Once inside the kitchen, Sheng Qiu popped one pizza into the oven and started making the dough drop soup. She’d already prepped the ingredients earlier, so the soup came together quickly. By the time the first pizza was done, the spinach and tofu dough drop soup was ready too.
The moment it came off the stove, Sheng Qiu couldn’t help but take a deep breath. It looked light and simple, but it smelled absolutely delicious—and it was fast and easy to make.
She didn’t give the kids too much—just a small bowl each, which along with a couple slices of pizza would be enough to fill them up.
She carried the soup out first and found that the three kids, who should have been sitting on the sofa, were all crowded by the door, peering outside at something.
“Nian Nian, Hao Hao, Kang Kang—what are you looking at? Dinner’s ready.”
At the sound of her voice, the three turned around in unison, each wearing a slightly flustered expression. Kang Kang in particular looked so nervous he couldn’t even lift his head.
She hadn’t been particularly curious before, but their reactions now made her genuinely wonder—what was out there that had them looking so guilty?
“What are you guys looking at?” Sheng Qiu said, walking toward the door.
“Nothing… nothing.” Sheng Nian was probably lying to her for the first time, and his voice came out shaky and nervous.
“Yeah, Auntie—there’s nothing out there.”
“Auntie, really—nothing.”
Sheng Qiu didn’t buy it. She walked up to the door and, using her height and strength advantage, easily swung it open. But the sight that greeted her made her freeze for a moment.
Outside stood several kids, each holding a bowl. Leading the pack were Ming Ming and Fei Zai, whom she recognized.
“What are you all doing here?”
Caught off guard, the kids looked a little embarrassed. Ming Ming and Fei Zai had come because they’d tried the cumin lamb chops Sheng Nian and Hao Hao had shared with them yesterday, and they’d hoped to catch a whiff of whatever delicious aroma was coming from Sheng Nian’s house while they ate their own dinner.
The other two—a boy and a girl who lived on the same floor as Fei Zai—had smelled the food in the elevator last night. When they saw Fei Zai carrying his bowl and heading out today, they’d followed along without thinking. The two unfamiliar faces belonged to a pair of siblings, both round and chubby—clearly from families that fed them well.
Ming Ming usually saw himself as the leader of the neighborhood kids, but getting caught crouching outside someone’s door to eat had him blushing. “Auntie, we… we were just leaving.”
Fei Zai looked just as flustered beside him, while the two other kids watched Sheng Qiu nervously.
“Auntie made pizza today. Would you all like to try some?” Sheng Qiu softened her tone, not wanting to scare them.
Before Ming Ming or Fei Zai could answer, Sheng Nian stepped out and took Ming Ming’s hand. “Ming Ming, Auntie’s pizza is definitely going to be delicious. Let’s eat together!”
“Yeah, Fei Zai—I’ll save you a slice of mine!” Hao Hao was reluctant to give up his own pizza, but for a good buddy, he could be generous.
The two siblings, a boy and a girl, only really knew Fei Zai and didn’t recognize anyone else. Seeing the pretty older sister invite them in, they looked disappointed and turned to leave.
But just as they started walking away, Sheng Qiu called out, “Are you going home? Don’t you want to try the pizza?”
The girl, with her big round eyes and long lashes that fluttered like butterfly wings, stared at Sheng Qiu in disbelief. “We can try it too?”
“Of course—if you want to.”
Since she’d already welcomed the other two, Sheng Qiu couldn’t very well send these two back. It was just food—she could afford to share.
“Thank you, pretty sister! We want to!”
The girl grabbed her brother’s hand and answered loud and clear.
“She’s Auntie, not Sister, Xiaxia,” Fei Zai corrected from the side.
Sheng Nian took his aunt’s hand with his free one. “Hi, I’m Sheng Nian. You can call me Nian Nian. This is my auntie.”
“I’m Hao Hao. My mom calls me Zhang Hao Hao when she’s mad, but my dad calls me Zhang Hao.”
