My College Teacher is My Children's Mom

「On the other side.」

Er Bao came over with Sichuan peppercorns, but the mother said it was wrong.

Er Bao was utterly confused. Why was it wrong? Aren't Sichuan peppercorns used to make pepper powder?

When the mother saw this, she immediately felt a pang of guilt. The child had followed her description perfectly; there was nothing wrong with bringing Sichuan peppercorns. It was just that she had meant sesame seeds. Sesame seeds could also be ground into a powder to make sesame paste...

"It's all my fault for not being clear. You go this time!" she told her husband.

The father comforted his wife, "Don't blame yourself. I'll take this round!"

This time, it was Zhang Yuxi's turn to give the descriptions.

"Da Bao, this item is long and slender, it grows in the soil, it's orange, and it has a green top that looks like a fluffy tail."

With a description like that, Da Bao immediately knew what it was.

Carrots!

"San Bao, what you're looking for is green and has lots of little leaves on top. We once broke a stalk and pulled out the stringy fibers!"

San Bao also quickly realized what it was. It's celery!

"Okay, kiddo, your item is round and white with a peel. Once you open the peel, you'll find it's made of small cloves! It's very easy to spot."

Zhou Wenwen was baffled.

"And for you, little one, your item is curved and white on the inside after you peel it. A certain animal really loves to eat it."

Jiang An knew what it was right away.

Once they understood their tasks, the four children quickly set off.

Zhou Wenwen was still a bit lost. What's mine?

Si Bao, who often peeled garlic, piped up, "It's garlic!"

"Oh," Zhou Wenwen uttered in realization.

This time, the four children once again completed their tasks with one hundred percent accuracy and earned five points.

Er Bao still felt a little disappointed about her failure with the Sichuan peppercorns.

This time, her father was giving the clues.

He gestured as he spoke, "This thing is segmented, and when you break it open, there are lots of little holes inside. It also gets stringy when you break it."

He wasn't sure if Er Bao understood. She had certainly eaten lotus root before, but having eaten something didn't mean she'd ever seen it whole.

Upon hearing the description, Er Bao exclaimed, "I got it!"

TAP, TAP, TAP! She ran off.

Over with Si Bao.

"This thing is like a little umbrella, but a piece is missing, so it's only half of one. When you wash it, you have to tear it into smaller pieces!"

Si Bao headed out with a puzzled expression.

Along the way, Si Bao carefully compared the items to the description. He ran into Er Bao, who was holding a section of lotus root. "What are you looking for? Need help?" she asked.

Si Bao frowned. "Er Jie, what's something that looks like a little umbrella and can be torn apart?"

Er Bao shot back, "Is there really something like that?"

Hearing her response, Si Bao knew Er Bao didn't know either. "There should be!"

Er Bao was still dwelling on her previous task. "What do you think? It's small, black, and can be ground into a powder. If it wasn't Sichuan pepper, what could it be?"

"The only other thing I know of is sesame seeds!"

"Sesame seeds?"

"Yeah! Dad grinds black sesame seeds into powder to make black sesame paste for us."

Ah, just mentioning it makes me crave some!

When it came to food, Er Bao was no match for Si Bao.

You're probably right! Mine must have been sesame seeds! I'll go back and check later, Er Bao thought.

Si Bao wandered around, his eyes falling on the oyster mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms. After a careful comparison, he chose the oyster mushrooms. At least, his dad had never served him wood ear mushrooms torn into pieces; they were always whole.

Si Bao returned with the oyster mushrooms and got it right! The father who gave the clue praised Si Bao for being so clever.

The activity had started just before ten o'clock, and the families had been running back and forth for over an hour. Gradually, the children began to prioritize playing over the tasks. After all, what was the point of doing tasks if they were just going to be out playing for half the day anyway?

