The town market had everything one could need, and the prices were cheap. Stalls stretched from east to west, filled with locals who had woken up early to catch the morning rush. Li Sangyue led Taiyang through the dense crowd toward a breakfast stall.
They had skipped breakfast at home today to save room for market food. Sangyue had been so busy lately that she had not found time for the big market days. Freshly fried youtiao were golden and crispy, and beside them, an owner was making shuijianbao. These were stuffed with pork and a hint of chives. Just as a new batch was ready, the owner lifted the lid and flipped the buns with a spatula, revealing their crunchy, scorched bottoms. In Taining, these buns were made with leavened dough, making the skins soft and fluffy. This was quite different from the thin-skinned versions found elsewhere.
“What would you like? We have dough sticks, soy milk, and fried buns,” the owner greeted them warmly.
“Mommy, I want to eat that,” Taiyang said, unable to wait.
Li Sangyue held her small hand to keep her back from the hot pans. She ordered a serving of five buns, five yuan worth of dough sticks, and three bowls of soy milk. Her mother was at a nearby stall picking out clothes for her Grandma and Great-Grandma. She had already paid and would be over shortly.
They found a small table to sit at. For a family of three, it was just the right size.
“Mommy, wipe hands,” Taiyang said. Already famished, she held out her chubby little hands and nudged her mother.
Though young, she was unusually fastidious. While other children needed to be coaxed into washing up, Taiyang knew she had to be clean before touching food. Furthermore, she refused to eat if someone used their own chopsticks to give her food, and she hated getting into bed with “outside” clothes on. No one else in the family was this particular. Besides teaching her to wash before meals, Sangyue had not specifically trained her this way. The child had been a clean freak since she first learned to crawl.
Sangyue recalled a time when Auntie Li had come to visit. Her clothes looked perfectly clean, but when she tried to hold Taiyang, the baby struggled, puffed out her cheeks, and blew raspberries right into Auntie Li’s face. Now, Sangyue took out disinfectant wipes and scrubbed the small stool several times before Taiyang would sit. As she wiped the child’s hands, she grumbled, “I have no idea who you got this habit from.” It certainly was not from her or her mother.
She suddenly remembered Qin Nian’s visit and the way she had hesitated before sitting on the edge of the bench. Sangyue had initially thought she simply disliked the food, but now she realized Qin Nian likely had a similar obsession with cleanliness. She had only suppressed it out of politeness. In that regard, she and Taiyang were quite alike.
Li Ningjun, blowing on her hot soy milk, flicked her eyes upward. She had noticed Qin Nian’s little issues during that visit. If she is so picky, why does she not wear a gas mask when she goes out? Even the air is dirty these days.
“Taiyang, Grandma brought your small chopsticks and spoon. Let us use our own.” Li Ningjun, while internally mocking Qin Nian’s fastidiousness, was completely hypocritical when it came to her granddaughter. She pulled a matching set of utensils out of a box in her bag.
Taiyang used these at school too. The teachers and students all knew about her habits. Today they had only brought the utensils, leaving the tray at home. Taiyang was reasonable; she would make do if necessary, but she much preferred using her own things. Sangyue did not mind. Being too clean was better than being filthy like Auntie Li’s granddaughter, who used her sleeves to wipe her nose until they were stiff with grime.
“Thank you, Grandma,” Taiyang said politely, taking her spoon to sip the soy milk.
Li Ningjun tore open a bun to let it cool for her, then did the same for Sangyue. She doted on them both equally. As Sangyue happily ate, she felt like a child again whenever her mother was around. “Eat slowly, you have oil on your face,” Li Ningjun said softly. She reached over to wipe Sangyue’s cheek.
Taiyang immediately leaned her plump face in. “Grandma, I want a wipe too.” Her face was perfectly clean, but she never wanted to be left out.
“Alright, Grandma will wipe yours too.”
While her mother tended to Taiyang, Sangyue went to the next stall to buy several tea eggs. She peeled one and placed it in front of her mother. It was Li Ningjun’s favorite. A soft smile spread across Li Ningjun’s face. With a thoughtful daughter and a sweet granddaughter, she felt truly happy. As long as her family remained healthy and safe, she wanted for nothing else.
