Chapter 57: Happy Birthday

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Happy Birthday

The cake melted in her mouth, dense without being greasy. The tiny white decorations on top were soft and sweet. A wondrous sensation exploded across her taste buds, and Cheng Xue’s eyes instantly widened.

"This... this is way too delicious!" she thought. "Boohoo, how can there be someone so incredibly skilled in this world!"

Cheng Xue’s tears and drool threatened to fall simultaneously. Abruptly switching sides, she spoke up indignantly on Deng Yuyuan’s behalf. "You’re the child’s father, and you make ten yuan a month in salary. Why haven’t you been paying child support?"

"I... I have to give my mother six yuan every month, and sometimes I have to buy gifts for my nephew," Zhang Jiahua replied with a bitter smile. He figured that only by placating his family could he keep them from making trouble for Deng Yuyuan.

At that moment, any lingering trace of Cheng Xue’s unspoken affection for Zhang Jiahua completely vanished into thin air.

Back at the Agricultural Research Institute, she had only seen his merits. He appeared honest and kind, possessed handsome features, and was hardworking, capable, filial, and gentle. He was devoted in love, too. When she had previously hinted at her feelings for him—offering him a shortcut to a better life—he had turned her down, confessing that he had not yet moved on from his ex-wife.

His rejection had perversely made the old Cheng Xue admire him even more and piqued her curiosity about this ex-wife he kept mentioning. That was why, upon learning that Zhang Jiahua was returning to Dazhang Village, she had fabricated an excuse about needing inspiration for a new research project just to follow him here.

She had never expected the Zhang family to play her for a fool!

"Boohoo, I really ran right up to the woman herself to play the clown like a total idiot," Cheng Xue thought. "She didn’t hold it against me, and she even gave me a cupcake. This is the first time in my life eating this thing called ’cake.’ I don’t know where it’s a specialty from, but it’s really so delicious, boohoo."

Zhang Jiahua sounded so affectionate, but it turned out he hadn’t given his ex-wife a single cent. Her mother had once told her that a man spent his money wherever his heart truly lay.

Zhang Jiahua didn’t love his wife and daughter at all; he just used them for lip service.

At this thought, Cheng Xue had the urge to rip Zhang Jiahua’s mouth right off. "So you withhold your money, yet you babble about them every single day. Aren’t you intentionally ruining Deng Yuyuan’s reputation? How can you be so venomous?"

As soon as she said this, the neighbors looked at her in a completely different light.

Feeling deeply betrayed in love, Cheng Xue noticed the neighbors pooling their resources to place a basket of eggs at the entrance of the Knowledge Youth Institute.

"This thing called a ’cake’ must be made out of eggs," one of the neighbors said. "Eggs are precious, so we can’t just take hers for free. She might be well-off now, but she’s still a widow raising a child on her own. There’s no way her life is easy."

The neighbors were genuinely thinking of Deng Yuyuan. Although they had initially felt a pang of sour jealousy upon discovering the newfound wealth of the youths at the Knowledge Youth Institute, Deng Yuyuan was simply too good at handling people. Whenever she had extra goodies, she would share a bit with them. Eating her food and taking her gifts made them feel indebted. Instead of envy, they found themselves feeling sympathetic toward her—a wealthy woman who lived so cautiously, constantly trying to please her neighbors.

Cheng Xue thought this made perfect sense. Since she didn’t have any eggs, she fished one yuan out of her pocket and tossed it into the basket.

After making her contribution, she held her hand out to Zhang Jiahua. "Money. You need to chip in too."

"I made an agreement with Yu Yuan," Zhang Jiahua argued. "I’m supposed to pay the child support at the end of the year, handing over the entire year’s amount all at once."

Cheng Xue stared at Zhang Jiahua for a long moment, truly baffled. "Zhang Jiahua, when we were at the Agricultural Research Institute, I don’t recall your skin being this thick. You and Granny Zhang lied to me. Not only did you hurt me, but you also hurt Deng Yuyuan. It’s perfectly normal for you to pay some compensation. And don’t even think about rolling this compensation into your child support."

Since Zhang Jiahua hadn’t brought that much money with him, Cheng Xue fronted the cash, telling him to just pay her back when they returned. She advanced two yuan on the spot.

