Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 08/27/2023
Speaking of it, the S Province Sports Team has always had a high standard for their cafeteria due to the province's economic prosperity, emphasis on sports programs, and ample funding. While it may not reach the level of 400 yuan per person like the football program, the first-tier athletes in the team have a daily meal standard of 120 yuan per person. National and international elite athletes have meal standards of 160 yuan and 200 yuan respectively. These are considered top standards among provincial teams, and the standards are further increased during major competitions or high-intensity training cycles.
Ever since the concept of athlete diet health and its impact on training and performance was introduced, the head chef of the S Province Sports Team, Sun Xiangdong, swiftly obtained a nutritionist certificate. In his spare time, he continuously sought advice from experienced nutritionists and actively communicated with the coaches.
It can be said that S Province has excelled in terms of athlete nutrition planning and catering among all the provincial teams. The athletes in the S Province Sports Team have always been the envy of other provincial teams in terms of catering allocation.
The coaches are also very proud of this point – after all, if you want your soldiers to fight to their best, you have to ensure they eat well and enough.
Just when the coaches thought that their team was doing well enough in terms of catering, someone suddenly said – some of your athletes have improved their performance lately because there's a new chef in the team, and his cooking is really delicious?
Is this a joke?!
That was the thought running through the coaches' minds before they reached the third-floor cafeteria.
After all, they had also eaten at the team's cafeteria many times. They were well aware of the skills of the several chefs in the back kitchen, including Sun Xiangdong and Wang Wu.
These chefs were all highly skilled. After regularly eating meals prepared by them, how could they get excited over a new guy like Su Bai? No matter how you think about it... huh, what's that smell?
The head coach, He Yishen, who was the first to arrive at the second-floor stairwell, paused when he caught the aroma wafting up from the third floor.
"Wow, it smells amazing. Where is this fragrance coming from?" The coach who was behind He Yishen also detected the scent drifting up from the third floor and rubbed his belly. "Oh my, has that Sun Xiangdong whipped up some good dishes again?"
Zhao Heping, who was following behind He Yishen, snorted at this moment. "Sun Xiangdong's dishes didn't make you this eager before. How can't it be the dishes made by Su Bai?"
After confirming that there was no issue with Su Bai's cooking, Zhao Heping also relaxed and started to cheer for his disciple.
Several coaches who had a good relationship with Zhao Heping also began to laugh. "Oh dear, old Zhao, you're really good at praising your disciple!"
"But this aroma is so tempting. How about... we go up and share a meal?"
The coaches stood at the second-floor stairwell, and the sweet and savory aromas from the third floor wafted to their location, stirring the hunger in many coaches' stomachs.
What's the point of waiting here?
Of course, the best option was to hurry and go up to the third floor!
In the third-floor cafeteria, the athletes who were taken for impromptu medical exams had already gathered there. An odd scene could be observed – as soon as each athlete entered the cafeteria, they would fix their gaze on window No. 3 for a moment, muttering to themselves, then swipe their meal card at the computer nearby.
Ding!
When the window number for meal collection appeared, if it was window No. 3 for everyone, the athletes would joyfully head there, looking like they had won a prize.
However, if the window number had nothing to do with window No. 3, the athlete collecting the meal would appear somewhat downcast. They would then gaze at their teammates' window numbers with envy, their eyes welling up with longing tears.
After collecting their meals, most of the athletes would exchange glances with each other, looking at the food on their respective plates. Then, they would quickly head to their table and start eating without much ado.
For most athletes, eating was somewhat of a mission. Regardless of the type of food provided by the team, for the sake of their health and better training, they needed to diligently finish every mouthful.
Even if not every athlete was as picky as Cui Luoheng, this mission-like approach to dining wasn't the most enjoyable experience.
However, this situation had improved drastically ever since Chef Su Bai arrived on the third floor cafeteria!
Nowadays, among these 76 elite athletes, every single one of them praised Su Bai for their three meals, and for one reason only – the food Su Bai cooked was incredibly delicious!
