Daddy's Gourmet Shop-Chapter 249 - 241: Even Tastier Than the Food Festival?

Chapter 249: Chapter 241: Even Tastier Than the Food Festival?

As the diners gradually left the restaurant, it signified the end of the lunch service at the Delicious Restaurant.

Huang Tao and the others finally sat down for their delayed lunch.

"Let’s eat~"

Once the dishes were all served on the table, Huang Tao called out and sat down, picking up his chopsticks.

Song Cailian and Xuanxuan simultaneously picked up their chopsticks, each placing a portion of food into his bowl.

"You’ve been busy all morning, eat more," Song Cailian said with a loving expression.

"Daddy, you’ve worked hard!"

Xuanxuan’s beautiful eyes curved slightly as she pursed her lips and gave a soft, sweet smile, dimples shallow on her fair cheeks.

Hearing this, warmth filled Huang Tao’s heart.

Being cared for by family feels wonderful~

"Alright, let’s eat," Huang Tao said, enjoying the sweet taste of the food in his bowl.

"Mm-hmm~"

Xuanxuan nodded obediently and then smiled sweetly at her grandparents across the table: "Grandma, Grandpa, try this West Lake Vinegar Fish. It’s something you rarely get to taste~"

With that, she looked expectantly at her grandparents.

She absolutely loves hearing praises for her daddy!

Never gets tired of it!

Huang Yide picked up a piece of West Lake Vinegar Fish and tasted it, his eyes lighting up: "Mm, delicious, even better than the West Lake Vinegar Fish we had at the food festival last time!"

Xuanxuan was very pleased with her grandpa’s praise.

This time she tilted her head, looking expectantly at her grandma, who then asked, "Is it really better than the one at the food festival?"

"Really, try it, it really tastes better than last time!"

"Even if you hadn’t said, I was going to try it!"

With that.

Song Cailian picked up a piece of West Lake Vinegar Fish and put it in her mouth.

"Mm~ It’s really good, definitely better than the one from last time!"

Song Cailian nodded in agreement and then added a praise: "Tao’s cooking skills have improved quite a lot!"

Xuanxuan’s chubby little face was full of excitement: "Everything daddy cooks is super super delicious!"

As she spoke.

Huang Tao picked a piece of fish with fewer bones for her, removing the remaining bones, and placed it on her plate, speaking softly: "Eat it while it’s warm, it won’t taste as good if it gets cold."

Xuanxuan nodded obediently and picked up her chopsticks to start eating.

While eating.

Her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she remembered something, then she leaned back slightly, looking at the bicycle parked in the corner not far away.

Seeing this, Huang Tao quickly reached out to support her back, preventing her from leaning too far back and losing her balance, which might cause her to fall.

He gently reminded her: "Xuanxuan, sit up properly and don’t move around."

Xuanxuan blinked her lovely big eyes and shared her thoughts with her dad: "Daddy, after lunch, I want to learn how to ride a bicycle."

"Oh!"

With her saying this, Huang Tao remembered the promise he had made with his daughter before. He nodded and said: "Alright then, once we’re done eating, Daddy will join you."

Upon hearing this, Xuanxuan quickened her pace of eating.

After finally finishing lunch.

She couldn’t wait to urge: "Daddy, hurry up, come teach me how to ride the bike."

"Don’t rush~"

Seeing his daughter’s eagerness, Huang Tao smiled helplessly: "First, we need to put on the protective gear. This way, even if you accidentally fall during practice, you won’t get hurt. Otherwise, it will be very painful."

Speaking, he helped Xuanxuan put on her helmet, and also put on elbow pads, knee pads, and hand guards for her.

Once they were all on, he checked everything and made sure there was no problem.

He then pulled out a "sweat-absorbing towel", a parent’s tool, and placed it on her back.

This way it could absorb sweat later.

After everything was ready, he took out the bicycle from the corner, pushed it outside the restaurant, and let her push it herself.

"Grandpa, Grandma!"

With a bright smile on her face, Xuanxuan clumsily pushed her bicycle, her exclusive one, and called her grandparents to happily head towards the plaza on West City Old Street.

Since it was afternoon, the plaza dancing ladies weren’t present, making the plaza appear particularly spacious.

Huang Tao kicked down the bicycle kickstand to stabilize it on the ground.

Then he held the handlebars with one hand and the seat with the other, cautiously guiding Xuanxuan to climb onto the seat and sit securely.

He adjusted the seat height to suit her current height appropriately.

"Xuanxuan, place your little hands on each side of the handlebars, remember to hold them steady, and then push forward with your feet on these pedals..."

Huang Tao explained while demonstrating, then gave her a reassuring look: "Be bold and ride forward, Daddy will be holding the back seat and won’t let you fall."

Despite Xuanxuan’s earlier eager and ready-to-go demeanor.

As soon as she sat on the bicycle seat, holding the handlebars, and stepping on the pedals, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear inside.

Nervously and uneasily, she glanced sideways at her dad, who was holding the handlebars with one hand and the back of the seat with the other: "Daddy, make sure you’re holding tightly..."

"Don’t be afraid, Daddy is here!"

Huang Tao softly encouraged her: "Just bravely pedal forward..."

"Xuanxuan, don’t be afraid, your dad will hold you," Song Cailian and her husband also encouraged her.

Xuanxuan nodded, gathered her courage, and pedaled hard on the pedals.

As she applied strength to the pedals, the bicycle started moving slowly and steadily forward.

Huang Tao stayed closely behind her, with his left hand helping to steer the handlebars and his right hand firmly gripping the back seat handle, helping her push the bicycle forward with effort.

