"Hey, boss, wait for me, I want to see too!"

As soon as Jiang Yu left, Lu Shuwu quickly followed. He rather liked watching the excitement.

Seeing the two of them leave, Yan Tongtong immediately followed as well.

As for Hu Zhihai, he actually wanted to go too, but he had just been scolded by Jiang Yu, so he was feeling a bit unhappy. After thinking for a while, he decided not to go, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed to the library.

He just didn't believe it; with his extremely clever mind, he couldn't possibly fail at such a simple task as getting into graduate school!

He had to work really hard, and then he would pass the public-funded graduate exam and blind Jiang Yu with his titanium-dog eyes!

Jiang Yu didn't have the time to ponder Hu Zhihai's thoughts. He arrived at the dining hall and instantly spotted the "weirdo" Yan Tongtong had mentioned.

This "weirdo" looked to be in his early twenties; he was a handsome, seemingly honest young man.

He was wearing an ordinary jacket, with sleeves rolled up high, as he collected the trays scattered on various tables, stacking them together and then bringing them to the dining hall entrance.

"Hey, that's enough, you really don't need to be doing this!"

Chen Fugui had probably said this many times, but the other party showed no sign of listening, leaving him with a somewhat helpless expression.

"If you're looking for someone or have some business, you can just say so; you don't need to help us out."

If others see this, they'll think we're forcing you to work!"

The young man seemed not to hear, continuing to work diligently. Seeing he had finished collecting the trays, he took a cloth from the side, washed it in a bucket, and started wiping the tables.

"Hey, this kid is really stubborn, no matter what others say, he just keeps working quietly."

Jia Dequan had come out of the kitchen at some point and stood by Jiang Yu, looking outside. Unable to hold back a chuckle, he said,

"The work ethic is really strong. It reminds me of my days learning the trade over thirty years ago."

It was hard back then, even becoming an apprentice wasn't easy; a shop didn't necessarily need you."

So every day when the shop opened, several young guys would come squeezing in, scrambling to do work, just to show a bit of usefulness and hope they could stay to learn."

Such apprentices often worked for free for half a year before the boss might pity them enough to let them stay. Most couldn't last until then and disappeared without a trace one day."

"I heard from my grandfather that a few of his seniors back then also worked at shops because their families were poor, eventually staying there."

Lu Shuwu pouted and interjected,

"That's all outdated stuff. These days, learning to be a chef doesn't require that anymore. Even if you want to learn, you don't need to go to a restaurant; restaurant chefs won't teach you properly."

With the time, you'd be better off spending money at a culinary school. As long as you have talent, you can learn anything you want."

"If families really had the money, how many would be willing to learn cooking? Do you really think it's a great job?"

Jia Dequan gave him a sideways glance, then seemingly remembered,

"Oh, I almost forgot, you're not a common person."

Lu Shuwu: "..."

How am I not a common person?

Aren't I still in the kitchen every day dealing with cooking basics?

Jiang Yu listened to them talk for a while and roughly guessed what the "weirdo" was up to. He thought for a moment, then turned to ask Jia Dequan:

"Lao Jia, how should we handle this?"

"It's up to you. If you think he's useful, let him stay and do odd jobs. The matter of learning the craft depends on one's own ability; whether you can learn or not is your own business."

Jia Dequan seemed quite indifferent about it, maybe due to similar experiences he had when he was young. He said with a smile,

"Call him over now and ask him. This kid seems quite determined; there aren't many young people like him nowadays. Help him if you can."

As he said, he deliberately looked at Lu Shuwu several times.

This really irritated Lu Shuwu. What kind of look was that?

Are you implying I'm not as determined as this "weirdo"?

Jiang Yu didn't respond to the two of them. He opened the door and went over, turning to ask Yan Tongtong to call the "weirdo" over.

Jiang Yu and the others had actually been noticed by Feng Leqing as soon as they came out, but he pretended not to see them and continued diligently wiping the tables.

Receiving Jiang Yu's word, Yan Tongtong quickly ran up and called out crisply:

"Hey! Stop working for a moment, our boss wants to see you!"

Feng Leqing turned back and smiled at her, continuing to clean the nearby table meticulously.

After finishing, he washed the cloth cleanly and wringed out the water, placed it aside, and then wiped his wet hands vigorously on his pants before standing up and walking towards Jiang Yu and the others step by step.

Jiang Yu was observing him, and he was observing Jiang Yu.

He looked calm on the surface, but inside, thoughts were swirling like a storm.

He hadn't expected the boss of the Seventh Dining Hall to be such a young person; from the looks of it, he seemed only two or three years older than him.

But it was this young person who cooked dishes so delicious that he almost swallowed his tongue!

How exactly did he do it?

Could he also, like him, make such delicious food?

His mind was in chaos, thoughts bubbled up like bubbles in water, continuously floating up and breaking, leaving him unsure of what he was thinking for a moment.

