The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

She sighed, feeling incredibly guilty, and turned to get busy, pulling out a round, sturdy thermos she usually used to pack her own meals.

I opened the pot, scooped out a full thermos of corn porridge, tightened the lid, and placed it next to Ya Ya.

I grabbed another plastic bag and filled it to the brim with freshly fried sugar cakes, probably about ten. Then I ran to the steamed bun shop next door and bought five large, oily meat buns and five plump white steamed buns. After tying the bag shut, I found a large non-woven bag and piled them all around Ya Ya.

"Take these back with you, grandpa and grandma, eat more, eat your fill, okay?"

"Alright, Auntie will take you home. There are so many people at the morning market, what if you get lost!"

Ya Ya looked at the pile of meat buns, steamed buns, and fried sugar cakes next to her. She wanted to accept them but felt embarrassed. These big buns, steamed buns, golden fried sugar cakes, and the porridge in this shiny silver bucket—if she took them back to Grandpa Village Chief and shared them, everyone could have a little bit of a full meal!

But... but her aunt gave her porridge and told her to warm herself by the fire. How could she possibly want so much more? She had heard Aunt Lin say that a single meat bun at the town market cost three coins!

She lowered her head, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes. "No, Auntie, I can't take so many of your things."

The aunt patted her arm, "Hey, don't be so polite. You've helped me with bags and bowls for the past hour, you've done a lot of work, this is your pay, it's not free!"

Ya Ya was stunned. Wages? She was an adult who could work and earn money, wasn't she?

The aunt asked again, "Where do you live? I'll walk you downstairs!"

Ya Ya panicked. She had no idea how to get around this place. She was going to fly back home with her eyes closed. If her aunt saw her disappear, she would definitely think she was a monster!

She thought for a moment, looked around, and pointed to a deserted intersection. "Auntie, my home is over there, not far. I can get back by myself."

As if making up her mind, she carried the steamed buns, mantou, and fried sugar cakes in one hand, and with some effort, lifted the thermos in the other. "Auntie, I'll wash this clean and bring it over next time!"

After saying that, she turned around and ran off in the direction she had indicated, her short legs moving incredibly fast. "Slow down, child, slow down, the ground is slippery!"

The aunt watched anxiously as the little boy disappeared into the crowd, shook her head helplessly, and then, seeing a customer approaching, immediately picked up the tongs: "Freshly fried sugar cakes, still warm!"

……

Ya Ya ran with all her might into the depths of the alley. The noise of the morning market behind her gradually faded away before she slowly put her things down and squatted in a corner, panting heavily.

My chest heaved violently, and my arms ached terribly from constantly supporting the heavy thermos.

She had just caught her breath when the purse in her clothes suddenly started to get hot. Ya Ya's breath hitched, and she quickly picked up the thermos and put it in her arms. Then she put the large non-woven bag containing big meat buns, big steamed buns and fried sugar cakes on her wrist.

She looked up at the sky between the two tall stone houses and silently estimated the time: about an hour.

The last time I was in that place with lots of bright, colorful lights, it also took about an hour, I think?

It seems this strange place only allows her to stay for an hour at a time; she just doesn't know where she'll be next time.

The familiar dizziness returned, but in the blink of an eye, the gray and cold stone house in front of me was replaced by the familiar earthy yellow color. I was still holding the round bucket firmly in my arms, and the steamed buns and mantou in the bag were emitting bursts of heat.

It was already late afternoon in Lotus Village, and the village was pitch black.

Inside the mud-brick house, only the embers in the stove retained a faint red glow.

Clutching the heavy thermos, Ya Ya moved to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), shook Grandma Liu's arm, and whispered, "Grandma, Grandma, wake up! Ya Ya has brought back food—hot meat buns and sweet porridge!"

Grandma Liu was a light sleeper. Except for the time when she was just falling asleep, she was shaken awake and opened her eyes groggily. She couldn't see anything; her vision was completely black. But she could smell an exceptionally sweet aroma of rice.

She reached out and touched something that looked like a cold piece of iron.

Ya Ya slapped her forehead and carefully placed the thermos on the kang (a heated brick bed). "Grandma, don't move. I'm going to clean the ashes from the stove."

As she spoke, Ya Ya groped her way off the kang (a heated brick bed) in the dark and made her way to the stove. With her little hands, she cleared away the cold ashes in the stove to reveal the glowing embers of charcoal underneath. Then she grabbed a handful of dry grass from the side, crushed it, and stuffed it into the embers. She gently poked at it with a thin stick, and soon smoke began to rise from the stove.

Ya Ya puffed out her cheeks and gently blew a few breaths into the smoke, then brought the unburnt firewood to the fire to light a small flame, and held the thick end of the firewood as a makeshift torch.

Using the faint light from the firewood, Granny Liu finally spotted the round, shiny silver object on the kang (a heated brick bed). She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Ya Ya, what's this? Did you go to that weird place again?"

Ya Ya carefully placed the firewood burner on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and the firelight reflected off the inside of the bucket, making it almost dazzling.

She gripped the lid with her little hands, mimicking her aunt's movements, and twisted it hard. Seeing that it was loose, she twisted it twice more, and the lid fell onto the kang (a heated brick bed) with a whoosh.

A wisp of sweet, sticky heat billowed out, filling the small mud-brick house with a warm, comforting aroma.

Grandma Liu leaned closer and, by the dim light, saw that the bucket was filled with a golden-yellow paste, with round, plump grains floating inside, sticky and sweet-smelling.

She had lived most of her life and had never seen food like this before.

Big tea porridge?

Ya Ya took a small spoon out of the bag and handed it to Grandma Liu: "Grandma, try it, it's delicious!"

Grandma Liu tremblingly took the transparent spoon. This exquisite spoon was even more transparent than the legendary glass!

She took a small scoop and tasted it. The sweet, glutinous aroma melted in her mouth, sticky and warm. The sweetness was not as cloying as the malt sugar that was rare in the village; it was refreshing and pleasant.

How did Ya Ya get such a huge bucket?

Ya Ya handed over the cloth bag again, and by the dim firelight, she took out a palm-sized meat bun. The tender white skin was still glistening with oil, and the aroma of meat filled the air. With her other hand, she pulled out a plump white steamed bun, even whiter than the wheat cakes that the village could only eat during the New Year.

"Grandma, look! The big meat buns, the big steamed buns, and the fried sugar cakes are all hot!"

Grandma Liu took the large meat bun, broke it open, and the aroma of the large chunks of meat wafted out. The sound of her swallowing her saliva was particularly clear in the quiet night.

She gave half of it to Ya Ya, saying, "Ya Ya, eat first."

Ya Ya's eyes curved into little crescent moons. "Ya Ya ate a huge bowl of big tea porridge! There were no tea leaves in the porridge. I don't know why people in that place call it big tea porridge."

As she spoke, she patted her belly.

Grandma Liu knew immediately that the little girl hadn't touched the meat buns and steamed buns, and had brought them all back. With a stern face, she said, "If Ya Ya doesn't eat them, Grandma won't eat them either."