Birthday

On August 10th, the bird groggily woke up from its sleep.

The light filtering through the curtains was a thin golden thread, falling on her pillow and the plush bear on the floor.

The huge brown teddy bear sat upright on the chair by the bed, its two black bean-like eyes looking at her, looking simple and clumsy, with a creamy white satin ribbon bow tied around its neck.

The bird stared at the bear for two seconds, grinned happily, and then pounced on it, giving the bear a good thrashing.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Mom came in carrying a tray.

On the tray were a bowl of steaming miso soup, a small plate of omelet, a bowl of white rice, and a glass of milk.

"Flying Bird, you're awake? Come on, open your mouth—"

Feiniao sat up from under the covers, rubbed her eyes, and obediently opened her mouth to be fed a bowl of miso soup by her mother.

This is a habit she's had since she can remember—

My mother always said, "Our bird needs to eat more to grow up," so she fed it bite by bite until it was in fourth grade.

"What's the date today?" Mom scooped up a spoonful of rice and brought it to the bird's beak.

The bird chewed on its rice and mumbled, "August 10th."

"Oh—August 10th." Mom nodded, her tone as flat as if she were saying, "The weather is nice today," and then fed her another bite of the omelet.

The bird swallowed and glanced at her mother. The curve of her mother's lips betrayed her, but the bird didn't point it out.

She pretended nothing had happened, simply turning her face away and looking out the window at the clear blue sky.

August 10th. Of course she knew what day it was.

But she doesn't intend to show it.

She hesitated for a long time in front of the wardrobe while getting dressed. Finally, she put on a white short-sleeved shirt and light pink plaid shorts.

It was her favorite outfit. Before leaving, she looked at herself in the mirror a few more times, combed her hair again and again, and finally grabbed a plain black hair tie and tied it into a ponytail.

Don't wear a new headband, don't wear a strawberry hair clip, and don't let anyone know that you dressed up specially for today.

As she was changing her shoes in the entryway, her mother came over with a cup of barley tea and handed it to her: "Drink this on the way."

Feiniao took the cup, drank two sips, and held it in her hand without returning it.

Her mother glanced at the cup in her hand, said nothing more, and simply carried her schoolbag to the door.

"Be careful on the road."

"I'm going out."

She has walked the road from home to school for four years, and she knows every tree and every corner of the road like the back of her hand.

Today she deliberately walked at a moderate pace, but her heart was beating a little faster than usual.

Turning that familiar corner, she saw Xia Mo.

He stood next to the telephone pole, his backpack strap on only one side, and his other hand in his pocket.

But today is different—

He also carried a dark brown cello case on his back, which was taller than him, making it look like a person was carrying a shell bigger than himself.

Feiniao paused for a moment, threw the empty barley tea cup in her hand into the roadside trash can, and then continued walking.

"morning."

She said her tone was slightly less intense than usual.

"morning."

Xia Mo glanced at her, her gaze lingering on her for a moment before shifting away.

"You've tied your hair up."

"It's hot," Asuka said, trying to sound calm.

The two walked side by side towards the school. Sunlight shone from behind them, casting long shadows.

The shadow of the violin case resembled a giant tortoise shell, slowly crawling across the ground.

Asuka glanced at the violin case and casually asked, "Why did you bring a violin today? You're not in class."

Xia Mo paused for a moment:

"secret."

The bird stopped.

She stared at his profile for two seconds, then suddenly narrowed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips that said, "I've seen through you."

Say it in a tone that says, "You can't fool me."

"Oh—I understand."

Xia Mo felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and touched her ear:

"What do you know?"

"Your secret."

Asuka raised her chin and looked at him with an expression that said, "Does this even need to be said?"

"You just wanted to give me a cello as a birthday present, right? To play a tune or something. I already guessed it."

Xia Mo paused for a moment.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again. His fingers twitched on the strap of his backpack, and his expression changed from surprise to a kind of "okay, whatever you say" resignation.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Asuka became even more certain of her reasoning.

She snorted, turned her face forward, and said with a hint of smugness, "That's not a very clever way to keep someone in suspense."

"……oh."

Xia Mo said there was neither rebuttal nor explanation.

As long as I don't feel awkward, it's others who will be embarrassed.

Asuka thought he had been exposed as guilty, so she walked with her chin held higher and her ponytail swaying behind her head.

But she didn't notice that the small smile on Xia Mo's lips never disappeared, and that in his eyes, besides helplessness, there was also a hint of anticipation, as if to say, "You'll find out tonight."

The two walked on in silence, with a half-step between them.

