Tender and flavorful stir-fried celery with beef, tangy and slightly spicy shredded chicken salad, refreshing stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a sour, appetizing tomato egg drop soup.
Three dishes and a soup—the two adults and one child eating couldn’t stop at all.
Sheng Nian had long stopped being as anxious as he was at the start, thanks to his aunt’s home-cooking over the past few days. But since every meal was delicious, he still ate at a pretty good pace.
As for Hu Li and Haohao, this was already their second time tasting Sheng Qiu’s cooking. The first time, they’d only had a tiny bowl between them, with most of it eaten by Zhang Yuejun. Nothing like today, with generous portions laid out right in front of them.
Both of them were stuffed—but even so, Hu Li still made sure to finish the last sip of tomato egg drop soup. Haohao wanted some too but couldn’t beat her to it.
Looking at the spotless plates on the table, Hu Li felt a little embarrassed.
It was honestly kind of shameful, as if they hadn’t eaten in days.
“Niannian’s Aunt, your cooking is way too good. I couldn’t help myself and finished everything.”
With the plates completely clean and the rice cooker scraped bare, Sheng Qiu felt a surge of admiration for Hu Li. She hadn’t expected such a slim woman to eat so much—she really wanted to ask her secret to staying in shape.
“No worries, no worries. You finishing it saves me from having to deal with leftovers.”
With the weather in Yangcheng being what it was, if you didn’t have a fridge, rice could still sit out uncovered, but leftover dishes definitely wouldn’t keep overnight.
After sharing a meal at Sheng Nian’s place, Hu Li helped Sheng Qiu clean up the kitchen. She’d originally planned to deal with the chicken wings and drumsticks too, but seeing that both kids were stuffed, Sheng Qiu asked Hu Li to take them downstairs for a walk to help with digestion.
Hu Li knew her own cooking skills well enough—it was just average. Especially after having Sheng Qiu’s fried chicken wings and drumsticks that afternoon, she’d already given up any hope of competing with her cooking.
So when Sheng Qiu suggested it, she immediately agreed. Taking the kids down for a walk was no problem at all. And by the time they came back after digesting, they’d be ready for the fried chicken wings and drumsticks.
It couldn’t have been more perfectly arranged.
Before they left, Sheng Qiu also packed a flask of mint mung bean soup for Sheng Nian, in case they got tired and needed something to cool off—and it also helped finish off the soup.
Of course, the soup wasn’t just for Sheng Nian; all three of them could drink it.
Sheng Nian wanted to stay home with his aunt, but he also wanted to go play with Haohao. It took Sheng Qiu’s repeated encouragement before he finally went downstairs with Hu Li and Haohao.
Alone in the house, Sheng Qiu quickly marinated the chicken legs, then flopped down on the sofa.
These past few days, she’d been trying to set a good example for Sheng Nian, so she hadn’t really let herself laze around on the sofa. Now, finally, she could openly slack off.
While Hu Li was waiting for the elevator with Haohao and Sheng Nian, Zhang Yuejun, who’d heard noises from inside the apartment, came out and spotted them.
Seeing his wife and son, Zhang Yuejun first let out a big sigh of relief, then asked where they’d been.
Hu Li, who’d completely forgotten about her husband, felt a little guilty when she saw Zhang Yuejun and didn’t know how to tell him they’d been feasting at Sheng Qiu’s place.
She couldn’t bring herself to say it, but Haohao, being a child, spilled everything without hesitation.
Hearing that his wife and son had eaten their fill at someone else’s place and hadn’t even thought to tell him, Zhang Yuejun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He was the head of the household, after all—how could they just forget about him?
Even as Hu Li took the two kids downstairs, Zhang Yuejun kept grumbling by her ear.
“Niannian, let’s go play with Mingming!” Haohao said, pulling Sheng Nian toward a few older kids nearby.
Sheng Nian didn’t have many friends. He’d only met Haohao a few times because they lived on the same floor. The few times his mom brought him downstairs, he mostly just stood quietly on the sidelines, watching everyone talk and play.
This was the first time he was actually joining in. Especially since Haohao had pulled him over and all the other kids were looking at him—it made Sheng Nian a little nervous.
“Mingming, this is my good friend Niannian. Can we play together?”
The boy called Mingming was half a head taller than Haohao and Niannian. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt and overalls, looking especially neat and tidy.
“Sure, but you both have to listen to me,” Mingming said, tilting his chin up with a slightly haughty air.
Haohao nodded eagerly.
It wasn’t really Mingming’s fault for acting that way—he was the only one among the little kids who was about to have a kindergarten diploma, not to mention he had an older brother in fourth grade, which cemented his status as the resident “big kid.”
“Okay, Mingming,” Sheng Nian replied obediently.
He’d heard Mingming mention before that KenKen Chicken was delicious. He’d tried it and it was indeed tasty—just not as good as his aunt’s cooking—but still better than anything he’d eaten before.
“Alright, let’s play now. My dad bought me glass marbles, so we can play marbles.” With that, Mingming pulled a few glass marbles out of his pocket.
The moment the marbles appeared, everyone’s attention was fixed on them.
