Nowadays, for the sake of convenience, people usually host banquets at hotels in the county seat or, at the very least, at restaurants in town. It is rare to see them held in the village anymore. Although the scale of the birthday banquet at Li Sangyue’s home was not particularly grand, it was very lively. Since it coincided with the summer vacation, children followed the adults to the feast, making it feel like the Lunar New Year. Li Shuang and Yang Huahua kept giving the children fruits and snacks to eat, as well as milk tea.
This was milk tea that Li Sangyue had ordered from a shop in town in advance, and the owner drove over personally to deliver it. There were over a hundred servings placed in the living room for anyone who wanted a drink to take. The children swarmed forward to grab them. Worried they might fight, the adults told them to line up and distributed the drinks one by one. The adults did not even have the heart to drink any leftovers, choosing to save them all for the children.
Li Sangyue saw this and regretted that she had ordered too few.
While the other children did not think to offer a sip to their own elders, Taiyang was exceptionally sensible. She brought a cup to her great-grandfather, great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, Aunt Tuan, and Aunt Lin, delivering them directly into their hands. Everyone in the room was moved. Li Shuang and Yang Huahua pulled her close and repeatedly called her their “good granddaughter.” The elderly couple already adored her, but now they loved her to her very core.
The others watched the three generations together with great envy. In the past, the villagers often talked about the Li family behind their backs, and some even said it to their faces. They mocked Li Shuang and Yang Huahua, saying the couple must have committed sins in their past lives. They whispered that even though the couple had ventured to the South in their early years, they still had not made any money and ended up returning to nest in Yangtoubu.
They also gossiped that no matter how beautiful their daughter Li Ningjun was, she still became an unwed mother and had her glands removed. They were certain there was a scandalous story behind it, but since the elderly couple remained tight-lipped, the villagers could only make wild guesses. The rumors were quite harsh.
Later, when misfortune befell Xiaoyue and she was marked just as she reached adulthood, the village gossips were even more vicious. Regardless of whether it was a case of puppy love at school or something else, the matter was considered disgraceful. Furthermore, she became pregnant and could not participate in the college entrance examination, wasting her excellent grades. Xiaoyue’s younger great-aunt, Li Yuan, joined in the mockery, using language that was even more unbearable to hear.
Since they lived in the same village less than a hundred meters apart, everyone noticed that Li Yuan did not show up today. People understood the situation perfectly and looked down on Li Yuan’s behavior. To show no sign of respect on her own elder sister’s birthday was shameful. Li Shuang had never mistreated her, yet Li Yuan had repeatedly looked for trouble and caused endless disturbances.
Neither Li Zhi nor Li Yuan came, and not a single phone call was made. Although Li Shuang did not say anything or show any outward sign of distress in front of the guests, she felt very hurt in her heart. When Li Ningjun took her to the room to change into new clothes, she sat on the edge of the bed in total silence. The old lady was proud and strong; she refused to show even a hint of her grievance to outsiders to avoid being laughed at, so she only allowed her sadness to show in front of her daughter.
She wiped the corners of her eyes and said, “Last time your eldest aunt returned suddenly and then left in a hurry. They are so two-faced. Your mother is angry, and you and Xiaoyue have also suffered grievances. I have seen it all. I only kept quiet because I thought we are family after all, and blood is thicker than water.”
Li Ningjun did not speak. She took out the new clothes for the old lady to put on. It was a complete set: top, trousers, and shoes. On the day she bought them, she had the old lady try them on for size. She only kept them after confirming they fit. They had been washed and were perfectly clean, with a beautiful pattern and high-quality fabric.
She buttoned the old lady’s top, then knelt down to put on her shoes, changing the subject. “Many children came today, and I estimate six tables will not be enough to seat everyone. Squeezing in would work, but Xiaoyue just discussed it with me. We will borrow two more tables from Mother Li’s house to make eight tables in total. We will let the children sit at two separate tables. Xiaoyue has already called the burger shop owner in town to deliver some burgers and fries. Children love those. With some additional dishes shared from the main feast, it will be enough.”
