The next day, Sheng Qiu went to Hu Li to ask how she could get Sheng Nian into kindergarten.
Hu Li was happy to share everything she knew. By age, both Haohao and Sheng Nian actually wouldn’t be eligible until next year—but rules were rules, and in practice, there were ways around them.
Yangcheng had quite a few nursery classes attached to kindergartens, but not many parents were willing to send their kids that early, so every student enrollment was precious to the kindergartens.
Their Xinshidai (New Era) residential complex had originally been built right next to a kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school to attract more homebuyers—making it more competitive among other commercial housing options.
As long as you enrolled during the regular admission period, you could get your child in. But now that the school year had already started for a while, families from other areas might not be able to enroll their kids—but Xinshidai residents could.
This had been one of the perks of buying property there.
As long as you purchased a unit in the complex, your child could enroll at any time, with tuition calculated based on attendance. The elementary and middle schools also had preferential policies.
So all Sheng Qiu had to do was go to the kindergarten ahead of time, pay the fees, and she could enroll Sheng Nian. As for the age issue—as long as it wasn’t too far off, the school administration would turn a blind eye.
Without any hesitation, Sheng Qiu took Sheng Nian to register that very day, aiming for him to start school with Haohao the following Monday.
At first, the kindergarten was a bit hesitant about Sheng Nian being on the younger side—with so many kids together, it was hard to give each one individual attention, and younger children were more likely to get bullied.
But the teachers saw that Sheng Nian was well-behaved and obedient, and he was about the same size as the other kids in the lower class, so they eventually accepted him.
On the way home, Sheng Nian rarely held onto Sheng Qiu’s hand with a big smile on his face the whole time, cheerfully greeting the flowers and little trees along the road.
“Little flowers, Niannian is going to kindergarten next week!”
“Little chick, Niannian is going to be a lower-class student next week!”
“Clouds, Niannian is starting school soon!”
As he walked, he announced to everything around him that he’d be starting kindergarten soon—so lively and energetic that he seemed almost unlike his usual self.
Sheng Qiu was delighted to see him this way. Kids should act like kids—full of curiosity, imagination, and joy.
“Niannian, how about Little Auntie takes you to the department store to buy things you’ll need for school?”
To be honest, Sheng Qiu had never been to a 1990s department store before. She’d heard the women at the toy factory mention them—they said the toys they made were sold in department stores—but they’d always been too tired to go out and explore.
Now was the perfect chance. She could buy school supplies for Sheng Nian, and also check if the store had ovens and larger refrigerators. The summer in Yangcheng was long, so she really needed to get a fridge.
Sheng Nian’s eyes lit up immediately. “Really, Little Auntie? We’re going to the department store?”
“Of course! Little Auntie is going to buy Niannian the prettiest backpack.”
“Thank you, Little Auntie.”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s head home first, get some money, and then we’ll go.”
Sheng Qiu really missed the convenience of mobile payments right now. These days, she had to carry cash everywhere, and sometimes she’d end up with a pocketful of coins that weighed quite a bit.
But maybe because she was handling physical cash now, she was extra careful with every purchase, making sure not to waste a single cent.
Once home, Sheng Qiu grabbed some money and took Sheng Nian on the bus. She’d actually been wanting to buy a fridge for a while and had already asked Hu Li for the route to the department store. It was quite far from Xinshidai—definitely not walkable.
After over an hour on the bus, with two transfers along the way, they finally arrived at the department store.
It was Yangcheng, after all. Though the store couldn’t compare to the malls Sheng Qiu had seen before she time-traveled, its scale was still impressive for this era—and stepping inside, she immediately felt cooler.
The department store had air conditioning.
At a time when most people used fans, the store had already installed A/C, which showed just how much the developers had invested.
“Little Auntie, it feels cool in here,” Sheng Nian said, looking around in wonder.
The store wasn’t like modern malls with separate boutiques for each brand. Instead, it was more like a market, with stalls lined up one after another, bustling with crowds of people.
“Little Auntie, there are so many people here!”
Sheng Qiu gripped Sheng Nian’s hand tightly and reminded him: “Niannian, it’s too crowded here. Little Auntie is going to hold onto you, and you hold onto me too. If you ever can’t find me, just stay right where you are and wait for me.”
Hearing this, Sheng Nian nodded nervously. He didn’t want to be separated from his aunt—especially in such an unfamiliar place.
With that, Sheng Qiu officially began their shopping trip.
Before buying the new backpack they’d originally come for, Sheng Qiu first spotted a pair of sneakers.
Sheng Nian was at the age where he loved running and jumping, so sneakers suited him perfectly. Plus, he was about to start kindergarten, so he deserved a new pair of shoes to celebrate his official entry into school.
“Niannian, do you like these shoes?” Sheng Qiu asked after putting them on him.
Sheng Nian nodded. “I love them, Little Auntie. They’re so nice!”
“Great. New shoes to celebrate Niannian becoming a lower-class student!”
“Yay!”
Soon after: “Niannian, new clothes to celebrate Niannian officially starting school!”
