Chapter 59 Xie Pei's past was so pitiful...

Xie Pei's past was so pitiful. Although his family was poor, they would at least do their best to provide him with a good birthday experience during those impoverished days. In addition to longevity noodles, his parents would add a few extra dishes he liked to eat in the evening. At least they really put their heart into it.

Xie Hong's parents didn't seem to treat Xie Pei as their own child at all. If it weren't for the slight resemblance between Xie Pei and Xie Hong, and the fact that Xie Pei's mother did indeed enter the Xie family pregnant, Zhu Mingyue would have even suspected that Xie Pei wasn't their biological son but rather an adopted child.

But none of that matters anymore. He will celebrate Xie Pei's birthday in the future, and he will give him everything that other people should have for their birthdays.

Li Zhengyang struggled to finish the whole pancake, choking and hiccuping.

Zhu Mingyue untied the small water pouch from her waist, signaling him to hurry up and urinate.

Watching him gulp down several mouthfuls of water while suspended in mid-air, letting out a satisfied burp, Zhu Mingyue took the water pouch and casually asked, "Do you celebrate your birthday?"

Li Zhengyang looked puzzled by the sudden question. "Yes, why?" At the same time, his mind started racing. Why was he being asked this all of a sudden? Could it be that Zhu Mingyue thought it was too shameful for someone his age to celebrate his birthday?

Before Zhu Mingyue could speak, he stammered, "It's not just me who celebrates my birthday. Here, everyone from one-year-olds to sixty-year-olds celebrates it."

To his surprise, Zhu Mingyue didn't say anything to make fun of him as he expected. She just nodded and continued to inquire, "How do your parents celebrate your birthday?"

"Hey!" Li Zhengyang waved his hand. "How else can we make a living? We'll just go to town and buy a couple of ounces of meat to cook a decent meal."

His family was considered relatively well-off. Those who were struggling financially would simply boil an egg or steam an egg custard as a substitute, since they considered eggs to be part of the diet. Anyway, there wasn't anything particularly original; everyone celebrated their birthdays the same way.

He used to look forward to his birthday the most. He usually ate meat at most during holidays, but on that day he could eat meat to his heart's content. Two ounces of meat. His parents ate little and wanted to give it to him. His brother was on duty at the county government and couldn't come back. As the birthday boy, he could eat more than one ounce. Even a week after his birthday, he could still taste the meat in his mouth. Just thinking about it made him happy.

Since following Zhu Mingyue, his anticipation for his birthday gradually diminished until it reached zero. The reason was simple: he was getting tired of the meat dumplings he ate at the dumpling shop every noon.

Fortunately, when Zhu Mingyue isn't too busy, she occasionally cooks herself when she feels like it, and even a simple stir-fry that's half meat and half vegetables is extremely delicious.

He didn't dare tell anyone about it, fearing it would cause Zhu Mingyue unnecessary trouble; he only dared to talk about it with his parents at home.

His father initially hit him on the head with a broom, saying that he never did anything right and always talked big and bragged.

His mother also admonished him, telling him that he had finally managed to get a decent job in town thanks to Zhu Mingyue's good fortune, and that he shouldn't get carried away with it.

As time went on, I noticed that he didn't seem to crave meat as much as before, and his body was getting stronger and stronger, so I reluctantly believed what he said.

They were still shocked. Goodness, what does it feel like to be so tired of eating meat? Ordinary people like them probably will never have the chance to experience it in their entire lives.

Seeing that Zhu Mingyue remained silent and seemed to be lost in thought, a pair of large hands waved in front of him, interrupting his reverie, and asked, "Is your birthday coming up?"

Zhu Mingyue snapped out of her daze, shook her head, and smiled, "No, I was just asking casually."

While he was daydreaming, he was actually thinking that people from all over the world celebrate their birthdays in a surprisingly uniform way: simply by having a good meal.

For Li Zhengyang, birthday celebrations were simple. Let alone cutting off a few ounces of meat, Xie Pei ate meat every day.

