Chapter 164 Why is the foreign teacher unhappy on the autumn outing?
Yuanyuan carefully took it and gently took a bite with her little mouth—
"Mmm!" Her eyes widened instantly, and her mouth bulged out like a greedy little hamster. The soft, sticky rice, the sweet shrimp, the rich, fragrant pork floss, and the salty, crisp seaweed exploded in her mouth like a delicious firework.
What's even more amazing is that Su Yingxue secretly hid a small piece of fried egg inside. The moment the yolk ran, Yuanyuan's little face instantly lit up like a little sun.
"Mom! This rice ball is so delicious!" Yuanyuan called out indistinctly, rice grains stuck to the corners of her mouth, but her smile was brighter than the sunshine.
Duo Duo, standing next to her, took a bite of her heart-shaped rice ball, her eyes immediately curving into crescents: "It smells so good! The rice is hot! The meat floss is so soft!"
The parents couldn't resist trying it too. Zhang Yanyan took a bite of the bear-shaped rice ball; the sweet rice combined with the savory shrimp and the salty seaweed danced on her tongue, making it more delicious than any sushi in a restaurant. "This rice ball... it's so delicious!" she couldn't help but exclaim.
Su Yingxue also prepared hot pumpkin pie and honey grapefruit tea. The warm, sweet drinks slid down her throat, dispelling the chill of autumn and making the rice balls even more delicious.
Meanwhile, at Xingchen International Kindergarten, just a few dozen meters away, the sandwiches on the picnic mat looked unusually deserted.
The children at Xingchen International sat properly on their mats, with an elegant lunchbox in front of them—two slices of whole wheat bread sandwiching thin slices of ham and lettuce, cut into neat little pieces, accompanied by a small box of imported fruit and a glass of children's mineral water.
But the children didn't seem to care. They didn't appear interested in the food.
"I don't want to eat bread..." Longlong frowned, poking at the sandwich with his fork. The crust was hard, the ham slices were dry, and there wasn't a drop of sauce. "I want to play on the slide. I don't want to learn English."
"This fruit is so sour...it doesn't taste good." Another little girl pinched a piece of apple, her face scrunched up.
The parents were also somewhat embarrassed. Principal Li had originally hoped that the children would enjoy the "internationally healthy meals" elegantly, but the reality was that most of the children only ate a few bites symbolically, their attention drawn more to the slides and swings in the park. Their eyes darted around, preferring to play games rather than attend class.
Meanwhile, the parents nearby were also discussing the situation.
"Why is this sandwich cold?" one parent muttered. He picked up a sandwich; the edges of the bread were dry, the ham slices and lettuce were separated, and it tasted dry and tasteless.
Ironically, not far away, the children of Tongxin Kindergarten were holding steaming hot rice balls, laughing like a group of happy little suns. The rich aroma even wafted into the picnic area of Xingchen Kindergarten.
Ye Xiao held up her phone, originally intending to take photos of her child's autumn outing at the "high-end kindergarten," but the camera involuntarily pointed at the group of rosy-cheeked little ones at Tongxin Kindergarten, their smiles so wide you could see their eyes.
"What...is that the kindergarten across the street serving?" she couldn't help but ask the parents around her.
"Rice balls! I heard they smell amazing!" a parent replied enviously. "They say the chef makes them himself, they're piping hot, and the kids fight over them!"
Ye Xiao's gaze fell on the almost untouched sandwich in front of her child, and then she looked at the group of children at Tongxin Kindergarten who were holding rice balls, with rice grains stuck to the corners of their mouths, but were smiling very happily. Suddenly, a sense of indescribable loss rose in her heart.
Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, dappling the lawn of Yanxi Park, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. Zhang Yanyan, holding Yuanyuan's little hand, deliberately took a detour towards the picnic area of Xingchen International Kindergarten.
"Oh, isn't this Ye Xiao?" Zhang Yanyan greeted her with a smile from afar, her voice carrying just the right amount of enthusiasm. "You've brought Longlong out for an autumn outing too?"
Ye Xiao was looking down at her phone when she heard this and looked up. Today, she was wearing a well-tailored beige trench coat and her makeup was exquisite. Even in this suburban park, she exuded a noble air.
“Yes, Zhang Yanyan.” Ye Xiao stood up, a polite but distant smile on her lips. “Your child attends the kindergarten across the street?”
Zhang Yanyan's face stiffened slightly, but she quickly put on a bright smile. She subconsciously hugged Yuanyuan's little hand tighter, feeling that her daughter was still clutching half a rice ball she had eaten.
“Our Yuanyuan loves it there.” Zhang Yanyan followed Ye Xiao’s gaze to her daughter and deliberately raised her voice, “Right, Yuanyuan? Tell Aunt Ye how many rice balls you ate for lunch today?”
"Two!" Yuanyuan answered in her sweet, childlike voice, her little face flushed from exercise and delicious food. "One is star-shaped, and the other is bunny-shaped! They're so yummy!"
Ye Xiao's gaze involuntarily fell on Yuan Yuan's chubby little mouth, where a few grains of rice still clung. Her eyes then shifted to her son, Long Long—the little boy was listlessly poking at the almost untouched sandwich in his lunchbox; the bread crust was dry, the ham slices and lettuce were separated, and it looked utterly unappetizing.
"Oh, Longlong." Zhang Yanyan squatted down seemingly casually, her gaze falling on the almost untouched lunchbox in front of Longlong. "Why aren't you eating? Look at our Yuanyuan, she ate two rice balls today! Was it not good?"
Ye Xiao's expression changed slightly, and she quickly covered it up, saying, "Oh dear, foreigners all eat this kind of food. Longlong ate too much salmon with me this morning, so he doesn't have much of an appetite."
"Oh, I see!" Zhang Yanyan seemed to suddenly realize, and then carefully took out a steaming rice ball from the insulated bag she was carrying. It was an exquisitely shaped Mickey Mouse rice ball, with glossy black seaweed outlining Mickey Mouse's eyes and nose, and red crab roe adorning his cheeks, making it look extremely cute.
"I noticed he barely ate a couple of bites," Zhang Yanyan said gently, handing the rice ball to Longlong. "I thought it wouldn't taste good."
Longlong's little nose twitched immediately. The rich aroma—the sweetness of the rice, the freshness of the shrimp, and the salty fragrance of the seaweed—mixed with an indescribable warmth, like an invisible little hand, instantly captured his stomach.
"Wow!" Longlong's eyes lit up. He looked up at his mother, then at the steaming, fragrant rice ball in Aunt Zhang's hand, his little face filled with longing.
Ye Xiao frowned: "Longlong, didn't Mommy say..."
"Thank you, Aunt Zhang!" Longlong interrupted his mother impatiently, snatching the rice ball and saying with a grin, "I wanted to eat this!"
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