Gu Xingfan paused for a moment and suddenly felt a little guilty.
"The lab has made some new progress recently, and I received a bonus from my supervisor. Adding that to the various bonuses I've accumulated before, it's a pretty good sum. But..."
Gu Xingfan glanced at his wife cautiously, then continued, "The courtyard house in Xinghua Hutong is quite large. Although it can't compare to the Shen family's old house, it's not small either. If there's a little money missing, I'll use the money in my passbook to make up for it first..."
The voice became softer and softer as he spoke, which made Yan Bai laugh.
"Well, since you care so much about this, I won't bother with you!"
"Hehe, I know my wife is the best!"
Lin Yanbai really couldn't wait to go to Xinghua Hutong, but don't count on it today, as they still have to go to the compound.
Knowing that today was her birthday, Grandpa and Aunt Shen specifically asked them to come over for dinner, especially Aunt Shen, who prepared a table full of dishes.
It was still early when Yan Bai and the others arrived at the compound. Gu Xingfan went to play chess with his grandfather, the two children went out to play with their friends, and Lin Yanbai simply went to help in the kitchen.
Although Aunt Chen kept saying that she didn't need help, and that these dishes were a piece of cake for her, why would the birthday boy have to cook for her? But Lin Yanbai had nothing to do anyway, and she couldn't bear to ask Aunt Chen to work alone, so she came over to help.
This meal was mostly seafood, including fish and shrimp, plenty of them, all sent by the soldiers my grandfather used to lead.
He was brought up by his grandfather, and later retired and returned to his hometown. But he always remembered the care his old commander gave him when he was in the army. Coincidentally, his family lived by the sea, so they would send him some seafood from time to time, which was a rare treat.
Although it looked like a lot of dishes, it was not a big deal to make. With the cooperation of the two, it was done in no time.
The table was filled with dishes, each one delicious and fragrant. In the center sat a medium-sized cake that Yan Bai had brought from home.
To be exact, it was Xiao Qi who gave it to her. Although Xiao Qi was very lazy now and was usually mysterious about what he was doing, Yan Bai never expected that he would still remember his birthday.
He even took time out of his busy schedule to send a cake to Yan Bai, which made Lin Yan Bai sigh in admiration. After all these years, this was the first time he could get something for free from the stingy Xiao Qi!
It's reasonable to suspect that Xiao Qi is trying to bribe her with gifts out of guilt because she hasn't fulfilled her duty to serve the host wholeheartedly!
Xiao Qi: "..." Can this woman read the art of unity?
After the meal was ready, Yan Bai untied the apron around her waist and walked out.
She stood at the door and shouted in a loud voice: "Dingding, Tiaotiao, go home for dinner!"
The two children who were playing with other children looked at each other, said goodbye to their friends politely without any hesitation, and walked home.
Although they are a little reluctant, today is Mom’s birthday and they can’t make Mom angry!
Moreover, there is delicious cake! Thinking of the tempting smell of cake, the little short legs moved faster.
When they returned home, the birthday candles had already been lit, and Aunt Shen quickly invited them to come and sit down.
Gu Xingfan took out a lighter from his pocket and leaned over to light the candles. The two clever kids took the lead in singing the birthday song.
With the blessings of his family, Yan Bai clasped his hands together and slowly closed his eyes.
It took her a long time to open her eyes, then she breathed a sigh of relief and blew out the candle.
"What wish did mommy make?" asked the curious baby Tiaotiao.
Even Dingding, who is usually steady, cast a curious look.
Gu Xingfan patted the two children's heads and said, "If you say your wish out loud, it won't come true. Can you bear to let your mother's wish go unfulfilled?"
When the two children heard what their father said, they immediately shook their heads like rattles.
"Okay, time for cake!"
Yan Baixian cut a small piece of cake for each person to taste first, after all, there were so many dishes!
Dingding was a little dissatisfied, but he had to maintain his steady and cold personality at all times. He moved the corners of his mouth but didn't say anything.
If you want to blame someone, just blame him for disguising himself so well. Lin Yanbai and Gu Xingfan, the two parents, didn't even realize that their eldest son has a sweet tooth.
In fact, they knew that Dingding liked to eat sweet things, but they always thought it was because he was still young. After all, children all like to eat sweet things!
Only Dingding himself knows that his love for sweet things is no longer just a liking, but a hobby.
But he is determined to become a general. How can a general like to eat sweet things?
So despite his deliberate concealment, no one discovered that he was a "sweet-loving little man"!
Dingding turned his grief and anger into appetite, and ate the food in big mouthfuls. Aunt Chen was so happy to see this that she kept putting food into his bowl.
In the end, Dingding successfully ate too much and collapsed in the chair for a long time without moving. At this time, he no longer remembered to pay attention to his image.
The meal was a joyful one, and by the end, everyone's stomachs were full because they were so full.
After dinner, Gu Xingfan consciously began to clean up the dishes. Although he was often disliked for not being able to help with cooking, he was always good at cleaning up and washing dishes.
Seeing this, Aunt Chen also stood up to help, but was stopped by Gu Xingfan: "Aunt Chen, you just take a rest, I will clean up, you cook and I wash the dishes, it's fair!"
Seeing that Gu Xingfan looked serious, Aunt Chen didn't argue with him and sat down happily.
Maybe every woman doesn’t like washing dishes!
Every time at this time, Lin Yanbai misses the dishwasher especially!
After resting for a while, Grandpa and Aunt Shen also gave their gifts. Grandpa gave a silver plum blossom hairpin.
The hairpin was a bit dark in texture, but the style was unique. It was simple yet playful, yet not stingy. It reminded Lin Yanbai of a poem: "When the mountain flowers are in full bloom, she laughs among the bushes!"
Grandpa stroked the hairpin with some nostalgia: "This is your grandmother's hairpin. She is different from others. Everyone likes gold, but she says it is tacky. She likes silver bracelets, silver necklaces, silver rings and so on the most in her life..."
Lin Yanbai refused to accept it. This was the memory that grandma left for grandpa. How could she accept it?
"Take it. Your grandma loves to be pretty. She herself isn't pretty enough, so she loves to see others being pretty. If she knew she gave you her hairpin, she would be so happy!"
Seeing that his grandfather insisted, Yan Bai accepted it.
As for the gift from Auntie Chen, she had made these shoes with thousand-layer soles herself. They were incredibly comfortable to wear, though the making of them was a bit tiring...
It would be a lie to say that he wasn't touched. Yan Bai felt his nose sore.
It’s a shame to say that the most comfortable time in her life was the time after she married into the Gu family. How ironic and how lucky she was!
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