“Hi, I’m Kang Kang—my mom says it means health.”
“I’m Huang Yiming, six and a half. You can call me Ming Ming.”
One by one, the kids introduced themselves. The girl spoke up too: “My name is Lin Xiaxia—my nickname is Xiaxia, because I was born in Summer. This is my brother, Lin Dongdong—his nickname is Dongdong. I’m friends with Feng Jianfei—Fei Zai.”
“Was he born in Winter?” Ming Ming asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
“Yep.”
That’s a bit of a lazy naming style, Sheng Qiu thought to herself, but she ushered all the kids inside anyway.
On the table sat three bowls of dough drop soup, already placed in the spots where Sheng Nian, Hao Hao, and Kang Kang usually sat. Seeing the others still standing, Sheng Qiu invited them to sit down too.
What had been an empty table was now packed full with the addition of four more kids.
Since Ming Ming and the others already had their own bowls, Sheng Qiu didn’t bother getting out extra dishes. She told them to wait a moment and headed back into the kitchen.
She pulled the pizza out of the oven and was immediately faced with her greatest dilemma yet:
How was she going to divide one tiny 6-inch pizza into eight portions?
But soon enough, Sheng Qiu measured out equal portions, sliced the pizza cleanly, and carried it out. No need for everyone to serve themselves—she just handed out one piece per person, popping the last piece straight into her own mouth.
“Oh, Xiaxia and Dongdong—there’s shrimp and mushrooms in this. Can you both eat those?”
Xiaxia wasn’t sure why Auntie was asking, but she nodded firmly. “Yes, both Dongdong and I can eat them.”
“Eat, Auntie,” Dongdong chimed in with his one- or two-word replies.
“Alright then, dig in.”
Seeing everyone eating, Sheng Qiu turned and headed back into the kitchen. She’d thought two 6-inch pizzas would be enough, but with more people now, they clearly weren’t. She needed to make two more.
In the kitchen, Sheng Qiu was busy making pizza, while the kids outside were already enjoying themselves.
The pizza was slightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with meat and vegetables—and those long, stretchy yellow strands. Sheng Nian didn’t want to get his face messy, so he tried to pull the strands apart, but they just kept stretching farther and farther, until his arms couldn’t reach any further.
Finally, he had to take another bite—but it still stretched.
He took another bite. Repeated it several times. Finally, he gave up and just chewed through the stretchy cheese in his mouth.
It reminded him a little of the flatbread his mom used to make, but way better. Sheng Nian could eat this pizza every single day.
“So good! Auntie’s pizza is even better than the ones at the Western restaurant!” Hao Hao had already finished his small slice and was now licking his fingers in relish, savoring the lingering taste.
“Mhm mhm! Pretty Auntie’s pizza is so yummy!” Xiaxia nodded eagerly, taking another bite while keeping an eye on her little brother to make sure he didn’t drop his pizza on the floor—he was always knocking his bowl over.
But today was different. Dongdong, a whole size smaller than his sister, held his pizza tightly in both little hands, cheeks stuffed full, eating with pure joy.
“Western restaurant? They have pizza there too?” Kang Kang asked after swallowing a bite.
Hao Hao nodded. “Yeah! They also have steak, and some really gross veggie dish. My parents took me there, but I still think Auntie’s cooking is the best.”
“My auntie makes everything delicious,” Sheng Nian said proudly.
Hao Hao nodded eagerly and leaned over to Sheng Nian. “Nian Nian, can I have a bite of your pizza? I ate mine too fast.”
Sheng Nian generously held out his pizza and took a sip of his spinach and tofu dough drop soup instead.
The moment the soup hit his mouth, Sheng Nian’s eyes lit up. Soft, savory—one spoonful of soup, one bite of pizza, and it was absolutely amazing.
After snagging a bite from Sheng Nian, Hao Hao also tried the soup. One taste, and his whole face fell.
