Like you, he enjoys his coffee. The kitchen always smells of it after he leaves. He has a cup in the kitchen while he watches the breakfast news on TV, then he pours the rest into a flask, which he takes to work. As he gathers up his things, he starts on an apple, and I can hear him crunching all the way from the end of the hall. I think a young man should have more than coffee and an apple in the mornings, but who knows—maybe he has a big, hearty lunch at work.

I hope you and Daughter-in-law are well. Remember not to work too hard, and be sure to eat lots of warming food as the weather gets cooler—lots of ginger and garlic. Make some soup. Please give Maru my love.

Take care of yourself,

Your mother

Granny Ng noticed that the young man often brought home takeout dinners or ate instant ramen in the evening. That morning apple seemed to be the only healthy thing he ate. She wanted to cook for him, to encourage him to eat more, but the only feasible way of doing this was by using the cleaner as a cover. Every Monday and Thursday at eleven o’clock the cleaner would let herself in. Thursdays there would be a white envelope of cash with Mrs. Lee written on the front stuck to the door of the fridge. By two o’clock the cleaner would leave and the envelope would be gone from the fridge door, an instructive note in its place: “Mr. Mok, Please remember to leave money for milk, eggs, and rice” or “Mr. Mok, Usual detergent out of stock, different brand costs extra 15 HKD. Please add amount to envelope.”

After practicing the cleaner’s handwriting, Granny Ng left a note on the fridge door: “Mr. Mok, Curried vegetables and rice in fridge. Cover dish with glass lid. Microwave three minutes.” The next morning, Granny Ng was pleased to find a dirty plate in the dishwasher and no leftovers in the trash. After the second dish—“Fried snapper with scrambled egg and tomato. Splash a little water on egg and tomato. Microwave 1 minute”—she was surprised to find a Post-it note on the fridge door:

Dear Mrs. Lee, I enjoyed the food.

Thank you, you are too kind.

Granny Ng felt a flush of happiness, then panic. She tore the note from the fridge door, crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. Then, fearing he might find it in there and take offense, she fished it out, smoothed it open, and stuck it on the back wall of her closet next to her drawings. The young man made a habit of leaving a thank you Post-it on the fridge each time a dish had been left for him, even when Granny Ng knew he hadn’t enjoyed it so much (the next morning she might find half of it in the trash, along with an empty ramen noodle packet). Granny Ng dutifully collected these thank you notes and found a place for each one on the closet wall among her drawings, where they gradually spread like vine leaves. Occasionally one would peel off in the night, and she’d wake to find it resting on her forehead or cheek.