Chapter 159 Making Boxed Lunch at Kindergarten
Uncle Pan—who is now the headmaster of the kindergarten, Old Pan—was standing on the steps, looking around. His hair had turned quite gray, and his eyes were slightly red. When he saw Su Yingxue, his eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Xiaoxue..." his voice was hoarse, "I can't believe you've grown up so much!"
Su Yingxue walked over quickly, smiled, and hugged him: "Uncle Pan! Long time no see!"
Uncle Pan patted her on the back, his eyes reddening even more: "You were so small when your father passed away... and now you're all grown up!"
Su Yingxue felt a warmth in her heart, but then she noticed that the kindergarten was unusually quiet. On ordinary days, the children should have been running and playing on the playground, but now, in the huge kindergarten, only a few teachers stood at the classroom doors, looking listless.
She looked at Uncle Pan in confusion: "Uncle Pan, what is this...?"
Uncle Pan sighed, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "Oh, don't even mention it."
He led Su Yingxue into his office, handed her a cup of hot tea, and then slowly said, "A new high-end private kindergarten called 'Starry Sky International' has opened across the street. They offer enrollment discounts, tuition reductions, and have hired several foreign teachers. They even promise parents 'bilingual education' and 'elite training'."
Su Yingxue frowned: "So..."
"So the parents have all transferred their children away." Uncle Pan smiled bitterly. "Our kindergarten was originally a public-benefit kindergarten with low fees, and the teachers were all family members of former military personnel. There weren't many fancy things. Now..." He pointed out the window, "Only a few teachers are still sticking on. Everyone else has left."
Su Yingxue followed his gaze and saw several young teachers sitting in the back row of the classroom, talking in hushed tones, their expressions filled with helplessness and confusion.
"Uncle Pan, so... what do you plan to do?"
Uncle Pan was silent for a while before whispering, "I'm also thinking about whether we should just shut it down."
"Closed?" Su Yingxue exclaimed in surprise. "But what about the children? What about them...?"
“They’ve all been transferred by the parents,” Uncle Pan said with a wry smile. “These days, who doesn’t want the best for their child? Our old-fashioned kindergartens can’t compete with those that are ‘international’ and ‘elite’…”
Su Yingxue held the teacup, her fingertips slightly clenched.
She suddenly remembered that she had also gone to school here when she was a child. Back then, Uncle Pan was always smiling, the children ran wildly on the playground, and although the teachers were strict, they all treated the children like their own treasures.
But now, is all of this about to be gone?
She put down her teacup, looked up at Uncle Pan, and said with a determined look in her eyes, "Uncle Pan, I don't believe that this kindergarten is truly beyond saving."
Uncle Pan was taken aback: "Xiaoxue?"
Su Yingxue took a deep breath and said slowly, "Give me some time, I'll think of a way."
Just at 10:30, wisps of smoke began to rise from the kitchen of Tongxin Kindergarten.
Su Yingxue stood before the stove, morning light filtering through the gauze window and falling on her slightly furrowed brow. Her slender fingers deftly kneaded the glutinous rice dough, her fingertips glistening with flour in the morning light. The meat filling was made from pork belly she had specially chosen that morning, perfectly marbled with fat and lean, finely and evenly chopped, wrapped in the glutinous rice dough, and gently rolled into plump, round pearl-like meatballs.
“The heat has to be just right,” she murmured to herself, as if speaking to an old friend. “Too long and it’ll be tough; too short and it’ll be raw.”
Thin slices of carrot lined the steamer, and she arranged the meatballs neatly, like little soldiers lined up awaiting inspection. In the wok on the other side, king oyster mushrooms sizzled in hot oil, the thinly sliced mushrooms gradually turning golden brown and releasing an enticing aroma. She added the marinated shredded meat, stir-fried it quickly, and finally sprinkled on a handful of bright green scallions; the aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen.
What she put the most effort into was the morel mushroom, vegetable, and minced meat soup. She soaked the morel mushrooms in advance, carefully tore them into small pieces, and simmered them slowly in a clear broth along with tender green Shanghai bok choy. The minced meat was finely chopped and added to the soup at the end, gradually making the broth clearer, and the aroma of the mushrooms and vegetables blended perfectly.
"One meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one soup," she tasted the soup and nodded in satisfaction. "That's enough nutrition, and the children also need to enjoy it."
It's 11:30 a.m., lunchtime.
Ms. Zhang, the teacher of Class 1, pushed the food cart into the classroom, still thinking about the usual "meal battle".
The children in the class, especially Yuanyuan, always have to be chased around to be fed. They are very picky eaters, and every mealtime is like a tug-of-war.
But today, when she opened the lid, a rich aroma suddenly wafted out!
"Wow... what are we eating today?" The children all looked up, their eyes shining like stars.
On the plate:
The pearl meatballs are round and smooth like jade, with a glistening luster. Biting into them reveals a tender and juicy meat filling.
Stir-fried king oyster mushrooms with pork have a golden-brown color, and the aroma of mushrooms mixed with the fragrance of pork is irresistible.
The morel mushroom, vegetable, and minced meat soup has a clear broth, with a few bright green vegetables floating in it, like a small painting.
What's most surprising is that Yuanyuan, who is usually the pickiest eater and the smallest, actually stared at the meatballs, twitched her little nose, and took the initiative to reach out her spoon!
"Yuanyuan, you have to eat by yourself!" Teacher Zhang encouraged her with a smile.
Unexpectedly, Yuanyuan scooped up a meatball, took a bite, her eyes widened, and then she swallowed it in one gulp!
"Delicious!" she mumbled, then spooned on and on, without letting the teacher feed her!
To Teacher Zhang's even greater surprise, after Yuanyuan finished her bowl, she raised her hand and said, "Teacher, I want more!"
Yuanyuan, who usually can't even finish half a bowl, ate two bowls today!
Teacher Zhang excitedly took a picture and posted it in the class group:
"The food smelled so good today! Yuanyuan ate two bowls by herself! Parents, take a look!"
The moment the photo was posted, the class group chat exploded!
"Really? Yuanyuan can eat two bowls?"
"Our child used to eat at Tongxin, and we always had to chase after them to feed them..."
"Did I put too much sugar in today? The child loves sweets..."
"When did the food at this kindergarten become so good?"
Yuanyuan's mother also saw the message, and her first reaction was suspicion.
"This child has always been a picky eater; yesterday he even threw away half his meal... How could he possibly eat two bowls today?"
When Yuanyuan came home in the evening, her mother deliberately served her only half a bowl of rice, thinking that if she couldn't finish it, so be it.
As a result, Yuanyuan picked up the spoon herself and ate two more bowls!
"Yuanyuan, what did you eat at kindergarten today? It smelled so good!" Mom asked in surprise.
"Pearl meatballs! And stir-fried mushrooms with meat! The soup is delicious too!" Yuanyuan answered indistinctly, with rice grains still stuck to the corners of her mouth.
Yuanyuan's mother was even more puzzled—was the food at this kindergarten really that delicious?
"No, let's observe further," she thought. "What if it was just a one-time thing, or maybe I put in too much seasoning..."
So she made Yuanyuan eat another bowl of rice porridge...
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