Chapter 50 Lu Qin Goes to the Kitchen For a Second Round! The Kids Turn on Their Acting Skills!
Lu Xiyao’s boyfriend?
Lu Qin raised an eyebrow, glancing at the little boy with a runny nose.
His daughter, who was in the middle of devouring her meal, heard this and turned her head, rolling her eyes at the boy.
“Li Junjie, stop talking nonsense~!”
“We’re not close at all! And I haven’t even played with your… robot toy dog!”
Having said that, she turned back and continued eating.
The kids excitedly ran over, each carrying their tray. The three teachers barely managed to shovel in a few bites before helping Lu Qin distribute the food to the children.
“Line up, everyone. If you’re not in line or if you cut, you won’t get any!”
Hearing this, a few kids who had been rushing forward immediately stopped in their tracks and obediently got in line.
Watching the other kids about to share her dad’s food, Lu Xiyao quickened her pace. Instead of her usual one piece of meat per bite of rice, she upgraded to two pieces of meat per bite. Lu Qin and Teacher Li both laughed.
But with over twenty kids, there was no way the three dishes Lu Qin made would be enough for everyone. They had to limit the portions. Each child received one piece of twice-cooked pork, a small spoonful of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a bit of chicken breast. The main goal was just to let the kids have a taste since their trays already had food.
“Uncle, can I have one more piece of twice-cooked pork?”
Teacher Li intervened, “Nope, just enough to taste is fine. You all need to finish your own meals.”
Some kids, holding their spoons, immediately shoveled Lu Qin’s food into their mouths as soon as it was served.
“Mmm~! So tasty! This meat is amazing!”
Their eyes sparkled with joy.
When it was Li Junjie’s turn, Lu Qin smiled slyly.
“Here, have a bit extra.”
He gave him a big spoonful of green garlic shoots, tomatoes, and garlic cloves—double the portion.
Li Junjie looked disappointed.
“Uncle, where’s the meat~?”
Lu Qin pointed at the garlic cloves.
Since the sauce was dark, it was hard to tell the difference between the garlic and chicken breast.
“Really? Wow! So many pieces of meat!”
Happily, Li Junjie returned to his seat. After taking a bite of garlic, he chewed, feeling something was a bit off, though the sauce was delicious. But it wasn’t quite the same experience as the kids next to him, who were savoring the twice-cooked pork.
By the time half of the kids had tasted Lu Qin’s three dishes, the serving plates were almost empty.
Leaning back in her chair, Lu Xiyao rubbed her now full tummy, satisfied.
“Ah~! I’m stuffed! hiccup!”
Lu Qin helped her wipe her mouth.
The three teachers, on the other hand, were in a bit of a pickle. There were still about ten kids who hadn’t had a taste of Lu Qin’s food. Holding their trays, they lined up, staring at the empty plates with tearful eyes.
In kindergarten, managing kids, whether for eating or playing, has to be done fairly so that everyone gets a turn. Otherwise, those who didn’t get a taste would feel left out. When kids feel unfairly treated, they cry.
Sure enough, a few kids started crying.
“Waaah~! There’s no more twice-cooked pork! I haven’t had any yet!”
“Uncle~! I want your meat~! Boohoo~!”
“Teacher Li! I want meat! I want meat!”
“Li Junjie got to eat meat, so I want some too!”
A chorus of little voices filled the air as the kids cried in unison.
Teacher Li tried to calm them down, but some only cried louder.
“Wang Xiurui, didn’t you already get a piece earlier? Why are you crying with the others now?”
Teacher Li was at a loss, the scene was descending into chaos!
She had no choice but to turn to Lu Qin for help.
“I’ll head back to the kitchen.”
Lu Qin stood up. Clearly, this group of little food lovers wouldn’t be satisfied today until they had another round of twice-cooked pork.
Lu Qin returned to the kitchen, where the head chef and his team were already aware of the commotion among the children in the dining hall.
Just how delicious was Yao Yao’s dad’s cooking to have all the kids craving more?
The head chef and his team were now visibly more respectful towards Lu Qin.
“Yao Yao’s Dad, are you making twice-cooked pork again?”
The head chef perked up but looked a bit embarrassed.
“Uh, well… Yao Yao’s Dad, would you mind if I recorded you cooking? I’d like to learn from it.”
He took out his phone.
“Sure, feel free,” Lu Qin replied, having no objections.
Although he didn’t have time to formally teach, he wasn’t stingy about others learning by watching.
Efficiently, Lu Qin whipped up another batch of garlic chive twice-cooked pork and garlic chicken breast, making sure the portions were generous again.
As soon as the dishes were brought into the dining hall, the kids’ crying stopped abruptly. Their eyes sparkled as they stared at the freshly cooked twice-cooked pork.
Teacher Li pinched a few kids’ cheeks with a sigh.
“You little drama kings!”
Without being told, the kids were already lined up in an orderly queue.
“Teacher Li, let me help with serving!” volunteered Lu Xiyao, now full and looking for something to do.
Lu Qin figured he could leave now; if he stayed any longer, he’d probably end up making a third trip to the kitchen. He gave his little one a goodbye nuzzle and left the kindergarten.
A group of children ran after him, their little feet pitter-pattering.
“Uncle, are you coming back tomorrow?” “Uncle, I want to eat your twice-cooked pork again tomorrow!”
“Goodbye, Uncle! I’ll take care of Lu Xiyao, and I’ll even share my apple with her in the afternoon!”
“Uncle, where do you sell your food? I’ll tell my dad to buy your fried noodles and twice-cooked pork!”
The security guard at the gate was watching, a bit dazed, even forgetting to open the gate as Lu Qin approached.
“Yao Yao’s Dad, you’re amazing! One twice-cooked pork dish, and you’ve won over the entire kindergarten!”
“These kids are pretty cute,” Lu Qin replied with a smile.
The guard opened the electric gate, adding, “Where do you set up your stall? I definitely want to stop by!”
“I don’t have a fixed location. Join our QQ group,” Lu Qin replied.
The guard looked surprised.
“What? You have a group? Count me in!”
Lu Qin took out his phone and approved the request. The guard’s eyes widened as he saw the number.
“Five… Five hundred and sixty-seven members!”
“Wow! You’ve got a huge following!”
Then again, he thought, with food as good as Lu Qin’s, it would be odd if he didn’t have a fanbase.
Lu Qin climbed onto his three-wheeler food cart and headed back to his rented place to prepare for his afternoon stall.
For his next session, he added a new item to the menu—chicken tofu blossom.
With a system-maintained freshness and heat-preserving box, he could prepare the chicken tofu blossom at home and sell it as a ready-made dish, preserving its texture perfectly.
The process for making chicken tofu blossom was complex. Though it was a traditional dish in Sichuan cuisine, few people made it anymore. And even fewer could make it well. In fact, it was rare to find chicken tofu blossom on restaurant menus, and many people didn’t even know what kind of dish it was.
To start, Lu Qin prepared a large pot. The first step in making chicken tofu blossom was to brew a high-quality broth from a mature hen. Normally, this process would take five hours. Slow simmering drew out the essence from the chicken meat and bones, showcasing the nutritional value of a mature hen’s broth. However, with today’s easy access to nutritious food, Lu Qin skipped the lengthy simmering.
Instead, he began by rendering the chicken skin’s fat for flavor, then added the chicken frame and seasonings to the pot, allowing it to simmer. This method created an even richer, more fragrant broth.