Chapter 112 Birthday Cake
Huo Zheng picked up the knife, cut a heart-shaped piece for Yao Yao, and handed it to her on the small porcelain plate.
Yao Yao took a small bite, and the soft cake, combined with the sweet and sour flavors of cream and jam, spread in her mouth. She immediately squinted her eyes and smiled, revealing her dimples.
Leilei couldn't wait to fork up a piece and kept saying how delicious it was.
Huo Zheng took a bite, and seeing the smile in Lu Mingyue's eyes, he nodded in agreement: "Although it's particularly difficult to whip the cream, I have to say it tastes pretty good."
The family sat around the small table, taking bites from each other, and even scraping up the cake crumbs with a small spoon.
Before she knew it, it was Yao Yao's birthday. Lu Mingyue got busy early in the morning, steaming a cake twice the size of the last one, and even asked Huo Zheng to start whipping the egg whites half an hour in advance.
Although the cream used this time was not as delicate as that used in later cake shops, it was still fluffy and snow-white.
She carefully spread the jam evenly on the surface, then drew a crooked little sun in the middle with jam.
In the evening, Niu Niu's family and Ming Ming's family arrived.
When Lu Mingyue brought the cake to the table and lifted the lid, everyone in the room crowded around.
"Is this a cream cake?" Zheng Xiuhua's eyes lit up. "I've seen it in Shanghai before, I never thought I could eat it on an island!"
Zhu Xiaofang nodded with a smile: "She looks really good, even better than those made in the city."
Yao Yao, dressed in a new pink dress, sat in the middle, watching everyone marvel at the cake, her little face full of pride.
Huo Zheng cut the cake open, and the jam filling flowed out along the cut.
Leilei quickly handed each person a small spoon.
The moment the cake was taken a bite, the room erupted in a chorus of praise, and even the evening breeze from the island carried the sweet scent of a birthday celebration.
At this moment, the Huo family courtyard was filled with laughter and joy.
The two families brought a plate full of sweet cakes, and the children chased and played around the cream cakes, while the adults sat in the yard chatting. Even the air was filled with a sweet aroma.
The lively atmosphere drifted out along the courtyard wall and landed right in the eyes of the Cui brothers, Erjun and Xiaojun, who lived next door.
The two peered over the wall and watched as Leilei handed Yaoyao a cake.
Cui Xiaojun stared intently at the smear of snow-white cream, swallowed hard, and his little face was full of envy.
They had just heard that this thing was called a cream cake, and just hearing the name made it sound delicious.
Growing up, all they had ever eaten were hard, dry sponge cakes sold at the supply and marketing cooperative; they had never heard of something as novel as cream.
I can almost taste the creamy, smooth texture of that snow-white cream; the sweet and soft flavor seems to be wafting to my lips.
The two stared at the cake in the yard, their eyes filled with wonder.
How wonderful it would be to taste it myself, even just a tiny bite.
When they got home, Cui Xiaojun mustered up his courage and tugged at his mother Zhang Haihua's clothes.
"Mom, can you buy me a cake like that for my birthday?"
Zhang Haihua was scrubbing the washboard when he heard this and, without even looking up, cursed, "Your grades haven't improved, but you've learned to compare yourself to others! With your attitude, what kind of birthday celebration is this!"
Cui Xiaojun's eyes reddened from the scolding. He clutched the hem of his clothes and shrank into the corner, no longer daring to show even a hint of the envy he had just felt.
As Lu Mingyue was handing melon seeds to Zheng Xiuhua, Zhang Haihua's cursing voices drifted over from the other side of the courtyard wall. Although the words were unclear, the anger in them was clearly audible.
She paused in her work, listened for a couple more moments, then looked away knowingly, without looking any further.
The courtyard was as lively as ever. Yao Yao was showing her drawings to her aunts, while Lei Lei was demonstrating a newly learned nursery rhyme on the side.
