Actually, although it was a familiar courtyard, the once simple and ordinary space had long since changed its appearance during this time.
Vermilion gates and high walls with green tiles replaced the former wooden fence.
In front of the entrance stood a pair of stone lions, guarding the home with a majestic air.
Stepping into the courtyard, the stone bricks on the ground had all been replaced with expensive blue-gray stone tiles.
They featured elegant patterns and faintly shimmered with the light of gathered spiritual energy.
The few plain rooms had also completely transformed. Their eaves curved upward as if ready to take flight, looking grand and domineering, with massive Night Pearls embedded in the corners.
Meticulously pruned potted plants were scattered throughout the yard, and a small pond bubbled with spring water.
Even the large locust tree, which was about to lose all its leaves in late autumn, had been tied with many red silk ribbons. They swayed gently in the wind, looking exceptionally festive.
— There was no doubt, these were naturally Hua Yan’s handiwork.
“I don’t know where that mother of yours has run off to. She hasn’t shown her face all day.”
Hua Yan muttered under her breath while leading Hua Xiangrong into the courtyard.
“Come on. Let’s put your candy in the room first, and then I’ll take you to do your lessons for today.”
“Okay! Mother, after I finish my lessons, can we go to Chengxing Cliff to see the stars?”
The pink-haired little girl shook her hand and pleaded in a soft voice.
“We can,” Hua Yan nodded.
Chengxing Cliff was near the summit of Mianyun Peak, directly facing the Wanqing Great Marsh of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect.
She had heard Yun Xuechang mention that when she first reached the Foundation Building stage and was learning Sword Kinesis, her Master had thrown her directly off this cliff — fortunately, she finally learned how to rise into the air just before hitting the ground.
“Yay!”
Hua Xiangrong cheered, hugged her bag of candy, and ran into the house.
……
It was already night, and the moon was out, yet that fellow Yun Xuechang actually hadn’t returned.
As the night grew heavy, Hua Yan followed the skipping Hua Xiangrong toward Chengxing Cliff, unable to stop herself from grumbling internally.
The two of them passed through a forest of rustling fallen leaves and arrived at the edge of Chengxing Cliff.
The view suddenly opened up. The night sky was crowded with stars, and the Milky Way stretched across the heavens like a ribbon of silk.
A bright, clear moon hung high in the sky, reflecting on the vast surface of the lake below the cliff.
The water and sky mirrored each other, shimmering with clear light.
An occasional mountain breeze blew past, carrying the crisp chill of a late autumn night along with the damp freshness of the lake water, which was truly refreshing.
‘Hmm, it really is a good place.’
Hua Yan stood at the edge of the cliff with her arms crossed, nodding slightly as she looked at the scenery.
Suddenly, just as she and the girl beside her looked up at the starry sky together, streaks of brilliant fire shot into the night sky.
They burst among the stars, turning into a sky full of flowing colors that actually formed several clear, large characters:
“Happy Birthday, Hua Yan!”
At the same time, an ethereal and clear voice sounded behind her, singing a simple, bright, yet unfamiliar tune:
“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~”
Hua Yan suddenly turned around.
Under the moonlight, that elegant figure with white hair and white clothes had appeared behind her at some unknown time.
She held a round, snow-white cake in her hands, topped with one thin, long candle. The candlelight flickered, illuminating her smiling eyes.
Several mechanical birds carrying colorful banners also fluttered into the air, circling and scattering ribbons — red, pink, and blue — that danced in the night wind.
“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~”
Hua Xiangrong, standing beside her, also began to clap and sing. The child’s tender voice combined with the young woman’s ethereal voice, drifting slowly across the cliff.
“This… this is…”
Hua Yan stared blankly at Yun Xuechang, who had been missing all day, gazing at her smiling eyes in the moonlight. For a moment, she felt a bit dazed.
“This? This is a ‘cake’.”
Yun Xuechang lifted the round white pastry in her hand and explained softly:
“Rongrong read about it in a storybook — she said there is a mysterious Secret Realm where people make this kind of pastry for their friends and family on their birthdays. They insert candles and let the birthday person blow them out while making a wish. I thought the custom was beautiful, so I tried to make it according to the method Rongrong described.”
