Gourmet Kindergarten

As soon as the onboarding procedures were completed, Pei Qian led Shen Man and Lin Xi toward the classroom.

"Teacher Shen!" Pei Qian said casually, hands in his pockets. "Currently, the entire kindergarten only has one class with fourteen children, aged three to six, mixed-age grouped. Don't underestimate this mixed-age grouping; it's the most advanced Montessori education..."

Shen Man paused in her steps.

Mixed age groups?

A three-year-old and a six-year-old crammed into one room?

Although she didn't make a name for herself in early childhood education, she at least knew a thing or two about it—small, medium, and large classes, each managing their own affairs and keeping to themselves.

Putting children who are three or four years apart together will only make things more complicated. The older one will find them childish, and the younger one will be unable to keep up.

She immediately understood: This wasn't some advanced educational philosophy at all; it was simply that there were too few students to separate them into classes.

This also helped me understand why Lin Xi insisted on becoming a life skills teacher.

If it were her, she wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her child here "like a wild monkey."

"What?" Pei Qian glanced at her sideways. "You think it's unreliable?"

"No." Shen Man came back to her senses and gave an awkward smile. "It's just... quite special."

"The best part is yet to come," Pei Qian said with a smirk. "Our kindergarten also offers life skills classes, teaching children how to cook. The last period this afternoon is all hands-on practice."

"what?"

Shen Man's face clearly said, "I might have wandered onto the wrong set."

Teaching cooking?

Children aged three to six?

A scene flashed through her mind: a group of tiny children, barely tall enough to reach the stove, dragging ladles longer than their arms, tiptoeing to reach the hot oil, sparks flying everywhere...

This isn't a life skills lesson, it's an accident scene!

"Director Pei," Shen Man tried to make her voice sound less questioning, "are you really sure there are no safety concerns about children aged three to six using knives and fire?"

"There are teachers supervising," Pei Qian said without turning his head. "It's a full set of child-safe kitchen utensils, and we're not starting with flipping the wok right away. We'll start with the simplest things and gradually increase the difficulty. Don't worry, I'm not making them cook squirrel-shaped mandarin fish on their first day."

Shen Man looked to Lin Xi for help, trying to find some signs of alliance on her mother's face—your own son is in there too, shouldn't you be a little panicked?

Lin Xi didn't even frown, but instead chimed in, "The young director is very reliable; she must have considered everything thoroughly."

Shen Man: "..."

Good grief, so she's the only one making a fuss here.

The words "I don't think it's appropriate" rolled twice in her throat before she swallowed them back down.

Forget it, come here.

Back when I was starting my business, there were way more outrageous things than this. You just get used to it.

Just then, the corridor came to an end.

Pei Qian stopped at the classroom door and peeked inside: "Teacher Yu, come out for a moment."

Teacher Yu jogged out.

"Shen Man, the new kindergarten teacher; Lin Xi, Zhuangzhuang's mother, the new life skills teacher, you know them. I'm leaving them to you, I have other things to do."

After giving a brief explanation, Pei Qian turned and left.

Shen Man's lips twitched—this kindergarten director is acting like she's in a rush to be reincarnated.

Teacher Yu led the two into the house.

Shen Man's first reaction: small.

It was much smaller than the classrooms she used to attend for early childhood education.

But the next second, the image on the mat caught her attention.

A six-year-old girl was teaching a four-year-old to build with blocks, her tone and demeanor exactly like a miniature version of a homeroom teacher; next to her was an older child, stuttering as he read a picture book, the little listeners below with bright eyes, not one of them lost in thought.

This mixed class... it seems pretty good?

The initial resistance she felt towards the principal's "mismanagement" subtly eased, and she even began to look forward to his "life skills class."

"Children, look here—"

Teacher Yu clapped his hands.

Upon hearing the sound, the older children quickly sat up straight, and the younger ones followed suit, shutting their mouths as well, and a dozen pairs of eyes turned to look at them.

"We have two new teachers joining our class today, and they'll be teaching with you from now on. This is Ms. Shen."

