After packing up to go out, Lin Xiangxiu suddenly remembered something. “Wait, let’s take the clock with us before we leave. There’s meat stewing at home – if it burns, we won’t have anything to eat.”
Lin Xiao quickly nodded.
They had bought this clock at the wholesale market earlier that day.
Since she needed to keep track of time for work, Lin Xiangxiu had specifically gone to buy a clock today. She had originally planned to buy a wristwatch, which would be more convenient and compact, but when she arrived at the watch shop, she discovered that watches nowadays were really not cheap.
Back in their hometown in the northeast, the cheapest watches only cost thirty yuan, but here in the watch shop, the cheapest was the Shanghai Pai watch at fifty yuan. The display counter also had more expensive brands like Haiou Pai and Beijing Pai. Lin Xiangxiu even spotted a watch priced at one thousand yuan from a brand called Casio.
Lin Xiangxiu felt that her current salary wasn’t low, even by Shencheng standards, yet she was still shocked by the price of a watch.
After deliberating for a long time, she finally settled on a thirty-yuan Beijixing wall clock.
Lin Xiangxiu held Lin Xiao’s hand while Lin Xiao carried the wall clock in her arms. The mother and daughter walked to a nearby small street. Even though it was just a street near the Urban Village, it was bustling with shops everywhere – Tianshui Puzi, clothing stores, tailoring shops, hardware stores, and grain and oil shops. The mother-daughter pair, fresh from the countryside, were completely dazzled by the sight.
With time tight and tasks urgent, Lin Xiangxiu didn’t dare linger too long. She pulled Lin Xiao, who had been standing in front of the sweet drink shop refusing to move, and dragged her along until they found the childcare class. It was also a storefront located on the street. Upon entering, they saw several sets of desks and a large textbook inside, with a few children’s toys in the corner.
The children varied in age – some looked like they were already in elementary school, while others were tiny toddlers who seemed only one or two years old. The majority were around two or three years old.
The teacher sitting in the corner with the children looked up and, seeing the mother and daughter’s demeanor, immediately understood their purpose. She greeted them familiarly, “Are you here to sign up for summer childcare?”
“Yes, we’d like to learn more about it first.” Lin Xiangxiu picked up Lin Xiao and asked quietly, “What do you think?”
“I don’t like it.” Lin Xiao pouted, unable to keep pretending to her mother anymore.
She knew her mother had to work and couldn’t take care of her, which was why they were looking for a childcare class, but Lin Xiao truly couldn’t bring herself to say she liked it.
The two- and three-year-old boys here were wearing Kai Dang Ku!!
As soon as Lin Xiao entered, she saw a little boy squatting in the corner peeing!!
Lin Xiao was horrified. She turned and wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, squirming like a little worm, her voice dropping to the faintest whisper, “They pee everywhere.”
Lin Xiangxiu was momentarily stunned before realizing why her daughter was so resistant. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and whispered back, “You wore Kai Dang Ku when you were little too, and you peed everywhere as well. The teacher will clean it up.”
Back then, the child was young, but the burden on her shoulders wasn’t light. She had to deal with her adoptive mother while also working in the fields, unable to care for Lin Xiao with such meticulous attention.
So little Lin Xiao had worn Kai Dang Ku and followed her to the fields. When it was cold, she’d be bundled up like a Da Mian Paozi, hiding nearby eating roasted sweet potatoes. When it was hot, she’d lie in the shade to cool off, playing with little grasshoppers and frogs.
“Impossible, I’m hygienic.” Lin Xiao refused to acknowledge her dark history, continuing to squirm against her mother. Her voice already carried a sob, “Mom, I don’t want to stay here.”
Lin Xiangxiu patted her little back sympathetically, while feeling a sense of relief in her heart.
Her daughter was finally no longer acting like a precocious little adult—she had finally learned to voice her true feelings.
