Xu Huiqing recalled a saying from the internet in her past life: Good men are never in circulation!
A handsome young man who could cook would likely be swept up by the girls and turned into a husband in no time.
Zhou Huaijin invited Xu Huiqing and Xiaoxi over to his place for a meal.
He had the air conditioner running. The moment Xu Huiqing led Xiaoxi inside, a wave of refreshing coolness washed over her.
He had obviously tidied up the house because it looked spotless. The apartment was newly renovated, with white floor tiles and cream-colored latex paint on the walls, making the entire space feel clean and bright.
The furnishings were simple. The living room held only a cabinet and a dining table, which was just big enough for three or four people. The bowls and chopsticks were already set.
Since Zhou Huaijin didn’t own any women’s slippers, it was fortunate that Xu Huiqing had bought new ones just yesterday; she could wear those to a neighbor’s house.
Xu Huiqing was surprised that a single man like Zhou Huaijin could keep his apartment so clean.
She sat down with Xiaoxi. Despite her earlier lack of appetite, the sight of the tangy red broth in the Tomato and Egg Soup on the table inexplicably stirred her hunger. She wanted soup.
There were a few other dishes: Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, Stir-fried Loofah, Braised Bamboo Shoots, and a plate of washed fruit. Everything was a feast for the senses, both visually appealing and aromatic.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to cook more. As a single person, buying too many groceries in summer led to spoilage. Each morning during his jog, he’d grab just a little. When he cooked lunch for himself, he’d often store the leftovers in the fridge and whip up some fried rice or noodles for dinner. He rarely prepared such a balanced spread with meat, vegetables, and soup.
Perhaps feeling the spread was a bit lacking, he said, slightly embarrassed, “I bought too little this morning. I’m not sure if Xiaoxi can eat all of this.”
The moment Xu Huiqing spotted the Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, she knew Officer Little Zhou had to be a fan of sweet and sour flavors — last time it was sweet and sour fish, and now ribs.
She settled Xiaoxi onto a chair. “This is plenty! In this heat, cooking too much just goes to waste if we can’t finish it. This is perfect!”
When Zhou Huaijin tried to serve them rice, Xu Huiqing quickly stopped him, saying she wanted to start with a bowl of tomato soup first.
After tying a bib on Xiaoxi, she placed a small spoonful of rice, two ribs, some Braised Bamboo Shoots, and a few pieces of loofah into the child’s bowl.
All the dishes were perfectly suited for a child — not a trace of spice.
Xu Huiqing herself was a spice fiend, but seeing such food in the summer heat felt refreshing.
While Xu Huiqing ate, Zhou Huaijin kept a close eye on their reactions. “Is the food to your liking?” he asked.
After a bowl of tomato soup, Xu Huiqing finally felt like eating again. She gave him a silent thumbs-up.
Once she’d finished the soup, she asked, “Comrade Little Zhou, do you have any Huoxiang Zhengqi Water here?”
Seeing her slightly flushed face, he immediately understood. “Heatstroke?”
Xu Huiqing kept a light hand behind Xiaoxi to keep her from slipping off the chair. She smiled at Zhou Huaijin. “Overestimated my stamina. My head is a bit dizzy, and it aches.”
Zhou Huaijin got up, rummaged through a cabinet drawer, and placed a box of the medicine on the table. Two bottles were already missing, leaving eight. “Drink some now. I’ll get you a new box tonight.”
Xu Huiqing didn’t stand on ceremony with him. After thanking him, she focused on feeding Xiaoxi. She herself only had the soup, a few bites of loofah and bamboo shoots, leaving the rice untouched.
She’d planned to ask him about the shop units in the commercial building nearby, but she was feeling too unwell. She barely spoke during the meal. Zhou Huaijin, noticing her discomfort, also kept quiet.
After eating, Xu Huiqing got up to leave. She felt quite apologetic. “Coming to your place empty-handed for a meal, and not even helping you clean up…”
Zhou Huaijin wrote down a telephone number and urged her, “Drink the Huoxiang Zhengqi Water and get some rest. This is my work number. If you feel truly awful, give me a ring.”
Xu Huiqing said gratefully, “Thank you so much for looking after us!”
She wasn’t just grateful to Zhou Huaijin, but also to her landlady, the Boss Lady. These old residential compounds were always so rich in human warmth, a far cry from decades later, when neighbors living directly across from each other might go years without knowing — or trusting — one another.
Xu Huiqing herself was no different.
Back in her apartment, she drank another glass of water and helped Xiaoxi rinse her mouth. Before bed, she downed a bottle of the Huoxiang Zhengqi Water.
Aside from the traditional Chinese medicine she’d taken in her past life, this was the most vile thing Xu Huiqing had ever tasted. Its indescribable texture and flavor shocked her brain to alertness. The dizziness and headache she’d felt were practically blown away by its overpowering fumes. Even so, she quickly fell unconscious in bed with Xiaoxi in her arms.
Heat!
The top floor was naturally much hotter than the lower ones. The apartment had good ventilation, so it wasn’t stuffy, but the draft passing through seemed to carry the very temperature of fire. The electric fan couldn’t push air through the mosquito net. Sweat beaded incessantly on her forehead, drenching her hair. Down her back and chest, droplets rolled like pearls into her thin clothes.
Caring for Xiaoxi alone, she drifted in and out of sleep. She didn’t dare to fall too deeply. Both her head and eyelids felt unbearably heavy. She woke with a start, again and again, lifting her eyelids to check if Xiaoxi was still beside her. The child naturally needed her sleep. Seeing Xiaoxi curled up obediently in the crook of her arm, a new fear struck — that she might accidentally cover the girl’s nose and mouth in her sleep. So she’d periodically reach out and check the breath under Xiaoxi’s nose with a finger before surrendering to sleep again.
