Gourmet: Twins' Father and Chef of the Kindergarten-Chapter 227 - 213: Hooked on Playing

Huang Jun’s family held hands and, along with many other parents and children, stepped onto the red carpet symbolizing good fortune and joy, passed through the meticulously decorated archway, and officially entered a venue full of traditional charm and festive atmosphere for the Mid-Autumn Festival event...

Here.

Rows of small tables were neatly arranged, like a winding path leading everyone forward in exploration.

In front of the tables, the teachers wore elegant Hanfu, looking like ladies from an ancient painting, warmly welcoming every child with a classical yet friendly demeanor.

On a table beside the arch, there was red cinnabar powder and exquisite brushes.

Liu Suyu, dressed in a white Hanfu, was intently marking the children’s foreheads with a cinnabar dot.

Qingqing and Weiwei were instantly drawn to the scene before them.

Qingqing blinked her big, star-like eyes and asked curiously, "Daddy, what are they doing?"

Huang Jun smiled and gently bent down, patiently explaining to her and Weiwei, "Qingqing, Weiwei, this is a traditional Mid-Autumn Festival ceremony called ’Cinnabar Intelligence Opening.’ Red cinnabar is used to mark a spot on the children’s foreheads, this ’mark’ sounds like the word for ’wisdom’ in Chinese, symbolizing the opening of the door to wisdom. I hope in the future, you may see clearly and think wisely, be smart and sharp, love to read, read good books, and continue to improve, becoming wise individuals."

Weiwei, her eyes filled with anticipation, eagerly said, "Daddy, I want a cinnabar mark too, I want to be wise and sharp!"

Qingqing immediately followed, "I want one too, I want to be wise and sharp, become a wise person!"

Huang Jun nodded with a smile, "Don’t worry, every child will get one! It’ll be our turn soon, just be a little patient."

Just as he was speaking,

it was Qingqing and Weiwei’s turn.

Liu Suyu saw that it was Huang Jun’s family and smiled with a charming curve of the lips, nodding slightly to him.

Consider this a warm greeting!

"Qingqing, you go first!" Liu Suyu gently called.

"Okay~"

Qingqing nodded, closing her eyes nervously and with anticipation.

Liu Suyu lightly touched the center of her forehead with the cinnabar brush, leaving a bright red mark.

"Alright, you can open your eyes and look now." Liu Suyu said softly.

Upon hearing this, Qingqing slowly opened her eyes.

She could clearly see the bright red mark on her forehead reflected on her father’s phone screen.

She immediately broke into a happy smile, "Wow, I have a cinnabar mark too!"

Then, Teacher Liu Suyu leaned slightly toward Weiwei and said, "Weiwei, it’s your turn now..."

Weiwei widened her curious eyes, staring intently at the cinnabar brush in her hand.

Feeling a little nervous and excited~

"Weiwei, don’t be nervous, you can close your eyes just like Qingqing." Liu Suyu laughed gently.

Obediently, Weiwei closed her eyes, and Liu Suyu once more picked up the cinnabar brush, lightly touching her forehead.

In an instant,

a bright red mark appeared at the center of Weiwei’s forehead.

Weiwei eagerly opened her eyes and gently touched the fresh cinnabar mark on her forehead, and a bright smile spread across her face.

She proudly raised the corners of her mouth, "I have one too! I’m as smart as Sis!"

"Hehe~"

The sisters looked at each other, examining the red marks on each other’s foreheads, finding it amusing.

"Thanks, Manager Liu."

Huang Jun expressed his gratitude, then continued onward with Qingqing and Weiwei.

After a few steps...

Zheng Yujia suddenly approached, holding two fresh green spring onions.

With a smile, she handed the spring onions to Qingqing and Weiwei, "Qingqing, Weiwei, these are gifts for you. I hope you grow up smart and healthy!"

"???Qingqing and Weiwei looked at the spring onions in their hands, their faces showing a hint of confusion.

They looked up at Huang Jun, their eyes sparkling with inquiry, as if asking if they should accept this unusual gift.

Huang Jun smiled and nodded at them, "Take it, it’s a good wish from the teacher, hoping you’ll be smart and clever!"

However, deep down, he was already planning the evening menu.

"We have spring onions, we also need a piece of pork belly, tonight let’s have fried pork with spring onions, it’ll be delicious..." he secretly planned, already looking forward to the upcoming bountiful dinner.

That’s right.

In just a few seconds, he had started devising the dinner.

What?

Do you think Qingqing and Weiwei would be upset about it?

Hahaha, you’re really underestimating these two little foodies!

Just think about it, they’ve never been shy about eating even the cutest giggle, so why would they mind a green onion?

So...

As long as the stir-fried meat with green onion is served, these two kids will definitely drool and might even ask for another round!

In fact, there are quite a few parents who share Huang Jun’s thoughts.

