Li Jia nodded solemnly. "It's true, trust Brother Li! But before that, Brother Li wants to give you a gift first." After saying that, Li Jia took out a delicate and compact mobile phone from his pocket and handed it to Li Xiaotong.
"Here's a phone for you as a birthday present. It has Brother Li's phone number on it. With this, you can reach Brother Li anytime, anywhere, no matter what." After saying this, Li Jia placed the phone in Li Xiaotong's hand.
"Brother Li...isn't this gift a bit too expensive?" Li Xiaotong looked a little lost, holding his phone.
"Hehe, it's not valuable. Although it looks nice, it's not worth much money. Don't worry!" Li Jia said with a smile, reassuring her.
"Well... thank you..." Ever since Li Jia carried her out of school last time, Li Xiaotong has lost her usual carefree attitude in front of Li Jia. Whenever she sees Li Jia's eyes, she is reminded of her older brother, Li Chen. Now that Li Jia has given her a cell phone as a birthday gift, she is even more at a loss for words. The words Li Jia just whispered in her ear have also moved her deeply.
The gift-giving ceremony was over, and the ordered dishes were served. Today, Li Xiaotong truly felt what happiness meant. In the past, her three siblings would just cook some delicious food at home to celebrate her birthday. Later, Jiang Ling'er joined in, but today, not only Jiang Ling'er joined, but also her homeroom teacher Hai Mingyue and her caring older brother Li. This birthday was definitely the most unforgettable day for Li Xiaotong.
As the main character of the day, Li Xiaotong first raised her glass, stood up, and faced the eager eyes of everyone. "Brother Li, Sister Jiang, Teacher Hai, Sister Xiaoqing, Xiaoyan, thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday and for giving me so many gifts. I bow to you all here." After speaking, Li Xiaotong bowed deeply, then clinked her glass with everyone's. "Thank you!" she said, and then drank the wine in her glass with tears in her eyes.
"Xiao Tong, I hope that in the last month and a half, you can get into university with the help of your teacher. Don't let your teacher down. Happy birthday!" Jiang Ling finished her drink and sat down in the chair.
"Yes, Teacher Hai has been working really hard lately. Keep it up! Brother Li, I believe you can do it! Happy birthday!" Li Jia said, then drank even more heartily.
"Li Xiaotong, you are very smart. Although you used to skip classes all the time, I can tell from the fact that you always secretly write a little note to the teacher to ask for leave that you are still a good child. In the future, let the teacher work hard with you. I believe that with hard work, you will definitely succeed! Happy birthday!" Hai Mingyue was the teacher, and her way of speaking carried the earnest teachings of a teacher.
After a round of blessings, everyone finally picked up their chopsticks and started eating. Since Li Jia was the host, most of the dishes ordered were the restaurant's specialties. Jiang Ling, in particular, ordered three of Deyuelou's signature dishes: Crab Roe with Fresh Mushrooms, Chicken with Jade Hairpin, and Shrimp with Night-Blooming Jade. These three dishes are among the most representative dishes of the Manchu Han Imperial Feast, so they were definitely delicious, and naturally, they were quite expensive.
Since everyone was in a good mood today and had drunk a little bit of alcohol, Jiang Ling'er suggested going out for some fun after dinner. Li Feng naturally wouldn't object on this day, and the two cars headed straight for the Nightshade KTV.
Jiang Ling had firmly opposed eating cake at Deyuelou earlier, insisting that it be eaten when they went to sing karaoke. She felt that a karaoke room was a better place to cut a cake and make a wish than a hotel. So, the group booked a small private room and rushed in excitedly.
After the beer and fruit platter were served, Jiang Ling'er took on the role of host, turning off the main lights and leaving only two small wall lamps on. "First of all! Please welcome our little birthday star!" she said, drawing out the last syllable, which made everyone laugh.
Li Jia and Hai Mingyue placed two thicker candles on the cake, then lit them with a lighter. Jiang Ling'er then raised the microphone and announced, "Okay! Now let's sing 'Happy Birthday'! Xiao Tong, get ready to make a wish! Okay, ready... begin! Happy Birthday to you..."
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Li Xiaotong, whose face was full of happiness. Li Xiaotong made a wish amidst everyone's blessings. When the song stopped, Li Xiaotong blew out the candles in one breath. As the candles went out, it marked the end of Li Xiaotong's nineteenth year. From now on, she has grown another year older.
"Let's cut the cake! We've been waiting for ages! Hehe!" Jiang Ling said, putting the microphone aside and taking a plastic knife from the cake packaging, handing it to Li Xiaotong.
While they were eating cake, the door to the private room opened, and a young waiter walked in. "Hello! Since there's a birthday celebration here today, we're giving everyone a complimentary cup of our newest drink, 'Ice Wave,' and a set of eighteen free birthday photos. If you'd like, our photographer will come in right away to take your picture. What do you think?" He then told Li Jia and the others that the photos would arrive in about an hour.
The next part was karaoke time. Li Jia and the others sang one song after another in the private room. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the printed photos were delivered.
The photos were placed in a pretty little paper bag. Li Feng and the others took them out and looked at them one by one. Finally, they handed all the photos to Li Xiaotong. "Take them, so you can have some beautiful memories for the future!" Li Jia said with a smile.
Finally, after two hours, everyone was too tired to sing anymore and got up to leave the KTV. At the entrance, Li Xiaotong stood in front of everyone and thought for a moment before saying, "I'd like to have a private chat with Brother Li for a while. Sister Jiang, you guys can take Teacher Hai's car back first, okay?"
Everyone looked at Li Jia, then nodded. Jiang Ling, Li Yan, and Li Xiaoqing got into Hai Mingyue's car and left.
"Brother Li, let's take a walk, and we can come back to drive later." After Li Xiaotong finished speaking, he walked down the steps in front of the KTV. Li Feng didn't say anything, but just followed behind.
"Brother Li, is what you said today true?" Li Xiaotong stopped and turned around to ask softly.
"Yes, of course it's true. I, Li Jia, always keep my word," Li Jia said confidently to Li Xiaotong. "Tell Brother Li what you wished for? What was it?"
"Well... I hope... our... eldest brother... can... come back soon... I know this wish is hard to fulfill, so I hope Brother Li can be like you said, 'You can be our dear eldest brother!'"
"Don't worry, I can do it! Trust Brother Li!" Li Jia's eyes shone with determination after hearing this.
However, at this blissful moment, a discordant voice rang out behind them.
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