Chapter 136 Birthday Gift
Shi Xiaoai only felt her palms getting warm, and when she looked down, she found that Cheng Yang had stuffed two boiled eggs in her heart.
I don't know where he got it from, it's still warm.
"You still remember it, I had forgotten it myself." She said with a smile.
Cheng Yang reached out and touched her hair, then smiled and said, "How could I possibly forget my wife's birthday? Hurry up and get up. I've asked the restaurant to cook longevity noodles for us."
This guesthouse has a restaurant, but in a city like Qin, which is famous for its diverse cuisine, no one would want to eat the big pot dishes prepared in the restaurant.
So, Xiao Ai and the others didn’t go yesterday.
But it's okay to come and have breakfast.
Shi Xiaoai and the others got up a little late. When they arrived at the restaurant, most people had already eaten breakfast and left, and there were only a few people in the restaurant.
Cheng Yang went to the window and gave instructions, and soon someone brought over five bowls of noodles.
The noodles were silver thread noodles with a golden fried egg on top.
In addition, it is topped with a topping made of chopped yellow fungus, carrots and diced meat, which smells fragrant and whets the appetite.
Although eating such a bowl of noodles so early in the morning was a bit too much, everyone finished it and even drank up the noodle soup.
The little ones obviously already knew about Shi Xiaoai's birthday. Mingrui and Mingxi rushed over and hugged their mother and kissed her hard. Kaikai also shyly said "Happy Birthday" in English.
Originally, Xiao Ai hadn't thought about telling everyone about her birthday, but after Cheng Yang made such a fuss, everyone soon knew about it.
As soon as they returned to the room, people kept knocking on the door. They were all Cheng Yang's comrades-in-arms and their families, all coming to wish Shi Xiaoai a happy birthday.
Of course, there were also people clamoring to treat their family to lunch at noon to celebrate Shi Xiaoai's birthday.
Cheng Yang refused the idea of celebrating his birthday.
He also took the opportunity to suggest that he would take his family out for a walk today and not come back for lunch or dinner.
No one opposed his proposal.
After all, coming here to get together with comrades is one reason, and some people also have the same purpose as Cheng Yang, which is to bring their wives and children out for a walk and treat it as a trip.
According to the previous plan, after dinner they went to visit the most famous museum in Qin City.
Qinshi is a famous historical city, and this museum is very famous, displaying many national treasures.
Several of them are mentioned in elementary school textbooks.
It is a rare opportunity to come out, and Shi Xiaoai hopes that the children can see it with their own eyes, understand how exquisite the things left by their ancestors are, and at the same time receive some cultural influence.
This museum is completely different from the one Xiao Ai came here in her previous life. It has not been renovated yet and looks very old.
Moreover, it is probably not like later generations. People now pay more attention to children's education, and even during the summer vacation, museums are not crowded.
There were basically no tourists in several halls, and they were probably the only family from outside the area.
The downside of this is that the children become very restrained and even have difficulty walking because it is so quiet.
Although Shi Xiaoai had some knowledge of these cultural relics, it was still a bit difficult for her to tell them to the children, so she simply asked Cheng Yang to find a tour guide.
Shi Xiaoai originally thought that finding a tour guide would be easy, and that she could just pay him a fee. However, she didn't expect that the present and the future were completely different. Nowadays, not everyone can find a tour guide.
A letter of introduction is required, and an appointment must be made in advance.
The reservations for lectures are usually for collective activities organized by the unit, or for leaders to come for inspection.
The museum has never encountered a situation like Shi Xiaoai and others who privately requested to find a specialist to explain the situation.
In the end, Cheng Yang took out his military officer certificate and said a lot of nice things, and the other party sent a tour guide.
But this also has its advantages. Not only do you not have to pay, but the guides are really professional and can tell you everything about the cultural relics on display.
And it can be extended to many other things, including various ancient legends and folk anecdotes, which are interesting and well-reasoned.
After this round, not only were the children fascinated by the lecture, but Shi Xiaoai also felt that she benefited a lot.
After leaving the museum, they went to the park separated by a wall.
This park is also a scenic spot in Qin City, mainly because it has a large artificial lake.
There is also a small island in the lake which was built with the soil from dredging the lake, and the island is planted with willow trees.
