By the fourth time Sang Zhi appeared in front of Duan Jiaxu, the shopping cart was already half full, and most of the items were things she had chosen. He placed a box of chicken wings he had just picked up into the cart and casually remarked, “Are you planning to move into my house?”
Sang Zhi choked a little. “I’m buying these for you.”
Duan Jiaxu took the jelly from her hand. “You’re buying this for me?”
”When you have cravings, you can eat these. And if you don’t eat them, you can leave them be. I’ll eat them when I have time.” Sang Zhi boldly said, “I like these too, so they won’t go to waste.”
Duan Jiaxu laughed out loud. “You do?”
”What’s up?” Sang Zhi retorted with a mix of frustration and determination. “I’ve never seen you eat snacks or know what you like, so I can only get what I like.”
Duan Jiaxu lowered his gaze, surveyed the cart, and commented, “These are things a young girl would eat.”
Sang Zhi stayed quiet for a couple of seconds and reluctantly said, “Then I’ll put them back.”
Duan Jiaxu pushed the cart and headed towards the vegetable section. “Why put them back?”
Sang Zhi followed him like a little tail and muttered, “Didn’t you just say these are things a young girl would eat?”
Duan Jiaxu calmly responded, “Yes, and coincidentally, I have one at home.”
Sang Zhi blinked. Her steps momentarily halted, and her ears felt oddly warm. Quickly, she caught up with him. She didn’t go back to the snack aisle; instead, she joined Duan Jiaxu in selecting vegetables.
Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow and asked her, “Are you not getting snacks anymore?”
Sang Zhi: “I don’t need anything.”
”Are you ready to check out then?”
”Yeah.”
Sang Zhi looked at the items in the cart and asked, “Jiaxu-ge, do you know how to cook?”
Duan Jiaxu: “A little.”
Sang Zhi pondered for a moment and said, “I’ll make you some longevity noodles later.”
”Do you know how to cook that?”
”…” Sang Zhi innocently replied, “You just need to boil water and throw the noodles in, isn’t that enough?”
Duan Jiaxu’s brow twitched: “Would that taste good?”
”It’s more of a ritual than about taste.” Sang Zhi thought she had a valid point. She turned and walked in another direction. “You go queue up; I’ll get the longevity noodles.”
”…”
After leaving the supermarket, the two of them returned to Duan Jiaxu’s place.
Worried about the cake spoiling, Sang Zhi quickly placed the cake box in the refrigerator after changing into indoor slippers. Duan Jiaxu organized the recently purchased items and then went into the kitchen to wash rice and cook.
Sang Zhi followed to help.
Duan Jiaxu: “Are you hungry?”
Sang Zhi shook her head: “Not really.”
Duan Jiaxu washed a box of cherry tomatoes, stuffed one into her mouth, and handed her the fruit plate: “Hold onto this, go outside and watch TV for a while.”
Sang Zhi declined, “I want to make the longevity noodles for you.”
She took out her phone, searched for a recipe online, and continued, “You do your thing. Don’t worry about me.”
”…”
Staring at her earnest appearance, Duan Jiaxu didn’t stop her again, and he couldn’t help but smile.
Both of them worked on their tasks. Sang Zhi occupied the kitchen’s induction cooker, occasionally using the chopping board and knife. Whenever Duan Jiaxu tried to help, she would shoo him away, clearly displeased.
Cooking the noodles didn’t take long, but Sang Zhi had never cooked before in her life. She hesitated, even when cutting vegetables, fearing she might cut herself on this auspicious day.
By the time the rice was ready, Duan Jiaxu had finished preparing three dishes and a soup. Sang Zhi, looking quite disheveled, managed to complete a bowl of longevity noodles that didn’t seem very appetizing.
Sang Zhi herself hadn’t tasted the noodles and nervously placed the bowl in front of Duan Jiaxu.
Duan Jiaxu’s eyes curved slightly: “I’ve set up the rice, go ahead and eat.”
Sang Zhi couldn’t imagine the taste of the noodles. She hesitated and said, “You shouldn’t eat this noodles, let’s just treat it as a ritual. You know, I heard from my classmate that people seem to make and eat this on birthdays…”
Duan Jiaxu gently said, “I’ll give it a try. If it’s not good, I won’t eat it. Is that okay?”
Sang Zhi sat down on a chair and reluctantly agreed, “Okay.”
The small living room was illuminated by cold white light, creating an incredibly warm atmosphere.
Sang Zhi took a bite of her rice, her gaze fixed on Duan Jiaxu, eager to see his expression after tasting the noodles. She watched as he picked up the noodles and delicately chewed on them.
His expression didn’t change much.
After a moment, Duan Jiaxu smiled and said, “It’s actually quite tasty.”
Sang Zhi didn’t fully believe him and questioned, “Really?”
Duan Jiaxu responded with a simple “Mm.”
Sang Zhi: “Then I’ll try a bite too.”
Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow: “An indirect kiss?”
”…” Sang Zhi struggled to find the rig.t words, “I’ll use a new pair of chopsticks.”
”No,” Duan Jiaxu gently refused, “Don’t take advantage of Gege.”
”…”
After the meal, Sang Zhi took the cake out of the refrigerator. She unwrapped the packaging containing the candles and said with a smile, “Jiaxu-ge, take the cake out yourself. There’s a dedication on top.”
Duan Jiaxu pulled out the cake and read aloud, “Wishing a happy 26th birthday to Duan Jiaxu.”
Sang Zhi blinked: “I even asked the store clerk for an extra pack of candles.”
”Oh, right.” She picked up another plastic bag. “This store also gave out birthday hats. Put one on.”
Duan Jiaxu chuckled: “What’s this?”
Sang Zhi glanced at him and placed it on his head: “This shape looks like a crown, so you can be ‘Queen Duan’ today.”
”Hmm?” Duan Jiaxu laughed and continued, “Why not ‘Princess Duan’?”
Sang Zhi teased him, “At your age, how can you be a princess?”
The cake already had the three characters “twenty-six” written on it, and Sang Zhi didn’t insist on putting twenty-six candles. She lit the candles, sang the birthday song to him according to the tradition, and then said seriously, “Make a wish.”
Duan Jiaxu thought for a moment and softly said, “I hope next year will stay the same.”
He then blew out the candles.
Before Sang Zhi could react, everything went dark in front of her, “The same next year? What does that mean?”
Duan Jiaxu stood up and turned on the light lazily. “Next year, you will also come to celebrate my birthday.”
”What kind of wish is that? I can’t just pretend I don’t know your birthday.” Sang Zhi found his wish somewhat inexplicable and handed him the prepared gift. “Here’s your gift.”
Duan Jiaxu took it, his peach blossom eyes lifting: “Thank you.”
Peek-Aboo 
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