"Hey, young man, where are you from? What's your name?"

Jiang Yu didn't know what the other person was thinking, so he gave the guy a once-over and smiled as he asked,

"You must have come through an appointment from the school's Douyin, right? You should be heading back after eating, so why are you staying to help out?"

"Uh... My surname is Feng, and my name is Feng Leqing. I'm from Jinning City, Xiaoxiang Province."

Feng Leqing finally managed to push aside all the chaotic thoughts in his head and said earnestly,

"Actually, I came here mainly to find a job at the Seventh Dining Hall. But, then I wasn't sure what I could do, so when I saw others clearing plates, I just joined in."

"Jian Ning person? That's like half a hometown connection!"

Lu Shuwu laughed as soon as he heard it and said, "I'm from Tanzhou, we're not far apart."

Feng Leqing glanced at him, without saying anything, clearly not interested in this hometown connection.

"Why did you think of coming to the Seventh Dining Hall for a job?"

Jia Dequan glanced at him and asked with a smile,

"Have you ever worked in this field before?"

"I think the food at the Seventh Dining Hall is delicious, and I want to learn how to make such delicious food myself."

Feng Leqing paused and continued,

"I used to be an apprentice for three years in a big restaurant's kitchen in Jinning City, doing things like washing vegetables, cutting, prepping, and some water-based tasks. I know a bit of each."

"What about stir-frying?"

"Stir-frying... I don't know much, only a few dishes, and they taste quite average."

As Feng Leqing spoke, his voice grew softer,

"Mainly because I didn't have much time to practice, nor anyone to guide me."

The questions were just about done, Jiang Yu turned to glance at Jia Dequan, who smiled and said,

"Why not stay and try working for a few days first? It just so happens the kitchen needs another person for water-based tasks. You can't be expected to do everything yourself."

"Alright, then let's go with what you said."

Jiang Yu thought for a moment and didn't oppose. The kitchen was quite short-staffed anyway, and having an extra pair of hands would lighten the load.

Not to mention, Ma Guoqiang and He Chunxiao were essentially still focused on pastry work, and their help with chopping and prepping was more about assisting.

In the chef department, besides Jiang Yu and Lu Shuwu, there was only Qian Liwei.

If someone needed to take a day off for family matters, the kitchen would suddenly be overwhelmed.

So, it's definitely necessary to train a few more people quickly in case of emergencies while there's still time.

"Xiaofeng, you should head back and rest today. Prepare yourself and come in early tomorrow to start working."

Jia Dequan smiled at Feng Leqing and said,

"Take this time to find a place to stay near the school, and don't compromise too much. Even as an apprentice, the dining hall still pays a salary."

"Okay, thank you, thank you, boss!"

Feng Leqing quickly expressed his gratitude and only turned to leave slowly after Jiang Yu and the others returned to the kitchen.

Walking out of the Seventh Dining Hall and onto the broad, smooth road, Feng Leqing felt a surge of joy. He secretly reminded himself:

This first step towards learning to cook has been taken. Whether I become a dragon or remain a snake, it's all up to me now!

Seventh Dining Hall, in the kitchen.

"Old Jia, this young guy has apprenticed for three years and still doesn't know how to stir-fry much. Why did you keep him on?"

Lu Shuwu hadn't said much at the time, but once back in the kitchen, he started rattling on,

"We already have plenty of people doing odd jobs in the dining hall—students working part-time all know how to do them. One more, one less, it doesn't make much difference."

"What do you know!"

Jia Dequan gave him a sideways glance, took a sip of water from his teacup, and said calmly,

"Am I interested because he can do odd jobs? No, it's because he has some experience in stir-frying. Even if it's not much, it's still a foundation. Moreover, his attitude suits me. I think with some dedicated teaching, he can learn quickly."

Lu Shuwu was taken aback: "Tch! Old Jia, are you planning to take on an apprentice? Damn, how did this kid get so lucky?!"

"Who's taking on an apprentice? I'm just going to give some casual guidance!"

Jia Dequan pulled out a chair and sat down and continued,

"Xiaojiang, as the dining hall owner, can't keep jumping in to cook big pots himself. He needs time to handle other matters too.

Since I'm here at the dining hall anyway, teaching someone to help him with cooking isn't unusual, is it?"

"And you, boy!"

As Jia Dequan spoke, he suddenly glared at Lu Shuwu and said indignantly,

"You have such great talent and such good conditions, yet you can't be bothered to learn your craft properly. Just look at the dishes you make, what on earth are they?

If you keep this up, I'll have to talk to your granddad. If he doesn't manage his grandson soon, you'll just end up like this for the rest of your life!"

Lu Shuwu: "..."

Uh, wait... Weren't we talking about you teaching an apprentice?

How did this suddenly get twisted onto me?

This is completely unwarranted!

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