Gourmet: Twins' Father and Chef of the Kindergarten-Chapter 209 - 195: The Taste Is Acceptable

In the large conference room of Dorami Kindergarten.

Wan Zhenhong and the members of the expert evaluation leadership group sat upright at the conference table, attentively listening to Liang Yinqiu’s report while meticulously reviewing the evaluation materials.

As Liang Yinqiu continued to speak, the evaluators either nodded in agreement or frowned in thought, occasionally exchanging whispers to discuss crucial details...

At that very moment.

The conference room door was gently knocked on, making a "knock, knock, knock" sound.

This sudden noise interrupted the silence in the conference room.

The members of the expert evaluation group and Wan Zhenhong both turned their gazes towards the door, curiosity stirring in their hearts about who might be disturbing them at this time.

Director Liang Yinqiu frowned slightly but then let it go, nodding at Liu Suyu, indicating for her to check it out.

Liu Suyu immediately understood.

She stood up, walked lightly to the door, and slowly opened it...

The scene outside took her by surprise...

There stood Aunt Li with a tray of brightly colored, finely cut fruit platter and a plate of delicately fragrant, neatly shaped green bean pastries, smiling as she waited outside the door.

Liu Suyu quickly stepped forward and softly said, "Aunt Li, thank you so much. I’ll take it from here."

As she spoke, she reached out to take the tray from Aunt Li’s hands.

"It’s no trouble, you all are busy, I’ll head back now. If you need anything, feel free to call me anytime."

As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Li turned and left, leaving Liu Suyu standing at the door with the fruit and pastry trays.

The next second...

Liu Suyu walked into the conference room, placing the fruit and pastry trays steadily on the conference table.

She smiled and said, "Director Wan, Director Xin, and esteemed experts, you’ve all worked hard! These are some snacks and fruits specially prepared by our kindergarten, hoping you can take a short break and enjoy during the evaluation."

Liang Yinqiu also timely added, "Experts, these snacks and fruits were meticulously crafted by our kindergarten’s chefs, we hope you enjoy them."

As she spoke, she gestured invitingly.

Wan Zhenhong and Xin Jinghui initially intended to say "there’s no need for such formality," but in the next moment, as Liang Yinqiu finished speaking, they keenly caught onto an important detail — these fruits and pastries were personally prepared by Huang Jun!

Their intuition told them that these seemingly simple green bean pastries were, in fact, delicious beyond compare.

The green bean pastries were carefully arranged on the plate, their surfaces smooth and delicate, shimmering with a faint gloss. Each one resembled a petite jade, neatly in order.

At the edge of the plate, the bright green of the pastries contrasted sharply with the pure white of the plate, enhancing the pastries’ enticing color.

So then...

They couldn’t help but swallow at the delicate fragrance of the green bean pastries.

The thought in their hearts became: "Let’s not stand on ceremony, let’s have a taste."

Eagerly, the two reached out for the green bean pastries, taking a bite...

A faint fragrance of green bean spread throughout their mouths, followed by the sweet aroma of green beans blended with the pastry’s tenderness, sweet but not cloying, with a refreshing hint of coolness.

Upon careful savoring.

The green bean paste in the pastries was dense, like holding a cloud of delicate fineness, melting instantly upon entering the mouth. The pastry’s sweetness was perfectly balanced, neither overly sweet nor lacking, highlighting the green bean’s original fragrance.

Every bite felt like a feast for the tastebuds, leaving a lingering aftertaste...

Jiao Ziming inadvertently noticed Wan Zhenhong and Xin Jinghui savoring the green bean pastries and casually asked, "Old Wan, Old Xin, how’s the taste of these green bean pastries? Pretty good, right?"

Wan Zhenhong replied nonchalantly, "The taste is passable, just a bit cloying, after eating too many, your mouth might feel a bit sticky."

He knew well that Jiao Ziming and the others were practical people, not too interested in snacks like this.

Indeed.

After hearing his evaluation, Jiao Ziming lost interest in the green bean pastries and turned back to focus on the watermelon slices in his hand.

Director Liang and Liu Suyu listened and couldn’t help but glance at each other, puzzled.

That shouldn’t be!

With Huang Jun’s handiwork, it’s never been anything but delicious, how could it not be tasty?

If it weren’t for the presence of the leaders, they would have liked to immediately reach out for one to taste, to see if Wan Zhenhong’s evaluation was true.

Wait a moment!

When Wan Zhenhong was eating the green bean pastries, he was clearly enjoying them, that blissful expression was unmistakably savoring something delicious.

So why would he give such an evaluation now?

Could it be...

Exactly.

They strongly suspected that Wan Zhenhong was deliberately speaking contrary to his feelings, trying to confuse his colleagues to keep the green bean pastries to himself, but unfortunately, they had no evidence to prove it.

Xin Jinghui, on the other hand, looked at Wan Zhenhong, puzzled, with similar confusion in his heart.

He thought the green bean cake had a delicate texture, sweet but not cloying, which was vastly different from Wan Zhenhong’s assessment.

He couldn’t help but lean over and whisper in Wan Zhenhong’s ear: "Old Wan, are you sure this green bean cake is cloying? I think it’s quite nice, very refreshing in texture."

