When Sheng Nian got home, he saw his auntie sitting on the sofa knitting something. It looked like clothes, but they seemed a bit small.
Hearing the noise and seeing Sheng Nian back, Sheng Qiu was a little surprised. Usually, he didn’t come home this early.
“Niannian, why are you back so early today?” Sheng Qiu set down the yarn as she spoke.
The yarn had been a gift from Hu Li, who said she’d bought it from somewhere else and that it could be used to knit a sweater for the child. Unfortunately, Sheng Qiu didn’t know how to knit sweaters—though she could manage hats and scarves a little—so she decided to crochet a woolen hat for herself and one for Sheng Nian instead.
Sheng Nian wasn’t sure how to bring up the matter with his auntie.
“Auntie, I—”
Sheng Qiu looked at him, waiting for him to continue, but he stopped after just a few words.
“It’s okay, Niannian. Just tell Auntie whatever it is. Did your little friends bully you?”
“No, no. Mingming and the others are really nice. It’s just that they think the food you make is especially delicious.”
Whenever Sheng Qiu made something portable, she’d have Sheng Nian take it along when he went out to play, and he could share it with his friends—it was a good way to strengthen their bonds.
From what she could tell, using food to bring people closer had been quite successful.
“If Niannian’s friends all think Auntie’s cooking is good, then tomorrow you can invite your little friends over for a meal.”
Sheng Nian hadn’t expected his auntie to just tell him to invite his friends over. “Really, Auntie? Is that okay?”
“Of course! Didn’t you mention before that Mingming gave you some candy from abroad, and that other kids shared their tasty treats and fun toys with you? You can definitely bring your friends back for a meal too.”
They didn’t have many fun toys at home, and as for the books she’d bought—the little ones who hadn’t even gotten their kindergarten diplomas probably couldn’t read them anyway. So it was better to invite them over for a good meal.
Before Sheng Nian could respond, the slightly ajar door suddenly burst open.
Several little figures who had been eavesdropping outside tumbled right through the doorway, with the roundest one—Haohao—ending up at the very bottom of the pile.
They’d already been embarrassed about listening in, and now that they’d been caught by the homeowner, it was even worse.
The oldest, Mingming, felt he should set an example. He stood up and started apologizing.
“Auntie Niannian, we’re sorry. We didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“Auntie, we just followed Niannian home because we wanted to know the answer sooner.” Haohao chimed in right after.
The slightly dark-skinned boy also spoke up. “We’re sorry. We didn’t mean to. Next time, we’ll be much more careful.”
“Feizai, what are you saying!” Mingming felt that this was the time to apologize.
“Pretty Auntie, I’m sorry.” Kangkang twisted his fingers, his face a little red. Eavesdropping was wrong, but he really wanted to know if Niannian’s auntie would say yes.
A group of little ones—tall and short—all apologized to her in a very serious manner.
Sheng Qiu couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s okay. Come on in.”
The four children who had been crowding at the doorway filed in. Sheng Qiu had them sit on the sofa and first brought out a plate of homemade cartoon-shaped cookies, along with a plate of fish cake she’d made that afternoon.
“Here, help yourselves. Have some cookies and fish cake.”
The children, who had been feeling shy about the eavesdropping incident, now had their eyes glued to the cartoon cookies and fish cake in front of them.
Only Haohao had ever eaten the cartoon cookies before, because Sheng Qiu usually packed them away for Sheng Nian to take to kindergarten. But even if they hadn’t tried them, the adorable shapes and the milky aroma deeply captivated the little ones.
As for the fish cake, they’d already tried it earlier—it was delicious, just that there hadn’t been much. Now, a whole big plate sat before them.
Everyone could get four or five pieces each!
Sheng Qiu could tell they were a bit reserved with her around, so she gave Sheng Nian a quick instruction and went into her room.
“Niannian, can I have some?”
Kangkang hadn’t eaten much dinner, and that one piece of fish cake earlier was nowhere near enough. Now that a whole plate was in front of him, he couldn’t help but swallow.
“Of course! Kangkang, go ahead and eat.”
“Haohao, Mingming, and Feizai—all of you, eat up.”
Since Sheng Nian had said so, Haohao took the lead and grabbed a piece of fish cake. Kangkang followed, also reaching for fish cake, while Mingming and Feizai opted for the cartoon cookies.
If the fish cake was smooth and tender, the cartoon cookies were crunchy. And they tasted a bit different from the usual cookies they’d had, but they were incredibly delicious.
Feizai stuffed two cookies into his mouth at once. “These cookies are so good! Niannian, your auntie is amazing.”
“Mmhmm, mmhmm—Niannian’s auntie is super amazing.” Kangkang nibbled on his fish cake in small bites and nodded in agreement.
“Definitely! Auntie doesn’t just make great cookies and fish cake—she also makes fried chicken that’s super delicious! And there’s this leafy vegetable that I think is a little bitter, but when Auntie makes it, it’s so tasty!” Haohao was practically Sheng Qiu’s number one fan. In his heart, Niannian’s auntie was the best cook in the whole world.
