Chapter 187 Although this matter was caused by Wen Xinglin, the fault did not lie with him. ...

An Fusheng originally wanted to keep Teacher Liang company, but Teacher Liang kept urging him to leave, saying, "If you're not going to eat with me, then go do your own thing. Do you expect me to sit with you while I eat? If you're so polite, I'll feel embarrassed to come next time."

An Fusheng could only say, "Then please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, just tell the waiter, or they can come and call me."

Although Teacher Liang didn't want An Fusheng to be too polite to him, An Fusheng's politeness warmed his heart. "Why would I call you specifically for a meal? Just go and do your thing."

An Fusheng gave a few more instructions before returning to the kitchen to get busy.

As soon as An Fusheng left, Teacher Liang eagerly picked up her chopsticks.

He first picked up a piece of fish roe coated in broth and put it in his mouth. As soon as the fish roe touched the tip of his tongue, the fresh and fragrant flavor burst forth, making his scalp tingle. This was the taste he had been longing for for many years!

"Delicious!" Teacher Liang exclaimed as she chewed slowly.

The fish roe is soft, chewy, and fragrant; with one bite, the rich aroma lingers on the palate.

We were still not satisfied.

Teacher Liang couldn't wait to pick up another fish maw.

The fish maw cracked during cooking, becoming a flat piece, but it still retained its bouncy texture. When picked up with chopsticks, it trembled gently, and the broth on the surface dripped back into the casserole along the curve, splashing up tiny water droplets, instantly making the dish seem to come alive.

Teacher Liang put the slightly trembling fish maw into her mouth, curled her tongue, and chewed it gently with her teeth. The crisp sound was accompanied by just the right amount of chewiness and the aroma of the soup, making it a unique and delicious treat.

"The soft and tender fish roe paired with the bouncy fish maw is a perfect match, one soft and one crisp, one tender and one chewy," Teacher Liang exclaimed.

Then Teacher Liang ate radish stewed with beef, pickled radish, and stir-fried cabbage shoots.

The beef is tender and juicy, with every fiber soaked in the rich broth. When you bite into it, the aroma of the meat mixed with the savory flavor of the broth spreads between your lips and teeth, creating an ultimate taste experience!

The radish absorbs the oil and umami flavor of the beef, becoming sweet, soft, and melts in your mouth. The radish, which has been frosted, has no astringency whatsoever.

There's also pickled radish. I don't know how it's made, but it's sour, crisp, and tender. When you take a bite, there's a "crunch" sound. First, you smell the aroma of the outer layer of chili peppers, then the refreshing and sweet and sour flavors. As you chew, the aroma and sweet and sour flavors mix, stimulating your saliva production and making your taste buds even more active.

Even the frost-kissed cabbage shoots are tender and sweet, a delightful surprise.

Teacher Liang was beyond words, but he proved it with his actions: a bowl of white rice and four dishes were visibly devoured.

After finishing the meal, Teacher Liang squinted her eyes, lay back in her seat with satisfaction, and smacked her lips as she savored the taste. No wonder everyone was willing to queue outside in the dead of winter; it really was delicious!

Such delicious food was made by my students! Teacher Liang felt both gratified and proud.

An Fusheng came out of the kitchen and found that Teacher Liang was already resting. He went over, sat down, and asked, "Teacher, are you full? How was the food?"

"I'm so full! I haven't eaten this much in ages. The food was delicious!" Teacher Liang praised.

An Fusheng was very happy to receive Teacher Liang's approval. "Then please come more often in the future."

Looking at the bustling restaurant, Teacher Liang said, "The restaurant is doing very well."

An Fusheng nodded, "Thanks to everyone's care, it's not bad."

Teacher Liang: "It's because your ingredients are good and your chef's cooking skills are excellent that you keep customers here. But I see that there's a queue as soon as you open the door. Is the restaurant not big enough?"

An Fusheng: "It is indeed a bit insufficient."

Teacher Liang: "It's not easy to have customers, but making them wait outside in this cold weather might cause some of them to run away."

An Fusheng said, "Actually, I have also considered opening a branch, but this store has only been open for a short time and has been going smoothly since it opened. Our management model and operational capabilities are not yet mature. If we open a branch too quickly, I am afraid that we will not be able to manage it well, which will affect the customer experience and cause us to suffer together."

Teacher Liang nodded, “This matter really can’t be rushed. It’s just like a child learning to walk. Before learning to walk, they have to learn to crawl. The longer they crawl, the better their cerebellum develops and the better their motor coordination becomes. That’s why some children walk later but walk more steadily than those who learn to walk earlier.”

An Fusheng: "So I want to improve my management capabilities and refine my management model by running this store well first. At the same time, I want to accurately grasp the needs of potential customers and continuously increase their trust in our store, so as to lay a solid foundation for opening branches in the future."

Teacher Liang nodded repeatedly, then pointed to a painting on the opposite wall and asked, "Is that your restaurant's logo? It seems like many things in your restaurant have this design printed on them, but it looks like a child's scribbles to me?"

An Fusheng smiled and said, "It was drawn by the younger brothers and sisters from the orphanage. They don't have much drawing experience, so it's just a doodle. But it's very meaningful to our restaurant."

Teacher Liang: "I was wondering why the decor was so rustic, yet paired with such whimsical paintings. I'm not an art teacher and don't have any professional appreciation skills, but I think it's pretty good, hahaha."

An Fusheng also laughed.

The two chatted about various things for a while before Teacher Liang left.

An Fusheng returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.

...

After lunch, An Fusheng and Lou Lan took Wen Xinglan and Wen Xingrui to the hospital to visit Xiao Hui.

