Steamed Spare Ribs

The fragrance of osmanthus flowers filled the autumn night, and Xia Jiao’s mind wandered for a moment. After a long while, she softly murmured, “Eh?”

His rival. Teacher Wen had just mentioned the word “rival.”

Would he treat the boys around her as imaginary enemies? Just the thought made Xia Jiao want to laugh, but she held it in and tried to remain natural.

Xia Jiao slowly and quietly reflected on the things they had discussed during their blind date. In an instant, she understood Wen Chongyue’s meaning.

His mother left when he was a child, which should have led to a less optimistic attitude towards marriage.

So the marriage demands he made—companionship, mutual commitment, and no tolerance for betrayal—made sense.

She reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’ll stay loyal to our marriage, remember, we agreed on that.”

Xia Jiao thought such words would put Wen Chongyue at ease, but instead, he gripped her hand even tighter. The strength was enough to make her quietly wince in pain for a moment before she finally heard his less-than-pleasant response, “Yes.”

Xia Jiao let out a small yawn and then brought up the matter of possibly being followed earlier. After she finished speaking, Wen Chongyue frowned slightly. “Do you need me to pick you up from work in the future?”

“Of course not,” Xia Jiao replied in surprise. “I usually don’t come back this late, and the route from the flower shop to our home is very safe.”

Wen Chongyue said, “I should have picked you up tonight.”

Xia Jiao replied, “It’s fine, aren’t there colleagues still around?”

Wen Chongyue gave her a deep look. “Precisely because there are colleagues.”

Xia Jiao was puzzled. “Hmm?”

She didn’t quite understand, and Wen Chongyue chose not to elaborate further. Instead, he held her hand, his warm palm transmitting a steady flow of heat to her. Xia Jiao heard him sigh softly, “You’re really just a little shrimp dumpling.”

Xia Jiao blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

She suspected Wen Chongyue was indirectly calling her dumb but couldn’t find any evidence to confirm it.

Although they had already eaten dinner, knowing that Xia Jiao had drunk alcohol, Wen Chongyue still prepared a soup for her—a pumpkin chestnut osmanthus soup. He used a whole small pumpkin, ten peeled chestnuts, and a sprinkle of dried osmanthus flowers. The osmanthus came from Yu Qingzhen’s garden, where a large osmanthus tree was in full bloom. The blossoms were harvested, dried, and stored in clean, beautiful glass jars, perfect for making fragrant soups.

Xia Jiao sat on a chair with Xia Mi on her lap. Meanwhile, Wen Quan obediently stayed on the table, letting Wen Chongyue clip its claws. The cat cooperated quietly, patiently enduring the grooming.

The television was playing an old movie, Song at Midnight. The video quality showed its age, but no one was paying attention to the screen. Xia Jiao sipped the soup in small mouthfuls while watching Wen Chongyue intently trim Wen Quan’s claws. Her mind involuntarily wandered back to the earlier incident of being followed, and she couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of fear.

Even though Yu Qingzhen said it was just a high schooler, Xia Jiao wasn’t confident she could handle a fight with one. She shook her head, trying to shake off those unpleasant thoughts.

From now on, she needed to be more careful.

However, things rarely go as planned. Despite Xia Jiao’s resolve to stay vigilant, the red-haired boy continued to loiter near the flower shop.

Over the next week, he would occasionally show up around the shop. He never came in to buy flowers but stayed at a distance, sometimes glancing at the flowers and sometimes peeking into the store. Yu Qingzhen, who was still waiting to be paid, got frustrated and argued with him twice, but he remained stubbornly unfazed. Even if he walked away, he would reappear not long after.

Yu Qingzhen was so exasperated she muttered, “This is giving me so much stress, I feel like I’m going to develop breast problems.”

Gao Chan came back with milk tea and handed her a cup with a smile. “Calm down. Drink this and take a deep breath.”

The milk tea shop they frequented had discounts for large orders. To take advantage of the deal, they usually ordered extras. The flower shop’s online delivery program was celebrating its one-year anniversary with promotions like student discounts, buy-one-get-one-free offers for couples, and random blind-box gifts.

Xia Jiao had been busy all afternoon. Her wrist felt sore, and she had just taken a few sips of milk tea when she heard the familiar laughter of Grandma Song. She immediately stood up to greet her.

