Chapter 160 Even after eating, I sleep soundly.
At midnight, Teacher Zhang's phone suddenly rang!
"Hello? Teacher Zhang! Come quick! Yuanyuan has a stomachache! Did she eat something bad at kindergarten?!"
Teacher Zhang sat up groggily and heard Yuanyuan's mother anxiously saying on the phone, "She ate two bowls of rice today, and then ate two more when she got home, and now she says her stomach hurts..."
Teacher Zhang suddenly snapped out of her daze: "Yuanyuan's mom, don't panic, let me check the class group chat... Oh! How much did you let her eat today?"
"I...I thought she hadn't eaten enough at kindergarten, so I gave her two more bowls..." Yuanyuan's mother said with a guilty voice.
Teacher Zhang: "..."
She quickly explained, "Yuanyuan's mom, we did have some new dishes today, and the kids loved them, but I also reminded them in the group chat to eat less tonight..."
She pulled up the class group chat history—she had indeed posted: "You kids had a really good appetite today, so you can eat a little less when you get home tonight~"
Upon seeing this, Yuanyuan's mother was speechless: "...Ah, I...I didn't see it..."
Teacher Zhang was both amused and exasperated: "It's nothing, she probably just has indigestion. I'll take her to see a doctor tomorrow, and she'll just need to pay attention to her diet in the future."
After hanging up the phone, Teacher Zhang shook his head, but couldn't help thinking: Sister Su's cooking is amazing!
Looking at her daughter's sleeping face, Yuanyuan's mother still felt a lump in her throat. After the phone call last night, she couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, her mind filled with the photos she had seen in the class group during the day—Yuanyuan, who usually ate like she was in a battle, was actually holding a bowl and finishing two bowls of rice by herself, with rice grains still on the corners of her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents with a smile.
"Is this food... really that delicious?" she murmured to herself, her fingers unconsciously tracing the photos that Teacher Zhang had posted on her phone screen.
The next day, she made sure Yuanyuan stayed home to rest. Seeing her daughter so lively and energetic, her doubts didn't dissipate; in fact, they intensified—this child usually had a poor appetite and would get indigestion if she ate even a little too much, but yesterday she had eaten so much on her own initiative and even said, "I want to eat more at kindergarten tomorrow..."
"No, I have to find out the truth." She dialed the phone numbers of several parents with whom she had a good relationship.
"Hello, is this Xiaoyu's mom? This is Yuanyuan's mom... Yes, the one who's always a picky eater, Yuanyuan. Hey, how's Xiaoyu eating at kindergarten lately?... Oh, she's eating two bowls now? Really?... Do you know if the kindergarten changed their chef?"
Xiaoyu's mother on the other end of the phone looked surprised: "Really! My Xiaoyu ate very well yesterday too, she even finished all the vegetables she usually hates! I was wondering if her cooking skills had suddenly improved..."
After hanging up the phone, Yuanyuan's mother contacted Meimei's mother, who lived on the top floor. Meimei was also a notorious picky eater, and her teacher had to coax her to eat every meal.
"Meimei's mom, how has Meimei been eating lately? ...Have you been eating too much? ...Did you know that the kindergarten changed its chef?"
After several phone calls, Yuanyuan's mother gradually pieced together the outline of her doubts—not only Yuanyuan, but several picky eaters in the class had been eating very well lately, and even asked for more rice.
"Something's not right." She frowned. "The kindergarten's food used to be notoriously mediocre, so why is it suddenly like this..."
"Why don't we go ask together?" Xiaoyu's mother suggested. "Since school's out this afternoon, let's go to the kindergarten together."
“Yes, I’ll go too,” Meimei’s mother chimed in. “I want to see what this new chef is all about.”
At 4:30 p.m. sharp, the kindergarten dismissal bell rang. The children, like a flock of cheerful little birds, chirped and ran towards their parents.
Teacher Zhang was standing at the classroom door, explaining the children's situation to several parents when she suddenly caught a glimpse of several familiar figures out of the corner of her eye—Yuanyuan's mother, Xiaoyu's mother, Meimei's mother, and several other parents who usually paid special attention to their children's eating habits, walking quickly toward her.
"Teacher Zhang!" Yuanyuan's mother spoke first, her tone tinged with urgency, "I heard your kindergarten recently changed chefs? Is that true?"
Teacher Zhang was taken aback, then smiled and nodded: "Yes, Chef Wang had some family matters to attend to and went back to his hometown. The new chef is Sister Su, who has been cooking for children for a while and has a lot of experience."
"Sister Su?" The parents exchanged bewildered glances. "Is she new? We've never heard of her before."
"Yes, Sister Su only came recently," Teacher Zhang explained. "The children love her cooking, especially some of the picky eaters who are usually very fond of it now."
"Oh? Is that so?" Xiaoyu's mother raised an eyebrow. "Is the recipe reasonable? Is it good for a child's stomach? We have a reasonable request to go to the kitchen and meet the new chef."
"This..." Teacher Zhang looked hesitant. "The kitchen is a work area and is generally not open to the public..."
“Teacher Zhang,” Meimei’s mother interrupted directly, her tone leaving no room for argument, “we just want to know if the children are eating well. We’re all doing this for the children, so could you please make an exception and let us go to the kitchen to see this Sister Su?”
Other parents chimed in, "Yes, Teacher Zhang, we're just taking a look and getting a feel for the situation."
Looking at the parents in front of her who were usually very concerned about their children's eating habits, and then at the children listening attentively not far away, Teacher Zhang hesitated for a moment.
“Well… alright.” She finally conceded. “However, the kitchen is probably preparing dinner right now, and Sister Su might be busy, so please don’t disturb her.”
“Okay, we won’t bother you.” The parents nodded repeatedly, but their eyes clearly said, “We definitely want to see.”
Teacher Zhang sighed helplessly and led the parents toward the kitchen.
At the kitchen door, Teacher Zhang stopped and knocked: "Sister Su, a few parents would like to see you and ask about the kitchen..."
Su Yingxue had taken off her sterilized chef's uniform and was about to leave when she saw several parents approaching aggressively.
Her eyes crinkled into a smile as she greeted several parents.
"Everyone, I'm so sorry. The kitchen was just being disinfected. I, the head chef, was also about to leave work. How about this, we're making desserts tomorrow, and you're welcome to come and watch us make them by hand. You can also participate in your children's healthy eating habits, okay?"
"Oh well!"
Several parents had originally planned to take a look, but they were surprised to see that Su Yingxue had mopped the floor spotless. There wasn't a single water stain on the floor, and the work surface was also clean, without any leftover food or trash.
It looked very clean. This put their minds at ease.
"Then we'll come again tomorrow," they said. The parents then left.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com