--------

Asuka didn't hear a single word of her morning class. It wasn't because she was daydreaming about the gift, but because she was trying so hard to appear focused—

His back was straight, his eyes were fixed on the blackboard, and his pen was writing and drawing in his notebook.

But she actually wrote "August 10th" over and over again.

When the lunch bell rang, Asuka took her lunchbox out of her bag and slowly walked out of the classroom.

Xia Mo was already waiting for her in the corridor, and the two walked together toward the music classroom.

As the music room door opened, the afternoon sun shone directly onto the piano lid. Feiniao sat down on the piano bench and opened her lunchbox—

Today, Mom made her favorite coconut chicken and pink baby octopus again. Xia Mo sat down next to her, opened her bento box, which contained a thick omelet and salted radish.

The two of them took a few bites, but neither of them said a word.

Feiniao picked up a small octopus, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and said, "Today's octopus isn't as salty as yesterday's."

Xia Mo glanced at her: "You said yesterday it was saltier than usual."

"So it's not as salty today as it was yesterday."

The logic of birds has a peculiar closed loop.

Xia Mo didn't say anything more. He ate a couple of bites of rice, his gaze falling on the music stand, then on the piano lid, and finally on Fei Niao's lunchbox.

"Birds," he suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Asuka looked up at him.

Xia Mo picked up a thick omelet from her lunchbox with her chopsticks, looked at it, and then put it down.

He raised his hand and touched his ear.

"Um... do you remember what day it is today?"

Asuka's heart raced a little, but she tried to keep her expression normal.

She picked up a piece of coconut milk chicken, chewed it slowly, and then said in a tone that said, "I know nothing about this."

"August 10th, what happened?"

"It's nothing," Xia Mo said.

"Why are you asking about the date?" Asuka asked deliberately, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"Just asking."

Asuka smiled inwardly, but her face remained expressionless.

She continued eating her bento, stuffing the last small octopus into her mouth, chewing it, and swallowing it.

As lunch break was about to end, Asuka packed up her lunchbox, stood up and said, "I'm going to wash the lunchbox," before walking out of the music classroom.

As Xia Mo watched her retreating figure, she felt that something was amiss.

Did you really forget your own birthday?

Asuka still didn't pay attention in class that afternoon. Not because she was daydreaming, but because she kept practicing a "carefree" expression.

She practiced in front of the notebook cover several times—don't raise your eyebrows too high, don't curve your lips, and don't make your eyes light up.

When the school bell rang, Asuka was the first to stand up and pack her schoolbag.

When she walked out of the classroom, Xia Mo was already in the corridor, carrying the dark brown cello case on her back.

"Hua Hua said she's already at the station," Xia Mo said.

"Um."

The two walked side by side towards the school gate. The setting sun shone on them, turning the entire road orange.

Feiniao glanced at the violin case but refrained from asking any questions.

Since he's already said it's a secret, and she's already "seen through" it, asking further questions is pointless.

Hua Hua was already waiting at the station's checkpoint.

She wasn't wearing her school uniform today—because she got out of school early and went home to change before coming over.

She wore a white T-shirt and pink shorts, her hair was tied in pigtails, and she was carrying a large paper bag with the hair accessory shop's logo printed on it.

"Happy birthday, Asuka-chan!" As soon as Hana saw Asuka, she jumped over from next to the turnstile, her voice so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire station square.

The bird's face flushed red.

"Keep your voice down—!"

"Why are you keeping your voice down! Birthdays are for shouting out loud!" Hua Hua shoved the paper bag into Fei Niao's hand. "Here you go! Open it and see!"

Xia Mo glanced at Fei Niao sideways.

So you haven't forgotten? You were acting all aloof back in school.

They're trying to trick us, they're trying to ambush us!

Feiniao took it and glanced inside the paper bag—

A bright red strawberry hair clip with two small beads hanging from it; and a dark pink hair tie with a fluffy strawberry ball on it.

"I remember you said you wanted a strawberry hair clip last time!" Hua Hua said proudly, hands on her hips.

The bird hugged the paper bag to its chest and looked down at it for a long time.

The glistening little strawberries swayed back and forth in the paper bag, like a few tiny, glowing candies.

"...Thank you." Asuka's voice was muffled, but the surprise and joy in her eyes were impossible to hide.

"You're welcome! Come on, let's go to your house! Your auntie said she's making something delicious today!"

Hua Hua was already striding ahead, her twin ponytails swinging back and forth.

Xia Mo walked in the middle, carrying a cello on her back, her pace a little slower than usual.