Fearing the other woman might worry about the taste, she added, “When I was making it, I even asked the pastry master in the town at the foot of the mountain to help with the proportions of the ingredients. This shouldn’t… taste bad.”
“No, that’s not what I was asking…” Hua Yan shook her head, her voice still a bit hesitant.
“Does Mother want to ask about the song we sang?”
Hua Xiangrong looked up and chimed in:
“Little Pomegranate taught me! She said it’s the song her Rabbit Demon tribe sings during birthdays.”
She then pointed toward the lake.
“I bought the fireworks on the lake from Master! I used up all the stock I had saved. Mother, you have to buy me some more later, okay?”
“No…”
Hua Yan looked down at her chattering daughter, then raised her eyes to look at Yun Xuechang, who was holding the cake with a smile in her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat for some reason.
“So, you were gone all day… just to prepare this?”
“Yes,” Yun Xuechang nodded, the candlelight shimmering slightly in her eyes.
“Actually, it was Rongrong’s idea. She said she wanted to give you a surprise. I have never made this pastry before. Although I’ve learned a bit lately, I still spent the whole afternoon trying to make it, choosing the one that looked the best. After that, I went to the lakeside to set up Rongrong’s fireworks and placed the mechanical birds on the cliff. That’s why I was busy all day and didn’t have time to return to the peak.”
She stepped forward and offered the cake in her hands, her voice gentle.
“Yan’er, do you like the surprise Rongrong and I prepared for you?”
“I…”
Hua Yan was speechless for a moment.
From childhood to adulthood, every time her birthday arrived, her grandmother would always cook a bowl of longevity noodles for her and give her several valuable gifts.
If it was a milestone year, The Valley would hold a grand banquet, making it incredibly lively.
But for some reason, at this moment, she felt that all the excitement of the past probably couldn’t compare to this simple but thoughtful surprise.
Her heart pounded, as if something soft was overflowing within her.
“I… I’m somewhat satisfied… You two did… a decent job…”
Hua Yan turned her head away, speaking stubbornly, but the blush quietly rising on her face and the smile she couldn’t hide at the corners of her mouth had already completely exposed the joy in her heart.
“Mother, it’s time to blow out the candle and make a wish!”
Hua Xiangrong reminded her in a crisp voice from the side.
Oh, right. She heard from Xuechang that before eating this cake, she had to make a wish. This was a bit like praying to a deity for blessings.
‘Is this thing called “cake” some kind of traditional offering from a rare religion?’
Thinking this, Hua Yan closed her eyes, pressed her palms together, and earnestly made a wish to the Cake Deity.
‘I wish…’
She quietly opened one eye slightly to look at the white-haired fairy smiling shallowly in the candlelight, then looked at the small pink-haired figure beside her.
‘I wish we could… keep being happy like this.’
……
“The taste of your cake was actually quite good. But can it be made and eaten even when it isn’t a birthday?”
In the bedroom, Hua Yan reclined against the headboard, asking Yun Xuechang with a smile.
“Of course it can. Just like sweet rice balls, they aren’t only for the Lantern Festival. You can make them whenever you want to eat them.”
Yun Xuechang nodded, turned around to get into bed, and said softly:
“If Yan’er likes it, I can make it for you often in the future. Next time I can add some sliced fruit; the taste should be even more different.”
“Alright, then let me watch you make it next time. There’s no need to go down the mountain to find a pastry master; I can just learn along with you.”
Hua Yan responded, then waved at Hua Xiangrong, who was still standing by the bed clutching an embroidered pillow.
“Girl, why are you standing there like a fool? Hurry up and get into bed to sleep.”
“No need, Mother.”
Hua Xiangrong shook her little head and said with a serious face:
“Today you are another year older, you’re an adult! Rongrong thinks you and Mama don’t need me to sleep with you anymore.”
She puffed out her chest and announced solemnly:
“From today on, I’m going to sleep by myself!”
Hua Yan: ?
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