Originally, they had prepared for six tables, so eight tables were indeed a bit of a stretch. However, children have limited preferences, so making separate arrangements was not much of a hassle.
At the mention of today’s festivities, a smile returned to Li Shuang’s face. She reached under her pillow and pulled out a small cloth bundle. Inside was the money she had saved over time, though it was not much. Since getting older, she no longer managed the family’s finances; the savings books were kept with Li Ningjun. She had no expenses at home, but Li Ningjun gave her money every month so she could buy things at the market.
She took out the two largest bills and pressed them into Li Ningjun’s hand. “Give this to Xiaoyue. Let her use this money for the purchases. She cannot always use her own money. It is not easy for her to earn it, and there will be big expenses when Taiyang goes to middle school and university. She needs to save her money.”
Li Ningjun refused to take it and put the money back into the cloth bundle, telling her to keep it safe. “It is your birthday celebration; there is no reason for you to pay for it. Rest assured, I have already given Xiaoyue money.”
In previous years, she had used the money from the old lady’s savings book to buy some funds and made a lot of profit. Consequently, she had quite a bit of money, but she had not told the family, and even Xiaoyue did not know. There was no need to tell Xiaoyue now; after all, this money was reserved for Xiaoyue and Taiyang.
“I am already this age, so keeping this money is useless. Take it and give it to Xiaoyue,” Li Shuang insisted.
This time, Li Ningjun did not argue. She took the money but quietly stuffed it back when the old lady was not looking.
“Everyone is waiting for the birthday star. Let me help you out,” she said, assisting the old lady as she rose from the bed.
The old lady’s health used to be quite good, but since being hospitalized last year, her strength had declined. She knew it herself and often muttered, “I am old, I am useless now.” Every time she heard this, Li Ningjun felt a pang of sadness.
According to the local customs of Taining, the old lady wore her new clothes and shoes and sat in the seat of honor. The juniors, starting with Li Sangyue, took turns paying their respects.
A prayer mat was placed in the center. Li Sangyue knelt down without hesitation and kowtowed, speaking auspicious words in a clear voice: “Grandma, today you are our family’s super birthday star. First, I wish you a life as vast as the Eastern Sea and longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountains. Secondly, I wish that your teeth stay strong enough to always eat large peach crisps, and your legs stay sturdy enough to always walk through the big markets. May you have delicious food every day and every meal be so good you want to stomp your feet in joy.”
She had never been shy since she was a child. In the past, when her grandmother took her to other people’s homes for New Year greetings or wedding feasts, she knew how to say auspicious words to the hosts without being taught. She often earned double red envelopes through her wit. Even those who gossiped about her family praised her for being a bright and generous child who was never awkward. They said she would surely achieve great things in the future.
By setting such a good example, the younger cousins who were within five generations of the family knew exactly what to say.
When it was Taiyang’s turn, she slipped over to the old lady, rested her chin on her knees, and looked up with her chubby little face. She recited a long string of blessings in one breath: “I wish Great-Grandmother the longevity of the pine and crane, eternal youth, a renewed life at seventy, long-lasting joy, and that every year and every day be as happy as today. May you have much fortune and live for a thousand years.”
Before she could even finish, the whole room erupted in laughter.
Mother Li clapped her hands and laughed. “Oh, Taiyang is even more eloquent than Xiaoyue was as a child. Who taught her this?”
Everyone looked at Li Sangyue, who spread her hands. She had not taught her; Taiyang had learned it all from the television. Taiyang had an excellent memory and was very smart; she remembered it all just to say it to her great-grandmother today.
Li Shuang stroked Taiyang’s round head and lovingly smoothed her two pigtails. She said “good” several times and gave Taiyang a red envelope. The other juniors who had paid their respects also received red envelopes, which Li Ningjun had prepared in advance.
Once the respects were paid, it was almost time to start the feast. Since six tables were not enough, two more were added.
Sister Tuan and Lin Yin took on the task of serving the dishes, while Li Sangyue continued to work in the kitchen. The sweet and sour sauce was already prepared; she just needed to pour it over the fried carp. Both the elderly and the children loved the sweet and sour flavor.
