Volume 1 / Chapter 46: Mother's Birthday
Every year on October 16th was MĂČ XuÄyĂĄoâs motherâs birthday.
The reason XuÄyĂĄo had no real impression of this day was because, as far back as she could remember, they had never actually celebrated it.
Her mother rarely mentioned it either. It was as if birthdays didnât matterâjust another ordinary day.
Her father, constantly busy year-round, had even less time to mark such occasions.
XuÄyĂĄo had always assumed that her dad didnât even know when her momâs birthday was. And as for her mom? She probably didnât care.
Only today did she realizeâher mother did care. She just never thought her own birthday was worth the fuss, or worth the money.
But now, looking at the table covered with home-cooked dishes, and the rough little birthday card XuÄyĂĄo had made out of a cigarette box at the last minuteâŠ
âŠalong with the simple âHappy Birthdayâ from father and daughterâŠ
Her motherâs eyes welled up ever so slightly.
Though clearly moved, she still pretended to scold:
âWhatâs all this fuss? Itâs just a birthday! Look at all these dishesâwhat, are we suddenly rich or something? So wasteful.â
âWe never eat this well all year,â her father said with a grin, taking her arm. âGotta treat ourselves once in a while.â
âSave the treats for when weâve actually got money. And why are you grabbing my arm?â
âSo youâll sit down and eat.â
âIâm not sitting.â
âAw, come on now,â her father teased half-seriously, âSo many dishes, and itâs your rare birthdayâwhy are you upset?â
Her mother, trying to keep a straight face, couldnât help but laugh. âAlright, alright! Let goâIâm just going to the bathroom. You wanna stop me from that too?â
âAhem, go ahead, go ahead.â Her father quickly let go, then turned to XuÄyĂĄo. âWhy are you just standing there? Go wash your handsâitâs time to eat.â
âPfft, I already washed them.â XuÄyĂĄo had already plopped herself down eagerly. A dinner this lavish probably came once in a monthâif that. Especially after her parents had borrowed money for her surgery, the family finances had gotten even tighter.
Most days, even when they cooked dinner, it was with the cheapest ingredients possible.
Vegetables, mostlyâsince they were cheap. Going a week without a single bit of meat was perfectly normal.
No matter how ceremoniously they tried to prepare those veggies, they simply didnât hold a candle to actual meat.
Just the smell of fried chicken drumsticks was enough to make XuÄyĂĄoâs stomach growl.
Still, since it was her motherâs birthday, she couldnât start eating until the guest of honor was seated.
Not that SĆ«tĂĄng, their cat, had any such courtesy. It was already digging into the little bowl of fish guts theyâd scooped out for it, munching away in delight.
In this era, keeping a cat didnât come with fancy rules.
Whatever the humans ate, the cat ate too. Getting to nibble on animal innards was considered a treat.
Most people believed cats should eat fish. Giving a cat the parts humans didnât eatâlike fish gutsâwas how you rewarded it. Giving a whole fish? That meant you really spoiled the thing.
That kind of treatment was rare, of course. People who pampered their cats like that were seen as borderline crazy.
After all, in these times, most folks couldnât afford meat every meal for themselvesâlet alone for their pets.
Treating your pet like royalty was the kind of strange thing that people joked about.
Once her mother had finished washing up, she sat down beside XuÄyĂĄo. Her father finally took off his apron and reached up to switch off the overhead bulb in the living room.
âWhyâd you turn off the light?â XuÄyĂĄo asked, puzzled. âItâs pitch dark, we canât see anything!â
âItâs a birthday,â her father replied, âOf course thereâs a birthday cake!â
âWhen did you buy a cake?â XuÄyĂĄo licked her lips. âDoes it have lots of cream?â
âHaha, not a cream cake. Itâs fÄgÄoâsteamed rice cake,â he said, holding a single candle in one hand and a sticky rice cake in the other. He set both in front of her mother.
âCome on, come on, time for the birthday girl to blow out her candle!â
âSo fussyâwhy make such a big deal out of a birthday?â her mother âcomplained,â but her tone was clearly filled with joy. She leaned in, about to blow out the candle.
âWait, wait!â her father stopped her. âWe have to sing the birthday song first. And you have to make a wish before blowing it out.â
Then he launched into the English version of âHappy Birthday,â which caught XuÄyĂĄo off guard.
Waitâsince when was he so trendy?
âCome on, XuÄyĂĄo, sing with me!â he encouraged.
âOh, okay. Happy birthday to you~â
With the slightly off-key singing of father and daughter, her mother quietly dabbed the corners of her eyes, then folded her hands and made a wish in silence.
âWhooâ!â She blew and blew, finally managing to extinguish the flame after several huffs.
âWhat did you wish for?â XuÄyĂĄo asked curiously.
Click. Her father flipped the light back on.
