Chapter 943: Qiuqiu's Birthday

Interlude.

October 16th is Mu Qiu’s birthday. Last year, she flew to the United States to celebrate with Zhao Yu (as mentioned in a previous interlude), but this year she didn’t plan to fly over again.

However, she didn’t spend it alone with Cheng Zhirang either.

She returned to Yun City a day early, without discussing it with her parents in advance, but once she got home, she found that the house was already stocked with lots of her favorite foods, and the aroma in the living room was delightful. Yuan Chun’s voice came from the kitchen.

“If you’re back, come help. Did you buy the red peppers and ribs? I’ve already fried the crispy meat… never mind, call your daughter and ask if she’s planning to celebrate with Zhao Yu, or if she wants to go out somewhere with Xiao Cheng. I heard her talking about wanting to travel.”

She closed the door behind her and called out, “Mom.”

Yuan Chun paused, then rushed out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, but her eyes stayed fixed on her: “Why are you back? Where’s Xiao Cheng? Didn’t come with you? You’re back just in time; we made your favorite dishes.”

Mu Qiu put down her bag and went over, peeking into the kitchen like she did when she was little, stretching her neck to look into the pot: “The crispy meat is all fried? Is Dad out buying groceries?”

“He just finished class and went to buy ribs and red peppers. Aren’t those your favorites?”

Yuan Chun visibly brightened and turned back to the kitchen, but kept talking.

“What made you come back? Haven’t you been celebrating with Zhao Yu these past few years? Her birthday is just tomorrow.”

“Celebrating together so many times became boring, and besides, she’s quite busy in the United States.”

Yuan Chun asked again, “Then what about Xiao Cheng? You’re already married, aren’t you supposed to stay home and celebrate with him? Why didn’t he come back? Is he working?”

Although the questions kept coming, Mu Qiu answered each one: “He’s working, I called him, and he might come back when he’s done. I might be married, but that doesn’t stop me from coming back home.”

It’s funny how the moments in life where she felt a bit more at ease with her parents were in her childhood and after marriage.

In between those periods, it seemed like she didn’t know how to love, and those who were loved hadn’t learned how to love their family in return.

It was a shame to waste so much time like that.

The sound of a key in the door was heard, and Mu Zhi came in and looked stunned.

He swapped the groceries to the other hand, a smile spreading on his face: “What brought you back? Xiao Cheng didn’t come with you? Did you have a fight?”

Mu Qiu went over to take the groceries: “We didn’t fight. He’s working, and he might come back tonight or tomorrow morning. Dad, if I hadn’t come back, could you finish all this food you bought?”

“If we couldn’t finish it, should we make less? Anyway, you’re back, right? You’re sure you didn’t have a fight?”

She reassured him again: “We really didn’t fight. If you don’t believe me, you can call him.”

Mu Zhi reluctantly believed her and truly brightened up, heading into the kitchen to help out.

“Your mom’s already fried the crispy meat, take it easy on eating; we have to save some for tonight. How do you want the ribs? In a soup?”

“Soup.”

Father and daughter both said the same word simultaneously, then Mu Qiu smiled: “Just like the one mom makes every year, peanut lotus root rib soup. I’ve been craving it a lot.”

“Okay.”

A dinner that was meant to be sumptuous became even more so.

Cheng Zhirang arrived just as dinner was wrapping up, looking travel-worn, his mask, sunglasses, and hat all still on.

“Qiuqiu. Mom, Dad.”

Yuan Chun immediately went to the kitchen to grab a set of dishes and chopsticks: “Come on, sit down and eat. If work was busy, you could’ve come back tomorrow. There was no need to fly in so late.”

Cheng Zhirang took off his jacket, hat, mask, and sunglasses, and sat next to Mu Qiu, speaking warmly: “It’s okay, Mom. Today’s work was unexpected. I was initially supposed to come back with Qiuqiu.”

Mu Qiu served him some soup: “Have some.”

Cheng Zhirang gave her a look, his hand under the table tightly clasping hers, placing it on his lap.

Fortunately, Mu Qiu had almost finished eating, otherwise using her left hand to hold the chopsticks would’ve easily given away that they were holding hands under the table.

Cheng Zhirang’s dining etiquette was still elegant, but he didn’t eat slowly. After having a few drinks with Mr. Mu, he put down his chopsticks.

Then, rolling up his sleeves, he stood up to clear the dishes.

Mu Qiu had gotten a dishwasher for the house, so his task wasn’t about washing dishes to show effort but merely loading them into the dishwasher.

“Mom, let me do it.”

He addressed her parents more smoothly and naturally than she did.

Every time she watched him blend seamlessly into her parents’ lives with the charm of a diligent worker, Mu Qiu found it incredible.

A couple of years ago, she definitely wouldn’t have believed that one day a famous celebrity would be working meticulously, like a clockwork professional, wiping down their table.

This famous celebrity would even occasionally discuss with her dad how to make the soup clearer and free of oil slicks.

It’s quite surreal.

After dinner, they didn’t go out for a stroll, mainly because Cheng Zhirang’s fame made it easy for fans to recognize him, leading to potential crowding. Except for winter evenings, they rarely went out for casual walks.

With no strolling around, they spent their time in the room — this year, they were sleeping in the same bed, having officially tied the knot.

Though Mu Zhi often disliked this around bedtime, he had no reason to stop them; he could only watch as his daughter pulled Cheng Zhirang into the room.

Once inside the room, Cheng Zhirang spoke first, apologizing before she could say anything.

“Sorry, Qiuqiu, I didn’t expect this work to come up so suddenly. Originally, I planned to take you on a trip to the United States, so you could celebrate with Zhao Yu…”

Mu Qiu sat on the bed, waving her hand dismissively: “I never said it’s your fault. Besides, this year I really didn’t feel like going to the United States to find Zhao Yu. She’s busy, too. It’s nice to come home and see my parents. When I got back, I found they had bought a lot of my favorite foods.”

Cheng Zhirang walked over, gently caressing her hair, letting her wrap her arms around his waist, her head resting on his stomach.

“Then stay home for a few more days; your parents will be very happy. And leave before you start to feel conflicted and unhappy?”

Every time she returned home, she struggled with conflicting emotions — unwilling to leave her parents, but after staying a few days, she would feel overwhelmed by the contradictions in their relationship.

It’s a cycle he had gotten used to.

Mu Qiu nodded sulkily: “Okay. Have you taken care of your work?”

“Yes, there’s nothing scheduled for the next few days. Where would you like to go on a date tomorrow?”

Mu Qiu hesitated, resting her chin on his lower abdomen, looking up at him: “A date?”

“Tomorrow’s your birthday. How would you like to celebrate? I’ve prepared a gift and made restaurant reservations nearby. But I thought, maybe you’d prefer to plan the entire day yourself. I can fit into any plan, maybe even as a key part of it?”

She liked hearing that.

She indeed had her own ideas and had already planned to recreate a “birthday party” she and her friends used to play, this time with him.