Love from Sixty Moms

Text by Li Qing

Photos by Zou Bin

“Roasted pork with cauliflowers tastes yummy,” said Tiantian (pseudonym), a 12-year-old girl, at 7:30 pm on November 20, 2020, while sitting at a dining table and enjoying her hot meal in a thermal food container. Apart from the abovementioned dish, she also had roasted beef with carrots, fried pork shreds with bean curd sheets, and sautéed pakchoi, which are all her favorite.

This special dinner was prepared especially for Tiantian by a community resident named Han Ting. Besides these delicious dishes, Han Ting also brought some milk, fruit, and cakes for the girl…

Tiantian has been having such dinners for over a month. Every evening on her way back home from school, Tiantian will receive a heavy thermal food container at the gate of her community. The container is filled with her favorite dishes cooked by 60 loving moms in the community, who are all strangers to her.

The food is put in a thermal food container 饭菜装入保温盒

“花菜烧肉真好吃。”2020年11月20日晚7时30分，12岁的甜甜（化名）坐在餐桌前，大口吃着热气腾腾的晚餐。桌上的保温饭盒里，有胡萝卜烧牛肉、花菜烧肉、千张炒肉丝、清炒小白菜，都是甜甜爱吃的。

这份特别的晚餐，是社区居民韩婷为甜甜专门烹制的，除了可口的饭菜外，韩婷还给她准备了牛奶、水果、蛋糕……

这样的晚餐，甜甜已经吃了一个多月了。每天晚上放学回家的路上，她都会经过社区，取走一个沉甸甸的保温饭盒，里面装满了她爱吃的饭菜，为她做饭的是社区里60 位陌生的爱心妈妈。

爱心妈妈送来暖心餐

20日下午5 时许，韩婷处理好手头的工作，向领导说明情况后，匆匆忙忙往家里赶。约半小时后，她回到家中，家人已帮忙买好了菜。她撸起袖子，洗菜、切菜、烹炒，很快做好前述4 个菜。

韩婷拎着饭菜，一路小跑来到社区，社区书记陈丽娟站在社区门口等她。

天色越来越暗，韩婷几次站在社区门口张望，直到7 时许，一个身着校服的小女孩在夜色中走近。“甜甜，快进来。”两人热情招呼，陈丽娟帮她拿书包，韩婷拿起保温饭盒，陪着这个叫甜甜的小女孩回家。打开房门，韩婷拧开保温饭盒的盖子，站在旁边看着甜甜吃。

甜甜抬头看着两位“妈妈”，不好意思地笑了，脸上写满了感激。韩婷仔细检查门窗，叮嘱甜甜晚上一定要记得反锁房门，注意安全。

12 岁女孩独自生活

12 岁的甜甜家住武昌区长江紫都社区，今年读初一。跟别的孩子不一样，她独自撑起一个家——爸爸几年前患病去世；去年，妈妈因严重的精神疾病被送入医院长期封闭治疗，无法外出。一人一个家，让她比同龄的孩子更加成熟懂事。

“有一次我们发现她晚上在路边的小餐馆吃炒饭。”社区群干说。前不久，群干几次巡查发现甜甜独自一人在家。

Warm Dishes from Loving Moms

At 5 pm on November 20, after completing her work, Han Ting left her office and arrived at home 30 minutes later, her family had already bought the ingredients needed. She rolled up her sleeves and began to wash the vegetables, then cut them into pieces and cooked them. Soon, the four dishes were done.

After that, Han Ting went to the community center with the prepared dishes quickly. Ms. Chen Lijuan, the Secretary of the community, was waiting for her at the gate.

It was getting darker and darker, Han Ting looked around at the gate for Tiantian several times, but in vain.