Thanks to his thorough protection, Xuanxuan, as a beginner, felt secure and stable on the bicycle.

Her confidence gradually grew, and her pedaling motions became more skillful over time.

The pace increased significantly!

As the speed increased, Huang Tao had to let go of the handlebars.

As soon as he released the handlebars, the bicycle wobbled slightly.

"Ah..."

Startled, Xuanxuan quickly shut her eyes, feeling as though she would fall to the ground the next second.

However...

Her fear didn’t come to pass.

Huang Tao’s right hand remained firmly on the back seat handle, keeping the bicycle steady and controlled.

"Xuanxuan, make sure you hold the handlebars properly and maintain your balance."

He raised his voice and instructed, "Now keep pedaling forward."

After hearing her father’s words, she suddenly opened her eyes and saw that she hadn’t fallen. Her eyes revealed a look of surprise.

Huh?

I’m actually okay~

With this, the courage that almost terrified her returned.

Following her father’s words, she obediently held the handlebars, maintained her balance, and pedaled forward diligently.

With Huang Tao’s help, Xuanxuan glided around the square like a nimble little bird.

Gradually...

She quickly grasped the basic skills.

The more she rode, the faster she went, and the easier it became.

Immersed in the joy of riding, she couldn’t help but let out a bell-like laugh.

"Daddy, riding a bike is so much fun~"

Hearing his daughter’s cheerful voice, Huang Tao couldn’t help but smile. He thought for a moment and asked, "Xuanxuan, you’re doing great now. So, how about I let go and you try riding on your own, okay?"

"Sure!"

Xuanxuan nodded confidently.

Huang Tao slowly let go.

The next second, the bicycle veered out of his control, carrying Xuanxuan forward.

But after a few meters, the bicycle started to wobble. Xuanxuan’s nerves tightened suddenly, and the more anxious she got, the less she knew how to control it.

Thus...

The bicycle lost its balance.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Instinctively, she cried out to her father for help.

Just as her whole body was tilting to one side, almost causing both her and the bike to fall, a pair of large hands grabbed the handlebars and stabilized her waist, preventing a fall.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Huang Yide and his wife, who were strolling not far away, asked with concern.

"I’m fine, just a bit scared."

Huang Tao replied, stabilizing the bicycle.

Helping adjust her slightly askew safety helmet, he asked with concern, "Are you scared?"

"Yes!"

She nodded vigorously, saying with lingering fear, "Very scared."

Huang Tao asked again, "Do you still want to continue riding?"

Xuanxuan looked down, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, "I do."

Almost falling, but riding a bike was really fun, and it was rare that her dad was playing along.

Huang Tao reached out to tidy her messy bangs, "If you continue riding, there might be times you’ll almost fall like just now. Aren’t you scared?"

Xuanxuan’s little face flushed red, scrunching up like a dumpling.

The frightening feeling from before was still fresh in her mind!

"Well..."

She bit her lip, thought for a while, and remembered how stable her riding was when her dad was holding on, not shaky at all!

She looked up at Huang Tao and asked in an asking tone, "Daddy, can you not let go? If you don’t let go, I won’t fall."

These words made a lot of sense indeed.

But my dear!

Daddy can protect you for a while, but not forever. You have to learn to be independent and strong!

He really, really doted on Xuanxuan, but he didn’t want to raise her to become a delicate flower.

If he kept holding on, how could she learn to ride on her own and not develop a habit of dependence?

Even though he helped this time, he would definitely not help next time.

Even if it pained him!

After all, teaching her to be independent and strong is what a father truly needs to accomplish.

Huang Tao smiled and said, "But I can’t always be right behind you! Look at the kids around here, whose daddy follows them while they ride?"

She blinked her eyes, thought for a moment, then shook her head, "Nope, kids ride so well on their own."

"They ride well on their own because their daddies let go. If their daddies didn’t let go, it would be hard for them to learn. Of course, they probably fell a few times during the learning process."

Huang Tao gently patted Xuanxuan’s helmet-covered little head and encouragingly said, "Xuanxuan, Daddy hopes you can learn to ride by yourself. I hope you can be a brave, strong, and independent child. Daddy believes you can do it."

Xuanxuan bit her lip, then her eyes showed a hint of determination, "Daddy, I’ll definitely learn it well."

"Yes, Daddy believes in you."

Huang Tao looked gratified, "I’ll hold you first, and when you ride more steadily, I’ll let go. If the bike starts wobbling and you feel unsure about continuing, you can use your right foot to brace the ground to lessen the fall..."

"Okay~"

Xuanxuan nodded obediently.

She got back on the bike.

Just like at the start, Huang Tao helped hold the back seat and ran alongside her for two laps, then quietly let go without hesitation.

Not knowing her father had let go, she rode steadily.

But when she circled back and saw her father standing without holding on, her eyes showed a clear look of surprise, and the bike wobbled slightly.

Luckily, she reacted in time and used her foot to brace herself, so she didn’t fall hard.

Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

It hurts!

Wanna cry!

But Xuanxuan didn’t cry,

Xuanxuan is a brave and strong kid!

She turned to look at Huang Tao, who encouraged her, "Xuanxuan, get up by yourself. You’ve done really well."

"Mmm~"

She blinked her eyes, supported herself with her hands, and got up, then picked up the bicycle.

Again and again, after falling two or three times, she finally mastered the skills of riding a bicycle. Even when losing balance, she could immediately brace herself and not fall anymore.

In the end, she could ride against the wind and circle the square.

"Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, look—I can ride a bike now~"

She was extremely happy, often letting out bell-like laughter.