Xiaxia noticed and asked, “Hao Hao, what’s wrong?” Did he feel sick?
Hao Hao let out a dramatic grown-up sigh. “I ate my pizza too fast. Now I don’t have any left to eat with this soup. They taste so good together!”
It was all his own fault for eating too quickly. Now all he could do was watch everyone else’s pizza and drool.
Hearing that, Kang Kang tried the combo too—and his head, already low, nearly dipped straight into his bowl.
Fei Zai looked at the half-slice of pizza still in his hand, had a quick idea, hopped off his chair, and walked over to Hao Hao. “Hao Hao, can I have a sip of your soup? You can have a bite of my pizza.”
Could things get any better than this?
Hao Hao agreed immediately.
Soon, Ming Ming came over to trade too.
The bowl Sheng Qiu had given him wasn’t very big to begin with. Between his own sips and the portions he shared, the bowl was empty in no time. Hao Hao stared at his now-empty bowl, feeling utterly lost.
The next second, Sheng Qiu came out with a fresh batch of pizza straight from the oven.
She handed out a slice to each person again. Looking at the pizza in his hand, then at his empty bowl, Hao Hao felt like the sky was falling.
Sheng Qiu ended up making two more pizzas, and every last crumb was devoured. She couldn’t help but think: many hands make light work.
After dinner, Sheng Nian went out to play with Hao Hao, Ming Ming, and the others. Xiaxia took Dongdong and headed home.
Xiaxia had Dongdong wait to the side while she took both their bowls to the kitchen to wash them. Since they were still short, she had to stand on tiptoe every time she turned on the faucet.
By the time the dishes were done, her clothes were splattered with water.
Seeing his sister’s wet clothes, Dongdong grabbed a cloth lying nearby and handed it to her. “Sis, wipe.”
Xiaxia stared at the dirty rag, her delicate brows knitting together. She took it and put it back where it belonged, then said seriously to her brother, “Dongdong, this is a dirty rag. You can’t use it to wipe clothes. Got it?”
The little boy nodded. “Sis, cold.”
“I’ll go change my clothes. You wait for me outside, okay?”
“Okay, Sis.”
Xiaxia led Dongdong by the hand further into the house—and ran straight into a skinny, withered old woman. Xiaxia and Dongdong both fell flat on their backsides.
“Oh my goodness! You useless girl—where have you been? Look at your clothes, all soaked! Just making trouble for these old bones of mine. Why, my Zhaodi was already washing her own clothes at your age—didn’t need this old lady to do it for her! No respect for your elders. No wonder your father doesn’t want you.”
Xiaxia kept quiet at first, but when the old woman brought up her father, she flared up and snapped, “Auntie, I’ll wash my own clothes.”
“Oh ho, you little brat—quite the temper on you, aren’t you?”
The old woman kept calling her “useless girl” left and right. Xiaxia simply pulled her brother along and headed toward their room. But even with the door closed, they could still hear the old woman cursing.
“Sis, Auntie—bad!” Dongdong waved his little fists, sharing his sister’s outrage.
“Dongdong, it’s Auntie who’s bad. The auntie we met today is good, got it?”
“Auntie—bad. Auntie—good,” Dongdong said seriously.
“Mmhm. Auntie is bad, but that auntie is good. She’s a really kind person.”
If only Nian Nian’s auntie could be the one taking care of them, Xiaxia couldn’t help but think.
After Sheng Nian and the others had gone out to play, Sheng Qiu started cleaning up. By the time the dining room and kitchen were back in order, she collapsed onto the sofa. Normally, she wouldn’t feel so tired—she had all afternoon to prep for dinner. But today, she’d suddenly been joined by several extra little guests.
What should have been a leisurely meal had turned into a rush.
After resting for a bit, Sheng Qiu got back up. She hadn’t forgotten her promise to Hao Hao before dinner—to make him that big jar of popcorn.