Lin Xiangxiu said with concern, “Starting tomorrow, Mommy has to go to work. I’ll leave home around ten in the morning and won’t be back until about two in the afternoon. That’s almost four hours. Who will take care of you during that time?”
“Four hours?” Lin Xiao became even more distraught, tears dripping into the nape of Lin Xiangxiu’s neck. “I don’t want to stay here for four hours! I can wait for you at home by myself!”
When Lin Xiao looked up, her eyes were filled with tears, and she pleaded pitifully, “I can stay home alone. I’ll be good and won’t run around. I’ll just wait for you at home.”
“At home, there are Mommy’s clothes, Mommy’s shoes, and Mommy’s photos. I won’t be scared. But here, there are only strangers…” Lin Xiao’s tears wouldn’t stop, and she sobbed uncontrollably.
Hearing this, Lin Xiangxiu’s heart softened.
“You just want to be with Mommy, don’t you?”
Lin Xiao nodded. “Even if Mommy isn’t there, having your clothes and shoes is enough. I won’t be scared.”
Lin Xiangxiu held her daughter tighter.
Why hadn’t she realized it earlier? The child had just moved from their familiar hometown to Shencheng—a completely unfamiliar place—so of course she would be clingy.
Thrusting Lin Xiao into a strange childcare class so suddenly was bound to make her resistant and fearful.
Lin Xiao’s nose was red from crying, and she clung tightly to her mother, refusing to let go.
Lin Xiangxiu said goodbye to the teacher and left.
Carrying her sobbing daughter, Lin Xiangxiu had no choice but to lay down some ground rules. “You can wait for me at home for now, but you have to promise me: no playing with fire or electricity…”
Lin Xiao quickly wiped away her tears, nodding vigorously as she recited in her childish voice, “No playing with fire—it can cause a fire! No playing with electricity—it can give you a shock! No playing with water—it’s dangerous! No climbing high—you could fall!”
These were all things she had been taught back in their hometown, and she remembered them clearly.
Lin Xiao made her promises earnestly and convincingly, so Lin Xiangxiu had no choice but to agree. “You can wait at home for now, but after some time, I’ll send you to the nursery. When that happens, you can’t throw a tantrum anymore.”
“I’ll be good! After some time, I won’t be scared anymore.” Lin Xiao solemnly raised her little finger for a pinky promise.
Lin Xiao was carried all the way home by Lin Xiangxiu.
The moment they opened the door, an incredibly rich aroma of stewed soy sauce washed over them, nearly knocking the mother and daughter off their feet.
Lin Xiao squirmed to be put down and asked eagerly, “Mommy, is it ready? I want to eat!”
The five pounds of pork ribs had yielded two large bowls. Lin Xiangxiu poked them with chopsticks and, seeing that the meat was tender and falling off the bone, said, “It’s ready. But Mommy plans to take some to Aunt Hong first. Do you want to wait at home or come with me?”
Lin Xiao’s eyes were glued to the Stewed Pork Ribs in Soy Sauce, and she shot her mother a pitiful look.
This was putting a child in an impossible position!
Who could choose between Mommy and Stewed Pork Ribs in Soy Sauce?!
Lin Xiao furrowed her little brows, thinking seriously, before finally grabbing the hem of Lin Xiangxiu’s clothes and saying, “I’ll go with you. After we deliver it, we can eat together when we get back.”
“Then help Mommy carry the flashlight,” Lin Xiangxiu said, scooping out the ribs while trying hard not to laugh.
She first ladled out a portion with the soy sauce aroma, then added dried chili peppers to the remaining half pot, simmering it for a while until the spicy flavor infused before serving.
She took some of both flavors, filling a large plate to the brim, then set off with Lin Xiao.
Hong Jie’s home was located in the small courtyard behind Chunfeng Inn, not too far from where Lin Xiangxiu rented. It was about a twenty-minute walk.
When Lin Xiangxiu arrived with Lin Xiao, the sky hadn’t yet darkened, but Hong Jie’s family was already preparing for dinner. They were a large household, with her parents-in-law, an unmarried younger brother-in-law, and Hong Jie’s own family of three.
