to taste it once or twice is already good enough, and they still expect to eat it every day?

What are they even thinking?

He curled his lips, then turned around and got back to work.

At this time, Jiang Yu obviously had no idea that a storm targeting him was brewing in the school...

...

Jiangzhou University, in the girls' dormitory.

"Yingying, I'm dying, I'm dying!"

A tall, sweet-looking girl stood in front of the full-length mirror, holding a dress against her body, speaking in a panicked voice,

"I, I seem to have gained weight, I can't fit into this dress, I can't fit into this dress!"

"Ah? You've gained weight?"

Cui Yingying poked her head out from her desk, looking bewildered, and said,

"I didn't notice you gaining weight, besides, even if you've gained weight, could you be as heavy as me? My 120-pound body could crush you to death!"

"Oh my, I'm telling you for real!"

The tall girl couldn't help but stomp her feet, turned around irritably towards Yingying, held the dress against herself again, then took out a measuring tape to measure her waist, and cried out with a sobbing tone,

"I really did gain weight, look, look, my waist used to be eighteen inches, now it's twenty-one! 55555!"

"You really gained weight?!"

Seeing that the tall girl was about to cry, Cui Yingying quickly stood up from her seat, ran over to pinch her waist, then carefully examined her face, left and right, and couldn't help but burst out laughing,

"Shishi, you seem to have really, really gained weight, hahaha!

We're with each other every day, and I didn't notice at all. Now that I take a good look, not only is your waist round, but your cheeks are puffed up too, just like, just like a little hamster, so cute!"

"What the heck! I thought you were my good sister, and when I gain weight, you actually laugh at me! Our friendship is over just like that!"

Ye Shishi wasn't truly crying; she's not the kind of delicate girl, she's got quite the fiery temper.

Seeing that her close friend didn't comfort her but instead laughed at her, she immediately got angry, glared fiercely at Cui Yingying, then said a bit worriedly,

"The school's welcome party is in half a month's time, and I can't even fit into my dress now, how can I go on stage to host the event?"

"That's easy! Just alter the dress to make the waist bigger, problem solved!"

Cui Yingying laughed so hard her stomach hurt, she sat down on the chair, rubbing her belly, and said with a laugh,

"As long as you can wear it, nobody will notice anyway, besides, your weight gain isn't even that obvious!"

"No, I still need to control my diet, exercise more, and lose some weight. What if my waistline keeps increasing over the next half month?"

Ye Shishi thought about it, and felt that Cui Yingying's idea could only be a backup plan, and not necessarily reliable, so losing weight must be put on the agenda.

Thinking about having to control her diet, she couldn't help but stomp her foot hard, and said through gritted teeth,

"Hmph, it's all Senior Brother Jiang's fault! If he didn't make the dishes so delicious, how could I eat so much at every meal? If I didn't eat so much, how could I gain weight?!

Yes, it's all Senior Brother Jiang's fault!"

Finding out you've gained weight wasn't limited to just Ye Shishi. Because it was summer, many girls had been wearing loose T-shirts for the past two to three months and hadn't noticed at all.

It wasn't until November when the weather started to cool down and they had to wear long sleeves and pants that they shockingly realized last year's clothes felt tight, and some people couldn't even button their pants!

On the campus forum, girls were posting "complaints" one after another:

Every summer before was a great time to lose weight, because the heat naturally reduced appetite, plus sweating often due to the heat, I could lose at least ten pounds over the summer!

But what I never expected was, with summer barely over this year, not only did I not lose weight, but I gained ten pounds!

Last night I dug out last year's jeans from the wardrobe to try them on, and I couldn't even button up the waist...

It's not just the jeans, I can't fit into any of my fitted long sleeves or dresses!

Why has this happened?

After careful thought, I finally identified the "culprit" for my weight gain!

It's Senior Brother Jiang from the Seventh Dining Hall!

If it weren't for his delicious cooking, how could I eat three full meals a day?

If it weren't for his delicious cooking, how could I be so punctual in going downstairs to the dining hall every mealtime?

If it weren't for his delicious cooking, how could I not fit into last year's jeans?

Senior Brother Jiang, you owe me for my clothes and pants! You owe me my good figure!

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