Gourmet Kindergarten

"Today is a good day..."

Aunt Zhao rode her electric scooter, humming a little tune, all the way home.

A plastic bag was dangling in the bicycle basket, containing crispy pork tenderloin that Pei Qian had specially packed for her.

The bag was tied in a knot, and the domineering, crispy aroma kept wafting out with the wind, so much so that an orange cat on the roadside chased after the car wheels for half a road.

As soon as my electric scooter turned into the community square, I happened to catch the old ladies finishing a square dance, and several of the lead dancers were wiping their sweat with towels.

Sharp-eyed Sister Wang was filling her water bottle when she caught a glimpse of the girl out of the corner of her eye. She called out in a loud voice, "Hey, Cuihua! You're back from get off work?"

This shout was like a thunderclap from a clear sky; seven or eight heads turned around simultaneously from under the trees and by the flowerbeds.

"Oh, it really is Cuihua!"

Aunt Zhao slammed on the brakes, her shoes scraping against the concrete with a "screech," and with a chuckle, she replied, "Oh, just got off work. Are you guys dancing?"

"Hey Cuihua," Aunt Li strolled over, fanning herself with a large palm-leaf fan, "at your age, why are you still going out to work? What's the point?"

Sister Wei, who was twisting a thermos cup next to her, chimed in: "That's right, your family isn't short of a few measly coins. You've worked hard for most of your life, it's time to take a break."

"That's right," Aunt Xu chimed in, "Stop working and come back to dance with us. Then we can join a tour group and have a great time."

Aunt Zhao was surrounded and was just about to laugh it off when Aunt Zhang, who loved to gossip, squeezed in front of her.

"Cuihua, I heard that all the teachers and students at your kindergarten have run away. Is it about to close down? Has the boss been withholding your wages? If he dares to renege on his promise, just say the word, and the girls will band together to back you up and demand your pay!"

"Yes, yes, we people in this old neighborhood can't stand this kind of treatment..."

Aunt Zhao: "..."

no…

Can't you guys wish me well for once?

"Alright, alright, stop it all!" Aunt Zhao's voice suddenly rose. "Who said it's about to close down? Our park is doing just fine! You're all so idle, all you do is admire the flowers, the moon, and do square dancing all day. Don't you know how to find a job instead of wasting your time thinking about this all the time!"

My old girlfriends: "..."

My good intentions were completely wasted.

"Give me a break, what job would I do? Go out and be a cleaner like you?" Sister Wang slammed the kettle on the stone table and rolled her eyes.

Aunt Zhao: "..."

What's wrong with being a cleaner?

So what if you look down on cleaning staff?

Her anger surged to the top of her head in an instant. Aunt Zhao took a deep breath, about to retort—

"Wait a minute..."

Aunt Zhang suddenly sniffed, her brows furrowed slightly, and her gaze went past Aunt Zhao's shoulder, landing directly on the bicycle basket.

"Cuihua, what's in your bicycle basket? It smells so good!"

With just that one sentence, the tension that had been building up instantly dissipated.

"Smells good? Where?"

"Let me smell... Wow, it really is! What's that smells so good?"

Several middle-aged women who were just indignant now craned their necks, sniffed, and swarmed around the electric scooter.

Aunt Zhao's heart skipped a beat; she knew something was wrong.

If these people discover the crispy pork tenderloin, will she even get a share?

She instinctively turned to the side, using her arm to firmly block the bicycle basket, her eyes darting around guiltily. She gave a dry laugh, "N-nothing much, just some leftover scraps from the picnic in the park, nothing fancy..."

"Scraps?"

Aunt Zhang squinted, taking two steps closer suspiciously: "Scraps can taste like this? Cuihua, you're not hiding something good, are you?"

"Exactly, you're covering yourself up way too much with your arms!" Sister Wang crossed her arms, staring at her with a half-smile. "Isn't this a classic case of 'protesting too much'?"

"Cuihua, now that things have come to this, you can't hide it anymore. Just hand it over."

"It looks like crispy pork inside, let's take it out and have everyone try it."

"Yeah! Don't you feel any guilt eating all by yourself?"

"It's just ordinary food, why are you so fussy about it? Take it out, take it out."

"..."

Aunt Zhao: "..."

All she wanted was to go home quietly and have some meat. Was it easy for her?!

During the day at kindergarten, she has to secretly compete with Grandpa Li; at night, when she goes back to her neighborhood, she has to be wary of being robbed by her old friends.

Is this even possible?!

She now regretted it so much she wanted to slap herself. Why did she stop and waste her breath talking to these people?!

at the moment…

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best!

Aunt Zhao had just turned the handlebars of her electric scooter, trying to force her way out—

"Trying to run? Hold her down!"

With quick reflexes, Sister Wang gripped the handlebars tightly, while the other two older women flanked her, completely blocking the electric scooter.

"What exactly do you want?" Aunt Zhao gritted her teeth in anger, desperately protecting the bicycle basket.

"Hand it over, and I'll guarantee your safety."

"...What if I refuse to comply, even to the death?"

"Hehe, then don't blame us sisters for being impolite."

Aunt Zhang gave the order: "Sisters, charge!"

The group of middle-aged women exchanged glances, and the tacit understanding that had been built up over decades between them instantly became palpable—two held onto the handlebars, one reached out to grab Aunt Zhao's arm, and the other reached into the bicycle basket.

Aunt Zhao tried her best to protect them, but under the enemy's superior numbers and clear division of labor, she was no match for them and was ultimately defeated.

I watched helplessly as Aunt Zhang snatched the plastic bag away.

"Hahaha, I got it!"

Several people quickly gathered around the stone table and impatiently tore open the plastic bags—

"Wow! Crispy pork tenderloin! This is definitely not a scrap!!"

"Zhao Cuihua, you old scoundrel, how dare you lie to us!"

As soon as the bag was opened, the rich aroma that had been trapped all the way burst forth, rushing straight into their noses.

Aunt Zhang and the others were so startled by the intense aroma that it seemed to reach their very core that they all gasped in shock, their hands freezing in mid-air.

"It smells so good..."

"Quick, quick, Wang Meizi, your house is the closest, hurry back and get some disposable gloves!"

Sister Wang gave her a suspicious look: "Why aren't you going? Are you trying to trick me into going back to get my things so you can sneak a bite? Dream on!"

Aunt Zhang: "..."

Uh... I've been seen through.

"Why use gloves? Just use your hands!" Aunt Li waved her hand, pulled out a pack of wet wipes from her pocket, took one out to wipe her hands, and handed the rest to the others.

She wiped her hands first, then quickly picked up a piece and took a bite.

Although the crispy pork tenderloin had cooled down, the crust was still incredibly crispy the moment it hit your mouth, while the meat inside was tender and juicy, with the savory flavor spreading layer by layer on your tongue.

Aunt Li's eyes lit up.

My God—this is absolutely delicious!

She shoved the rest into her mouth.

"How is it? Is it delicious?" the others asked eagerly while wiping their hands.