Birthday surprise in progress (prologue)

By the time Xiao Ling finally emerged from his room and made it downstairs to the living room, it was already noon.

Chisa was quite the homemaker. She had cooked a whole tableful of dishes on her own. The others had finished eating and gone off to do their own things, leaving only Sigrika reading in the living room.

"Good afternoon, Senior. Yaya, she..." Seeing that Xiao Ling was awake, Sigrika greeted him before asking about her best friend.

She had noticed everything unusual about Dania earlier. Though she was worried, Sigrika had been too embarrassed to disturb her.

"She's fine. We had a little disagreement, but it's been settled. She's asleep now."

He could only say that Chisa had come just in time. If she hadn't come to explain the situation and get the medicine, he could never have cleared his name.

Still, it wasn't a bad thing.

Xiao Ling unconsciously touched his left cheek. After he had comforted Dania, she had made a point of asking which cheek Aemeath had kissed.

He had honestly answered that it was his right cheek, expecting her to give him another warning. Instead, his water peach had caught him off guard with a kiss on his left cheek.

"Now we're even." She was quite satisfied with that.

Not only that, she had also insisted that he soothe her to sleep. Xiao Ling had been hungry and had planned to go downstairs for a meal first, but when he saw Dania looking at him tearfully and pitifully, his heart softened again.

Well, she really has learned the trick. I'm a sucker for that. He had no choice but to indulge her.

In the end, Xiao Ling had stayed by Dania's bed and told her a few amusing stories from his childhood until her eyelids grew heavy and she gradually drifted off.

After venting her little grievances, she had a sweet smile on her face even as she fell asleep, her soft little hand gently holding Xiao Ling's somewhat rough one.

Though soothing his water peach did take a lot of time, he was happy to do it.

But he had important business to attend to today and couldn't stay with Dania all the time.

So after coming down for a meal, he would have to head out soon.

"Sorry for the trouble, but could you let Aemeath and the others know I won't be back until after dinnertime tonight? They'll have to take care of dinner themselves."

"Oh, okay." Sigrika nodded obediently, then asked, "What are you going to do, Senior?"

"It's a secret for now."

Xiao Ling curled his lips into a smile and made a shushing gesture. After a quick lunch, he gathered his things and hurried out the villa's front door.

"This is the place, right?"

Xiao Ling checked the address on his phone against the name of the cake shop in front of him. Once he was sure he had the right place, he went inside.

The cake shop was simply decorated, but the mingled aroma of pastries and cream wafting from inside filled his heart with sweetness just from the smell.

Xiao Ling had asked Ye Qing to find this cake shop for him. For once, Ye Qing hadn't asked why. He had merely stared at him for quite a while before letting out a somewhat heavy sigh.

"When it's your water peach's birthday, remember to invite me. My sister and I will come show our support." He gave Xiao Ling a couple of pats on the shoulder, neither too light nor too heavy, before immediately going to ask around for him.

It was only natural for Ye Qing to react that way. After all, in the game, Dania had still not fulfilled her final wish before choosing to sacrifice herself-to eat a slice of birthday cake covered in cream and topped with fresh fruit.

Ordering a custom cake would of course be easy, but Xiao Ling wasn't going to do that. His real purpose in coming here was-

"Granny, could you teach me how to make a cake?" Xiao Ling humbly asked an elderly woman standing at the cake shop counter.

Xiao Ling thought that making one himself would be far more heartfelt than ordering one.

She didn't immediately agree to his request. Who knew if he was there to compete for her livelihood?

"I have a friend who's never eaten cake in her entire life. Her birthday is coming up, and I want to make one for her myself." He lowered his posture even further, almost bowing.

The elderly woman watched him warily through her clouded eyes for quite a while. At last, her gaze softened, and she let out a quiet sigh.

"Come in, child. I'll teach you."

"My shop has been open for more than twenty years, and you're only the second person to ask me to teach them how to make cake."

The elderly woman slowly led Xiao Ling into the kitchen, where all kinds of cake-making tools were laid out.

She seemed to open her heart to the young man humbly seeking to learn from her, and slowly told Xiao Ling about her life.

The elderly woman had once had a very adorable daughter whose greatest wish was to eat a slice of fruit and cream cake. Even a tiny piece would have satisfied her.

But the family had been very poor then, struggling even to cover basic living expenses, so she had never been able to fulfill her daughter's wish. Her daughter, understanding without a word, never brought it up again.

Then her daughter had been diagnosed with a serious illness. She went from house to house borrowing money for her daughter's treatment, hoping she would get better. But things didn't go as she wished, and her daughter was buried by wind and snow before spring returned.

She had gradually built up the cake shop with the money left over from the treatment and had kept it going for more than twenty years. She had not only paid off her debts but even made some money. Every year on the anniversary of her daughter's death, however, she traveled all the way to the cemetery on the outskirts of the city to bring her a fresh fruit and cream cake she had made herself.

"Here, child, try a piece and tell me what you think." The elderly woman cut a piece of freshly baked fruit cake and handed it to Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling dug out a bite with his fork and tasted it. It was delicious: the cake was soft and fluffy, and the refreshing fruit balanced out the rich sweetness of the cream. Hmm... there was also a slightly bitter taste. Was it something like chocolate?

"It's delicious, Granny. No wonder your shop is so popular."

"Everyone who's ordered a cake from my shop says that, but only a few have really taken the time to taste and appreciate it. After all, a cake is only a festive touch, not the main event. But that doesn't mean I can rely on the reputation I've built and do a careless job."

Every cake the woman made carried her guilt toward her departed daughter, as well as the struggles she had gone through when she first started learning to make cakes. Those feelings were the key to making her cakes delicious.

In short, a cake was like a gift: if it wasn't made with care, it wouldn't convey the feelings in its maker's heart.

"But I can't teach you my craft for free. You'll have to come help me out now and then. These old bones of mine can't manage some things anymore."

"I'll make time."

After Xiao Ling and the elderly woman had taken a look around the kitchen, he thought she would begin teaching him how to make cakes right away, but she motioned for him to wait a little longer.

"Don't be impatient, child. Your senior apprentice sister is coming too."

Senior apprentice sister? Did someone come to learn from her before me?

Xiao Ling suddenly remembered that the elderly woman had indeed said he was the second person to come and learn how to make cakes.

Then who was the first...?

Jingle, jingle.

The wind chime by the door rang, announcing the arrival of a new customer.

When Xiao Ling saw who it was, his eyes abruptly widened like saucers.

Long, straight golden hair and that iconic headpiece. Her exquisite ceremonial dress had been replaced by a sky-blue short-sleeved top and a white pleated skirt, with white ankle socks and little black leather shoes on her feet. Without her noble air, she looked a little more like a cute girl next door.

"Granny, I'm here! What are you going to teach me today?" Cartethyia said with a sweet smile.

Holy crap, Cart Cart Thyia!