"Aunt Hua, are you there? It’s me, Nuannuan."
She stood outside, just calling out for someone.
"Eh, Nuannuan is here," Aunt Hua came out from the kitchen, clearly also in the middle of cooking. "Come in and sit down, it’s so cold outside," she hurriedly grabbed Qin Xiangnuan’s little hand, only to find it pitifully small and icy cold. But that’s not all, the child’s hands, both were swollen with chilblains, looking just like little carrots.
This was truly heartbreaking. Qin Guohua really wasn’t worth a dime, so careless with his own flesh and blood, his son and daughter. He didn’t act like a father at all.
Aunt Hua pulled Qin Xiangnuan over to the stove to warm up and took out a steamed bun from her own basket, stuffing it into Qin Xiangnuan’s hand, "Nuannuan, eat this first. Auntie’s meal will be ready in a bit, you can have some then."
She ruffled Qin Xiangnuan’s hair, feeling utterly heartbroken.
Here was a five-year-old child, so skeletal and clearly starving.
"Aunt Hua, no need, I’m not hungry," Qin Xiangnuan quickly tried to return the steamed bun to Aunt Hua. Every household was struggling these days, how could she take from Aunt Hua?
"Just take it, child. Your aunt doesn’t lack this bit of food," she insisted, placing the bun back in Qin Xiangnuan’s small hands.
Qin Xiangnuan, facing the glow of the fire inside the stove, felt its overly warm light on her face, feeling for a moment as if she were sitting inside the stove, her whole body comfortably warm.
"Aunt Hua, I need to ask you for a favor."
She stood up and walked over to Aunt Hua, then gently tugged at Aunt Hua’s clothing.
"What is it?" Aunt Hua couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle.
"Look at you, all grown up and saying ’please’ now, go on," she bent down to rub the top of Qin Xiangnuan’s head, "as long as your aunt can help, I will."
Qin Xiangnuan blinked her eyes and then pulled out five yuan from the pocket of her cotton coat, placing it in Aunt Hua’s hand, "Auntie, could you buy some flour for me? I want to make something to eat for my brother. Mom won’t let my brother and me eat pancakes, I want to secretly make them. Nuannuan is hungry, and my brother is hungry, too."
Suddenly, Aunt Hua felt a sting in her eyes and tears uncontrollably flowed down her face.
She pushed the money back into Qin Xiangnuan’s hands, "Nuannuan, keep these five yuan for yourself, Auntie still has some white flour here. How about at night, when no one is around, you let your brother help you carry it back, alright?"
Qin Xiangnuan shook her head vigorously, her head bobbing like a tambourine, as she pushed the money back into Aunt Hua’s hands, 2 mao a jin for the flour, that could make 1.5 jin of steamed buns. With her five yuan, she could buy 25 jin of flour.
"Auntie, keep the money. We can’t always take advantage of your kindness. Don’t worry about us, we have money," she tiptoed and tightly clasped Aunt Hua’s hand.
Aunt Hua was overwhelmed, how could someone else’s child be so sensible, compared to her own children, who were older than Nuannuan, but aside from playing with mud and eating, what else could they do?
"Don’t worry," she placed her hand again on Qin Xiangnuan’s head, "I’ll have your uncle buy the flour for you in a bit. With five yuan, you can get nearly twenty-five jin of flour. Tonight, when no one is around, I’ll have your uncle deliver it to you, no one will find out."