Gourmet: Twins' Father and Chef of the Kindergarten

Chapter 310 - 289: You Can’t Wake Someone Pretending to Be Asleep

Nap time.

Dorami Kindergarten was immersed in a serene tranquility, with only the occasional soft breeze and the gentle rustling of leaves outside the window.

In the dormitory.

The children lay quietly in their little beds, their small blankets gently guarding their tummies. Most had already drifted into a sweet dreamland.

However, quite a few children, although their eyes were tightly shut, weren’t really asleep. They were trying hard to create an illusion of "I’m already asleep," hoping to fool the teachers patrolling during the nap.

Alas, alas...

Such a little trick, how could it escape the keen eyes of the teachers who’ve seen countless children?

Miss Yang strolled around the children’s beds, observing each child’s behavior with a smile.

Even though the children had their eyes tightly closed, their breathing was uneven, and from time to time, a naughty expression would flicker across their little faces...

"Little ones, trying to pull this trick on me."

Seeing through the little acts, Miss Yang couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Indeed, the children’s attempts to pretend they were asleep were actually quite adorable...

Thinking about how "you can never wake someone pretending to be asleep," she didn’t reveal them on the spot or name and shame, but instead employed a small trick by saying gently, "Children, how about we go out to play?"

Go out to play?

Of course, we’d love to!

Hearing this, the children who were pretending to sleep immediately perked up, no longer maintaining their act, and one by one sat up from their beds.

Their little faces were brimming with excited smiles, and their eyes sparkled with anticipation, as they all shouted in unison, "Yay, let’s go out to play~"

Yuanyuan, blinking her big round eyes, curiously asked, "Teacher, where are we going to play?"

Oh my~

So many kids weren’t asleep, huh?!

Miss Yang was a bit surprised to see two-thirds of the kids sitting up, amazed at how much these children’s "acting skills" had improved.

Thankfully, there were well-behaved kids, like the two sisters Qingqing and Weiwei, and children like Tiantian and Qianqian, who were already sound asleep.

If all the children were like them, she’d have much less to worry about.

Of course, such students are rare and cannot be sought; it takes time and patience to nurture them.

It was already much better compared to the beginning of the school year, at least they no longer cried for their mothers or to go home at nap time.

No more crybabies!

She maintained a calm smile and gently said, "It’s still nap time, you should continue sleeping."

Hearing this, the children were all stunned at once.

They glanced at each other.

And looked back, their faces showing confusion and disappointment.

Yuanyuan blinked her big eyes and asked, "Teacher, didn’t you say we were going out to play?"

Miss Yang shook her head with a smile, gently saying, "Teacher was just teasing you! Just wanted to see how many of you were still not truly asleep."

Children: "(｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡),⁞⁞⁞⁞꒰´╥д╥`ू꒱⁞⁞⁞⁞"

Aww...

We got tricked!

Teacher, you’re lying, be careful your nose doesn’t grow long.

The children pouted their little mouths, showing expressions of "feeling wronged, but not crying."

One must say, the longest tricks the children walked through were indeed the teachers’ tricks...

Seeing them about to cry, Miss Yang quickly comforted them, saying, "Alright, alright, children quickly go back to sleep, when you wake up, you can have your afternoon snack."

Smiling, Miss Yang reassured, "Teacher knows now, as long as you close your eyes and sleep obediently, teacher will give you extra snacks later."

Hearing such a promise, the children all lay back down and obediently closed their eyes.

To help them drift off to dreamland faster, Miss Yang began to tell them the story of "Little Squirrel Buys Dreams": "One day, the little squirrel was alone on a pine tree, looking around busily collecting pine cones. A little red bird flew by, and happily told the little squirrel: Little squirrel, guess what? I had a dream last night, dreaming of playing with a beautiful big butterfly..."

As they listened...

Many children were enchanted by the story and drifted off to a sweet dreamland.

"What a group of sweet little angels!"

Xie Jianing quietly praised from the side, carefully covering those who had fallen asleep with their blankets.

Turning around, she noticed Yuanyuan surreptitiously peeking with one eye open, observing in secret...

With no other choice, she had to provide a one-on-one sleep coaxing service to Yuanyuan.

The little one was indeed hard to coax; only after quite some time did she finally fall asleep, giving the two teachers a chance to quietly discuss the afternoon activities.

"For the clay activities this afternoon, I think we can make a slight adjustment to the theme," Miss Yang suggested with a smile.

Initially, Xie Jianing was a bit puzzled, but when she followed Miss Yang’s gaze to the beds of Qingqing and Weiwei, she instantly understood Miss Yang’s intention.

After all, the theme for the afternoon clay activity was to model "My Mom," but for children like Qingqing and Weiwei from single-parent families, such a theme was indeed somewhat unsuitable.

Xie Jianing nodded in agreement, "Miss Yang, your suggestion is great. I think we can change it to model ’Family.’ This way, we can avoid leaving children from single-parent families at a loss and still let them express their love for family."

Indeed, the younger minds are sharper, quickly thinking of a solution.

Miss Yang looked at Xie Jianing, smiling, "Miss Xie, you’re so considerate, such a modification is really thoughtful."

