Chapter 198: Making Someone Guilty with a Single Sentence

Teacher Zhang had no set process for cooking. She cooked entirely on a whim, following whatever inspiration struck.

This, however, is the cardinal sin for a novice cook.

And more often than not, that flash of inspiration was the prelude to disaster.

The wok wasn’t even hot yet, but Teacher Zhang tossed in the chopped pork belly anyway. She gave it a couple of careless stirs with the spatula, and before the meat had even begun to brown, she was already in a panic, dumping in the potatoes…

Nan Zhi stopped her just in time.

Teacher Zhang turned around, confused.

“What’s wrong?”

Nan Zhi wearily rubbed her temples.

“Teacher Zhang… do you always cook like this?”

“Of course not!”

Teacher Zhang answered cheerfully, but before Nan Zhi could even breathe a sigh of relief…

She immediately and honestly continued her answer.

“Sometimes I put the potatoes in first, then the meat.”

“Was it good?”

Nan Zhi was deeply skeptical.

Teacher Zhang thought for a moment.

“It’s not bad, I guess. At least the kids always seem happy to eat it.”

“…”

The audience couldn’t stop laughing at Nan Zhi’s speechless expression.

[I was getting so frustrated with Teacher Zhang’s methods, but then Nan Zhi made me laugh out loud, hahaha!]

[Teacher Zhang is literally me! When I cook, I just do whatever pops into my head!]

[I’m genuinely curious, do you people not use recipes?]

[Why would I need a recipe? I’m an amazing cook!]

[The comments are perfectly acting out Teacher Zhang’s inner monologue.]

[Do the kids really think it’s delicious? I have my doubts.]

[As someone who went to school in Cuishui Village, let me answer that for you. It wasn’t good, but it was all from Teacher Zhang’s heart.]

[Whoa! Someone who was actually there has appeared! How amazing!]

[Yeah, I saw in my old class group chat that Teacher Zhang was on a variety show, so I rushed over to watch.]

…

Mystery solved.

Teacher Zhang’s former student had revealed the truth to everyone.

At the same time, it made everyone curious:

Why was Teacher Zhang so confident?

A moment later, Teacher Zhang seemed to have figured something out from Nan Zhi’s expression. She said hesitantly,

“Actually, I don’t know if it’s good or not, because I can’t taste anything.”

“Huh?”

The truth shocked Nan Zhi.

She wanted to ask why, but she felt it was too private and that it wouldn’t be right to pry.

It was Teacher Zhang who brought it up, as she didn’t think it was a big deal.

“The school’s conditions used to be poor, you know. A roof tile fell and hit me on the head. Ever since then, I’ve had no sense of smell and can barely taste anything. So, I only thought my cooking was good because the children always said they loved it… Is it possible… they were just humoring me?”

The answer was obvious.

It was the children’s kindness that had protected Teacher Zhang’s confidence in her cooking.

The moment Nan Zhi realized this, her chest felt so tight she couldn’t speak.

She regretted it.

But after racking her brain, she could only manage to say,

“Sorry.”

Teacher Zhang seemed to understand. She waved her hand dismissively and smiled.

“It’s nothing! I’m glad you told me today! Otherwise, I’d have gone on thinking my cooking was actually good. Who knows how much longer I would have kept tormenting those poor kids!”

The more lighthearted Teacher Zhang’s tone was, the worse Nan Zhi felt.

The viewers in the livestream chat felt the same way.

[My eyes are watering, boo hoo hoo.]

[Nan Zhi regrets it so much, and so do I. I shouldn’t have laughed at how confident Teacher Zhang was earlier.]

[For the hundredth time, I wish I could go back in time and chew out everyone who was making malicious guesses about Teacher Zhang!]

[The kids must have known Teacher Zhang couldn’t taste anything, that’s why they deliberately kept it a secret.]

[The other teachers must have helped hide it too. Everyone is so nice, it makes my heart feel warm.]

…

Nan Zhi didn’t know how to make it up to her.

It was Teacher Zhang who noticed her guilt and unease and took the initiative.

“Why don’t you teach me how to cook?”

Nan Zhi agreed without a second thought.

Since she was going to teach her, it made sense to start with the braised pork and potatoes right in front of them.

Nan Zhi didn’t take the spatula herself. Instead, she stood beside Teacher Zhang and gave her instructions.

Teacher Zhang wanted to back out.

“Why don’t you do it? I can just watch from the side.”

Nan Zhi placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, trust me. Let’s start by re-cutting the ingredients. Take the potatoes out and slice them again.”

She gave the instruction, and Teacher Zhang followed it subconsciously.

Before she knew it, Teacher Zhang had forgotten about wanting to give up the wok and was standing nervously at the stove, clumsily chopping the vegetables.

“L-like this? Is this okay?”

Nan Zhi nodded and said it was fine.

Then, she continued to explain in a soft, gentle voice:

“The potatoes shouldn’t be cut so large. It’s best if the pieces are a uniform size, so they’ll cook evenly and absorb the flavor…”

“The meat needs to be seared beforehand to render the fat and bring out its aroma…”

“The wok needs to be hot enough so the food doesn’t stick…”

“Yes, just like that…”

Nan Zhi didn’t use any complicated methods. All the steps were simple and easy to master.

Coupled with her patience and timely encouragement, Teacher Zhang slowly began to relax, no longer as tense as before.

Soon, the braised pork and potatoes in the wok took on a glossy, reddish-brown sheen, and a rich, mellow aroma began to waft from it.

Teacher Zhang couldn’t smell it.

But just by looking at the braised pork and potatoes made under Nan Zhi’s guidance, and comparing it to the pale, bland version she used to make, the difference in quality was night and day.

Teacher Zhang couldn’t help but beam with satisfaction.

But then she remembered the children who had been “poisoned” by her terrible cooking, and her satisfaction turned to dejection. Even her expression fell, tinged with a hint of sadness.

She scooped the braised pork and potatoes out of the wok and said,

“It’s almost lunchtime. I’ll go get things ready.”

Before Nan Zhi could say anything, she watched Teacher Zhang’s retreating figure disappear through the kitchen doorway.

She sighed softly and stir-fried the remaining napa cabbage.

The radish and pork rib soup was also just about done. As soon as the lid was lifted, the savory aroma of the broth radiated out from the kitchen, spreading steadily in all directions.

The students who were just stepping into the cafeteria smelled it and looked around curiously.

“Huh? What’s that smell? It smells amazing!”

“Is that coming from our school?”

“I’m so hungry, so hungry!”

“No way, Teacher Zhang is the one cooking today too.”

“Oh.”

“Everyone, remember! You can’t say it tastes bad!”

“I remember, I remember! We won’t let Teacher Zhang find out!”

“…”

Teacher Zhang was just stepping out of the cafeteria when she happened to overhear that last line.

Her eyes started to sting. She felt a mix of self-reproach and deep gratitude.

In the end, however, she pretended she hadn’t heard a thing.

“Children, come and eat! We have braised pork and potatoes today!”

Hearing this, the children immediately gathered around, overjoyed.

It wasn’t that these children couldn’t afford meat at home, but their elders lived frugally and saved wherever they could. Eating meat was something that happened once or twice a week at most.

So, getting to eat extra meat at school was something they looked forward to every day.

Even though they all knew Teacher Zhang’s meat dishes weren’t very good, they were still happy.