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Chapter 88: Birthday

Mi Yang was still thinking about how to get up when he heard Bai Luochuan whisper in his ear, “What did you dream about?”

Mi Yang: “!!!”

Bai Luochuan said, “Are you shy? It’s fine. It’s a normal phenomenon. Didn’t you explain it to me last time? Do you want me to talk to you about it too? I’ve also done some research lately. Hey, let me tell you, your mentality is very important. If you’re too shy to do it yourself, I’ll help you…”

The tips of Mi Yang’s ears turned red, and he said repeatedly, “No need! Really, no need… I can wash it myself.”

Bai Luochuan was silent for a moment behind him, then chuckled.

Mi Yang cleared his throat and pried his hand open. “Let go. I’m going to wash up.”

Bai Luochuan let go of his hand and let him get out of bed. Seeing Mi Yang hurriedly put on his slippers and take his change of clothes to go out, he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and think for a while.

Mi Yang had woken up early. After washing his underwear and hanging it up, he kept thinking about the absurd dream he had last night. He simply went to the small vegetable garden in front to help the old Mrs. Cheng water the plants. After he had done half the work, the old Mrs. Cheng came over. She was startled to see him. “Yangyang, why are you up so early today?”

Mi Yang said, “Mm, I wanted to see what vegetables there were. Grandma, when can we eat the corn?”

The old Mrs. Cheng said, “It’s just starting to get milky. We can eat it. Let me see.” She took Mi Yang over, checked the row of corn in the vegetable garden, and actually found two or three tender corn cobs. She picked them and took them to the small kitchen to cook for him.

Mi Yang had breathed in the fresh air and had already let it go. But when he took the corn to the small kitchen and looked up to see Bai Luochuan standing at the door waiting for him, his face flushed red again at the sight of this person.

Bai Luochuan looked at his hand and asked, “Are you eating this for breakfast?”

Mi Yang nodded. The young master Bai then went to the dining room to wait, looking quite expectant. Mi Xue had woken up early and was playing cat’s cradle with a little girl about her age. Bai Luochuan rested his chin on one hand and gave them some pointers in a desultory way. He vaguely heard Mi Xue mutter, “What you said is also wrong.” The young master Bai immediately raised his eyebrows, had the little girl give him the cat’s cradle, and personally made a few difficult ones.

When Mi Yang brought over breakfast, he happened to see Bai Luochuan nimbly make a complicated knot. The young master said proudly, “See? I told you to listen to me. How can you make a mistake with something so simple?”

The little girl was very unconvinced but didn’t know how to refute him. When she saw Mi Yang come, she immediately dropped the cat’s cradle and went to find him, hugging him and whining, “Brother—”

Mi Yang put down the things in his hand. “Be careful. Don’t burn yourself.”

Mi Xue stood up and followed him. “Brother, I’ll go and help you too.”

Mi Yang let her follow and casually gave her a small dish of pickled vegetables. Mi Xue probably felt that she was useful again and happily followed behind, acting as a little tail and murmuring to her brother, “I went to pick flowers this morning. I picked a handful and put them in a vase. I’ve already sent them to your room! It’s just that when I went over in the morning, why weren’t you there? Brother, where did you go?”

Mi Yang said, “I went to the front vegetable garden and watered the plants with Grandma. I also picked a few corn cobs. We’ll share them in a bit.”

The little girl was very happy. After she brought the pickled vegetables and placed them on the table, she looked at Bai Luochuan and suddenly raised a new question, “Brother, why isn’t he working!”

Bai Luochuan sat there and said, “Grandma’s task for me just now was to watch you all. Do you think I’m just sitting here with nothing to do?” He didn’t like to watch children either, but this was Mi Yang’s house, and it was a task specially given by an elder, so naturally he would not refuse.

At breakfast, Bai Luochuan gave Mi Yang an extra piece of corn and leaned over to whisper, “I heard you call my name.”

