Gourmet: Twins' Father and Chef of the Kindergarten

Chapter 500 - 461: Testing the Waters

"Alright, story time is over, our adventurous journey ends here for tonight..."

Huang Jun sat at the bedside, gently closed the picture book filled with fantastic stories, and then turned his head with a tender gaze toward Qingqing and Weiwei, who were already curled up in bed.

Both little ones appeared a bit sleepy, yet had a sweet smile hanging on their faces, gazing at him lovingly.

"Qingqing, Weiwei, you can close your eyes and let your bodies rest well, so you’re completely energized, because tomorrow, we’re going to the aquarium with Miss Yang..."

The agreed meeting place with Yang Yuxi tomorrow is the aquarium, so they must be well-rested to fully enjoy it.

Speaking of the aquarium, Qingqing’s eyes instantly lit up: "I love going to the aquarium the most; I want to see the dolphins!"

Weiwei’s eyes sparkled with excitement: "I want to see the big whale! I love big whales the most."

The Peppa Pig held in her arms was teary-eyed...

Huang Jun shook his head with a smile, his eyes filled with affection: "Alright then, let’s have a good rest now, sleep well, and gather strength for tomorrow’s aquarium adventure!"

"Okay, Daddy!"

Qingqing and Weiwei answered in unison.

Afterward, they closed their eyes, filled with anticipation for tomorrow, trying hard to fall asleep.

"Good!"

Huang Jun smiled softly, helped them tuck in the corners of their blanket, placed the storybook on the bedside table, and dimmed the lamp a bit.

It was still early, he pondered that the two little ones might be scared since it’s their first time sleeping alone.

So!

He decided not to leave, like usual, lying sideways on the bed to accompany them, planning to leave after they had fallen asleep.

Thinking about tomorrow’s trip to the aquarium, he felt he should do some homework in advance; otherwise, he’d appear clueless once there.

Thus...

He quietly picked up his phone, turned it to silent mode, and started watching ocean animal videos, learning some knowledge along the way.

This way, when they step into the aquarium tomorrow, he can transform into a little guide, leading Qingqing and Weiwei through the mysterious ocean world, providing detailed explanations of marine life habits as they explore, making their visit filled with fun and learning.

Yes!

Educating through entertainment!

After all, without preparation, lacking guidance at the scene, no matter how fascinating the marine wonders are, they would be fleeting, leaving no lasting impression...

However, as he continued browsing...

Huang Jun’s attention was subtly drawn by an unusual feeling, sensing a thread of something unusual in the air, though he couldn’t quite pin it down...

As he turned his head...

He saw that Qingqing and Weiwei, originally lying flat, had somehow switched to side-lying, their small faces against the pillow, long eyelashes gently fluttering in the dim light.

Hmm?

Why are the little ones’ eyelashes still moving?

Could it be...they haven’t slept yet, secretly watching him browse videos just now?

This thought, once emerged, couldn’t be stopped.

So!

He came up with a plan to trick the little ones and see if they were truly asleep.

He deliberately slowed down swiping on his phone, pretending to yawn and stretch, talking to himself: "Ah, it seems my Qingqing and Weiwei have fallen asleep, I am pretty exhausted today too, time to head back to my room to sleep."

His voice was loud enough for the two little ears on the bed to hear clearly.

Then, he got up quietly from bed, put on his slippers, purposely letting them softly touch the floor making a "clop clop" sound.

He slowly walked towards the door.

Fingers lightly settled on the doorknob, gently turning it, the door opened.

He intentionally took a few steps pretending to leave, then swiftly closed the door again, creating the illusion of his departure.

After doing all this, he crouched down like a patient hunter, holding his breath, eyes fixed on the bed, waiting for the moment the little ones revealed their little tricks...

Sure enough, just seconds later...

A well-planned "sleep test" unveiled the answer.

Qingqing and Weiwei’s eyes suddenly opened, their hands stretched out from under the warm blanket.

Weiwei whispered to Qingqing with a giggle: "Hehe, sister, see how clever we are, Daddy didn’t notice we were pretending to sleep and went back to his room thinking we’ve slept."

Weiwei, with a smile in her eyes, also whispered back: "Yes, but he actually left without even turning off the lamp, what an adorable forgetful daddy~"

"Yes, just like Daddy Pig in Peppa Pig, so forgetful!" Weiwei nodded continuously, eyes gleaming with the same joy as Qingqing, but also with a hint of barely noticeable disappointment: "Too bad Daddy left, we can’t watch those interesting animal videos anymore..."

"Yes, really too bad~"

Qingqing also felt a bit disappointed.

Huang Jun: "..."

Looks like my old fatherly intuition was pretty accurate!

The little ones were indeed secretly watching my videos!

Fortunately, the content I played then was perfectly suitable for children, or else it might have ended in embarrassment...

Thinking of this, Huang Jun chuckled silently. He tiptoed to the bedside and suddenly spoke: "Hey, you two little night owls, still wide awake, haven’t slept?"

"Ah..."

This sudden sound was like thunder on a summer afternoon, startling Qingqing and Weiwei, their little faces instantly filled with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

Qingqing’s small mouth opened slightly, stammering to explain: "Da-Daddy, me and sister... we just couldn’t fall asleep~"

Weiwei hurriedly nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, Daddy, we didn’t mean it, we just couldn’t sleep~"

Oh!

Really don’t know what to do with you two...

Huang Jun sat by the bed, pretending to be stern: "That won’t do, tomorrow’s the aquarium visit, how will you have energy to play if you don’t sleep well?"

Qingqing and Weiwei exchanged a glance, then nodded together: "Okay, Daddy, we’ll sleep now."

Huang Jun once again helped them fix the blanket, softly said: "Alright, close your eyes and have sweet dreams. Tomorrow’s aquarium trip will surely be fun."

"Mm, goodnight, Daddy!"

Qingqing and Weiwei responded obediently, then closed their eyes again, trying hard to drift into dreamland.

Seeing the little ones had trouble sleeping, Huang Jun sat by the bed, reached out to pat their chests through the little blanket, started humming softly: "My dear babies, here’s some sweetness for you, so you can sleep well tonight, my little imps, teasing your brows, making you like this world."

"Lalala, my darling, someone to keep you company when you’re tired, oh my, my darling, letting you know you’re the most beautiful..."

Whenever Qingqing and Weiwei found it hard to sleep, Huang Jun would always bring out his two "magic weapons": a delightful story and a warm lullaby.

As for how effective?

It’s simply instant and wonderfully effective!

Just as his song hadn’t fully faded, the two kids had quietly slipped into dreamland, sleeping soundly and deeply.

"These little ones..."

A gentle smile hung on Huang Jun’s lips as he bent down, planting a soft kiss on each of their little faces.

Qingqing and Weiwei’s little faces twitched gently, turned sideways, continuing to sleep deeply, soon soft snores could be heard.

He rose slowly, reached out, and lightly pressed the lamp’s switch, the room gradually surrounded by gentle darkness, leaving just a trace of moonlight casting on the floor.

"Goodnight! My darlings." he softly said, filled with love and blessings: "May you have a wonderful dream tonight."

Then, he carefully sneaked out of the room, heading back to his own room...