Uncle Qin recognized the Qin Family’s minivan slowly approaching the entrance, squinting with his presbyopia eyes to find the key, his hand slightly trembling as he opened the door.
There’s no parking space at the orphanage, you just drive in and find a spot to park. After parking, Qin Huai and others got out of the car, and by the time they did, the lights in the yard were on, revealing that the playground equipment was indeed new, definitely not second-hand goods bought cheaply.
Seeing Qin Huai, Uncle Qin smiled and first closed the door, then came over: "Huaihuai, you’re finally here. The kids in the orphanage have been asking me every day when Brother Bao Bao is coming. Those who know you miss you, those who don’t might think they don’t like my noodles."
"Uncle hasn’t eaten dinner, just waiting for you to come and make that thing, that four what’s-it-called balls."
"Four Happiness glutinous rice balls." Qin Huai said loudly.
"Right, Four Happiness glutinous rice balls. Everything’s prepared according to the recipe you sent on WeChat, the meat filling and everything is chopped."
Hearing Uncle Qin say this, Qin Huai nodded reassuringly.
Making Four Happiness glutinous rice balls isn’t complicated in itself, and the preparation isn’t very difficult. The red bean filling and sesame brittle filling can’t be made fresh; you have to buy them pre-made. The preliminary preparation for the hundred fruit filling just involves chopping up candied fruits and nuts.
The preparation difficulty for the meat filling is relatively higher, requiring careful chopping. The staff at the orphanage are professional meat chop experts (Qin Huai often comes to make buns), so Qin Huai knows their skills well and trusts them.
Qin Huai smiled and said, "Uncle Qin, is the orphanage still having you make noodles? Is there really no cook yet?"
Before Qin Huai inherited, the orphanage temporarily had no cook.
The Sanmalu Children’s Welfare Institute is a government institution, and cooks are supposed to be on staff. The previous cook rented out their bank card to an overseas fraud gang, was involved in fraud, and got fired. The new cook hasn’t been found yet. Currently, Director Qin, Uncle Qin, and a few social workers take turns handling the orphanage’s meals. Due to their lack of cooking skills, Director Qin also ordered thousands of vegetarian buns from Qin Huai so that the kids could have something to get by.
But even the best vegetarian buns can’t be eaten every day. Most of the time, Uncle Qin is the part-time cook, making noodles and stir-frying some vegetables for the kids.
Uncle Qin is also quite happy with it, as being a part-time cook allows him to occasionally sneak home with half a barrel of oil. Considering he’s the direct cousin, Director Qin mostly turns a blind eye.
Uncle Qin lives in the countryside, and Director Qin secretly notes how much oil Uncle Qin has taken home and then goes to Uncle Qin’s vegetable garden to pick vegetables.
"No cook yet, with this meager salary every month, who wants to come?" Uncle Qin waved his hand, "Uncle’s cooking skills are pretty good now. I can even stir fry meat dishes; we don’t need a cook."
"Oh stop it, you dare to say that. The dishes were so salty at lunch today; otherwise, the kids wouldn’t have been crying and asking all afternoon why Brother Bao Bao hasn’t come, whether he’s abandoned them, whether there will be no buns for this year’s New Year." Director Qin, not yet seen but heard first.
Looking towards the direction of the voice, Director Qin, with some wrinkles on her coat, obviously having just finished holding a child, smiled and walked over to Qin Huai and the others.
"Why are you chatting in the yard? Go to the kitchen. What? Huaihuai hasn’t returned to the orphanage for so long that you forgot where the kitchen is?" Director Qin laughed.
"It’s been a while since I’ve seen Uncle Qin, wanted to chat for a bit." Qin Huai smiled.
Director Qin looked at Qin Luo: "Luoluo has grown taller, you’re in high school now, right? Time flies; I remember when your parents first brought you to the orphanage for me to take care of, you were just a little toddler."
Qin Luo smiled shyly.
"Let’s go, let’s chat more in the kitchen." Director Qin led the way in front, "A bulb went out in the yard, I haven’t had a chance to replace it yet; it’s a bit dark ahead, and there’s a step, so be careful."
"The kids couldn’t wait and already had dinner. Huaihuai, don’t feel pressured when making those four-whatever balls. You must be tired after sitting in the car all day. Just make something for the kids to have tomorrow; it’s fine."
"It’s just been too bustling; every day, when I go to sleep at night, I can hear kids in their dreams calling out for Brother Bao Bao."