Chapter 442: Chapter 403: That’s All We Can Do, Let’s Try Again Next Time

The next morning, the sun was bright, carrying a hint of freshness, pouring its light in front of Dorami Kindergarten.

At this moment, the kindergarten’s gate slowly opened...

Yang Yuxi, along with the other teachers, stood at the gate as usual, wearing warm smiles, welcoming every child coming to school.

"Good morning, little friends!"

Whenever a parent approached with their child, the teachers would wave and greet them with cheerful smiles.

"Good morning, teachers~"

The children would also respond politely, waving their little hands, their crisp and pleasant voices like birds singing in the morning, full of energy.

After entrusting their kids to the teachers, parents would inevitably exchange a few words about their child’s situation at home.

As they chatted.

The topic naturally turned to the cooking video released by the kindergarten yesterday.

"We knew Chef Huang’s cooking was good, but we didn’t expect his knife skills to be so exquisite, and the key is he’s so young, his skills easily surpass many hotel chefs..." Mai Linjie and other parents gathered together, full of admiration.

At the beginning of the semester, when their kids said the meals at the kindergarten were delicious, they secretly wondered if the kindergarten had hired an experienced hotel chef this term.

Such perception is similar to when visiting a doctor, people instinctively feel that older doctors are more reliable; or when enrolling their children in school, they feel that older teachers are more trustworthy.

Therefore.

At the start of the semester, when they found the food getting better, parents like Mai Linjie naturally imagined the kindergarten’s new chef as an experienced, elder male chef with a tall hat and skilled techniques.

However, over time, parents gradually learned the truth.

It turns out, the chef who received endless praise from the children was not the elder they imagined, but a talented, young, and outstanding chef.

This also overturned their stereotype of a master chef!

Cai Jingxian nodded in agreement: "Yes, Chef Huang is indeed quite young, not even thirty yet, but his cooking skills are truly superb!"

She could never get enough of Huang Jun’s dishes, craving them when not available.

She felt that Huang Jun’s cooking was not just good, but quite exceptional!

Moreover, lately, every time she brought home meals from the kindergarten in the evenings, her family fought over them madly, making her not get enough. As a result, she now finished her meals at the kindergarten before going home to avoid having none left.

"You can tell, when we cut vegetables it’s just cutting, but when Huang Jun cuts, it’s real knife skills. In flashes of the knife, the speed is incredible, but the vegetables are neatly and uniformly cut, as if measured with a ruler, and the meat is chopped faster than a machine..."

Mai Linjie’s tone was full of admiration for Huang Jun’s superb skills, and her eyes revealed a deep impression of those videos.

"Moreover, when Huang uses seasonings, it seems as if it doesn’t require thinking, everything is under control. Whether it’s a simple stir-fry or a complex dish, he handles it with ease, giving an impression of calm and effortlessly thriving." Other parents added.

After hearing them, Cai Jingxian, who also watched the videos, nodded in agreement again: "Chef Huang’s knife skills and cooking methods are indeed admirable."

Unable to hold back, Mai Linjie brought up an old topic again: "Teacher Cai, has Chef Huang considered starting a cooking class? I feel that following his videos is much better than fumbling around on my own, but I still can’t replicate his level of cooking, and my kids say my food isn’t as good as Uncle Chef Huang’s!"

"Well..."

Cai Jingxian was momentarily stumped by her question, which many parents had previously asked, and she had patiently responded and politely declined before. Yet the enthusiasm of the parents remained undiminished.

She could only continue to reply helplessly: "Chef Huang is currently focusing mainly on the children at our kindergarten, and with two kids of his own to care for at home, he probably doesn’t have extra time to conduct cooking classes. However, the videos we make at the kindergarten are already quite detailed, and with more practice from watching them, I’m sure you can master quite a few skills..."

Not only did the teachers of Class B, but parents of other classes were also discussing the cooking videos of Huang Jun with their teachers.

After all, delicious food can easily draw people closer together!

When talking about this topic, everyone’s passion always soared, extending easily.

So much so that when the teachers wanted to end the chat, they almost couldn’t find a suitable moment.

But fortunately, as parents chatted on, the conversation finally shifted to other topics, leading to inquiries about the upcoming autumn outing event.

Hanghang’s mom missed the sign-up chain last night, which kept her restless and unable to sleep.

Now, she couldn’t resist asking eagerly: "Miss Yang, could you possibly increase the number of parent-chaperone spots for the autumn outing? I feel five spots are too few; having more people watch over the kids would be safer. Could more slots be added? If so, I’d like to sign up now!"

"Indeed, Miss Yang." Miaomiao’s mom agreed, "The autumn outing is a big day for the children. As parents, we want to be more involved to leave more beautiful memories for our kids."

"Yes, yes, our child especially looks forward to the autumn outing. We want to be part of their beautiful memories too, plus I’m good at taking photos, so I can help document the event."

"Exactly, Miss Yang, our family also has the time, and we’re willing to help. We’d love to contribute to the kids’ safety and joy, please give us this chance."

"..."