âHey hey, youâre not supposed to ask what someone wished for. Otherwise, it wonât come true!â
âSuperstitious nonsense,â her mother laughed. But even so, she didnât reveal the wish. âNot like it mattersâchances are, Iâll forget it myself by next year.â
âHaha, that means it probably came true!â her father said, grinning as he sat down. âAlright, letâs eat! Everythingâs fresh off the stoveâbest time to dig in. If we wait until tomorrow, it wonât taste as good.â
"CHICKEN LEG!!, CHICKEN LEG!!"XuÄyĂĄo exclaimed, grabbing one immediately and taking a giant bite, juices dripping down her chin as she ate with zero restraint. âAhhh, soooo good!â
âEat as much as you like. Youâre growing, after all.â Her mother smiled.
âYou eat too.â Her father picked up another drumstick and dropped it into her motherâs bowl, then poured himself a shot of baijiu.
âMmm, delicious,â her mother nodded. âBetter than that... whatever it's called, GFSH?â
âItâs KFC,â XuÄyĂĄo corrected, mouth still full.
âRight, KFC. And hey, XuÄyĂĄo, can you eat a little more gracefully?â
âWhatâs wrong with the way I eat?â she asked, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. âChopsticks are so much hassle!â
âWell, even if you use your hands, at least roll your sleeves up. Youâre wiping your mouth with your sleeve and getting it all greasy. Youâre washing your own clothes, remember?â
"Ahem!" Upon hearing she'd have to wash it herself, XuÄyĂĄo immediately sat up straight. âFine, fine! Iâll roll them up!â
âDonât do it yourselfâhave your dad help. His hands arenât greasy yet.â
âHere, Dad, hurry up!â XuÄyĂĄo thrust out one arm while still holding her chicken leg in the other.
âHaha, seriously, no ladylike manners at all,â her father chuckled, helping her roll up her sleeve. âNow the other one.â
âHere.â She swapped hands, offering the other sleeve. âIâm not a girl anyway!â
âDonât talk nonsense. Of course you are,â her mother said, gently pinching her cheek. âYou canât go saying that kind of thing outside, you hear me? If people found out the truth, itâd be a whole mess.â
âTchâŠâ XuÄyĂĄo muttered. âItâs all your fault, Mom. If I was born a girl, fine. Or born a boy, also fine. But this... in between nonsense?â
âHey, be grateful we had you at all,â her mother said as she gently smoothed back XuÄyĂĄoâs hair to keep it from sticking to the chicken. âBack when I was pregnant, your dad wanted to get rid of you.â
âYeah, we were gonna. Even took birth control pills, but they didnât work. By the time we were five or six months in, we didnât want to anymore, so we kept you.â Her dad took a sip of baijiu. âWe were young. Didnât want kids. Thought thereâd be plenty of chances later. Having one so early felt like asking for trouble.â
âWhoa, Dad. Thatâs⊠incredibly irresponsible.â
âUnborn kids donât have rights,â he laughed. âCome on, cheers!â
His bowl had baijiu. XuÄyĂĄo and her mom had cups of Sprite.
Theyâd splurged on a big bottle todayâthis rare indulgence was finally on the menu.
With greasy fingers, XuÄyĂĄo clinked her cup with theirs, then chugged half of it down and let out a huge, satisfied burp.
âLook at you!â her mom sighed. âYou need to mind your manners now. Things arenât like before. You should act like a young ladyâno burping at the dinner table!â
XuÄyĂĄo simply ignored her and reached for another chicken leg.
Her appetite wasnât usually this big, but the food today was just too good.
âDonât just eat drumsticksâtry the sweet and sour perch. Itâs delicious,â her dad said, placing a boneless piece in her bowl.
The flavor was similar to sweet and sour pork, but the fish meat was even more tender and juicy.
Every dish on the table tonight leaned slightly sweet. Even the stir-fried pork intestines had a touch of red-braised flavor.
Though it was her motherâs birthday, XuÄyĂĄo was the one who ate the most, to the point where she was too stuffed to stand.
âUh-oh⊠I ate so much tonight. What if I gain weight?â she groaned.
âGain weight? You?â her mom snorted. âMore like you need to gain some. Youâre all skin and bones!â
âSkin and bones? Are you kidding? Look at all this meat!â XuÄyĂĄo slapped her thigh, leaving five visible finger marks.
âShe doesnât even weigh ninety pounds,â her dad nodded.
âYeah, but Iâm short!â XuÄyĂĄo pointed at her head. âAll thanks to you, Mom. I shouldâve been taller, but your genes stole my height!â
âBeing short and chubby is quite cute!â her mother said, barely holding back a laugh.
âCute? More like a tiny Earth goddess!â
âIâd say⊠more like a bowling ball,â her father suggested.
âThatâs even worse!â
And so, in the midst of all this laughter and bickering, the family began clearing the tableâŠ
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