At about 7 pm, a little girl in school uniform was coming near in the darkness. “Tiantian, be quick,” the two moms greeted the girl warm-heartedly. Chen Lijuan helped Tiantian carry her schoolbag, Han Ting took the food container, and they accompanied the girl back home. When they arrived and Tiantian opened the door, Han Ting opened the lid of the container for Tiantian immediately and then stood aside, watching the girl enjoy her meal. Looking up at the two moms, Tiantian was filled with gratitude and smiled shyly. When Tiantan finished her dinner, Han Ting checked the door and windows carefully and reminded Tiantian to double lock her door for her own security.

A 12-year-old Girl Lives Alone

The 12-year-old Tiantian, a middle school freshman, lives at Changjiang Zidu Community in Wuchang District, Wuhan. Different from other students, Tiantian has to support her life all by herself, for her father died from illness a few years ago and her mother was sent to a hospital last year for long-term enclosed treatment due to her serious mental illness. Being alone, Tiantian has become more mature and thoughtful than her peers.

“We once noticed that she was eating fried rice for supper in a small roadside restaurant,” said a community worker, who some time ago found that Tiantian was living alone at home when patrolling in the community.

So, on one evening in early October, Chen Lijuan came to visit Tiantian. Seeing the empty fridge and clean cooking utensils, Chen knew that Tiantian had hardly cooked for herself at home.

Tiantian told Chen that it was very late when she got back from school, and she had homework to do, so she usually had some instant noodles or snacks for supper. As her relatives all lived afar from her, she never thought of asking for help from them, for fear it might bring them troubles.

Seeing the child’s unhealthy face, Chen felt a pang in her heart. “My child is her age, but is much stronger,” said Chen. Though Tiantian was busy with her schoolwork, the thoughtful girl still managed to keep her home clean and tidy. This made Chen both pleased and sorry for the girl’s conditions, so Chen was determined to help her.

Tiantian (middle) is taking her meal 甜甜（中）接过饭菜

10月上旬的一天晚上，陈丽娟上门看望甜甜，她一看空荡荡的冰箱和干净的厨具，就明白甜甜几乎没有在家里开火做饭。

甜甜告诉她，晚上放学回家后本来就很晚，还要做作业，所以就用泡面、零食当晚饭，亲友们都不在附近，她也不想麻烦别人。

看到这个孩子消瘦的脸庞，陈丽娟心头一阵难受。“我的孩子和她年龄相仿，但她们的健康状况差别太大了。”陈丽娟说。尽管学习紧张，但懂事的甜甜依然把家里收拾得整整齐齐，让她既欣慰又辛酸，决心要帮这孩子一把。

60 位妈妈轮班做饭

“早餐好说，中餐我们也协调她在学校食堂免费吃，就是晚餐不好解决。”陈丽娟说，甜甜当前最需要的，就是准时吃上营养可口的晚餐。“我把想法和社区里的几位热心妈妈一说，大家都表示支持。”几天后，有60 位居民向社区表示愿意帮忙。

60 Moms Cooking in Turn

“It is easy to deal with breakfast. We could also help Tiantian get free lunches at her school canteen. But for supper, that’s a big problem,” said Chen Lijuan. “At present, what Tiantian needs most is a timely, delicious, and healthy dinner.” When Chen exchanged her idea with some warm-hearted moms of the community, they all expressed their support for this suggestion. A few days later, a total of 60 residents expressed their willingness to help the girl.

On October 13, over 30 moms gathered at the community office to discuss how to help Tiantian enjoy a home-cooked supper. In the end, they decided that all the moms would be divided into groups of seven, with each group responsible for doing the cooking for one week and each group member doing one supper. They all promised that they would be responsible for the quality and safety of the dishes. They also reached various agreements as to the standard of the dinner, for example: the dinner should contain at least two meat dishes and one vegetable dish; it should be prepared beforehand so that Tiantian can have the meal right after school; they should avoid cooking the same dish twice within a week; no take-away food is allowed…

“None of these moms knew Tiantian before,” said Chen Lijuan. In order to learn more about Tiantian’s living habits and food preferences, some moms even waited at the community gate after their group meeting to have a talk with Tiantian when she’s back from school.

