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5.
“Happy birthday to you.” Hong-er’s mother sang, holding a vanilla flavored cupcake with her frail fingers and bruised palms, a five-shaped candle burning lightly on top, “happy birthday to you.”
Hong-er smiled, revealing the missing front tooth from under his lips.
“Happy birthday, my dear Hong-er,” his mother continued to sing, “happy birthday to you!” She brought the cupcake closer to him, urging to blow the candle, “make a wish!”
Hong-er took in a deep breath before blowing a raspberry all over the cupcake. His mother laughed before blowing out the candle secretly. She let him have the first bite before taking the frosting on top and gently wiping it over Hong-er’s nose.
“And what did my Hong-er wish for?” She smiled.
“I wished for a biggg house! And a biggg car!” He grinned, expanding his arms to emphasize on the size, “And a biggg, biggggg toy!”
His mother chuckled, “silly boy, you can only wish for one thing!”
He frowned, “only one thing?”
“Yes,” his mother nodded, “one wish per birthday.”
He huffed at that, crossing his arms as he got fed the cupcake. Then, his eyes brightened. He stood up in his chair, barely taller than his mother, and exclaimed, “then I wish for a hundred more birthdays with mama!”
His mother’s eyes widened, her lips wobbled a little before they settled into a soft smile. She pulled Hong-er into a hug, “silly boy, you can’t say your birthday wishes out loud, or else they won’t come true!” She held him a little tighter, “but of course, we are going to spend a hundred birthdays together and much more!”
Hong-er smiled– frosting on his nose, cupcake crumbs on his lips. He nuzzled his mother’s neck, breathing in her comforting scent, and marveling over the promise of a hundred birthdays and more.
15.
Wu Ming scrubbed the last dish and placed it properly on the counter. With a sigh, he dried his hands on his apron and walked to his manager.
“Done.” He said plainly.
The manager– a young woman in her twenties, with fried blonde hair and a vape in between her lips– handed him a small enveloped bundle. “Good work.”
Wu Ming calculated the amount in the bundle. He is supposed to receive one hundred and sixty nine yuan and seventy five cents after a day of washing dishes, but after counting, his total came to two hundred yuan.
He gulped, usually, he’d just thank the lucky stars for the miscalculation his manager had done while handing his daily wage, but–
“I think it is very important to be truthful.” He recalled a gentle voice from his memory, “What goes around, comes back, no?”
“Uh,” He hesitated, “I think you gave me a little extra…”
The manager frowned at him for a moment, then laughed, “Ya might just be the first person to tell me that,” she shook her head, “I didn’t give ya extra, it is your birthday allowance.”
Birthday allowance.
It is not surprising that she knows when his birthday is, he had filled it out in the form given before he started his work. But the thought about his birthday had completely slipped his mind. Prior to this year, he would have been celebrating the day with his angel after much insistence from him. However, given the circumstances, he really was not in the celebratory mood at all.
Especially after he got kicked out of the house by his foster mother earlier this morning.
Still, Wu Ming nodded, “thanks, boss.”
She smiled at him, “how old are ya now?”
“Fifteen.”
She eyed him up and down, “quite tall for a fifteen year old, aren’t ya?” Then she waved her hand at him, “off ya go now, don’t fifteen year olds have friends to celebrate birthdays with?”
With that, Wu Ming thanked her once more and departed with a shallow bow. If it were any other day, he’d pocket the entire wage to his savings, but with the extra allowance, he figured he could be selfish for just a day.
Later, he found himself sitting in front of a tombstone, a vanilla cupcake in his hand lit up with a tiny candle. He blew it out, making a silent wish although he knew it wouldn’t come true. After devouring the cupcake (he hadn’t eaten anything since the afternoon), he leaned against the tombstone and folded his knees, resting his head on it.
“Liar.” He whispered, “birthday wishes don’t come true.”
25.
“Yin Yu,” Hua Cheng called out, “I’m heading out now. Make sure to tell the others to leave on time as well.”
Yin Yu, sitting across Hua Cheng, stood up. “Chengzu, actually–” He hesitated.
Hua Cheng eyed him, “what is it? You know gege is waiting for me at home.”
Yin Yu nodded, “yes, but if we could just have a few minutes out of your time.” Yin Yu led him outside his office where the other employees worked, “they wanted to do something for you.”
