If she wanted to celebrate a birthday in a truly memorable way, Lu Huaiyuan figured he had to come up with something that was absolutely unique throughout the entire county.
Lu Huaiyuan suddenly remembered that there was a rather plump master pastry chef at the state-run pastry shop who had learned the foreign craft of making “cream cakes” when he went to a major coastal city for advanced training two years ago.
The ingredients for that rare delicacy were expensive, however, and the cost was far too high. In a place like Jinxi County, hardly anyone could afford it, so it had never actually been put up for sale at the counter.
If that master chef had not once gotten drunk and bragged about it to him, Lu Huaiyuan probably would never have known.
“Ring ring…”
The crisp sound of a bicycle bell rang urgently through the empty streets.
It was not yet time to get off work, but relying on his shameless persistence and the good relationships he had built up over the years, Lu Huaiyuan managed to drag the master chef out of the kitchen.
After stuffing two packs of Da Zhonghua cigarettes into his hands, along with enough money and ration coupons to buy half a pig carcass, Lu Huaiyuan finally got the master chef to agree to make the most exquisite and beautiful cream cake he could, and to have it ready by the following evening.
The next evening.
The setting sun bathed the walls of the Lu family’s old residence in a soft orange glow.
The household registration matter would not be settled so quickly, so Shen Zhixia had spent the entire day at home.
She had been organizing the mistakes she had made during her previous review sessions when she heard a lively commotion coming from downstairs.
“Zhixia, come down quickly. It’s time to eat!” Su Ya’s voice was filled with barely concealed excitement.
When Shen Zhixia reached the dining room on the first floor, she was startled by the scene before her.
Lu Zhenbang had gotten off work unusually early and was sitting in the seat of honor, smiling as he watched her.
Su Ya came out of the kitchen carrying a large blue and white porcelain bowl and carefully placed it in Shen Zhixia’s usual seat.
Inside was a steaming bowl of plain noodles, with two golden fried eggs nestled among the fresh green vegetables.
“What are you standing there for? Sit down!” Su Ya pulled Shen Zhixia into her seat and placed the chopsticks in her hand. “These are longevity noodles, so you have to slurp the whole strand down without breaking it. It means that our Zhixia will live to a hundred and have a smooth and peaceful life.”
“Longevity noodles?” Shen Zhixia was still too stunned to react.
“That’s right, my wife. Isn’t today your nineteenth birthday? April tenth. I saw it on your household register yesterday. You completely forgot about it yourself, you little scatterbrain.”
Lu Huaiyuan was beaming as though he were the one celebrating his birthday.
Shen Zhixia tightened her grip on the chopsticks and, under the watchful eyes of the three of them, slowly began eating the single strand of noodles that represented longevity.
She moved with great care, afraid that if she accidentally broke the noodle, she would let down the good intentions of everyone around her.
For a while, no one spoke. The only sound in the dining room was the faint slurping of Shen Zhixia eating the noodles.
The rising steam misted her eyes.
Her thoughts drifted away with that long strand of noodles, farther and farther away, across an entire century.
Back then, every child in the orphanage could eat a bowl of longevity noodles with fried eggs on their birthday.
It was a tradition at the orphanage.
After she left the orphanage, she had never eaten them again, nor had she celebrated her birthday.
No one had ever reminded her when her birthday was.
Today was May 5 on the Gregorian calendar, which was also her birthday in her previous life.
The April tenth Lu Huaiyuan had mentioned should have been the tenth day of the fourth month in the Lunar Calendar.
She had never expected that, by sheer coincidence, it would also happen to be the true birthday of this Shen Zhixia.
At last, the single strand of noodles was finished, and everyone let out a long sigh of relief together.
“Here, your birthday present.” Lu Zhenbang pushed a thick red envelope, together with a brand-new leather-covered notebook, in front of Shen Zhixia.
Su Ya immediately brought out a delicate little wooden box. Inside lay a lustrous pearl necklace.
“This was part of my dowry from back then. It isn’t anything particularly valuable, but it carries all the blessings my mother gave me. Now, Mom is passing those blessings on to you.”
Before Shen Zhixia could express her gratitude, Lu Huaiyuan was already too eager to wait.
“My turn, my turn!”
He turned around and brought over a cylindrical cardboard box from the sideboard, placing it steadily in the center of the table.
Under the curious gazes of the entire family, he untied the red ribbon and lifted the lid.
A rich milky fragrance mixed with a sweet aroma immediately filled the dining room.
Inside was an exquisitely made round cake.
Snow white cream covered its surface like clouds, while a beautiful ring of piped decoration adorned the edges. In the very center, the words “Happy Birthday, Zhixia” had been neatly written in red jam.
In a small inland county like this in 1979, even Lu Zhenbang, a factory director, was seeing this kind of Western style pastry, something he had only ever encountered in illustrated magazines, for the first time.
“This… what is this?” Shen Zhixia’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
“Cream cake.” Lu Huaiyuan was very pleased to see the delight in her eyes. “Master Wang from the pastry shop told me that people in the big cities like to eat this on their birthdays. Happy birthday, my wife.”
“Master Wang also said that people usually light candles and make a wish before eating the cake. Their candles are small and brightly colored, though, not like the white candles we use for lighting.”
He took a box of matches from his pocket, struck one with a sharp sound, and held the flame in front of Shen Zhixia.
“We’ll use this instead of a candle.”
Perhaps she had suddenly received too much love over the past two days, and Shen Zhixia still had not quite adjusted to it.
That was why her eyes kept growing hot and misty at the slightest thing.
She needed to get rid of this sense that she was somehow undeserving as soon as possible and accept their kindness openly.
The more love she absorbed, the more she would be able to give back to them.
Seeing that Shen Zhixia was still lost in thought, Lu Huaiyuan urged her, “Make your wish quickly. I’m about to go out.”
“I hope my family will always be safe and healthy.”
Seeing the dancing flame weakening, Shen Zhixia hurriedly called out her wish.
The match went out.
Lu Zhenbang nodded in satisfaction, while Su Ya began arranging the cake for cutting.
Only Lu Huaiyuan stared solemnly at Shen Zhixia.
“Your father and stepmother treated you like that, and you still wish for them to be well?”
“They don’t count. You are my family now.”
Hearing those words, the three of them felt even more heartache for her.
Night had fallen, and moonlight poured like water across the second floor balcony.
Lu Huaiyuan took a towel and went to wash up, leaving Shen Zhixia alone in the room.
The sweetness of the cream still lingered in her mouth as the events of the evening replayed endlessly in her mind.
This was the happiest and liveliest birthday she had ever celebrated across her two lives.
Being cherished like this felt wonderful.
Shen Zhixia’s gaze inadvertently fell upon the thick calendar on the desk.
【May 5, 1979, Lunar Calendar: Fourth Month, Tenth Day】
Seeing the calendar reminded Shen Zhixia that among the pile of old books Lu Huaiyuan had brought back for her, there had once been a book with a red and white cover titled New Edition Perpetual Almanac.
A trace of curiosity suddenly arose in Shen Zhixia’s heart. She bent down and rummaged through a box beneath the desk, eventually pulling out the almanac.
Under the dim yellow light of the desk lamp, Shen Zhixia flipped through the dates until she reached “Gengzi Year, AD 1960.”
Her eyes scanned downward, and when they reached a certain line, her fingers began to tremble slightly.