The elderly couple had become regulars at the shop, and Xia Jiao usually attended to them. Grandma Song enjoyed chatting with her and often ended up buying more flowers than planned. Xia Jiao shared tips on keeping flowers fresh, prolonging their lifespan, or even hanging them to dry as decorative pieces before they wilted.

Grandpa Song, in contrast, was more frugal and spoke less. During their chat, he realized his thermos was empty. Xia Jiao quickly fetched a bottle of water for Grandma Song, explaining that they kept it on hand for customers. Before Grandma Song could respond, Grandpa Song sternly said, “She can’t drink cold water.”

Grandma Song retorted, “Says who?”

“The doctor said so,” Grandpa Song insisted. “It’s because you didn’t take care of yourself when you were younger.”

Xia Jiao offered, “We have a water dispenser in the staff room. Shall I get you some hot water?”

Yu Qingzhen stood up. “I’ll do it.”

With nothing else to do, Yu Qingzhen led Grandpa Song to fetch hot water. This left Xia Jiao and Grandma Song to chat alone. Grandma Song liked Xia Jiao and, upon learning her age, smiled warmly. “You’re three years younger than my sweet granddaughter.”

Xia Jiao laughed and said it was quite the coincidence. However, Grandma Song sighed for some reason, as if recalling something unpleasant. She quickly changed the subject and began talking about Grandpa Song again. Xia Jiao complimented him, saying he was very thoughtful to buy flowers regularly.

Grandma Song chuckled and waved her hand. “He was so stubborn when he was younger. It’s only in his old age that he’s softened a little. But he’s still frugal, except when it comes to flowers.”

At that moment, Grandpa Song returned with his thermos. “What are you saying about me now?” he asked, his voice robust.

Xia Jiao couldn’t help but laugh. Grandma Song smiled too. “Nothing bad. I was just praising you.”

Grandpa Song huffed but carefully unscrewed the thermos, poured a little into the cap, and blew on it before offering it to his wife.

Xia Jiao suspected the couple didn’t have children or grandchildren around to accompany them often. The “granddaughter” Grandma Song mentioned worked in Suzhou and could only visit once a week. Since it was Friday, her visit was due. Grandma Song asked Xia Jiao to help her pick out some extra flowers to decorate the house and brighten her granddaughter’s mood.

For some reason, Xia Jiao always saw a reflection of her own grandparents in this elderly couple.

Parents often have no choice but to leave their children behind to work or run businesses far from home. It falls to the grandparents to take care of them.

Xia Jiao was raised by her grandparents for over ten years. Naturally, the bond they shared was special. She remembered vividly the day her parents took her away for school. Her grandmother had sewn the strap of her school bag—a sturdy black nylon backpack. The straps needed to be reinforced with an extra stitch to prevent them from loosening under the weight of heavy books.

Her grandmother had excellent sewing skills. She reinforced the strap by stitching a “口” shape, then an “X” inside it, with neat and even stitches. Her eyesight wasn’t great, and threading the needle took her a while. She would hold the needle up to the light, wet the thread’s tip with her lips to create a point, then squint and aim it at the needle’s eye.

When Xia Jiao was around, she always helped her grandmother thread the needle.

At the time, she didn’t fully understand. After threading the needle, she watched her grandmother scratch her head with the needle’s tip and asked, “Grandma, if I leave with Mom, who will help you thread the needle in the future?”

Grandmother sat sideways on the bed, smiling gently. “I can dress myself. If you miss me, Jiao Jiao, just come back and visit more often, okay?”

Xia Jiao nodded earnestly. “I’ll come back to see you once a week.”

She even took out all of her grandmother’s needles, threading each one with care. Half of the threads were white and the other half black. At her grandmother’s age, she rarely embroidered anymore, so these were the colors she used most frequently.

Grandmother laughed heartily as she firmly stitched Xia Jiao’s shoulder straps under the warm glow of the lamp. Meanwhile, Grandfather sat watching the evening news, waiting for the weather forecast. He praised her for being so thoughtful and obedient.

But the obedient and thoughtful Xia Jiao couldn’t keep her promise.

Her family didn’t feel comfortable letting an underage child travel by train every week, especially since the cost of transportation was also a concern. Xia Jiao could only visit her grandparents during winter and summer breaks. Yet, her grandparents never blamed her. Every time she returned, they would go out of their way to make her favorite dishes. If Xia Jiao mentioned how delicious the shredded potatoes were, the next meal would surely include freshly cooked shredded potatoes. Before she left, they’d pack a bag of potatoes for her to take back.