When these parents receive this symbolic green onion, the first thought that flashes in their minds is how to make the most of it and turn it into a delicious dish...

The green onion might never understand that it was bought by the park as a symbolic gift of good fortune, yet it still can’t escape its fate of being served at the table.

In the eyes of thrifty and frugal parents, it is not only a symbol of good luck but also an ingredient for a delicious meal...

Ah!

What a helpless destiny...

At this moment, Huang Jun’s family of three thanked Zheng Yujia and then followed the crowd, continuing to explore this activity venue full of traditional charm.

In no time, they arrived at the "Drum to Declare Ambition" event.

In front of them stood a giant drum, beautifully patterned on its surface. Around the drum, parents with their children took turns stepping up to beat the drum with force, producing a series of rich and resonant sounds...

The whole scene was filled with laughter and was very lively.

Qingqing looked up curiously at Huang Jun, "Daddy, why are the kids beating the drum? And why do they hit it three times?"

"Yeah, why three times?" Weiwei tilted her little face, also showing a puzzled expression.

Huang Jun crouched down, gently stroking Qingqing and Weiwei’s heads, patiently explaining to them, "Qingqing, Weiwei, they are beating the drum to declare their ambition. This has been a traditional custom of the Huaxia people since ancient times, just like setting off firecrackers during the New Year, all to bring good fortune. You see, each of the three drumbeats has its own special meaning. The first drumbeat is for ’respecting elders and clarifying ambitions,’ which means we should respect our elders and clarify our aspirations and goals; the second drumbeat is for ’loving learning and working hard,’ signifying that we should love learning, work hard, and keep improving; the third drumbeat is for ’learning etiquette and knowing shame,’ which tells us to learn manners, understand shame, and become cultured and moral individuals."

Although Qingqing and Weiwei didn’t quite grasp these profound truths, they nodded earnestly to show they were listening seriously.

Nearby parents and teachers, seeing Huang Jun speak so well, cast admiring glances at him.

Actually, Huang Jun had crammed to learn this knowledge when he found out about the event.

When it was their family’s turn...

He led Qingqing and Weiwei to the front of the drum.

He asked with a smile, "Qingqing, Weiwei, it’s time for us to drum and declare our ambition, are you ready?"

"Ready!"

Qingqing and Weiwei responded loudly.

"Very good!"

Huang Jun smiled with satisfaction, then handed the drumsticks to Qingqing and Weiwei, guiding them to hold them tightly. He then gave a quiet command, "Drum!"

The three of them almost simultaneously put all their strength into hitting the drum surface.

Immediately, the sound of the drum roared, powerfully resonating in the air.

After three beats, Weiwei still seemed unsatisfied, blinking her bright eyes and looking up at Huang Jun, "Daddy, I want to drum again, it’s so fun!"

Oh my!

My darling, you’ve really gotten into it, haven’t you?

He turned around to see the parents and kids watching them, all with friendly gazes directed at his family.

Some parents behind him recognized Huang Jun and said with a smile, "Qingqing’s dad, does Weiwei want to drum more? Let her go ahead and have a few more hits, it’s fine..."

Faced with this warmth and kindness, Huang Jun was full of gratitude, but he also understood the importance of maintaining order and fairness at the event.

So...

Huang Jun smiled faintly, gently patted Weiwei’s head, "Weiwei, drumming to declare ambition is a meaningful activity, but you can’t just keep drumming. We’ve already made our lovely wishes, now it’s time for other kids to have a go. We need to understand the order of activities, so everyone can enjoy the fun and beauty of the event."

Weiwei showed a hint of reluctance but nodded sensibly.

"Alright, next we should go release the lotus lanterns..." Huang Jun once again took Qingqing and Weiwei’s small hands and headed toward the pond. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

In the pond, multicolored lotus lanterns were already floating on the water, each lamp emitted a soft glow.

Huang Jun took three exquisite lotus lanterns from the activity teacher, their petals made of soft plastic, with a small LED light at the bottom of each lamp.

He handed the lotus lanterns to Qingqing and Weiwei.

Weiwei curiously inspected the new lotus lantern, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "Daddy, does this lantern light up?"

"Yes, Weiwei," Huang Jun replied with a smile, "Look, here’s a switch, if we press it gently, it will light up."

He demonstrated to his daughters how to turn on the lotus lantern’s switch.

When the light turned on, Weiwei exclaimed in delight, "Wow, it’s really beautiful!"

Their family of three stood by the shimmering pond and placed the lotus lanterns into the water.

As the water gently rippled, the lotus lanterns floated serenely on the surface, swaying lightly with the breeze and emitting a soft and warm glow.

Though the daylight was still bright, making the lamps less conspicuous, it did nothing to diminish the charm of the lotus lanterns.

Huang Jun’s family of three focused intently on watching their lotus lanterns drift slowly on the water’s surface, their eyes filled with beautiful anticipation and hope for the future...