It is also puzzling how Jake became a physical education teacher at Princeton University. The school he graduated from was not prestigious, and he had never been involved in education or sports-related work before. How did he suddenly become a teacher at Princeton University, a nationally renowned institution?
If Jake had a background like Verna and Bill, then it would make sense. However, the strange thing is that Jake doesn't have any notable background. He is just an ordinary person, but he managed to achieve this feat, which is difficult to accept.
Can anyone become a teacher at Princeton University? Obviously not. Even Verna and Bill, apart from their family backgrounds, graduated from renowned schools to become teachers there. But Jake? He has nothing!
"Could there be something about him that I haven't uncovered?" Dirk wondered to himself. "But his background seems quite simple, and he shouldn't have the capability to conceal his own situation. It's strange, really strange."
Dirk's interest in Jake grew in his mind, and coincidentally, he was going to meet Jake, which would be a good opportunity for them to talk.
Jake had no idea that Carlton wanted to deal with him or that Dirk had developed a great interest in him. He was still busy with his barbecue business.
"I wonder if the business will be affected after not going for two days," Jake thought as he headed towards his previous stall, carrying his still rudimentary equipment.
"Boss is here!"
"Boss, you finally came!"
"Great! I've been waiting for days. If you didn't show up, I would have called the police!"
To Jake's surprise, there were already people waiting near the stall when he appeared. They seemed exceptionally excited upon seeing him.
"I have such devoted fans for my barbecue stall. Not bad," Jake thought smugly.
"Boss, hurry up! I can't wait any longer."
"Boss, why didn't you come these past two days? I've been craving your barbecue."
"Boss, give me two skewers of pork belly, one pig's trotter, and two pairs of chicken wings..."
"I was here first! I want two servings of squid and ten skewers of meat..."
Jake was quickly surrounded, although there were only five or six people. It made him feel like he was being mobbed by fans. Of course, he knew that those people were enthusiastic about his barbecue.
"They're already this crazy now? If they had tasted the dishes I made with the ingredients from the gaming world, wouldn't they go even crazier? They won't be able to sleep without eating my food every day," Jake thought to himself.
"Don't worry, everyone. Let me set things up, and I'll serve you one by one," Jake said.
Meanwhile, a few barbecue stall owners nearby looked at Jake with some envy, and of course, jealousy. Although they also had customers in front of their stalls, none of them had loyal fans waiting for them in advance. After all, their skills were similar to each other, and if their customers didn't come to them, they could easily go to other stalls without much difference in taste.
However, it was different for Jake. These past few days, Jake didn't show up, but they noticed that there were always people hanging around near Jake's stall, waiting for him to appear. How could they not envy such a situation?
Moreover, right after Jake showed up, the infuriated stall owners noticed that some of the customers who had planned to eat at their stalls had actually shifted their attention to Jake's stall.
"This young man is going too far. He's stealing our business, taking away our profits. That's not how business is done!" complained the owner of a barbecue stall, looking at the increasing crowd in front of Jake's stall with frustration.
"Exactly! How can we do business in the future with him doing this? He's snatching everything away for himself," another owner angrily remarked.
Many customers left their barbecue stalls and went to Jake's stall because of his presence. As a result, the businesses of these stall owners suddenly became quiet. There were hardly any customers in front of their stalls anymore. The customers would rather wait in line at Jake's stall than come to them for a quicker meal. This allowed the stall owners to have some free time and gather together. However, these barbecue stall owners didn't enjoy this idle time. They wanted to be as busy as Jake.
"Oh, by the way, how did things go with what we discussed last time? Did you find the person?" suddenly spoke up one of the barbecue stall owners, and the others immediately understood the meaning behind his words.
"We did find him," another owner replied. "We even talked to him. But this young man hasn't shown up these past few days, we thought he quit. That's why we didn't send anyone over. After all, it costs money to send those people."
"Spending some money is no big deal. We can split the cost among ourselves, and it wouldn't be much for each of us," a plump owner next to them said. "At this point, send anyone over is longer an option. Otherwise, we won't be able to continue."
"Yeah, I agree."
"I'm in favor of it."
Several barbecue stall owners expressed their opinions. They hated Jake for stealing their business, They naturally wanted to find a way to snatch the business back from him.
Normal competition didn't seem to work anymore. Although they hadn't tasted Jake's barbecue, they could see that the customers would rather wait in line at his stall than come to theirs. This already indicated a problem. Previously, they thought that many people in the crowd in front of Jake's stall were just passing by, but now they didn't think so. Among those people, many were their former customers whom they knew and recognized. And now, they had all gone to Jake's stall. Therefore, if barbecue stall owners wanted to reclaim their business, they had to think of other ways and couldn't rely on normal means.
While the barbecue stall owners were chatting and discussing, Jake was busy at his stall. Sweat beads had already formed on his forehead. Even though he moved quickly, he still felt overwhelmed. At this moment, he wished he had some help.
"If only I had called someone to help earlier," Jake thought to himself. "If this continues, I can't do it alone. Otherwise, I'll exhaust myself."
"Jake, do you need help?" just as Jake was becoming a bit overwhelmed with his tasks, a familiar voice reached his ears. He looked up and saw a familiar figure that surprised him.