It is summer now, and there is a cool breeze by the lake. The lake is full of cruise ships, and there are comfortable tourists sitting on the cruise ships. It is indeed a good place for leisure and entertainment.
Children love playing in the water the most, so Cheng Yang rented a pedal boat in the shape of a white swan.
This type of boat was still a novelty at the time, not even in Yuncheng Park. Several children scrambled to get a seat in the front pedal boat, even though their tiny feet couldn't reach the ground.
Shi Xiaoai didn't care about them. She just sat in the back and enjoyed herself with a smile, while they were making noise in the front.
Maybe it was because this family, with its handsome and good-looking adults and lively and cute children, was too conspicuous, and someone even came up to them with a camera and asked if they wanted to take a photo.
Shi Xiaoai and the others did not refuse and left some very memorable photos here.
It was already noon when they finished swimming in the lake. The children were tired, so they did not continue to swim. Instead, they called two human-powered tricycles to go back to where they lived.
Along the way, Shi Xiaoai chatted with the old man riding the tricycle, and then she learned that this kind of tricycle that can take tourists to visit the ancient city was only available this year.
They were not allowed to solicit customers before.
These laborers now have two ways to pick up customers at the park gate. One is to rent a car from the park, which is then managed by the park, and then they get a commission based on the distance traveled.
Another way is to buy a car yourself, register it with the park, and pay management fees to the park every month.
The old man was the first type. All the way he kept saying that if he worked hard for two years, he would buy his own car and register it in the park. That way he could make much more money than he does now.
The more Shi Xiaoai listened, the more she felt that this was exactly the most common business model when taxis first emerged in later generations.
I didn't expect that it originated in this way.
Although this trip to Qin City was only two days, Xiao Ai felt the changes in the country.
In addition, the management of individual businesses is becoming increasingly loose.
Although speculation and profiteering are still being strictly enforced on trains, why is it so? Isn't it because more and more people are willing to start small businesses?
The small vendors under the city wall, the bustling night market opposite the guesthouse, and the old man riding a tricycle all made Shi Xiaoai more confident about the future.
She has already started thinking about how to expand her business after returning.
Cheng Yang did not let the tricycle take them directly back to the guesthouse, but went to a restaurant.
You can tell from the door that this restaurant is an old brand, and the decoration is very elegant and simple.
When the group got off the bus, the three children were so tired that they were drowsy and began to stagger while standing.
Mingxi even slept in her father's arms without even opening her eyes.
Seeing the children like this, Shi Xiaoai couldn't help but complain: "Why would they just eat something casually? Why go to a restaurant at this time? They look so tired, who can eat?"
Cheng Yang was not angry at being complained about, and explained with a smile: "It's not that I insisted on coming, it was Qian Yingming who insisted on inviting me. He said many times that he wanted our two families to have a meal together, and he kept talking about it in Yuncheng.
My sister-in-law took her nephew back to her parents' home a few days ago, and she just came here last night. Today is your birthday, and he insisted on treating us, and I couldn't refuse.
When Xiao Ai heard him say that, she immediately became anxious.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier? At least you should have given me a heads-up. She even brought her child with her, and I'm completely unprepared. I should have at least given her a present!"
Hearing her say this, Cheng Yang immediately laughed.
He waved his hand: "Don't."
He glanced at the children who were still staring blankly. "They have only one child, but we have three. What will their sister-in-law do if you give her a gift?"
Shi Xiaoai thought about it and agreed, so she didn't mention it anymore and walked in with Cheng Yang and a few other children.
At this time, Qian Yingming and his wife Ding Ailan had already arrived. When they saw them, they immediately came out to greet them.
Ding Ailan looks like a very cheerful woman. She has short hair cut to her ears. She is not very tall, but she has a straight back and speaks in a clear and crisp manner.
Very similar to Qian Yingming's personality.
Their son Xiaoliu is only a little over two years old, which is the age when he is shy about strangers.
When he saw such a group of people coming in, he immediately hid timidly behind his mother, only secretly sticking his head out to look over here.
Mingrui and Mingxi were no longer sleepy when they saw the children.
They were also very generous and immediately took out the small windmill their father bought them at the park, as well as a small snake that would straighten its body when blown, and played with the other children.
