Ye Jiujiu froze, her spoon hovering mid-air. She turned slowly toward the sound—and blinked in surprise.
Three tiny children, no more than three or four years old, were huddled at the entrance of her shop, all staring at her with wide, sparkling eyes.
She glanced out at the quiet, empty street. No adults. No footsteps. No one seemed to be watching them.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
The chubby little boy standing in front wasn't the least bit embarrassed at being caught. He wiped his drool, stared at the steaming bowl of crab congee on the table, and asked in his soft, milky voice,
"Big Sister, what are you eating?"
"Crab porridge."
Jiujiu set down her spoon. "Where did you come from?"
Instead of answering, the little boy waddled right inside as if he owned the place. Standing on tiptoe, he peered at the beautifully colored crab congee in the clay pot. His eyes sparkled with longing.
"Is the crab porridge yummy?" he asked, licking his lips.
Jiujiu raised a brow at the bold little foodie.
"I don't know yet."
The chubby boy's eyes brightened.
"Then… do you want me to taste it for you?"
She almost laughed. This one knows how to take advantage.
With a playful glint in her eyes, Jiujiu reached for her spoon.
"I can taste it myself."
Under the disappointed gaze of the round little boy, she scooped a spoonful of congee and brought it to her lips.
The first bite was silky and warm, the fragrance of the rice blending perfectly with the natural sweetness of the crab. She picked out a piece of crab meat with her chopsticks—tender, sweet, brimming with flavor, with none of the muddiness of farmed crab.
Strange…
She'd eaten plenty of wild deep-sea crab back in Haicheng, but none had tasted this fresh, this clean. Just where had these crabs come from?
As she pondered, the chubby boy swallowed loudly.
"Is it good…?"
Jiujiu arched a brow, teasing him.
"Take a guess."
"I think it's good," a little girl with two crisp pigtails answered first, blinking her big dark eyes.
The chubby boy nodded quickly. "I think so too!"
"You both guessed right. It's very delicious."
Jiujiu scooped another spoonful, blew on it gently, and ate it with an expression of pure contentment.
"How can crab porridge be this good?"
The three children stared at her with glowing eyes and round, puffed-up cheeks.
"We want to try too…" they chorused, swallowing hard.
"Oh? You want to try it?"
Jiujiu looked at the trio nodding eagerly.
"I have one condition. Tell me where you live. And your parents' phone numbers."
She didn't recognize them. She wasn't home often, and tenants on this old street changed frequently. She needed to make sure they weren't lost.
"We live over there," the chubby boy said, pointing vaguely toward the back of the shop. "Across the tall buildings."
"That's not part of the old street…"
Jiujiu frowned. Those buildings were several streets away.
"How did you get here? Do you know your parents' phone numbers?"
"We were playing outside," the round boy explained honestly. "Then we smelled something yummy… so we came! And you said you'd give us some. You can't go back on your word!"
The pigtail girl nodded, solemn as a judge.
"If you go back on your word, that makes you a little puppy."
The smallest boy in overalls blinked his big eyes at her.
"Big Sister, do you want to become a little puppy?"
"I didn't say I wouldn't give them any."
Ye Jiujiu hadn't expected these children to be so sharp. She had already tasted the crab porridge herself and confirmed it was mild enough for kids. "Sit down. I'll go get some bowls," she said, turning toward the kitchen—while quietly calling the police at the same time.
When she returned, the three children were already lined up in a neat little row, sitting obediently on the wooden stools, waiting for her to feed them. She filled three small bowls—just half a bowl each—and handed them out.
"Eat."
The chubby boy immediately beamed. "Thank you, pretty sister! You're such a kind and beautiful person!"
Ye Jiujiu couldn't help laughing. She reached out and ruffled his soft hair. "You sure know how to flatter people."
"Hehe."
The three lowered their heads and dove into their bowls. The moment the soft, fragrant crab porridge touched their tongues, their eyes lit up with pure bliss.
"Wow… it's so delicious!" the chubby boy exclaimed.
The little girl with the pigtails hummed twice, chewing happily. "Mmm! So good!"
"This is the best porridge I've ever eaten," the chubby boy declared with conviction. Then he frowned dramatically at the bottom of his bowl. "But it's too little." He patted his already-round belly. "I could eat a whole big bowl."
Ye Jiujiu glanced at his tummy rising and falling like a fat balloon. The sight made her fingers itch to poke it. She lifted an eyebrow and filled his bowl again. "Here. Eat."
She also served herself another serving. The porridge was silky, rich, and impossibly fragrant—once she started, it was hard to stop. Before long, the pot was scraped clean.
Just as the three children let out satisfied burps and wiped their little mouths, the police arrived with their frantic parents.
A woman rushed in, scooping her child into her arms. "Lele! Why did you run so far? You scared Mommy to death!"
The chubby boy—apparently named Lele—burped again and proudly held up his empty bowl. "Mommy, you're late. We already ate super delicious crab porridge."
The delicate little girl nestled in her mother's arms. "Mommy, the porridge was soooo delicious. I ate two bowls."
"You ate two bowls?" Her mother gaped. Her daughter was famously picky—how could she possibly eat that much?
"Mhm," the little girl hummed. "Super delicious."
The parents took turns asking what had happened. Once they understood everything, they turned gratefully to Ye Jiujiu.
"Thank you for calling the police," one mother said, voice trembling. "We searched the whole neighborhood. We never expected them to wander this far."
The three kids were classmates in kindergarten and often played together on the slide near their homes. Today, when the adults weren't paying attention, they had dashed off to buy popsicles—and somehow taken the wrong turn all the way into Pear Blossom Alley.
Ye Jiujiu smiled. "It's nothing. Just a small favor."
"Boss, really, thank you!" Lele's mother said again. "We've been searching for almost two hours. We were terrified. Thank you for keeping them safe and calling for help."
Ye Jiujiu glanced at the three children with their round, satisfied bellies. If she was honest, she hadn't kept them—they were simply lured in by the smell of her crab porridge.
"It's good the children are safe," she said.
"It's good they're found," the policeman added, then reminded the parents, "The kids are still young. Please be careful. You won't always be lucky enough to meet someone kind who helps. Just stay vigilant."
After confirming that everything was in order, the policeman left.
Then several parents pulled out red envelopes and tried to hand them to Ye Jiujiu.
"Boss, thank you for today!"
Ye Jiujiu was indeed short on money, but she honestly couldn't accept it. "This really wasn't because of me. They only came in because they smelled the congee I made."