"In terms of being considerate, I really can’t compare to you, Miss Yang. It was you who first noticed the issue, if not for your reminder, I wouldn’t have thought of it," Xie Jianing humbly responded.

"Alright, alright, let’s stop complimenting each other. Now, let’s focus on the afternoon activities." Yang Yuxi waved her hand.

"Hmm!"

Xie Jianing nodded in agreement, then couldn’t help but say, "I wonder what the afternoon snack will be? I’m sure it’ll be delicious!"

Yang Yuxi: "..."

You just finished lunch not long ago, how come you’re already thinking about afternoon snacks?

Speaking of which.

Does being a foodie make you easily hungry?

Obviously not.

Xie Jianing is just being greedy!

...

The kitchen was filled with a faint aroma of ingredients.

Huang Jun dozed for a bit on the small bed in the break room and felt his energy restored.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes, slowly got up, stretched lazily, and relaxed his body.

Then he walked out of the break room into the busy yet orderly kitchen.

As soon as he reached the center of the kitchen...

Aunt Li noticed him and greeted him with a smile, "Chef Huang, you’re awake. Why don’t you sleep a bit longer? We’re here to help manage things, don’t worry."

Aunt Lin chimed in with a smile, "Yes, Chef Huang, it’s still early. You should rest a bit more. We’ve already washed the ingredients needed for the afternoon snack, and Assistant Qian is currently busy preparing the preliminary cooking tasks..."

Huang Jun replied with a smile, "No worries, thank you both for your concern. I’ve rested well, and you’ve worked hard. I’ll take care of the next steps."

As he spoke, he put on his chef’s hat and mask, carefully washed his hands, and proceeded into the preparation area.

"Chef Huang, you’re here!"

Qian Guoxiang saw him coming in and cheerfully reported on the work progress, "Chef Huang, you’re here. I’ve already cut the papaya into pieces, the wood ear fungus has been soaked, and Aunt Li and the others have washed the red dates..."

Huang Jun scanned the working table, noticing the papaya had been cut into uniformly-sized pieces by Qian Guoxiang.

He nodded in approval, "Not bad, very good, thanks for your hard work, Assistant Chef Qian."

Qian Guoxiang humbly responded, "You’re too kind, Chef Huang, it’s my duty."

Huang Jun picked up the silver ear fungus in the nearby bowl, observing that it had soaked to the right consistency, becoming soft and translucent like blooming flowers.

They looked quite beautiful!

He turned to Qian Guoxiang and instructed, "Assistant Chef Qian, the silver ear has soaked perfectly. Please tear them into small pieces and wash them again."

"Hey, got it!"

Qian Guoxiang immediately responded and called Aunt Li and Aunt Lin to join in processing the silver ear fungus.

Once they finished processing everything, Huang Jun started preparing the afternoon snack—papaya and silver ear fungus stew with milk.

He poured clean water into the pot.

Then he added the torn, snowy white silver ear fungus into the pot filled with water.

He picked up a spoon, gently stirring the silver ear fungus in the pot to ensure they’re evenly distributed, preventing clumping.

With his gentle stirring, the silver ear fungus swayed gracefully in the water.

Next, he lit the stove, adjusting it to medium heat.

During the simmering process, small bubbles occasionally emerged from the bottom of the pot, gently popping with a faint "gulping" sound as the silver ear fungus danced to the rhythm of the simmer, gradually releasing rich gel, making the soup thick and smooth.

As time passed...

When the silver ear fungus was cooking until rich in gel, he swiftly picked up the ladle to skim off all the surface foam.

Then, he sequentially added the papaya chunks, red date strips, yellow rock sugar, and goji berries, adjusting the heat to low and continued to simmer for ten more minutes.

Once finished, Huang Jun turned off the heat.

He first served some papaya and silver ear fungus stew into specially designed plates for those kids who are allergic to milk.

Then, he poured the remaining stew back into the pot and slowly added simmered milk.

Instantly, the rich aroma of milk mingled with the refreshing scent of fruit, filling the entire kitchen.

A pot of papaya and silver ear fungus stew with milk, excellent in appearance, aroma, and taste, was ready.

As for the flavor...

It’s definitely good.

Don’t ask why so certain.

Just look at the blissful expressions of Aunt Li and the others as they eat, and you’ll know the taste is great.

Huang Jun couldn’t help but scoop a small bowl of the stew for himself, tasting it carefully.

Once in his mouth...

The silky milk and papaya flesh intertwined in his mouth, instantly filling his entire mouth.

The silver ear fungus became soft and elastic during the simmer, like quivering crystal clear jelly pieces, delicately bouncing on the tongue, releasing strands of refreshing fragrance.

Meanwhile, the fibrous papaya flesh added a touch of fresh natural texture to the dessert.

The sweet aroma of red dates and goji berries gradually released during the simmer, perfectly blending with the sweetness of the silver ear fungus and papaya, enriching the flavor layers while harmoniously unified.

The overall sweetness was just right, neither overly sweet nor bland, perfectly balancing the flavors of all ingredients.

Nice!

Very nice!