Take a look at that scallop and egg custard – tender and smooth, with a sweet egg fragrance subtly mixed with a hint of saltiness. A sprinkle of fresh green onions on top and a touch of soy sauce colored the dish. Just the aroma alone would make your stomach rumble uncontrollably. Taking a bite, the deliciousness would smoothly slide down your throat, tempting you to scoop up a second, then a third spoonful.
After a couple more spoons, you would encounter the scallops hidden in the tender steamed egg. The natural saltiness and freshness of the scallops combined with the egg's fragrance. Oh my, how could a small bowl ever be enough?
And then there's the steamed fish – a thin layer of steamed fish sauce spread on the plate, followed by a freshly steamed pomfret, its aroma captivating and irresistible. They weren't sure how their Chef Su Bai steamed the fish, but whether compared to the previous plain steamed pomfret or the one Su Bai steamed, the difference was like comparing a wilted flower to a tender, juicy blossom.
"Oh my, how can it be so tender and flavorful?" Qiu Wen cradled his plate of plain steamed pomfret, enjoying his meal. Suddenly, a large shadow loomed behind him.
???
Qiu Wen felt a bit bewildered as he followed the direction of the shadow and looked up. Oh my! Coaches, a whole group of coaches!
Seeing this group led by Zhao Heping and He Yishen, Qiu Wen couldn't help but wonder if he had done something wrong and they were here to reprimand him. He stared at Zhao Heping in a daze, and after a while, managed to blurt out a sentence.
"Coa-coach, I had the food from our cafeteria today!"
As soon as he said this, a burst of low laughter filled the surroundings.
Zhao Heping, feeling exasperated, covered his head with his hand and then glared at Qiu Wen fiercely. "Alright, I know you had cafeteria food!"
This way of opening the conversation, as if admitting guilt, seemed to be an instinct that Qiu Wen had developed after countless times of getting into trouble. The looks from the other coaches around Zhao Heping were filled with teasing.
Qiu Wen finally realized what was going on. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong recently!
With his conviction regained, Qiu Wen straightened his back and declared righteously, "Ever since we got Chef Su Bai as our head cook, I haven't had a single snack!"
With limited space in his stomach, of course he would save it for more delicious treats!
Zhao Heping looked at his somewhat quirky disciple and couldn't help but sigh. He shook his head, no longer paying attention to Qiu Wen. Instead, he walked around the window along with the other coaches, and knocked on the door at the entrance to the kitchen.
Inside the kitchen, the head cooks, including Sun Xiangdong and Wang Wu, were having their meal together with Su Bai. Over this period, Su Bai's culinary skills had become widely known throughout the team. Other athletes couldn't go to the third-floor cafeteria, but the kitchen staff could!
Consequently, what was once just Sun Xiangdong and Su Bai having their meal in the kitchen, now attracted the first and second-floor chefs during their meal times. They would happily head up to the third floor to have a bite to eat with Su Bai and Sun Xiangdong.
Well, it had to be said – the food was truly darn delicious!
As the coaches arrived, Wang Wu and the others had just begun their meal. The dishes Su Bai prepared were still covered. The coaches arrived before the covers could be lifted.
"Director He, Old Zhao... why have you come?" Seeing the coaches, Sun Xiangdong, the leader of the kitchen staff, was the first to step forward and greet them.
The kitchen wasn't very spacious to begin with, and with Wang Wu and his group already present, there wasn't much room left. As a result, apart from He Yishen and Zhao Heping, the remaining coaches stayed outside and went to 'bond with' their respective team members.
Of course, He Yishen wouldn't reveal what had happened earlier. He just smiled and said, "We heard that we have a cooking genius on the third floor? We're here to grab a bite."
He Yishen's words didn't raise any suspicions; after all, Su Bai's reputation and popularity had been growing within the team. Even the kitchen staff were intentionally coming up to the third floor to have a meal with Su Bai. So, what was unusual about the coaching staff coming to enjoy a meal today?
