Today was Sheng Nian’s first day of kindergarten. Instead of her usual quick breakfast options, Sheng Qiu decided to make some little steamed buns (xiaolongbao). She’d prepped the filling and dough the night before and kept them in the fridge, so putting everything together this morning didn’t take long at all.
Originally, she’d planned to wake up early to make them fresh, but while staying up late wasn’t a problem for Sheng Qiu, getting up early was a bit of a struggle. To avoid a last-minute rush, she figured it was better to do the prep work ahead of time.
Sheng Qiu worked quickly. In just ten minutes, all the little buns were in the steamer, and she also made a cup of milk powder for Sheng Nian.
“Niannian, drink your milk first. Breakfast will be ready soon.”
Sheng Nian nodded, cradling his cup and sipping the warm milk. It felt soothing going down, and soon a thin layer of sweat appeared on his face. Without needing Sheng Qiu’s help, he wiped his forehead with the little towel his aunt had prepared for him.
While the buns were still steaming, Sheng Qiu opened Sheng Nian’s backpack and put in a water bottle and an apple.
She wondered what the kindergarten’s meals were like and whether they’d get fruit in the afternoon. Her little Niannian was still growing and needed proper nutrition—he had to eat well to grow tall. She remembered her sister being only about 1.5 meters tall, maybe a bit over—a petite figure.
She hoped Niannian’s father was tall, to make up for her sister’s less-than-lofty genes.
After packing the apple, Sheng Qiu still felt it wasn’t enough, so she added some walnut pastries and small sponge cakes. Then she thought maybe there wasn’t enough fruit and tossed in a pear too.
The small, slim backpack quickly became bulging and stuffed.
Even so, Sheng Qiu still worried she hadn’t packed enough for her little one. She decided she’d bake some cookies in the afternoon for Niannian to take to kindergarten.
Sheng Nian watched his aunt cram everything on the table into his backpack, the zipper barely able to close.
“Little Auntie, that’s enough, that’s enough—the backpack can’t hold any more!”
At this point, Sheng Qiu regretted not buying a bigger backpack. How could it be full with just this little bit of stuff?
When the aroma of wheat wafted out from the kitchen, Sheng Qiu brought out a plate of steamed buns and set them in front of Sheng Nian.
“Try Little Auntie’s steamed buns—how are they?”
“Anything Little Auntie makes is delicious,” Sheng Nian, her loyal little fan, said matter-of-factly.
And it was true. The soft, tender skin wrapped around a juicy filling—each bun disappeared in two bites.
“Little Auntie, these are so good—even better than the big meat buns we bought before!”
At the time, most people still craved rich, fatty foods, so the meat buns sold at street stalls had a lot of fat in them—they were greasy and drippy. One was satisfying, but too many got overwhelming.
Sheng Qiu’s little steamed buns used an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio. The filling was juicy but not greasy—just right. Dip them in a bit of chili sauce, and they’d be absolutely perfect.
Too bad she hadn’t found any good chili peppers at the market yet; otherwise, she’d make some chopped chili relish. It would be amazing in any dipping sauce.
Sheng Nian showed his love for the little buns by eating eight of them in one go.
If he hadn’t been so full, he would’ve had a few more—he really loved them.
Seeing the reluctant look in his eyes, Sheng Qiu found it amusing. “Little Auntie made quite a lot. You can have some more when you get home tonight.”
Hearing that, Sheng Nian’s eyes lit up. He looked at his aunt expectantly. “Little Auntie, can I take a few to Haohao later? I’m sure he’d love them.”
“Of course! I’ll pack them up now, and you can take them over to his place.”
“Okay, Little Auntie!”
When Sheng Nian knocked on Haohao’s door with a plate full of steaming little buns, Hu Li was in the middle of a battle of wits with her son.
The night before, everything had been fine. She’d asked Haohao repeatedly, and he’d said he wanted to go to school, especially with Sheng Nian. But when morning came and it was time to get up, he changed his mind. Still groggy, he kept mumbling that he wanted to sleep and absolutely refused to go.
She’d finally managed to drag him out of bed, but in the time it took her to grab his clothes, he’d flopped back down and closed his eyes again.
Hu Li turned around to see her son back in bed—and couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.
They’d already wasted half an hour just trying to get him up. Who knew if they’d even make it to kindergarten on time now.
She’d decided to just dress him directly when she heard a knock at the door. A bit puzzled, she went to open it—and found Sheng Nian standing there, holding a plate of little steamed buns, waiting patiently.
“Niannian, you’re up so early!”
Looking at Sheng Nian, already neatly dressed and ready, and then thinking about her son still passed out in bed, Hu Li almost wished she could take Sheng Nian home and call him her own.
“Auntie Hu, Little Auntie made steamed buns today. I thought they were really good, so I brought some for Haohao. Where is he?” Sheng Nian craned his neck to look behind her—but there was no one there.
Hu Li smiled apologetically. “Niannian, Haohao hasn’t gotten up yet.”
Then she looked at those soft, fluffy little buns and felt her stomach rumble a little. She’d gotten up early to wrestle her son out of bed, spent over half an hour with zero results, and hadn’t realized she was hungry until now.
