Zhenzhen glanced at the vegetables she'd planted earlier, satisfied, and stepped out of the space, holding her little brother in her arms for a good night's sleep.
The next morning, she got up early to cook some white porridge and eggs, and then took two potatoes and a Chinese cabbage from the space, planning to stir-fry them for breakfast.
Her brother loved stir-fried Shredded Potatoes, and as for the cabbage, she just felt it was easy to make.
At seventeen, Zhenzhen definitely wouldn't know how to cook, but at thirty-one, she could make some home-style dishes—not that they tasted amazing, but at least edible, anything beyond that was wishful thinking.
Zhenzhen was busy in the kitchen, chopping and washing vegetables, and by the time the food went into the pan, Mengchen came running down from upstairs, poking his little head curiously through the kitchen door, "Sis, are you cooking?"
"Yep, hurry up and wash up, breakfast will be ready soon."
Mengchen answered quickly, "Okay." Then he left the kitchen to go to the restroom and wash up by himself.
Zhenzhen added a spoonful of salt to the cabbage and yelled, "Can you manage on your own?"
Of course he could, whether now or before, their parents never had much patience—once her brother could do things by himself, they always let him. He was only three, but he could totally handle it, just slowly. Zhenzhen understood—kids with short little arms and legs naturally took more time, so it was hardly surprising.
"I can do it." She got Mengchen's answer almost immediately.
Zhenzhen stirred the cabbage in the pan, mixing the salt in, then took it out regardless of whether it was fully cooked—after all, you could eat cabbage raw anyway.
It was the same with the Shredded Potatoes—just add some oil, stir-fry a bit, then the seasonings, and a splash of vinegar before serving.
By the time the two dishes were ready, Mengchen was still dawdling in the restroom. She carried the food to the dining table in the living room and called out, "The food's ready, how much longer are you going to take?"
"I'm washing my face, almost done," Mengchen's soft, sweet voice sounded a bit like he was being spoiled.
"Alright, I'm going to ladle out the porridge now." The freshly cooked porridge was still hot—letting it cool for a bit would make it just right to eat.
"Okay."
Zhenzhen wasn't quite at ease, planning to check by the restroom, but before she got there, a knock at the front gate interrupted her, "Zhenzhen, Chenchen, are you up yet?"
"Auntie, what brings you here?" Zhenzhen quickly ran out to the yard and opened the door.
Auntie stepped right inside the moment Zhenzhen unlocked the door, "You two aren't up yet? Have you eaten breakfast? If not, I'll go get some for you."
"We're up, and I've got breakfast ready—was just about to eat. Auntie, have you eaten yet?"
Auntie Mei Yinan paused, then asked, "You made it? You know how to cook?"
"Come on, Auntie, who can't cook a porridge and stir-fry a couple of dishes?" Zhenzhen said breezily, though Yinan didn't quite believe her. Her own kids were a few years older than Zhenzhen, and not only did they refuse to cook, they wouldn't even enter the kitchen, not to mention always leaving dirty cups for her to wash.
They walked into the living room, and Yinan immediately saw the two dishes on the table—neither burned nor mushy, actually looking pretty normal.
Zhenzhen asked, "It's so early, Auntie, you probably haven't eaten yet—why don't we all eat together?"
"Sure, I haven't eaten. I originally wanted to take you two out for breakfast, so I guess I'll stay for some. Hey, is your porridge enough? If it's not, I won't eat—I can go out and get some just as well."
Zhenzhen went to the kitchen and washed three bowls, replying, "There's enough, I made a big pot." She'd just looked and was worried there'd be too much left—unlike rice, leftovers porridge really wasn't that appetizing.
Just as she finished, Auntie put down her bag and followed her into the kitchen, immediately taking over ladling out the porridge. Zhenzhen had no choice but to wash chopsticks, then carry each bowl of porridge out to the table.
With three bowls of porridge set down, Mengchen finally ambled out from the restroom, and when he saw Yinan he called, "Auntie!"
"I was just looking for you—where were you?"
"I was washing my face."
"Wow, you're washing yourself?" Yinan said, glancing at Zhenzhen, who explained, "He won't let me help—insisted on doing it himself."
Mengchen nodded, "Yeah, I've grown up—I can do it myself, always have."
Yinan felt comforted by these two sensible kids—after all, children who lose their parents grow up overnight.
...
Their breakfast was simple, and Mengchen wasn't picky. He picked up some Shredded Potatoes and stuffed them into his mouth, but the moment he tasted it, he was surprised by the flavor—his eyes widened exaggeratedly, "Sis, it's so good!"
Yinan had been watching Mengchen, worried he wouldn't eat, but this boy really tugged at your heart—a plate of Shredded Potatoes, how tasty could it be? Still, remembering that Zhenzhen had made it herself and seeing Mengchen's reaction, she had to admit—this kid had a sweet tongue.
Yinan, unconcerned, picked up some Shredded Potatoes herself, and her expression matched Mengchen's exactly. What was going on—these potatoes were amazing! "Wow, this is actually really tasty."
Yinan tried the cabbage, then went back to the Shredded Potatoes. She looked at the dishes—they seemed plain, nothing about them looked appetizing, but they tasted surprisingly good. She didn't really believe Zhenzhen had such culinary skills, but honestly, the dishes didn't show any special technique. It had to be the ingredients themselves. She asked, "Where did you buy these vegetables?"
Zhenzhen hadn't expected Auntie to join them for breakfast, so she hadn't thought up an excuse—but vegetables, well, the Market, of course: "Right next door at the Vegetable Market."
Speaking of the Vegetable Market, Zhenzhen realized another issue—they lived too close to their relatives. If she tried selling vegetables nearby, it'd be hard not to run into her family, so how would she explain then? Seems like selling at the local Vegetable Market was out of the question—she'd have to think about it more.
"These vegetables are tasty. What did the vendor look like? Maybe I'll go buy some later."
"Just an old granny. But she didn't have much on her stall—by the time I left, most of it was gone. Probably won't have anything if you go later."
So, no need to try your luck—just eat breakfast in peace.
The three of them ended up stuffed—despite knowing ahead of time the vegetables would be good, Zhenzhen hadn't expected them to taste quite so amazing. Who knew all she'd added were the most basic seasonings—so the price for these dishes definitely couldn't stay low.
The three lounged on the sofa, holding their stomachs, and after a long while, Auntie brought up her real reason for coming.
Auntie actually wanted to ask about arrangements for Zhenzhen and her brother, which pulled Zhenzhen's thoughts back to the past.
Auntie had come just as early back then, but she hadn't bothered making breakfast—she'd gone out with Auntie and her brother to eat.
Back then at the breakfast stall, Auntie had been talking as they ate, and she only remembered her brother cried the whole time—she couldn't recall much else, really.