Children cooking? Seriously?

Xie Yuan couldn't help chuckling.

Gu Yanzhou snapped, "What are you laughing at?"

Xie Yuan placed Xiao Hua in Mu Ze's arms and stood up. "I'm laughing because Teacher Su forgot to bring her brain with her again today."

"Look at me..." Xie Yuan looked annoyed with himself. "I forgot Teacher Su doesn't have a brain."

"Xie Yuan!" Gu Yanzhou roared.

His voice echoed through the classroom, startling all the children. The younger ones hid behind the older ones.

Xiao Hua shrank into Mu Ze's arms and buried her face against him.

The boy who had hidden behind Xiao Miao earlier looked about to burst into tears, his eyes misty.

Xie Yuan stepped forward, a terrifying aura erupting from him.

Gu Yanzhou felt as though a wild beast had fixed its gaze on him. His body stiffened involuntarily, and his heart raced.

Xie Yuan stared at him with utterly cold eyes. "What are you roaring for? Do you think you're a gorilla?"

"Can't you see you've scared the children?"

"If there weren't children here, I'd knock your mouth crooked today."

Ignoring the stunned Gu Yanzhou, he turned to stare at Su Wanyue.

Su Wanyue stiffened, involuntarily letting go of Gu Yanzhou's arm and taking a step back.

Xie Yuan's lips curled mockingly. "As good with words as ever, Teacher Su."

"President Gu was the one picking a fight, but you made it sound as though we were in the wrong."

"If you think that mouth of yours is useless, why not..."

"...sew it shut?"

Su Wanyue stumbled, and Xiao Miao quickly reached out beside her to steady her.

Only then did she avoid collapsing ungracefully onto the floor.

Pale-faced, Su Wanyue apologized in a trembling voice. "Teacher Xie, I didn't think it through."

"I shouldn't have spoken without thinking just because I was worried things would get out of hand."

She quietly tugged at the hem of Gu Yanzhou's clothes, and only then did he come to his senses.

He apologized with a dark expression. "I was wrong here. I apologize for scaring the children."

"Can we let this go now?"

"Use your brain before you speak next time." Xie Yuan turned and sat back down.

Su Wanyue breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile. "Children, let's carry on with our task."

Gu Yanzhou followed Su Wanyue and the children, glancing back at Xie Yuan.

That aura was definitely not something an ordinary person should possess.

In that instant, he had felt that Xie Yuan would definitely do it.

Xie Yuan held his hands out to Mu Ze.

Mu Ze paused before realizing what he meant and handing Xiao Hua over.

Once in Xie Yuan's arms, Xiao Hua looked perfectly well-behaved.

Amused, Xie Yuan pinched her cheek. "Don't worry. Our Xiao Hua is sweet and adorable, and I like you very much. I won't hit you."

"I'm a good citizen. I obey the law and won't do anything illegal."

Only then did Xiao Hua relax a little.

Looking up to find four pairs of shining eyes fixed on him, Xie Yuan said in amusement, "What are you all looking at me for? Finished your homework?"

Xiaomai sounded excited. "Xie Yuan, you were so cool just now!"

The children nodded repeatedly, their eyes full of admiration.

Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Don't copy me. If you run into trouble, go to the police first thing. Understand?"

Xiaomai exchanged looks with the other children and nodded. "We understand."

"We'll do as we're told."

Mu Ze watched Xie Yuan, his expression unconsciously softening further.

In the livestream chat.

[President Gu's shout really startled me just now.]

[This was between the adults. Why drag the children into it?]

[Objectively speaking, Xie Yuan and Mu Ze weren't talking loudly. The two groups weren't close, either. They were in opposite corners. Without listening carefully, they couldn't have heard what the other group was saying.]

[If Young Master Xie hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't even have noticed how odd a certain someone's words sounded.]

[Whenever a certain someone speaks, it's always so vague. Anyone who didn't know better would probably have misunderstood Young Master Xie already.]

[Enough already. Hasn't Yueyue apologized? Do you really have to keep harping on it?]

[So what? Would things have gotten this far if Xie Dog hadn't kept pushing?]

The chat bickered noisily, while only quiet voices could be heard in the classroom.

A little over ten minutes later, a bell rang through the orphanage.

Xiaomai and the other children stopped writing, packed up their books, and returned their schoolbags to their places, moving quickly and in an orderly manner.

Xie Yuan closed his book. Xiaomai had already put his bag away and returned.

"Xie Yuan, Mu Ze, we need to go help cook. Can we finish our homework after we eat?"

"Go ahead." Xie Yuan waved, letting the children leave.

Over on Su Wanyue's side.

Hearing Xiao Miao's words, she paused, her brow unconsciously furrowing.

"You're still children. How can they make you cook?"

Xiao Miao and the other children paused. "Why can't we cook?"

Su Wanyue explained patiently, "You're still young. Cooking should be the adults' job."

A child around five years old asked, "Why is it the adults' job? Don't we need to eat?"

Su Wanyue faltered. "Because you're still young. What if you accidentally get hurt?"

The child continued, "Would we get hurt cooking? Isn't it easy?"

These two questions made Su Wanyue's expression stiffen briefly. "That's not what I meant. I just think children aren't very strong and can't control their strength well. Handling knives is too dangerous."

Xiao Miao tugged at the child who was about to keep asking questions. "Please don't take it to heart."

"We're used to cooking. We won't get hurt."

The children left the classroom with Xiao Miao.

Su Wanyue stood stunned for a moment, unable to quite understand.

Although she had been born in the countryside, her parents had never let her cook in the kitchen when she was little, saying they were afraid she would hurt herself.

The children she had met later were all their families' treasures. Who would let them into the kitchen?

Gu Yanzhou noticed her confusion. "We'll know once we go take a look."

In the livestream chat.

[Is this some heartless orphanage? How can they make children cook? What are the director and the other adults doing? Waiting to be fed?]

[Having to cook for themselves at such a young age. Those poor children.]

[Seriously, what's all the fuss about? Plenty of children start cooking when they're young.]

[I don't think it's that simple. The director looks fierce, but she has a good heart. Otherwise, she wouldn't have opened an orphanage and taken in so many children.]

[Hard to say.]

The guests were all curious and went to the dining hall together.

In the dining hall's kitchen, eight or nine children had clearly assigned tasks.

The older ones chopped vegetables, while the younger ones washed them.

A few five- or six-year-olds helped wash dishes and pass over seasonings.

A man and a woman around forty stood nearby, both busy working as well.

Director Wu was helping too.

The three adults glanced at the children from time to time.

Fortunately, the kitchen was large. Otherwise, there might not have been room for so many people.

The guests and camera operators were in the dining hall, where they could see everything inside clearly through the glass windows.

Watching the children work, quite a few crew members' eyes grew moist.

The guests' expressions were also complicated.

Wang Zihua watched the busy children. "I've never even set foot in a kitchen. Compared with these children, I feel completely useless."

The other guests stared at the children in a daze.

Weren't they just the same?

Su Wanyue frowned, her face full of concern, and said quietly, "I still think these children are too young. It's too dangerous for them to be in the kitchen."

"What if they accidentally cut their hands?"