Sheng Qiu was in luck—she managed to buy some really good beef short ribs at the market. Since two extra people would be joining for dinner that evening, she decided to buy up all the short ribs the stall had left.
She’d originally planned to pick up some things for breakfast the next morning, but since Sheng Qiu thought the rice noodle rolls were pretty good, she decided she’d take Sheng Nian back for another meal the next day, so she didn’t buy anything else.
At noon, since she’d eaten a big breakfast, she just had some homemade cookies and a few snacks to tide her over.
It was around then that Sheng Qiu finally noticed the chocolate. Ming Ming and Fei Zai had brought fruit over the night before, and she’d already put that away, so it wasn’t hard to guess where the chocolate came from.
Seeing that the chocolate had foreign writing on it that she couldn’t read at all, Sheng Qiu couldn’t help but think that Kang Kang’s family must be fairly well-off.
Or rather, it seemed like everyone living in the New Era neighborhood wasn’t short on money. Even though Ming Ming and Fei Zai had brought fruit yesterday, it all looked like high-quality stuff—Sheng Qiu had seen the same items at the mall before, and they weren’t cheap.
Especially since their parents were comfortable letting them come over on their own, it showed that their families weren’t lacking.
As for the family next door at Hao Hao’s place, there was even less to say. Zhang Yuejun seemed to run a factory, and Hu Li had her own clothing store. The yarn she’d given Sheng Qiu was soft, comfortable, and brightly colored—Sheng Qiu absolutely loved it.
Looking at it that way, it seemed like her household was the poorest of the bunch.
But Sheng Qiu quickly pushed that thought aside. There was no point worrying about things ahead of time—what mattered most was eating well and living well every day.
In the afternoon, Sheng Qiu simmered a big pot of beef bones. The rich aroma drifted out lazily, making quite a few residents wonder who was cooking something so delicious, and so early at that.
There was still quite a while until mealtime—how were they supposed to get through the rest of the afternoon?
The kids, in particular, had the sharpest noses.
While other households were starting to stir, Sheng Qiu began kneading dough. That way, by the time she picked Sheng Nian up, dinner would be ready in no time.
While Sheng Qiu was busy with dinner, Hu Li—who usually didn’t get home until dark—came back early that day. Catching the delicious aroma drifting over from next door, she smacked her lips and discussed it with Zhang Yuejun beside her.
“Honey, how about we take our son to Guangyuan Restaurant for dinner tonight?”
Staring at the documents he’d brought home, Zhang Yuejun scratched his head in frustration, but he still responded enthusiastically to his wife’s suggestion. “No problem, but Guangyuan is pretty popular. Maybe we should call ahead, or by the time we pick up Hao Hao and get there, there might not be any seats.”
“What’s there to worry about? We’ll drive—even if we’re a little late, it’ll be fine.”
After all, they were going to a restaurant for dinner—she needed to freshen up properly. She couldn’t just go like that.
“Alright then. And the kid’s been doing great these past few days, bringing home little red flowers every day. We can take him to the mall afterward and get that remote-control car he’s been wanting.”
“I heard the mall just got a new shipment of cosmetics—really popular overseas stuff. I’ll get them for you, no question.”
Zhang Yuejun put down the documents, leaned in close to Hu Li, and said coaxingly, “But I might have to go on a business trip in a couple of days. I’ll need you to hold down the fort, dear.”
Hu Li shot him a sidelong glance. “So that’s why you’re suddenly so eager to buy me things—you need a favor.”
“I’m putting up all my spending money for this. Please, honey.” Zhang Yuejun put on a pitiful face and pleaded with Hu Li.
Hu Li couldn’t resist his persistent begging and reluctantly agreed.
“Honey, what do you think about hiring someone to help with cooking?” Zhang Yuejun was well aware of his own cooking skills. Not only did making dinner for his son take up time every night, but the main problem was that his son didn’t even like what he made.
Especially now that the delicious smells from next door made their own meals pale in comparison—not just for his son, but for him too.
“Remember what happened last time we hired someone, back when I had Hao Hao?”
When Hu Li had given birth, Zhang Yuejun’s factory business was at its busiest. He was stuck at the factory every day overseeing production and couldn’t take care of Hu Li at all. They’d hired a nanny to help, but she turned out to be a snake in the grass—stealing Hao Hao’s formula to take home and even mistreating the child. After Hu Li found out, the couple fired the nanny without hesitation, and Zhang Yuejun made sure she got what she deserved.
After that, Hu Li decided to put her career on hold and raise their son herself. That’s why, even though they had money, they never hired anyone else—they were too afraid of running into the same kind of person again.
The only way to feel at ease was to raise the child themselves.
“But honey, do you think we could ask Nian Nian’s aunt next door for help?” Hu Li had actually been thinking about this for a while. Not only was Sheng Qiu a great cook, but Hao Hao behaved so much better when he was with Nian Nian. Sheng Qiu had a gentle, patient personality, and the things she said weren’t just appealing to Hao Hao—Hu Li liked listening to her too.
Most importantly, after observing her over this period, it seemed like Sheng Qiu didn’t have a job.
Without a job, there was no source of income, and Hu Li believed that the most important thing for a woman was to have the ability to earn money—that way, she’d never have to be afraid no matter where she went.
When Zhang Yuejun heard his wife’s suggestion, he wanted to object at first, but then he realized it was actually a great idea.
“Do you think Nian Nian’s aunt would agree?”
