BTYFOV Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Cake

Timing couldn’t be better.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Qin Feng was momentarily stunned, not expecting such a question from him. “What's wrong?"

“Nothing.” Gu Wuyi was afraid he wouldn't believe him. “Just found it quite fascinating. The person I bought watermelon from is my senior brother.”

Qin Feng thought over these years, not only did he not cut off contact with the Lin family, Aunt Qin even because of the Lin family's increasing wealth, “Indeed quite fascinating. By the way, I have something to attend to in the city later, can you ride back yourself?”

“Buying something?” Gu Wuyi asked casually.

Qin Feng vaguely responded with a “Mm.”

Gu Wuyi thought it was related to his work, like buying rulers, compasses, or colored pens, “I've been taking this road for three years.”

Qin Feng naturally knew nothing much could happen during the day, he just didn't want Gu Wuyi to feel disappointed.

Fortunately, when they arrived at the school, they ran into the neighbors from the staff residence.

Their child had also been admitted, just scoring nearly seventy points less than Gu Wuyi. The efforts of Gu Wuyi and Qin Feng's careful seriousness were all seen by the neighbors, who not only didn't envy, but also praised Gu Wuyi for not letting them down.

Seeing their sincere goodwill, Qin Feng let Gu Wuyi go back with them. As for himself, he didn't go to the stationery store, but went to the cake shop.

Considering that their five sons were as lively as little calves and their parents had a good appetite, Qin Feng ordered a ten-inch three-layer cake.

The cake wouldn't be ready until the afternoon, so Qin Feng paid a deposit and went back.

As soon as he got home, he heard the lively noise inside. Accountant Zhao and Team Leader Wu Zheng were standing in the courtyard, knowing that the neighbors had come to congratulate Gu Wuyi.

Qin Feng pushed open the door and asked, “Why aren't you going in?”

Several men turned to look at the sound, all showing smiling faces when they saw him.

Wu Zheng said, “It's too noisy inside. You should go in and take a look quickly. If you don't come soon, your Gu Wuyi will be devoured by that group of women.”

Qin Feng found it amusing. "It’s not that exaggerated," he said as he walked into the house.

However, he stopped at the doorway—there was barely any room to step inside. The room was filled with women, and he couldn't even spot Gu Wuyi.

As people shifted slightly, Qin Feng finally caught sight of the scene: middle-aged women were either pulling Gu Wuyi over for a closer look or admiring his acceptance letter, while young girls stared at him like devoted fans.

Sensing the room darken slightly, Gu Wuyi looked up and was both surprised and delighted to see Qin Feng. "Dad?!"

The crowd turned toward the door and quickly made way for him.

Qin Feng smiled. "Why is everyone here? Anyone who doesn’t know better would think Wuyi got into university already."

Xue Qing, unable to get her hands on the acceptance letter and squeezed to the outside, happened to be the closest to Qin Feng. "Getting into City No. 1 High School with such a high score—if nothing unexpected happens in the next three years, he’s bound to make it into a top national university."

Someone nodded in agreement. "With enough effort, even your alma mater wouldn’t be out of reach."

Qin Feng’s alma mater was the best university in the country, admitting only a handful of students from their region each year. If Gu Wuyi aimed for Imperial Capital University, he would have to stay at the top of his class for the next three years.

But that would be incredibly tough.

Thinking about how much hardship Gu Wuyi endured in his studies, Qin Feng chuckled and said, "He’ll go wherever he gets in. Not every program at Imperial Capital University is the best in the country."

The room quieted down significantly with his arrival, and a few men who had been lingering outside also stepped inside.

Hearing this, Accountant Zhao couldn’t help but say, "That’s true. If Wuyi wants to study aerospace engineering, Capital University of Aeronautics and Astronautics would be a better choice. If he wants to enter the judicial system, then a political law university would be more suitable—connections matter in those fields."

Qin Feng nodded. "But it’s still early. Just because he wants to be a prosecutor now doesn’t mean he’ll feel the same way in his second year of high school. Being interested in aerospace as a sophomore doesn’t mean he’ll still want that when it’s time to fill out his college applications in senior year."

