Tianbaoâs kindergarten wasnât cheap. All the families that were able to send their children here were well off, and all the kids were little princes and little princesses at home.
Shu Yan spoke with a few of the other parents about what she had heard from Tianbo and suggested to pay the school a sudden visit during lunch time.
âAre you serious?â Shu Yanâs words had piqued the interest of Grandma Wu, the one who fought fiercely over the issue of the tutorial center. âNo wonder my precious baby enjoys dinner so thoroughly; he was being starved at school.â
âMy kid as well. He always says heâs hungry and would eat a lot over dinner. I just assumed he was hungry so often because he has been playing hard at school. You mean to say that he wasnât well fed? No way. I need to go and talk to his teachers about it.â
âWait, we donât have any evidence right now. The teachers wonât admit to it just because you asked. We will need proof. The kids are still young, and they donât know anything. Letâs just free up our mornings and wait for the kindergartenâs lunch hour. That way we can see for ourselves what they are feeding our kids and check out the hygiene of the kitchen. What do you say?â Shu Yan stopped the others. No way theyâd just admit to it if they march over there right now. They would need evidence. Otherwise, they would just seem like an unreasonable bunch.
The few parents hesitated for a little and agreed with Shu Yan.
âI need to go to work. I can try to rush over here during lunch time?â
A few of the mothers needed to go in to work; their schedules were not as flexible as the stay-at-home mothers and the grandmothers.
âThereâs a few of us already. A few more or less wonât make too much difference. Just try to hurry over when you can.â Grandma Wu was the first to speak.
She was a nice lady as long as her precious grandson was not concerned.
All of the parents were property owners in the district, and Grandma Wu was one of the first to move into the area. She had invited everyone over to her place today.
Shu Yan didnât know that Grandma Wuâs unit was also in Building #2 before today. Her apartment was on the ground floor. She said her son thought itâs better for her and her husband to be on the ground floor considering their ages.
âMainly that the ground floor also came with a yard and my husband enjoyed gardening a lot,â said Grandma Wu as she had the guests take their seats and brought out some sliced-up watermelons. âCome. Come. Help yourself. It will cool you down.â
âThank you,â said Shu Yan as she took the watermelon and smiled. âWhat a coincidence? Iâve bought a unit in Building #2 as well. I am the owner of #1201. We are actually neighbors.â
âOh, mi. We are, arenât we?â Grandpa Wu gave Shu Yan a surprised look. Sheâd think Shu Yan would have gotten a smaller unit, but she got a large unit on the 12th floor. That was unexpected.
Before long, Grandpa Wu came home with his hoe over his shoulder and some vegetables in his hands. He gave Grandma Wu a curious look when he saw a houseful of people.
After hearing the reason, Grandpa Wuâs face dropped. âYou are right. We need to keep an eye out on that. Great if everything is fine; otherwise, we must get to the bottom of it.â
Kindergartenâs lunch time starts at 11 AM. Shu Yan and the rest of them arrived at 10:30 and asked to be let into the kindergarten but were blocked by the guard.
âWe are the kidsâ parents. Why canât we go inside to see our kids?â asked one of the mothers.
âThe kids are in class right now. I trust that you wouldnât want to distract them in the middle of their class, right?â explained the guard nicely.
âWe are not going to distract the kids in class. We just want to look around the kindergarten. Why canât we?â said Grandma Wu.
The guard was speechless for a second there, and Grandma Wu waved her hand in a domineering way. She said, âWe just want to take a look and make sure the kids are behaving and be on our way.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The group got inside the kindergarten successfully. The kids were not playing outside, presumably they were back in the classroom waiting for their lunches. The group of them headed straight toward the kitchen. A teacher saw them and stopped them.
âAre you parents? The classrooms are over that way. You are heading the wrong direction.â
âWe are not heading the wrong direction. We have some free time today and wanted to see what our kids are having for lunch. Why? Is there a problem with that?â said one of the grandmothers with a smile.
The parents all talked at the same time, and the teacher wasnât able to stop them from going into the kitchen.