Thank heavens! Thank the earth!
At Da Sheng Toy Factory, they settle your wages right before you leave. She’d worked a total of twenty days this month, and her final pay came out to 734 yuan—at least Sheng Qiu now had some start-up capital for her stall.
That wage was clearly above the basic salary for the time, but considering this was Yangcheng, Sheng Qiu figured it made sense—especially given the crazy long working hours.
Sheng Qiu hoisted a striped plastic bag filled with her personal belongings and stood at the factory gate, feeling incredibly relieved.
She’d finally escaped the life of a assembly line worker.
For a moment, she felt a surge of boldness as she looked at Sheng Nian, who was helping her carry the enamel washbasin. “Niannian, to celebrate Auntie’s happy new free life, let’s go have a big feast!”
Sheng Nian clutched the enamel basin tightly to his chest, a confused look on his face. “Auntie, what’s a ‘feet’? Did Niannian do something wrong?”
“It’s ‘feast’—Auntie means a big meal. Let’s have a big meal to celebrate!”
Sheng Nian nodded. Oh, a big meal. For a second there, he thought he’d done something wrong.
“Niannian, think about it—what do you want to eat?” Sheng Qiu felt that this called for a delicious spicy hotpot or some charcoal-grilled BBQ—that would really hit the spot.
Sheng Nian frowned in thought, then looked up at Sheng Qiu. “Auntie, I think the egg pancakes are really good. I could eat ten of them!”
The egg pancake he’d had today was like nothing he’d ever tasted before—fragrant, soft, and super delicious.
If only his mom could have some too.
At that thought, Sheng Nian’s expression dimmed. When would his mom come back? Then she could try Auntie’s egg pancakes too.
Egg pancakes?
Sheng Qiu remembered the subpar, ingredient-limited version she’d made today and couldn’t help frowning. If that egg pancake ever got out, it would be a stain on her professional reputation. But she’d been working with whatever was on hand.
Otherwise, Sheng Qiu was confident that the egg pancakes she could make would be a hundred times better than what Sheng Nian had eaten today.
“Niannian, Auntie doesn’t just make egg pancakes. I can also make stuffed egg pancakes, multigrain crepes, beef pancakes, baked sesame cakes, saucy pancakes…” Sheng Qiu rattled off dozens of different pancakes she knew how to make, like she was listing dishes off a menu.
Compared to everything she’d just named, the egg pancake was nothing special.
Sheng Nian had been lost in thought about his mom not coming back to try Auntie’s delicious egg pancakes, but as Auntie kept listing all those different pancakes, he couldn’t help wondering just how good they must taste.
“…So, the egg pancake is really nothing special.”
Sheng Nian’s eyes went wide. “Auntie is so amazing!”
His soft little voice was full of admiration, and Sheng Qiu couldn’t help feeling a little proud.
“Auntie will make them all for you in the future, Niannian. But first—what do you want to eat tonight?” She’d been busy for most of the day, and the small portion of rice she’d had at the cafeteria for lunch was long gone.
Actually, the toy factory cafeteria food wasn’t half bad—just not enough of it.
If she’d known the afternoon would be this busy, she’d have grabbed more food at lunch. She probably wouldn’t get to eat there again anyway.
Sheng Nian thought for a moment, then said, “Auntie, can we go eat Kěn Kěn Jī?”
Before, when his mom had taken him downstairs to play, he’d heard one of the older boys say his mom had taken him to Kěn Kěn Jī, and that it was especially delicious.
All the other kids playing there had been so jealous.
Sheng Nian had never had Kěn Kěn Jī before, but that older boy had said it was really tasty, so he wanted to try it too.
“Kěn Kěn Jī? No problem—then that’s what we’ll have tonight.”
Kěn Kěn Jī’s signature spicy chicken wings—Sheng Qiu had recreated them multiple times back in her day, following online videos, and they’d tasted almost identical to the ones from the restaurant. For the same price, she could make way more at home than what you’d get at the store.
Still, there was something about eating at the restaurant that you just couldn’t replicate at home.
“But first, we need to drop our stuff off at home. Let’s go now, Niannian!”
With that, Sheng Qiu hoisted all her luggage and strode ahead, with Sheng Nian’s little figure following close behind, clutching the enamel basin.
By the time they got back to the apartment, it was nearly five o’clock.
Sheng Qiu wasn’t very familiar with the area, especially when it came to finding a Kěn Kěn Jī, so they’d better head out early. As for her luggage, she could sort that out when they got back at night.
Ever since she’d arrived in this world, after the initial heartbreak of never seeing her family again, Sheng Qiu had been completely crushed by the grind of work—she’d had no energy to go out and properly explore this era.
Originally, she’d planned to spend the day just lying around in the dorm. But then Sheng Nian had appeared, and suddenly her life had hit the fast-forward button.
That morning she’d been lamenting how the assembly line life was going to kill her, and by the afternoon, she’d left the factory with a little nephew by her side.
Life really was unpredictable.
After three days of factory cafeteria food, Sheng Qiu was finally going to eat something different. Sure, Kěn Kěn Jī had been nothing special to her before, but this was 1990s Kěn Kěn Jī!
Surely it would bring her a pleasant surprise.