The crowd thought about it and found his words reasonable, nodding in agreement.

Qin Feng said, "Alright, everyone, let's wrap this up. He was so worried about not passing that he hasn't been sleeping well these past few days. Let Wuyi go upstairs and rest."

Feng Mai Miao couldn't help but say, "Wuyi studies so well, and he was still worried about failing?"

Qin Feng smiled and nodded. "Being good at studying doesn’t mean there are no risks during the exam. He could forget his admission ticket, get hit by a car that suddenly appears on the road, or accidentally get bumped into by someone fighting. Anything can happen."

These people, though city dwellers with varying levels of education, were all relatively knowledgeable and valued their children's education more than the villagers across the river. However, the general approach was still somewhat hands-off—checking in on their kids' studies only occasionally and letting them attend whatever school they qualified for. Someone like Qin Feng, who even considered potential mishaps during the high school entrance exam, was rare in the entire residence.

Hearing this, someone couldn’t help but say, "Engineer Qin, you're being too cautious."

Qin Feng shrugged. "Maybe it’s because of my job. I can’t afford to make even a single decimal point mistake."

Everyone thought about it—he built train locomotives, and with so many people riding those trains, he had to be responsible for their safety. His caution had likely become second nature.

"Didn’t think of that," someone said apologetically.

Qin Feng chuckled and made a gesture inviting them to leave.

The crowd gradually said their goodbyes. Meanwhile, Gu Xiao'er and the others emerged from the kitchen.

Qin Feng was surprised. "I thought you weren’t home."

Gu Xiao'er replied, "Where else would we go in this heat?"

Fu Qingyun nodded. "We told you earlier—when you and big brother went to get the acceptance letter, we said we'd go out after you came back."

Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but ask, "Then why didn’t you come out earlier?"

Miaomiao picked up his acceptance letter to admire it. "Oh, we wanted to. But the moment we stepped out, they told us to go play outside, like we were getting in the way of their 'important matters.'"

Before Gu Wuyi could respond, he asked excitedly, "Big brother, is this really the City No. 1 High School acceptance letter?”

Gu Wuyi nodded.

Miaomiao examined the letter and looked disappointed. "It doesn’t seem all that special."

Qin Feng chuckled. "What were you expecting? Gold trim?"

Miaomiao pouted. "It doesn’t need to be that fancy, but it should at least match the prestige of City No. 1 High School."

Qin Feng ruffled his hair. "City No. 1 High School is only impressive within our city. Don’t ruin it—give it back to your big brother."

Miaomiao shook his head.

Gu Wuyi said, "I’ll let you keep it as a souvenir after I finish the enrollment process."

"Who wants this?" Miaomiao scoffed. "A university acceptance letter would be worth keeping. I just want to show it to Grandpa and Grandma. They’re still waiting at home."

Qin Feng suddenly remembered how his parents had been just as anxious as Gu Wuyi lately.

The village primary school had already gone on break, but his father hadn’t felt like going out to collect scrap metal with Uncle Dashan. Every day after meals, he would just sit at the entrance of the village. When others asked why he wasn’t out working, he blamed Qin Feng, saying his son wouldn’t let him in the scorching summer heat.

Since Qin Feng was known for being strict with his parents, the villagers believed him.

"Alright, let’s go," Qin Feng said, putting a small straw hat on Miaomiao’s head. "Your grandpa is probably sitting under the tree across from the gate."

Miaomiao immediately took off the hat. "Dad, what’s a baseball cap?"

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing that his father wasn’t taking the bait, Miaomiao returned the acceptance letter to Gu Wuyi and clung to Qin Feng’s arm. "Dad, Engineer Qin, can you buy me a baseball cap?"

Qin Feng glanced at his four older sons.

Fu Lingyun said, "He probably saw one of his classmates wearing one. Oh, right—it was Grandpa Dashan’s granddaughter."

Qin Feng looked down at the little troublemaker. "You really want one?"

"She didn’t look as good in it as I would."

Qin Feng chuckled. "That kind of hat doesn’t match the clothes you’re wearing now. When the weather cools down in autumn and last year’s clothes don’t fit anymore, I’ll take you all to the city to buy new clothes—along with a hat."

