novelraw Chapter 318 - 296: Completely Unworthy of Qingqing’s Dad’s Exquisite Carving Skills
Chapter 318 - 296: Completely Unworthy of Qingqing’s Dad’s Exquisite Carving Skills
As each "plot" in the botanical garden was sown with seeds of hope, the children’s foreheads were already adorned with glistening beads of sweat, yet there was no sign of fatigue on their faces.
On the contrary.
Their little faces were brimming with satisfied and proud smiles, even filled with anticipation, hoping that these seeds would sprout quickly, ideally breaking through the soil in the very next second, growing magically like beanstalks, eventually becoming towering plants that pierce the clouds...
Is that so?
Do you even wish to climb up to a castle above the clouds and have an unexpected encounter with a giant?
I must say, this pure longing and vivid imagination brought knowing smiles to every teacher present, while also making them secretly wonder if these little ones had read the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" too many times, eagerly wishing the seeds would quickly grow into sky-reaching plants.
Perhaps!
Afterward.
The teachers of each class quickly organized the children into orderly lines, then led them out of the botanical garden and back into the classroom.
In class (3) kindergarten.
After Yang Yuxi led the children to wash their little hands, she gently called out, "Children, come drink some water!"
No sooner had the words left her mouth.
The classroom was immediately filled with the sound of small footsteps.
The children eagerly rushed to the water dispenser, queuing in order in front of the cupboard storing the cups.
Each child skillfully picked up their cup with their own photo on it, carefully scooping up some water.
And then they drank it down in big gulps.
Clearly.
They were really thirsty!
Even Qingqing and Weiwei, who usually weren’t keen on drinking water, eagerly gulped it down after getting their cups.
Weiwei drank a lot in one go, wiping the water stains from her mouth, "Wow, this water is so sweet!"
Qingqing smiled with eyes curved like crescent moons and nodded, "Yes, I feel like I’ve turned into a little fish, swimming around in the water, it’s so comfortable~"
Hearing this, Weiwei’s eyes lit up like light bulbs, finding the metaphor very amusing.
She laughed and said, "I’m a little fish too, little fish need to drink a lot of water to swim farther!"
Saying this.
She gulped down the remaining water and then blinked her big eyes, "I’m still thirsty, I want more water."
"I want more too!" Qingqing nodded lightly.
And so...
The two little ones, holding hands, ran to get more water.
Seeing this.
Yang Yuxi couldn’t help but laugh, praising them, "Qingqing and Weiwei are getting better at drinking water, well done!"
This unexpected praise surprised Qingqing and Weiwei a bit.
They never thought that such a small thing as drinking water could earn a teacher’s compliment~
But, they were quite happy about it!
They smiled with their eyes curved into crescents, dimples lightly appearing, "Hee hee, because we were really thirsty..."
"Yes, the teacher knows..."
Yang Yuxi nodded with a smile, but she didn’t pour them too much water, explaining, "We’ll be having snacks soon, don’t drink too much, save some room for the delicious fruits~"
As she was speaking.
Wang Wenxia walked into the classroom with a large plate of colorful fruits.
Yang Yuxi saw this and immediately clapped her hands to get the children’s attention, "Children, hurry up now, it’s snack time, everyone sit down in your seats~"
After these words...
The children immediately perked up.
Yuanyuan licked his lips unconsciously, and his face was filled with the desire to eat, "Teacher, teacher, what are today’s snacks? I really want to eat, my stomach is growling..."
Weiwei twitched her little nose like a detective sniffing the air, "I can smell it, it’s the smell of fruits! Hmm, it especially smells like cantaloupe~"
Yang Yuxi smiled and nodded, "Correct, Weiwei’s nose is sharp! Today’s snack is fruit—cantaloupe."
Upon hearing this.
The children didn’t pout like they did at the beginning of the school year over just having fruit snacks, instead, their eyes shone brightly and their excitement levels soared!
The reason for this...
Is naturally because Huang Jun could always turn fruits into all sorts of charming little animals, bringing them constant surprises and doubling the deliciousness!
It seems, even children appreciate appearances!
Although earlier Huang Jun was busy turning soil for planting, which slightly delayed the snack preparation, causing the cantaloupe not to be carved into complex animal shapes as usual, instead forming simple flower shapes.
Yet this had no impact on the children’s enthusiasm, they still loved these flower-shaped cantaloupes deeply.
See.
They ate with such enjoyment, completely immersed in the deliciousness of cantaloupe, even forgetting to compare today’s cantaloupe sweetness to before.
Actually, for the children, how the cantaloupe tastes doesn’t really matter, what matters is what Huang Jun carved from the fruits for them.
Seeing the kids were eating, Yang Yuxi and the other teachers couldn’t resist picking up the golden-colored, delicately flower-shaped cantaloupes to savor.
The flesh had a delicate texture like silk, with almost no detectable fibers.
With every bite, the cantaloupe flesh gently broke against their teeth, instantly releasing a rich juice, the sweet taste carrying a hint of coolness, which washed away all the heat and fatigue.
The sweetness was decent, with a hint of subtle tartness.
Sweet with a hint of sour, sour with a touch of sweet, letting one savor the intertwining flavors in every bite.
Xie Jianing took a bite of the cantaloupe and slightly furrowed her brows: "The taste of this cantaloupe is okay, but it doesn’t seem as sweet as the last one."