Sheng Nian looked utterly proud beside them.
“Auntie said I can invite you all to my house for dinner tomorrow. Would you like to come?” Sheng Nian didn’t forget the most important thing—his auntie had told him to invite his friends himself.
Haohao jumped up right away. “I want to! I want to! Thank you, Niannian!”
Feizai followed close behind. “I want to too! I want to too!”
“Niannian, I want to come too!” Kangkang immediately chimed in as well.
The four of them all turned to look at Mingming—he was the only one who hadn’t spoken yet.
“Thank you, Niannian. I’d love to.”
“Then it’s settled! We’re all coming to Niannian’s house for dinner tomorrow. This is great—we’re going to have a feast!” Haohao was over the moon. In his mind now, the food Niannian’s auntie made was even better than the fried chicken from the fast-food place outside.
“Mmhmm, but you need to go home first and get your parents’ permission,” Sheng Nian added.
The others nodded eagerly.
Only after hearing the door close did Sheng Qiu come out of her room. The first thing she saw was two completely empty plates.
It seemed that Sheng Nian’s friends really enjoyed her cooking.
“Auntie, I’ve already invited them. They’re coming for dinner tomorrow, and after we eat, we’ll go to Haohao’s house to play with his new toys.”
“No problem! Tomorrow, Auntie will make a huge table full of delicious food for you all. Niannian, is there anything you’d especially like to eat?” Sheng Qiu felt a little regretful—she should have come out earlier to ask the little guests about their preferences.
“As long as Auntie makes it, I’ll love it. And Haohao, Mingming, and the others will too,” Sheng Nian said with certainty.
While Sheng Qiu began planning tomorrow night’s menu, the kids had parted ways at Sheng Nian’s door and headed home.
Since they all lived in the same building—just on different floors—the adults felt comfortable letting them play around in the building. Except for Kangkang’s grandmother.
Usually, Kangkang’s grandma would take him downstairs to play, sit with the other elderly ladies in the neighborhood, and keep an eye on her grandson from a distance. But today, he’d told her he was going to a friend’s house with other kids and had gone straight into the building.
Kangkang’s grandma wasn’t as quick on her feet as the little ones. By the time she tried to follow, they were already gone, so she had to come back home.
But she’d been pacing back and forth ever since, unable to sit still.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, old woman, stop pacing and sit down for a while!” Kangkang’s grandpa was getting dizzy just watching her.
“Kangkang has been out for so long and still isn’t back. I’m worried! What if he gets bullied?”
“Mom, don’t worry. I know all the kids Kangkang plays with—they’re all well-behaved good children. They won’t bully him,” Kangkang’s mother reassured her.
Because her son had health issues, Kangkang’s mother always made extra effort to find out about the neighborhood kids. She knew that her Kangkang’s friends were good ones.
“I—I’m just worried, that’s all.”
Kangkang’s grandma didn’t mean anything bad by it—she was just concerned.
Just as Kangkang’s father was about to step in and comfort her too, Kangkang walked in the door, chewing on something with a happy smack.
“Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad—I’m home!”
Almost as soon as he’d spoken, Kangkang ran up to his grandma and handed her the cartoon-shaped cookie he’d been holding. “Grandma, this is a cookie made by Niannian’s auntie. It’s really good—here, try it!”
After giving the cookie to his grandma, Kangkang went to his mom and handed her the fish cake from his other hand. “Mom, this is fish cake—also made by Niannian’s auntie. For you!”
Now that the two women in the family had something, the two men were left staring at Kangkang with hopeful eyes.
Unfortunately, Kangkang had no more left. He’d brought these back because he couldn’t bear to eat them himself.
“Did you eat any?” Kangkang’s grandma looked at the cookie in her hand, feeling warm inside. It was nice to know that all her love for her grandson paid off—he even remembered to bring back treats for her.
“Yes! Both the cookies and the fish cake were super delicious. I had several pieces. Oh, and Niannian also invited me to his house for dinner tomorrow night! The food his auntie makes is amazing. I can’t wait for tomorrow to come.”
Kangkang was so excited for tomorrow.
“You had several pieces? You like the food Niannian’s auntie makes?” Kangkang’s mother looked at her son excitedly. Aside from a few restaurants where Kangkang could eat a little more, he didn’t like much of the food made at home.
And now he was saying he loved what Niannian’s auntie made.
It felt almost unreal.
Kangkang nodded. “Mmhmm! I love it! Yesterday, Niannian even shared some fried little fish his auntie made with me—it was crispy and so delicious!”
Hearing that, the family finally understood why their child had come home asking for fried fish. So he’d been eating food from someone else’s house.
“Mom, can I go? I really want to eat at Niannian’s house,” Kangkang said, suddenly remembering what Niannian had said earlier.
Before Kangkang’s mom could answer, his grandma spoke up first. “Of course you can!”
As long as her grandson was willing to eat, Kangkang’s grandma would happily send him over to that “Niannian’s house” every single day. She just wondered if they’d be willing to feed her child too.
She could pay!
Her son had plenty of money!