"A whole outfit to match the hat?" Miaomiao couldn’t help but ask.

Qin Feng nodded. "Casual wear."

Miaomiao didn’t care what kind of clothes, as long as they were new. He hugged Qin Feng’s waist and said, "Dad, you’re the best!"

Qin Feng pinched his cheek. "Don’t you know you’re like a little heater?"

The boy immediately let go, gave his father’s hand a playful slap, and before Qin Feng could react, grabbed Gu Wuyi and dashed off.

Qin Feng let out a soft chuckle. "You really just use me and toss me aside, huh?"

The boy turned back, huffed at him, then pulled Gu Wuyi along as they ran out.

Qin Feng shook his head and followed.

Fu Lingyun locked up the small building. When he turned around and saw his father’s empty hands, he instinctively sped up, but then hesitated when he got close.

Hearing footsteps, Fu Qingyun glanced back, saw his younger brother’s conflicted expression, and deliberately slowed down. As soon as he was behind Qin Feng, he flashed him a thumbs-up, then sprinted forward and threw an arm around his second brother’s neck.

Fu Lingyun clenched his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and grabbed Qin Feng’s arm with both hands. "Dad, let’s hurry up." His words masked his unease.

Qin Feng said calmly, "No rush."

Seeing that his father didn’t shake him off, Fu Lingyun gathered his courage and leaned in a little. "I’ll definitely get into City No. 1 High School in the future too. I won’t embarrass you."

Qin Feng chuckled. "You’re not doing it for me, you’re doing it for yourself. Otherwise, you’ll end up collecting scraps with Qin Miaomiao."

Fu Lingyun turned to him abruptly. "Miaomiao collects scraps?"

"Qin Miaomiao said it himself." Qin Feng couldn’t help but chuckle as he recalled the boy’s expression when he said it. "He wants to be the King of Junk."

Fu Lingyun scoffed. "Miaomiao was just joking."

Qin Feng shrugged. "Joking or not, if he actually becomes the King of Junk, that’d be great."

Fu Qingyun stopped in his tracks and looked at his second brother. Did he hear that right?

A PhD holder supporting his son in collecting junk?

Gu Xiao’er nodded slightly and whispered, "Dad said our standard of living is improving, which means there’s more and more junk. If you earn just a penny per kilogram, you could make tens of thousands a year."

It was only 1991, and even in the city, there weren’t many people with a five-figure income. Fu Qingyun found it hard to believe. "It makes that much money?"

Gu Xiao’er explained, "Collecting scrap isn’t the same as picking up trash. Who throws away junk these days? Worn-out cloth can be made into shoes, and old books can be used as toilet paper."

Fu Qingyun thought about his past life. Aside from commercial streets, there was hardly anything left to scavenge that could be resold.

"Why didn’t I think of collecting junk before?"

Gu Xiao’er glanced at him. "Did you have a scale? A cart? You were barely a teenager back then—who would sell to you?"

Fu Qingyun fell silent.

Gu Xiao’er pushed his arm off his neck and instead slung his own arm around him. "Forget it. It’s all in the past."

Fu Qingyun let himself be led forward. "Then when do you think I should tell Dad I want to apply to film school?"

"Get into City No. 1 High first, then we’ll talk."

"Film school’s academic requirements aren’t that high. I don’t necessarily need to go to City No. 1 High, right?"

Gu Xiao’er, who had been to university in his past life, knew better. "If you don’t use high school to build a solid foundation, once you get into university and start taking acting jobs, you won’t have time to study. You’ll end up not even knowing whether 'Lin’er' refers to your own child or someone else’s. Even without what happened in your past life, you’d still be a controversial figure."

In his past life, every time Fu Qingyun saw reports mocking his education and background, he felt terrible. "You're right. In this life, I’m going to be a true artist, both virtuous and skilled."

"Then you should take all the books Lingyun hides under his covers and bring them to our room."

Fu Qingyun turned to him, unsure. "Under his covers?"

