In the blink of an eye, Yu Jiu is almost sixty years old, and his two children, An'an and Xu Feng, are already married.
Not only did they get married, but they also had children. An'an gave birth to a big, healthy boy, and Lu Yingying, their daughter-in-law, gave birth to a big, healthy granddaughter. So, Yu Jiu and Xu Zijiang now have both a grandson and a granddaughter.
"Don't bother, I don't need you to celebrate my 60th birthday with me. We can just have a simple meal together. I'm going out with your father that day, so you can go for a stroll on your own."
“Before you were born, your father and I were inseparable. After you were born, it wasn’t easy to avoid being inseparable from you. Later, when you got married and had children, your father and I went to see our grandchildren every day. We were busy but fulfilled and happy.”
"But that day, I want to spend some time alone with your father. Children will eventually grow up and start their own families. Only your father and I are the closest family."
Yu Jiu had told her two children about her 60th birthday half a month in advance, so they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of preparing a surprise on that day, as she wanted to have some time alone with her husband.
She was right. Xu Feng and An An really did want to throw a big party for her 60th birthday and make it more lively. But since she said that, the two of them gave up. They could surprise her later.
So the day before her birthday, the family gathered together for a meal, and then An'an and Xu Feng took their wives and children home, leaving the elderly couple to spend the day alone in the villa.
Just as the clock struck midnight, Xu Zijiang brought over a cake.
Happy birthday, my wife.
"Even at sixty, she's still my precious wife. Come on, make a wish and blow out the candles."
Xu Zijiang said with a smile, "There are six candles on the cake, symbolizing my sixtieth birthday."
"I hope..."
Yu Jiu closed her eyes, smiled, and made a wish, but she didn't say it aloud.
Xu Zi turned on the light and asked her curiously.
"What wish did you make? Have your man grant it for you!"
I won't tell you.
Yu Jiu smiled mysteriously.
Both of them had gray hairs at their temples, but they were still as childish as ever.
"How can you be like this? I was just trying to help you fulfill your wish."
Xu Zi complained with a smile on his face.
"I don't need you to help me achieve it. My wish will come true. Time will make my wish come true."
Yu Jiu said confidently, "Since she has made wishes for growing old together, they will definitely come true. There is no question that they cannot be fulfilled."
"Okay, okay, so what do you want to do next?"
Xu Zi asked gently, and even helped her tidy up the hair that had fallen onto her shoulder from the remaining wine. This gesture was intimate and tender.
"I don't plan to do anything. Let's go up to the rooftop together, look at the stars, and have some drinks. We don't need to do anything. I just want to spend my birthday quietly with you."
Yu Jiu shook her head. She really didn't have any plans. As long as the two of them were together, it would be fine even if they did nothing.
"Okay, let's go up to the roof then. I'll go get some things up there."
Xu Zi put the cake down, first packed some food, a bottle of red wine, two wine glasses, and some other things into a bag, then carried it on his arm before picking up the cake and climbing the stairs to the roof with Yu Jiu.
They are getting old, and even though they are in good health now, they still need to be careful. So they live on the first floor and rarely go up to the roof. It's the cleaning lady who goes up there to clean.
So Xu Zi took everything at once to avoid running back and forth, as walking up and down stairs too much would hurt his knees.
"Come on, is this a picnic or camping trip?"
Xu Zijiang arranged the things and asked Yu Jiu with a smile.
There was a table on the rooftop. Xu Zi had laid out a beautiful tablecloth, turned on a warm yellow light bulb, and poured some wine for the two of them. Cake and food were also placed on the table, creating a very cozy atmosphere.
Xu Zi first cut a small piece of cake for Yu Jiu.
"The cake is quite sweet, so don't eat too much tonight. Just have a small piece first, and you can eat more tomorrow if you like."
Xu Zijiang advised that the cake was quite sweet and that eating so much so late at night might upset Yu Jiu's stomach.
"Okay, I won't eat any more."
"I guess this counts as camping, outdoor camping. We don't have tents. Look, you can even see the stars in the sky. They're so bright, but not as many or as bright as when we were in the village."
Yu Jiu took a small bite of the cake, then pointed to the stars in the sky and sighed.
Today I came out to look at the stars and the moon.
"Yes, it's a big city after all. More and more buildings are being built now, and the air isn't as good as in my hometown. Before, when it got dark, we would sit in the yard and look at the stars without even turning on the lights, as the yard was already very bright."
Xu Zijiang also took a bite of cake and said slowly.
The two leaned against each other, casually eating cake, exchanging a few words now and then, and sipping red wine, feeling very comfortable and relaxed.
Because of the lush greenery around the villa, you can faintly hear cicadas chirping at night.
However, fearing that the cicadas would disturb the residents, the property management company had to try every means to catch them, which Yu Jiu found amusing.
"You've never taken me to catch cicadas. You've wasted so many years of your life in the countryside."
It was quite interesting to see the property management going to catch it that day; Yu Jiu watched for a long time.
I also brought two cicadas over to play with, and kept them for a few days, but they eventually died.
“You used to be so afraid of these things, how could I dare to take you to catch them? You should have said you wanted to go earlier, and I could have taken you tomorrow.”
Xu Zijiang refused to accept being blamed and immediately said he would take Yu Jiu to catch cicadas.
"No, my arms and legs are too old to climb trees. What if I fall?"
Yu Jiu was just saying it; he wouldn't actually go.
"You don't necessarily have to climb trees. There are many ways to catch cicadas. You can make a net and catch the ones at the bottom, or tie the net to a stick and catch the ones at the top. I don't know how many times I caught cicadas when I was a kid. I'm very good at it."
Xu Zijiang recounted his childhood experiences in a very interesting way.
It really whetted Yu Jiu's appetite.
"Are you really going to arrest them? Then go back to your hometown?"
She asked eagerly.
"I'm going back to my hometown. I'll book the plane ticket tomorrow. It's been a long time since I've been back."
Xu Zijiang made the final decision.
As the couple got older, they focused on growing flowers and plants, taking care of their grandchildren, and occasionally traveling. Now, most of the people they knew in their hometown have left, and the area has changed a lot, so there's no point in going back.
The last time I went back to my hometown was eight years ago. Zhou Chunrong passed away. He had just been on the verge of death, and it was already quite remarkable that he had made it to this age.
Unfortunately, Wen Hongjuan was probably too heartbroken and passed away in less than a year. Xu Zijiang and Yu Jiu tried to comfort her but to no avail, and could only watch helplessly as she left this world.
The last time I went back to my hometown, it was to bring back the remains of the two of them for burial. Returning to one's roots is a common belief among the older generation. Including Xu Zijiang and Yu Jiu, we had already reserved places for them in our hometown so that when they passed away, they could be brought back for burial.
No matter how nice the place outside is, it can't compare to the liveliness of family. The deceased must be buried back in the ancestral grave.
"An'an and Yuanyuan probably won't have time to come back with us. They need to go to school too. Let's leave quietly tomorrow so they won't nag us."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
