In Room 8, Chunbao’s mother, Qin Rong, and her daughter, Chunbao, were sitting at the table folding paper boxes.

Chunbao, with a sharp chin, heard the conversation from outside and curiously looked at her mother, asking, “Mom, do you think Aunt Li from Room 5 will be able to sell her dumplings at the stall?”

Qin Rong didn’t stop her work and smiled as she said, “Those people outside, they just can’t enjoy the grapes and say they’re sour. They hesitate even to spend a dime and think everyone is like them. But I see the tea egg seller at the alley entrance is doing well; they sell out every day. As long as Aunt Li makes good dumplings, they’ll definitely sell.”

Chunbao’s eyes lit up. “Since selling at stalls can make money, why don’t we set up a stall too?”

Qin Rong sighed as she looked at her daughter. “Setting up a stall requires capital, you know? Your father makes only twenty-five yuan a month, has to pay ten yuan to your grandmother, keeps five yuan for himself, and still gives us ten yuan every month. He also has to pay rent. If it weren’t for us making handicrafts, we wouldn’t even have enough for groceries. Where would we get money to start a business?”

She had considered going to the countryside to buy eggs and vegetables and sell them on the black market, but she was afraid of getting caught.

If anything happened to her, what would Chunbao do?

Buying eggs and vegetables in the countryside and selling them for a profit in the city was considered illegal speculation, and if caught, they could face punishment.

“Dad hasn’t come back for two weeks,” Chunbao said, looking down.

Thinking about her husband, Qin Rong furrowed her brows.

He had been coming home less and less over the past six months, and she had a feeling that he might be interested in someone else.

Chunbao, born in spring, had always been weak, and many people said she wouldn’t survive.

Her in-laws suggested that they give up on having Chunbao and try for another child.

But Qin Rong couldn’t bear to give up on her daughter.

After ten months of pregnancy, she had given birth to Chunbao, and how could she abandon her?

She took great care of her, but by the time Chunbao was five, she was still sickly, always falling ill whenever the season changed.

The doctor said that Chunbao needed more nutritious food, but in their family, if Chunbao ate an egg, her grandmother would scold her, and Chunbao would be bullied by her cousins.

Qin Rong had to make sure her daughter survived, so she separated from her husband and moved out with Chunbao.

Her husband’s job was provided by his family, so even though they had separated, he still had to pay ten yuan to the family.

At first, he was on the same page as her, but over the years, he had repeatedly urged her to have a son, and when she didn’t conceive, he gradually changed.

He came home less often, and when he did, he was always in a bad mood.

“Your dad is busy. He’ll definitely come back this week,” Qin Rong said, not wanting to make her daughter sad.

Chunbao didn’t speak, her head down.

She knew that her dad wasn’t staying away because he was busy, but because he didn’t want to see his sickly daughter.

It was all because of her that her mom had to separate from her dad and move out.

Her mom had to struggle every day.

…

Li Shuping rode her bike to the alley entrance. “Sister Li,” Zhou Cuilan called out to her.

Li Shuping smiled at her from the bike and stopped in front of her.

Zhou Cuilan, ignoring her own stall, circled around the tricycle. “Sister Li, you’re really quick to act. Looks like you’re going to sell dumplings.”

Li Shuping got off the bike and nodded, saying, “Yes, wait until I set up the stall, and I’ll treat you to a bowl.”

Zhou Cuilan’s eyes brightened. “Really? Then I won’t be polite.”

“Don’t be polite.” Li Shuping smiled as she started unloading the things from her bike, beginning with the folding table and stools at the bottom.

Since she was going to eat Li Shuping’s dumplings, Zhou Cuilan also lent a hand to help.

Once the table and stools were set up, Li Shuping started a fire in the stove, placing a large aluminum pot filled with water on top and waiting for it to boil.

Then she placed a stool in the bike rack, put a cutting board on it, washed her hands, and uncovered the cloth covering the dough.

She grabbed a large lump of dough, sprinkled some flour from a jar on the cutting board, and began kneading the dough.

She rolled the dough into a long strip, broke it into small pieces, and pressed each one into a round shape.

She stacked the flattened pieces on top of each other, then spun them on the cutting board and pinched the edges, making uniform round dumpling wrappers.

“Sister Li, you’re really fast with your hands,” Zhou Cuilan commented. It only took two minutes to prepare all the dumpling wrappers.

Li Shuping smiled, “When I was a kid, I was an orphan and grew up eating other people’s food. A neighbor who ran a dumpling shop always felt sorry for me and let me eat dumplings. I helped in the shop, learning from the experienced workers.”

Zhou Cuilan gave her a thumbs-up.

Li Shuping uncovered the filling pot, used chopsticks to scoop out some filling, and began making the dumplings.

“This chive and egg filling smells really good,” Zhou Cuilan commented, swallowing.

Li Shuping confidently said, “I’m not bragging, but the dumplings I make always get rave reviews. Once you taste my dumplings, you won’t want to eat any others.”

Zhou Cuilan laughed, “Then I’ll have to try it well.”

It wasn’t yet mealtime, so people walking by or coming out from the alley glanced curiously at the new stall but didn’t stop to ask the price.

Li Shuping wasn’t in a hurry; it was still early, so it was normal for no one to come yet.

Zhou Cuilan had already sold three tea eggs.

The water in the pot boiled, and it was almost 11:00. Li Shuping dropped twenty dumplings into the pot—ten for herself and ten for Zhou Cuilan.

The pot fell silent for half a minute, then the water began to boil. The smell of the chive and egg dumplings spread through the air.

“That smells so good,” Zhou Cuilan licked her lips.

Soon, the dumplings began floating to the top.

Li Shuping scooped some out and handed Zhou Cuilan a pair of chopsticks.

Zhou Cuilan took the chopsticks, picked up a dumpling, blew on it a couple of times, and took a bite.

The chive and egg filling was fragrant and tender, and together they were fresh, fragrant, and delicate.

The taste was better than a bowl of stewed meat.

“Sister Li, after eating your dumplings, I won’t look at other dumplings again. They’re all the same filling, but yours taste so much better.”

Li Shuping smiled without saying anything, and the two stood by the tricycle eating dumplings.

A young man walked past the stall, then after walking about five meters, he turned back.

“What are you selling?”

“Chive and egg dumplings,” Li Shuping replied.

Zhou Cuilan quickly recommended, “The skins are big, and the filling is plenty. They’re really delicious. You won’t regret it after you try.”

The young man rubbed his slightly hungry stomach. “How much for a bowl?”

Li Shuping said, “Thirty cents a bowl, fifteen dumplings per bowl. You’ll definitely be full.”

“That’s expensive! A bowl of noodles is only ten cents,” the young man frowned.

“Well, the noodles don’t have eggs, and they’re not as tasty as my dumplings,” Li Shuping replied with a smile.

“Then give me a bowl.”

“Sit down, the dumplings will be ready soon.” Li Shuping placed a bowl down and added fifteen dumplings to the pot.