"That’s what Big Brother said. Not just under the covers—there are some under his pillow too," Gu Xiao’er glanced back. "He's practically emptied Dad's study of all the classic martial arts novels."

Fu Qingyun thought about how many historical dramas he had acted in during his past life and nodded in agreement.

Gu Xiao’er couldn’t help but glance back at the little rascal sticking close to their dad.

Fu Lingyun happened to look up and meet his gaze, his heart skipping a beat. "Dad, look at Second Brother."

Gu Xiao’er quickly looked away.

Qin Feng said, "Maybe he thinks we’re walking too slow."

Fu Lingyun frowned slightly, finding that unlikely. But he hadn’t done anything to annoy his second brother recently. "Then let’s walk faster. Miaomiao and Big Brother must be showing off by now."

Qin Miaomiao certainly wanted to show off, but Old Qin had been waiting for the admission notice for so many days that he couldn’t resist going to City No. 1 High himself to check. How could he let Miaomiao take over?

The old man took the admission letter, confirmed it was real, and beamed with joy as if he had just passed the imperial examination himself.

Qin Feng led Fu Lingyun across the street and saw his eldest and youngest sons trailing behind their grandfather like attendants. He couldn’t help but laugh.

Fu Lingyun looked up at him.

Qin Feng said, "Look how happy your grandpa is. If all of you get into City No. 1 High, and then university—any university, as long as it’s a bachelor’s degree—your grandpa might just wake up laughing from his dreams every night."

Fu Lingyun looked into the distance. The old man was indeed overjoyed, but dreaming about it every night? That was a bit much.

Qin Feng chuckled, "Have you ever heard the phrase ‘hoping sons become dragons and daughters become phoenixes’?"

Fu Lingyun nodded.

Qin Feng thought for a moment about how to explain it. "If you guys go into business and make a lot of money, the people in the village won’t see it as bringing honor to the family. They’ll just say you were lucky, caught a good opportunity, and were quick-witted. But getting into college is different. To most people, that’s like your ancestors’ graves emitting blue smoke—an extremely rare and auspicious sign. Just one wisp of blue smoke is enough to make them envious. Imagine five wisps."

Other than his few close brothers, no one had ever been proud of him. Fu Lingyun couldn’t quite picture it, but he more or less understood. "Then I’ll tell Second Brother and the others—we all need to study hard—to bring glory to our ancestors." After saying it, he felt it wasn’t precise enough and corrected himself, "Dad’s ancestors."

Qin Feng chuckled and nodded, pulling his arm free to wrap it around the boy’s small shoulders. "Come on, let’s see how happy your grandma is."

Even though the villagers wouldn’t say it to Madam Zhou’s face, many believed that with five sons, Qin Feng would be full of lifelong bachelors. But Madam Zhou wasn’t blind—she saw the pitying looks and knew what they were thinking.

She had often wanted to explain that her son simply didn’t want to marry, but the villagers had shallow perspectives, only believing what they could see. So she had been holding in her frustration, waiting for the day when those who laughed at her family would be green with envy.

Now that Gu Wuyi had been accepted into City No. 1 High, Madam Zhou felt like she had finally let out a bit of that pent-up frustration. She was thrilled. Looking at the admission notice—even though she couldn’t read a single word—she shouted for Qin Feng to boil water while she prepared to kill two chickens: a hen for soup and a rooster for dishes.

Qin Feng turned to Fu Lingyun and silently mouthed, See that?

Fu Lingyun saw it clearly. Grandma was even happier than the day the family split the household.

"Grandma, I’ll help you with the firewood!" Fu Lingyun left his father’s side and ran toward the old woman.

Madam Zhou waved him off. "Let your dad do it. If you get heatstroke, how are you going to do your homework later?"

Qin Feng laughed in exasperation. "And you’re not afraid of me getting heatstroke?"

"You’re an adult. Just grit your teeth and push through it." As Madam Zhou spoke, she grabbed the net used for catching cicadas and used it to trap the chickens running wildly around the yard.

Old Qin handed the admission notice to Qin Feng. "Keep it safe."

Qin Feng handed the notice to Gu Wuyi.