Mi Yang didn’t understand. Bai Luochuan touched his leg. “Last night…” Mi Yang immediately understood, his face flushed, and he almost choked on the corn, coughing several times.

Bai Luochuan patted his back. “Don’t be in a hurry. Eat slowly. There’s still a lot.”

Mi Yang held his hand and looked back at him. “No, there wasn’t, right?”

Bai Luochuan looked at him for a while, his eyes curving with a smile, and didn’t give a definite answer. He just took another piece of tender corn for him to eat and changed the subject, “Of course there is. There’s a lot of corn. Here, eat more. You’ve worked hard, so you should replenish your energy.”

Mi Xue was close to them and only heard this sentence. She turned her head and asked curiously, “Why is my brother tired?”

Mi Yang couldn’t answer. Bai Luochuan’s hand was on the back of his chair, and he replied with a smile, “Who knows? Maybe he ran a marathon in his dream?”

Mi Yang’s ear tips were red as he buried his head and ate the corn, not saying a word.

The Cheng family’s conditions were much better than before, but they were not as spacious as the Bai family’s old residence. Bai Luochuan’s temper had also been reined in a little since he had been staying here. He looked more modest and cautious in front of the elders, and you couldn’t see any of his young master’s temper.

Mi Yang had him stay for another day. Bai Luochuan hadn’t noticed anything at first, just thinking that he had become clingy after the incident in the mountains. The next morning, when Mi Yang brought him a bowl of noodles, he still hadn’t noticed. But when Mi Xue came over with a small cake, he was taken aback for a moment, looked up at Mi Yang, then at the bowl of noodles. “Is this… longevity noodles?”

Mi Yang handed him the chopsticks and sat to the side with a smile. “Yes. I told Grandpa Bai the other day that I wanted to celebrate your birthday. He said he would keep those gifts for you and you can see them when you go back. The conditions here might not be very good, but I wanted to celebrate your birthday and thank you…”

Bai Luochuan was a little at a loss. He first stood up, then quickly sat down, and said seriously, “No need. This is very good. I didn’t even remember myself. There have been too many things this year.”

Mi Yang said, “Mm, I’ve caused you a lot of trouble.”

Bai Luochuan said, “I’m willing to.”

He took a bite of the noodles and said vaguely, “I’m willing to myself.”

He ate the bowl of noodles in large mouthfuls, even drinking all the soup. The small cake beside him was only the size of a palm. It didn’t look particularly well-baked, more like it was steamed. It was covered with a layer of cream, and his name was also written on it. Bai Luochuan took a bite. It had the fragrance of honey and cream and was very sweet. It was so small that he finished it in a few bites. It was only when he was on the last bite that he remembered and brought it to Mi Yang’s mouth, asking him, “It’s delicious. Did you make it too?”

Mi Yang ate it. “Mm, I tried to make one. I learned a little from watching Auntie Wu make it last time.”

Bai Luochuan was a little unsatisfied. “It’s a pity it’s too small. We can’t light candles.”

Mi Yang smiled. “We can go back in the evening. Grandpa Bai is still waiting for you. There will definitely be a big cake.”

Bai Luochuan thought for a moment. “I’ll have someone send it over here. You…” He glanced at Mi Xue beside him and changed his words, “Will you celebrate my birthday with me?”

The birthday boy was the biggest. Mi Yang naturally listened to him. Bai Luochuan couldn’t wait until the evening and had someone move everything over at noon. Besides the cake, the Bai family had also sent a chef over, who had made a table of good dishes, which everyone praised.

Bai Luochuan’s birthday cake had three layers and was very huge, with the sweet fragrance of fresh cream and strawberries. He lit the candles and, as in previous years, seriously made a wish, just that this year’s wishes were a little more than in previous years.

The family was eating lively when there were a few knocks on the door, and someone had come to the small courtyard outside.

