Chapter 57: I Really Deserve to Die

He didn’t just see the lush, vibrant little greens.

He also saw the four neatly constructed greenhouses beside the backyard, built under the director’s orders.

Greenhouses were great. With these, he could grow his favorite vegetables, strawberries, watermelons, and more. Even in winter, they’d have fresh produce to eat.

Each greenhouse could also house two beehives to help pollinate the fruits and vegetables.

And when the work was done, they could harvest the honey.

Honey from bees they raised themselves would definitely taste amazing.

If he ever didn’t know what to cook, he could just grab a basket and stroll through the greenhouses.

Whatever was growing, he’d pick it and cook it.

The whole point was to go with the flow and improvise on the spot.

Just thinking about it made him excited!

And from the looks of it, those four greenhouses were pretty big.

Each one was about four or five meters wide.

As for the length, it had to be at least a hundred meters.

If they planted only strawberries in one of them, the yield would be massive.

Even if everyone at the orphanage worked overtime and lived in the greenhouse eating strawberries nonstop, they probably still wouldn’t finish them all.

Hmm, but that raises a question: what if they can’t eat all the produce?

Had the director thought about that?

Well, whatever. Since she arranged for such a large area to be used for growing fruits and vegetables, she must have her own plans.

As a chef, he should just focus on his kitchen duties.

After picking a big handful of greens, Master Zhao turned around with his basket and headed back.

Honestly, these greens hadn’t been planted for that long, yet they were already growing so well.

They looked so fresh and green, they had to be delicious, right?

As he passed the pond, Master Zhao paused and stared at the water for a while.

This place was great. Once the fish grew a bit more, he’d love to buy a fishing rod and come here to fish for fun.

Yeah, he’d bring it up with the director later and see what she thought.

If she didn’t mind, he could take on a side gig as a fisherman.

Back in the kitchen, Master Zhao started working on new recipes.

After a bit of experimenting, he’d take a break.

Sometimes he’d watch TV, sometimes scroll through videos on his phone.

When it looked like it was about time, he started prepping for dinner.

Tonight’s dinner would be vegetable congee with minced meat flower rolls, plus a few stir-fried dishes to round it out.

The vibrant green vegetables were washed clean, then blanched in boiling water for half a minute. After that, he scooped them out and soaked them in cold water.

Once cooled, he drained and finely chopped them for later use.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Master Zhao felt like today’s greens looked especially fresh and sweet.

He picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth.

Wow. There weren’t even any seasonings, yet he could taste how delicious the greens were.

These were just plain vegetables!

How could they taste this good?

The orphanage had always used organic produce before.

So why did today’s greens taste so much better?

Could it be because they grew them themselves?

And everyone had been so attentive and meticulous in tending them?

That must be it. These were truly high-quality, homegrown organic vegetables.

He poured out the blanching water, filled the pot with fresh water, and brought it to a boil. Then he added the rice, stirred it to separate the grains, and lowered the heat to medium-low.

To prevent it from boiling over, he even placed a spoon across the top of the pot.

About twenty minutes later, the rice grains had burst open.

Master Zhao added the chopped greens, along with salt, chicken essence, and other seasonings, and stirred it all together.

The vegetable congee was done.

As soon as he lifted the lid, a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Master Zhao couldn’t help but squint his eyes in delight.

Maybe… he should have a taste?

Yes, he definitely should.

He was a chef, after all. He had to be responsible for the food he cooked.

With that in mind, Master Zhao naturally grabbed a small bowl and served himself a portion.

The congee was hot. He blew on it over the rim of the bowl and stirred it with a clean spoon.

Then he took a sip.

Ah, so fragrant!

He hadn’t expected it, but his cooking skills had improved again!

Even a simple bowl of vegetable congee could taste this good in his hands!

Not bad at all. He had to keep up the good work.

In no time, he finished the small bowl of congee.

But Master Zhao didn’t feel satisfied.

Hmm, this was a big pot of congee. There was no way everyone would finish it.

Maybe… he should have another bowl?

One bowl led to a second, then a third, then a fourth.

And then…

Master Zhao was full from drinking congee.

*Burp~*

After letting out a satisfied burp, Master Zhao started to reflect on himself.

I really deserve to die!

What the heck did I just do! (?｀⊿′)?

Sigh, he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t his fault. The congee was just too irresistible.

Since it was still early, Master Zhao decided to head to the backyard again and picked a big bunch of baby bok choy.

He’d stir-fry this batch.

He wanted to test whether the greens were just that good, or if it was his cooking that made the difference.

Alright, the bok choy was washed, time to grab the wok and spatula~

&&&&&&

Meanwhile, Lu Qingqiang had no idea what was going on in the kitchen.

Just as she was about to finish drilling all the wood logs, Zhang Qiang arrived with two people who had come for an interview.

They were a married couple, the kind who looked honest, hardworking, and dependable.

Maybe because they’d recently gone through a great tragedy, the couple wore polite smiles, but there was still sorrow in their eyes.

Time had left clear marks on their faces.

The hair at their temples had turned noticeably white.

“Uncle Zhang, Aunt Liu, this is the director of our orphanage I told you about, Director Lu,” Zhang Qiang introduced.

“Hello, Director,” the couple greeted Lu Qingqiang, looking a bit nervous and uneasy.

“Hello, I’m Lu Qingqiang.”

“No need to be nervous, please have a seat.”

As she spoke, Lu Qingqiang put down her tools and brushed the wood shavings off her clothes.

Next to where she had been working was a chess table with four stools.

On the table sat a pot of tea and four cups.

At her invitation, the couple sat down side by side.

Zhang Qiang also took a seat next to them.

“Uncle Zhang, Aunt Liu, Master Zhang, here, have some hot tea.”

Lu Qingqiang poured four cups and handed one to each of them.

“Thank you,” said Liu Shufen quickly, her hair tied in a low bun and wearing a slightly worn dark blue jacket.

“I heard from Master Zhang that you used to farm in the countryside and raised chickens, ducks, geese, and such?”

“To be honest, before I came to Jiang City, I grew up in the countryside.”

“As a kid, I helped my parents out in the fields all the time.”

“Back then, we also raised quite a few chickens.”

“As for the shiitake and white fungus I’m planning to grow, I actually learned about them from my parents too.”

Lu Qingqiang gave a reasonable explanation for her knowledge of farming and cultivation.

At the same time, she unintentionally narrowed the distance between herself and the couple.

Sure enough, after hearing her story, the two looked at her with surprised expressions.

Then Zhang Haiping spoke up.