Gu Wuyi treasured his admission letter and, afraid of accidentally damaging it, immediately placed it in the old couple’s bedroom for safekeeping.

After the meal, once the father and sons had eaten and rested for a short while, Old Qin urged them to head back—Qin Feng had work, and the children had summer homework to do. As for Gu Wuyi, who didn’t have any assignments, he was tasked with tutoring his younger brothers so they could all pass the entrance exam for City No. 1 High.

Hearing this, Madam Zhou exclaimed, “Yes! All of you get in! Let those heartless parents of yours regret everything!”

Gu Wuyi’s smile froze.

Old Qin frowned. “Why are you bringing this up now?”

Madam Zhou huffed, “Did I say something wrong?”

Afraid they would start arguing, Gu Wuyi quickly interjected, “No, you’re right! The worse we do, the happier they’ll be. The better we do, the more they’ll regret it.”

Gu Xiao’er added, “Too bad there’s no cure for regret in this world.”

Qin Feng couldn’t help but think about the boys’ biological parents. They had been silent for the past year—probably off in Guangzhou by now, with no need for him anymore.

Who knew when they’d show up in Binhai again?

It would be best if Gu Wuyi got into college.

Once he turned eighteen, no matter what channels or connections his biological parents tried to use, they wouldn’t be able to interfere with his life anymore.

Thinking of this, Qin Feng decided to have a talk with Gu Wuyi that evening. But before that, he needed to make a trip to the city.

Although cake wasn’t exactly a rarity, few families in the village were willing to buy one. Even his wealthier cousins had never splurged on such a thing.

If he brought a cake back, even if he didn’t show it off, half the village would come over just to see it.

With so many people sniffing and gawking at it, how could they even eat it?

Qin Feng said, “Dad, Mom, bring the leftovers and come eat at our place tonight.”

Madam Zhou was reluctant. “That little stove of yours—how’s it supposed to cook enough for all of us?”

Qin Feng replied, “We can steam half a pot of rice in the steel pot, and around four or five o’clock, I’ll buy a few dishes from Binhai Grand Hotel. You can make a couple of vegetable dishes to go with it.”

As soon as he said that, everyone—young and old—turned to look at him.

—Hadn’t they had enough with two whole chickens?

Qin Feng reassured them, “Just this once.” Before they could protest, he turned to his father. “Dad, you’re not happy with it?”

Old Qin’s eyes widened.

How could that be?

Back in the day, Qin Feng had attended No. 2 High School. With just six months of tutoring from Old Gu, he still managed to get into Imperial University. If nothing unexpected happened, Gu Wuyi was practically guaranteed to make it into Imperial University in three years.

Qin Feng then smiled and asked, “So is it Mom who’s unhappy?”

“Don’t drag me into this,” Madam Zhou shot him a glare. “Today’s a big day for Da Xiaozi, so I’ll give him this honor. But you’re only allowed to buy two dishes! Otherwise—otherwise, you’ll see what happens!”

She didn’t even know how to threaten him.

She couldn’t beat him, didn’t have the heart to scold him, and cutting off his finances? That was even more impossible.

She didn’t even know how much money Qin Feng had.

Qin Feng could tell she was just putting on a show. “Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll head over straight from the factory later.”

Gu Wuyi was about to take his younger brothers home when Madam Zhou called out, “Are you still selling popsicles?”

Gu Wuyi nodded.

Madam Zhou said, “Stop selling them. No matter how much you earn now, it’s just small change.”

Qin Feng paused mid-step and turned back to look at his mother.

Madam Zhou waved him off dismissively, clearly unimpressed. “Go on, get out of here.”

Qin Feng shrugged and headed to the factory, completely unconcerned about Gu Wuyi convincing her otherwise.

Gu Wuyi didn’t argue. Instead, he pitifully said that studying every day had been exhausting, and he just wanted to relax a little. He promised to resume studying when the weather cooled down, or at least in the mornings and evenings.

Madam Zhou noticed that he had lost weight since the beginning of the year and suddenly felt reluctant to pressure him about studying.

As soon as Gu Wuyi got home, he pushed the freezer outside under a tree near the entrance.

