Chapter 141: Letting the Two Kids Play “Mascots”

Chapter 141: Letting the Two Kids Play "Mascots"

When Fu Zhengtu returned with the child after buying breakfast, Su Taotao was lazily stretching her limbs.

Chenchen dashed upstairs to check if his mom was up.

The moment Su Taotao opened her eyes, she saw the lively child perched by the bed.

Chenchen leaned in to snuggle against his mom, his big eyes crinkling with joy: "Mommy~~ Good morning~~"

Squinting, Su Taotao reached out to hug the child close and planted a kiss on him: "Good morning, sweetie."

Chenchen hugged Su Taotao's neck and rubbed against her: "Daddy bought Mommy's favorite~~ mung beans~~"

Su Taotao recalled how intense Fu had been last night, almost wanting to shape her into a ball, and felt that he needed the mung bean soup to cool down more than she did.

Su Taotao held the child's hand and went downstairs. The "Snail Brothers" had already laid out the breakfast, with a small bouquet of dewy daisies in the center, clearly freshly picked.

Chenchen pointed to the daisies: "Mommy~~ flowers~~ for you~~"

Su Taotao leaned down to peck the child's cheek: "Thank you, Chenchen. Mommy loves them."

Presenting her with a fresh bouquet of daisies daily was likely the most romantic gesture Fu could muster.

Chenchen and his uncle went to feed Bai Bai first thing. Fu Zhengtu approached Su Taotao and softly massaged her lower back, murmuring, "Still sore?"

Su Taotao shot him a sidelong glance, her eyes brimming with allure: "You nearly crushed me. What do you think?"

Fu Zhengtu applied a bit more pressure as he massaged her: "Sorry, I'll be gentler next time."

Her skin was so tender; even the slightest pressure would leave marks on her porcelain complexion.

Su Taotao swatted his hand, her gorgeous eyes glaring at him, a blend of reproach and flirtation.

Fu Zhengtu grinned at her, his knuckles prominent as he tousled her hair, then lightly pinched her cheek before pulling back: "I'll be gentler tonight."

Su Taotao shot him another glare and smacked his hand once more. Fu Zhengtu's smile widened as he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Chenchen, thrilled to spend the day with his mom, happily devoured an extra half of a fried dough stick.

Had Su Taotao not intervened, he would have eaten even more.

After already venturing out once that morning, Chenchen was all set to go out again, equipped with his tiny backpack, straw hat, and large conch shell.

It was the first day of interviews. Auntie Zhong and Xia Zhiqiu had headed to the cafeteria early to prepare.

Su Taotao stuck to her usual routine, first visiting the construction site to check if any communication was needed. With everything running smoothly, she returned to the cafeteria and instructed the kitchen to prepare additional cooling tea for the interviewees to enjoy at their leisure.

The cafeteria was fully cooperative with Su Taotao's efforts.

Prior to the interviews, Auntie Zhong briefed Su Taotao on the previous night's events, including the security team's interest in recruiting Mo Jiazhe.

"Having trailed Old Mo for years, this was the first time I'd witnessed such a major uproar in the family area. Last night was really close. If the security team hadn't arrived in time, something serious would have happened. I heard it was all thanks to your Zhengtu."

Auntie Zhong couldn't help but feel scared thinking about it and started complaining about her eldest son: "My Jiji is great in every way, but he's too enthusiastic. He rushes into everything. Last night was so dangerous, and he just charged in. It almost scared me to death. He's always been like this since he was a kid, getting excited at the sight of military uniforms."

At this point, Auntie Zhong sighed: "Actually, if it weren't for his grandfather's accident right after he graduated, which required him to go back and take care of him, causing him to miss the recruitment period, he might have joined the military."

Auntie Zhong sighed again: "In a way, it's my fault. Taking care of the elderly was originally my responsibility. At that time, Old Mo and I were too far from home, and Uncle Mu was still young, so Jiji volunteered to go back and take care of the elderly."

Su Taotao said, "I remember the security team at the base has official positions, right?"

Auntie Zhong nodded, "Yes, it's under the armed forces department, but it's managed by the base."

