Cooking System: Street Food Rules
Chapter 78: Is It Okay to Give My Food to My Seniors?

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Is It Okay to Give My Food to My Seniors?

After her class, university teacher Zhou Na made plans to go to the Second Canteen for a meal with another teacher, Li Fen.

"The Second Canteen? Isn’t it too crowded there?"

"Why not go to the staff canteen, where the food is better?" Li Fen was puzzled.

"Let’s just go once. Haven’t you heard about that stall these past few days? I want to try it out," Zhou Na pleaded, taking her arm.

Both were PhD graduates who had stayed on at the university. They were around twenty-seven or twenty-eight and were among the most popular young female teachers.

"Alright, let’s go."

Li Fen agreed, and so the two made their way to the Second Canteen.

By the time they arrived, they were slightly taken aback by the congested scene at the canteen’s entrance.

"What’s going on? Why is the entrance blocked?"

The two walked over, intending to enter the canteen. Just then, a few girls at the end of the queue spotted them and immediately said, "Teacher Zhou, Teacher Li, it’s not blocked! The line has just extended from inside the canteen all the way out here, and it’s packed. You can’t get in through this door."

"If you want to go to another stall, you’ll have to use the entrance over there."

The speaker was Ji Mingming, an exceptionally beautiful girl. Zhou Na and Li Fen both remembered her; after all, someone so beautiful and with such a pleasant personality was always the center of attention at the university.

"The line reaches all the way to the door?" Li Fen was stunned. "Is it really that popular?"

Zhou Na became even more interested in the stall’s food. "This just proves their food is genuinely good."

"Let’s get in line!"

So, they joined the back of the line. The line began to inch forward slowly. The scene was reminiscent of the queues at a bustling tourist attraction—there were just so many people.

Once Zhou Na and Li Fen got inside the canteen, they were even more astounded by the snaking queue.

My goodness, this many people? Li Fen was a little flustered again. It was one thing to hear about it, but seeing was believing. She had heard the new stall in the Second Canteen was popular, but she hadn’t expected it to be *this* crowded. Isn’t it just a self-service cafeteria? Just a few dishes—is it really worth such a long wait for so many people?

Ji Mingming, who was further ahead in line, called back, "Teacher Li, the food he makes is truly delicious."

"And every single dish is good."

Hearing Ji Mingming’s endorsement, Li Fen’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued. A great reputation is seldom unearned. If this stall was so popular, there had to be a good reason. Alright then, let’s try it!

The queue inched forward. About twenty-five minutes later, they finally reached the front of the line. Just then, Jiang Feng emerged, pushing a cart with two large pans of freshly cooked hot dishes.

Zhou Na and Li Fen both looked towards Jiang Feng.

Zhou Na remarked, "Look, that’s the popular chef. He really is quite handsome."

Li Fen also looked at Jiang Feng. "He is quite good-looking," she agreed.

The two then turned their attention to the hot dishes displayed in the serving pans. Each dish looked incredibly appealing—vibrant colors, enticing aromas, and the promise of great flavor. They looked absolutely mouthwatering.

"I’ll have the sweet and sour spareribs and the braised eggplant!" Zhou Na ordered. "And a portion of shredded pork with garlic sauce too!"

Li Fen chose the Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet and Kung Pao chicken.

They took their trays, added a serving of rice, and after searching for a while without finding a seat, had to go to the second floor to find a place to eat. The student canteen was still packed. The staff canteen is definitely better, Li Fen thought.

After they sat down, both ravenous, they picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.

Zhou Na first picked up a piece of sweet and sour sparerib and popped it into her mouth. A delightful sweet and sour taste flooded her mouth. This wasn’t the simple sweetness of a dessert; it was a complex, well-balanced sweet and sour flavor, born from the perfect marriage of sugar, vinegar, seasonings, rendered fat, and tender meat, all expertly cooked together. Her mouth immediately began to water profusely. Moreover, the sparerib meat was cooked until it was incredibly tender. It took no effort at all; she bit into the meat, and with a gentle nudge from her tongue, the bone slid cleanly away. She removed the bone with her fingers and then focused on savoring the taste of the meat. With every chew, fragrant and delicious juices burst forth, filling her mouth. Her stimulated taste buds produced even more saliva, making her mouth water unceasingly. Her entire being felt invigorated.

Zhou Na’s eyes lit up, and her expression grew animated with excitement. "Oh my goodness, this is absolutely delicious!"

She picked up another sparerib. This time, she held it by the bone, bit into the meat, and with a gentle tug, the bone slid out cleanly. Setting the bone aside, she focused on enjoying the tender meat. It was simply heavenly. After finishing the meat, she found herself feeling even hungrier and quickly ate two mouthfuls of plain rice.

Li Fen had a similar experience; the moment she tasted the sparerib, she felt like a new person. Before eating, she had been listless and clearly hungry. After eating, she was full of energy, as if she’d been completely revived.

