"Wow, a girl has volunteered herself."
Hu Zhihai pushed aside an empty steamer and brought over another to continue eating. He laughed and said,
"We were just talking about posting a job advertisement, and now a waitress has volunteered, saving us even the printing costs."
"It's not hard to find waitstaff. There are always students looking to work while studying."
Jiang Yu also sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating voraciously. As he ate, he said,
"What we're really worried about is finding skilled workers to make dumplings. They're hard to come by."
Hu Zhihai shook his head: "What's the rush? Take it slow."
After they finished what could be either dinner or a late-night snack, they quickly tidied up the shop and then closed for the night, ready to rest.
Jiang Yu didn't go back to his dorm but planned to stay over at Hu Zhihai's place for the night.
The dormitory locks its doors every night and only opens the next morning at six.
This evening, Jiang Yu had used up all the ingredients bought earlier, and by three or four o'clock in the morning, he had to rush to the market to buy a fresh batch. If he went too late, not only would he struggle to get fresh ingredients, but he also wouldn't have time to make dumplings for breakfast.
The most crucial part is that tomorrow is the freshman enrollment day, so there'll definitely be more people eating at the cafeteria than today.
If he doesn't prepare well, he might sell out of dumplings even before the peak hours are over.
Hu Zhihai's rented place is just across the road from the school's side gate, in an old neighborhood, not far away.
On the way back, Hu Zhihai suddenly remembered something and smiled as he asked,
"Oh, by the way, did you hear? That campus forum bet I mentioned to you earlier; guess who won?"
"Are you talking about the bet on whether the soup dumplings taste good?"
Jiang Yu had been busy like a spinning top all day and didn't have time to pay attention to these things. After pondering for a while, he recalled it and tentatively asked,
"Was it the original poster who won?"
"Yep, they randomly selected 10 people from the replies for a taste test. All 10 of them unanimously voted that our soup dumplings were delicious and the best food they've ever tasted in an anonymous vote."
Hu Zhihai's face beamed with pride and happiness,
"And the funniest part is that Zhu Youfeng, who had initially criticized the original poster for exaggerating, saying the best soup dumplings could only be found in their hometown in the North, devoured two whole steamers of soup dumplings himself at dinner!"
"Really? That's quite amusing."
Jiang Yu also felt delighted. It was gratifying that people liked the soup dumplings he made, which meant his hard work hadn't been in vain.
"Yeah, I feel like today was more interesting than my entire three years of college. Despite being a bit tiring, it filled me with energy!"
Hu Zhihai chuckled and suddenly said, "Oh, Lao Jiang, there's something I need to tell you."
"Hmm?"
"Tonight, during business hours, some students complained that our shop doesn't even have drinks. Although the soup dumplings have broth, they still felt dry by the end."
Hu Zhihai frowned and said seriously,
"Do you think we should contact a beverage supplier to deliver some drinks tomorrow?"
"The cafeteria has no shortage of drinks. Forget drinks; they have milk, freshly squeezed juices, everything. If they really feel thirsty, they can just walk a bit further and buy from next door."
Jiang Yu thought for a moment and then shook his head, refusing the idea. He said,
"Either we don't sell drinks at all, or we sell something different from other shops."
"Something different from other shops? What's that?"
"I don't know yet. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
"..."
After returning home, the two of them washed up a bit and went to their rooms to rest.
Having been busy all day, though still mentally active, their bodies were exhausted. As soon as Hu Zhihai lay down in bed, his head hit the pillow, and he fell asleep instantly.
In the guest room, Jiang Yu wasn't tired. He sat on a chair by the window, eagerly pulling up the system's virtual panel.
Wealth: 2670
Available Recipes: Chicken Soup Dumplings
Culinary Skill Level: Beginner (12%)
...
Seeing an additional line of text on the panel, Jiang Yu was slightly taken aback.
Previously, the panel only showed "wealth", but now there were "available recipes" and "culinary skill level". Had the system upgraded silently?
The first one was easy to understand; items not redeemed from the System Mall probably didn't count as "available recipes".
The second, "culinary skill level", was more puzzling. Jiang Yu initially thought this Gourmet System only had the function of redeeming recipes and formulas. He never expected it could also grade culinary skills.
This "beginner" culinary skill level probably referred to his own cooking ability, Jiang Yu surmised.
Which makes sense. Although Jiang Yu often cooked back home, claiming his skills were excellent wasn't realistic—most he achieved was a passable level of home cooking. It tasted alright, but calling it delicious would be a stretch. Getting a "beginner" rating from the system might even be generous.
But with this beginner's skill, combined with the system-provided recipes and formulas, it was possible to create stunning food for the patrons.
Yet a truly great dish must excel in color, aroma, and taste. With Jiang Yu's limited culinary skills, he could probably achieve rich aroma and taste but fall short on visual appeal, even with the system's recipes and formulas.
The soup dumplings he was selling weren't particularly demanding on the "color" aspect, unlike traditional dishes. As long as they looked clear in texture with even folds, the diners' experience wouldn't be compromised.
Achieving that took Jiang Yu a lot of practice to master.
For other dishes, the requirements were even higher.
Perhaps that's why the system added the "culinary skill level", probably to encourage Jiang Yu to improve his skills.
Improved cooking skills, combined with system recipes and formulas, would likely result in even more delicious dishes.
As for the 12% in brackets, if he guessed correctly, it's likely the progress percentage towards the next level.
Clearly, Jiang Yu still had a long way to go to achieve an intermediate culinary skill level.
But having a straightforward progress percentage was far better than being in the dark. After all, every day he awakened, he could clearly see his continuous progress. What's more inspiring than that?
Thinking of this, Jiang Yu suddenly felt fully energized.
Now that he's set up shop, he was more than likely headed toward a career as a chef. As a chef, he naturally hoped to continuously improve his cooking skills, so he could create more foods that people love.
The best life for a person is doing things that make them happy, while also comforting others and providing peace of mind for family.
Jiang Yu's biggest wish now was to clear his debts and then bring his elderly grandmother over to enjoy her later years peacefully. He didn't have lofty ambitions; he'd be content if his grandmother lived long and healthily and if he could be happy every day. That alone would make this life worthwhile.
As for money and fame, those are just bonuses.