As a rough and straightforward northeastern man, Sun Xiangdong didn't find anything strange about this. He simply turned around and instructed everyone to share the food evenly. Then, he took the food to the dining table outside to share a meal with the coaching staff.
While Wang Wu and the others were serving the meal, Sun Xiangdong noticed Zhao Heping and his eyes lit up. He deliberately praised Su Bai to Zhao Heping again.
"Oh my, Old Zhao, let me tell you, Su Bai's culinary skills are just outstanding!" Sun Xiangdong said, raising his thumb. "This skill of Xiao Bai's is truly remarkable. He's not only skillful, but also full of dedication. I'm telling you, with his culinary skill, if he were to open a small restaurant, he would make pots of money!"
"In our city, there have been those private kitchen-style restaurants in recent years, right? They charge a hundred or even two hundred bucks for a plate of vegetables. The dishes that our Su Bai makes are far superior to theirs!"
Sun Xiangdong was, after all, an experienced chef. His taste and smell were both very sharp. Over these days, he could feel that Su Bai's culinary skills were improving continuously. This rate of progress amazed even an old chef like him, who had been cooking for over twenty years.
What he told Zhao Heping was truly his heartfelt opinion. With Su Bai's culinary skills, after retiring, was there any reason to fear not making money?
Zhao Heping hadn't expected this turn of conversation. He was taken aback by Sun Xiangdong's words. When he introduced Su Bai to the team, it was to provide him a better future. But hearing Sun Xiangdong's words, it seemed that Su Bai opening his own restaurant could be even better.
Su Bai had been standing on the side, not saying much. But after hearing the conversation between Sun Xiangdong and his mentor, he stepped forward.
"It's good to be in our team."
Initially, he had been worried about his achievements and future after retirement. At that time, he lacked the confidence. Now, with the ridiculous system that had dropped from the sky, Su Bai also wanted to contribute to the team where he had spent a solid ten years.
In the sports he had once fought for, there was also a chance to achieve results he had never thought possible.
He Yishen saw the conversation between Sun Xiangdong, Zhao Heping, and Su Bai, smiled on the side, and also praised Su Bai.
"Alright, our Xiao Bai is amazing too!" He Yishen laughed and glanced at Su Bai. He was planning to encourage him a bit more, but at the other end, Wang Wu and his team had already prepared the meals and were urging the coaches to start eating.
So, He Yishen didn't say much more, but followed everyone to the outdoor dining table and took a seat.
Once everyone was seated, they were completely enticed by the aroma of the dishes placed before them. What they initially planned to say was completely forgotten now.
Look at this spare rib soup – the aroma is so inviting, and the first sip warms the stomach!
Look at this steamed soft-shelled turtle – there's no hint of the original muddy smell, it's tender, fragrant, and slippery. It's truly unforgettable!
Look at these scallop steamed eggs, sautéed abalone in sauce, steamed yellow croaker, stir-fried water spinach, hairy gourd with soybeans...
Not to mention the coaches and chefs, who were fully engaged in savoring the dishes, even the athletes who had finished their meals were gazing at the direction of the dishes with reluctance to leave.
"Darn it! Being a coach is really great!" Qiu Wen looked at his empty plate and muttered enviously toward the direction of the coaches.
Beside Qiu Wen, Wang Shen and Cui Luoheng, also part of the late-night snack trio, nodded thoughtfully.
Before Wang Shen could speak, Cui Luoheng, who usually had a stern expression, surprisingly said, "Being a coach is really great."
Over at the coaches' table, after savoring the meal with reluctance, they looked at their empty plates and bowls, exchanged glances, and then cleared their throats.
"Oh my, Lao He, look, should we just set up the coaches' meals right here on the third floor?" One coach said to another.
Not far away, Qiu Wen overheard the coaches' discussion and turned to Wang Shen and Cui Luoheng in frustration, "Darn it, these coaches aren't content with just one meal. They're trying to leech off our Xiao Bai!"
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