One portion cost six yuan and came with six small spareribs. It was incredibly good value for money. Once Li Fen tasted the sparerib, she too was completely captivated by the sweet and sour flavor. Her eating pace quickened.

"This is even better than I imagined!"

"This owner’s cooking skills are incredible!"

"No wonder they call him Executive Chef Jiang!"

The two continued to eat happily at their table. They discussed coming to the Second Canteen to eat more often in the future, if time permitted. Although it was a bit crowded, the delicious food made it worthwhile.

The congestion at the Second Canteen began to ease around 12:40 PM. Even at 1:00 PM, many people were still queuing there. The owners of the nearby stalls looked on with a mixture of envy and admiration.

Jiang Feng’s stall was doing booming business. If only one dish had been delicious, that would have been one thing, but every single dish was exceptionally tasty. The students wanted to try everything, so they had no choice but to come back every day.

Jiang Feng remained busy at the stove. He felt his daily life hadn’t changed much—it was simple but comfortable, a pleasant mix of busy periods and relaxed moments. Jiang Feng was aware of the long queues of customers at the Second Canteen. However, he didn’t truly realize the full extent of the impact he had made. Teachers and students throughout the school were all discussing his new stall. Even some of his regular customers from off-campus were trying to outwit the security team to get in. He had become the main topic of conversation.

In the stall’s back kitchen, the aunty helping out said to Jiang Feng as she washed two potatoes, "Boss, you’re incredibly popular now!"

"Everyone at the university is talking about you, and we kitchen staff are too—they all say you’re amazing!"

Jiang Feng thought the aunty was just being complimentary and replied with a polite smile, "Surely not the *whole* university. It’s just a self-service food stall; people are probably just curious to try something new."

The aunty laughed as well.

Jiang Feng was in a good mood that day. Having an extra person to help wash and chop vegetables had greatly reduced his workload. His tasks were completed with ease. Moreover, many university students greeted him warmly. Whenever he stepped out of the kitchen, some people would be filming him.

The videos were a hit on a small scale—not enough to go viral across the entire internet, but they were widely watched within the university and on local video platforms. The most surprising thing was that even the university’s official social media account had reposted one of the videos. The caption read: "A fantastic new food stall has opened in the Second Canteen! Check out how popular it is!"

Many students chimed in in the comments section:

"Please, I’m begging y’all, stop queuing! Leave some food for us fourth-year girls, okay?"

"Go fight the first-year girls for their food, just don’t take my Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet!"

"Waited in line for forty minutes today! This is insane!"

"I refuse to believe it’s *that* delicious unless you let me cut to the front and try it once!"

"My roommate is on his deathbed! Only Executive Chef Jiang’s shredded pork with garlic sauce can save him! Please, can I buy it first?"

"I can vouch for him, his roommate really is dying! I also want to buy a portion of shredded pork with garlic sauce to ’visit’ his roommate. Come on, everyone, help us out! Good deeds get good karma!"

The students certainly had a knack for this kind of banter. Everyone chatted lightheartedly, and the atmosphere was buzzing. The usually calm university life had gained a spark of excitement thanks to the new food stall. This buzz made everyone feel a little happier. Food is of paramount importance to the people. Delicious food truly can change many things.

Outside the university, Liu Bao and his younger cousin were still trying to figure out how to sneak in. The security team was on high alert, especially during lunchtime, maintaining a vigilant watch. Sneaking in wasn’t a good idea; if they were caught and someone pressed charges, it could be considered disturbing public order. Liu Bao had seen all the videos and comments posted by the students. Undoubtedly, Jiang Feng’s food had caused a huge stir at the University of Science and Technology.

"Bro, if we can’t get in, let’s just forget it," his cousin said regretfully.

Liu Bao, however, suddenly had a brilliant idea. "I can contact a student on campus to bring us out a meal. For a 100-yuan errand fee, I’m sure someone will be willing," Liu Bao said.

"Get a student to bring it out?" His cousin had never thought of such a workaround. In all his life, he’d only heard of students ordering takeout from restaurants *outside* the university, never of people outside ordering takeout *from* the university canteen via a student. He actually thought of that!What a genius!

Liu Bao was quite pleased with his idea. "That’s the plan. I’ll send some DMs in the video comments later. Someone will definitely be willing. Tomorrow, we’ll be eating takeout from the university canteen!" Liu Bao said with a smile.

His cousin’s eyes lit up, a hint of admiration for Liu Bao shining within them. The title of ’Crouching Dragon’ truly belongs to you, Bro!

Around 1:30 PM, after a busy lunch rush, Jiang Feng finished cleaning the kitchen and left the university in his car.

I won’t come in tonight; I’ll take a break, Jiang Feng thought. There are too many people, and it’s attracting too much attention. It’s not ideal. After all, he was the boss; he decided his own working hours.

Jiang Feng remained as relaxed and at ease as ever. He didn’t have many worries and wasn’t concerned about whether others were paying attention to him. All that mattered was living his own life well.