Sheng Nian nodded and pushed the plate forward. “Auntie Hu, since Haohao isn’t up yet, he can have them when he wakes up. These little buns just came out of the steamer—Little Auntie said they’re best eaten right away. Why don’t you have some first, Auntie Hu? I’ll head back now.”
Taking the heaping plate of little buns, Hu Li beamed. “Thank you so much! Thank you for bringing these over, Niannian. Please thank your aunt for me—she’s so thoughtful.”
She thought about how Sheng Qiu had either invited her son over for meals or sent food over, while she’d only given a small gift at the very beginning. She felt a bit embarrassed. When her husband got home tonight, she’d have him think of something nice to give in return.
Good neighbors kept the relationship going with give-and-take. Besides, she truly loved the food Sheng Qiu sent over—actually, her whole family did. There was no way she’d turn it down; she’d just have to accept it with a thick skin.
“Okay, bye Auntie Hu!”
Before Hu Li could even say goodbye, a figure came barreling over, mumbling, “So fragrant, so fragrant!”
Haohao, who moments ago had been completely unable to wake up, now zeroed in on the little buns in his mother’s hands. “Mom, so yummy! Haohao wants to eat! Wants to eat!”
Seeing his greedy little face, Hu Li felt a bit embarrassed. “Haohao, Niannian brought these especially for you. You need to thank him first.”
“Thank you, Niannian! You’re really my best bro!” Haohao hadn’t expected his good buddy to be so loyal—bringing over such delicious little buns just for him.
“Haohao, my Little Auntie made them specially for me. She said on the first day of kindergarten, we should eat something nice. You should too, Haohao—you need to eat something good too.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Sheng Nian was about to say more when he heard his aunt calling him. He quickly said goodbye to Hu Li and Haohao and hurried back.
Hu Li watched Sheng Nian head home, not noticing that her son had already reached for the buns on the plate.
By the time she realized, Haohao had already stuffed two buns into his mouth and was holding one in each hand—looking like he hadn’t been fed in days.
“ZHANG! HAO! HAO! You haven’t even washed your face or brushed your teeth yet!”
The closed door muffled Hu Li’s exasperated shout—clearly, Haohao was in for quite a scolding.
Back home, Sheng Nian was met with a puzzled look from his aunt. “Niannian, what took you so long?”
“Haohao had just woken up. Auntie Hu seemed a little mad.”
Sheng Qiu nodded, silently offering Haohao three seconds of sympathy. She’d been through those mornings too—struggling to get out of bed with a nagging voice in her ear—and it wasn’t fun.
“Check your things one more time. If everything’s good, Little Auntie will walk you to kindergarten.”
Sheng Nian wanted to check his backpack, but his aunt had packed it so full that he spotted a pencil and a notebook squeezed into a corner.
He wanted to tell his aunt he couldn’t eat that much, but she’d packed it all for him. He couldn’t bear to take anything out—it was her way of caring for him.
“Nothing’s missing,” Sheng Nian said, slinging the backpack over his shoulders. It felt a little heavy.
“Alright, Niannian—let’s head out!”
As he changed his shoes at the door, the weight of the backpack lurched forward and nearly toppled him. Luckily, he grabbed the doorframe.
“Oops, my bad—this backpack is too heavy, isn’t it?”
Sheng Nian thought his aunt would take something out, but instead, she simply took the bag from him. “Here, let Little Auntie carry it for you.”
As she took it, the weight pulled her hand downward.
Sheng Qiu couldn’t help but think: This must be the weight of knowledge.
Holding Sheng Nian’s hand with one arm and carrying the backpack with the other, she walked toward the kindergarten. Along the way, she saw other families heading the same direction, but they only had their kids in tow—no backpacks in sight.
It seemed that this weight of knowledge would give her little Niannian a head start in life.
The kindergarten wasn’t far from the neighborhood—just a seven- or eight-minute walk. A teacher stood at the gate, specially there to welcome Sheng Nian and Haohao. Usually, kids went in on their own; teachers only appeared at the entrance when new students arrived.
“Good morning, Niannian’s aunt!”
“Good morning, Teacher. I’ll leave my Niannian in your care.” Sheng Qiu reluctantly let go of Sheng Nian’s hand.
She hadn’t felt it before, but now her heart felt strangely heavy.
“Of course, Niannian’s aunt. Don’t worry—you can pick him up at four in the afternoon.”
Sheng Qiu nodded and handed the backpack to the teacher. “Teacher, this is Niannian’s backpack. Thank you for your trouble.”
The teacher took the bag and felt its weight immediately. She wondered what on earth the aunt had packed for the child—it was so heavy!
“Alright, Niannian, say goodbye to your aunt, and we’ll head inside.”
“Goodbye, Little Auntie.” Sheng Nian waved, his eyes glistening with tears.
Fearing he might cry, the teacher quickly quickened her pace.
As his small figure grew smaller, Sheng Qiu called out: “Niannian! Have fun at kindergarten! Eat more if you’re hungry, sleep if you’re tired, and if you really miss Little Auntie, just call me—I’ll come pick you up!”
Oh, her little Niannian… it was okay if he didn’t get a head start after all.
One second apart—and she already missed him so much!