Tao Tao felt the frustration of a disappointed mentor. A brand-new product with no competitors had just launched, and it was only the first day—how could the market possibly be saturated that fast? Plus, everyone was trying it for the first time. As long as they liked the taste, repeat purchases and word-of-mouth referrals would spike almost instantly. There was no need to wait until tomorrow—people might come back in a little while, and they’d bring others with them!
“Geez, what’s gotten into you today? You never used to care about this stuff.” Tao Guangzhi looked down at her, the corner of his mouth curled into that amused smile adults get when they find a kid’s flustered seriousness cute—not taking her seriously at all. “You’re just a little kid—why are you so worried about grown-up matters?”
He hadn’t listened at all. He even reached out to pat her head in a soothing gesture, but Tao Tao, cheeks puffed with annoyance, tilted her head away and wouldn’t let him.
“Now you’re mad!” Tao Guangzhi sighed, even more helpless.
But Yu Meizhen, on the other hand, had fallen into thought.
She had a feeling that even though Tao Tao was just a child, what she said actually made a lot of sense.
Tao Tao crossed her arms, took a moment to calm down, thought again, then pointed at the freezer in the corner and continued her earnest persuasion: “Dad, haven’t you always complained that the yogurt you stock never sells well? Listen to me—just bake one more batch. While business is good, put all that yogurt right next to the Portuguese egg tarts and sell them together.”
Since she was too short, she had to raise her hand to gesture:
“It’s so hot out—people eating egg tarts are bound to get thirsty. The moment they turn and see cold yogurt, they’ll grab one without thinking. It’s icy, refreshing, cuts the grease, and feels great! That way we can sell two things at once!”
When she finished, she looked up at her dad with big, expectant eyes, blinking eagerly, hoping he’d agree.
The yogurt in the shop really didn’t sell well.
Back then, yogurt had short shelf lives, only came in one plain flavor, and was in glass bottles—though the portions were decent. But not many regular households had refrigerators, so if you couldn’t finish it and couldn’t keep it, most people preferred to go out for sweet soup, shaved ice, or herbal tea instead.
Tao Guangzhi opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Yu Meizhen nudged his arm: “I think Tao Tao’s right. Don’t dismiss her just because she’s a kid—her head seems a lot sharper than yours. You know that new Happy Bakery on the next street? They have a glass display fridge right in the store, keeping soy milk, yogurt, and milk chilled, all displayed right next to their bread cases.”
Tao Tao quickly chimed in, nodding vigorously: “Exactly! Zhang Jiaming told me all about it—his mom shops there all the time. That place doesn’t even start baking until the afternoon, and once they do, the whole street smells amazing. Dad, think about it—that’s right when the adults are coming home from work, so everyone stops by to buy.”
She remembered it clearly.
Lots of bakeries in town didn’t last ten years, but Happy Bakery stood out above the rest. After the year 2000, when the town started developing a new district, the owner seized the chance before land prices went up and opened another location there. Later, as more and more bakeries popped up, even though he was already in his fifties or sixties, he kept up with the times—he learned to do social media, sold shelf-stable, shippable bread varieties online, and eventually his shop became an internet-famous spot.
Now that’s a guy who knew how to ride the trends!
Meanwhile, South Street Bakery had long since been drowned out by the market tide.
As she spoke, Tao Tao knitted her brows, cupped her face in both hands, and let out a worried sigh: “And Zhang Jiaming also said it’s not just his mom—people from our own Street often walk over to the next street to buy there too. That’s why business has been so slow lately. Dad, I’m really scared our shop won’t have any customers anymore.”
Tao Guangzhi was caught between laughter and tears as he looked down at his daughter.
She was squatting there, cupping her face—a tiny little ball, brows furrowed, cheeks puffed out—looking just like the hamster he’d bought her at the market when she was still in kindergarten. That hamster would do the same thing: when it got mad and you poked it, it’d turn its fat little butt toward you.
Only then did he understand why Tao Tao had suddenly started talking like this. He bent down, ruffled her head, and said gently, “Alright then, I’ll bake another batch. Just for you.”
Tao Tao looked up in surprise: “Really?”
Tao Guangzhi smiled. His big hand was still on her head, pressing it down a little as he lowered his gaze and spoke slowly: “But hey, silly girl…”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Your dad’s young and strong, and there’s more than one path in life. Even if the shop doesn’t work out, I’ll definitely find a way to make money to support you and Xiao Luan—for your studies and for living.”
Tao Tao was stunned.
“Didn’t I tell you this morning? Just study hard and have fun. If you grow up to be successful, that’s great. If not, we’ll still be happy together—right?”
He gave her head a gentle pat, then let go and walked inside.
Tao Tao kept her head down, a mix of emotions stirring in her heart.
Yeah… this was already the second time she’d heard Tao Guangzhi say that.
She heard him hook his arm around Yu Meizhen’s as they went inside, his voice turning clingy: “Wifey~ what do you want for dinner? I’ll bake the egg tarts and cook at the same time.”
Yu Meizhen said, “Then I’ll hurry up and take a shower and come help you.”
“No need, no need. Once you’ve showered, don’t rush back down—you’ll just sweat again and it’ll be wasted. You went out in this heat and worked hard. Just go upstairs and rest. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
Tao Guangzhi insisted on pushing Yu Meizhen up the stairs, then leaned on the banister, tilting his head up and speaking to her in a soft, gentle voice: “Oh, and I remember Tao Tao loves chicken wings—I’ll roast a tray of pineapple-baked chicken wings tonight. Xiao Luan likes fish, so I’ll make some fragrant pan-fried sand whiting. And finally, how about some vinegar-braised cabbage, your favorite? What soup do you want? Bitter melon and soybeans with pork ribs—cooling and refreshing?”
