They’re so loud!
Why is everyone crying?
Sheng Nian’s first impression of kindergarten wasn’t great. Especially when he saw a few kids crying with snot running down their faces—he was honestly put off.
His little aunt liked clean children. He couldn’t let himself get all dirty.
Luckily, his good buddy Haohao showed up soon after.
“Niannian, the little buns your aunt made were so delicious—I couldn’t bear to finish them all!” Haohao said, pulling a slightly cooled steamed bun out of his pocket with a proud look.
He’d snuck it in his pocket when his mom wasn’t looking.
Sheng Nian looked at the bun in his buddy’s hand with slight disgust. His aunt had told him food shouldn’t go straight in your pocket—it’d pick up germs.
Haohao had originally planned to save it to share with Niannian at lunch. But now he felt a little hungry again and couldn’t help taking a bite.
Even though the bun had cooled down, the moment he bit through the skin, the aroma filled the small classroom.
The kids who’d been crying caught the scent and forgot all about their tears. They followed the smell toward Haohao, and soon other kids gathered too.
Before long, Haohao was surrounded by a circle of kids staring at him as he ate.
“What are you eating?” asked a kid with red, puffy eyes from crying.
“It’s a little steamed bun. It’s so good!” Haohao tilted his head back with each bite, looking thoroughly pleased.
A kid with a finger in their mouth asked next, “Is there meat inside? It smells so good!”
“Yep! This is Little Auntie Niannian’s steamed bun—the best little bun in the whole world!” Haohao said with absolute conviction, making him Sheng Qiu’s second most loyal fan.
Sheng Nian, who’d been unnoticed until now, suddenly found himself surrounded because of what Haohao said. Everyone wanted to ask him about the buns.
The sudden attention made Sheng Nian want to step back.
His little aunt had said he could make lots of friends at kindergarten, and if anyone bullied him, he should tell the teacher right away. But she hadn’t told him what to do when so many kids wanted to be his friend!
Especially—they had snotty noses!!
After dropping Sheng Nian off at kindergarten and returning home, Sheng Qiu felt a little out of sorts. Usually, there was a little shadow trailing behind her. It had taken her a while to get used to having that shadow around, and now she’d have to get used to not having it.
This was the struggle of raising a child.
Now she understood why some friends, after getting married and having kids, could never make it to hangouts anymore—they just couldn’t bear to leave their children.
Now Sheng Qiu felt exactly the same way.
She even seemed to have lost her appetite for lunch. This sudden separation anxiety would take some time to adjust to.
Yawning, she decided to just go back to sleep.
Before, with Sheng Nian at home, she didn’t want to give him the impression that his aunt was lazy. Plus, she was worried he might accidentally mention to others that Sheng Qiu spent her days lounging in bed. Now, at least, she didn’t have to keep up appearances.
Oh, soft, lovely bed—I’m coming for you!
After a nice nap, Sheng Qiu had a quick lunch and got to work.
She planned to bake a small cake that afternoon to celebrate Sheng Nian successfully completing his first day of kindergarten. She also wanted to make some cookies for him to bring to school tomorrow.
She’d already bought all the baking ingredients at the department store when she got the oven, since those things were hard to find at the local market.
She baked just a four-inch cake—perfect for two people, or maybe even three if Haohao joined them.
For the cookies, she kept it simple—cartoon-shaped ones: little bunnies, little ducks, little birds. Kids would love them.
Never mind the taste—just the shapes alone would be more appealing to children than store-bought cookies.
Sheng Qiu could already picture the delighted look on Sheng Nian’s face when he saw them.
Soon, the house filled with the rich, buttery aroma of baked goods. Sheng Qiu couldn’t help but take a deep breath—it felt warm and comforting.
“Miss Sheng! Miss Sheng, are you home?”
Hearing a voice outside the door, Sheng Qiu hurried out of the kitchen and peeked through the peephole. Standing there was Zhang Yuejun.
Haohao’s dad.
Without hesitation, she opened the door to find Zhang Yuejun looking anxious.
“Mr. Zhang, what’s the matter?” Usually it was Hu Li who came by—Sheng Qiu knew her better. Zhang Yuejun was more of a familiar face from occasionally tagging along behind his wife to carry things.
“Miss Sheng, I just got a call—something urgent came up at the factory and I have to go in, no telling when I’ll be back. Haohao’s mom is at the shop today too, and she’d asked me to pick up Haohao. Could I trouble you to bring Zhang Hao back with you when you pick up your kid? His mom will be back a little later.”
Zhang Yuejun really had no other choice. His wife had already made it clear: she’d drop the kid off in the morning, and he’d pick him up in the evening. Plus, since his wife had been busy taking care of their son, she hadn’t had time to manage her own shop, and there was a backlog of things waiting for her. Now that he had an emergency, he’d called her—but she couldn’t come back either. So she told him to go ask Sheng Qiu if she could help out.