However, Si Bao and his siblings, along with a few other children from their class, continued to complete the tasks assigned by the teacher seriously. Among them were Zhou Wenwen and Jiang An. Zhou Wenwen had actually wanted to give up, but seeing her teammates trying so hard, she felt she had to persevere too. It has to be said, if a team had both Er Bao and Si Bao on it, their progress would be slowed by at least half.

Lin Feng's group was the first to complete the tasks. Their prize was a luxurious lunch!

At this, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense. A luxurious lunch definitely meant lots of delicious food! Upon hearing this, Si Bao felt even more motivated. He was naturally athletic, so running back and forth was no big deal for him.

Er Bao decided to challenge him. "Hurry up, Uncle! I'm going to catch up with my brother!" she yelled to her father.

Their scores were nearly identical, so it immediately turned into a competition.

TAP, TAP, TAP! They chased after each other, becoming rivals.

In the end, Si Bao was one step ahead, so he could be considered the winner against Er Bao. However, because their final family scores were the same, they received the same lunch.

Mr. Li said with a smile, "Keep it up, kids! There are only twenty minutes left!"

「Twenty minutes later, the competition was over!」

Mr. Li chuckled as he reviewed the scores. Hmm, some kids were quite impressive. Some had even managed to score one point.

"Let's go to the cafeteria to eat!"

The children were already starving. Although it was a game-based activity, they had mostly been focused on playing.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, they saw that the luxurious lunch was a buffet with everything available—the winners could eat whatever they wanted. Those who came after them had to eat a set meal.

The other children looked on enviously as the winning group ate. Si Bao pouted. Winning and losing are part of the game. A deal's a deal, so I just have to accept it!

As for Er Bao, she didn't seem to mind at all and ate with joyful vigor.

Eventually, the children who wanted to eat something else were allowed to go get food from the buffet line as well.

Mr. Li saw this and deliberately put on a stern face. He turned a blind eye until they had finished eating before he spoke.

"Next time you take part in an activity or competition, you must take it seriously! You're not little kids anymore; you're the big kids of the kindergarten now.

"Since you're older brothers and sisters, you have to be brave and take responsibility for your actions, understand?

"If you lose, you lose. You have to admit it!

"If you lose but still get to enjoy the rewards of the winners, then what's the point of the winners' effort?

"Isn't that unfair to them? They worked very hard in the competition!

"You can't do that again in the future, okay?"

His words made the children and their parents feel quite embarrassed, especially the parents, who knew they wouldn't have done it without their indulgence.

After lunch, Mr. Li clapped his hands.

"Alright, now that we've eaten, it's time for a new task!

"This task is a scavenger hunt!"

Mr. Li took several printed photos out of a document bag.

"Using the images on these photos, you must find the location within the designated area!

"Then, bring what you find to me, and I'll give you your next clue about what to do."

The photos all showed small corners of various scenes, and the items they needed to find were hidden within those scenes.

"Alright, off you go! It's also a nice chance for a walk!" Mr. Li said with a smile.

Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi analyzed their photo as they walked. This was the new campus of Yangcheng Sports School, and the sports field to the south was enormous. The family of six strolled along as they worked on the task. They headed toward the sports field because a corner of their photo showed a goalpost.

Zhang Yuxi pointed to it and said, "Let's go check it out!"

Behind the goalpost, they found a small box. Lin Feng grabbed the box and ran back to find Mr. Li to see what was next.

As it turned out, the box just contained a pass for their dormitory.

In the dormitory building, a floor with several rooms had been cleared out especially for them. The family of six had their own room.

It was time for them to take a nap!

Opening the door, they saw a clean and tidy six-person dormitory.

Lin Feng helped the children get ready for bed.

"If you're cold, tell Daddy. I'll figure out a way to get you a hot water bottle!"

The children all said they weren't cold; the little ones were bundles of energy.

"Honey, you should get some rest too," Lin Feng said. "I'm guessing there will be more activities this afternoon!"

"Okay," Zhang Yuxi replied. "Let's rest together!"

...