She had everything on hand. In about twenty minutes, she’d finished making the popcorn—not just the milky sweet kind, but also a batch with a lightly bitter caramel flavor.
An afternoon snack of caramel popcorn with a cup of coffee would’ve been perfect.
But Sheng Qiu just let herself imagine it. It wasn’t that she couldn’t buy coffee—it was just that there wasn’t any nearby. Delivery apps didn’t exist yet, so getting coffee meant taking a bus a few stops. By the time she did that, she’d have lost the craving.
Maybe next time she could check if the department store sold coffee beans.
Just as she was mulling it over, a knock came at the door. She opened it to find Hu Li holding a bag.
“Sister Hu? What’s this?”
Hu Li handed the bag forward. “Little Qiu, a client gave me some hairy crabs. You know my cooking skills—I’d just waste such good ingredients. So I brought them to you. See what you can do with them.”
To be honest, this wasn’t the first time Hu Li had received hairy crabs. She usually just steamed them and called it a day—but no one in the family liked them. Too much shell, not enough meat. She didn’t want to waste them, so she’d usually give them to the girls at her shop. But this time, she’d brought them home specifically for Sheng Qiu.
She figured Sheng Qiu would appreciate them.
Appreciate them? Sheng Qiu absolutely loved them.
Hairy crabs! She’d never been able to afford them before—she only ever got to eat them when her mom was footing the bill, and never enough to satisfy her craving.
Just from the weight of the bag, she could tell there were quite a few inside. Not just the cost, but the effort of transporting them—this was no small gift.
This was way too valuable.
“Sister Hu, I can’t accept this. It’s too generous.” Sheng Qiu reluctantly pushed the bag back.
“What do you mean you can’t accept it? Don’t be so formal with me. I always take the food you give me. If you won’t accept something from me, then next time I won’t take your food either.”
Hu Li put on a stern face, leaving no room for refusal.
Since she put it that way, Sheng Qiu didn’t argue any further. Plus, she really did want to eat those crabs.
“Alright then, Sister Hu—I’ll take them. Can you get off work a little early tomorrow? I’ll cook these crabs and whip up a few dishes—we can eat together?”
Hu Li wasn’t particularly interested in hairy crabs, but she was very interested in Sheng Qiu’s cooking.
“Deal! I’ll be back early tomorrow.” It was the first time Hu Li had ever looked forward to the next day so much.
Sheng Qiu nodded eagerly.
Suddenly, Hu Li caught a whiff of something caramelized and asked with a frown, “Little Qiu, are you cooking something? I smell something a little burnt.”
“No—I made some caramel-flavored popcorn,” Sheng Qiu quickly explained.
Hu Li’s eyes lit up immediately. “Caramel popcorn? Is it good?”
She immediately realized how forward that sounded, but she really did want to know what caramel popcorn tasted like.
“Sister Hu, how about I pack some for you to take home?”
“Then I won’t be polite!” Hu Li didn’t even pretend to decline—she accepted right away.
No need. Really, no need—she just wanted to eat it.
That evening, Hao Hao tiptoed home with the big jar of popcorn Sheng Qiu had made for him. He didn’t want his mom to know about it—she’d definitely take it away and hide it from him. He knew perfectly well that she loved Auntie’s food just as much as he did.
After stashing the popcorn away, Hao Hao ran to find his mom.
“Mom, Mom—I’m home!”
Hu Li, who was munching away on her own popcorn, quickly grabbed a nearby shirt and threw it over the jar, then turned to her son with a doting smile.
“Mom’s precious boy is home!”
“Mmhm! Mom, can you help me with my bath? I want to go to bed early.” He wanted to bring the popcorn to school first thing tomorrow.
Hu Li nodded. “Sure thing, no problem.”
Seeing that Hao Hao hadn’t noticed her hidden stash, Hu Li let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She definitely couldn’t let her son find out—that jar of popcorn wasn’t even enough for her alone.