Cheng Ru went to open the door and smiled when she saw the other person. “Oh, Yangyang, come quickly. See who’s here?”

Mi Yang took two steps over and, from under the shade of the tree, saw Mi Zehai, pleasantly surprised. “Dad, you’re here?”

Mi Zehai had a suit jacket draped over his arm, and the shirt on his back was soaked with sweat. His car had broken down at the intersection, and he couldn’t wait, so he had walked back, wanting to see his son first. After seeing Mi Yang, he first looked him up and down and was relieved to see that he was fine. “Your mom has been so scared she hasn’t slept well for several days. It’s good now. I’ll report your safety to her in a bit, so she can also be at ease. You, this time it’s all thanks to Luochuan…” Mi Zehai said as he tapped his son on the head. Mi Yang didn’t have much of a reaction, but Bai Luochuan, who had followed him, first covered his head with his hand and whispered to him, asking if it hurt.

Mi Yang said, “It doesn’t hurt. My dad was just scaring me.”

Mi Zehai was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. “I didn’t use any force. If you ask me, this kid also deserves a lesson.”

Bai Luochuan said, “Don’t you hit him. I’ve already taught him a lesson.”

Mi Zehai said, “Alright then. You can also help me manage him more in the future.”

Bai Luochuan said seriously, “Okay.”

Mi Zehai had originally thought it was just an ordinary meal, but it was only after he went in that he found out it was the little young master of the Bai family’s birthday party. He had been too busy with work lately and had forgotten. He gave Bai Luochuan a red envelope as a make-up birthday gift. Bai Luochuan didn’t refuse and directly took it and put it in his pocket. When Bai Luochuan and the others were young, during festivals, the adults of the two families would give each other red envelopes. When he and Mi Yang couldn’t even walk yet, they would be dressed in new clothes and hats and would be carried out to collect a round. He treated Mi Zehai as his elder, and it was natural to accept a gift from an elder.

After eating, Bai Luochuan also received a gift made by Mi Yang himself. It was an enhanced version of the swallow kite he had received last year. Bai Luochuan liked that kite very much. After flying it twice, he saw that there was a small hole in the paper and immediately put it away and refused to take it out again. He had mentioned to Mi Yang a few times that he wanted another one. Mi Yang had kept it in mind and had made another one this year.

This swallow kite was a little smaller, but the bamboo frame was more sturdy, and it was covered with a beautiful outer layer, with a carefully painted pattern on it. It could also fly higher than the previous one.

The weather was the best on Bai Luochuan’s birthday. A little breeze was enough to make the kite fly smoothly. Shanhai Town was very beautiful at this time. The small hill outside was covered with green grass, which was soft and comfortable to step on. After running to make the kite fly up to the sky, you could lie on the grass and watch it comfortably for a long while. The thin string in your hand, when it swayed, it was as if the weight of the kite and the wind were all in your hand, heavy but also controllable, making your mood also fly up.

Bai Luochuan really liked this gift. After he received it, he and Mi Yang went to a hill to fly the kite in the afternoon.

Mi Xue wanted to follow, but she was refused by the birthday boy himself. He wanted to enjoy his birthday gift alone.

Mi Yang had made a palm-sized miniature kite for his little sister in advance. Mi Xue stood at the door and saw them off. Mi Zehai went over and picked up his daughter, coaxing her, “Xiaoxue, how about Daddy plays with you?”

Mi Xue was still looking at the door and whispered, “Daddy is not as good as brother.”

Mi Zehai said, “Nonsense. Daddy is much better than your brother!”

Mi Xue was not convinced. “Daddy can’t even make a kite!”

Mi Zehai: “…”

Mi Zehai: “Daddy will go and learn from Grandpa now. Xiaoxue can go too. Let’s make a kite together, okay?”

The little girl nodded in agreement and became happy again. “I want to make one for brother!”

Mi Zehai said, “Then what about Daddy?”

The little girl said decisively, “Daddy can make his own!”