When Su Xingran woke up the next day, her mother, Zeng Huilan, was no longer in the room. After washing up, Su Xingran went to the main hall, where her master was sitting reading a newspaper.
Huang Zhenhua saw Su Xingran walk in and said, "Xingran, get up! Happy birthday and good health. There's some noodles Huilan made for you that's still warm in the pot in the kitchen."
Su Xingran noticed that only her master was home; everyone else was gone. "Master, where are my parents? Why are you the only one at home?"
Huang Zhenhua flipped through a newspaper. "Your parents, Huang's mother, and Yuming went to buy groceries. There will be many people eating tonight, so we need to buy the groceries in advance and have them ready."
Hearing that it was about buying groceries, Su Xingran responded and walked into the kitchen. Su Xingran was thinking about buying groceries; she had meat in her spatial storage, but with so many people, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to take it out. Last night, her mother mentioned that she was going grocery shopping today, and she offered her some money, but her mother refused, saying that she and her father had already brought their own.
She went into the kitchen, lifted the lid of a pot, and found a bowl of egg noodles inside. Su Xingran carried the bowl to the dining room, put down the noodles, and went to the main hall. "Master, have you had breakfast yet?"
Huang Zhenhua looked at the newspaper without looking up. "Master has already eaten. Huilan made breakfast, also noodles. You should go and eat, or it will get cold and won't taste good."
Hearing that her master had eaten, Su Xingran went back to the dining room, sat down, and picked up her chopsticks to eat noodles. As soon as the noodles entered her mouth, Su Xingran narrowed her eyes; the taste was the familiar taste of home, exactly the same as before.
Su Xing ate a long noodle, biting off sections as she ate. When she was little, she would see her mother making these noodles and ask curiously why they were different from usual. Her mother would smile and tell her that they were only eaten on birthdays, called longevity noodles. Eating them was believed to bring health and longevity.
After finishing a bowl of noodles, Su Xingran felt stuffed. Lately, she'd noticed her appetite had increased, and her height and weight had also changed. This must be her body entering another stage of growth and development. Luckily, she exercised regularly in her spare time, otherwise she would have gained a lot of weight.
After finishing breakfast, Su Xingran went to the main hall, intending to clean. But Aunt Huang cleaned every day, so the house was always spotless.
"Xingran, come and sit down! They've gone to buy groceries and will be back soon. Don't think about doing anything special today, just relax. You're an adult now."
Huang Zhenhua felt that his apprentice was too quiet. At school, he would either attend classes or exercise. When he got home, he would either be busy with something or read or write notes. He never went out to play. What was the difference between him and those who had jobs? He was even more self-disciplined than those who had jobs.
Su Xingran sat down, picked up a newspaper, and began to read the news intently. Huang Zhenhua glanced at Su Xingran, who was sitting upright and engrossed in reading the newspaper. He sighed inwardly; this young woman seemed more retired than he, an old man, had ever been.
Su Xingran looked at the newspaper, which contained many articles and notes. An idea flashed through her mind: she felt she could submit her theoretical knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine to the newspaper.
The group of people who went to buy groceries returned. Su Xingran heard the noise and put the newspaper down. She got up to see if there was anything she could help with.
Su Xingran walked into the kitchen, where many bags were laid out on the floor. Seeing her, Aunt Huang smiled kindly, "Xingran, happy birthday! Aunt Huang wishes you success in your studies."
"Ranran, happy birthday! Wishing you good health and all the best in the future." Looking at her grown-up daughter, Su's mother, Zeng Huilan, felt a mix of emotions. It seemed like only yesterday she had gone from a baby to an adult.
"Thank you, Aunt Huang, thank you, Mom. I hope you're both in good health. I'll help you prepare the vegetables."
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