The Game of Life

The man who had just successfully confessed and escaped singlehood was in a magical state where everything in the world seemed beautiful, and he was inclined to believe whatever anyone said. Even if Jiang Feng gave Fang Zhuoyue a ring now and told him to propose to Huang Chenxuan with it, and she would definitely say yes, Fang Zhuoyue would believe it.

Wait, there actually was such a ring.

“Jiang Feng, could I ask if this restaurant accepts reservations?” Having paid for the meal, Fang Zhuoyue was ready to leave.

“Of course, reservations require a membership card, but I can make one for you,” Jiang Feng said.

“Would you mind helping me reserve this spot for next Saturday?” Fang Zhuoyue said, “Chenxuan is coming to Beiping to see a doctor next week.”

Jiang Feng couldn’t help but marvel; how long had it been since he became un-single? It had been less than an hour, and he was already calling her Chenxuan. The young people these days are indeed not reserved.

Fang Zhuoyue left Taifeng Building and returned to school. Although he had drunk a small glass of blueberry wine and felt a bit dizzy, his mind was still clear, and he could walk in a straight line. It was just after 8 p.m., and the sky wasn’t completely dark yet, so he had no problem walking back to school alone.

Taifeng Building both started and ended its evening business early. After returning to the kitchen, Jiang Feng helped out with wrapping up the work and took the chance to discuss the plan to have a hotpot dinner tomorrow night with the two senior masters.

“Tomorrow night? Let’s make it the day after; Taifeng Building is closed that day as we have a day off. I saw you took quite a few salted duck eggs today, and your grandma wants to eat rice dumplings again. It’s just the season for fresh bamboo leaves to be harvested, so I’ll ask your uncle to get some, and we can make dumplings and have hotpot the day after tomorrow,” Jiang Weiguo said.

“A day off the day after tomorrow?” Jiang Feng was surprised; he only wanted to enjoy the hotpot with the Duchang Bean Ginseng he received, and yet Sir was making such a big deal, going as far as giving all the staff a day off just for a few bags of ginseng.

“The day after tomorrow is Granduncle Weiming’s 99th birthday, haven’t I told you about it?” Jiang Weiguo said.

“Dad, you really didn’t tell us, I had no idea,” Jiang Jiankang had something to say.

Jiang Weiguo: …

Was San not disciplined enough as a child?

“Younger brother, there’s no need for this, it’s not a hundredth birthday celebration, it’s just 99, and it’s not even an actual age; why make such a fuss?” Jiang Weiming said with a smile, “At my age, there’s no point in celebrating birthdays.”

In recent years, Jiang Weiming had grown accustomed to spending his birthdays alone in the countryside quietly, which was no different from any other day, except that he would cook himself a bowl of longevity noodles in the morning.

“It won’t do, Uncle San, business can be done anytime, but a birthday only comes once a year; it naturally should be celebrated with joy and excitement,” Jiang Jiankang said.

The birthdays of the younger members of the Jiang Family could be low-key, but not the elders’. Although they didn’t get much to eat on Grandpa Jiang’s birthday and didn’t even get noodles, Jiang Jiankang and his four brothers would still eagerly gather precious and rare ingredients that they suspected Sir might like and deliver them to him in the countryside.

In previous years, because Sir stayed in the countryside and Jiang Jiankang and his brothers were not together, coupled with Sir’s disinterest in celebrating non-decade milestone birthdays with a big party, their birthdays were indeed casually marked.

But things were different now; everyone was together, and this year there had been one happy event after another. Of course, the elders’ birthdays should not be casually celebrated.

“That’s right, Granduncle, how can we be casual with a birthday? The day after tomorrow, each of us will make our best dishes for you, gather together to make dumplings and have hotpot. A 99th birthday should definitely be celebrated with joy and excitement,” Jiang Feng chimed in.

“Grandpa Jiang, I have been practicing carving watermelon fruit plates recently; I’ll carve a crane for you as a birthday gift the day after tomorrow,” Wu Minqi said with a smile.

“Master’s been researching a new spiced soup and has made some progress; I’ll prepare some for you to taste the day after tomorrow!” Jiang Weisheng said.

“Exactly, Master Jiang, birthdays should indeed be celebrated with joy and excitement. I’ve learned how to make longevity peaches at home, so I can make some for you the day after tomorrow,” Zhang Weiyu also joined in.