Hu Li patted Zhang Yuejun’s arm. “How will you know if you don’t ask? We’ll offer a bit more money. She could come over just to make dinner and then head back—you won’t have to worry about evening meals anymore, and we’ll save ourselves some trouble.”
“How about we offer a little extra and have Nian Nian’s aunt pick up Hao Hao too? Then Hao Hao can play with Nian Nian in the evening, and we can pick him up when we get back from work.”
Zhang Yuejun had to leave the factory on the dot every day because his son was in kindergarten, which sometimes really got in the way of work. But now, a good solution was right in front of them.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. First, think about how we’re going to bring it up with Nian Nian’s aunt.”
With that, Hu Li stopped paying attention to Zhang Yuejun and started mulling over how to convince Sheng Qiu. But before she could come up with a plan, it was already time for kindergarten pickup. The two of them headed off to pick up their son.
When Sheng Qiu picked up Sheng Nian, Kang Kang’s grandmother was already at the kindergarten gate, holding Kang Kang’s hand.
“Kang Kang!” Sheng Nian called out cheerfully to his good friend.
“Nian Nian!” Kang Kang was thrilled to see him.
Kang Kang’s grandmother walked over with a smile. “Nian Nian’s aunt.”
“Have you been waiting long, Grandma Kang? Well then, let’s get going.”
“Alright,” Grandma Kang responded briskly.
Kang Kang looked at Nian Nian’s aunt, then at his own grandmother. “Grandma, are we going to Nian Nian’s house to play today?”
“Auntie has invited you and your grandma over for dinner today. Would you like that, Kang Kang?”
Kang Kang’s face lit up with surprise, then he answered happily, “Yes, yes, I’d love to!”
“Nian Nian, we get to have dinner together again today!”
Sheng Nian nodded gleefully. “Great, great! After we eat, we can go find Hao Hao to play.”
“Awesome!”
The two little ones walked ahead, with Sheng Qiu and Grandma Kang following behind.
They arrived home quickly. Sheng Qiu had Grandma Kang and Kang Kang sit for a while, told Sheng Nian to entertain their guests, and then headed into the kitchen.
“Grandma, have some fruit.” Sheng Nian sat obediently on the sofa, playing host to Grandma Kang and Kang Kang.
“Thank you, Nian Nian.” Watching how well-behaved Sheng Nian was, Grandma Kang felt especially fond of him. It was wonderful for her grandson to have such a polite child as a friend.
Kang Kang would chat with Sheng Nian for a bit, then turn and say something to his grandmother—bouncing around like a happy little bird, chattering away.
In just twenty minutes—about the time Kang Kang and Sheng Nian had flipped through a few pages of a picture book—Sheng Qiu came out carrying two bowls of beef noodle soup.
“Time to eat!”
As if he’d received some kind of signal, Sheng Nian immediately put down the picture book and led Kang Kang to wash their hands.
Grandma Kang watched approvingly from the side. Having a friend with good habits really did rub off on Kang Kang—he’d never had the habit of washing his hands before meals until now.
Once they were seated at the table, facing the fragrant beef bone noodle soup, Grandma Kang finally understood where that mouthwatering aroma had been coming from all afternoon.
No wonder it could make her picky eater of a grandson clean his plate.
“Eat your noodles slowly. You can use your hands for the beef bones. If you’re still hungry, just tell Auntie—there’s more in the kitchen,” Sheng Qiu reminded them gently.
The two little ones answered in unison, “Okay, Auntie!”
The next second, both of them were practically sticking their heads into their bowls. Kang Kang in particular looked nothing like the picky eater he was known to be.
Grandma Kang had only ever heard her grandson say he’d eaten his fill before—this was the first time she’d ever seen him so fully engaged and enjoying a meal like this. The sight nearly moved her to tears.
To hide her emotions, Grandma Kang took a bite of the beef noodle soup in her bowl.
The emotion abruptly stopped. All that remained in her mind was one thought:
Delicious!
How could it be this delicious?!
Light yet packed with flavor, the springy noodles seemed to have absorbed every bit of the broth. Just eating the noodles alone let you taste the richness of the beef bone soup—one bite and you were reaching for the next.
Before she knew it, the noodles were almost gone. Grandma Kang stole a glance around to make sure no one had noticed, and quietly relaxed.
The flavor had completely awakened her dulled senses. Looking at the large piece of beef short rib in her bowl, she didn’t hesitate to pick it up with her chopsticks.
At her age, she didn’t usually care much for beef—it always seemed to get stuck in her teeth and was hard to chew, so she often ended up wasting it.
She’d assumed Sheng Qiu’s beef noodle soup would be the same. But the moment it hit her mouth, all her preconceptions about beef vanished.
Stuck in her teeth?
Hard to chew?
None of that existed. The short ribs had been braised until meltingly tender, falling right off the bone, with a rich, gelatinous texture from the collagen that had broken down. Grandma Kang was completely won over.
Before this, Grandma Kang had thought the best food came from Guangyuan Restaurant. But now, the dish that suited her taste most was Sheng Qiu’s beef noodle soup.
Sheng Qiu had made a big pot of beef bone broth, but in the end, not even a drop of the soup—nor a scrap of the meat—was left.
When Grandma Kang left, she eagerly pressed a handkerchief into Sheng Qiu’s hand—one that was twice as thick as the one she’d given her that morning.
“Nian Nian’s aunt, please take good care of our Kang Kang from now on.”
After saying that, Grandma Kang looked a little embarrassed and asked in a softer voice, “Nian Nian’s aunt, do you think I could pay extra to come over for a meal every day too?”