The people outside enjoying the cool air were mostly from the staff residence and Wuli Village. They all knew the five brothers.

Someone couldn’t help but ask, “Wuyi, you got into No. 1 High School, and you’re still selling popsicles?”

“So what? Even if I get into college, it doesn’t make me better than you. Why wouldn’t I sell them?” Gu Wuyi replied with a smile.

The person who asked was stunned.

That was true.

This wasn’t the era before the founding of the country—where “all trades were inferior, only studying was noble.”

Besides, with the market booming and more opportunities opening up, getting into college didn’t guarantee instant success. It didn’t mean you’d end up better off than someone who hadn’t gone.

But then, thinking deeper, something felt off.

Wasn’t Gu Wuyi only fifteen or sixteen? A half-grown kid with such clarity—he was going to be incredible in the future.

The person who asked suddenly felt even more envious of Old Qin than when he had been bragging earlier. “Just the fact that you can say something like that already makes you better than us.”

“My dad raised me well,” Gu Wuyi replied.

In his past life, he had always felt inferior because of his lack of education.

Even now, after being reborn, deep down he still carried that insecurity.

More than anything, he dreaded his dad finding out that in his past life, he hadn’t even finished middle school.

Qin Feng used his actions to show them that as long as you didn’t steal or cheat, there was no need to feel inferior.

Every time Gu Wuyi thought about how his grandfather, the people’s teacher, had once resorted to collecting scrap, he realized how narrow-minded he had been before—narrow-minded and too petty. No wonder he had been deceived in his past life and even helped count the money for the person who tricked him.

The person who had asked earlier took his words at face value. “Your dad really doesn’t seem like a PhD graduate who studied abroad.”

Hearing this, someone couldn’t help but chime in, “My daughter-in-law used to think your dad was just like the rest of us, just better-looking.”

Fu Qingyun interjected, “Then your daughter-in-law must have bad eyesight. Just by his demeanor alone, my dad is different from us.”

The person who had spoken first wasn’t too happy at that but, after thinking about it, laughed. “That’s true. Even if your dad wears just plain black pants and a white shirt, he still looks like an intellectual.”

The gatekeeper happened to come out and overheard the last part. “That’s because you don’t know—intellectuals love dressing like that.”

The villager from Wuli Village, who had only ever seen Qin Feng as a “knowledgeable person,” was surprised. “Other intellectuals dress like that too?”

The gatekeeper laughed, “We could wear that too, but do you think a white shirt would stay clean on us?”

The crowd thought about it and had to admit he was right.

They rarely owned white clothes.

Gu Wuyi, however, didn’t want his dad to become their topic of gossip. “Are you buying popsicles or not?”

Some people instinctively shook their heads.

Then they glanced at Gu Wuyi, remembered that he had just received his acceptance letter to No. 1 High School—the best in the city—and immediately pulled out money to buy a few, thinking it might bring some good luck to their own kids.

Seeing this, the gatekeeper couldn’t help but say, “Wuyi, study hard and aim to be our city’s top scorer. Then you can change the words on your ice pop sign from ‘selling popsicles’ to ‘Top Scholar Popscles.’”

Gu Wuyi couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright.”

Seeing how readily he agreed, the gatekeeper laughed too. “Are you going to be living on campus later?”

Gu Wuyi nodded.

“You’d better tell your dad early. He’s busy with work, and if everything is prepared in advance, he won’t have to make a special trip to bring you things.”

Gu Wuyi wanted to say that in his past life, Qingkuang and Lingyun hadn’t done much preparation before going to college.

Then, he suddenly realized—it wasn’t that they hadn’t prepared, but that he simply hadn’t known what to prepare.

Engineer Qin wasn’t the ignorant person he had been in his past life. He would definitely make the necessary preparations. Instead of waiting for him to find time to buy things, it was better to ask early and go to the city with his younger brothers to get everything themselves.

So, Gu Wuyi quietly told Gu Xiao’er to remind their dad when they saw him later.

However, when they finally saw Qin Feng again, they had completely forgotten about it.

Qin Feng came back a little after six.

