Gourmet Kindergarten

"Son, have you had lunch yet?"

As soon as the call connected, I heard my mother, Xu Meijuan's, voice on the other end.

"I ate! I ate with the other children at the kindergarten and with Teacher Yu!"

"Did you do this too?"

"yes."

"...Will they be able to eat it?"

"We really enjoyed the food! They ate like little hungry wolves, licking their plates clean and praising how delicious it was!"

Uh--

On the other end of the phone, Xu Meijuan paused slightly in her grip on the phone.

How could she, as a mother, not know her son's cooking skills?

The quality was such that, while not exactly terrible, it was barely "barely palatable."

Fried eggs always have burnt edges, stir-fried dishes rely entirely on feel for seasoning, and the amount of salt depends entirely on luck.

Last time, this kid got really into it and cooked four dishes.

His father, Pei Jianguo, forced himself to eat a couple of bites, then made an excuse to go downstairs for a walk. He turned left as he went out and decisively slipped into a small restaurant on the corner to secretly have some extra food.

With this level of skill, how can you expect kids to lick the plate?

She didn't know if others believed it or not, but she was still a little skeptical.

But a mother is a mother, and Xu Meijuan didn't directly confront him. Instead, she subtly suggested, "Son, don't work too hard. If it really comes down to it, Mom will give you some money to hire a chef to help you out."

"No need, I can do it myself, don't waste your money..."

"Don't worry about spending money, Mom has some savings, I'll transfer it to you—"

"Mom, I still have money!"

Pei Qian decisively interrupted her "pre-cast animation for transferring funds".

"By the way, don't push yourself too hard at the pig farm. If you can't keep up, take a break. Don't push yourself too hard."

"I know, I know, here we go again." Xu Meijuan said with a smile, then launched into a report, "Let me tell you, your dad is amazing now. He's a master at feeding pigs, cleaning pens, and disinfecting—he works even harder than he did when he was younger..."

After rambling on and on, the conversation suddenly shifted—

"By the way, how's kindergarten doing now?"

Pei Qian replied dismissively, "It's fine."

"Also 'pretty good'?"

Xu Meijuan gave a soft hum.

She knew her own son too well; he was the type to only report good news and never bad, and he would just give vague answers when something happened.

"Mom, that's great. I have some good news for you."

"What good news?"

"We've recruited a new batch of students."

"Huh? You've recruited new students?" Xu Meijuan's voice instantly rose eight octaves.

"Yes, eight children came this morning. The parents didn't hesitate at all and completed all the enrollment procedures right away."

"You're a run-down kindergarten with only one teacher left, and you've crammed eight new students in one day?"

Xu Meijuan launched into a barrage of questions, "What are these parents after? Is it our old, dilapidated kindergarten, or our remote location? Son, tell me honestly, are you making this up so I won't worry?"

Pei Qian was speechless for a moment.

That's true, it's already mid-September, and regular kindergartens have long since finished their enrollment process.

The sudden appearance of eight new students is absurd to anyone, and it's perfectly normal for a mother to be suspicious.

If the explanation doesn't make sense, then don't explain it at all.

"Mom, wait a minute."

"What are you waiting for?"

"I'll send you a video, watch it yourself."

Pei Qian was too lazy to waste words, so he hung up the phone, switched to WeChat, found his mother's profile picture, and sent a video call invitation.

beep - beep -

After only two rings, the screen flashed, and Xu Meijuan's slightly anxious face appeared on the screen.

It's still the same face I remember.

She had excellent facial features and was definitely a stunning beauty in the surrounding area when she was young.

However, there were more fine lines around her eyes than I remembered, her nasolabial folds were deeper when she smiled, and her cheekbones had also thinned out considerably.

Her hair was casually tied in a low ponytail, with a few stray strands damp with sweat, clinging to her ears.

She's still pretty, but she definitely looks older.

Pei Qian felt a sudden tightness in his chest, a wave of bitterness washing over him.

"Son, you've lost weight," Xu Meijuan said with heartache, staring at the screen.

Pei Qian was taken aback: "No, I don't think so."

"You've lost weight!"

Fine.

There's a kind of thinness that only your mom thinks you've lost weight.

Pei Qian composed himself and strode into the classroom.

"Young principal, is there anything else?"

Teacher Yu was just about to call the children together for their afternoon nap when she saw him turn back and asked him a question, puzzled.

Pei Qian didn't answer, but instead shoved his phone camera at the other side: "My mom's here to check up on things, she wants to see the new students in the kindergarten."

Teacher Yu subconsciously straightened her back, casually tucked a stray hair behind her ear, and gave the camera a standard professional smile.

"Hello, former headmaster!"

"Hello, hello, Teacher Yu, thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work."

Teacher Yu waved her hand politely, her mind racing—the old principal didn't want to see her, she wanted to see the children.

"Please wait a moment, I'll show you."

The scene shifts.

Eight unfamiliar little radish heads appeared vividly in the picture.

Some were lying on the carpet building blocks, some were yawning in the corner of the sofa, and two little girls were huddled together, whispering to each other and occasionally giggling.

Lively and bustling.

Xu Meijuan was stunned.

"These...these are all real children?"

"Mom, where else can I conjure up eight more alive for you?"

Xu Meijuan opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

She stared at the screen for several seconds, then suddenly leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Son, tell me the truth—did you give these kids' parents some kind of mind-altering spell?"

Pei Qian: "..."

"I didn't drug them; they were all attracted by my cooking skills," Pei Qian retorted expressionlessly.

Xu Meijuan: "..."

"Director, the reason those parents send their kids here is definitely because of our young director's cooking skills," Teacher Yu suddenly leaned into the camera and earnestly chimed in. "It's true, the young director's cooking is really good now, and I've been enjoying it myself these past few days..."

Xu Meijuan knew Teacher Yu's character well; he was down-to-earth and honest, and definitely not the kind of person who blindly followed others or flattered them.

Even she said that, so it seems... it's true?

After the video call ended, Xu Meijuan leaned against the low wall outside the pigsty, feeling a mix of emotions.

I'm truly relieved. It seems my son has really grown up and can handle things now. Maybe this lousy kindergarten can actually be saved.

But the doubt is genuine.

What legitimate kindergarten recruits students based on their cooking skills?

This approach is too unconventional.

What's worse is that my son's cooking skills, which were previously terrible, have suddenly become so good.

If something goes wrong, there must be a demon.

She thought and thought, and her mind couldn't help but think the worst—would her son have gone to extremes in his eagerness to revitalize the garden?

But then I thought about it again and realized that wasn't right.

impossible.

She knew her son's character too well; he wasn't that kind of person.

But the problem is...

So how did his cooking skills improve so dramatically?

I can't figure it out, and the more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel.

Xu Meijuan sighed, opened her mobile banking app, and transferred all the remaining savings in her card—50,000 yuan—into Pei Qian's account.

As a mother, there's not much else I can do to help, so I can only provide extra money as a safety net.

With food in hand, even if the son encounters difficulties, he won't go astray.

After transferring the money, she glanced at her phone screen again and made a decision in her heart—

I must make time to visit the kindergarten in person and see for myself.

……

Meanwhile, the parents of the new students returned home with their lunchboxes.