“A new pair of pants to celebrate Niannian entering a new stage of life—school!”
Sheng Qiu just kept celebrating. She bought shoes, pants, clothes, and even new underwear and socks, making sure he was brand-new from head to toe.
At first, Sheng Nian was thrilled, but as his aunt kept buying more and more, his little face started to scrunch up.
Seeing her about to buy him yet another outfit, Sheng Nian tugged on her hand.
“Little Auntie, don’t buy me any more—I already have so much. You haven’t bought anything for yourself.”
Hearing that, Sheng Qiu smacked her own forehead. “Oh, that’s right! Little Auntie is entering a new stage too now.”
Sheng Nian looked at her in confusion.
“Hehe, Little Auntie is now officially the aunt of Niannian, who’s about to become a lower-class student. So Little Auntie needs to celebrate too!”
“Yay! Little Auntie and Niannian can both wear new clothes!”
Back home that evening, Sheng Qiu dropped all their bags on the floor and collapsed onto the sofa.
She hadn’t noticed it while shopping at the department store, but by the time they got back, she was completely exhausted—her feet felt like they’d run away from home.
They’d bought so much stuff that not only were Sheng Qiu’s hands full, but Sheng Nian was also carrying things in both hands and even had bags hanging around his neck.
Seeing him waddle in like a little penguin, Sheng Qiu felt a pang of sympathy.
“Niannian, you must be so tired. We really owe you today—I couldn’t have carried all this stuff back without you.”
Sheng Nian, his forehead glistening with sweat, gave a shy smile. “Niannian likes helping Little Auntie carry things.”
“Alright, alright. From now on, Little Auntie’s stuff is all for Niannian to carry.” Sheng Qiu found it amusing—how could such a little person be so willing to work?
Sheng Nian’s eyes sparkled with joy at her words.
“Come on, come on—Little Auntie’s little hero, Niannian, come rest for a bit.”
Like a little swallow returning to its nest, the “little penguin” Niannian threw himself into Sheng Qiu’s arms, filling the room with warmth.
Tired as she was, Sheng Qiu’s trip to the department store had been well worth it. She’d bought Sheng Nian a whole new set of clothes, let him pick out a blue backpack with an adorable embroidered puppy on it, bought clothes for herself, and—most importantly—gotten the refrigerator and oven she’d been dreaming of.
Her wallet had taken a serious hit, though.
But it was still a great deal—with these new appliances, Sheng Qiu could make even more delicious food for Sheng Nian and fatten him up nice and healthy.
She might have lost money, but she’d gained kitchen tools that would boost their happiness.
Sheng Qiu silently vowed to make sure these appliances would be put to their fullest use.
That afternoon, having expended so much energy, she didn’t make anything complicated—just a simple bowl of noodles with toppings.
Finely minced pork stir-fried with diced green beans, ladled over noodles that had been rinsed in cold water—refreshing and delicious. Sheng Nian, worn out from the day, ate without even looking up.
“Little Auntie, these noodles are so good! The meat is yummy, and the round beans are yummy too—everything’s yummy. Niannian wants another bowl!”
That evening, Sheng Nian was especially enthusiastic. After finishing one bowl, he asked Sheng Qiu for another.
Normally, she wouldn’t let him eat that much at dinner—he was still little, and too much at night wasn’t good for digestion—but today was an exception.
Sheng Qiu gave him another half-bowl of minced pork and green bean noodles.
And since she didn’t have any digestion issues, she made herself a full, heaping bowl.
“So delicious!” Sheng Qiu couldn’t help but exclaim.
With his mouth stuffed full, Sheng Nian nodded vigorously in agreement.
“Now would be the perfect time for an ice-cold Coke,” she added. An icy, fizzy drink was the ultimate summer companion.
“Ice Coke? What’s that?”
Sheng Nian was curious—he really wanted to know what this “ice Coke” his aunt mentioned tasted like.
“It’s what Little Auntie drank when we went to KenKen Chicken last time.”
Fried chicken and Coke were a perfect match too.
Back then, Sheng Nian’s kids’ meal had Coke as an option, but Sheng Qiu had swapped it for milk, so he’d never tried it.
“Ohhh. Little Auntie, next time can Niannian have a sip too?”
A tiny sip couldn’t hurt, right? Sheng Qiu agreed without hesitation.
But with her cooking skills, she was confident Sheng Nian wouldn’t even think about KenKen Chicken for a while—so that Coke would stay out of reach for now.
Over the next two days, Sheng Qiu washed all of Sheng Nian’s new clothes, getting everything ready for Monday.
And before she knew it, Monday arrived.
Sheng Qiu was still asleep when Sheng Nian, already dressed in his new outfit, sat quietly on the sofa reading picture books, waiting for his aunt to wake up.
She’d stayed up too late cooking the night before, so when she woke up and saw Sheng Nian, she panicked for a moment—afraid she’d overslept and would be late dropping him off.
Luckily, it was just a false alarm.
She took out the filling and dough she’d prepped the night before and started making breakfast.