As they stepped out, instead of the fluorescent lights and employees buried in their own cubicles, Hua Cheng was greeted with all thirteen of his employees standing in front of his office with shy grins on their faces. The overhead lights were turned off save for the twenty five candles burning on the cake one of the employees is holding.
“Happy birthday, Hua Chengzu!”
Hua Cheng stood there feeling a little stupefied, he glanced at the digital clock on the wall.
9:25 PM, 10/6/2000
There are still two hours and thirty five minutes left till his birthday is over. Truthfully, he had celebrated his birthday earlier this morning with his beloved and the unborn child in his belly, and after going home tonight, he was planning to celebrate a bit more in the bedroom, but was met with thirteen (fourteen including Yin Yu), of his employees, standing in front of him with stupid smiles and a huge vanilla cake in hand. He gave them a small smile.
“Thank you.” He began, “you all should not have done this.”
“I told them so,” Yin Yu said from next to him, “but they insisted.”
“Chengzu has done so much for us.” One of the workers spoke up, “it just felt right to celebrate you.”
Another worker nodded, “Chengzu gave me a job when no one would hire me, I am eternally grateful for you.”
Another added, “Chengzu helped me repay my debts!”
“Chengzu helped me seek treatments for my mother!” Another voice rang out.
“Chengzu also–”
“Alright, alright.” Hua Cheng stopped them before they could continue with the string of praises, “I appreciate you all doing this for me. However, I cannot stay back with you, I have a wife at home waiting.”
Hearing the disappointed sighs from his employees, he pulled out his card. “But you all can go out for dinner, on me.”
Immediately, the disappointed sighs turned into cheers.
“Chengzu is the best!”
“The greatest boss ever!”
“Enjoy with your wife at home!”
Hua Cheng shook his head, smiling exasperatedly as he handed the card to Yin Yu before heading down to his car.
Birthdays aren’t that bad.
35.
Hua Cheng heaved a huge sigh of relief as soon as he saw the gate of his house come into view.
He had gone overseas for a work trip and was supposed to return two weeks ago, but work just kept extending and extending with no end to it and when he was finally done with work, his return flight had gotten delayed.
Thus, his late arrival back home at almost two in the morning.
He wheeled his suitcase above the steps, careful to not make much noise, his beloved and kids are probably fast asleep right now.
When he enters, it is unsurprisingly dark but as soon as he turns on the warm overhead lights of the kitchen to grab a drink, he notices a shadow behind him.
Maybe it’s the years of unpredicted beatings he endured by his father during his childhood, or maybe it’s the years of working odd jobs in his teenage years not knowing which turn has danger lurking underneath, but his entire body goes into a fight or flight mode.
If there is someone who broke into his home with his beloved and children resting, they better be ready to see the gates of hell.
But as soon as he turned around, murder already in his mind, he was met with the most beautiful, yet unpredicted sight.
His beloved, standing right near the entrance of the kitchen, a small cake in his hands. It is very obvious that he had fallen asleep waiting for Hua Cheng. With the sleep mused hair, the sleeveless white nightgown and a matching white robe, it stole Hua Cheng’s breath away.
“Happy birthday to you,” Xie Lian sang in a hushed voice, “happy birthday to you.”
The fight or flight melted from Hua Cheng’s bones, settling into a feeling of warmth and comfort as Xie Lian walked towards him.
“Happy birthday, my dear San Lang,” His beloved stood in front of him now, “happy birthday to you.” He held up the cake a little higher, “make a wish.”
Hua Cheng closed his eye for a moment before blowing out the candle. “Can gege please put the cake down so I can kiss him?”
Xie Lian laughed as he set the cake down on the counter before getting scooped up into an inevitable hug, then tipped back as his husband kissed him enthusiastically.
They broke the kiss off not because they wanted to, but rather for the need to breathe. Xie Lian leaned forward to give Hua Cheng’s cheek a little peck, “my San Lang is growing so old, thirty five already. In the blink of an eye, you’ll be forty five.”
Hua Cheng grinned as he straightened them both, “why? Does my beloved not like me now that I am growing old and wrinkly?”
“Of course not,” Xie Lian shook his head, “if anything, you are just growing more handsome day by day.”
“Gege…” Hua Cheng said breathlessly, “where are the kids?”
“Asleep.” Xie Lian replied, “they tried to stay up to wish you but it was way past their bedtime. But I’m sure they will be thrilled–”
But before Xie Lian could finish his sentence, Hua Cheng scoops him up into a bridal carry. “Great.” He smirked, “now I can collect my gift as well.”
