Seventh Dining Hall, dining area.

"Lele, slow down, there's plenty more!"

Liu Shurong watched her son across the table bury his head in the tray, sweating profusely as he ate, with a warm smile on her face.

Lele didn't look up, but he didn't forget his mom, mumbling:

"Mm, Mom, you should eat too!"

"Alright."

Liu Shurong replied, but her hands didn't move at all.

This past month has been her most pleasant month in over a year.

Bringing her son, who had an eating disorder, to Jiangzhou University's Seventh Dining Hall seeking a remedy, she didn't have much hope.

But who could have imagined, Boss Xiao Jiang at the Seventh Dining Hall actually had the skill, and just a bowl of Sister Song's fish soup opened up what seemed to be Lele's once-locked appetite.

So much so that now, Lele not only loves the spicy and exciting Jiangzhou cuisine but even has a bigger appetite than before, with his physical condition visibly improving.

A month ago, he was so thin and frail it seemed he could barely stand, but now, where is that sickly look from before?

At this moment, Lele, with rosy and shiny cheeks and eyes full of life, looks full of energy, just like a sixteen-year-old boy should be, vibrant and energetic!

After staying at Jiangzhou University for over a month, Lele's eating disorder seems to have completely healed, and now he's no longer picky like he used to be at home. Liu Shurong wonders if she can take her son back to Qiantang.

Her initial purpose in bringing Lele here was to treat his illness, and now that he's better, going back is a natural decision.

Even if she doesn't need to work after returning to Qiantang, Lele still has to attend school.

It's already December now, and going back, taking a good rest, then redoing the first year of high school after the new year, will require considerable effort. Better to prepare early if possible.

Liu Shurong has only one worry:

What if Lele still can't eat after returning to Qiantang, then what?

Would they have to come back again?

For this concern, her husband, Lele's father, Wu Zhiguo, suggested:

"Why don't you take Lele for a tour around Jiangzhou City District?

When Lele gets hungry, take him to a famous local restaurant to try a meal. If he can eat other people's food, then his condition is truly improved."

Liu Shurong didn't dare think for herself and quickly asked:

"What if he still has no appetite for others' food?"

"If that's the case, what else is there to ask?"

Wu Zhiguo paused for a moment on the phone before continuing,

"It means Lele's condition hasn't changed much. Lele willing to eat is because Boss Xiao Jiang's cooking is exceptionally delicious!"

"Oh, alright then, I'll find a chance to try it."

"Don't worry too much. No matter what, Lele's health is visibly improving, isn't it?"

Wu Zhiguo heard the low tone in her voice and quickly comforted her,

"If it really doesn't work, I'll think of a way to see if we can get him to Qiantang just to cook for Lele."

Liu Shurong said worriedly, "The problem is, Boss Xiao Jiang doesn't care about money."

Wu Zhiguo laughed: "Who doesn't like money? He's just not getting enough from others!"

Jiang Yu: You misunderstand me, I'm very interested in money!

With her husband's suggestion, Liu Shurong took Lele to the Jiangzhou City District a week ago. Probably because it was their first time in the city, the mother and son had quite a good time.

Nearing noon, Lele hadn't said he was hungry, but Liu Shurong was getting a bit peckish.

She quickly said to her son:

"Lele, let's find a place to eat and take a break, and continue playing after we eat, okay?"

Lele thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

The two of them then walked into a local Jiangzhou restaurant with a unique style. Liu Shurong looked at the menu and handed it to Lele with a smile:

"Lele, they say the food here is quite good, though it's a bit spicy. See if there's anything you'd like to eat?"

Lele shook his head and pushed the menu back:

"Mom, you order, I'm not hungry yet."

"..."

Liu Shurong's heart skipped a beat as an ominous feeling welled up.

The scenario she thought was least likely seemed to have become the most likely:

Lele's eating disorder wasn't cured. It seemed he could only eat the dishes prepared by Jiang Yu, and just like before, had no appetite for others' food!

This, this is truly frustrating!

Feeling disheartened, Liu Shurong tried for a whole week, nearly tasting all the famous foods in Jiangzhou's streets and alleys, but Lele still refused to eat, not a single bite, no matter how much she persuaded.

At this point, Liu Shurong finally gave up, grudgingly accepting that her son was still the same as he was over a month ago, with no real improvement in his condition.

The illusion of her son's recovery was given by the dishes made by Boss Xiao Jiang.

The dishes were simply too delicious, so much so that even anorexia couldn't resist their temptation...

Looking at his son easily finishing off the three liang of rice on his tray, along with steamed ribs with taro and black bean sauce, and fish-flavored shredded pork, all clean, without forgetting to lick the grains of rice from the corners of his mouth...

Sitting across from him, Liu Shurong's worries from these past few days suddenly dissipated, and she felt a bit relieved:

Over a month ago, she was worried about whether her son could keep up with his health, but now there's no need to worry about him suddenly collapsing due to a lack of nutrition.