Whenever Xia Jiao came home, Grandmother would bring out a large stash of biscuits, candies, fruits, and dairy products—gifts from others that her grandparents had saved just for her.

Occasionally, there were surprises. Grandmother would excitedly bring out biscuits and dairy products, only for Xia Jiao to discover they had expired. When she mentioned this, Grandmother would pause in disappointment before lamenting softly, “Why is the shelf life so short…”

Her hair white as snow, Grandmother would gaze at the items with a mix of regret and reluctance, as if she wished she could eat them all at once. She blamed herself for being careless and for the short shelf life of the treats but never for Xia Jiao’s infrequent visits.

Each time Xia Jiao returned home, she noticed that Grandmother had lost more teeth and Grandfather had grown shorter. Having done heavy labor in his youth, Grandfather’s back was now hunched, resembling a tightly drawn bow.

Grandmother often complained about Grandfather’s frugality, saying he was reluctant to throw anything away as he got older. She also grumbled about him leaving the TV on while he slept, only to deny falling asleep when she turned it off. Grandfather, however, would chuckle and quietly ignore her, stuffing what he thought were the best biscuits and milk into Xia Jiao’s bag.

During Lunar New Year, as they left, Father Xia’s car trunk was always packed to the brim. Her grandparents wanted to send every useful item from their home with them.

Later, when Grandfather fell ill, Xia Jiao’s parents moved back to Yangzhou for work. After a brief family reunion, Xia Jiao left for university in Beijing. She could still only visit her grandparents during winter and summer vacations.

By then, Grandfather’s mind was not as clear, but he always remembered to stash treats for Xia Jiao. Whenever she came home, he’d pack her little backpack full.

During her visits, Xia Jiao would chat with them and sit with them in the sun. At that time, Grandmother had just had her remaining four teeth removed to prepare for dentures. She could only eat liquid foods, sipping pumpkin porridge with a bright, toothless smile. Her hair, silver-white under the sun, looked as beautiful as polished silver.

Grandfather, who had become quieter, would sit silently in his wheelchair, basking in the sun. He resembled a very old and solemn tree. Occasionally, he would murmur “Xiaoyun,” which was Grandmother’s name.

Xia Jiao often promised, “When I graduate, I’ll buy a big house, and we’ll all live together.”

“When I start working, I’ll bring you both to live with me so you can enjoy life.”

“When I…”

In the winter of her third year at university, Grandfather passed away.

Grandmother didn’t live to see Xia Jiao graduate either.

…

Perhaps this was why, that first time Xia Jiao saw the elderly man stop in front of the flower shop, she felt as if she’d caught a glimpse of her grandfather.

She carefully selected flowers for the elderly couple. Grandma Song mentioned that her granddaughter was lively and outgoing, with a love for painting and artistic talent, though her mother didn’t support her passion.

Xia Jiao offered them the biggest discount she could and even gifted them three carnations.

However, there was a slight mishap when they left. As she pushed Grandma Song’s wheelchair, they found a boy with dyed yellow hair squatting at the entrance, blocking the glass door. Grandpa Song loudly asked him to move aside. The red-haired boy stood up reluctantly, said nothing, and left. When Xia Jiao returned to the shop, she overheard him mutter, “Old geezer.”

Xia Jiao disliked such derogatory remarks. She returned to the shop, where Yu Qingzhen stepped outside and fiercely argued with the boy, warning him, “Come back here again, and I’ll call the police!”

The boy didn’t respond. Grabbing his school uniform jacket, he walked away. The temperature was dropping, but he still wore a short-sleeved shirt, revealing faded tattoo marks and bruises on his arms. His gait was slightly uneven, and it was then that Xia Jiao noticed his limp.

In the autumn, it was time to eat Pacific saury.

The fish, cleaned of its guts and gills, was washed and patted dry. She made three slashes on each side and rubbed it with a mix of ginger, garlic powder, crushed black pepper, and sea salt.

Xia Jiao tasted a slice of lemon and immediately winced, tears nearly spilling from the sourness. She hissed and laughed, handing two lemon wedges to Wen Chongyue. “So sour, Teacher Wen.”

Wen Chongyue replied, “It’s good for you.”

He evenly drizzled fresh lemon juice over the fish, letting it marinate quietly for at least thirty minutes to absorb the flavors.

Meanwhile, the two cats outside the kitchen, lured by the smell of fish, meowed incessantly.