After breakfast, they still had much to do. Sangyue moved the new clothes and shoes to the car before going with her mother to order longevity peaches and cakes. In Taining, the tradition for a longevity peach set was “one large surrounded by many small.”
The large one was for the guest of honor, while the smaller ones were distributed to friends and relatives. The total number had to be an even number for good luck, avoiding the numbers “4” and “7.”
In the past, the women of the village would gather to make these by hand. Nowadays, the younger generation lacked the skill and patience for such traditional pastries, so most people just bought them ready-made. Only Great-Grandma still knew the craft in their house. They also bought red dates, peanuts, and apples to decorate the tables. Sangyue and her mother decided to order enough for six tables of guests, featuring essential dishes like braised pork hock and sweet and sour fish. Even though they only planned for a small gathering, the neighbors and relatives would easily fill several tables.
By the time they finished, the market had dispersed. They headed home with a trunk full of supplies. Great-Grandma grumbled about the waste of money when she saw the haul, but the smile on her face did not fade until nightfall.
“Do not mind your Great-Grandma’s nagging,” Grandma whispered. “She just hates seeing you spend your hard-earned money.”
That evening, they sat in Sangyue’s room to finalize the guest list. Sangyue made the calls as Grandma listed names. She even sent a WeChat message to her eldest aunt, Li Ninghuai, though whether she would show up was another matter.
“We will have five or six tables. It will not cost that much,” Sangyue reassured them. She had made a good profit from the cherries this month. She nudged Great-Grandma playfully. “When it is Grandma’s birthday, we will do it even bigger, maybe ten tables.”
A few days before the birthday, the house went into a full spring cleaning. Li Ningjun insisted on replacing the old sofa covers. Sangyue had bought the new ones last year. They were high-quality and comfortable, but Great-Grandma had refused to use them, thinking they were too expensive to just sit on. She had wanted to turn the fabric into bedsheets using her old sewing machine.
Now that Li Ningjun was taking charge of the swap, Great-Grandma was muttering in the background. Grandma, losing her patience, snapped, “The children bought these because they want you to have nice things. Just use them and stop grumbling. If you are so worried about the fabric, go sit on the floor.”
When Sangyue bought Grandma clothes or shoes, Grandma would try them on immediately and wear them happily. Great-Grandma was the opposite. She would hide new things away until they were out of style. Once Grandma got angry, Great-Grandma fell silent. Sangyue and her mother shared a secret laugh. They were used to the two old ladies bickering. Grandma often said a household needed someone like Great-Grandma to save money, or they would never have any savings.
The house was soon spotless, decorated with festive window paper-cuts. Taiyang had picked out small red lanterns and imitation firecrackers at the market, which she hung from the golden osmanthus tree in the yard. The red decorations against the green leaves looked wonderfully festive. Even Auntie Li, stopping by, praised Taiyang for her eye for decoration.
Realizing they could not handle six tables of food alone, they invited some neighbors to help. Auntie Li volunteered and brought her sister-in-law. Along with Tuanjie and Lin Yin, they had plenty of hands.
On the morning of the birthday, the house was a hive of activity. Sangyue drove to town to pick up the pre-ordered cakes and fresh ingredients. In the kitchen, Auntie Li and the others were busy mincing meat for the meatballs and frying carp.
Outside, Tuanjie and Lin Yin set up the tables and chairs. Auntie Li’s daughter, Huainiu, had also come to help. “Is Ninghuai and Zhang Mei not coming to lend a hand for the old lady’s birthday?” Huainiu asked Li Ningjun quietly.
Li Ningjun continued plucking celery, her expression cold. “Who cares if they come?”
“I know, but your two elderly ladies are always giving them things,” Huainiu noted. “Whenever they have something good, they think of them first. Now that it is the old lady’s big birthday, they cannot even show their faces? It is disrespectful.”
Li Ningjun did not care much for those relatives. “If they come, they come. If not, forget it.” She preferred they stay away, but she worried the lack of presence might make the birthday girl feel slighted.