Chapter 223: Edutainment
Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Edutainment
The moment "Nan Zhi’s Cooking Class" truly went viral was that evening, when a state media outlet published an article—
This outlet, being the most authoritative and widely-read state media in the country, had actually written a special article about that day’s livestream of "Cub." It discussed everything from reality TV to education, with a special emphasis on affirming the cooking class’s role in making learning fun.
Some netizens, who had been a bit salty, had deliberately left comments like [How is it Nan Zhi again] and [She sure bought a lot of promotion].
After seeing this article, they were completely silenced.
Everyone else burst out laughing:
[Anyone with eyes can see this class is genuinely good!]
[Thinking back, everyone was against it at first, saying the kids in the mountains didn’t need cooking classes. Now they’ve all been proven wrong!]
[It’s mainly because Nan Zhi’s cooking class went beyond everyone’s expectations. We thought a cooking class would just be about making and chopping food, but who knew Nan Zhi would take such an unorthodox approach and turn it into a history lesson!]
[That’s why the state media affirmed the high caliber of the class! They even mentioned Nan Zhi is a student at Yan University. They’re really encouraging this kind of method!]
[Nan Zhi’s cooking class has really gone viral. My son’s teacher is already asking for opinions in the parent group chat about starting a similar course at his school. Eighty percent of the parents have already agreed!]
[Nan Zhi is truly the queen of trending topics. She has a new viral moment every episode! I’m so curious what idea she’ll come up with tomorrow!]
[Huh? You don’t know there’s no cooking class tomorrow? I think it’s twice a week, so the next one isn’t until the day after tomorrow!]
[What? I was too busy with work today to watch the livestream and only heard everyone talking about it. I was planning to take tomorrow off to watch it live! This is a bolt from the blue!]
[Nan Zhi and the others are only filming for two weeks. Doesn’t that mean there are only four cooking classes in total? Nooo!]
[Did you forget Nan Zhi was sick and rested for two days? So there are only two cooking classes left.]
...
Even the production team hadn’t expected a simple little cooking class to have such a great effect!
The highlight clips they released on the video platform shot past one hundred million views, and countless official media outlets and major influencers reposted them, singing the class’s praises.
For a moment, all the praise made them feel a little giddy...
Ah, no, that’s not right.
Nan Zhi was the truly awesome one.
The production team was just along for the ride.
But that was fine. Riding her coattails still felt pretty good.
And they wanted to keep doing it.
So—
"Hmm? Add more classes?"
Nan Zhi was a bit surprised to suddenly hear this request when she got a call from the production team.
But she quickly refused:
"The funding provided by the school isn’t enough to support another class. Two classes a week is already the limit."
Nan Zhi sounded helpless, forced to be meticulous with the school’s budget.
Equipment and ingredients all cost money. Casually adding another class would be an extra expense for the school.
How could Nan Zhi bring this up with Teacher Zhang?
After some discussion, the production team replied:
"We’ll cover all the expenses for this cooking class!"
"Okay."
Nan Zhi agreed decisively.
’Duh!’
’The production team was practically offering to be fleeced. It would be a waste not to!’
——Nan Zhi had naturally put herself on the same side as the school.
The next day, she told Teacher Zhang the news, and Teacher Zhang was naturally delighted.
Although their school received funding from the Ministry of Education and donations from charitable members of the public, their expenses were so great that they were stretched thin everywhere. Having this extra money was definitely a good thing.
Nan Zhi asked her if she had any particular ideas for the next cooking class.
Teacher Zhang thought about it seriously for a moment:
"Could you make something the children don’t get to eat often here in the mountains?"
Nan Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
’I’m teaching a class, not taking orders at a restaurant.’
’Hmm, so... what kind of food is hard to come by in the mountains?’
The image of the children’s surprise and joy as they ate the fried spring rolls surfaced in Nan Zhi’s mind, and an idea slowly began to form.
This time, afraid she’d be too busy to handle it alone, she called Fu Chao and Xie Yu for help.
Fu Chao sounded a little hesitant:
"I’ve got a lot on my plate over here. I don’t know if I can make time."
The role he had drawn was similar to Xie Yu’s "university student village official" role, which involved supporting rural development.
Lately, they’d been busy at the village committee, doing things like providing computer training for the villagers, setting up a radio station and a bulletin board, organizing community meetings, and so on...
Moreover, this season was the most crucial spring planting period for Guisheng Province.
Most of the local people made their living through farming.
So, when necessary, Fu Chao even had to go into the fields to plant alongside the villagers!
In a short period, he had transformed from a young master who grew up in the lap of luxury and had never even seen a field into a seasoned pro who was incredibly familiar with farming.
He even started studying agricultural science and had his family hire an agricultural university professor to provide online guidance for their farming.
His growth was astonishingly fast, but of course, he was also dog-tired in a heartbeat. Every night he came home so exhausted he couldn’t even lift his hands.
He hadn’t even had a chance to spend the 10,000 yuan living allowance he’d been lucky enough to draw. His days were just filled with farming, farming, and more farming...
Fu Chao swore an oath! If he ever wasted a single grain of rice in this life, he was a dog!
"Pfft."
Nan Zhi couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
"You don’t have to be so hard on yourself."
’He’s even cursing himself to be a dog.’
’What did dogs ever do wrong?’
’They’re so cute!’
Fu Chao let out a long sigh:
"Anyway, that’s the situation. I really can’t say for sure if I can make it."
Nan Zhi said, sounding quite regretful:
"Alright. I was just thinking we could all have a meal together after you came."
Fu Chao’s ears instantly perked up:
"A meal? Cooked by you?"
"Of course."
Nan Zhi replied nonchalantly and was about to hang up the phone.
But Fu Chao suddenly stopped her:
"...Wait!"
"Hm?"
"I’ve been thinking, and if I really have to squeeze out an hour, it’s not impossible."
Fu Chao swallowed hard.
’I can’t help it.’
’My body is just so pathetic. I was so tired I felt like I was about to fall apart, but the moment I heard Nan Zhi’s words, countless streams of energy surged from every corner of my being!’
’Even the soles of my feet feel energized!’
Nan Zhi: ...
She cleared her throat, not questioning Fu Chao’s sudden reversal.
"Just come if you have time."
Nan Zhi’s tone was vague.
But Fu Chao’s reply was firm and decisive:
"I’ll be there even if it’s raining knives!"
Nan Zhi snorted with laughter.
After hanging up with Fu Chao, she called Xie Yu and explained why she was calling.
Xie Yu agreed at once.
Nan Zhi suddenly asked:
"Fu Chao said your work is very tiring?"
Xie Yu’s tone was light:
"It’s alright. Fu Chao just needs the exercise."
Nan Zhi was amused all over again.
In any case, the matter of getting extra help was settled.
A day later, the second cooking class was upon them.
The students were all looking forward to today’s lesson.