Gourmet: Twins' Father and Chef of the Kindergarten-Chapter 168 - 161: Unveiling the Mystery

Ninth floor of the inpatient unit at the Third People’s Hospital, in the pediatric ward 906-907, sunlight gently filters through the window and curtain gaps, casting mottled yet soft shadows on bed 906.

Yuanyuan lies quietly there, her face unusually rosy due to the fever.

Despite feeling unwell, she tries her best to remain still, fearing that any tiny movement might disrupt the ongoing infusion treatment, worrying also that she might disturb the little friend who’s sleeping soundly in the same room.

Her obedience is all because of the temptation of delicious food.

Even though she doesn’t look well, her eyes consistently glitter with expectation and longing.

Her gaze is fixed at the door of the ward, closing her eyes now and then, then quickly opening them, hoping that each time she opens them, the dish she’s been longing for will materialize before her.

Yet, each expectation brings disappointment...

Finally.

Yuanyuan couldn’t help but turn her head, looking expectantly at Li Xiuxian sitting by the bedside, softly calling out: "Mama..."

"Yes..."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuxian’s gaze leaves the hanging drip bottle and lands on Yuanyuan, asking gently: "What’s the matter? Are you thirsty? Or do you need to use the bathroom?"

"Neither..."

Yuanyuan’s little head gently shook, followed by expressing her thoughts directly to Li Xiuxian: "Mama, when will the food arrive?"

Oh dear~

My little glutton just can’t wait!

Li Xiuxian looked at Yuanyuan’s expectant face, a rare smile tugging at her lips as she gently caressed Yuanyuan’s cheek, soothing her anxiety: "It’s coming soon, really soon, Mama has already asked the delivery uncle to pick it up, it should be on its way to the hospital now. Just wait a bit more, you’ll be able to eat it very soon."

Xu Caihong joined in comforting: "Yuanyuan, grandma tells you, haste makes waste, be patient a bit longer, okay?"

"Alright..."

Yuanyuan pouted a little, though reluctant, she obediently nodded her head.

Her gaze returned again to the door of the ward, watching it intently, waiting longingly...

After quite a while...

Just when Yuanyuan began to grow impatient, murmuring again about "Why hasn’t the delivery uncle arrived yet?" the door of the ward was gently knocked a few times.

Following that, the door was pushed open, a Meituan delivery guy wearing a yellow rabbit ear helmet appeared at the door.

Upon this sight...

Yuanyuan’s little face instantly beamed with an excited smile, happily shouting: "Mama, the delivery uncle has arrived..."

The delivery guy understood immediately, smiling as he approached: "Hello, here’s your takeout!"

Li Xiuxian gratefully took the takeout box, saying to the delivery guy: "Thank you for delivering it so quickly. I’ll need to package meals again tomorrow, I’ll call you for it then! The delivery fee will be the same as today."

"No problem, ma’am, feel free to call anytime, I’ll be ready and deliver promptly." The delivery guy agreed heartily.

"Great, it’s agreed then!" Li Xiuxian nodded in satisfaction.

The two exchanged WeChat contacts for easy future communication.

Before leaving, the delivery guy was filled with more curiosity.

I wonder.

How delicious is the food from Dorami Kindergarten?

It makes people still long for it even while hospitalized, willing to spend a good amount on delivery fees, asking someone to specifically fetch it to eat in the hospital.

Recalling the enticing aroma smelled at the kindergarten gate, and the alluring scent escaping from the takeout box, he gained deeper insight into the kindergarten’s food, stirring his strong desire to taste it himself.

Oh, how he longs to try the kindergarten’s meals, what do they really taste like?

Surely, it must be extremely delicious, right?

Unfortunately...

This is food from a kindergarten, even having money makes it hard to taste easily...

Carrying this tiny bit of regret, the delivery guy stepped onto a new delivery path, yet still reminiscing the alluring scent of the kindergarten’s dishes.

...

As the delivery guy’s footsteps gradually faded away, tranquility returned to the ward.

Now, seeing the food delivered, Yuanyuan visibly perked up a lot compared to earlier, her eyes firmly fixed on the insulated food box in Li Xiuxian’s hand.

She’s almost staring a hole into the insulated food box!

Seeing Mama not moving yet, Yuanyuan couldn’t help but urge: "Mama, I want to eat, I want to eat..."

"Alright, alright, eating, eating, Mama gets it, I’ll bring you your food, okay..."

Li Xiuxian looked at Yuanyuan’s eager appearance, feeling amused yet helpless, and then placed the insulated food box on the bedside cabinet.

Although she had once tasted the creamy corn pancake from the kindergarten, undeniably, it was indeed delicious.

But she hadn’t had the chance to taste the meals from the kindergarten.

This has always made her curious about how delicious kindergarten meals might be.

Yuanyuan couldn’t stop talking about it, even when she was sick.

So today, she decided to personally uncover this mystery and see what was so special about the kindergarten’s food.

She slowly opened the lid of the insulated lunchbox.

At that very moment...

The aroma of the food surged out like a tide, quickly filling the entire hospital room and heading straight to Li Xiuxian’s nose.

