Food: Taking the twins to kindergarten to be chefs

The aftertaste of the birthday celebration is long-lasting, the lights gradually dim in the night, and the laughter and joy slowly dissipate into the deep night like the receding tide, leaving behind a quietness.

Yang Deyi and his companions were still immersed in the joy of the gathering, and as they were still not satisfied, they decided to extend this rare time and sit around a table to continue their mahjong competition.

Huang Jun looked at the time and felt that it was late at night. It was time to take the two little ones home to rest.

So...

He gently called out to Qingqing and Weiwei, who were immersed in the fantasy world of the cartoon, "Qingqing, Weiwei, it's time for us to go home too."

"Okay, Dad~"

Although the two little ones were reluctant to leave the cartoons, they nodded obediently and followed Huang Jun to say goodbye to Yang Yuxi's family of three and other guests.

Shu Meiling was a little reluctant to leave, and she held Qingqing and Weiwei's hands, her eyes full of love: "Qingqing, Weiwei, if you have time, remember to ask your dad to bring you over here to play with grandma. You are always welcome to come to grandma's house~"

Qingqing and Weiwei nodded sensibly: "Yes, okay, grandma!"

Yang Yuxi tilted her head slightly, her eyes gently sweeping over Huang Jun, an indescribable attachment quietly passing through her eyes.

Just at this time.

Huang Jun also turned his head, and their eyes met in the air. He responded with a warm smile and nodded slightly.

Yang Yuxi's eyes seemed to be lit up by stars, flashing a subtle light. Before she could open her mouth, her cheeks were already flushed with a shy blush.

She unconsciously raised her hand and gently brushed the hair falling in front of her forehead, her voice as thin as a mosquito: "Qingqing Dad, don't you want to play for a while longer?"

Huh?
Shu Meiling, who was standing by, inadvertently caught the delicate emotional fluctuations on her daughter's face out of the corner of her eye.

Her attention shifted from Qingqing and Weiwei to Huang Jun, and finally gently returned to her daughter's slightly shy face.

This moment...

The lake of her heart seemed to be gently touched by a delicate stone, stirring up layers of delicate and complex ripples.

A subtle and elusive intuition quietly sprouted in her heart, suggesting that her daughter's feelings for Huang Jun had quietly crossed the boundaries of traditional identities such as colleagues, teachers and parents.

Could it be that…

This innocent little cabbage of her own has quietly blossomed with the fragrance of first love, and she has deep feelings for Huang Jun?
Looking at her daughter's face, which was a mixture of shyness and sweetness, Shu Meiling, as a person who has experienced this, already had a vague answer in her mind.

Huang Jun is indeed an outstanding man. He is handsome, has extraordinary cooking skills, noble character, and a successful career.

But there is a fly in the ointment…

He is a divorced father with a child.

Although Qingqing and Weiwei are lively and cute and are deeply loved by her, as a mother who loves her daughters deeply, she still has some concerns deep in her heart.

That's right.

She didn't want to see her daughter step into a second marriage, take on the role of a stepmother, and face those potentially complicated and subtle family disputes...

But... "Girls should not be kept at home when they grow up. If they are kept, they will only make enemies." This old saying kept lingering in her mind, making her feel conflicted and struggling!

Forget it!

When I have the chance, I will ask my daughter what she thinks!
I hope all this is just her own unnecessary worry!
Huang Jun responded to Yang Yuxi's question with a smile: "No, it's late at night, the children have to go to school tomorrow, and I have to get up early to work."

"Then I'll take you back."

Yang Yuxi showed a trace of helplessness.

Huang Jun nodded: "Then thank you for your help."

Yang Yuxi shook her head and smiled gently: "It's not a problem. This is what I should do."

At this time, Yang Deyi came hurriedly with an anxious look on his face, holding a beautifully wrapped gift bag in his hand. He almost ran to Huang Jun and handed the gift bag to Huang Jun with sincerity, saying, "Chef Huang, since you have decided to leave, I can't keep you. However, you must accept this red envelope and the two bottles of Moutai in it. This is a small gift from me, and it is also a thank you for taking the trouble to prepare this table of delicious food for us tonight."

Huang Jun was slightly stunned, then smiled gratefully, but still politely refused: "Uncle Yang, I really appreciate your kindness, but I really can't accept these expensive gifts. I am very happy to be able to attend your birthday party tonight and spend this wonderful time with you and many friends. This is enough."

Yang Deyi still insisted and pushed the gift bag to Huang Jun again: "Take it, Chef Huang, don't be polite to me. This is a little gift from us. If you accept it, we will feel more at ease."

