Chapter 162 Let's go on an autumn outing
In the evening, Zhang Yanyan stood in the kitchen wearing an apron, the warm light from the oven shining on her face. Following Su Yingxue's instructions, she carefully kneaded the dough, her fingertips covered in butter, and fine pineapple peel crumbs scattered on the cutting board.
"bite--"
The oven beeped on time, and the golden, plump pineapple buns came out fresh, with a crispy crust and an aroma that instantly filled the whole house.
"Wow! It smells so good!" My daughter, Yuanyuan, ran over from the living room like a little glutton, standing on tiptoe and peering at the oven door.
"Dad! Mom made pineapple buns!"
Xia Yu leaned out from the sofa, paused the game, and sniffed the air: "My dear wife's cooking skills have improved!"
Zhang Yanyan smiled smugly, cut the pineapple bun into small pieces, and arranged them on a plate. The father and daughter each took a piece and wolfed them down, not caring that the crust fell onto their clothes.
"Today's harvest! A new skill I learned from Chef Su at Tongxin Kindergarten - making pineapple buns by hand. The aroma fills the house~" Zhang Yanyan posted a picture of the steaming hot pineapple buns on her WeChat Moments with the caption.
Likes and comments quickly started appearing.
Wow! It looks delicious!
"Aunt Wang downstairs gave it a thumbs up!"
Ye Xiao: You're so lucky! You have to cook for Yuanyuan yourself. My Longlong eats so well at kindergarten, I don't have to worry about him at all.
The last comment was accompanied by a picture of an exquisite children's meal—a brightly colored steamed egg with shrimp, a small steak, and beautifully arranged fruit, with the logo of a high-end kindergarten prominently displayed in the corner.
Zhang Yanyan's smile froze instantly.
"Bang!" She slammed down her phone, turned to look at Xia Yu, who was engrossed in playing King of Glory on the sofa, and her anger flared up instantly.
"What are you playing around with! Go mop the floor right now!"
Xia Yu was in the crucial stage of the team fight when he suddenly realized what was happening and frantically begged for mercy: "My dear wife, please calm down! I'm going to the bathroom first, I'll be right back!"
He grabbed his phone and dashed into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. His fingers flew across the screen: "Teammates, hold on! My wife's gone berserk, I'm going AFK for five minutes!"
In the living room, Zhang Yanyan grew angrier the more she thought about it. She grabbed a pineapple bun from the coffee table and took a big bite, the crust falling onto her clothes.
"My son Longlong eats very well at kindergarten, I don't have to worry about him at all."
Ye Xiao's words pierced her heart like a thorn. Wasn't it just that she complained Yuanyuan's kindergarten wasn't as good as Longlong's high-end one?
She opened Ye Xiao's WeChat Moments—the screen was full of pictures of Longlong's luxurious meals, foreign language classes, and parent-child activities at kindergarten, each photo looking as exquisite as an advertisement.
"Mommy, why aren't you smiling anymore?" Yuanyuan ran over, a pineapple bun in her mouth, her little face smeared with butter, holding half of it up to her lips. "Daddy's hiding in the bathroom playing on his phone!"
Zhang Yanyan's heart softened, and she hugged and kissed her daughter, but still yelled angrily at the bathroom, "Xia Yu! If you keep using the toilet, I'll drown you!"
In the bathroom, Xia Yu jolted awake, quickly ending his game and emerging with a forced smile, phone in hand: "Honey, don't be angry! Ye Xiao just didn't have the chance! Our pineapple buns are 'made with motherly love,' how can her fancy meals compare?"
He seized the opportunity, grabbed a pineapple bun, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled, "Tomorrow I'll buy another ten pounds of butter. Honey, show off your skills and make a super deluxe version. Take a nine-grid photo of it and she'll be drooling!"
Yuanyuan raised her little fist and chimed in, "Yes! Mommy's cooking is the best! I'll bring some to kindergarten for my friends to try tomorrow!"
Zhang Yanyan was amused by the father and daughter, and reached out to pat Xia Yu on the head: "Stop talking nonsense! Go mop the floor!"
She picked up the mop, but her mind was still wandering over Ye Xiao's WeChat Moments.
Just then, the phone vibrated again—Ye Xiao had sent another message:
"Oh dear, there are so many activities at kindergarten! This time it's back to basics. We're going on an autumn outing to the park with our foreign teacher to practice our English!"
The attached image is an invitation for an autumn outing, showing a price of 398 yuan for a one-day family trip. The background is a riverside park in the suburbs.
Zhang Yanyan was stunned—wasn't this the place that Tongxin Kindergarten also went to?
She quickly checked the class group chat; the teacher had just posted a notice: "This week is the autumn outing—a chance to get close to nature. Participation is free, and meals will be provided by the kindergarten."
Paid 398 vs. Free? Premium Foreign Teachers vs. Actual Experience?
Zhang Yanyan looked at her daughter Yuanyuan, who was intently building with blocks, and said with a grin, "I want to go catch butterflies with Tongtong!"
She touched her daughter's little face, and a thought struck her.
"At worst, I'll just cut back on living expenses this month..."
"They're both autumn outings, so what's the difference?"
This time, she decided to see it for herself.
Evening, Tongxin Kindergarten meeting room
The small meeting room was packed with people—the head teacher, assistant teachers, childcare workers, the principal, the cafeteria staff, and even the security guard was squeezed into a corner. The space of just over thirty square meters felt slightly stuffy from the heat of the thirty-odd people.
Principal Pan sat at the head of the conference table, her brows furrowed, and asked in a serious tone, "Have all the notices for this autumn outing been sent out?"
The teachers in the office nodded hurriedly: "Yes, they've all been distributed! Parents were so enthusiastic about signing up when they heard it was free!"
“Director,” Ms. Sun from the logistics department adjusted her glasses and said with concern, “Although we’re going to Yanxi Park, renting a car will still cost money, right? And you promised to cover the meals… Isn’t this too much of a loss?” She held the ledger in her hand, her brows furrowing even more.
Principal Pan shook her head, her tone firm: "I'd like to charge some money too, but the Education Bureau has a clear regulation that we can't charge parents. How about this, we'll walk there, consider it exercise!"
He looked at Su Yingxue, his gaze questioning, "Xiaoxue, you're in charge of the meals. What are your thoughts?"
Su Yingxue smiled confidently: "I want to make mini rice balls and pair them with pre-made desserts. It's both nutritious and convenient."
"Rice balls? Great idea!" Director Pan slammed his hand on the table. "It's cheap and convenient! Xiaoxue, just tell us what food ingredients you need, and we'll take care of it!"
"Thank you all for your hard work!" Principal Pan looked around and said, "Teachers, we've finished our discussion. If there's nothing else, let's go home early. We still need to prepare for the follow-up matters tomorrow."
Just then, Ms. Li, the teacher of Class 2, suddenly raised her phone and stood up: "Principal Pan, teachers, I just saw a post on WeChat Moments..."
The meeting room fell silent, and everyone's eyes turned to him.
Teacher Li scrolled through the screen, her tone somewhat grave: "We have a child who used to be in the junior class at our Tongxin Kindergarten, but his mother transferred him to the private kindergarten across the street. She just posted on her WeChat Moments that they're going on an autumn outing to Yanxi Park this weekend, at the exact same time as us!"
"What?!" Principal Pan stood up abruptly, her usually upright figure swaying slightly. Principal Pan was already somewhat troubled by that kindergarten. Now, facing it head-on, she was even more overwhelmed.
Is the news about the outing on the same day true?
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