Sang Ming looked at him in surprise: “You know how to make longevity peaches?”

“I am a chopping board chef after all. Is there a problem with me knowing how to make longevity peaches?”

Sang Ming: ???

“Master Jiang, I’ll make a festive ‘Full House of Happiness’ dish for you the day after tomorrow.”

“Master Jiang, I…”

“Master Jiang…”

Everyone took turns speaking, and the entire kitchen buzzed with excitement as if it were already Jiang Weiming’s birthday.

Jiang Weiming hadn’t felt this kind of warmth for a long time.

It had been many years since anyone had celebrated his birthday.

It seemed as if no one remembered his birthday since his wife passed away.

“All right, let’s do as Feng suggests. We’ll take the day off after tomorrow to make zongzi and eat hotpot. I’ll have a lively birthday for once,” Jiang Weiming said with a smile, “I’ll personally cook the hotpot base.”

Jiang Feng: Σ(°△°|||)︴

After everyone had finished cleaning up the kitchen, they all left, each returning to their own home.

Jiang Feng actually got a rare chance to go back with the two elder gentlemen, who usually left earlier and didn’t stay until the very end.

“Grandpa, do people usually celebrate their hundredth birthday by their nominal age or their actual age?” Jiang Feng asked.

“By their nominal age, of course. Why do you ask?” Jiang Weiguo looked puzzled.

“Then next year, Granduncle Weiming will be having his hundredth birthday celebration. We should throw a grand and lively party,” Jiang Feng said.

Jiang Weiguo chuckled without much amusement, “Do you really need to tell me that? Who doesn’t host their hundredth birthday party with dozens or hundreds of tables in a grand and lively manner?”

That reminded Jiang Weiguo, and he turned his head to quietly ask Jiang Weiming, “San, about those two of mine on the day after tomorrow, their birthday…”

Upon mentioning his two sons, Jiang Weiming could only give a wry smile, “If my eldest would grace me with his presence when I die, that would be something. The younger one, well, he’s already gone back. I celebrate my lunar birthday, and how many of the young ones remember lunar dates these days? I reckon he’s long forgotten my birthday.”

“But the younger one did say, this year he’ll come to take me to Magic City to celebrate the New Year with them.”

“That’s great,” Jiang Weiguo remarked.

“Yes, it indeed is a good thing.”

The two elder gentlemen walked down the street, chatting intermittently, while Jiang Feng and Jiang Jiankang walked behind, looking at their phones. Wu Minqi walked beside Jiang Feng, peering at his phone.

Though Jiang Weiguo could use a smartphone, he typed very slowly, so he hardly ever checked messages in the WeChat group or participated in the Jiang family’s chat discussions.

The Jiang family’s main WeChat group was now abuzz because of Jiang Weiming’s upcoming birthday. Even Jiang Shoucheng, who was supposed to be working the night shift, joined the chat to discuss how to give Jiang Weiming a lively, dignified, and memorable ninety-ninth birthday.

As the conversation went on, everyone noticed one person who hadn’t said a word from the beginning to the end.

This person was often offline.

He hadn’t visited Beiping for the past two months.

This was Jiang Feng’s third cousin, Jiang Ran, who had been so withdrawn he barely made his presence felt, losing weight for love and staying at school for an internship.

Jiang Ran was busy, to put it accurately, he had been busy all year.

He had to lose weight, maintain a relationship, study for the IELTS, and prepare to study abroad for his master’s degree.

He was so stressed that he became thinner by the day, had no time to communicate with family, uninstalled QQ, blocked WeChat group chats, and was even on the verge of losing his girlfriend.

That’s what you get for majoring in International Economics and Trade.

Jiang Feng sent a WeChat message specifically to Jiang Ran, telling him about Jiang Weiming’s ninety-ninth birthday the day after tomorrow, reminding him to book his train ticket to Beiping.

Upon receiving the message, Jiang Ran, who was almost dying in front of his computer, sat up abruptly as if jolted back to life, and responded to Jiang Feng, saying he would definitely be there and began making plans to book his flight.

Granduncle Weiming’s chopped chili fish head was so delicious; as a grandnephew, he naturally should attend the birthday celebration.

What should he buy for the birthday gift?

Jiang Ran glanced at the balance on his bank card.

Forget it; he’d better book a train ticket. It was slow, but the price was right.