Gourmet Kindergarten

It looked like the two elders were about to start a full-blown fight over a piece of crispy pork tenderloin.

"Alright."

Pei Qian sighed and facepalmed, then said calmly, "If you keep making noise, I'll take the dishes away."

Four words are more effective than any threat.

Grandpa Li and Aunt Zhao immediately fell silent, burying their heads in their food, behaving as obediently as two students who had been called upon.

The only sounds in the kitchen were the clinking of chopsticks against bowls and the occasional chewing.

Teacher Yu picked up a piece of pan-fried tofu. The outer skin was crispy, and the inside was so tender that it melted in your mouth. The aroma of soybeans mixed with the aroma of scallions. It was simple to the extreme, and delicious to the extreme.

I also tried a bite of stir-fried cabbage.

Crisp, sweet, with a garlicky aroma, and without any other flavors.

It's just a very ordinary home-cooked dish, but it's been made to a five-star standard.

This skill is simply divinely bestowed upon me...

But—

The contrast between the young principal's behavior before and after is indeed quite significant.

So, why did he keep his skills hidden and pretend to be a newbie?

Hiding one's merits and fame?

Teacher Yu secretly glanced at Pei Qian's calm and composed profile out of the corner of her eye.

Forget it, she couldn't figure it out, and she wasn't going to think about it anymore.

When faced with absolute culinary skill, overthinking is disrespectful to the food.

Keep eating!

"Headmaster, all the dishes you make are so delicious! I can't get enough of them!"

Tangtang's sweet words, as sweet as honey, made Pei Qian's heart flutter with joy.

"Really? If it's delicious, eat more."

As he spoke, he picked up a few pieces of crispy pork tenderloin and put them into her bowl.

"Thank you, Headmaster!"

The little one was so happy her tail was practically wagging in the air—if she had a tail.

Teacher Yu saw it all and felt as if an arrow had pierced her heart.

Before, whether at home or in kindergarten, eating was a real ordeal for Tangtang.

Picky eater, dawdles, chews each bite of food until it's coated in grease, and even when you chase after them with a spoon to feed them, they can't eat more than half a bowl.

So, what happened with lunch today and this meal?

No need to rush or coax, the bottom of the bowl is scraped cleaner than a face!

This contrast is too painful for a mother to bear!

But despite her感慨 (feelings of deep emotion), what she caught in the corner of her eye instantly brought her back to her senses—

Grandpa Li's chopsticks were frantically devouring the plate of crispy pork tenderloin and cumin pork tenderloin at lightning speed; Aunt Zhao was not to be outdone, the two pairs of chopsticks were secretly vying for control of the plate, and the amount of meat was visibly decreasing.

Teacher Yu gasped, as if facing a formidable enemy, and immediately lowered her head to frantically shovel rice into her mouth.

If we dawdle any longer, there might not even be any left over from the leftovers.

……

A gust of wind swept away the remaining clouds.

Grandpa Li even forgot to open the precious bottle of liquor he had brought.

Tangtang was the first to give up.

With her round belly bulging, she slumped back in her chair, completely lacking any decorum, watching the adults eat with longing eyes, her gaze filled with the tragic sentiment of "I want to continue, but my stomach won't allow it."

Teacher Yu was the second to put down his chopsticks, and Aunt Zhao also leaned to the side, patting her stomach and sighing repeatedly.

Only Grandpa Li—

In this silent battle for food, he emerged victorious.

The old man's mouth was practically stretched to the back of his head as he swept up the remaining mess on the table, not even leaving the scallions at the bottom of the plate.

"Hahaha—that feels so good!"

"This old man hasn't had such a satisfying meal in ages!"

Grandpa Li slumped back in his chair, rubbed his belly, and slapped the table with a flushed face:

"Young director, from now on, this old man will follow you! I don't even need a salary, just provide meals!"

Pei Qian: "..."

Teacher Yu: "..."

Aunt Zhao: "..."

Good heavens, this old man Li ate a meal and didn't even need his salary!

but…

The young headmaster's skills are truly commendable!

Aunt Zhao smiled and said, "Young director, I'll follow you from now on. You don't have to pay me a salary, as long as you provide meals."

Pei Qian: "..."

Indeed, where there is a sleeping dragon, there will surely be a phoenix chick.