“I first asked her what she likes and dislikes,” said Ms. Zhou, one of the 60 moms. Learning that Tiantian does not like fish and dishes that are too spicy, Ms. Zhou kept it in mind.

Chen Lijuan said that all the moms had been very cooperative and set aside the time for cooking. They put off social engagements, some living far away would even drive back to the community, just to cook dinner for the girl.

The Loving Dinner Continues

This dinner activity started on October 19, and has now gone on for over a month. On the schedule form are the names and contact information of the moms on duty each day.

Leafing through the photos of previous meals, one will find that nearly all the meals surpassed the dinner standard they set beforehand. More than the standard two meat and one vegetable dishes, all the moms had cooked four dishes instead. “One mom even cooked five dishes, saying that she herself would be full seeing the little girl having the dinner,” recalled Chen Lijuan emotionally. In the eyes of all the moms, Tiantian was their own daughter.

Almost all the moms would bring fruit, milk, and bread as well when they delivered the meals to Tiantian, which seems to have become an unwritten rule.

“I’m stuffed every evening. It seems that I’m putting on weight these days,” said Tiantian beamingly. Though she does not know the names of these moms, she is grateful to them all.

A few days ago, a mom named Yan Ni wrote a letter to Tiantian after delivering her meal, which read: “Though we have never met each other before, I admire your strong will from the bottom of my heart. We, the group of moms, would like to take care of you, and love you all the way.”

According to Chen Lijuan, when the 60 moms complete their turns of duty, they will work on shifts again. “As long as Tiantian needs it, the loving dinner will be continued,” said Chen.

(Translation: Liu Jie)

A mom is cooking dinner for Tiantian 爱心妈妈烹制晚餐

10月13日，30 多位爱心妈妈来到社区，聚在一起商量：如何做好爱心晚餐，让甜甜吃饱吃好。大家最后达成共识：按照7 人一组、每组负责一周来排班，每人负责一天晚餐。大家承诺，要对菜品质量负责，确保卫生安全。此外，大家还就晚餐标准达成多项一致：至少要两荤一素，要提前将饭菜做好等甜甜，一周内要避免菜品重复，不允许点外卖……

“这些爱心妈妈都不认识甜甜。”陈丽娟说，为了摸清甜甜的生活习惯和饮食爱好，当天会议结束后，不少爱心妈妈还主动在社区等着甜甜放学，想与她有近距离交流。

“我首先就问她喜欢吃什么、不爱吃什么。”爱心妈妈周女士说。得知她不爱吃鱼、不想吃得太辣，周女士就默默记在心里。

陈丽娟回忆，所有的爱心妈妈都非常配合，大家自觉把时间腾出来，有应酬的推掉，住得远的开车回社区，只为给这个素不相识的孩子做上一餐饭。

爱心还在进行中

这个爱心活动从10月19日开始，表上有每天值班的爱心妈妈的姓名和联系方式，爱心晚餐已经整整提供了一个多月。

翻看以前的送餐照片就会发现，几乎所有的晚餐都会超标：按照标准是两荤一素，但实际上爱心妈妈们都准备了四个菜品。“有一位爱心妈妈送了5 个菜，她说孩子吃了，自己也就饱了。”陈丽娟感动地说，在她们的眼中，甜甜是大家共同的孩子。

几乎所有的爱心妈妈在送餐的同时，还会送上水果、牛奶、面包等，这似乎也成了一个不成文的规定。

“每天晚上都吃得很饱，这段时间都感觉长胖了。”甜甜笑着说，她叫不出爱心妈妈的名字，但她心里充满感激。

几天前，爱心妈妈晏妮在送餐后，还特别给甜甜写了一封信：虽然我们素未谋面，但我从心底为你的坚强点赞，我们这群“妈妈”愿意一直关心、爱护你。

陈丽娟说，待60 位爱心妈妈值班结束后，将再次轮班。“只要甜甜有需要，爱心餐就会一直持续供应。”