Gourmet Kindergarten

"Grandma, wait for me—"

"Clang!"

The iron gate slammed shut mercilessly.

Hao Hao slammed to the door, watching helplessly as his grandmother drove away.

He froze for a second, then tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and burst into a pig-like scream:

"Grandma—! I want to go home! Aaaaaaah! I don't want to be here! Waaaaaah—Mommy, save me! Waaaaaah!"

The cry was shrill and broken, filled with despair.

A few sparrows that were dozing on the branches outside the door were so frightened that they flapped their wings and fled in panic.

The cubs in the group were all dumbfounded.

The atmosphere had been built up to this point, and everyone pouted and their eyes reddened, ready to burst into tears.

When I looked down, I saw that Hao Hao's snot bubbles were almost blown into balloons...

The cubs silently held back their tears:

Forget it, it's too embarrassing, I won't cry anymore.

The corner of the wall outside the door.

Li Shufen hunched her shoulders, listening to her grandson's heart-wrenching cries, her heart aching so much that she kept clutching the hem of her clothes.

but.

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub!

For the sake of the food in the garden... no, for the sake of her grandson's preschool education, she had no choice but to harden her heart.

Inside the door.

Pei Qian wanted to go over and comfort him, but his solid early childhood education knowledge instantly calmed him down—never immediately try to comfort a crying child. The more you try to comfort them, the more agitated they become. Let him be for a while, and once his emotions subside naturally, he'll be fine.

Therefore, he chose to remain inactive.

"Don't go over there."

He raised his hand and blocked Aunt Zhao, Grandpa Li, and Grandma Zhang, who were about to charge forward, stopping them in their tracks.

"Principal, this child's face is all red from crying—"

"Yeah! How about I hold him and try to soothe him?"

Pei Qian insisted, "Don't move him, let him cry."

"But--"

"You few trust me."

Aunt Zhao and Uncle Li swallowed their words back.

At this moment, Teacher Yu pressed down Jianjian, who was trying to move forward, and said, "Uncle Li, Aunt Zhao, the principal is right. When a child has an emotional outburst, the excessive attention from those around him is a reinforcer. The more you try to comfort him, the more he feels that 'crying' can bring benefits, and next time he will only cry louder. In early childhood education, this is called—emotional and behavioral reinforcement."

Aunt Zhao: "Huh?"

Grandpa Li: "Huh?"

Aunt Zhang: "..."

The three of them were stunned by the barrage of technical terms, but based on the simple belief that "professional matters should be handled by professionals," they stubbornly withdrew their hands.

Teacher Yu turned her head, glanced at Pei Qian, and her admiration deepened.

A few minutes later…

Hao Hao's crying finally escalated from an "air raid siren" to a "radio that's about to run out of power."

"Waaah...humph...Grandma...humph..."

He opened his swollen, red eyes and glanced around through his teary vision.

Strangely enough, there were adults and children standing around, but not a single one of them went up to comfort him!

Even his uncle Jianjian, who spoils him the most, is watching the show while chewing his nails!

It's pointless.

But not crying at all... that would be too embarrassing, wouldn't it?

The little guy has a sense of shame too!

He leaned his head against the iron fence, fiddling with the pattern on the baby bottle, weakly trying to justify himself: "Hmph...hmph...Grandma...hmph..."

The time has come.

Pei Qian still didn't step forward, a slight thought stirring in his mind.

[System Inventory - Enabled.]

A semi-transparent panel, visible only to him, appeared in his field of vision.

Inventory: Lollipops x50, Children's Chef's Uniform x20.

His gaze locked onto the lollipop icon, and a thought flashed through his mind—

Take ten roots.

The next second, ten candies appeared silently in his large pocket.

Teacher Yu glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and was slightly taken aback:

The principal's pockets didn't seem this bulging just now... did they?

Before she could figure it out, Pei Qian had already pulled out a handful of lollipops and was handing them out to the children around him.

The candy wrapper is transparent, and when the morning light shines on it, it refracts tiny spots of light.

Inside are colorful lollipops, which are sure to make children's hearts flutter just by looking at them.

The children's eyes lit up as soon as they received it, and they started chattering excitedly.

"My face has a little pig's face on it!"

"Mine has a bunny face! So cute!"

"Woof woof woof, mine's a puppy!"

"It looks so good, and it tastes delicious too!"

"..."

Only Hao Hao was empty-handed.

He stood by the iron gate, watching the children laugh and play, even his best uncle Jianjian was busy chewing candy and didn't think of him at all.

He wanted to eat it too.

But he didn't...

Her little mouth twitched, and then, plop, plop, another golden bean fell down.

This time, I'm truly wronged.

Only then did Pei Qian ask, "Haohao, do you want some candy too?"

Hao Hao held the milk bottle, head down, silent.

Pei Qian bent down: "It's especially sweet."

Hao Hao still didn't speak, but his little head tilted uncontrollably to the side.

Pei Qian held a lollipop in front of him and waved it: "Here, have some, okay?"

The little hand reached out reflexively.

Pei Qian withdrew his hand, not giving it to him.

Hao Hao raised his red eyes and glared at him with a pitiful expression.

Pei Qian smiled, his voice calm and unhurried, carrying an inexplicable composure: "I can give it to you, but you have to agree to two conditions from the headmaster."

For some reason, Hao Hao's guard was lowered considerably by the sound, and he asked in his childish voice, "What... a piece?"

Pei Qian held up one finger: "First, you're not allowed to cry."

Hao Hao sniffed: "I...I'm not crying anymore~"

Pei Qian raised the second stick: "Secondly, study hard."

"No! I want to go home!" Hao Hao honestly faced his own heart.

Why?

"Not fun! No cars..."

"There are cars in the classroom. Go in and check with your uncle. If you see one, do you want to come to school?"

"Then... can you give me some candy?"

Pei Qian nodded.

"That's fine!"

"Okay, if you have a car, come tomorrow too."

"Mmm~"

"Then you'll keep your word?"

"You promised!"

"Pinky promise."

Pei Qian squatted down and extended his little finger.

Hao Hao stretched out his chubby little hand and hooked it with his, reciting the nursery rhyme in his childish voice: "Pinky promise...hanging on, for a hundred years...never changing, whoever changes is a little puppy!"

Pei Qian then tore open the candy wrapper and handed it over.

Hao Hao threw down the bottle, reached out and took it, opened his little mouth and bit down on it with a "woof".

His eyes lit up instantly.

It's smooth and sweet, better than any candy he's ever eaten!

He couldn't help but chew noisily, his eyes curving into crescents, completely forgetting about his earlier "desperate attempt to go home."

Taking advantage of the break, Pei Qian turned around and briefly exchanged a few words with Teacher Yu about Montessori's educational philosophy...

……

The corner of the wall outside the door.

Li Shufen saw this "psychological warfare" very clearly.

Her anxiety subsided, and her attitude towards Pei Qian changed from worry to admiration.

This young kindergarten director is not only a great cook, but also has a knack for coaxing children!

With him here, I can go home and cook with peace of mind, and then come over at noon... Hmm, let's take a look!

She left, filled with wonderful dreams.