Because of the hot weather, the family had set up a table in the small courtyard, with several dishes laid out. Since Hong Jie’s in-laws were also from the north, the table featured a mix of northern and southern dishes.
Before anyone had started eating, Lin Xiangxiu arrived, carrying a plate of warm Stewed Pork Ribs in Soy Sauce. Hong Jie was at a loss for words, stamping her feet and saying she was too polite.
Hong Jie refused to accept it, adding, “You should keep such delicious food for yourselves. Why bring it to me?”
Her mother-in-law chimed in, “Exactly, look how thin you and your daughter are. We don’t want it—take it back and eat it yourselves!”
As they were still politely refusing, Lin Xiangxiu simply set the plate on the table. Hong Jie’s father-in-law, who had arrived later and missed the exchange, directly picked up a piece of Bone-in Pork Shank and started gnawing on it.
“Mmm, this tastes great,” Hong Jie’s father-in-law exclaimed with satisfaction, unable to resist pouring himself a cup of wine to enjoy alongside the food.
He first tried a spicy piece, panting and gasping from the heat, then switched to the soy sauce flavor, which suited his palate better.
At first, the old man ate while drinking, but as he went on, he even set aside his wine, intently gnawing on a piece of Back Ribs with his hands.
By the time the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law realized what was happening, a pile of bones had already accumulated in front of the old man.
There was no more room for refusal. Lin Xiangxiu suppressed a laugh and said, “Just eat it. I brought it for you to enjoy, after all.”
With no other choice, they sat down to eat. Hong Jie’s mother-in-law wasn’t fond of gnawing on bones, always considering it inelegant, but she felt too embarrassed not to try any of the gifted food. She picked up an easy-to-chew Bone-in Pork Shank, and after the first bite, her expression froze.
Though they were also from the north, they had never tasted such delicious Stewed Pork Ribs in Soy Sauce!
The white connective tissue on the Bone-in Pork Shank looked like fatty meat, but one bite revealed it was nothing like greasy fat. Instead, it had the texture of tendon—chewy yet tender, each chew making the meat seem to bounce in the mouth.
Occasionally, she would bite into a piece of cartilage, producing a satisfying crunch.
Every bite was infused with rich, savory oil, so fragrant it felt like she could swallow her own tongue.
The appeal of the Bone-in Pork Shank lay in that tendon-like texture, irresistibly delicious. As for the Back Ribs, they were different. Lin Xiangxiu had stewed them to perfection, generously seasoned, with every piece of meat falling off the bone—tender, not dry, and fully absorbing the aroma of the spices.
At first, Hong Jie’s mother-in-law still cared about her image, using chopsticks to pick at the back ribs and nibbling them in small bites. Halfway through, she found it too troublesome, threw down her chopsticks, and started gnawing on them with her hands instead. As she chewed, she praised, “Where did you learn your cooking skills? This is absolutely delicious! It tastes just like the flavors from our hometown, but I’ve never had such delicious stewed pork ribs in soy sauce even back home!”
Lin Xiangxiu smiled, “I never learned formally—just figured it out on my own. Back in our hometown, everyone loved my cooking. Whenever someone had an event, they’d invite me to prepare the Xi Mian. With enough practice, I naturally improved.”
Seeing how much their parents were enjoying the food, Hong Jie and her husband couldn’t resist sitting down to join in. The whole family, without any reservations, happily gnawed on the large ribs with relish.
While eating, Hong Jie’s mother-in-law kept sizing up Lin Xiangxiu. After finishing several large ribs, she let out a satisfied burp, washed her hands, and pulled Lin Xiangxiu back as she was about to leave. Bluntly, she said, “Xiao Lin, I heard your ex-husband was a heartless man. Since you’re divorced now and life must be tough raising a child alone, have you ever thought about finding someone new?”