An unforgettable birthday

The road grew progressively darker as twilight began to fall. The evening was drawing near.

“Now, take a moment to consider for yourself,” Yisha said, holding Xin Xin’s hand with a serious expression. “Will you stay, or will you go? It all depends on your own wishes.”

Xin Xin hesitated for a moment, then nodded, acknowledging her understanding.

“In that case, let’s head home. By now, Yina should have dinner ready.”

A smile bloomed on Yisha’s face. Unlike the polite smiles she wore at school, this one was filled with genuine warmth and sincerity.

Holding Xin Xin’s hand, Yisha walked slowly with her along the path leading home.

After some time, they arrived at an unassuming alleyway. Yisha led Xin Xin through several turns, and a moment later, they stood before a courtyard gate.

“Hello, I’m home!” Yisha called out playfully, knocking on the small wooden gate. “Is anyone going to open the door for me?”

From inside the house, she heard a series of commotions triggered by her call. These strange noises only ceased after a scolding so loud it threatened to shatter the roof.

“Oh? Is something happening today?” Yisha asked the person who came to open the door for her and Xin Xin. “Why is it so noisy?”

“Someone’s birthday today,” the girl grumbled, puffing out her cheeks. “Everyone wasn’t here yet, so we’ve been waiting.”

Yisha suppressed the urge to poke the girl’s puffed cheeks and clasped her hands together in apology.

“Sister Yina, what were you talking about with Sister Yisha?” Xin Xin asked, looking up at the two of them.

Yisha released Xin Xin’s hand. She knelt down, bringing herself to eye level with the child.

“You’ll know once you go inside~” Yisha teased. Her eyes gestured for Xin Xin to enter first.

Watching Xin Xin disappear into the house, Yisha and Yina quickly sprang into action.

The former vanished from sight, while the latter returned to the kitchen. It seemed as though everything was being prepared for something special.

The clock’s hands struck exactly six. The distant clamor outside shrunk infinitely, becoming utterly inaudible here.

Suddenly, all the lights in the brightly lit house flickered out. Only an impenetrable darkness, making it nearly impossible to see, remained.

“What happened? What’s going on!”

Xin Xin had just reached the living room doorway, not yet seeing her friends, when the power failed. In her panic, she lost her usual composure.

Light emanated from the other side. It was like the first ray of dawn, or the sole clarity within chaos, tearing through the darkness and reaching Xin Xin’s eyes.

Sound drifted from the same direction. It was the only noise in the ineffable silence—a sound both strange and familiar, yet undeniably warm, making Xin Xin rediscover everything anew.

“Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you······”

By candlelight, everyone sang, expressing their heartfelt wishes. In the endless darkness, only the cake and the words inscribed upon it, messages from everyone, were visible.

Her vision blurred gradually. She wiped away the hot tears with her hand, only for more to well up from her eyes.

“Sniff… Thank you… Thank you, everyone… I’m so… grateful…”

Her voice was broken and intermittent, yet she managed to convey her thoughts.

A hand gently guided her to the cake. In the solitary glow, the words written in jam upon it stood out prominently.

“Happy 14th Birthday, Xin Xin!”

Everyone cheered in unison. Finally, a voice she knew all too well rang out—her younger sister’s.

“Happy birthday, Sister.”

Xin Xin was choked with sobs. This was perhaps the second unexpected surprise of her day, and it might well be the most astonishing thing that would ever happen in her life.

She had lost her memory due to a brain injury; Yisha had told her this.

In her earliest memories, she and her sister had depended solely on each other for survival.

They had struggled to live in the traffickers’ cage, enduring injuries, sickness, and bitter cold, yet none could claim their lives. The traffickers had taken them across oceans and through countless places, but no one had ever wanted them.

“Those eyes, that gaze—who would want them?”

“Came from the Eurasian Great Disaster? No thanks, I don’t want my home blown up.”

“They’re nothing but two bad omens! I’m not running a charity; do you have any other merchandise?”

Such words were uttered by countless people, piercing their ears. Every day, Xin Xin covered her sister’s ears, repeatedly telling herself:

‘One day, I’ll grow up. And when I do, I’ll leave this place!’

However, before she could grow up, the traffickers were apprehended, their den dismantled. The one who had accomplished all this, opening their prison doors and granting them freedom, was Yisha.

Not knowing her own name, when she was born, where her family was, or even if she would survive—such a life completely transformed the moment she met Yisha.

A home, food, clothes, friends, warmth—and now, finally, her very first birthday in life. She knew her birth date and possessed her own birthday cake.

Her tears wouldn’t stop, nor did she need to suppress the emotions overflowing in her chest. All she needed to do was let them flow freely.

A hand gently stroked her head. She knew whose hand it was.

“Thank you… Thank you… Truly, I’m so grateful!”

She bowed deeply to everyone. Perhaps it was a sisterly bond, but Xin Yue performed the exact same gesture.

“Blow out the candles first,” Yisha said softly, helping Xin Xin up. “Remember to make a wish before you do.”

Unlike the others, a wry smile played on Yisha’s face. However, because the candlelight was too faint, no one noticed it except Yina.

After silently making her wish, Xin Xin blew out the candles.

As the candles extinguished, the room’s lights flickered back on. Xin Xin’s eyes were red-rimmed, but it was from happiness.

“Now, it’s time to cut the cake!”

This single declaration caused a ripple of excitement. As if by prior arrangement, the cake was quickly sliced and distributed, though everyone made sure to show Xin Xin the words on their individual pieces.

“I hope Xin Xin will smile more often.” – Shaya

“It’s rare to be in sync with Sister, but I wish Xin Xin good health and hope she continues to be my good friend.” – Liliya

“Though you’re not a teacher, you’re still very important. Please guide me.” – Yu

“You’ve grown up. May you be happy every day.” – Shimazaki

“You still need to learn my cooking skills, so don’t be lazy all the time~” – Yina

“Keep up the good work. You still have a long way to go.” – Yisha

Finally, there was the cake meant for both Xin Xin and Xin Yue. Unlike the others, it bore no words, only a rather simple drawing.

It depicted a house with two small figures holding hands inside, surrounded by five other small figures.

“Sister?”

Xin Xin wiped away the last of her tears. She sliced the cake and placed pieces onto her and Xin Yue’s plates.

“I’m so happy,” Xin Xin told everyone. “This might just be the best birthday I’ve ever had!”

“Did you find them?”

Late into the night, a person made a phone call. A cold voice responded from the other end.

–”Yes, I found them,” the voice replied. “I hope you’ll uphold your end of the bargain.”

–”Don’t worry. I have only one target. As long as you can lure them out, I can deal with them,” the man said. “Afterward, we’ll give you everything you desire, including that person.”

Hanging up the phone, the man gazed at the moon and sighed. He then retrieved a photograph from his pocket.

It was a worn photograph, but its content was easy to discern: a family portrait.

In it, a woman smiled, holding an infant in her arms, while the man gave a piggyback ride to an older child. The unique affection shared among family members was vividly displayed in the picture.

“Xia Xin,” he murmured, “do you think what I’m doing is right?”

The potted plant beside him swayed back and forth in the wind. The man stared at the woman in the photograph, seemingly lost to all else.