Yu Meizhen stood there at the bottom of the stairs, looking down at Tao Guangzhi. As she watched, a smile crept onto her face, and she answered softly, “Okay.”
When she was young, she had once dreamed of living such a peaceful, gentle life, but it never came true. To take Yu Luan and leave, she had endured being slandered for having affairs, endured accusations that her child wasn’t her ex-husband’s, and endured them repeatedly calling Xiao Luan an idiot.
Carrying her child, covered in filth, penniless, she had returned to her parents’ home in despair. Back then, she’d thought she would never have a life like this.
Now… did she have a home again?
“Alright, go upstairs now—take a bath, blow-dry your hair, read a book, watch some TV. Don’t come back down,” Tao Guangzhi said with a wave of his hand. He watched Yu Meizhen obediently go upstairs before turning back to his work.
Tao Tao was still standing dumbly at the shop entrance.
As Tao Guangzhi passed through the living room, he ruffled Yu Luan’s hair and caught a glimpse of a familiar dog on TV. He quickly turned back in excitement and called out: “Hey hey hey, Putao! That cartoon with the black-and-white spotted dog you like is on! They’re playing the theme song—hurry up and come watch! If you miss the beginning, you’ll be mad again!”
Tao Tao snapped out of her daze and slowly walked inside.
She’d seen the way Tao Guangzhi had spoken to Aunt Yu just now.
Tao Guangzhi was already back in the kitchen, scooping flour to prepare the third batch of egg tarts for the day. Watching him bustle about in his apron, Tao Tao quietly pulled up a stool and sat down next to Yu Luan, a sudden pang of sadness in her heart.
Whether in her past life or this one, he had told her this so many times, yet it felt like only now did she truly understand—that all Tao Guangzhi had ever hoped for was her happiness.
The things she’d done back then to break him and Aunt Yu apart must have hurt him deeply, hadn’t they? But he had never once brought up those bad memories with her. On the contrary, even when she was in her twenties and he was already old, he still often told her, “I just want you to be happy.”
What about him, then? In her past life… was he happy?
She cupped her face and stared blankly at the TV. The screen flickered, but she didn’t register any of it.
A long while later, the cartoon ended.
Yu Luan, who’d been completely absorbed once the TV was on, finally noticed someone sitting next to him.
He slowly turned his head. Seeing it was Tao Tao, he continued to scoot his stool bit by bit until he was pressing against her. He hesitated for a moment, still feeling a little wronged, and said in a small voice, “Sister… someone hit me.”
Tao Tao turned to look and was taken aback.
She hadn’t noticed before, but now she saw a bruise on his pale face, and his clothes were filthy.
She frowned immediately: “Who? When? Was it when you were at Lipu? Your cousins?”
Yu Luan nodded.
Tao Tao remembered—in her past life, Yu Luan had never gotten along with his cousins either. Children were direct with their likes and dislikes, lacking reason, acting on impulse first. Once their emotions took over, they couldn’t listen to reason. That was why childhood friendships could sometimes be so touching, and other times so cruel.
She narrowed her eyes. Lipu Island had inconvenient transportation and few teachers. The elementary school up there barely had any students left—Tao Guangzhi had been busy lately transferring Yu Luan to a town school, and had mentioned that the island school had only one class this year, almost to the point of combining grades.
Many parents on Lipu would rather rent a place in town than keep their kids on the island.
In Zhangxi Town, Rao, Xiao, Zhang, and Tao were all common surnames, but Yu was rare. There were only a few Yu kids at the central elementary school. Tao Tao tried to recall which class Yu Luan’s cousins were in, but she couldn’t remember. Asking Rao Lili, though—she’d definitely know.
“Dare to hit my little brother…” She reached out and gently pressed the bruise on his fair little face, speaking fiercely like a little bully: “Don’t be scared. When school starts, if they don’t apologize to you, I’ll beat their heads in!”
Yu Meizhen had just finished her shower and remembered Yu Luan was still downstairs watching TV. She was about to call him up for a bath and a change of clothes, since he was covered in mud.
As she came down, she happened to catch Tao Tao’s gangster-like declaration.
Oh no—”beat their heads in” again! She didn’t even have time to feel happy about Tao Tao calling Yu Luan “my little brother” before she rushed over to intervene: “Tao Tao, no, no—you can’t fight at school! Don’t worry, I already scolded them before I came back. They won’t dare do it again. It’s fine, it’s all settled.”
Tao Tao noticed that Yu Meizhen’s hair was still wet, but she’d only been downstairs a moment and was already sweating again, fanning her collar to cool down. So she didn’t argue, just pursed her lips and went to pour her a glass of ice water: “Auntie, sit here and cool off for a bit.”
Yu Meizhen took the water and watched in a daze as Tao Tao trotted off to bring over the small floor fan from the dining room, then went to the freezer, pulled out two popsicles, and handed one to her and one to Yu Luan.
The fan blew cool air, and as she sucked on the popsicle, the summer heat quickly faded. But a wave of nearly overwhelming emotion rose in her heart—a kind of grateful confusion.
A stepdaughter with no blood relation had suddenly accepted her, yet her own real family had already fallen apart… Yu Meizhen lowered her head and was silent for a moment, pushing down the tangled feelings. When she looked up again, she asked hesitantly:
“Putao, if I need to take the ferry back and forth to Lipu these next few days to take care of Yu Luan’s grandmother, would you be willing to keep an eye on your little brother during the day?”
She felt a little nervous.
“Would you let him stay with you for a few days?”