Sitting in the Sheng family’s living room, Hu Li still felt a bit embarrassed.
She knew her son loved the food made by Sheng Nian’s aunt—and of course, Hu Li was more than happy to send him over. Even if it cost a bit more, that was fine—she had the means and the willingness.
She just hadn’t quite figured out how to bring it up yet, when her son went and “volunteered” himself first.
“Nian Nian’s aunt, let me help you.” Hu Li couldn’t just sit still. Normally, they’d already be eating by this time, but with two extra people today, Sheng Qiu had to make a couple more dishes.
She felt terrible about it.
“No, no, it’s almost done.” Sheng Qiu plated the last oyster omelet and that was it.
She’d originally bought the oysters for porridge tomorrow morning, but since they were short on dishes today, she went ahead and used them. She made a mental note to stock up on more ingredients for the fridge next time.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to keep more groceries on hand—but the fridge was small, and leaving things out would affect their freshness.
Luckily, she had plenty of eggs at home, which came in handy.
“Wash up and let’s eat.”
Soon, the three little ones lined up to wash their hands. Hu Li washed up too and helped set out the bowls and chopsticks.
The fragrant braised chicken with chestnuts—tender chestnuts, sweet and savory chicken—had Hu Li reaching for it again and again. It was the best braised chicken she’d ever had.
The crispy fried ribbonfish was absolutely irresistible too. She had no idea how Sheng Qiu made it—the outside was lightly crispy while the inside stayed tender and flaky. The pieces were large, and the bones were clearly separated, so there was no worry about getting poked. The only downside was there weren’t any smaller pieces—those would’ve been crispy all the way through, bones and all.
Actually, Sheng Qiu had deliberately used the middle section of the ribbonfish, where the bones are larger and easier to spot, so the kids could eat more safely. As for the tail sections, she’d eaten those herself right after frying.
The oyster omelet had no fishy taste at all—the silky tenderness of the oysters paired perfectly with the firmness of the fried egg. Soft and solid, they complemented each other beautifully. All three kids nodded in approval with every bite.
The blanched choy sum looked plain and mild, but the natural sweetness came through with every bite. Even Hao Hao, who usually avoided vegetables, kept reaching for more—proof enough of how delicious it was.
Last but not least was the stir-fried green pepper, carrot, and shiitake mushrooms. Sheng Qiu had spotted them at the market that morning—the vendor said they’d been shipped in from out of town and weren’t available every day. She’d bought several right away. They’re high in vitamins, great for kids.
None of the children had tried this combination before, but the vibrant colors tempted them into taking a few extra bites.
Hao Hao stopped after two pieces, though—his heart belonged to meat.
Hu Li had bought these ingredients before too, but no one at home liked them. This time, she found Sheng Qiu’s version quite tasty—she might try making it that way herself next time.
Unsurprisingly, every plate was cleaned out today.
Every time she saw her dishes completely devoured, Sheng Qiu felt deeply satisfied.
When it came time to wash the dishes, Hu Li insisted on taking over, no matter how much Sheng Qiu tried to decline. She already felt bad enough for showing up uninvited and eating for free—not letting her help out would only make her more ashamed.
Especially since she still had a favor to ask later. She needed to make a good impression now.
By the time Hu Li finished cleaning up, Hao Hao had already taken Sheng Nian and Kang Kang back to his place to get his remote-control car. Sheng Qiu was sitting on the sofa, crocheting something with yarn.
Hu Li sat down beside her, looking for a conversation starter.
“Nian Nian’s aunt, what are you making?”
“Hao Hao’s mom, this is the yarn you gave me. I thought the colors were so pretty that I decided to crochet two hats—they’ll be done soon.” She’d add some little decorations later, and they’d look gorgeous. Sheng Qiu was already looking forward to winter.
“Why not crochet sweaters instead? If you need more yarn, I can bring you some—you and Nian Nian would look so lovely in matching outfits.”
Sheng Qiu gave a shy smile. She was too embarrassed to admit she didn’t know how to crochet sweaters yet.
“A hat is plenty. I probably won’t have much time after this—now that there’s an extra person joining us for dinner.” In truth, one extra mouth wasn’t much more than an extra scoop of rice, but she used it as an excuse to save face.
Hu Li hadn’t expected an opportunity to land right in her lap.
“Nian Nian’s aunt—so Kang Kang will be having dinner at your place every day from now on?”
“Yes. Grandma Kang said Kang Kang really likes my cooking, and I couldn’t say no. Besides, Kang Kang is a well-behaved kid, so I agreed. Grandma Kang is also covering his meal fees.”
It was a nice little side income that didn’t interfere with her daily life. Sheng Qiu thought it was a good arrangement—at least now she could earn some living expenses and save up a bit for her future plans.
And Grandma Kang was paying quite generously.
Sheng Qiu had tentatively set a price of eight yuan per meal—that was already a fair deal. She always bought good ingredients and changed up the menu regularly. At a restaurant, a single dish would cost that much, and she served more than one.
Especially in a city like Yangcheng.