“W-Wait, San Lang, the cake is uncovered–” Xie Lian stammered as Hua Cheng led them outside the kitchen, probably heading towards the bedroom.
Hearing Xie Lian pleas, Hua Cheng walked back into the kitchen with long strides, one hand holding his beloved and the other grabbing a plastic cake dome to cover the cake.
Xie Lian simply resigned in Hua Cheng’s hold. Huffing as he let his husband carry him to their bedroom, “I have an actual gift, you know? Something that is not me.”
Hua Cheng smiled as he laid his beloved on the plush bed, “then think of this as fulfilling my birthday wish.”
“Your birthday wish was me?” Xie Lian giggled.
“Something like that, as it has been for the past few decades.”
Xie Lian laughed out loud at that, pulling Hua Cheng in by his shoulders and peppering kisses all over face. “You are so insincere!"
Hua Cheng kissed him back, “you will never find someone as sincere as me.”
45.
As soon as Hua Cheng entered the doorway of his house, he was pushed back outside to the porch by his beloved.
“What are you doing home so early?!” Xie Lian exclaimed, a little panicked.
Confused, Hua Cheng replied, “You told me to come home quickly because the kids wanted to celebrate my birthday?”
“Yes, but not this early!”
“Ma!” They could hear Banyue call out from inside, “who is it?”
“Mailman came to the wrong door!” Xie Lian quickly turned around, he turned back to glare at Hua Cheng. “Mailman? What is this? The nineteen hundreds?” They could hear their daughter question before Xie Lian hurriedly added. “Stay out. Just for fifteen minutes more. Act surprised.”
With the door getting shut on his face, Hua Cheng simply shrugged. It isn’t exactly the first time he gets kicked out of the house on his birthday. Only this time, instead of his foster mother, it is by the mother of his children.
Exactly fifteen minutes later, he entered his home again in hopes not to get kicked out, but this time, the lights were off and he could hear the distinct sounds of a child’s giggles before being shushed by another voice.
As soon as he stepped into the living room, cheers erupted as his kids jumped up from behind the couch, his beloved– as usual, stepping out of the kitchen with a cake in hand.
“Happy birthday, baba!” All three of his kids cheered.
Hua Cheng gasped, feigning innocence, “wow! Thank you all!”
His youngest- Hua Ying, ran up to him, jumping on his arms as his other son, Hua WeiYu, (too tall to jump on his arms) hugged him sideways.
After them, his eldest daughter, too old to be fooled and had seen through the facade of surprise Hua Cheng put up, just shrugged and hugged her father as well.
Honestly, this whole routine of ‘surprises’ isn’t new and Hua Cheng has gotten quite used to it. Sometimes, his kids would jump into his bedroom at midnight while he would still be in a deep slumber, waking him by singing a tone deaf birthday song. Sometimes, it would be a surprise like this. Other times, however, he’d spend it alone with his beloved, then come home to have a little celebration with the kids.
But overall, he never has any complaints, how could he? When surrounded by the love of his life and kids who love him just as much as he does to them.
The rest of the night goes by just like every other birthday has. Cutting the cake, chasing each other around the table to smudge the frosting on each other's noses, eating dinner made by his teenaged son– WeiYu who claims that his culinary arts is his gift, and the night would end with his other kids shyly handing a handmade gift from their side.
A butterfly sculpted out of clay from his daughter, and a water color painting of the family from his youngest who had reportedly spend the whole day in school doing so.
The night did come to an ‘end’, but only if you see it from the kid’s perspective.
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng both sat out in the canopy swing in their backyard, hand in hand as they let cool breeze fan over their bodies.
“San Lang never tells me his birthday wishes.” Xie Lian spoke first.
“My mother once told me that if I say my birthday wishes out loud, they won’t come true.”
Xie Lian chuckled, “well, have they at least been getting fulfilled?”
“For the longest time, I thought they never would.” Hua Cheng admitted, “but now that I think about it,” he brought up their joined hands up to his lips and kissed his beloved’s hand, “they have always been coming true, just delayed.”
Xie Lian smiled, “I’m glad.” He leaned his head on Hua Cheng’s shoulder, “I hope they always do.”
Hua Cheng smiled as well, leaning his head on top of his beloved, recalling the birthday wish he had made when he was fifteen, leaning against a tombstone instead.
I wish for me to reunite with my angel and we spend the rest of our lives happily.