She couldn’t help but take a deep breath, the fragrance not only awakened her taste buds but also dispelled the appetite decrease caused by her anxiety and worry.

Next to her, Xu Caihong and Yuanyuan were also drawn to the aroma, instinctively flaring their nostrils, revealing an unmistakable expectation in their eyes.

Even Tiantian, who was lying drowsily on the neighboring bed, was now stirred by the aroma.

Her pale little face showed slight movement in the nostrils, and she even greedily stuck out her small tongue to gently lick the corner of her lips.

Ni Shujing, who was enjoying a packed lunch from the hospital cafeteria, was also deeply attracted by the fragrance.

She unwittingly put down the chopsticks in her hand and turned her gaze to the food in Li Xiuxian’s hands, suddenly feeling that her own lunch seemed to lose its original flavor and aroma.

The aroma was so unique that she couldn’t help but curiously ask, "Where did you order this takeout from? It smells so good..."

Li Xiuxian smiled as she replied, "It’s not from a takeout place, it was packed from my daughter’s kindergarten."

"What?"

Ni Shujing displayed an expression of surprise.

She never expected such enticing aroma to come from a kindergarten, completely overturning her perception of kindergarten meals.

Speaking of.

Her daughter’s kindergarten meals never smelled this good, right?

Indeed, comparisons reveal the differences swiftly!

Seeing the inquiry, Li Xiuxian kindly asked, "How about letting your daughter try some?"

Ni Shujing shook her head sadly, "My daughter has no appetite and can’t eat anything, you can enjoy it yourselves!"

"Oh, I see..."

Li Xiuxian nodded understandingly, making no further insistence.

She looked down at the food in the box, rich in color, with an aroma that was mouthwatering.

She couldn’t help but praise: "Wow, their kindergarten really prepares meals according to a weekly menu! These dishes not only look delicious but it’s obvious that they’re made with fresh ingredients...

"Eat, eat..."

Yuanyuan exclaimed excitedly, opening her little mouth, waiting for Li Xiuxian to feed her: "Ah..."

However, unexpectedly...

Li Xiuxian, who always spoiled her with good food, didn’t fulfill her expectations immediately this time. The fragrant aroma lured Li Xiuxian to start eating herself first.

Li Xiuxian picked up a piece of enticing braised pork ribs and tasted it.

The ribs were cooked to perfection, tender and juicy, with a bite giving a crispy exterior and a tender, juicy inside, with excellent texture.

The rich sauce permeated every strand of meat, giving the ribs an extraordinarily delicious flavor, and with enough cooking time, the meat became delightfully tender and melted in the mouth.

After trying a bite, Li Xiuxian couldn’t help but exclaim, "I must say, the kindergarten’s braised ribs are really delicious, even better than what we had at Xinglong Restaurant before."

Upon hearing her daughter-in-law’s praise, Xu Caihong, salivating from the aroma, couldn’t resist picking up a fork from the insulated lunchbox to spear her favorite poached shrimp, carefully shelling and eating it...

The shrimp had been perfectly boiled, preserving its original tender texture and carrying a refreshing ocean scent.

With a delicate and elastic texture, the shrimp tasted exquisite, every bite felt like savoring a gift from the sea, making one’s experience delightful and addictive.

Xu Caihong took a bite and marveled, "Indeed, delicious! The shrimp’s freshness is completely retained, without adding any extra seasoning, yet one can taste the ocean’s freshness and the natural sweetness of the shrimp, it’s true perfection in simple ingredients."

She didn’t forget to add, "People say simple ingredients are the hardest to perfect, the water temperature for boiling shrimp, and how long to boil, all require skill. It seems Chef Huang at their kindergarten has really exceptional skills!"

Luckily, Yang Yuxi packed enough for two kids, otherwise, with Li Xiuxian and Xu Caihong’s repeated tasting, the food might have been gone quickly.

"Mama, Grandma, that’s my food, don’t eat my food..."

Yuanyuan called out urgently, reaching out to stop them, reminding Li Xiuxian that she and her mother-in-law were too focused on tasting delicacies and neglected Yuanyuan. Li Xiuxian quickly grabbed a new spoon, portioned some out, and fed Yuanyuan a bite.

Then, she served herself a spoonful of white rice.

I must say, even the white rice tasted great!

"Xiuxian, that’s Yuanyuan’s lunch, what will she eat if you finish it?"

Xu Caihong said this but truthfully continued to grab a piece of broccoli and kept eating.

"Mama, Grandma, stop eating my food, Yuanyuan doesn’t have enough anymore..."

Yuanyuan watched her grandmother and mother continue eating her food, she hurriedly swallowed what was in her mouth and spoke out to stop them.

"Alright, alright, Grandma won’t eat anymore..." Xu Caihong replied with a smile, reluctantly putting down the fork in her hand.

At that moment!

"Mama..." Tiantian, drawn in by the enticing aroma, slowly opened her eyes and curiously gazed in Yuanyuan and her family’s direction, her little hand unconsciously raised, pointing towards Yuanyuan and her family: "What are they eating?"