Chapter 99 Just Because You Can’t Cook! Should We Prepare an Antidote?
Parents and children stood behind the tables, which were set with various cooking tools and ingredients.
Teacher Li announced the rules.
“Dear parents and children, this is a parent-child activity! That means every family member must participate, not just the parents but also the kids. Each family will cook a dish together, and afterward, other families will taste and rate it. The family with the highest score will receive a lovely prize!”
The activity was meaningful, and both parents and children were enthusiastic. However, most of the parents, being millennials, had grown up eating meals cooked by their parents and then transitioned to takeout or dining out as adults. For those craving home-cooked meals, the solution was often a visit to the in-laws.
Kitchens, though renovated into sleek, high-end spaces with imported range hoods costing tens of thousands, were more for show than use. The appliance most frequently used wasn’t the stove but the fridge or microwave.
That said, some parents with years of cooking experience could whip up dishes that rivaled those served in small restaurants.
Lu Qin tapped the pork belly and said to Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao, “How about we make some Twice-Cooked Pork?”
Both mother and daughter’s eyes lit up, nodding in unison.
“Yes! Daddy’s Twice-Cooked Pork is unbeatable! Let’s make that!”
Shen Muyan smiled slightly. Lu Qin’s Twice-Cooked Pork was leagues ahead of what even the top chefs at her luxury hotel’s Chinese restaurant could produce. Bringing it to kindergarten seemed like overkill.
Other parents’ gazes drifted toward Lu Qin’s table. Many were well aware of Lu Qin’s fame as a street food vendor selling stir-fried noodles, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Imperial Chicken Wings. The flavor was legendary—so good it could make headlines.
If Lu Qin put his skills on display, who could possibly compete?
“Teacher Li, with Yaoyao’s dad cooking, the rest of us might as well give up!”
“Exactly! I’ve tasted his Twice-Cooked Pork before—it’s better than what five-star chefs make. There’s no way we can beat that.”
“Lu Qin’s street food stall is so popular that even showing up an hour early doesn’t guarantee you’ll get anything. His food is that good!”
“Teacher Li, this is unfair! Yaoyao’s dad is like a pro athlete competing with kids!”
The complaints poured in. The consensus—Lu Qin couldn’t cook. It was unfair!
Faced with the uproar, Teacher Li walked over to Lu Qin’s table, smiling apologetically.
“Mr. Lu, your cooking skills are just too good. Even all the other parents combined wouldn’t stand a chance. How about letting Yaoyao’s mom cook instead?”
She wasn’t joking. Asking her to cook was like asking her to climb Everest without preparation—she didn’t even know how to use a rice cooker.
“That’s exactly why we want you to cook!”
“Teacher Li, that’s not fair!” Protested Lu Xiyao, pouting.
“Yaoyao, this is how we make it fair. Your mom will take charge, and you and your dad will assist. It’s settled then! Any objections?”
“No objections! Teacher Li is so wise!” Chorused the parents.
“But Daddy…” Yaoyao said with a whimper, “I wanted to eat your Twice-Cooked Pork!”
Shen Muyan ruffled her daughter’s hair. “Mommy will make it for you instead.”
Yaoyao swallowed nervously.
“Do we need to prepare an antidote?”
Lu Qin tied an apron around Shen Muyan.
“Let’s get started. Just follow my instructions.”
“Step one: Turn on the stove and scorch the pork skin.”
Ten seconds later, Shen Muyan asked coolly, “How do I turn it on?”
Lu Qin was speechless.
“Daddy, maybe I should go help Zhong Shuyi’s family instead!” Yaoyao said.
Over at Zhong Shuyi’s table, things weren’t much better. Her family had a personal chef and live-in help. The concept of cooking was alien to them. Zhong Shuyi’s mom decided to make boiled fish.
Her dad, skeptical, asked, “Are you sure boiled fish means filling a pot with water, tossing in a live fish, adding a couple of scallions, and letting the fish swim around?”
“Mom, aren’t you supposed to kill the fish first?” Zhong Shuyi asked.
“What does ‘kill the fish’ mean?” Her mom replied innocently.
Teacher Li walked over and said gently, “Mrs. Zhong, I don’t think boiled fish is the right choice for you. How about trying something else?”
Meanwhile, at Lu Qin’s table, Yaoyao was diligently washing vegetables—removing stems from green peppers, trimming garlic sprouts, discarding yellowed parts—while humming a little tune.
“No one in the kids’ world washes veggies better than me. And in the veggie-washing world, no one’s cuter than me. La la la~!”
As Yaoyao finished her task, Shen Muyan finally managed to boil the pork belly.
“How do I take the meat out?” She asked.
In the corporate world, no one was more capable than Shen Muyan. In the culinary world, no one was as clueless. The slab of pork belly, weighing over a pound, was cooked but too large to lift with a spatula, and too hot to handle by hand.
“Use chopsticks,” Lu Qin suggested, handing her a pair.
Chopsticks? Curious, Shen Muyan jabbed them into the meat and managed to lift it out.
“We don’t have ice here, so rinse the pork under cold water,” Lu Qin instructed.
“Why cold water?” She asked, her curiosity piqued.
“It makes the meat firmer and more elastic, enhancing its texture and cooling it down for slicing,” he explained patiently.
Yaoyao placed the cleaned garlic sprouts and green peppers on the cutting board.
“All done! Isn’t your little cutie amazing?”
“Very impressive!” Lu Qin praised generously.
Just then, Zhong Shuyi ran over, pointing at the potatoes on their table.
“Are you using those potatoes? If not, can we have them?”
“We’re making Twice-Cooked Pork—no potatoes needed!” Yaoyao replied.
“Why do you need our potatoes?” Yaoyao asked.
“My mom tried to make sour and spicy shredded potatoes, but they turned out thicker than fingers and sourer than lemons. She said it was too hard and is switching to mashed potatoes now. Fingers crossed it works!”
The spacious classroom filled with the sounds—and smells—of cooking. But not all aromas were pleasant. Alongside the savory notes of frying, baking, and simmering were burnt, charred, and overly sour scents.
Teacher Li and Teacher Zhang exchanged glances and sighed.
Teacher Li remarked, “Parents these days… most can’t even fry an egg. How do they manage to raise kids?”
Teacher Zhang added, “Grandparents probably do most of the work. Some parents can’t even change a diaper!”