On Monday evening during dinner, Nian Suian said to Gu Junxing, "Come home early from work tomorrow, okay?"
Gu Junxing smiled and replied, "Oh? Do you have a surprise for me?"
"You'll have to guess! There's no point in telling you now." In truth, Nian Suian hadn't actually planned anything yet, but since Gu Junxing had put her on the spot, she had to go along with it. Surprise or not, she had the final say on how to interpret it.
"Then I'll look forward to the surprise tomorrow."
Regardless of what she was thinking inside, Nian Suian maintained an outward appearance of confidence, as if the surprise had been planned all along.
Before preparing the "surprise," Nian Suian decided to chat with little Gu Zhijing when he returned home from school that evening.
"What kind of strong medicine did your dad give you? You seem a bit off!"
Nian Suian felt that Gu Zhijing's current demeanor was somewhat incongruous, as if Gu Junxing's soul had suddenly inhabited the boy's body. The little rascal had become oddly pensive all of a sudden.
Instead of answering her question, Gu Zhijing posed one of his own.
"Step-mom, what do you think I'd be like if I didn't have my dad? I feel like I'm not good at anything." He couldn't even handle assembly line work. Without his dad, he figured he'd probably starve to death.
"Why assume that scenario? The circumstances of one's birth are inherently unfair." Nian Suian paused for a moment, considering how to address this issue with Gu Zhijing.
"Let me put it this way: it's impossible to predict what kind of person you'd become in a different environment. You are Gu Zhijing, and you've grown up without want, with a strict but loving father. That's why you've become the cheerful, kind, and happy boy you are now."
"Dad took me to the factory and had me work the night shift in the workshop. I was so tired, I couldn't keep up at all. So I got to come home the next day, but what about the others? They have to go there every day."
"You feel sorry for them?"
Gu Zhijing's face contorted with uncertainty, as if he didn't know how to respond.
So Nian Suian tried a different approach.
"You feel some sympathy for them, but you also think that given your own circumstances, you don't have the right to feel sorry for them?"
Gu Zhijing nodded, looking troubled. He felt like he was being hypocritical.
"They're amazing. If it were me, I couldn't do those jobs."
Nian Suian thought that Gu Zhijing's ability to consider these issues was already quite impressive for his age.
She told him, "Society has its divisions of labor. Take your dad, for example. He can manage an entire company, but he might not be able to tell the difference between wheat and chives. Does that make you think your dad is useless?"
Gu Zhijing shook his head. He had always thought his dad was amazing.
"Your dad's company provides jobs for many people. The taxes he pays might turn into a rural primary school, or a stretch of highway. But this also means he has to shoulder greater responsibilities. So, if you think the workers have it too hard, you can use your resources and abilities to provide them with better benefits, or create more job opportunities so that people have choices and don't necessarily have to work night shifts."
"I think I understand now."
Nian Suian patted him on the shoulder. "Good. Now, kids often worry about not growing tall, but as for what we just discussed, you won't have the ability to do anything if you don't study hard."
"Alright, now let's talk about celebrating your dad's birthday tomorrow!"
"Huh?" Gu Zhijing seemed caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.
"If we want to give your dad a surprise, what should we do? Share your thoughts!"
"Well..." Gu Zhijing rubbed his chin, starting to think seriously, forgetting about his earlier worries.
"Stop rubbing your chin, it looks awful!" Nian Suian couldn't help but swat Gu Zhijing's hand away from his chin. What a terrible habit – a nice young man suddenly looking so sly.
Gu Zhijing grinned sheepishly and lowered his hand. "Why don't you give my dad a kiss? He'd be really surprised by that."
Nian Suian's voice shot up in response: "Why don't you kiss him?!"
"I could kiss him too. We could both do it."
"No way, I refuse. If anyone's going to kiss him, it'll be you. Haven't you stopped kissing him since you grew up? This is perfect – give him a kiss and let him relive his youth."
Gu Zhijing sighed inwardly, thinking: Dear Dad, don't blame me for not trying to help you.
The two of them whispered and discussed for a long time but couldn't come up with a solid plan. In the past, Gu Zhijing's birthday surprises for his dad were always surprising, but never particularly joyful.
So they finally agreed to improvise when the time came.
Since Gu Zhijing had evening classes, they decided that Gu Junxing and Nian Suian would have dinner first, and they'd figure out the rest of the celebration when Gu Zhijing returned from school.
"Nanny Zhang, I'll make the cake today," Nian Suian announced on Tuesday afternoon as she headed to the kitchen. She planned to make the entire cake herself this time.
Knowing that Nian Suian wanted to make a cake for Gu Junxing, Nanny Zhang smiled and replied, "Of course, madam. You make the cake, and I'll prepare dinner."
It took two to three hours to make the cake, and Nian Suian was still hurriedly finishing up when it was almost time for Gu Junxing to return home from work.
As for the cake itself, well...
It had sentiment, that's for sure.
It had looks, that's also true.
If one could overlook the deadly color combination, the crooked "Happy Birthday" writing, and the smudged "Gu" character, this cake could be considered quite excellent.
After finishing, Nian Suian took a look and consoled herself that it didn't matter how it looked since it would all end up in their stomachs anyway.
As soon as Gu Junxing got home, he was informed that Nian Suian was waiting for him at the dining table.
"Did you cook the meal?" Gu Junxing silently wondered. A home-cooked meal would indeed be a nice surprise. Though the dishes did look oddly familiar.
"No, Nanny Zhang cooked the meal."
Gu Junxing went to wash his hands without a word, then returned to the table, still silent.
After picking up his chopsticks, he couldn't help but ask, "You really didn't make any of this?"
"No, I really didn't," Nian Suian confirmed, but added, "Don't be impatient. The main event is still to come, after Zhijing gets home."
-- Side Scene --
"Assistant Li, what's my schedule for this afternoon?"
"Mr. Gu, you have a meeting from 2:00 to 3:30 PM. At 4:00 PM, you're meeting with President Kang from Huasheng, which should take about an hour."
"Alright. If there are any last-minute arrangements, please try to reschedule them if possible. I want to leave work half an hour early today."
"Mr. Gu, if I'm not mistaken, today is your birthday, right? Happy birthday to you."
"Thank you. My wife specifically asked me to come home early today, so unless there's something extremely urgent, please don't schedule anything after my meeting with President Kang this afternoon."
Assistant Li's inner monologue: Thanks, I didn't ask for all that information.