Gourmet Kindergarten

Pei Qian looked at the stubborn little chubby boy in the corner and sighed helplessly.

Fine, if you don't want to leave, then don't.

Anyway, the kindergarten is going to have a "life skills class" in a few days to teach these little radishes how to cook.

He was just worried about not having a chance to figure out the temperaments of these little devils. Since this chubby boy had offered himself up, he might as well use him to test the waters first.

"Zhuangzhuang, it's so boring just sitting there."

Pei Qian grinned and leaned over, casually handing over a clove of garlic.

"Come on, do the headmaster a big favor and peel this garlic?"

"Peel garlic?"

Zhuangzhuang looked up, his big eyes blinking blankly, his face saying, "Are you kidding me?"

Oh, you're still not happy?

No problem, Pei Qian has enough tricks to deal with kids to circle the earth three times over.

"This isn't just ordinary garlic peeling; it's the kitchen's 'ultimate mission.'" Pei Qian's smile vanished, replaced by a serious deception. "I just spent ages thinking about it, and in the entire kindergarten, only someone with your physique could shoulder the responsibility of being the 'Garlic Peeling General.' I simply don't trust anyone else to do it!"

The effect was immediate.

Zhuangzhuang's little face turned serious, and his two chubby hands instantly switched to "battle mode," clumsily but extremely forcefully peeling the garlic.

Grandpa Li and Aunt Zhao, standing to the side, smiled like doting aunts.

Pei Qian was secretly pleased.

When it comes to dealing with children, the key is to treat the symptoms directly.

It seems I'm still someone whose "culinary career has delayed my becoming an educator"!

"Uncle Li, could you please tell Teacher Yu that Zhuangzhuang is with me, so she won't worry about not being able to find him?"

"Okay."

Grandpa Li glanced at the chubby boy who was struggling with garlic peels, suppressed a laugh, and scurried away.

"It's getting late, let's get started!"

Pei Qian washed his hands and went straight to the first dish of the day—stewed cabbage and tofu.

Does that sound incredibly tacky?

wrong!

The simpler the dish, the more it tests the chef's skill.

With the cutting board set up, Pei Qian's aura subtly darkened.

Tear the cabbage leaves by hand, keeping the fibers intact; slice the cabbage stalks diagonally with a quick, sharp motion; slice the firm tofu horizontally, then with a twist of the knife, neatly place the triangular pieces into the water basin; while you're at it, slice some pork belly, smash a few cloves of garlic, and then cut the tenderloin for sweet and sour pork into even, thick slices, marinating them thoroughly…

The entire food preparation process was smooth and efficient.

Aunt Zhao was stunned, her mouth agape in an "O" shape.

A few days ago, he was chopping vegetables with the cautiousness of a "stay-at-home husband," but today his knife skills... no matter how you look at it, he's a veteran chef with over ten years of experience!

"Aunt Zhao, please rinse the vegetables for me." Pei Qian handed over the vegetable bowl without looking up.

"Oh...oh! Okay!"

Aunt Zhao seemed to wake from a dream and reached out to take it.

The stove was blazing, and the iron pot was smoking.

Pei Qian poured in the cool oil, then suddenly flicked his wrist—"Splash!"

The oil instantly coats the pan's surface, all in one smooth motion. Drain the oil, then add more cold oil.

This smooth and effortless "hot pan, cold oil" technique is incredibly sophisticated.

Sprinkle a pinch of salt into the oil, then slide the triangular tofu pieces into the pan one by one.

"Sizzle—"

Hot oil churns and steam rises.

Pei Qian tossed the wok with one hand, and in no time, the tofu was covered with a golden, crispy crust.

Aunt Zhao really couldn't hold back this time.

Good heavens... Is this the kind of skill a kindergarten principal should have in flipping the wok and controlling the heat?

"Young principal, tell me honestly, did you secretly enroll in some kind of top-level chef training course?"

"No."

"And your cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds..."

"I learned it online!"

Aunt Zhao: "???"

Can you really learn this online?

You're kidding me!

By this time, the tofu in the pan had been fried until golden brown on both sides.

Pei Qian poured out the tofu, then added pork belly and garlic slices to the remaining oil.

"Sizzle—"

The meat slices curl rapidly when heated, releasing glistening oil and bursting with savory aroma.

