CHAPTER 195: TAO XIAOTONG, THE 10 YEAR OLD GENIUS CHEF

"I can explain."

Those were the first words out of Tao Xiaotong’s mouth when she was finally found.

The Tao’s had called Chi Lian when they discovered that their daughter, who had been the very first person to enter the car had replaced herself with a human sized doll, dressed it in her spare clothes, put it in a sleeping position and covered it with a blanket.

So, when the couple flew off in their car, they assumed their daughter was sleeping. But, when her grandmother lifted the blanket because she was afraid that her grand daughter would suffocate, she had been shocked to see the doll and so, she screamed.

The first thing they did was call the police and then other families to see if she had gone with a friend. After Chi Lian was called, she found the girl within seconds and told the rest of the family what had happened. So, they made their way to the tenth floor in the building and found the little girl, deeply immersed in the game and talking to it!

Mei Mei had paused it and Chi Lian had lifted Tao Xiaotong out of the chair, setting her down so that she could look at all the adults with disappointed expressions on their faces.

"Really!" Mei Mei said doubtfully. "Let us hear that explanation then.

Tao Xiaotong cleared her throat and said, "A good chef does not leave in the middle of inspiration."

A communal responses of confused "huh’s" went around.

"In the game, I met a six star chef named Rona and I asked her how he made it all the way there. She asked me my easiest dish that I have ever cooked. I told her it was breakfast pancakes.

She asked me if I have cooked the pancakes in the game and I told her I had. But, sadly, they were not declared perfection which is very crazy if you ask me. My pancakes are the best pancakes cooked by anyone that has ever lived or died.

My instant pancake mixes are Tao foods second best selling products internationally and fifth domestically. The game must be rigged somehow, I refuse to let it win. Rona is not a better chef than me." She declared.

"Rona is an NPC." Mei Mei told her.

Tao Xiaotong sighed in relief. They could all see the relief in her small shoulders. It was if mist was leaving her body or stones that weighed her down had been removed.

She even patted her little chest as she said, "I knew she could not cook better than me. I tasted Rona’s pancakes and they were a little dry. I am telling you the game is rigged. And the answers make no sense.

I asked Rona what the secret to her six star pancakes was and she said that the pancakes taste better if you whisper to them while you cook!" She huffed, acting like a very tired and very agitated adult. "It makes no sense at all." She growled, like a baby pit bull

Jun Jie and Jun Yi even backed away from her.

"Anyway, as the future greatest chef and best taste tester in the world, winner of five cooking championships, and inventor of maple bacon pancakes mix, choc-chili crunch pancake mix, peanut butter and banana jam pancake mix, curious carrot cake mix, blueberry....."

Chi Lian snapped her fingers impatiently. "We get it Tao Xiaotong, you are the richest child inventor alive in the food business. Just skip to the part where you almost got us accused of kidnapping."

The police and and Tao family arrived and joined them. Chi Lian stopped them from asking questions before they got the entire story out of the girl.

"So, I started to cook and I begun with the classic ordinary pancake which has flour, sugar....." She listed off all the ingredients and their measurements. It was if she was blind to the frustration on the faces of the adults that wanted the short version.

"Then, I poured the mixture into the pan and started whispering motivational quotes to it. You are beautiful, You are going to be golden brown. You are the most worthy pancake. You will not stick. You will not crack. You will be perfect. But that’s when my mom said we should go home and so I had to abandon my pancakes before they were finished cooking.

So, I came up with a plan. I went to the car, put the doll in my clothes and covered it with a blanket. I wrapped a shawl over my head and sneaked back into the building. Then I wore the tiny spider monkey mascot costumes which were being sold and I sneaked back here when other children were still around.

I hid among the toys in the corner and waited until everyone was gone. When I was sure that it was safe, I came out of hiding and restarted the game. Later, I planned to go into a private lounge and sleep in a pod which I reserved. You can check, I paid in full.

But, I did all this for a good cause. The world will be missing out on a great invention if I don’t discover a new breakfast pancake mixture that revolutionizes how we see and eat breakfast."

She looked at her parents and grandparents and smiled with hope. "Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, I did it all for business, you understand, right?"

Her family was just like the Jun’s and the Chi’s. All of them had flabbergasted expressions on their faces. The story sounded insane but the girl that told it was even crazier.

She was only ten years old. Was there a reason for her to go to these lengths for business? The Tao family was already vastly wealthy. Even if they shut down their business today, they had enough wealth for ten generations of their descendants to live lavish lives.

"I would not want to be her opponent in business." Jingzhe whispered to Mei Mei.

Mei Mei was sure that she would not like to be one either. Tao Xiaotong would defeat them all, she was too determined. Maybe even ruthless.

"Walk." Her mother hissed angrily.

Tao Xiaotong lowered her hand. She turned back, picked up her secret recipe note book and apologized to Mei Mei and everyone for the inconvenience she had caused.

"Wait," Mei Mei called out as they were leaving. "Did you figure out any new pancake recipes?"

Tao Xiaotong’s face lit up with a smile. "Yes, and I have named it the milk blue bubblegum pop pancake mix. It’s in there." She pointed to the vending machine.

"Walk." her mother barked.

And the little girl, with her shoulders hunched, followed the police and her parents. But she planned to return. This was her new research lab.

Meanwhile, Mei Mei paid the cash and received all the pancakes that Tao Xiaotong had cooked in the game. There were sixteen of them, five were her new milk blue bubblegum pop flavor.

Instead of being golden brown, they were light pink and light blue with some gold. She pinched off something small to taste and her eyes widened.

She laughed and said, "I will be damned, that little foodie created something amazing!"