She was sleeping unusually heavily until a loud pounding at the door yanked her awake. She checked the clock on the table: 3:15 AM.
She got up to open the door. It was the Cleaning Auntie she’d hired for the afternoon, just as planned.
In the auntie’s hand was a bowl of Mung Bean Soup. She set it on the table. “Officer Little Zhou said you had heatstroke and asked me to brew this for you. It’s already cold, so drink up quick!”
Xu Huiqing felt much better after the nap. Her headache had eased. Since she’d eaten little at lunch, she was indeed hungry. After thanking the auntie, she fetched a spoon and sat at the table to drink the soup.
The auntie had simmered it for a long time, until the beans broke down into a sandy texture. She hadn’t added any sugar, so it was very mild.
Unable to hold back her gratitude, Xu Huiqing looked at the auntie and sighed, “Thank you, truly.”
The auntie’s laugh was bright and cheerful. “Ah, what’s there to thank? It’s a small thing. It’s not easy for a woman alone with a child!”
She didn’t know why a young woman like Xu Huiqing, with a three-year-old and no man in sight, had come to the big city to make her way alone.
But the reasons were always the same old stories.
It was just harder for a woman to survive in this world.
Pity in her heart, her hands worked faster.
Using the laundry powder Xu Huiqing had bought, she scrubbed the toilet inside and out, over and over, until its grimy, unrecognizable color gave way to a pristine white.
After finishing, she slumped onto a small stool, arms aching with fatigue. She wiped the sweat from her face with a shoulder. “Good heavens! I thought, how dirty could one toilet be? It’s worn me out!”
The auntie looked to be in her early forties. She had a round face, her shoulder-length hair braided into a plait down her back. She wore a short-sleeved floral shirt, trousers, and rubber boots, and spoke with a distinct northern accent.
After the toilet, she tackled the bathroom floor. The bathroom was tiny; other than the toilet, there was barely any space left. The showerhead basically aimed straight at the toilet.
There was no hot water line to the showerhead, so the auntie just washed and scrubbed as she went, finally revealing the floor’s patterned tiles — a non-slip grid that continued from the floor all the way up the walls.
When the entire bathroom was clean and the little white square tiles were visible, the whole room seemed much brighter.
Next came the kitchen. The large tiles on the countertop weren’t yet mortared down, just laid in place. The strong auntie simply lifted them up and leaned them against the wall. She poured laundry powder like it was free over the counter. First, she scraped with a triangular metal scraper, then scrubbed with a brush and more powder.
It wasn’t that she was wasteful. Years-old grease is incredibly stubborn to remove. Plus, newspaper had been laid down originally, and it had fused with the grease. Peeling it off was nearly impossible.
When Xu Huiqing tried to help, the auntie shooed her back to the room, her voice booming. “You go rest! It’s not easy, a woman with a kid. Lucky you’ve got Officer Little Zhou next door to look out for you. Otherwise, you could’ve passed out and no one would’ve known!”
“Back in my day, I was just like you — stubborn! But you’ve got to when you have kids! And you’ve just got one — I had three!” As she scrubbed the counter and sink, she conversed loudly with Xu Huiqing through the walls. “I had nothing then. My in-laws kicked us out. We didn’t have enough to eat! Who’d want to leave home and work if they had a choice? I couldn’t read; no one even wanted to hire me!”
She worked until the entire apartment was spotless. Xu Huiqing paid her. The auntie tucked the money into a pocket, picked up the now-empty soup bowl, and gave Xu Huiqing a cheerful smile. “I’m usually sweeping up down below. If you ever need anything, just holler. Don’t hesitate!”
Since Xu Huiqing had nothing in her bare apartment to offer, not even a sip of water, all she could do was say gratefully, “Thank you. Do come up and visit sometime.”
When the auntie smiled, a dimple appeared in her round cheek, giving her a touch of simple, shy charm. She waved a hand dismissively. “I’m out there sweeping all day, dirty as anything. I won’t come sit!”
She laughed, showing a row of even teeth, gathered her tools, and lugged the newly collected trash downstairs.
Only when Xu Huiqing looked at the now thoroughly cleaned apartment did she finally let out a relieved breath.
The layout was actually quite good. It was a north-south through-and-through design. Both the bedroom and kitchen were spacious. Only the living room, sandwiched between them, was a bit dim. If the wall separating them wasn’t load-bearing, swapping it for a large glass wall would instantly solve the lighting issue.
The ceiling was exceptionally high, perhaps four or five meters, since it was the top floor. A knee wall divided the space, and above that was a triangular tile roof.
The loft upstairs covered about twenty square meters, high in the center and lower along the sides. Before it was cleaned, it had looked as chaotic as a storage room. Now, the auntie had even wiped the wooden bed spotless. The cobwebs up in the rafters were swept away. The leaky roof had been patched.
The residential compound’s location was excellent — transportation, schools, medical care, and surrounding facilities were all currently under construction.
The one-bedroom, one-living-room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom layout, if renovated like Zhou Huaijin’s place next door with an air conditioner installed, would be perfect for a single woman with a child like her. The door was solid iron. The unit entrance downstairs was heavy and always locked, ensuring security. The environment and the school district were beyond question.
The only downside was the connected terrace she shared with the neighboring unit.
Xu Huiqing mulled over whether she had enough money to buy a shop in the commercial building under construction nearby. If she didn’t, could she sell the Silver Dollars silver dollars and ancient coins she owned? Perhaps that would let her buy this apartment.
She remembered, in her past life, that when she’d passed the commercial building up ahead… this wasn’t an old, run-down residential compound. It was a neighborhood of brand-new high-rises.
This compound must have been slated for demolition and relocation.