"Indeed, I feel the same way." Yang Yuxi tasted a bite, nodding in agreement, then jokingly remarked, "It seems our Manager Liu’s procurement skills need some improvement. This cantaloupe’s sweetness isn’t worthy of Qingqing’s father’s exquisite carving skills!"
In the office, Liu Suyu suddenly sneezed. She rubbed her nose, wondering to herself, "Why do I suddenly feel a bit chilly? Is someone badmouthing me behind my back?"
She would never have guessed that her procurement skills had unwittingly become the topic of Yang Yuxi’s conversation.
If she knew, she would definitely rush over with that 40 cm big knife, ready to have a "discussion" with Yang Yuxi.
...
In the kitchen.
Thanks to the kids, Huang Jun and the kitchen staff could also enjoy the fresh fruits from the garden.
The sweet taste of the cantaloupe blossomed on their tongues, giving them a burst of energy.
But for the seasoned kitchen staff like Qian Guoxiang, Aunt Li, and Aunt Lin...
As delicious as the cantaloupe was, it couldn’t quite compare to the allure of the desserts hand-made by Huang Jun.
Unfortunately...
This morning, the only dessert was fruit.
They had no choice but to look forward to the upcoming lunch to soothe their eager appetites.
After finishing the fruit...
Huang Jun led Qian Guoxiang and the others to start the busy "cooking lunch" mode.
At the moment, he stood in front of the countertop, ready to make braised chicken with chestnuts.
Now was the season for a plentiful supply of chestnuts, which were fresh and tender sweet at this time.
The garden specially procured a batch of high-quality fresh chestnuts, and Huang Jun was going to use these fresh chestnuts for the dish.
"Chef Huang, I’ve already cut the local chicken into pieces as you requested." Qian Guoxiang reported his progress to Huang Jun.
"Great, next, put these chicken pieces into a bowl, add an appropriate amount of table salt, then a little baking soda, then add water, gently rub and wash for two minutes, and rinse with fresh water to squeeze dry." Huang Jun continued with instructions.
Using salt to rub and wash removes the blood from the chicken.
Adding baking soda while washing helps keep the chicken tender and avoid a tough texture when fried.
Of course.
If there’s no baking soda, edible alkali can be used as a substitute, achieving the same effect.
"Got it!"
Qian Guoxiang quickly responded and gathered Aunt Li and others to help.
Huang Jun remained busy, proceeding to the stove, and igniting it, causing flames to flicker.
He held the pan handle, rotating his wrist flexibly, heating the pan evenly to a warm temperature.
Once the pan reached the desired heat, he swiftly poured in a small amount of cooking oil, then gently moved a spoon in the pan to spread the oil evenly.
When the oil surface began to show slight ripples, he added the prepped chestnuts to the pan.
At this point, he reduced to low heat, gently stirring the chestnuts with a spatula for even heating in the oil.
This step aims to fry the chestnuts to add fragrance, enhancing the dish’s freshness.
It is crucial, however, to maintain low heat to avoid scorching the chestnuts, which would affect the taste.
After a minute...
The fried chestnuts were quickly removed and set aside for later use.
Next, he added an appropriate amount of rock sugar into the pan, continuing to stir it over low heat.
As the sugar melted, he gently stirred until it turned a jujube red without bubbling, then he swiftly added water.
This step intended to make a subtly sweet sugar syrup to add enticing color and rich taste to the upcoming dish.
He continued simmering on low heat, allowing the sugar syrup to blend sufficiently with the water.
After one minute of careful cooking, the syrup was finally done, and he set it aside for later use.
Afterwards, Huang Jun once again placed the frying pan on the fire, heating it to the appropriate temperature, and then poured in some base oil.
When the oil reached six-tenths heat—about 180°C...
He slid the previously prepared chicken pieces into the pan.
The moment the chicken touched the hot oil, it sizzled enticingly.
Huang Jun didn’t rush to move it, allowing the chicken to fry till golden brown, releasing its natural aroma, then gently stirred with a spatula, continuing to fry for about one minute.
In the second half of the frying, he adjusted the fire to medium to further tighten the chicken skin for a crispier exterior.
After frying the chicken, he added the ginger and garlic chopped by Qian Guoxiang, letting these spicy seasonings sauté in the hot oil, adding a rich initial layer to the dish.
Then, he stir-fried for another minute, fully infusing the chicken with the aroma of ginger and garlic.
He added an appropriate amount of oyster sauce, the caramel syrup concocted earlier, and some light and dark soy sauce for color, enhancing the chicken’s hue and flavor.
He used a spatula to stir all the ingredients evenly, coating every piece of chicken in a uniform layer of sauce.
After that, he poured the previously fried chestnuts into the pan, stirring with the chicken until the chestnuts too were evenly coated in sauce.
Once mixed evenly, he added an appropriate amount of water to the pan, covered it, and simmered the chicken and chestnuts on low fire for 20 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld thoroughly.
Time was up, and as Huang Jun lifted the lid, steam and fragrance filled the entire kitchen instantly.
He sprinkled an appropriate amount of salt and pepper into the pan for final seasoning, again using the spatula to distribute the seasoning evenly over the contents.
After one minute of quick simmering, allowing the flavors to further penetrate the chicken and chestnuts, Huang Jun turned off the heat, ready to dish out and plate up...