At that time, they were still outside under the tree, selling popsicles.

Since work had ended for the day, there were quite a few adults and children gathered around.

Qin Feng walked up carrying a stack of meal boxes in one hand and a cake in the other. Everyone thought they were seeing things.

It wasn’t until he greeted them and went inside that people finally reacted and uncertainly asked Gu Wuyi, “Was your dad carrying a cake?”

Qin Feng came back outside and answered, “Yes. Wuyi never really had a birthday celebration growing up, so I thought I’d make it up to him while also congratulating him on getting into No. 1 High School.”

Gu Wuyi opened his mouth, but his vision blurred with tears.

Qin Feng was startled. “What’s wrong?”

Gu Xiao’er turned his head away, feeling a pang of emotion in his heart.

Fu Qingyun and Fu Lingyun also felt their noses sting when they saw Gu Wuyi like that.

Miaomiao was simple-minded and assumed he was crying out of joy. Grinning, he said, “Big Brother must be touched.” Then, he turned to Qin Feng and added, “I’ve never had a birthday celebration either.”

“We’ll talk about it when you get into No. 1 High School.” Qin Feng wiped Gu Wuyi’s tears. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

However, the more he wiped, the more the tears flowed.

Qin Feng was both speechless and amused. “Why are you acting like a bride about to be married off?”

In Wuli Village, there was a tradition where brides would cry before their wedding to show how reluctant they were to leave home.

Having spent so much time in the village, Gu Wuyi had heard about this custom before and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Qin Feng nodded in approval. “That’s more like it.” Then, he turned to Miaomiao. “Go get a towel.”

A neighborhood lady said, “Forget the towel. Stop selling popsicles and just go home.”

Qin Feng walked past Gu Wuyi, opened the ice chest, and saw that there were only a few dozen popsicles left. Without hesitation, he took them all out and handed them to the neighbors.

The lady was a little embarrassed to accept. That wasn’t what she meant.

Qin Feng handed one to her. “Just for today.”

She smiled, took it, and thanked him, taking the chance to praise Gu Wuyi. “We’re all lucky to be benefiting from him.”

Seeing his dad being so generous, Gu Wuyi felt like crying again.

Qin Feng patted his back. “Let’s go inside.” Then, he turned to Gu Xiao’er. “Go with Qingyun and call your grandparents. But don’t mention the cake, or they’ll start nagging.”

In truth, he just didn’t want the news spreading throughout the village.

Gu Xiao’er and Fu Qingyun, despite having lived another lifetime, had never been taught these social rules, so they took his words seriously.

When the elderly couple arrived and saw the cake, they couldn’t help but scold the kids, saying they had been led astray by Qin Feng.

Qin Feng finally explained why he had kept it from them.

Gu Xiao’er suddenly thought of a word—low-key.

But that word didn’t seem to match Qin Feng at all.

Qin Feng’s appearance was high-key, and his usual conduct in the village wasn’t low-key either. For instance, when arguing with his two aunts, he practically wanted the whole village to know, causing a huge commotion.

Gu Xiao’er couldn’t keep things to himself. If he didn’t understand, he had to ask. So, he questioned Qin Feng about it.

Qin Feng countered, “Your dad is high-profile sometimes. But does anyone know how much I earn in a month?”

Gu Xiao’er was stumped.

Aside from the factory’s chief accountant, even the factory director probably didn’t know.

Qin Feng continued, “If I’m always low-key, people will think I’m fake. If I’m always high-key, people will think I’m showing off. It’s fine to be high-key about trivial matters, but for things that might bring trouble, we must be low-key.”

The five teenagers nodded in understanding.

Qin Feng clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s cut the cake?”

“Timing couldn’t be better!”

A sudden voice startled everyone.

Qin Feng turned towards the sound and saw four people standing at the door.

Madam Zhou was surprised. “What are you all doing here? Come in, come in!”

It was none other than Qin Feng’s eldest aunt, Aunt Qin, her husband, their son, and Lin Xiaobo.

Gu Wuyi’s mouth fell slightly open. He blinked hard, as if to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, before stammering, “You… why are you here too?”

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