Lu Mingyue smiled and wiped the cream off Yao Yao's lips.
When Cui Jianguo got off work and opened the gate to the courtyard, he didn't hear his two sons chasing each other as usual.
Upon entering the house, one could see Cui Erjun squatting on the threshold, picking at pebbles, while Cui Xiaojun huddled in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), rubbing his eyes. The two usually energetic boys were now quietly sitting still.
He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Why are you being so well-behaved today? Did the sun rise in the west?"
Zhang Haihua was adding firewood to the stove when he heard this. Without turning his head, he snorted coldly: "Honest? You were just watching the Huo family next door celebrate their birthday during the day, seeing them eating some kind of cream cake and having a lively family celebration. You were so envious that you couldn't take your eyes off them. You came back and became listless."
Her words were sarcastic and cynical.
Cui Jianguo frowned, put down his tools, walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and patted Cui Xiaojun's head: "If you envy others, study hard instead of just focusing on food. When you two do well on your next exam, Dad will arrange something for you too."
Cui Xiaojun raised his red eyes and asked softly, "Really?"
Cui Jianguo patted him on the shoulder, said nothing more, but his gaze drifted to the other side of the courtyard wall, as if he were deep in thought.
The next day, the supply and marketing cooperative.
With the spare change he had saved up over the past few days in his pocket, Cui Jianguo made a special detour to the town's supply and marketing cooperative. As soon as he entered, he went straight to the food counter: "Comrade, do you sell cream cakes?"
The sales clerk paused, then shook her head and waved her hand: "Cream cake? Never heard of that. We only have sponge cake and peach shortbread here, which are our usual snacks."
Cui Jianguo's heart skipped a beat. He asked a couple more questions, but the salesperson still shook her head, saying that she had never stocked this product.
He stood in front of the counter, his hand gripping the money tightly.
Originally, I wanted to fulfill the children's wishes, but I didn't even know where to buy the cake.
He immediately changed his mind and turned to the sales clerk, asking, "Do you have any ready-made sponge cakes? Give me two."
Cui Jianguo handed the oil paper package to the two children, expecting to see them overjoyed.
Unexpectedly, Cui Erjun peeled back the paper, glanced at it, and took a step back with a pout: "Dad, this isn't a cream cake."
Cui Xiaojun frowned as well, clutching the hem of his clothes with his small hands, and muttered softly, "I want to eat the kind with white cream like the Huo family's."
These words made Cui Jianguo's face darken instantly. He pointed at the sponge cake and scolded, "This sponge cake is hard to come by normally, and you're still being picky! You should be grateful that you have something to eat, don't be ungrateful!"
Cui Erjun shrank back as he was scolded, while Cui Xiaojun's eyes reddened and tears welled up, but he stubbornly held them back.
Looking at the two children with their heads drooping, Cui Jianguo felt both angry and helpless. He raised his hand, wanting to scold them a few more times.
He finally sighed, picked up the oil paper package and put it on the cabinet: "Eat it or don't, you'll know how delicious it is when you're hungry."
Cui Erjun and Cui Xiaojun clutched the sponge cakes, listlessly biting into them.
It's sweet, but it feels like something's missing.
As soon as the two reached the gate of the courtyard, they saw Lei Lei from next door holding a piece of cream cake and offering it to Yao Yao's mouth. The two siblings took turns eating it, their eyes crinkling with laughter.
"Mom said this was made especially for us, with lots of sugar added and cream added."
Lei Lei's voice drifted over, and the sponge cake in Cui Xiaojun's hand instantly lost its appeal.
It turned out that Lu Mingyue knew the two children liked it, so she made cream cakes several more times afterward.
Looking at the snow-white cream on the plate next to him, and then at the ordinary sponge cake in his hand, Cui Erjun stuffed the cake into his pocket, grabbed his younger brother, and walked back, muttering that it didn't taste good at all.
Cui Xiaojun's eyes also reddened, and his grievances and anger surged up.
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