Wen Chongyue prepared a separate fish for the cats, carefully deboning it before steaming it plain in a pet food grinder. Xia Jiao carried it out to feed the cats.

Each cat had its own bowl, and Xia Jiao was scrupulously fair, ensuring their portions were equal. As she served, she hummed softly, “The taste of Pacific saury, the cats and you all want to know…”

The rhythmic sound of chopping meat could be heard in the kitchen. Wen Chongyue was chopping pork ribs. The tip of the cat’s tail gently circled around Xia Jiao’s palm. Wen Quan licked Xia Jiao’s fingers. There were flesh thorns on the cat’s tongue, so being licked was definitely not as soft as cotton. However, Xia Jiao’s heart melted into pieces at this rough and warm show of goodwill from the cat.

Delicious food brings people closer, just like family ties. Large pork ribs were chopped into smaller pieces. Wen Chongyue didn’t mind gnawing on them directly, but Xia Jiao seemed to prefer eating more gracefully. Since chopping the ribs into smaller, more manageable pieces didn’t require much effort, Wen Chongyue prepared them accordingly, soaking the meat in water to remove the blood.

He minced green onion and ginger, sliced a stalk of scallion into sections, and mixed seasonings like sugar, soy sauce, and white pepper powder. After letting the ribs soak for ten minutes, he drained and marinated them with the mixture.

Wen Chongyue planned to make steamed pork ribs with rice flour. While the ribs were marinating, he placed some pacific saury in the oven and started preparing a “Three Whites” soup. The coix seeds had been soaked earlier, and since Xia Jiao loved rice, he added extra rice to enhance the texture. Ideally, the Chinese yam used in this dish should remain unpeeled, but knowing that Xia Jiao disliked yam skin, he carefully peeled it, diced it, and added it along with white mushrooms.

Meanwhile, Xia Jiao was experimenting with making sweet potato chips using an air fryer. The sweet potatoes, freshly harvested this year, were thinly sliced and baked without any additional sugar or honey. She simply loved the natural sweetness that baking brought out.

After an hour and a half, their Saturday lunch was finally ready.

Xia Jiao used her phone to cast a movie onto the screen. She chose the 1994 version of Little Women. Since her English wasn’t frequently practiced, she often missed some lines while focusing on eating.

But it didn’t bother her too much.

Finding a movie she wanted to watch so quickly today felt like a rare victory.

The pacific saury was baked to a golden crisp, its outer layer naturally oozing with fragrant oil. Wen Chongyue squeezed fresh lemon juice over it, enhancing its aroma and removing any fishy smell. Xia Jiao took a big, satisfied bite and then remarked, “I have a bad habit of watching TV while eating. Shows like My Own Swordsman, Empresses in the Palace, Friends, or the old version of Dream of the Red Chamber… somehow, eating while watching makes the food taste better.”

Wen Chongyue thought for a moment: “Because it gives me a sense of companionship?”

He recalled his own days of living alone. Cooking and eating by himself often felt more lively with the TV on in the background.

Xia Jiao nodded in agreement. “But sometimes, it backfires. You know? When I’ve cycled through all my favorite shows, I end up in a terrible state where there’s nothing left to accompany my meals. I might spend twenty minutes going through different apps and rankings, trying to find something decent. By the time I do, the food’s gone cold.”

Wen Chongyue chuckled. “Sounds like a classic case of indecision.”

Xia Jiao nodded vigorously as she reached for a piece of the steamed pork ribs.

The ribs were coated in five-spice rice flour. The meat juices had seeped into the rice flour, infusing it with rich, savory flavors. Even the pumpkin layer underneath absorbed the meaty aroma. Xia Jiao savored a whole rib before hearing Wen Chongyue ask, “Have you ever made a choice without hesitation?”

“Yes,” she replied. “After my college entrance exams, choosing a university.”

Without hesitation, she chose Beijing.

Even her family was surprised by her firm decision to attend a school in Beijing.

Curious, Wen Chongyue asked, “Did you really like that university?”

Xia Jiao stared at her bowl. For some reason, bringing up this topic always made her cheeks flush.

She replied vaguely, “It was my goal throughout my three years in high school.”

Wen Chongyue smiled and served her a bowl of osmanthus water chestnut porridge. Lowering his gaze, he murmured, “Then you were quite lucky.”

The boy that Xia Jiao had secretly admired was truly fortunate.

So fortunate that even Teacher Wen couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous.

Um.

——Just a little bit.