Since that's the case, being "trapped" near the Seventh Dining Hall doesn't seem to matter much, does it?

The problems will be resolved sooner or later.

...

With fewer outsiders coming to eat, lunch at the Seventh Dining Hall ended much faster than usual.

After all, the vast majority of students were worried about coming too late and not having food, so they rushed over early to eat.

Just after lunch ended, while Yan Tongtong and others were still busy tidying up trays in the selling area, Hu Zhihai quickly walked over and called out:

"Xiaoyan, Xiaochen, stop fussing around and hurry over to eat. Clean up after eating!"

With that, he didn't wait for Yan Tongtong and the others to respond and sprinted back to the kitchen.

Seeing this, Yan Tongtong and others hurriedly followed suit.

Seeing Senior Brother Hu in such a hurry, Yan Tongtong and others didn't need to think to know for sure that Senior Brother Jiang must have cooked something delicious again.

Otherwise, why would Senior Brother Hu be in such a rush?

As soon as the group entered the kitchen workspace, a pungent aroma of spicy freshness overwhelmed them, causing Yan Tongtong to stifle a few sneezes.

"Hahaha! Lao Jiang, the dishes you made today from Sichuan are numbing and spicy. I think Yan Tongtong and the girls definitely won't like them. Eating too much can cause acne!"

Hu Zhihai said while winking at Yan Tongtong and the others,

"I think you might as well make some lighter dishes for them!"

"Senior Brother Hu just loves teasing people!"

Having been here for a long time, Yan Tongtong has grown braver and won't be bullied without retaliation like before.

She wrinkled her nose, "Hmph," and said,

"I grew up eating spicy food, what's this little spice to me? Honestly, Senior Brother Hu might not be able to handle as much spice as I can!"

"Sigh! I've done it for your good; if you don't listen, forget it."

Hu Zhihai wagged his head, sighed,

"If you do get acne and become less attractive, don't blame me for not warning you!"

"Tsk, tsk, Xiaoyan, ignore him. This chubby guy has such thick skin now, even a needle can't pierce it!"

Lu Shuwu stood aside with a dismissive look, pursed his lips, and said,

"To get another bite, he's willing to fool whoever he can!"

While the group was chatting warmly, Jiang Yu was placing blanched bean sprouts, eel sections, duck blood, tripe, tofu, luncheon meat, and various other ingredients into a large stainless-steel basin, then poured hot broth over them.

Next, he added crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, chopped scallions, peppercorns, and dried chili segments on top of the ingredients and heated oil to pour over the dried chili segments and chopped scallions.

With a sizzling sound, a rich aroma instantly rose, with spicy, numbing, fresh, and fragrant flavors all mixed together, drilling deeply into the noses of the people, making them want to drool.

"Alright, what are you all standing around for? Grab some rice and start eating!"

Jiang Yu couldn't be bothered to clean the pot; he grabbed a wet towel from the side, wiped his hands, and said with a smile,

"Though there are quite a few of us, there are four large basins of dishes, so there should be enough for lunch today. Everyone just take it easy, eating well is most important. If it's not enough, we'll make more!"

Besides the freshly made dish of duck blood and eel hotpot, the countertop held a basin of boiled beef, a basin of sliced fish with pickled greens, and the last was spicy chicken.

The four large basins were authentically Sichuan specialty dishes, meant to be enjoyed thoroughly!

As soon as Jiang Yu finished speaking, Lu Shuwu, Hu Zhihai, Ma Guoqiang, and others excitedly "howled" and immediately grabbed bowls and chopsticks, gathering around the table to eat.

Yan Tongtong and the other part-time students weren't willing to fall behind, so they hurriedly joined in.

Having worked in the dining hall for so long, they deeply understand one principle:

"The bold get stuffed, the timid starve!"

If you don't fight for food, you may not even get a taste of the broth!

Though Jia Dequan was older, his movements were not slow; he reached for the ladle, scooped a spoonful of duck blood and eel sections, and placed them in his bowl, then began to savor slowly.

After tasting a piece of duck blood, Jia Dequan couldn't help but nod and comment:

"The duck blood's cooking time is perfect, not tough at all, melts in the mouth, smooth and flavorful, spicy and numbing, just right.

The eel sections are also fresh and tender, with no hint of fishiness, indeed done very well!"

Jia Dequan's comments were reasonable and well-founded, while Hu Zhihai, Lu Shuwu, and others were practically "a chaotic dance of demons":

"Holy! This duck blood and eel hotpot is just too good, numbing and spicy, I can't stop eating!"

"The boiled beef is so delicious, it's so tender I almost swallowed my tongue!"

"You guys just don't know how to eat, pickled fish is the true MVP!"

...

While everyone was sweating profusely and eating heartily, Jiang Yu had quietly slipped into the dining hall lobby to meet someone...

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