Chapter 80

Ever since he became Zhao Yelan, he has no habit of celebrating birthdays. The only person who knew about his birthday was Zhao Xuan, but the other party was busy pursuing a great career, so how could he have time to celebrate the birthdays of their staff members?

What’s more, he didn’t think about celebrating his birthday at all. Birthdays are to be celebrated with his family, but he is alone, and he just wants to get busy on this day.

But this year is different from previous years. He wants to tell Yan Mingting what day it is today. He doesn’t need rare and expensive gifts, and he doesn’t need big battles. He just wants to have a meal with his family like he did when he was young, and then kiss It would be nice to hear a few words of congratulations.

Unexpectedly, Yan Mingting had already noticed it in advance, and then thought about the bowl of noodles just now, no wonder he was asked to eat some at such a late hour, and everyone’s eyes full of anticipation…

Just as he was thinking about it, a cloud of snow hit him again.

He reacted, looked at Li Yucheng who was giggling and showing off his power, took the snowball from Yan Mingting’s hand, and threw it at Li Yucheng.

“Hey, you can’t hit me, you can’t hit me!” Li Yucheng quickly moved away, quickly dug up a large handful of snow, and turned to look at the others, “Why are you all standing there, why don’t you hurry up and get on it together?”

After all, the status of other people is lower, so they dare not keep smashing. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yelan missed it and hit Yin Pinglu. Yin Pinglu smiled and hid beside Zuo Ran, and Zuo Ran also smiled and threw a snowball at Zhao Yelan.

Seeing that it was about to hit Zhao Yelan’s face, a fist suddenly stretched out from the side, scattered the snowballs, and landed unsteadily in front of him.

“Attention, I’m going to attack.” After Yan Mingting finished speaking, he picked up a snowball and looked around with a smile. Everyone was so scared that they ran away, looking for opportunities to fight back while fleeing.

It is impossible for a person to be beaten all the time. After hiding for a few times, He Cuizhang decided to be cruel. He raised a large snowball and hit Yan Mingting. The team was clearly divided into two groups.

Yan Mingting and Zhao Yelan made a call, and everyone else made a call.

Butler Tan and Xiao Gao passed by, watching the people in the yard jumping up and down, making a mess, with snowflakes flying everywhere, they couldn’t see their movements clearly at all, and felt that their old eyes were going to be dazzled.

Xiao Gao was excited to see it, and flew in to join in. He Cuizhang’s team added another strong general, and everyone besieged Yan Mingting together, which gave Zhao Yelan an opportunity to throw snowballs outside. It turned into a scuffle, and it was impossible to see who the other party was, and if there was a figure, they would smash it.

“Ah! Zhao Yelan, you smashed Yan Mingting hahaha!” Li Yucheng rolled on the ground laughing.

Zhao Yelan was taken aback, stopped to take a closer look, and the person standing in front was indeed Yan Mingting. He stepped forward and pulled the snow off Yan Mingting’s face, then burst out laughing, and the others also laughed out loud one after another.

The last group of people were tired from playing and didn’t want to move anymore, so they lay carelessly on the snow.

Zhao Yelan was panting, looking at the sky, his eyes were pale, he let go endlessly, and he was very happy physically and mentally.

At this time, Yan Mingting held his hand, put it to his mouth, took a few breaths, held it in both hands, and asked, “Is it cold?”

“It’s not cold.” Zhao Yelan said, “You let me play with the snow, so you know how to ask me if it’s cold?”

“Snow is for playing. It’s good to move your body and bones. You can’t stay still.” After Yan Mingting finished speaking, he pulled him up and patted the snow on his body. Change clothes.”

“Did you guys often have snowball fights?” Zhao Yelan was led back to the bedroom by him.

“Rarely, it rarely snows at the border. There is only a strong wind that blows your face apart.” Yan Mingting unbuttoned his cloak, and poured a basin of hot water for him to soak his hands, which were already icy. It was so red, he couldn’t help but feel a little worried, “You shouldn’t catch a cold, right?”

“It’s okay.” Zhao Yelan comforted him, “Even if I catch a cold this time, I’m happy.”

“No nonsense, Crow’s Mouth.”

Zhao Yelan smiled, staring down at his hands soaked in hot water, fiddled with the water splashing once and for all: “How do you know what day it is?”

“I told you not to be angry.”

“Have you investigated?”