"Uncle Li, have you eaten yet? There's some crispy pork tenderloin left on the stove, would you like me to bring it over?"

Grandpa Li, feeling powerless, wiped his mouth helplessly and said, "I'm full, I can't eat anymore!"

The fact that someone can say this means they've truly reached their limit.

Pei Qian then looked at Aunt Zhao and Teacher Yu and her daughter: "Where are the three of you?"

"Little director, I'm full too."

"Headmaster, I'm full!" Tangtang patted her round little belly and obediently raised her hand.

"OK."

Pei Qian nodded, his expression suddenly becoming serious: "Since everyone's full, let's have a short meeting."

Teacher Yu and others: "..."

Damn!

Dead memories suddenly attacked me!

"I'm sure everyone has seen it recently."

Pei Qian leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the group:

"The current situation of our kindergarten is not optimistic."

"A large number of students are leaving, teachers are leaving, and there's a fundamental gap in student enrollment. If we don't make changes—"

He paused, then gave a specific timeframe:

"The kindergarten will have to close in three months at most."

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the dinner table, which had just calmed down, instantly turned somber.

Teacher Yu pursed her lips, and Aunt Zhao unconsciously sat up straight, even the smug smile on Grandpa Li's face disappeared completely.

Nobody thought he was exaggerating.

Because everyone knows what "three months" means—it's a pledge the junior principal made to the former principal; if things don't turn around in three months, they'll be shut down.

Nobody wants to see that outcome.

But how to change it?

Which direction should it change to?

The group looked at each other, waiting for Pei Qian to continue.

Just then—

A soft, chubby little hand suddenly shot up.

"don't want!"

Tangtang's eyes widened, her little face tense.

She doesn't quite understand other grand principles, but she understands the words "the kindergarten is closed."

The thought of not being able to eat the meals cooked by the headmaster when the kindergarten closed made the little one's eyes well up with tears: "Tangtang, don't let the kindergarten close! No, no!"

Teacher Yu's heart softened, and she quickly reached out to comfort her.

Pei Qian was also taken aback for a moment. Looking at those red, swollen eyes that were holding back tears, his originally serious expression relaxed slightly, and his voice softened a bit:

So that's why.

It was as if he were making a promise to that earnest little girl:

"That's precisely why change is needed, isn't it?"

Grandpa Li watched for a long time, and seeing that Pei Qian looked confident from beginning to end, his eyes lit up:

"Little principal, do you already have a solution?"

"Um."

"Then tell us quickly!"

Pei Qian cleared his throat, his expression turning serious:

"After several days of in-depth market research, I've restructured my industry strategy and am preparing to take a different approach, precisely targeting industry pain points to create a differentiated competitive advantage..."

Tangtang: "???"

Can't understand!

But that didn't stop her from being a good straight man, nodding her little head like she was pounding garlic.

Grandpa Li and his two companions: "..."

What kind of advanced training course did the kindergarten director go to?

Why are you speaking words I can't understand?

But then again... it sounds pretty professional!

But—

"Young principal, speak like a normal person." Aunt Zhao couldn't take it anymore. "Your flowery language is giving me a headache."

Grandpa Li echoed solemnly, "Yes, stop beating around the bush and get to the point! If you're really having trouble, we can all work together to find a solution."

As he spoke, the old man waved his hand:

"Just because of these two meals you had today, I'll give you a heads-up—I can't help with anything else, but if you need money, just ask! A hundred or two hundred thousand is nothing to me."

Teacher Yu, who was standing next to him, immediately cracked his expression.

no…

Grandpa Li, who was usually so stingy at kindergarten and wouldn't even part with a bottle of good wine, is actually so rich?!

For a moment, she suddenly felt quite sad: after studying hard for more than ten years, she was actually worse off than a doorman!

Meanwhile, Pei Qian, who was still trying hard to maintain his "unfathomable" persona, almost broke down on the spot.

Good guy.

His shabby kindergarten is truly a place where hidden talents abound!

First there was Aunt Zhao, who wouldn't even blink an eye when she pulled out a million, then there was Grandpa Li, who treated a few hundred thousand as a drop of water...

So, he's the poorest person in the whole kindergarten, right?!

Has poverty become so oppressive now?!

You're all rushing to line up and give him money, aren't you!