It really wasn’t expensive, but it certainly wasn’t cheap either.
“Little Qiu, I won’t beat around the bush—do you think you could take my Hao Hao in too?” Hu Li said, grabbing Sheng Qiu’s hand with sincere eyes.
“Ah—Hao Hao’s mom—”
“Little Qiu, let’s not be so formal. Why don’t we just call each other by name? I’m probably a few years older than you, so you can call me Sister Hu. I’m genuinely asking for your help.”
“You saw it today—my Hao Hao absolutely loves your cooking. When he found out Kang Kang was eating at your place, he threw a tantrum right there in the kindergarten. Oh my, I completely lost face. But more than that, I can’t bear to see my kid disappointed.”
“My husband and I are both pretty busy with work. If Hao Hao could have dinner at your place, it’d be a huge help. Of course, we’ll pay for his meals—no shortcuts there. Little Qiu, please help your sister out, okay?”
Hu Li’s tone was earnest, her expression sincere—it was hard to say no.
“Well… well…” Sheng Qiu hesitated. She’d already found it hard to refuse Grandma Kang’s heartfelt request, and now Hu Li was pleading with her too. She really didn’t know what to do.
Hu Li squeezed her hand. “Little Qiu, don’t stress about it. If it really won’t work, I totally understand—we’ll just have to manage on our own. Hao Hao can eat a little less, that’s all. My boy’s chubby anyway—skipping a bit won’t hurt.”
“Sister Hu, I can’t promise a set number of dishes or soups each meal. But I can guarantee that Hao Hao will eat whatever we’re having—and I can vouch for the quality, portion size, and cleanliness.” Sheng Qiu said with a serious face.
Done deal!
Hu Li clasped Sheng Qiu’s hands tightly. “No problem, I trust you, Little Qiu. Then it’s settled! How much for the meal fees? Let me pay for a year upfront.”
“You don’t have to pay a year upfront—monthly or even weekly is fine.” Sheng Qiu hadn’t expected Hu Li to be so eager, nor that she wouldn’t worry about Sheng Qiu running off with the money.
When she heard monthly or weekly payments, Hu Li actually looked a little disappointed. But having secured a spot for her son was already more than enough.
In the end, Sheng Qiu asked about any food aversions Hao Hao had, and they agreed on ten yuan per meal.
It wasn’t that Sheng Qiu was charging different rates—it was because Hu Li had also asked her to pick up Hao Hao. After dinner, he could either go out to play with Nian Nian or stay at Nian Nian’s place—either was fine.
As for the extra two yuan, it seemed like a decent amount at the time—you could buy over two catties of pork with that. But for Hu Li, the time saved from picking up her son was worth far more—several times over, in fact.
In Hu Li’s eyes, she was getting a great deal.
From now on, she and Zhang Yuejun wouldn’t have to rush back to pick up their son anymore. And she felt at ease leaving him with Sheng Qiu—even though they hadn’t known each other long.
She could tell a lot about Sheng Qiu just by looking at Sheng Nian. Back when Sheng Nian’s mother was around, he’d been timid and shy. Now, he was like a different child—well-behaved, sensible, generous, and still full of the natural liveliness of a kid.
Anyone who raised a child like that had to be trustworthy.
That feeling only grew stronger as Hu Li was leaving, because Sheng Qiu handed her a big handful of sugar-roasted chestnuts.
Sweet, sticky, and wonderfully warm—absolutely delicious.
Hu Li thought Sheng Qiu’s chestnuts were every bit as good as the ones sold outside—even better, actually, since they were so easy to peel.
When she’d bought chestnuts that day, Sheng Qiu had bought up the whole lot. A small portion went into the braised chicken with chestnuts, and the rest she made into sugar-roasted chestnuts using the rice cooker method—something she’d learned online before. It was simple, tasty, and best of all, every household already had the equipment.
When Sheng Nian came back, Sheng Qiu let him have two as well, but no more—she didn’t want him to get an upset stomach.
Back home, Hao Hao spotted the sugar-roasted chestnuts his mom was eating. His eyes lit up—he remembered them from when his parents used to buy a bag at the movies.
They were delicious!
“Mom, I want some!” Hao Hao charged over with his remote-control car, but Hu Li had already heard him coming and snatched the remaining chestnuts away.
She’d already eaten plenty at dinner and only meant to have a few as a treat. But one thing led to another, and she couldn’t stop—from a big handful, only a few were left in her hand now.
“Didn’t you eat your fill at dinner?”
Hao Hao puffed out his little belly. “Mom, my tummy’s gone flat again. I can eat chestnuts now.”
“Oh, you! How can you eat so much? You’re gonna turn into a little piggy.” Despite her words, Hu Li still peeled two chestnuts for him—he was her son, after all. How could she not spoil him?
She’d just dropped a few hundred on a remote-control car—of course she wouldn’t skimp on a few chestnuts.
As he chewed on the sweet, sticky chestnuts, Hao Hao’s round little face broke into the most adorable smile.
“Then I’m Mom’s little piggy too!”
“Yes, yes—you’re Mom’s cute little piggy.”