These parents, whether busy in the workplace or idle at home, prioritize participating in their children’s growth activities, and their attitude is firm—primarily emphasizing that whether or not they work isn’t important, joining the autumn outing is the top priority.

Faced with such high enthusiasm from the parents, Yang Yuxi and the other teachers didn’t show much joy but instead felt a little headache.

In the past, whether it was spring field trips or autumn excursions, when they had the head of the parent committee organize sign-ups in the kindergarten, the response from parents was always sparse.

At that time, the teachers often had to wrack their brains to mobilize parents to participate, hoping more parents would accompany the children on outings to enjoy some quality family time.

But many parents were "willing but unable"!

Although they passionately desired to accompany their children, their busy work schedules and daily chores made it difficult for them to find the time to participate.

This year, however, is quite different. Parents are eager, all enthusiastically signing up to join.

The reason!

Yang Yuxi and the other teachers also understood that behind this was a greater emphasis from parents on their children’s education and growth, as well as high recognition and support for the kindergarten’s work.

NO! NO! NO!

Not really, not really!

This only counts as part of it; the main reason is they’re tempted by Huang Jun’s culinary skills...

If Huang Jun didn’t participate and didn’t cook, would they still be as actively involved, disregarding their work?

Surely not!

Like the other teachers, Yang Yuxi also helplessly smiled and replied, "I’m really grateful for everyone’s enthusiasm; having parents like you truly warms our hearts. However, we already have the limit of 5 parent spots filled; adding more just won’t work. Besides, the purpose of the autumn excursion is mainly to let the children go out and see the flowers and grass, play with friends, and learn some team spirit. If too many parents join, the kids might just focus on looking for mom and dad, missing out on the natural experience. Moreover, our transportation and activities have been planned according to this number; adding more would disrupt everything."

She paused, then continued patiently, "I understand everyone’s feelings; you want to witness each growth moment of your little ones. But we must allow the children space to learn independence. These field trips are held every semester, so there will be plenty of chances next time..."

Sigh!

No luck again!

Parents couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed; although the outcome was expected, it still felt a little sour when the answer was confirmed.

Some parents initially considered even paying extra fees or driving themselves just to partake and enjoy Huang Jun’s long-desired dishes. Plus, personally witnessing the children’s autumn outing is an exhilarating thing.

But upon hearing Yang Yuxi’s words, the parents realized there was no point in arguing; nothing would sway the kindergarten’s plans.

Though unwilling, the matter had come to this...

"Let’s just leave it at that and strive for next time."

Parents comforted each other, temporarily setting aside their thoughts, looking forward to future opportunities.

Afterward, they said their goodbyes to the teachers and, with hopes for the future, returned to their routines of "going back home, each finding their mom..."

Yang Yuxi and the other teachers smiled and waved as they saw the parents off, continuing to greet the little ones arriving late. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Just then...

Huang Jun arrived at the kindergarten gate, holding the hands of Qingqing and Weiwei, escorted by the morning light. He warmly greeted Yang Yuxi: "Good morning, Miss Yang!"

"Oh, good morning Qingqing, Weiwei!"

Yang Yuxi waved with a smile to greet them and couldn’t help but tell Huang Jun, "You wouldn’t believe it, Dad of Qingqing, the parents in our class have taken things a bit too far; they not only chase after me to discuss the cooking videos the kindergarten posted but also ask me how to make braised lion’s head and tofu fish soup look as appetizing as in the videos—my goodness! Though I’m a teacher, I’m certainly not a cooking instructor; I only teach children knowledge, not culinary skills..."

She is, after all, a culinary novice!

The type who can eat but not cook!

When parents bombarded her with questions she couldn’t answer, she was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to hide in.

Thinking of Yang Yuxi’s predicament amused Huang Jun, and he chuckled, comforting her: "It seems the parents have fairly high expectations of you, thinking you’re a versatile, all-rounder teacher."

Yang Yuxi pouted, "All-rounder? At best, I’m the type who can eat but not cook. Next time the parents ask these questions, I’ll have to tell them that if they want to learn cooking, they should go directly to you, the chef, for guidance."

At this moment, Cai Jingxian came over smiling and said to Huang Jun, "Chef Huang, the parents in our class all praise your cooking skills and knife work, asking if you would consider starting a cooking class?"

Huang Jun: "..."

Wasn’t this matter settled long ago?

Why hasn’t it blown over yet?

"We already discussed this before! Not considering!" Huang Jun replied exasperatedly.

Not to mention whether Liang Yinqiu would allow him to venture into teaching a cooking class as a side gig, just the idea of having parents as students felt inappropriate to him.

After all, any ensuing disputes could affect his current job, and that would be unfortunate.

Moreover, the recorded videos were made as comprehensively as possible with detailed explanations and clear steps; parents following the video should be able to grasp the essentials, with no need to sign up for his class.

Cai Jingxian smiled and replied, "That’s exactly what I told the parents."

"Good!" Huang Jun nodded, then promptly bid farewell, "Then we’ll head in first, you guys busy yourselves..."