Su Taotao thought for a moment and said, "Auntie Zhong, such a good opportunity, don't you agree to let Jiji join the security team?"

Auntie Zhong replied, "Although I immediately refused last night, I regretted it a bit after thinking it over. I discussed it with Old Mo later, and we owe Jiji a lot, we should have listened to his thoughts first.

But this morning he didn't seem to take it to heart, and even said he would come for the interview on time. I couldn't grasp what he was thinking, and I was in a hurry to leave, so I didn't have time to ask."

Su Taotao said, "It's okay, when it's his turn for the interview, we'll ask him again. If he wants to join the security team, we should respect his wishes. There's always a place for him at the factory, but opportunities with the security team don't come often."

Auntie Zhong looked at Su Taotao intently, "You mean..."

Su Taotao nodded, "Talents like Jiji are rare everywhere. It's a pity if he doesn't come to the factory, but he can always come back later. Let's hear his opinion first, as long as he's nearby."

Auntie Zhong said gratefully, "Thank you, Little Su, thank you so much."

...

Su Taotao called Xiao Lu over to help maintain order. The transport team captain was more than willing to be at Su Taotao's beck and call. Xia Zhiqiu was in charge of coordination, while Su Taotao and Auntie Zhong handled the interviews.

Su Taotao pushed Chenchen's stroller next to her and found a chair for Dongdong to sit beside her.

Su Taotao had an ulterior motive in having the two children act as "mascots." She planned to observe how the interviewees reacted to the children and also see how the children reacted to the interviewees.

Xia Zhiqiu first gathered the five applicants for the kindergarten teacher position. Since they had initially considered those with high school or higher education, among the five, three had high school diplomas and two had junior high school diplomas.

The first to sit down for the interview was a 48-year-old aunt with a junior high school diploma, surnamed Qin. She had a kind and neat appearance, with neatly combed hair. Before coming to the base, she was a primary school teacher. She came to the base to help her son take care of his child. Her grandson had just started elementary school, and coincidentally, the kindergarten was hiring, so she decided to give it a try.

As soon as Auntie Qin sat down and introduced herself, she was naturally drawn to the two children beside her. Seeing the children looking at her curiously, she smiled back at them warmly.

The two children just looked at her with wide eyes, showing no signs of dislike or discomfort.

Su Taotao asked her first question, "What do you think is the most important responsibility of a kindergarten teacher?"

Auntie Qin replied, "I think the most important thing for children of this age is to ensure their safety. Parents send their children here, and our main responsibility is to keep them safe during school hours. Then, we need to cultivate good living and hygiene habits, such as eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom on time."

Su Taotao then asked, "Do you think you have good patience and temper?"

Auntie Qin paused for a moment and smiled, "I have patience, but my temper isn't great. I can get upset and argue with people, but I can control myself in front of children. After all, at this age, I don't get as easily agitated."

Su Taotao's third question was, "Would you command or force children to do things they don't want to do?"

Auntie Qin said, "Without rules, there's no order. First, we set the rules. If a child doesn't follow the rules, I'd first explain the reasons to them. If that doesn't work, I would communicate with the parents. If a child consistently doesn't cooperate, it could affect the other children. As for forcing or commanding, it might cause resistance and even make them unwilling to come to class. I probably wouldn't do that."

Su Taotao thought her answers were quite honest. She had rich experience in childcare and teaching, and her personal qualities were good. Su Taotao made notes and even wrote "Principal" with a red circle, asking her to wait for further notice.

Auntie Qin was surprised. She had only been there for less than five minutes, and now she could leave?

Auntie Zhong said, "There are four more people to interview for this position. You can check the notice board later on."

After Auntie Qin left, Su Taotao and Auntie Zhong exchanged glances, both thinking she was pretty good.

The next person to come forward was a young woman who had graduated from high school just two years ago. She had a round apple face with big eyes that seemed to smile before she spoke. When she lightly pursed her lips, small dimples appeared on her cheeks, giving her a very friendly appearance.

Auntie Zhong's eyes lit up, and the thought of matchmaking for her son popped into her mind, though it was inappropriate. The young woman's profile stated she was unmarried, and Auntie Zhong almost couldn't help asking if she had a boyfriend...

...