Xiao Hui is having surgery tomorrow, and everyone is both excited and nervous.

Meng Cuie was so nervous that she couldn't sit or stand still. The arrival of An Fusheng and Lou Lan slightly relieved her anxiety.

"It will be alright." Lou Lan kept reassuring Meng Cuie, "Don't be nervous, or the child will become nervous too."

Meng Cuie: "I know, I know, I just can't help it. There's nothing else to do in this hospital, and I keep thinking about this when I'm idle."

Lou Lan laughed and said, "Then I should really bring you some yarn so you can knit scarves and gloves to pass the time. When the weather gets colder, Xiao Hui can wear them too."

Meng Cuie: "I don't know how."

Lou Lan: "It's precisely because you don't know how that you have to put in more effort. Once you've focused your attention elsewhere, you won't have the energy to think about this or that."

Meng Cuie: "That's not something you can do just by putting your heart into it. I've never been good at these kinds of handicrafts since I was a child. When I was little, the women in the village liked to embroider in the winter when they had nothing to do. I tried to learn from them for a long time but I still couldn't learn it."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The two laughed as they spoke, and the atmosphere finally relaxed.

Xiao Hui was much calmer than her mother. An Fusheng brought her sweet potato and yam cakes, and she, Wen Xinglan, and Wen Xingrui each took a piece to compare whose was tastier.

"Mmm~ Mine is so delicious!" Xiao Hui squinted her eyes, shook her head, and pretended to be intoxicated.

Wen Xinglan and Wen Xingrui followed suit, taking a big bite and then shaking their heads and shouting how delicious it was.

Hearing the adults on the other end sound nervous, Xiao Hui secretly told An Fusheng, "Brother, I'm not nervous at all."

“Really?” An Fusheng was taken aback.

Xiao Hui: "But I'm a little afraid of pain."

An Fusheng said, "It won't hurt. The doctor will give you anesthesia. You just need to take a nap and wake up."

Xiao Hui seemed incredulous: "Really?"

An Fusheng said, "Yes, didn't the doctor tell you?"

Xiao Hui said, "But sometimes the doctor doesn't keep his word."

"Why do you say that?" An Fusheng asked.

Xiao Hui said, "Yesterday, the doctor examined me and said that if it hurt, I should tell him and he would be gentler. But when I raised my hand because it hurt a little, the doctor didn't go any gentler and told me to bear with it."

An Fusheng: "I see..."

How could Teacher Shen deceive a child like that? How should we comfort her?

Fortunately, Xiaohui is more looking forward to health. "Brother, if my eyes get better, people won't laugh at me anymore, right? I can go to school now, right?"

“Of course,” An Fusheng said.

...

There was another patient in Xiao Hui's ward. An Fusheng and his group didn't want to stay too long and disturb others, so they chatted with Meng Cuie and her daughter for a while before going back.

...

The following day, Xiao Hui underwent surgery.

Lou Lan heard from Shen Yuqiu that Xiao Hui's surgery was quite complicated and would take a long time. Lou Lan was afraid that Meng Cuie would be scared by herself, so she took An Fusheng with her to the hospital to accompany her.

Just as the car pulled into the hospital parking lot, An Fusheng received a call from Wen Xinglin's homeroom teacher.

An Fusheng's first thought was that he hadn't been bringing food to Wen Xinglin's school recently.

Unexpectedly, Wen Xinglin's homeroom teacher said that Wen Xinglin had gotten into a fight.

"Fighting?" Lou Lan asked incredulously. "Our Xinglin is so honest, how could he possibly get into a fight?"

An Fusheng said, "The teacher said the situation is a bit complicated and asked the parents to come over."

Lou Lan: "Then let's go."

An Fusheng: "Why don't I go? You go up and keep Sister Cui'e company."

Lou Lan: "Did the teacher say whether Xing Lin was injured?"

An Fusheng: "I was not injured."

Lou Lan: "Okay then, go and take a look. Let me know if there are any problems."

"good."

Lou Lan couldn't take care of two children on her own, so An Fusheng took Wen Xinglan away.

An Fusheng drove his car from the hospital to the school.

"I see you all just eat your fill all day long, and have nowhere to use your energy!"

An Fusheng heard this sentence as soon as he arrived at the office door, and he became a little suspicious again: Is the teacher really not calling the parents because Wen Xinglin secretly brought snacks?

The office door was not closed. An Fusheng knocked on the door a few times and then said, "Hello, teacher, I am Brother Wen Xinglin."

Before he could even go inside, An Fusheng spotted two tiny, muddy figures. These were... children of terracotta warriors that had just been unearthed?

"Starfall?" An Fusheng exclaimed, looking at the two small terracotta warriors.

Even after all this, the teacher still said it was nothing!

"Big brother, I'm here." Wen Xinglin slowly walked out from a corner.

An Fusheng stared in surprise at Wen Xinglin, who emerged from the corner, then turned to the two small terracotta warriors. "And who are they?"

The homeroom teacher coughed and said, "Those are Wang Xiaoqi and Bai Guigui."

An Fusheng breathed a sigh of relief; at least it wasn't his child.

Seeing An Fusheng's relieved expression, the homeroom teacher said, "This matter was caused by Wen Xinglin."

Like Lou Lan, An Fusheng firmly believed that Wen Xinglin was so honest that he would never cause trouble. If he did cause trouble, there must be a reason.

Sure enough, An Fusheng then heard the homeroom teacher say, "Although this matter was caused by Wen Xinglin, the fault does not lie with him."

He knew it.

"So what exactly happened?" An Fusheng asked.