Shu Meiling on the side also advised: "Yes, Chef Huang, this little gift is just a way for us to express our gratitude. Just accept it, otherwise your Uncle Yang will definitely suffer from insomnia tonight."

Yang Yuxi also echoed, "Qingqing Dad, just take it. This is a gift from my dad."

Since it’s hard to refuse such a kind invitation, I have no choice but to accept it!
Huang Jun smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, Uncle Yang, then I will obey your orders and accept this gift."

As he said this, he took the gift bag and immediately felt the heavy friendship inside.

Seeing Huang Jun finally accept the gift, Yang Deyi smiled with satisfaction, "That's right, Chef Huang. Even my picky old friends are full of praise for your cooking skills. They all said that if there is a chance in the future, they will definitely invite you to cook. Some even asked me for your contact information. However, considering the busy and special nature of your work, I did not disclose it without permission. But we must visit each other more frequently in the future, and don't let time pass by and we become estranged."

Shu Meiling also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Yes, Chef Huang, you must bring Qingqing and Weiwei to our house more often when you are free. We old couple are always looking forward to your arrival."

Mom and Dad, your real intention is not just this, right?

In fact, the real reason why you want Huang Jun to come more often in the future is that you want him to continue to satisfy your taste buds with his superb cooking skills, right?
Yang Yuxi, who had already seen through her parents' thoughts, just smiled implicitly and didn't say much.

It is true.

Her heart couldn't help but be filled with ripples of anticipation, mixed with a hint of joy.

After all, if the two families could have frequent exchanges, not only would the emotional ties between them be deepened, but perhaps, as she secretly hoped, her parents would completely fall in love with Huang Jun as they spent more and more time together, and eventually happily accept him as an indispensable member of the family.

oops…

It's really embarrassing...

Why would she think about all these things?
Yang Yuxi felt her cheeks getting slightly hot and her heartbeat quickened. At the same time, she had to face her own heart. She did have an indescribable affection for Huang Jun. This affection had gone beyond the simple friendship between friends and colleagues. It was more like an indescribable emotion that quietly took root in her heart.

After realizing this clearly...

Her heart was filled with anticipation yet also fear.

I look forward to having a deeper relationship with him in the future, but I'm also afraid that he doesn't have the same feelings and it's just a one-sided liking on my part.

That would be embarrassing!
therefore!

She decided to bury this emotion deep in her heart for the time being and not let it affect her normal relationship with Huang Jun.

She believes that as time goes by, everything will come to light, and at the appropriate time, she will bravely face her heart and express her true feelings to Huang Jun.

I hope everything will go as she wishes in the end...

Huang Jun, who was completely unaware of the turmoil in Yang Yuxi's heart, still smiled and nodded to Yang Deyi and his wife and promised: "Of course, I will come to visit again if I have the chance. I had a great time tonight, thank you all, I'll take my leave first, you guys continue with your work." After that, he gently took Qingqing and Weiwei's hands, and the two little ones also waved goodbye to Yang Deyi and his wife very obediently: "Goodbye Grandpa Yang, goodbye Grandma Yang!"

"Hey, Qingqing, Weiwei, goodbye!" Yang Deyi and his wife responded with smiles on their faces and waved.

At this time, Yang Yuxi had also come back to her senses. She smiled and said to her parents: "Mom and Dad, I'll go see them off. I'll go back to my own place tonight. You don't have to wait for me..."

After saying that, she followed Huang Jun and his family of three away.

"Be careful on the road and stay safe!"

Yang Deyi and his wife gave them concerned instructions, with warm smiles on their faces, and watched them leave.

"Lao Yang, there is something I want to tell you..."

Shu Meiling originally wanted to talk to Yang Deyi about the subtle changes in their daughter's emotions, but Yang Deyi was eager to join his old friend's mahjong game and interrupted her: "Wife, I have to go over to greet Lao Lu and the others. If there is anything, let's talk about it later!"

"Okay! Go ahead!"

Shu Meiling thought to herself that now was not the right time to chat about family matters, so she didn't force it and planned to find a more appropriate time to talk.

However, when Lao Yang found out that the "cabbage" he had raised with so much effort now knew how to "dig up" other people's land, what expression would he have on his face?

I guess it must be very interesting!

Maybe he would pick up a 40-centimeter-long sword and go directly to Huang Jun to settle the score!

of course.

Deep down, she still didn't want to see this happen.