After leaving the neighborhood, Sheng Qiu instinctively reached for her phone to pull up navigation, but patting her empty pockets, she suddenly realized—she didn’t have her smartphone anymore.
Disaster! How was she supposed to find Kěn Kěn Jī now?
She almost immediately felt like giving up, but when she saw Sheng Nian’s eager, expectant face, she had no choice but to muster up the courage to ask for directions.
Thankfully, the neighborhood Sheng Chun lived in was in a great location. After walking a little over ten minutes, they spotted a Kěn Kěn Jī with a large storefront.
Along the way, Sheng Qiu also noticed an elementary school and a big market.
Turns out it was even in a school-district area.
Her mind started wandering as she thought about setting up a stall at the school gate with Sheng Nian in tow. Everyone knew that school entrances were prime money-making spots.
Even though they were just going out for Kěn Kěn Jī, Sheng Qiu was already mapping out her grand business plan in her head.
Her first goal: become the Snack Queen of the elementary school gate.
“Niannian, order whatever you want!”
Consider this a pre-celebration for the future Snack Queen.
This was Sheng Nian’s first time at Kěn Kěn Jī. Having spent most of his time at home before, his eyes were dazzled by everything, and the air was filled with a delicious aroma.
Even smellier than the egg pancakes Auntie had made him.
Sheng Nian couldn’t read yet, but he could recognize the pictures on the wall. His little hand pointed at each one in turn. “Auntie, I want all of them!”
“Can your little tummy hold that much? Let’s start with a kids’ meal for you today.”
Sheng Nian patted his flat belly. “Auntie, Niannian’s tummy can hold a lot.”
“And Auntie, what’s a kids’ meal? Is it tasty?”
“A kids’ meal is for kids like Niannian.”
“Kids? Why call Niannian a ‘kid’? Niannian is just Niannian!”
Sheng Nian tilted his head and looked at his auntie, confusion in his eyes.
Having already silently crowned Sheng Nian a little genius, Sheng Qiu was momentarily stumped by his question—then couldn’t help pinching his adorable little cheek.
Now this was more like a real kid.
“It’s a general term—used to refer to little friends like Niannian…”
Sheng Qiu didn’t brush him off at all, patiently explaining what “kids” meant, even though Sheng Nian might not fully grasp it at his age.
After listening to his auntie’s explanation, Sheng Nian nodded as if he understood.
Soon, Sheng Nian’s kids’ meal and Sheng Qiu’s burger combo arrived.
Staring at the big burger in front of her, Sheng Qiu couldn’t resist picking it up and taking a huge bite.
What really impressed her was the fried chicken inside.
Crispy batter wrapped around tender, juicy chicken—one bite and the savory flavors exploded in her mouth. The bun and creamy salad dressing balanced it perfectly, so it wasn’t greasy at all.
So good!
Fried chicken might not be healthy, but eating it made you smile involuntarily.
She washed it down with a sip of iced cola.
One word: satisfying!
She glanced over at Sheng Nian, who was sitting across from her, eating nonstop. He was clutching a burger slightly smaller than hers and devouring it with obvious relish.
Even though he was completely absorbed in his food, he still remembered to mind his manners.
But he didn’t notice the tiny white dot on the tip of his nose, which made Sheng Qiu secretly laugh.
He was still such a little kid, yet he was so careful about table etiquette.
Sheng Qiu’s gaze drifted from Sheng Nian to the other customers around them.
Besides young couples, most of the customers were parents with children. None of those kids looked as cute as her Niannian, and none of them had as good table manners either.
Was this just her “favorite aunt” bias?
Sheng Qiu swore it was the absolute truth.
She turned her gaze back to Sheng Nian’s face and found her appetite returning—her burger suddenly tasted even better.
The kids’ meal had stuffed Sheng Nian’s belly nice and round, while Sheng Qiu’s burger combo was pricey but generous in portion.
Sheng Qiu led Sheng Nian out of the Kěn Kěn Jī by the hand, watching the steady stream of adults bringing their kids in.
She couldn’t help feeling envious of that booming business.
“Come on, Niannian—let’s go home!”
Sheng Qiu decided to look away for now; out of sight, out of mind. If she kept watching, she might just want to open a fried chicken shop herself.
Kěn Kěn Jī’s business was great, but the prices weren’t cheap either. Today’s meal alone had cost her almost a full day’s wages from the toy factory.
And don’t think a day’s wages wasn’t much—that was money she’d earned by slaving away for over a dozen hours. Plus, wages in Yangcheng were higher than in many other places.
She’d heard plenty of girls in the dormitory marvel at how good the factory pay was—they had friends working elsewhere who couldn’t match their take-home pay come New Year.
Unfortunately, her wallet was painfully thin, which narrowed her entrepreneurial options a little. The “Elementary School Snack Queen” title did sound more impressive than “Fried Chicken Chain Queen,” though.
“Okay, Auntie.”
“Auntie, can I have a kids’ meal again tomorrow?”
“No!”
“Why not? Niannian is a kid, and kids are supposed to eat kids’ meals!”
Sheng Qiu wished she’d never explained it. Now what was she supposed to say? That her auntie’s wallet was too flat to afford kids’ meals every day?!