This little interlude didn’t dampen the joyous atmosphere at the Knowledge Youth Institute. Thanks to her three-yuan contribution, the youths’ impression of Cheng Xue immediately underwent a complete reversal. She was just an impulsive, hot-headed young girl who wasn’t bad at heart, and she had even scolded Zhang Jiahua on their behalf.

The next day, after lunch, Deng Yuyuan busied herself in the kitchen, taking charge of that evening’s dinner.

There were two simple yet large cream cakes, made purely of white frosting and sponge cake, decorated with fruits. They were served alongside braised pork, sweet and sour fish, stir-fried napa cabbage, and the original owner’s absolute favorite: minced pork mixed with rice.

In the center of the dining table sat a small wooden tablet adorned with a delicate floral wreath. A large cake was placed in front of Deng Yuyuan, and another large cake sat in front of the tablet.

The educated youths couldn’t help but feel that the wooden tablet closely resembled a memorial tablet, yet there were no characters carved into it. Regardless, today was Deng Yuyuan’s birthday. As long as she was happy, nothing else mattered. Perhaps it was a traditional birthday custom from her hometown.

It was just that they hadn’t expected to be caught so completely off guard! They only found out it was Deng Yuyuan’s birthday during dinner, meaning they hadn’t prepared any gifts whatsoever. The countryside didn’t have a tradition of celebrating birthdays; everyone was too busy making a living, reserving grand celebrations solely for the agricultural festivals.

"We’re so close that giving gifts would actually make us feel distant," Deng Yuyuan explained with a beaming smile, her eyes curving into crescents. "I just wanted us to have a lively time together."

She proceeded to cut the cakes. She and the little wooden tablet each received a slice from the center, while everyone else got large triangular slices. Since Gou Ya was just recovering from her stomach ailment, her portion remained the same as the previous day’s.

"Careful, they might think there’s something wrong with your head," the AI customer service warned in her mind.

"They won’t. They like me, so no matter how baffling my actions are, they’ll only find me endearing," Deng Yuyuan replied mentally. She was very self-aware and possessed a solidly high sense of self-worth.

Once the meal was over, the youths sliced up the remaining cake and distributed it to the neighbors so everyone could share in the festive joy. But most importantly, it was an excuse for everyone to wish Deng Yuyuan a happy birthday together.

The only "victim" in all of this was Tuantuan, who still had tears pooling in her eyes. Deng Yuyuan used a chopstick to dab a little cream onto the toddler’s lips. The little girl wiggled her bottom and cradled her chubby cheeks, happily savoring the sweet taste.

"You could have at least cooked a bowl of longevity noodles for Tuantuan," the AI smart customer service chimed in, its metaphorical heart aching for the baby. To let the poor child watch helplessly from the sidelines and drool... even her milk bottle couldn’t staunch the flow of saliva!

Fine. Deng Yuyuan bore the task without complaint. She cooked two noodles—one very long, and one very short.

The short one was fed into Tuantuan’s mouth. The long one was offered to the small wooden tablet before quietly being returned to the embrace of Mother Earth.

"...I was just making a casual suggestion. You’re the birthday girl too, you know," the AI muttered in her mind.

Suddenly, the farming game system interface popped up. A new item had appeared in one of the inventory slots.

[Super Talisman: A 23rd/29th birthday gift from the AI customer service to the player. It cost 90% of its savings and contains the customer service’s apologies and hopes. It can block one disaster, including the backlash of the female lead’s good fortune.]

Deng Yuyuan raised her head and gazed up at the starry sky. A slightly chilly wind rustled the tips of her hair, and a feather-light coldness landed softly between her brows.

It was snowing.

A timely snow promises a bountiful harvest. Deng Yuyuan’s round, slightly upturned dark eyes curved into a smile. Sure enough, she really was a person blessed with good fortune. Her birthday had coincided with a wonderful omen.

Happy birthday, Deng Yuyuan 1.0.

Happy birthday, Deng Yuyuan 2.0.

A bespectacled male educated youth stood under the eaves, hidden in a dark corner impenetrable by the moonlight. Like a phantom, he silently watched her reach out to catch the falling snow.