The children cheered at the sight of the carp positioned as if jumping. When the burger shop owner delivered the burgers and fries, the children were so excited they literally jumped for joy. They proactively helped the adults bring the items in and looked after the younger children.
By this time, there was still no sign of the eldest or younger great-aunts’ families. The grandmother assumed they would not come, so she invited her own nieces and Mother Li’s family to sit at the head table.
Mother Li initially refused, and she only agreed to sit down after bringing along two other Li family relatives from the village. They waited for Li Sangyue and the others to finish serving before they all began to eat together.
Li Sangyue brought out the longevity noodles. The bowl of longevity noodles for her grandmother consisted of a single, long strand that had not been cut.
As the birthday star, her grandmother had to eat the longevity noodles first according to custom before anyone else could start eating. The noodles for the others were hand-pulled noodles cooked in a large pot with a tomato-based soup, serving as the main staple for the banquet.
Having so many relatives and friends come to celebrate her birthday made Li Shuang so happy she could not stop smiling. She finished the longevity noodles in one go and then pulled Li Sangyue, telling her to stop working and sit down to eat.
“Xiaoyue, the food is already enough. Do not work so hard.”
Seeing her granddaughter organize this celebration made Li Shuang both happy and pained that she was so tired. Most of the dishes today were made by Xiaoyue, who was drenched in sweat from the heat of the kitchen.
“There are two more dishes. I will bring them out. Do not wait for me; start eating!” Li Sangyue patted her grandmother’s hand.
As she turned to the kitchen to get the food, Mother Li’s young granddaughter ran in and tugged at her clothes. “Auntie Xiaoyue, Auntie Xiaoyue! There are two people at the gate saying they are looking for you.”
The children had been playing at the gate just now and happened to see Fan Rou drive up. Unsure if it was Li Sangyue’s house, Fan Rou got out of the car to ask the children, and it happened that she asked Mother Li’s granddaughter.
“May I ask who you are?” Li Sangyue did not recognize them.
Fan Rou was wearing high heels and a pair of large-framed sunglasses. she was holding Zhou Rui’s hand to shield herself from the scorching summer sun.
If Qin Nian had not asked her, she would never have driven such a long distance in this heat to a small village to deliver a gift to a stranger. She was naturally bad with directions and might not find the right way even with a navigator. To be safe, she called Zhou Rui, the Secretary of the County Party Committee, to lead the way. In the eyes of others, Zhou Rui was a hard-to-read county secretary, but she was Fan Rou’s childhood friend and on good terms with Qin Nian. She had to lead the way today.
Li Sangyue could not guess their ages because they both looked quite young. She had no idea who they were or why they were at her house. The Alpha in the white shirt had a gentle temperament, but the Omega wearing sunglasses was very flamboyant. Li Sangyue thought they were a couple, but when the flamboyant one brushed off the Alpha’s hand and walked toward her, she immediately dismissed the idea.
“Li Sangyue?” Fan Rou took off her sunglasses and looked at the simply dressed young Omega before her.
“I am.”
Fan Rou put on a smile and proactively reached out her hand. “Hello, my name is Fan Rou. I am Qin Nian’s sister-in-law.”
“?” Why would Qin Nian’s sister-in-law come looking for her?
Fan Rou quickly explained her purpose. Li Sangyue was shocked to learn that the woman had been entrusted by Qin Nian to deliver a birthday gift to her grandmother.
During this period, Qin Nian had often checked in on her via WeChat, but Li Sangyue had been busy and had not replied promptly. A couple of days ago, Qin Nian asked what she was doing, and she mentioned celebrating her grandmother’s birthday. She never expected that Qin Nian would have her own sister-in-law bring a gift to the door.
“Qin Nian has things she cannot walk away from, so she entrusted me to come,” Fan Rou explained.
The group’s internal network had been hacked, causing a loss of tens of billions overnight. The chairperson was furious, so naturally, Qin Nian could not come to Taining.