Gourmet Kindergarten

"Well?"

Grandpa Li felt uneasy under Pei Qian and Teacher Yu's stares and subconsciously touched his face: "Why are you two looking at me like that?"

"Uncle Li, your house wouldn't... have been demolished for redevelopment too, would it?" Pei Qian stared at him, tentatively asking, then turned to Teacher Yu, "Teacher Yu, your family doesn't own a mine, does it?"

Teacher Yu: "???"

Grandpa Li: "???"

Tangtang, standing to the side, timidly raised her little hand, blinking her big eyes: "What mine? What's a mine? Can you eat it?"

Pei Qian: "..."

Teacher Yu: "..."

"You little glutton, why can't you talk about food all the time?" Teacher Yu poked her forehead in annoyance, casually explaining, "Having a mine means your family is very rich!"

Tangtang's eyes lit up instantly: "So, is our family very rich?"

"No." Teacher Yu said expressionlessly, delivering a fatal blow. "If she did, would Mom still be here earning a fixed salary of five thousand yuan? She would be enjoying a life of leisure at home by now."

Tangtang's little head drooped instantly.

"Alright, alright, little director, I'm not agreeing to the demolition." Grandpa Li, realizing what was going on, cheerfully steered the conversation back on track.

"That's strange then." Pei Qian stroked his chin and looked him up and down. "Uncle Li, where do you, a soldier, get so much spare money?"

"Who told you soldiers have to be poor?" Old Li puffed out his beard and glared. "You little rascal, you don't actually think I used to be just a lowly soldier on guard duty, do you?"

Is not it?

Pei Qian remained silent, only smiling at him.

He smiled in a very friendly manner.

His smile is so irritating.

Grandpa Li: "..."

Well, they really thought he was just a foot soldier.

"Alright, Uncle Li, I appreciate your kind offer." Pei Qian knew when to stop, "However, the garden still has some working capital in its accounts, so you really don't need to spend any more money for now."

"Really not necessary?" Grandpa Li asked, still somewhat doubtful.

Aunt Zhao chimed in from the side, "Old Li, the kindergarten director has already spoken, and you still don't believe him? I wanted to give the kindergarten some money at noon, but they refused. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here acting like a big shot!"

Grandpa Li choked for a moment and shut his mouth in annoyance.

"Alright, let's put this little episode behind us."

Pei Qian instantly toned down his carefree demeanor and forcefully adopted the posture of a "serious educator".

"For the long-term development of our kindergarten, to break with tradition and create a unique teaching system, I have decided to add a new course in a couple of days."

Here it comes!

Here comes the point!

Teacher Yu subconsciously sat up straight.

"This course is called 'Life Skills Class'," Pei Qian paused, "and I will teach it myself, with Teacher Yu assisting me."

"Little principal, what exactly do you teach?"

"Cook."

Teacher Yu: "..."

Aunt Zhao: "..."

Pei Qian ignored their expressions and continued, "We can also do some animal husbandry later, raising chickens, ducks, and geese, and cultivating a vegetable garden. In short, I hope everyone can work together with me to make our kindergarten a place that truly belongs to the children..."

He frowned slightly, carefully considering a more sophisticated word.

"...a paradise on earth."

Silence is Cambridge tonight!

Teacher Yu and Aunt Zhao exchanged a silent glance, reading the same message in each other's eyes—

*Hey principal, are you serious?!*

They initially thought that Pei Qian's words to the children at noon were just something he made up on the spot to distract and coax them.

So, after all this time, this guy actually got serious?

Teaching a group of six- or seven-year-old kids to cook?

Just imagining that scene is utterly absurd.

"Young principal, are you sure?"

Aunt Zhao said with great concern, "Those little devils can't even hold chopsticks properly, how do you expect them to cook with a knife?"

Teacher Yu was also very worried: "And how can we guarantee hygiene and safety? If something happens, the parents might tear down this kindergarten."

Grandpa Li, who was standing nearby, understood and said calmly, "Young director, what they said makes sense. Kids are inherently an unstable factor, and cooking is a dangerous task. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to handle the situation if the parents make a fuss. You need to think this through carefully."

Three lords, three layers of firepower, a comprehensive blockade.

The atmosphere instantly plummeted to its lowest point.

Just then—

"Cooking is so much fun..."

Tangtang blinked her big eyes, peeked half her head out from under Teacher Yu's arms, and held up her little hand with an eager look on her face: "Headmaster, when do we start?"

Pei Qian lowered his head and met Tangtang's bright eyes, then looked up at the three adults' expressions of alarm.

I immediately felt more confident.

Adults see the risks, but he sees the children's interests.

Having people support you is enough.

"Soon!"

He patted Tangtang's head, then turned back to the three of them, his tone reassuring: "Don't worry, everyone, I've thought of all the issues you've considered."

"During my lunch break, I contacted a manufacturer that specializes in children's kitchenware. They can customize the whole set, including safety knives, low stovetops, and heat-resistant gloves..."

Teacher Yu was stunned for a moment, really not expecting him to act so quickly.

"Moreover—" Pei Qian changed the subject, "I will take full responsibility for any problems that arise."

After he said that, everyone fell silent.

I wasn't completely convinced, but rather I was taken aback by this guy's honesty.

Most people would say something like, "I'll be careful," but he skipped that and offered a fallback plan.

There's something inexplicable about it... a strange reliability amidst the unreliability.

"Alright, enough nonsense."

Pei Qian wasn't the type to drag things out; once he made a decision, he immediately gave orders.

"Teacher Yu!"

"I'm here!"

"The safety supervision of the children during class is entrusted to you. You must supervise each child's every activity at all times and cannot be distracted."

"Understood! I will do my best!"

"Also, please send a notification to the class group tomorrow to let the parents know."

"good!"

"Aunt Zhao!"

"exist!"

"The kindergarten is short-staffed. Until I recruit a new assistant teacher and a life skills teacher, I will have to trouble you to assist Teacher Yu in supervising the site and controlling the process."

"no problem!"

"Uncle Li!"

Swah——

Completely infected by the atmosphere, Grandpa Li's instincts, honed by decades of service, instantly kicked in. He reflexively stood up and roared with all his might:

"arrive!"

Pei Qian: "..."

"It's alright, please have a seat."

Grandpa Li: "???"

"Ahem!"

Seeing the hurt look on Grandpa Li's face, as if to say, "Am I not worthy of this mission?" Pei Qian quickly tried to smooth things over: "You're guarding the kindergarten gate for us, it's a huge responsibility! I order you to be vigilant at all times and nip any potential danger in the bud!"

"Understood!" Grandpa Li sat down again, looking satisfied.

"Headmaster, what about me? What about me?"

When Tangtang realized she wasn't called, she jumped up from her chair and waved her little hand frantically.

Pei Qian looked down at her, stroking his chin, and said, "You have the most difficult task."

Tangtang stopped shaking instantly, held her breath nervously, and looked extremely serious.

"You're responsible for setting a good example for the other children and learning diligently from the headmaster. If you learn well, you'll be our kindergarten's cooking class representative."

What is a class representative?

"The best one."

Tangtang's eyes instantly lit up like two little suns, and she nodded vigorously: "Yes! I'm definitely the best!"

"Absolutely!"

Pei Qian reached out and pinched her delicate nose. Seeing that everything was settled, he concluded, "Alright, that's it for today's meeting. Dismissed!"