Shen Man smiled sweetly and bowed slightly: "Hello, children."

"Hello, Teacher Shen!"

"This is Teacher Lin."

Lin Xi took a step forward, but before she could open her mouth, a small head suddenly popped up from the corner of the mat.

Zhuangzhuang's eyes widened, and the building blocks in his hands fell to the ground with a "thud": "Mom?! What are you doing here?"

Lin Xi squatted down and looked him in the eye: "Zhuangzhuang, Mom is now our class's life teacher."

Zhuangzhuang blinked, still not quite understanding.

Lin Xi extended a finger and gently tapped the tip of his nose: "But—from now on in kindergarten, you have to follow the rules. You can't call me 'Mom,' you have to call me by my title, 'Teacher Lin,' understand?"

"what?"

Zhuangzhuang's little face instantly scrunched up like a steamed bun.

"If you call for your mom, all the other kids will want to call for their moms too, and the classroom will be in chaos!"

Zhuangzhuang tilted his head and thought for a moment, then looked at the dozen or so pairs of eyes staring at him, and nodded as if he understood.

"Then...Teacher Lin?"

"That's great."

Lin Xi smiled and stroked his little head gently.

Seeing this scene, Shen Man, who was standing nearby, suddenly felt a little more at ease.

……

The kitchen of a kindergarten.

The clock hands quietly slipped past nine o'clock.

Pei Qian just finished purchasing the ingredients needed for lunch.

Today, Aunt Li, who was in charge of odd jobs, was quick and efficient. By the time she finished washing the vegetables, it was exactly 9:30.

Pei Qian tied on his apron and walked straight to the counter.

Let's start with the main dish for lunch today – braised pork belly!

The knife fell.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

The cleaver clashed violently with the cutting board, the sound as dense as a sudden downpour.

A piece of pork belly was disintegrated in the blink of an eye.

The pieces are perfectly balanced between lean and fatty, uniformly sized, and each piece is exactly two centimeters long.

How fast?

The blade flashed, and even the afterimage couldn't keep up!

"Smack."

The kitchen knife was safely returned to its place.

Aunt Li, who had just caught her breath, was completely stunned.

His mouth was agape in an exaggerated "O" shape, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

"This...this knife skill is even more amazing than those master chefs on TV!"

Although I knew the young headmaster was exceptionally skilled, I still underestimated him when I actually saw it.

Before the older woman could react, Pei Qian's actions were already seamless.

Blanch in boiling water, remove and drain.

All in one go.

Next, caramelize the sugar.

Add rock sugar to hot oil and simmer over low heat.

Pei Qian held long chopsticks and slowly fiddled with them.

This is the part that requires the most precise control of the heat.

If it's a second too late, it will taste bitter; if it's a second too long, it will burn.

But Pei Qian's gaze at the pot was more precise than a stopwatch.

The sugar solution undergoes a visible transformation: from white to yellow, and then from yellow to amber.

As the fine, dense bubbles rise to the surface as if boiling—

The time has come!

Pour the meat chunks into the pot!

"Sizzle—!"

A very pleasant explosion.

Each piece of pork belly is instantly and evenly coated with amber-colored sugar syrup, giving it an enticing reddish-brown sheen.

Immediately afterwards, the sweet aroma of caramel mixed with the explosive fat aroma of lard exploded!

Aunt Li took a deep sniff and secretly glanced into the pot.

With that bright, translucent color, she can confidently guarantee that it will be absolutely delicious once it's cooked!

Hehe... I'm in for a treat today, following the little kindergarten director!

While Aunt Li was secretly pleased with herself, Pei Qian's hands didn't stop.

Cooking wine removes fishy smell, light soy sauce enhances flavor, and dark soy sauce adds color.

I tossed in some scallions, ginger, and star anise, then poured in boiling water to cover the meat noodles.

Turn the fire up to high, then reduce to low and cover.

Now, let time tell.

Slowly simmer this incredibly rich flavor.