Yan Mingting nodded guiltyly: “Yes, after you finished those things, I went to investigate the matter about Zhao Mengting myself, but I only investigated his birth date.”

“It’s okay, if you want to investigate other things, you can.” Zhao Yelan smiled lightly, heard the noise outside, and asked again, “You called them too?”

“Well, I asked them to discuss how to celebrate your birthday, and they even prepared a gift for you.” Yan Mingting said secretly, “How is it? Are you looking forward to it?”

“I can probably guess what they will give.” After Zhao Yelan finished speaking, he paused, then suddenly smiled, “But I still have some expectations.”

Yan Mingting patted him on the shoulder with a smile: “Yes, Mr. Zhao, you are much more honest than before.”

After Zhao Yelan changed his clothes, the two went back to the front hall. The group of people was cooking around the charcoal brazier, and the food was ready, and the servants began to serve the food.

Everyone sat around together, and one or two couldn’t help it anymore, and wanted to present a gift.

“It suffocated me. I started the fire for your bowl of noodles in the morning.” Li Yucheng said enthusiastically.

“You?” Zhao Yelan hadn’t expected this, so he couldn’t help showing a surprised expression.

“And me, I put the seasoning!” He Cuizhang said.

Zuo Ran: “I ordered the noodles, and the green onion was sprinkled.”

Xiao Gao also interjected: “I did the dishes.”

Zhao Yelan’s face was calm and breezy, but his heart was like a calm and waveless sea, which was gently fiddled with by them, causing layers of ripples to appear.

He looked at Yan Mingting pretending to be calm: “What about you?”

“I’m responsible for calling them to work and supervising them.” Yan Mingting said confidently.

“Look at how lazy he is, why don’t you kick him and be with me.” Li Yucheng joked.

“Eat your meal.” Yan Mingting pressed his head into the bowl.

Zhao Yelan couldn’t help laughing, he knew that Yan Mingting was not lazy, lazy people would not just go to the kitchen to make steamed stuffed buns, even if they haven’t made it yet. Yan Mingting gave up such a good performance opportunity to other people, probably to let him know that he still has a group of friends.

Friends, he didn’t have one before.

He didn’t even dare to say that he was Zhao Xuan’s friend. The relationship between the two who helped each other and took advantage of each other couldn’t be sincerely delivered.

Kan Chuan and Gu Niaoyou were able to put down their guard, but because of their identities, they couldn’t communicate in public.

On the contrary, after entering the general’s mansion, first met a group of heartless but passionate generals, and then inexplicably became friends with Li Yucheng, and also met two girls with very different personalities. Everyone had different identities, but at this time they could sit together A table, celebrating his birthday together, this scene is something he never thought of.

“Thank you, the noodles in the morning are delicious.” Zhao Yelan said sincerely.

Li Yucheng patted the table: “I just said that I boiled the water well! Young master, I haven’t even entered my own kitchen!”

“Obviously I put the seasoning well!” He Cuizhang said, “The seasoning is the soul!”

“If it weren’t for me and Ping Lu, how could the noodles be so soft and hard?” Zuo Ran said unconvinced.

Xiao Gao: “Me!…I’m good at washing dishes!”

Zhao Yelan lowered his head and smiled, turned his head and found that Yan Mingting was looking at him and smiling, he quietly stretched out his hand, and the two shook hands under the table.

“I said, why don’t you eat first.” Butler Tan said, “It’s cold, and the dishes cool quickly.”

“Uncle Tan, don’t be so busy, sit down and eat with Xiao Gao.” Yan Mingting said.

“Huh? Can I do it too?”

“Yes.” Zhao Yelan nodded.

“Oh, then I won’t be polite.” Butler Tan sat down with a smile on his face.

A large table of good dishes, all Zhao Yelan’s favorite food, no one said today that he was extravagant and wasted, and they kept adding vegetables to his bowl as if they were afraid that he would not be full.

Li Yucheng finished eating quickly, and then began to present gifts in a serious manner. He took out a sachet and ten ingots of gold, blinding everyone else’s eyes.