The overpowering smell of grease couldn't be contained; it seeped out through the window cracks, carried by the wind, and drifted right out...

Pei Qian didn't even look up.

Add the stems of the cabbage, stir-fry over high heat, then add the leaves and return the tofu to the pan.

Add soy sauce for flavor, a pinch of salt for seasoning, cover, and simmer over low heat.

Five minutes later, lift the lid.

"Whoosh—"

The milky white broth bubbled and surged, the tofu soaked up the juices, glistening with an enticing sheen, and a rich, savory aroma rose from the pot, sweeping across the entire kitchen…

"belch."

The chubby boy swallowed so hard that he let out a loud burp.

Pei Qian ladled the vegetables into a stainless steel bucket, glanced at the chubby boy, and asked with a half-smile, "Zhuangzhuang, where's your garlic?"

Zhuangzhuang looked down and was stunned.

Half a clove of garlic vanished from my hand, leaving garlic peels and bits stuck all over my trouser leg.

"..."

Oops!

I was so focused on smelling it that I forgot about the garlic!

To cover it up, he immediately straightened his back, hid his dirty hands behind his back, and tried to make amends with a grin:

"Headmaster...smells so good."

"This child was so greedy that he didn't even notice when the garlic fell..." Aunt Zhao covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

Pei Qian didn't call him out on it, and nodded: "It smells good, that's good! The next dish will smell even better. Also, peel the garlic carefully..."

Zhuangzhuang: "..."

That's not right!

In TV shows, when they get to this point, they usually say, "Sweetie, open your mouth and taste it."

Why do we still have to work?

Watching Pei Qian's retreating figure, the chubby boy pouted with a wronged expression.

But upon smelling the aroma, he obediently picked up the garlic cloves again—

Hold back!

The teacher said that you only get candy if you behave well. It's probably because you haven't finished the chores you promised to do that you're not getting any candy!

Pei Qian ignored the child's rich inner thoughts, added the marinated pork tenderloin to potato starch and water, kneaded it by hand, coated it with a layer of crystal-clear jade, and then drizzled a spoonful of cold oil to lock in the moisture.

"Take the wok out of the heat and heat the oil!"

This time the oil temperature was extremely high, and Pei Qian's eyes darkened slightly.

The slices of meat slide into the oil, instantly expand and float to the surface, forming a golden-brown crust.

Fry over medium heat for the first time to set the shape, then remove and fry again over high heat to force out excess oil!

As the chopsticks nimbly flipped the meat slices, they turned golden and translucent, making a soft "shh" sound, before being drained of excess oil and served.

Aunt Zhao was stunned again, feeling like she was being hit by a thousand blows.

This was only the second dish, and it smelled so good she could barely stand!

The key point is—this kindergarten director is clearly such a great cook, but he's been pretending to be a novice for the past few days!

She wasted so much time and effort on him, and he even suggested to his face that he hire another chef…

It turns out that he was a hidden master!

The fragrance in the air seemed to coalesce into an invisible slap, relentlessly striking her face, forcing her to confront reality while simultaneously drawing out her saliva.

Pei Qian left some oil in the wok, then added shredded ginger, scallion whites, and shredded carrots to sauté until fragrant. He then picked up the prepared sauce bowl.

"Sizzle—"

The sauce was poured into the pot, and the sweet and sour aroma exploded instantly!

Pour the sliced ​​meat into the hot water and stir-fry quickly. In just a few seconds, the sauce coats the crispy meat slices, and the aroma that hits you right in the head is ten times more irresistible than the cabbage and tofu from before!

"Clatter."

Zhuangzhuang had finally managed to pick out a clove of garlic, but it fell to the ground again.

But he was completely unaware, and didn't even bother to pick it up, his entire attention was drawn to the smell.

He swallowed hard.

He swallowed again.

"Headmaster."

"Um."

"It smells so good."

"Um."

"Um... what is that?"

"Sweet and sour pork".

Zhuangzhuang swallowed his third mouthful of saliva, and his two feet unconsciously moved to Pei Qian's side.

He stood on tiptoe, craned his neck, and stared longingly at the glistening slices of meat coated in sweet and sour sauce in the pot. His chubby hands twisted the hem of his clothes as he tentatively whispered:

"May I... have a piece?"

The chubby boy's voice was soft and sweet, filled with cautious anticipation, as if tears would well up in his big eyes if he wasn't given food.