Mingming showed everyone how to play, then let the younger kids take turns with the marbles. As they played, he stood by and, like a little adult, reminded everyone to be careful.
Sheng Nian took his turn playing too, his little face flushed with joy.
Over the next while, the kids played with sandbags, rolled iron hoops, and someone even brought out their toy car from home. But that kid was so protective of it that he’d only let their “big brother” Mingming touch it—everyone else could only look.
The children played with great enthusiasm.
Soon, their foreheads were covered in sweat. Sheng Nian’s clothes were wrinkled and stained, but he was too absorbed in the fun to care.
Hu Li and Zhang Yuejun, seeing their son and Sheng Nian drenched in sweat, called them over to drink some mint mung bean soup.
Even while drinking, the boys couldn’t stop watching the others play. Each held a small cup, sipping the soup as they watched from the sidelines.
Though the sun was setting, the heat still lingered. If everyone were just enduring it together, it wouldn’t have been a big deal—but two of them were enjoying something cold and refreshing, and soon the others started losing focus.
The mung bean soup that Haohao and Niannian were drinking looked really good.
“Haohao, is your mung bean soup tasty? My grandma makes really sweet and delicious mung bean soup, but she’s back in our hometown,” one kid said, his eyes practically falling into Haohao’s cup.
“My mom makes great mung bean soup too—nice and sweet. Haohao, did your mom make yours?”
Haohao puffed out his chest, but before he could brag, he heard Sheng Nian’s proud voice beside him: “This mint mung bean soup was made by my aunt. My aunt makes the best mung bean soup in the whole world.”
Haohao, who’d missed his chance to show off, quickly nodded. “Yeah! Little Auntie Niannian makes the best mint mung bean soup. And the food tonight was amazing too—the beef was great, and there was this sour and spicy shredded meat dish, and the green vegetables were delicious too.”
“And the tomato egg drop soup,” Sheng Nian added.
“Oh, and Little Auntie Niannian can make KenKen Chicken too! So good!” Haohao couldn’t help but drool just thinking about the fried chicken legs.
The two of them went back and forth, making the other kids’ mouths water—including their “big brother” Mingming.
“I don’t believe there’s mung bean soup better than my grandma’s,” said a chubby little boy with a small braid, slurping back his drool.
Before Sheng Nian and Haohao could retort, the boy’s eyes darted around and he said, “Unless you let me have a sip.”
Haohao was reluctant to share his mint mung bean soup—there was only so much, and once it was gone, it was gone. His mom didn’t know how to make it like Little Auntie Niannian; she’d only buy him bitter tea.
Sheng Nian generously held out his cup. “Here, have some.”
His aunt was simply the best mint mung bean soup maker in the world.
The sly little boy didn’t hesitate. He took the cup and had a sip. Reluctantly gazing at the cup in his hands, he finally handed it back to Sheng Nian. “Niannian, I admit it—your aunt makes the best mung bean soup.”
At those words, all the other kids swarmed around Sheng Nian, chattering excitedly and asking for a taste of his aunt’s mint mung bean soup.
Mingming didn’t crowd around Sheng Nian, though. Instead, he walked up to Haohao and stared intently at the cup in his hands.
Seeing his most admired Mingming brother looking at his cup, Haohao felt a pang of reluctance—but he still held it out to him.
“Mingming, here, have some.”
Hu Li hadn’t poured much mung bean soup for Sheng Nian and Haohao to begin with. The kids took turns sipping, and no matter how carefully they rationed it, it was soon gone.
The sweet, cool mint mung bean soup had instantly won over every kid there.
Soon, wave after wave of praise made Haohao and Sheng Nian feel absolutely giddy. Finally, Haohao waved his hand and said, “Come on, my mom has more over there—let’s go get some!”
The group of kids marched over to Hu Li and Zhang Yuejun in a cheerful pack.
“Mom, can I have another cup of mung bean soup?”
“Auntie Hu, I’d like some too!”
The two of them held out their empty cups in unison. Looking at the eager little faces behind them, Hu Li didn’t need to ask what was going on.
The mint mung bean soup was originally meant for the two kids anyway. If they wanted to share it with their friends, of course that was fine.
Hu Li generously filled their cups to the brim. The flask wasn’t very big—there was only enough for two more cups—but that was plenty to make the kids happy.
After sharing the mint mung bean soup, it was getting late, and Hu Li decided it was time to take the two boys back home.
More importantly, she’d already promised her husband two of her fried chicken wings and drumsticks to appease him—and honestly, she was craving them herself too.
The delicious fried chicken wings, dipped in Sheng Qiu’s sweet and spicy sauce, were an absolutely perfect match.
That very night, all the kids who’d played with Haohao and Sheng Nian went home clamoring for mint mung bean soup.
Several kitchens in the building lit up again after dinner.
Not only did the parents have to boil mung bean soup for their kids after a long day’s work, but someone in the building had zero consideration for others—frying food with the windows wide open, letting that irresistible aroma drift everywhere.
Well, now it wasn’t just about mint mung bean soup anymore. Everyone wanted KenKen Chicken too.