Cooking System: Street Food Rules
Chapter 77: A Battle of Wits and Bravery with the Security Guard!

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: A Battle of Wits and Bravery with the Security Guard!

A classroom at a certain university.

A few minutes remained before class. The college teacher, Zhou Na, entered the classroom early. She began setting up her laptop to connect to the computer on the lectern, while also chatting with the students to liven up the atmosphere.

"I heard a new food stall opened in the second canteen yesterday, and it was especially popular."

"Has anyone tried it? Is it really that delicious?"

The atmosphere at the university was usually quite relaxed. Most teachers interacted with their students on an equal footing, and any topic could be brought up right there in the classroom. Of course, there were also more serious and old-fashioned teachers who preferred absolute order.

As soon as Zhou Na finished speaking, the students immediately showed interest.

"Teacher, it really is extremely delicious! The flavor is simply out of this world!"

"That boss is a famous chef; wherever he goes, there’s always a long line!"

"Let’s finish class 5 minutes early today, or we really won’t get a spot!"

"It’s not just ordinarily delicious! The taste is spot on."

Everyone chimed in one after another.

Zhou Na found it fascinating. This was the first time a food stall at the school had caused such a huge stir. The expressions on the students’ faces didn’t seem feigned, which meant the food must indeed be delicious. Zhou Na had a "foodie" trait and had always been powerless against the lure of good food. So today, she decided to skip the staff canteen and head to the second canteen instead.

It was almost noon, and another intense competition was about to unfold.

「At the same time.」

「Outside the University of Science and Technology.」

The video of the University of Science and Technology’s canteen from the day before had already been posted online. Some people even caught on camera the moment Jiang Feng pushed out his food truck.

"Executive Chef Jiang is at the University of Science and Technology’s second canteen this week!"

"Executive Chef Jiang’s random food stall location this week: University of Science and Technology’s second canteen."

The video was accompanied by these titles. Those who were keen to find him could easily see these videos by searching with keywords and selecting the option for videos posted within the last three days.

The streamer Liu Bao had seen Jiang Feng in the videos online.

Seeing was one thing, but how to actually get to taste the food was another problem. Universities are generally not open to the public; only students and faculty are allowed entry. Nonetheless, Liu Bao, driven by a craving for good food, still planned to try and get in with his cousin. They weren’t filming a video; they simply wanted to have a meal. This week’s meat dishes, in particular, made them drool with anticipation.

The two arrived at the school gate.

Liu Bao politely said to the security guard, "Hello, my friend is in the Computer Science department; could I go in to find him real quick? We’ll come out soon. It won’t be past two o’clock."

Hearing Liu Bao’s words, the security guard glanced at him. "Have that student come out and fetch you; otherwise, you can’t go in."

Liu Bao politely responded, "That’s too much trouble; he’s still in the lab and it’s inconvenient for him to come out. We’re delivering something to him." As he spoke, Liu Bao shook his backpack, indicating that they had a package to deliver. In reality, the backpack was filled with live streaming equipment.

"There’s really nothing we can do. To enter the school gate now, you either need to swipe a card or have someone come out to fetch you and register. You can’t just walk in," the guard added. "It’s the school’s rules; I hope you understand."

"I remember the University of Science and Technology wasn’t this strict before. I’ve been inside previously," Liu Bao said curiously.

Hearing Liu Bao’s words, the guard replied, "This morning, several people got in. Once inside, they wandered around the school aimlessly and were spotted by faculty from the student affairs office. Upon closer questioning, it turned out that those few had sneaked in to eat at our school canteen, apparently for a newly opened food stall. The management then ordered the gates to be more closely monitored to strictly forbid unauthorized persons from entering. There’s nothing we can do about it."

Liu Bao’s face stiffened, and he tried to muster a weak smile, "Is that so."

While smiling on the outside, inside he was cursing. Couldn’t those who sneaked in just keep a low profile instead of roaming around the school? Now the gate security has been tightened, and no one can get in. What am I going to do?

Liu Bao’s discussion with the security guard was fruitless; he couldn’t talk his way in. It was clear that going through the main entrance was not an option now.

But schools usually have a small gate, or places with low walls, don’t they? Students can get out that way. The only option now is to climb the wall.

"Okay, I got it. Thanks." Liu Bao thanked the security guard.

Just as he finished speaking, the walkie-talkie on the guard’s hip suddenly crackled to life. "Attention all units, two people have climbed over the low wall on the western side into the campus. Everyone except the guards at the gate, go catch them. Everyone except those on post duty, head over to the west side; I’m watching from the cameras!"

The voice from the walkie-talkie was very clear. Liu Bao and his cousin heard everything loud and clear.

Liu Bao was flabbergasted.

What in the world? Speak of the devil! Who are these geniuses who had the same idea as me? This is ridiculous! He felt a little relieved it wasn’t him who climbed the wall. Otherwise, he and his cousin would probably be the ones being chased by security right now.

His cousin had heard the entire exchange. A hint of regret flashed across his face.

Alas, no chance this week. Looks like we won’t get to eat it.

After a moment’s hesitation, the two could only walk away in dejection.

「Meanwhile, on the western side of the University of Science and Technology, near the low wall.」

Two young men, around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, had just climbed in. They were looking for the canteen when several security guards suddenly started running toward them.

"What are you two doing!" a guard yelled out loud.

"Holy shit!"

"We’ve been spotted!"

"The university’s security system is this tight?"

"Run!"

The two men were immediately stunned. Forgetting all about eating, they took off running in the opposite direction. There was still some distance between them and the security guards. They ran to the low wall and quickly climbed back out.

Once they climbed out, the guards stopped chasing. After all, there was no way to pursue them further.

The head of security looked at the low wall and said, "I’ll report this to the school later; we need to add barbed wire here."

Hearing the captain’s words, a couple of guards asked, "What’s going on today? Why are so many outsiders trying to sneak into the school?"

The head of security obviously knew the reason, "It’s because of the new owner in the second canteen who’s an Executive Chef. His cooking is delicious, and everyone’s coming for the food."

"Seriously?" The guards looked at each other in surprise.

"Keep a close eye on things these next few days. There will surely be others trying to sneak in. Let’s be vigilant."

"Yes, sir!"

...

「At the second canteen’s stall, in the back kitchen.」

Jiang Feng was working rapidly. Next to him was a middle-aged woman in a white chef’s uniform. She was a helper he had hired, not to cook, but to handle tasks like washing potatoes, peeling them, picking green beans, and chopping ribs. The woman was skilled as well, which made Jiang Feng’s cooking process much easier.

Jiang Feng was unaware of what had transpired outside. He also hadn’t expected that opening a stall in the canteen would cause such unexpected impacts.

Outside the stall, students were already lining up.

But there was a notice posted on the window.

Operating Hours: After 12:00 PM.

Limited to 2 servings per person.

The limitation was to prevent one person from queuing for an entire dormitory and buying six or seven servings at a time. Students further back in line often felt quite frustrated by this. Sometimes, that was how food duty was assigned in the male dormitories. One guy would buy seven or eight meals at once, pulling out a stack of meal cards to swipe separately. When there weren’t many people in line, this was fine. But when the line grew long, those further back would get anxious, and conflicts could easily arise.

Before long, Jiang Feng had finished cooking the dishes, loaded them into food bins, and wheeled out the food truck.

When they saw him come out, the students in line immediately grew more restless.