Although she had some reservations about Huang Jun, she couldn't deny that she felt from the bottom of her heart that Huang Jun was... a pretty good person.

I also don’t want to have a bad relationship with Huang Jun, lest I won’t be able to eat the food he cooks in the future…

……

"Ding~"

With a crisp sound, the elevator door slowly opened, and Huang Jun's family of three and Yang Yuxi walked into the quiet underground garage and headed towards Yang Yuxi's parking area.

A familiar voice faintly sounded beside my ear: "Chef Huang..."

Huang Jun turned around involuntarily when he heard this, and saw Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing approaching them hurriedly, with a look of anxiety on their faces.

He was slightly surprised and asked, "Chef Zhao, Chef Yu, didn't you leave earlier? Why..."

Zhao Weiguang hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile: "Chef Huang, we are waiting for you here!"

"wait for me?"

Huang Jun frowned slightly, full of doubts.

"Yes, Chef Huang."

Zhao Weiguang explained sincerely, "When we first learned that you were the chef for this banquet, we were somewhat unconvinced. But after watching and tasting your cooking skills just now, we were really amazed. We were both convinced and felt that even if we spent our entire lives, we would not be able to reach 50% of your cooking skills. So, we thought... it would be great if we could become your apprentice!"

Huang Jun's eyes flashed with surprise: "Become my disciple?"

Seeing Huang Jun's hesitation, Zhao Weiguang quickly added, "Yes, Chef Huang. We sincerely hope that you can accept us. We don't need to pay us, as long as you are willing to teach us some cooking skills and let us be your apprentices for two years."

Yang Yuxi watched this scene quietly from the side, without any expression on her face.

Huang Jun is such a great cook.

It’s normal that the two chefs want to become his apprentices!

After all, even her Uncle Wu had had similar thoughts, not to mention Chef Ge from Liu Shiwei's family, who is still lingering among the ranks of nominal disciples and has not been officially promoted.

Facing the two chefs' expectant eyes, Huang Jun gently shook his head and declined, "Chef Zhao, Chef Yu, I sincerely thank you for your kindness and recognition. But I'm sorry, I never have the habit of accepting apprentices."

First of all, training an apprentice is not an easy task.

When it comes to cooking, it’s not enough to just talk about it; you need a lot of practice to understand its essence.

Every dish needs to be memorized with the body and senses, which often requires cooking it hundreds or thousands of times in person to truly master it.

This process is both time-consuming and labor-intensive, and he is afraid that he cannot give you enough guidance and patience.

Secondly, he felt that he still had a long way to go in his cooking career and that his cooking skills had not yet reached the level of being a role model for others.

"Chef Huang, please don't refuse!"

Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing pleaded anxiously, "You only need to give us a few pointers, and we will figure out the rest carefully. We will not take up too much of your precious time."

Huang Jun wanted to decline again, but at this moment, Yang Yuxi interrupted him softly, "Qingqing Dad, aren't we going to add kitchen helpers in the next semester? Otherwise, you can consider accepting them and let them be your kitchen helpers. This way, you don't have to bother looking for the right person."

These words were logically clear and reasonable, making it difficult for Huang Jun to find a suitable reason to refuse.

He thought for a moment, then turned to Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing and asked, "How many years have you two been working in the kitchen?"

Zhao Weiguang quickly replied: "I have been a chef for 16 years!"

Yu Daqing was not to be outdone: "I have also been doing this for fourteen years."

Huang Jun nodded and asked further: "Then, are you willing to be a kitchen assistant?"

"what?"

Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing were stunned when they heard this. After all, they were both chefs in the kitchen.

But on second thought, as long as he could get Huang Jun's guidance, he would be willing to be an assistant chef.

So, they both answered almost at the same time: "As long as you are willing to teach us your skills, we are willing to be your assistant chefs."

Huang Jun nodded happily and said with a smile: "Very good, then let's start by exchanging contact information. After the New Year, I will notify you to come to Doraimi Kindergarten for an interview. Once you can successfully pass the strict assessment of our principal and are honored to be hired, I will definitely teach you everything I know and share some of my experiences and knowledge. As for the salary and benefits, it will naturally follow the standards of the kindergarten."

"that is really good!"

Yu Daqing and Zhao Weiguang's faces were filled with irrepressible joy. They quickly took out their mobile phones and had a friendly exchange of contact information with Huang Jun.

At this moment, their attitude towards Huang Jun has quietly changed to respect and expectation like that for a master.

After some greetings, everyone reluctantly got into their cars and set off on their journey home... (End of this chapter)