“I made this sachet according to the recipe my sister used before. There are more than a dozen kinds of spices in it. As for gold, although you promised me that as long as I persuaded my uncle to help the disaster, you would give me free. But my father and I I think it should be paid back to you. If a man is willing to gamble and admit defeat, it should be taken as a lesson. Anyway, I will really quit gambling from now on. This is not enough to pay you back. I will pay you back when I earn some money in the future. It can always be paid off. Moreover, the shop we cooperate with Jiangnan merchants has opened, and the recent business is really good, and we will be able to pay off soon!” Li Yucheng said.

He Cuizhang took out a sharp blade, short and sharp, with three gemstones specially inlaid on it according to Zhao Yelan’s preference. The gemstones were rewarded by the emperor. Use, well, mainly because I don’t know how to do anything else.”

Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu are not as rich as they are, so they can only do some handicrafts. They sewed two small dolls with needles and threads. At first glance, they look like Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting. Yan Mingting likes them very much, so take them After that, I hugged it lovingly.

“Thank you.” Zhao Yelan accepted these things. Although he guessed what they would give, he was still a little surprised. For example, he didn’t expect that Li Yucheng would give gold, and He Cuizhang specially inlaid gems on the knife…

Wait, is it possible that his image of seeing Qian’s eyes is so deeply rooted in the hearts of the people?

After lunch, Zhao Yelan went to catch up on sleep again, and when he woke up again, he did not see Yan Mingting, and the others also dispersed.

“Where did they go?” Zhao Yelan asked Butler Tan.

“It seems to have gone out.”

Zhao Yelan put on a big cloak and took Xiao Gao with him to go out, but as soon as he got to the door, he saw Jinxuan’s proprietress coming, followed by a string of maids, all holding brand new clothes in their hands.

“Who are you?” Zhao Yelan looked at them blankly, “Didn’t the clothes for this month have already been delivered?”

“I did, but these are congratulatory gifts from the general.” The landlady covered her mouth with a smile, “There are twelve pieces in total, twelve kinds of designs, including spring, summer, autumn and winter.”

Zhao Yelan was surprised, and asked the maids in the mansion to come and pick up the things.

“Then let’s go first. By the way, Mr. Zhao, I wish you a happy birthday and a wealth of money.” The proprietress smiled, “Please take care of our business in the future.”

Zhao Yelan nodded, he didn’t expect the proprietress to know the date of birth, but Yan Mingting bought so many clothes in one go, it is understandable to say the reason.

“Did you see him?” Zhao Yelan asked casually.

“He asked you to find him by yourself.” The proprietress smiled mysteriously, and then led the people away.

Zhao Yelan looked at Xiao Gao, who shook his head: “I don’t know, the general didn’t tell me anything, he said I’m a big colander.”

The snow has stopped, and although there are fewer pedestrians on the street, some people still go out. Zhao Yelan stepped on the snow, making creaking noises step by step, but he couldn’t find Yan Mingting’s footprints.

After going out for too long, the footprints have been covered by others.

He wandered around in a daze, and when he passed the casino, the guards at the door called him in to play a few games. He thought for a while, turned around and went in.

Even in the twelfth lunar month of winter, the gambling shop is still booming. Many people have seen him here before, and they all call for him to come and play together.

Zhao Yelan found a table at random, randomly pressed the size several times, and won every time.

He intentionally made unreasonable bets and still won.

“Congratulations, Mr. Zhao, you have won our biggest bet, which is—” The banker paused, and suddenly raised his hands up, “Blessings from everyone!”

There was an orderly shout in the casino: “Master Zhao, I wish you a happy birthday! Every bet is guaranteed to win!”

deafening.

The combined voices of so many big men almost made Zhao Yelan deaf. He pressed his ears, and a small smile escaped from the corner of his mouth: “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, you’re welcome!” Everyone laughed.

“Where is he?” Zhao Yelan asked the dealer.

Dealer: “It’s not here anyway.”

Zhao Yelan suddenly became interested and looked for other places. When he came to the Huichun Tower, he stopped in his tracks but did not go in.

All the envoys and vassals live in it now, and they don’t accept foreigners, so they shouldn’t hide in it.

At this time, Xiao Er came out and handed him a dozen or so packed food: “Master Zhao, remember to patronize our business more in the future, I wish you a happy birthday, eat delicious food, and look good!”

Xiao Gao continued to follow him with his things in his hands, and asked, “My lord, where are we going?”

“I don’t know.” Zhao Yelan’s tone was brisk. When he passed the Hongxiu Building, he didn’t expect that the other party had arrangements here.