Hua Hua took a few steps, then slowed her pace, waiting for Xia Mo to catch up. She then gently nudged him with her shoulder, lowering her voice to a volume only the two of them could hear:

"Xia-kun, why did you bring your cello today? Didn't you already prepare a gift?"

She knew that Xia Mo had gone to the mall to buy something yesterday—though she hadn't seen what it was. But now he had brought the cello with him, which puzzled her a bit.

Xia Mo glanced at her sideways and replied in a low voice, "The cello is also part of the gift. I'll play it when we get to her house."

Hua Hua blinked, giving them an "I see" look. Just as she was about to ask another question, the birds in front of them turned around and glanced at them.

"What are you whispering about in the back?" Asuka asked, her tone tinged with suspicion.

"Nothing, nothing!" Hua Hua quickly waved her hands and said loudly, "I was asking Xia Jun what he wanted to eat tonight!"

Asuka glanced at them suspiciously, but didn't ask any further questions, and turned back to continue walking.

Hua Hua winked at Xia Mo, silently mouthed "Go for it!", and then quickened her pace to walk back to the front.

Feiniao walked at the very back, holding a flowery paper bag in her arms, looking at the violin case on Xiamo's back.

She hadn't heard what Huahua and Xiamo were saying.

But it doesn't matter—

Anyway, she had already "seen through" it.

It's just playing a tune on the cello, what's there to keep secret?

But for some reason, I still felt a little bit of anticipation. I wondered if he would play "Secret," or some other piece.

The bird lowered its head and hugged the paper bag a little tighter.

The three people walked along the road from the station to Asuka's house, and the setting sun stretched their shadows longer and longer.

Hua Hua walked at the front, chattering away, asking questions like, "Asuka-chan, are you happy?", "Did you receive any other gifts today?", and "Did your brother and the others give you any other gifts?"

Xia Mo walked quietly in the middle, carrying her cello.

Feiniao walked at the very back, watching the backs of the two people in front of her, a slight smile on her lips, answering Huahua's questions in a half-hearted manner.

But she won't let them see it.

She needed to maintain a calm demeanor in front of them, so as not to make them feel that she was looking forward to it.

As I rounded the last corner, the Asuka family's small, beige apartment came into view. The second-floor window was open, and the curtains billowed in the wind like a gentle sail.

Feiniao quickened his pace and went to the front, then rang the doorbell.

The door opened quickly, and Mother Bird stood in the doorway, wearing an apron and holding a spatula.

"You're back? Come in, come in! Hua Hua Jiang, Xia Jun, welcome, welcome!"

Feiniao changed her shoes in the entryway, put the paper bag and schoolbag aside, and then went into the living room.

Hua Hua had already taken off her shoes and rushed into the living room, where she was lying on the coffee table studying the fruit platter that her mother, Fei Niao, had just brought out from the kitchen.

Xia Mo took off her shoes in the entryway, carefully placed her cello case next to the shoe cabinet, and then walked in.

Feiniao sat down on the sofa and hugged a cushion to her chest.

"Xia Mo, didn't you say you were going to play the cello?" Fei Biao looked at Xia Mo, slightly raised her chin, and urged her with a hint of "What are you waiting for?"

Xia Mo sat down on the single sofa to the side, glanced at Fei Niao, and then shook her head.

"It's not time yet," he said.

Asuka paused for a moment:

"What do you mean it's not time yet?"

"Your brother," Xia Mo said, "they haven't come back yet."

The bird opened its mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.

She suddenly remembered what Xia Mo had whispered in Hua Hua's ear on the way here—it turned out she was talking about this.

During the fireworks festival, Xia Mo had promised her brother that she would let them hear the cello. So she had been waiting for Xiangzhen and Nagi Shun to get home.

It turns out it wasn't just for me.

This makes me even more frustrated.

"When will you poop?" Asuka asked.

"Let's wait until they come back, after we eat," Xia Mo said.

Asuka let out an "oh," turned her face away, rested her chin on the cushion again, and drew circles on the edge of the cushion with her fingers.

Hua Hua took a grape from the fruit plate and popped it into her mouth. She looked at the birds, then at Xia Mo, and said nothing. She then took another grape.

Asuka's mother poked her head out of the kitchen: "Dinner's almost ready! You guys play for a bit! Shojin and Nagi Hayato said they'll be there soon!"

"Auntie, let me help you!" Hua Hua jumped up from the sofa and rushed into the kitchen.

"No, Huahua Jiang, you should go out. Auntie can manage on her own."

Only birds and the end of summer remained in the living room.

The two were silent for a while. Cicadas chirped outside the window, one chirp after another, as if counting something. The air conditioner whistled cold air.