Chloe loved riding her bike around the neighborhood. One sunny afternoon, she saw her neighbor, Mr. Lee, an elderly man from China, struggling with his groceries. He had bags full of vegetables, fruits, and other goodies. The grocery bag fell, and the apples scattered on the ground.
“OH NO. Silly me,” Mr. Lee huffed
Chloe hopped off her bike and ran over.
“Hi, Mr. Lee! I am here to help!” Chloe waved and rushed to pick up the apples rolling around.
Mr. Lee looked up and smiled. “Oh, Chloe, thank you. These bags are quite heavy for an old man like me.”
Chloe grabbed a few bags and walked beside Mr. Lee. “I’ve got these! Let’s get you home.”
As they walked, Mr. Lee told Chloe about the fresh vegetables he bought for a special Chinese dish. “It’s called fried rice. Have you ever tried it?”
“No, but it sounds delicious!” Chloe shook her head.
When they reached Mr. Lee’s house, he said, “Thank you so much, Chloe. How about I teach you how to make fried rice as a thank you?”
“That sounds like fun!” Chloe’s eyes lit up.
They went into the kitchen, and Mr. Lee showed Chloe all the ingredients. There was rice, eggs, carrots, peas, soy sauce, and a few other things.
“First, we cook the rice,” Mr. Lee said.
Chloe nodded and started washing the vegetables. She laughed when a carrot slipped out of her hand.
“WHOOPS! That carrot is trying to run away!” Chloe giggled, crawling under the table to get it.
Next, Mr. Lee showed Chloe how to scramble the eggs in a big pan. Chloe watched as he flipped the eggs with a spatula.
“Now it’s your turn,” Mr. Lee said, handing her the spatula.
Chloe carefully stirred the eggs, and a bit of egg flew out of the pan. They both laughed.
“That’s okay,” Mr. Lee said with a wink. “It happens to the best of us.”
They added the cooked rice, vegetables, and soy sauce. Chloe stirred everything together, and the kitchen was filled with a delicious smell.
“Wow, this looks amazing!” Chloe said, feeling proud.
Mr. Lee handed her a pair of chopsticks. “Let’s taste our yummy creation.”
Chloe tried using the chopsticks but ended up dropping a piece of carrot. Mr. Lee showed her how to hold them properly, and after a few tries, she got the hang of it.
“Delicious!” Chloe exclaimed after her first bite.
Mr. Lee smiled. “You did a great job, Chloe. Thank you again for helping me with the groceries.”
Chloe beamed. “Thank you for teaching me how to make fried rice, Mr. Lee. This was so much fun!”
From that day on, Chloe often visited Mr. Lee to cook and learn new dishes. They shared many laughs and delicious meals, and their friendship grew stronger.