Zhu Mingyue racked her brains but still couldn't come up with anything new, and finally gave in when she got to town.

So what if it's not original? There's no need to be unique. There's nothing wrong with cooking a few good dishes and having a nice meal together. Besides, he has a special treat to give him after the meal.

Zhu Mingyue bought a lot of groceries in town and started cooking as soon as she got home.

After autumn, the mountains were covered with many dead branches and logs. Xie Pei would bring some back every time he went hunting. Thin branches could be used after drying for two or three days, while old branches usually needed to be dried for half a month. Xie Pei had chopped up a lot of old stumps in the backyard that morning, and now they were neatly stacked next to the stove.

Zhu Mingyue grabbed two handfuls of dry grass and leaves to start a fire, then added some twigs. Once the fire was stable, he added wood. Each piece of chopped wood was as thick as his wrist, and a few pieces could burn for a long time. After that, he didn't need to worry about it, which was quite convenient.

The Lin family, who live not far away, went down the mountain today to collect firewood. As winter approaches, every household wants to prepare as much firewood as possible, otherwise winter will be very difficult.

As I passed by the Xie family's house, I suddenly smelled a strong aroma—a rich meaty fragrance mixed with the pungent smell of chili peppers—that was impossible to ignore.

In the blink of an eye, his child was lured to the Xie family's gate.

"You silly child," Lin Dama's wife said sternly as she ran over to pull the child back, or at least to a distance. The Xie family had a jinx in their lives.

The child was half-lifted up, stubbornly clinging to the door handle and refusing to go far. His mother then gave him a few slaps on the bottom without saying a word. The slaps weren't hard, but the child gripped the handle even tighter.

His mother had no choice but to forcibly pull him back like in a tug-of-war, causing the door to creak as it was pulled.

Zhu Mingyue had just put the sliced ​​pork belly into the pot. The half-lean, half-fat meat sizzled as it was stir-fried in the pot for a couple of seconds, releasing its own oil.

He only vaguely heard the slight noises outside, but paid no attention and continued cooking. He wasn't afraid of strangers entering his house at all; in his opinion, the possibility of such a thing happening was almost zero. Apart from Xie Pei or Li Zhengyang, others would be too busy avoiding the Xie family's doorstep to even think about it.

The child's drool was overflowing, sliding down his mouth to his chin, and he pulled on the door even harder.

His mother turned to look at her husband, that good-for-nothing old man, who was so captivated by the smell of meat that he couldn't move like a little child.

"You little brat, you dare to go into the house of a jinx? I think you're asking for a beating."

"No, no! I want to eat meat!" The child twisted his body like an eel, and his mother, exhausted from the struggle, had no choice but to put him down and rest.

In the blink of an eye, the child, taking advantage of his size, pushed the door open a crack and squeezed inside, following the aroma towards the kitchen.

The child's mother was shocked and opened the door wide. She instinctively wanted to step in as well, but before her feet even touched the ground, she hesitated and pulled back.

She slapped her husband's arm with a look of exasperation and urged anxiously, "His family is all men. It's not appropriate for me, a woman, to go in. Go and bring your son out."

Lin Dama felt a sharp pain in his arm and, snapping out of his daze by the aroma, realized his son had gone inside.

He swallowed hard. "This isn't a good idea." Lately, he'd been secretly addicted to gambling in town, the stakes weren't high, but it was all about luck. What if he got bad luck there?

"Since we're already inside, let's not have any more people go in. We might as well wait here for a while; we might come out soon."

His wife was still anxious, but thinking that what he said made sense, she didn't argue anymore.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

Besides the sizzling sound of stir-frying, the kitchen was also filled with the melody of "Happy Birthday".

Zhu Mingyue's singing isn't particularly good, but he seems to have a filter on his ears, often feeling that his singing is like heavenly music.

He hummed "Happy Birthday" as he cooked, the earthenware pot on the stove bubbling away—it was his stewed pig's trotters, stewed until tender before braising to save time and effort. The stir-fried pork with chili peppers in the wok was ready; Zhu Mingyue took out a pair of chopsticks, picked up a slice of meat, and tasted it.

