Once on the beach, Yu Yao told Lu Ze to close his eyes. "I didn't tell you to open them. No matter what you hear, you can't open your eyes."
"Okay." Lu Ze closed his eyes. "It's dark here, watch your step and don't fall."
"Yes, I know, I won't leave." Yu Yao said, while gesturing to Sister Meihua and the others in the distance, indicating that they could come out.
Seeing the gesture, Su Meihua and the others quietly came over with their things.
Yu Yao took the birthday cake she had been baking all afternoon, lit a candle, held it in her hands, and then stood in front of Lu Ze.
"Lu Ze, open your eyes."
Lu Ze opened his eyes and was somewhat taken aback by the scene before him, followed by a surge of emotion.
Holding the cake, Yu Yao smiled and said to him, "Happy birthday, Lu Ze!"
Su Meihua, Commander Lei, Qin Ye, Sister-in-law Sun Yu, Song Yiming, Qi Feng, and other friends of Lu Ze said in unison, "Commander Lu, happy birthday!"
In the dim, flickering candlelight, the smiling faces and blessings of his lover and friends crashed against Lu Ze's cold, hard heart like waves.
Lu Ze pursed his lips, walked up to Yu Yao, looked at the cake in her hand, and then at his lover's gentle smile, feeling his heart melt completely.
"Thank you," he said solemnly, his dark eyes sparkling as if starlight were shining.
Seeing his friend's stunned expression, Political Commissar Qin found it somewhat amusing and teased, "Old Lu, are you about to cry from emotion?"
Lu Ze punched his shoulder in an annoyance. "Go away."
"I was just trying to lighten the mood, why are you in such a hurry? Are you shy because I hit the nail on the head? I never thought the Iron-Faced Yama would be shy, that's rare." Qin Ye joked.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Yu Yao held the cake and let Lu Ze make a wish first, then blow out the candles.
Lu Ze did as instructed and distributed the cake to everyone.
Knowing that Yu Yao and Lu Ze hadn't seen each other for a long time, Su Meihua and the others went back together after celebrating Lu Ze's birthday, leaving the time for the two of them.
Yu Yao and Lu Ze sat on a rock, each holding a small piece of cake, chatting and laughing as they admired the rosy clouds that remained on the horizon after the sun had set.
Lu Ze asked her, "Has the ghost story in the mango grove been resolved?"
Yu Yao nodded, "It's solved, exactly as you guessed. The reason the mangoes in the mango grove are poisonous is because they've been contaminated with pollen from a plant called Veratrum nigrum."
"Old Yu, the village keeper of the mango grove, often coughs and has a lot of phlegm. Veratrum has the effect of expelling phlegm, so he planted so much of it."
Yu Yao also shared the progress of the side business with Lu Ze: "We have delivered all the dried mangoes. Now we are just waiting for the inspection report from the local specialty company to come out, and then we can receive the final payment."
Although Lu Ze couldn't talk about the mission, he could talk about some of his observations along the way.
As they listened to each other's stories, it was as if the emptiness of the two months they had been apart had been filled in.
As darkness fell, the only sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore was the sound of the sea at night. The stars twinkled in the sky, foreshadowing another sunny day tomorrow.
"Oh my god, Lu Ze, look over there! What's that?" Yu Yao suddenly exclaimed, looking at the distant beach.
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