It was just a matter of bringing Haohao back along the way, so Sheng Qiu didn’t hesitate to agree.
“No problem. Once Haohao’s mom gets back, she can just come over to pick him up.”
“That’s great—thank you so much.”
“No worries, no worries.” Sheng Qiu waved her hand dismissively. It was really just a small favor.
Even though she said that, Zhang Yuejun silently made a mental note of it.
Since the factory matter was urgent, after entrusting his son to Sheng Qiu for the time being, he rushed off without delay.
Sheng Qiu didn’t make anything fancy—just a simple frosted cake with a few words written on top, then put it in the fridge.
By the time she’d finished baking all the cookies, it was almost time for Sheng Nian to get out of school.
She promptly headed out to pick up Sheng Nian and Haohao.
Sheng Nian had been waiting for dismissal ever since he got the little red flower reward from the teacher. When the teacher finally announced that they could go home soon, he couldn’t wait to leave.
But since they were still little, the teachers wouldn’t let any child leave without a parent picking them up at the classroom door.
Sheng Nian could only sit obediently on his little chair, hoping his aunt would come soon.
“Niannian, look at the little red flower the teacher gave me! Doesn’t it look especially good on my forehead?” Haohao had one stuck right between his brows, and his pride was practically soaring.
If Haohao with the red flower on his forehead looked like a little lucky charm, the same adornment on Sheng Nian’s face made him look like a pretty little girl.
That’s exactly what Sheng Qiu thought.
If she hadn’t remembered what clothes Sheng Nian was wearing, she might have almost missed him.
“Niannian!”
Sheng Qiu called out.
Sheng Nian, who’d been eagerly waiting for his aunt to arrive, had already spotted her before she even called. He stood up the moment he heard her voice.
“Little Niannian, your aunt is here to pick you up!”
With his backpack on, Sheng Nian walked happily over to his aunt. “Little Auntie, I behaved well today—the teacher gave me a little red flower!”
He couldn’t wait to share the news. “I washed my hands properly, ate my meal, and I didn’t cry at all.”
“Wow! Our Niannian is so impressive—getting a little red flower on the very first day! Little Auntie is so proud of you. I have to give you a good reward today. Let’s go home and I’ll show you what I’ve prepared!” Already having coordinated with the teacher to take Haohao back as well, Sheng Qiu didn’t hold back her praise.
Just a few words of encouragement made Sheng Nian blush a little. He didn’t actually need a reward—but he was really curious about what his aunt had prepared for him.
“Little Auntie, I got a little red flower too today—because I ate two bowls of rice!” Haohao puffed out his round little belly with pride.
“Haohao is super impressive too—two whole bowls! When you tell your mom tonight, she’ll definitely praise you too.”
Sheng Nian whispered beside them, “The kindergarten food isn’t as good as Little Auntie’s, but I still ate one bowl.” Actually, he’d wanted to stop after half a bowl, but his aunt had said not to waste food, so he finished it all.
“Niannian is great too!”
After praising them both, Sheng Qiu said goodbye to the teacher and walked out of the kindergarten, holding a child in each hand.
The adults and children didn’t notice the envious looks from the other kids in the classroom.
Niannian’s aunt was so nice—she even praised Niannian. They wished they had an aunt like that too.
It wasn’t until they were halfway home that Haohao realized—why was Little Auntie Niannian picking him up today? His mom had dropped him off in the morning and told him his dad would come in the afternoon.
“Because both your mom and dad have things to take care of today, so they asked me to pick you up,” Sheng Qiu explained. She was worried Haohao might feel disappointed—but instead, he looked at her expectantly.
“Little Auntie, can I have dinner at your place tonight?”
“Of course—if your mom hasn’t come back by dinner time.”
“Yay! I hope Mom comes home late, so she picks me up late!” After saying that, Haohao squeezed next to Sheng Nian like they were best buds.
Sheng Qiu couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Hu Li and Zhang Yuejun—with how easily Haohao could be won over, a few good snacks might just be enough to lure him away.
Once home, Sheng Qiu told Sheng Nian to take Haohao to wash their hands first, then brought out the little cake she’d prepared.
Seeing the sweet-smelling cake, Sheng Nian was completely stunned.
“Yay! It’s cake!” Haohao clung to the table, his face full of delight.
“Celebrating Niannian’s successful first day of kindergarten!” Sheng Qiu clapped her hands, and Haohao followed suit, clapping along.
Only then did Sheng Qiu realize that today was Haohao’s first day too. She glanced at him, afraid he might feel left out—but he was just staring at the cake, a pure little foodie through and through.
“Thank you, Little Auntie,” Sheng Nian said, touched.
“Little Auntie, the cake looks so yummy! Can we eat it now?”
“Of course!”
So this is what cake tastes like—sweet and soft, Sheng Nian thought.