The thin slices of pork belly, rendered of fat, weren't greasy at all; the edges were slightly charred from frying, making them fragrant, crispy, and spicy—everything was just right. His smile widened; indeed, stir-fried pork with chili peppers is delicious no matter how you cook it, as long as the ingredients are good.

He bent down to pick up a plate to prepare the next dish when a blurry figure flashed past in his peripheral vision. Before he could react, he was struck hard in the waist. The impact forced him back several steps until he hit the wall, at which point a painful groan escaped his throat.

Holy crap! Where did this mad bull come from? He felt like his bones were about to be smashed to pieces.

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a small child who, as if ignoring him, stretched out his chubby black paws to grab into the pot. However, the pot's rim, which was higher than the stove, was very hot. He was burned and cursed a few times on the spot, then reflexively withdrew his sinful hand.

I don't know where he learned that from, but he swears so rudely at such a tiny kid over the slightest thing. It's so rude. Zhu Mingyue looked at him with disgust, without a trace of the warmth that is usually reserved for children.

Some people are incredibly tolerant of children, frequently using classic phrases like, "He's just a kid!" But he's different. He's always been clear about his likes and dislikes; he likes polite children and hates rude ones. This uncivilized child in front of him, who had even clashed with him, was practically pushing his boundaries.

The child valued the meat in the pot more than his own body, and even after being scalded and screaming, he didn't learn his lesson and stretched out his claws again.

This time, Zhu Mingyue grabbed his wrist with lightning speed. The child was not convinced and struggled with his little hands and legs, kicking at Zhu Mingyue.

If Zhu Mingyue tried to dodge, she wouldn't be able to continue holding his hand, which gave him the opportunity to pull both hands into the pot.

Zhu Mingyue's anger intensified, and she pushed the child to the ground. Just as the other party was about to use his first skill: howling, Zhu Mingyue picked up a piece of chili pepper and threw it at his face with precision.

The child's first skill was abruptly halted. Without even looking, he stuffed the chili pepper into his mouth and chewed it. Mmm, the oil-soaked chili pepper was delicious. However, he looked up and said, "I want to eat meat." Did they think he was stupid? If chili peppers were this delicious, meat must be even better. This jinx dared to try and fool him with chili peppers.

When the other party did not respond, he lay on the ground and threw a tantrum, yelling, "Give me meat! Give me meat! Give me meat!"

Zhu Mingyue frowned and confronted him for a long time before finally enduring the discomfort and throwing him a piece of meat.

The child's eyes lit up when he tasted the meat. The unforgettable aroma of the meat ignited his greed, and he naturally continued to ask for more: "I want more!"

"That's all." Zhu Mingyue turned her head away, suppressing the urge to beat the brat. "Who are your parents? Didn't they tell you not to barge into other people's homes?" Besides, it was his home, which people always avoided. He didn't feel bad about it; on the contrary, he felt that it was nice to be undisturbed.

"Who cares who my parents are? Give me some meat!" the child yelled.

Zhu Mingyue: "Hehe, want to eat meat?"

The child looked up and said dismissively, "You know that, so why don't you hurry up and give me the meat?"

Zhu Mingyue sneered: "Dream on! Anything is possible in dreams. If you're really bothering me, I'll have your parents make you a plate of bamboo shoots stir-fried with shredded pork. You're not welcome in my house."

The child didn't understand why he specifically asked his parents to make bamboo shoots with shredded pork. He had only ever eaten bamboo shoots without shredded pork before, and he figured it would taste good as long as there was meat, but his parents definitely wouldn't make it for him. The last time he ate meat was during the Chinese New Year.

"I don't want to eat bamboo shoots stir-fried with shredded pork, I want to eat your meat." This is what his parents taught him: eat more of what others have, and eat less of what you have at home. Every time they visited someone's house, his parents taught him this.

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Author's Note: One extra chapter.