Wan Zhenhong slightly turned his head, giving Xin Jinghui a look, as if to say: We’ve worked together for so many years, yet you still don’t know what I’m up to.

He cleared his throat and lowered his voice, whispering in Xin Jinghui’s ear: "Old Xin, I said it on purpose. You know, Jiao Ziming and the others aren’t fond of sweets. By saying this, he won’t eat any, and we’ll get to eat more."

Wow!

That’s a clever move!

Truly a crafty fox, to think of this!

Xin Jinghui was in awe, thoroughly impressed by Wan Zhenhong’s wit, and felt fortunate to be on the same team; otherwise, such cleverness might have been used against him.

The two leisurely savored the food, sometimes enjoying a slice of refreshing watermelon, sometimes taking a bite of the delicate green bean cake, occasionally picking up a sunny grape, taking a bite of green bean cake, inserting a cherry tomato, then eating another bite of green bean cake...

Under the meticulous strategy of diversion and stealth employed by Wan Zhenhong and Xin Jinghui, the other expert judges didn’t notice the green bean cake was actually delicious.

No choice!

Because Wan Zhenhong and Xin Jinghui were just too sly!

Their attention was cleverly diverted, completely unaware of Wan Zhenhong and Xin Jinghui’s little actions, and totally overlooked the existence of the green bean cake.

Among them, the female expert judge Xie Shufang once got close to the truth, her hand almost touching the green bean cake, only to be interrupted by Wan Zhenhong’s enthusiasm: "Shufang, seeing you so focused, you must be tired, right? Here, try this slice of watermelon, it’s refreshing and quenching."

As he spoke, Wan Zhenhong skillfully picked up a toothpick, speared a slice of watermelon, and handed it to Xie Shufang.

Faced with this sudden concern, Xie Shufang was slightly taken aback, then smiled gratefully, took the watermelon, and softly said, "Thank you, Director Wan!"

"You’re welcome, enjoy!" Wan Zhenhong raised his chin in a gesture.

"Okay!"

Xie Shufang nodded and took a small bite of the watermelon, the sweet juice flowing in her mouth, instantly dispelling the fatigue from long hours of work. Her attention was completely drawn by the refreshing taste, almost forgetting what she originally intended to do.

"Director Liang’s sunflower grape purchase today is really good, they’re big and the flesh is fresh, crisp, and juicy, sweet but not cloying. Shufang, come, try this sunflower grape." Xin Jinghui coordinated with Wan Zhenhong, pointing to the sunflower grapes on the plate, enthusiastically inviting.

"Thank you, Director Xin!"

And so, under the repeated enthusiastic offensives of Wan Zhenhong and Xin Jinghui, the initially confused Xie Shufang was completely swayed, inexplicably reaching for the crystal-clear sunflower grapes.

This scene was coincidentally seen by Jiao Ziming, who couldn’t help but feel a hint of suspicion.

These two old fellows aren’t usually so enthusiastic, why are they taking such an interest in Xie Shufang today?

There must be something fishy here.

He puzzledly asked, "Director Wan, Director Xin, why are you suddenly so attentive to Shufang today? This isn’t like your usual style!"

Wan Zhenhong cleared his throat and pretended to be serious, "Old Jiao, you’ve got us wrong. We care about Shufang because we’re colleagues, and we should care for each other. You see how hard Shufang works, we just want her to have some fruit and relax her tense mood."

Xin Jinghui also chimed in, "Yeah, Old Jiao, we’re not the type to only look out for ourselves. Shufang is so capable, we naturally want to care for her. Besides, these sunflower grapes are really tasty; it’s better to enjoy together than alone, right?"

The two spoke righteously, as if genuinely concerned for a colleague, but Jiao Ziming remained unmoved, secretly vigilant in his heart.

After all, he knew these two old foxes’ tricks well and wouldn’t be easily fooled by their words.

He intended to retort once or twice more but was interrupted by a colleague’s inquiry beside him.

He had to temporarily set aside his doubts and discuss work matters with his colleague.

Xin Jinghui then realized a crucial issue belatedly, he quietly leaned close to Wan Zhenhong’s ear and whispered: "Old Wan, if we finish this plate of green bean cakes, we’ll have no room for lunch later!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Right!

The green bean cake is delicious, but if they eat too much, there’s no way they’ll have room for lunch.

Wouldn’t that be a loss!

Upon hearing this, Wan Zhenhong suddenly recalled this important matter that was forgotten, and his face immediately revealed an anxious expression.

But soon.

A glimmer of inspiration flashed through his eyes as he thought of a solution.

He calmly took out a plastic bag from his pocket and placed the untouched green bean cakes inside.

This way, he could take the green bean cakes home to enjoy slowly! He wouldn’t miss lunch, and he could still savor the delicious green bean cakes, truly killing two birds with one stone!

Wan Zhenhong silently applauded his wise decision.

In fact, these plastic bags were originally intended for packing lunch, but he didn’t expect to use them in advance.

Xin Jinghui: "(•’╻’•)꒳ᵒ꒳ᵎᵎᵎ"

Oh my!

You can do that?

Why didn’t he think of this!

Got to hand it to you, Director Wan, you’re truly a genius!

The only one I’ll bow to is Director Wan!