So... that means I still have to wait five more years… like counting tree rings in slow winter.

By the way, little Shengsheng is already a bit over three on paper. The first three years you were basically in the egg. Two more years and you should awaken, hm.

Can you read minds?!

Relax, relax. Little Shengsheng still has a mountain of things to learn. No need to worry yet. Why not try this nightgown first? Dreamsound lifted the skirt from my head and slipped it down over me again, soft as falling snow.

Mm… it fits. White really suits you, Shengsheng~ My Shengsheng is the cutest! Her voice was warm as tea steam.

Am I really that pretty… or is it just moonlight on water tricking me.

I turned to the mirror and froze, like a deer in frost. The tidy black hair fell down my nape like inked silk; my cheeks were soft as spring peaches. The long white dress opened like a flower and somehow set off long hair washed pale blue toward white. The hairpiece gathered the strands into one little plume, so I looked like a tiny princess under lantern light.

I ducked my head, cheeks burning like embers. It does fit… but this tail is so awkward, like a fish flopping on shore!

I gave my tail a hard shake. Hm… it moves now, like a living willow branch, not a dead fish anymore.

Dreamsound stroked my head with a petting warmth. Then play here a while, little Shengsheng. Mama’s going to cook… We can try soft foods now, like rice in gentle rain.

Qingsheng Tangxue’s face changed at once, like she’d bitten into a cursed street-stall burger from another dimension.

Please stop abusing the ingredients. They’re innocent as new snow! You can’t cook to save a candle. I’ll do it!

I’ll cook!

Eh, eh, eh? Little Shengsheng, you’re going to cook? All right then. Her smile popped like sunlight on waves.

You’re not even going to ask if I can cook? The thought bristled like a hedgehog.

I shot her a glare sharp as icicles.

Carry me… to the kitchen.

Okay~ Let’s go, little Shengsheng. She lifted me light as a cloud.

…Aren’t you… curious if my… cooking is… edible? My words stumbled like a fawn.

As long as it’s made by you, it’s the best. Her eyes shone like warm lamps.

Liar. You’re just coaxing me. But the praise melted in my chest like sugar in tea.

…

… I forgot something. I might be a bit short, like a sapling in snow. I can’t quite reach the spatula.

You can’t expect a kid who needs two hands just to hold a spatula to cook, right?

Meng… you do the… cooking. I’ll teach you. My tone was small as a sparrow.

Sigh… all right. In this state, Little Shengsheng really shouldn’t cook. But don’t expect too much from teaching me… her laugh was sheepish as a scratched pot.

As long as you… don’t go out of your way… to mess it up… you can learn. My words were pebbles dropping into a pond.

No way! I’m not that kind of person… She puffed up like a pufferfish.

Indeed, Qingyu Mengyin proved with action she wasn’t that kind. She was simply… dense. Just simple kelp soup, a lake-clear thing, took her three hours like dragging a net through mud.

…Meng, I don’t think… you’re suited for cooking… My voice was gentle as falling ash.

Mm… Her reply wilted like damp paper.

Next time… don’t mix up… white vinegar and water… or salt and sugar… Those crystals aren’t stars.

Wuu… Her whimper curled like a snail.

Forget it… Can you make… bread?

Dreamsound shook her head, like a bellflower. I’ve eaten it before, but I don’t know how it works.

I glanced around the kitchen. Butter, eggs, sugar, salt—lined up like little soldiers. Missing the most important two: all-purpose flour and high-gluten bread flour, the bones of bread.

We’re missing… important ingredients. All-purpose flour and bread flour.

Got it, I’ll go right now! She flashed like a bird into the sky.

Next time… wait— Before I finished, Dreamsound had already blinked out, a soap bubble popped.

I hadn’t baked in a while, but bread is simple as morning bread and wind. Even Dreamsound could learn. The key is ingredients and heat. With me watching like a lantern, it should be fine.

An hour later.

I’m back~ Her voice chimed like bells.

So fast! The thought leaped like a fish.

I ran into a friend. She can bake bread too. We bought ingredients together, so it was fast—ehehe~ Her grin was a crescent moon.

Little Shengsheng, can I really learn this? Is it too hard for me… Her worry hung like mist.

…It’s easy. Even an idiot… should manage… My words were blunt as a wooden spoon.

Then let’s start. I’m ready! She bounced like a sparrow.

…

Let’s prep the ingredients first. That’s one of the most important steps, like laying stones before crossing a stream. I wouldn’t trust this to Dreamsound. These aren’t heavy; I can do it. A bit more sugar and butter. Sweet beats bland, like spring over winter.

Little Shengsheng, isn’t that a little too much sugar… Dreamsound asked while holding me, arms a warm cradle.

No… No one… knows bread… better than me. My pride rose like steam.

…

Put me down. Then… mix these together… stir a bit… My instructions tapped like rain on eaves.

Mm-hmm.

Then knead… Forget it. The first time… I’ll do it. I set both hands on the big dough lump and kneaded gently, like folding clouds. The lump changed shapes under my palms, a soft moon waxing and waning. Kneading matters. It decides the bread’s softness, like wind decides waves.

Oh, oh, this is kneading? It feels… kind of naughty… Dreamsound blushed pink as peach blossoms.

…Please don’t look at me through tinted glasses. My stare was a cool well.

Then pour in some butter for richness, like sun on milk. Almost there.

…Meng, help me warm it…

Into the pot? Okay! Her eagerness sprang like a colt.

No… a bread maker. Heat.

Mm… what’s a bread maker? … I get it. I’ll go buy one. She dashed off like a gust.

This time, Dreamsound took two hours to return, like a kite blown far and hauled back.

Huff-huff, got it. Little Shengsheng, is this the one? The shopkeeper said this bread maker suits me~ Her pride twinkled like stars.

…It does. An idiot-proof bread maker. If you have hands, you’re set. I sighed like wind through reeds.

The rest… just put the dough… into that slot… then press the button… Done.

This one? Okay! Her finger clicked like a pebble.

Acting cute at your age… You’re over a hundred, an old granny in snow-white sleeves… I grumbled in my heart, a cat flicking its tail.

Is that it, Little Shengsheng?

Mm. When it’s ready, it’ll beep, like a bird.

Wow… this is really simple. Maybe even I can do it… Her eyes sparkled like a lake.

This is the simplest thing I know. If she still can’t learn, I’m helpless as a leaf. We’ll have to eat for months— No, wait! She can fly to the far north and back in an hour. Why didn’t she just buy takeout?!

…Meng! Why didn’t… you just… buy food?!

Um… Because, well… there aren’t fast-food places there—ahaha… Her gaze skittered like minnows.

Don’t… look away.

Because… I want to take good care of Little Shengsheng. I want to fulfill a mother’s duty. But everything I make tastes… not great. I’m sorry. Mama won’t do this again. Dreamsound lowered her head, guilt pooling like rainwater.

…Fine. Do what you want. My voice was a quiet ember. When I can cook, I’ll do it myself.

Later, Qingsheng Tangxue would regret that decision most of all. She never imagined she’d eat bread for over two years, day after day like snow on snow.