Chapter 316 A Stir-fry Feast
"Mmm," Cecelia closed her eyes in bliss, savoring the flavors. "This is some of the best meat I have ever had," she said, her mouth still full. After swallowing, she added, "Although I'm not sure how the kids will react to all these greens. They're definitely crunchy in the right way," she said with concern, discreetly picking up the unfinished food and putting it in her mouth. "I just hope they won't eat around them."
Between mouthfuls, she began devising a plan, "I suppose we can just coax them into trying it. As long as it tastes good and the texture is nice, they may have a change of heart since their regular food hasn't always been this good. And I should know from experience."
While Cecelia was talking, Aleshia tried to get Lucia to taste some of the food and awkwardly responded, "Oh, um, yeah, we can do that." To distract from the awkward moment, Lucia took a bite of the stir fry. After adding more seasoning, she continued to stir the pans until the food was thoroughly cooked and looked delicious.
When Aleshia deemed the food complete, she invited Cecelia to help her spread the stir fry out on a platter. After piling all the food, Aleshia began working on the next batch using the extra vegetables Cecelia had prepared. Aleshia repeated the process. Since Cecelia no longer needed to focus on cutting the vegetables, she asked Aleshia in detail about how she prepared the stir fry, including the spices she used, the amounts, and what was necessary for the dish.
While the second batch was cooking, the kids could no longer restrain themselves. Like clockwork, they began to stream into the kitchen. As before, the older kids took charge and helped with the distribution of the food.
Soon, the second batch they prepared was ready. With the new knowledge swirling in Cecelia's mind, she felt even more exhausted from the mental effort. Aleshia noticed the fatigue setting in and prepared a bowl for Cecelia. "You go find a table, and I'll make you a bowl, so just sit tight," she said.
Since the older kids were still willing to help, she approached one of them and informed them that the food they were cooking was ready, and all it needed was someone to transfer it from the pan to the platter. She then grabbed a bowl for herself and sat down with Cecelia to chat for a while. Soon, the rest of the party joined in with bowls of their own, praising the food that Aleshia had prepared, while Cecelia smugly interjected, "I helped make all of this!" To their surprise, Kelly and Stella turned to Aleshia and asked, "Is this true?"