Xiaoliu also liked these two brothers and sisters very much, and took out the candy given by his mother to share with them.
The three children soon found themselves playing together.
Kaikai is older now and definitely won’t play with a bunch of little kids, but he behaves like an adult and keeps an eye on the three little ones, giving them a few words of advice from time to time.
It gave my brother and sister-in-law some time to talk.
The restaurant Qian Yingming booked was a Northwestern Chinese restaurant. He attached great importance to it today and even ordered a roasted whole lamb!
Although it is just a little lamb, it is quite expensive. I estimate that this dish alone would cost dozens of dollars.
Seeing the dishes he ordered, Cheng Yang's face changed, and he immediately said, "Brother Qian, what are you doing? We are brothers and are like a family, why are you doing this? Why are you being so polite?"
Qian Yingming glared at him and said, "Who's being polite to you? Go away, get out of here. I'm here with your sister-in-law to celebrate your brother's birthday. You're just a freeloader. You have no right to speak."
This sentence made Cheng Yang stare blankly, not knowing how to respond.
Ding Ailan, who was standing next to her, slapped her man on the back and said to Cheng Yang, "Don't pay attention to him. You're not a talkative guy, don't you know?"
When Cheng Yang was hospitalized before, Ding Ailan sent him delicious food many times, and he respected his sister-in-law very much.
Hearing her say this, he laughed provocatively at Qian Yingming twice and stopped talking.
Ding Ailan looked at Shi Xiaoai again and said, "Xiaoai, your brother is a rough guy, please don't mind. But he is telling the truth. This time, my husband and I really want to thank you.
I heard from Lao Qian that you took good care of him when he was in Yuncheng, and you never forgot to send any delicious food from home to school.
To be honest, our Lao Qian's health was not good during those years he spent on the battlefield. What I worry about most when he goes to school is that he won't have enough to eat.
When he came back this time, I found that he not only didn't lose weight but also gained a little weight, which really comforted me.
It’s really thanks to you for taking care of me.”
Xiao Ai felt very ashamed when she heard Ding Ailan's words. She did often deliver food to the school, especially after Cheng Yang had established good relationships with the bus drivers. She wanted to ask them to deliver food several times a week.
But that was mainly because of their Cheng Yang, so Qian Yingjun was the one who was really following along.
Now that someone specifically brought her up to express their gratitude, she felt a little embarrassed.
But no matter what, with such a start and both parties being cheerful people, everyone was very happy with the meal.
Halfway through the meal, Ding Ailan became familiar with Shi Xiaoai, calling her "girl" in a very intimate manner.
After the meal, when everyone was full and ready to leave, Qian Yingming stopped them.
He touched Cheng Yang mysteriously and handed him a small handbag.
Shi Xiaoai didn't know what they were doing, and looked over there curiously.
Then Cheng Yang took out a gold and red satin handicraft box from her handbag.
She blinked, her heart suddenly beat inexplicably, and even her breathing slowed down a lot.
Cheng Yang picked up the box, handed it to Shi Xiaoai with a smile, and said to her, "It's a birthday present. Open it and see if you like it."
Shi Xiaoai looked at the brocade box, then looked at him, and suddenly she was a little hesitant to take action.
She glared at Cheng Yang in disapproval and said, "Buying random things again."
Cheng Yang didn't respond, but pushed the brocade box forward and gestured for her to open it again.
Everyone else was attracted by this scene, and a few children stopped playing and came over to watch the fun.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shi Xiaoai slowly untied the rope, opened the lid, and then a familiar purple clay teapot suddenly appeared in front of her!
It was the square teapot with a gold-painted landscape painting and a poem inscribed on it that she had seen in the antique shop yesterday!
Shi Xiaoai took a deep breath.
"The teapot! The teapot from yesterday!"
Before Xiao Ai could say anything, Mingxi jumped up first.
She ran over excitedly and hugged her mother's legs, trying hard to climb onto her legs, muttering, "This is the teapot we saw yesterday! I saw it first!"
Shi Xiaoai quickly pushed the teapot to the middle of the table, fearing that her daughter would knock it over. Then she looked at Cheng Yang and asked, "How do you know this?"
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