Suddenly, plum blossom petals fell profusely from the top of his head. He raised his head and saw Gu Niaoyou with Qingyan waiting for a group of girls leaning against the window, smiling happily.

“Master Zhao, happy birthday. The general told you to stop looking for girls in the future, or you will shut down my small building.” Gu Niaoyou said, the girls all giggled, and the people passing by were also laughing .

Zhao Yelan gave them a helpless and funny look, and continued on his way. He met Ruan Xian’s family, who were buying Jiangnan tea. After seeing him, Ruan Xian handed all the tea to him abruptly: “Ok Don’t tell me about such an important day, I wish you a happy birthday and a prosperous official career.”

Zhao Yelan smiled, and just as he passed them, he turned a corner and saw Li Niang holding the child.

“This is the peace talisman I asked for last time when I went to Lingyun Temple. I specially asked for one for you, my lord. I wish you a happy birthday and a long life.”

“Thank you.” Zhao Yelan took it and looked down at the smiling child.

“Kan Chuan asked me to give this to you. He said you should like it.” Li Niang handed him another calligraphy and painting, which was the posthumous work of the master calligraphers of the previous dynasty and was very precious.

Zhao Yelan looked at the calligraphy and painting, then at Li Niang and the child, and said, “If we have time, let’s have a meal together, it’s fair and square.”

“Really?” Li Niang’s eyes were filled with a smile, “Okay, I’ll tell him when I get back.”

After Zhao Yelan walked along the street for a certain distance, he received countless words of congratulations and various gifts. Xiao Gao couldn’t take it anymore, so he had to call Yu Dali and others to carry the things.

Suddenly, he thought of the school yard, and strode over there.

Even though it was a snowy day, the soldiers were still training. When they saw him coming, they shouted in unison: “Master Zhao, happy birthday!”

Zhao Yelan searched around inside carefully, not only did not find anyone, but also started to answer questions with the soldiers.

“My lord, is your birthday today happy?”

“happy.”

“My lord, how old are you this year?”

“twenty five.”

“My lord, do you think it’s cold today?”

“good.”

“My lord, are you looking for the general?”

“Nonsense.” Zhao Yelan turned around more than half a circle, everyone looked carefully, but Yan Mingting was not seen, it seems that he is not here.

The sky had already sunk, and in a blink of an eye, the streets were lit up with candlelight.

Xiao Gao was worried about his physical strength, and suggested: “Master, are you tired? How about we take a rest.”

“Not tired.”

How could Zhao Yelan be tired? So many familiar and unfamiliar people told him happy birthday. Although he didn’t show it on the surface, it was like a tsunami that shook the world.

It’s just this joy and gratitude, he wants to tell Yan Mingting face to face.

So, where would he be?

Having traveled around most of the city, when he saw a vendor selling candied haws, Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but stop and buy a few bunches, and he didn’t know when he developed the habit.

“Master Zhao, I’m here to buy candied haws again.” The vendor already knew him, and smiled, “I heard that today is your birthday, so I won’t charge you any money. I wish you a happy birthday, every year there is today, every year There is today!”

The words were so familiar, he immediately raised his head and asked, “Where is he?”

The vendor smiled and said, “You are amazing, but you are so smart, you should be able to guess where the general will be waiting for you, right?”

Zhao Yelan stood by the river, staring at the lake in a daze, unconsciously the details of how the two of them got along appeared in his mind, suddenly, he smiled, and said to Xiao Gao: “Let’s go, go home.”

“Aren’t you looking for the general?”

“Don’t look for it, go home.”

Go home, what a simple sentence, but the previous him had no home. Only after getting acquainted with Yan Mingting, the other party seemed to always say the word “go home” to him.

Birthday, it must be celebrated at home.

The general’s mansion was brightly lit, and as soon as they saw him come back, the servants rushed to get food.

“Where’s Yan Mingting?” Zhao Yelan asked Butler Tan again.

“Ah? He didn’t come back, isn’t he with you?” Tan Butler said blankly.

Zhao Yelan frowned slightly, thinking of something, he stood in the courtyard without moving, and after a while, Yan Mingting finally appeared at the gate.

“What are you doing standing there, be careful of catching a cold.” Yan Mingting walked straight towards him.

Zhao Yelan frowned, raised his head and looked at him: “I know where you went.”

“Where did you go?” Yan Mingting smiled and waited for his answer.

“You never left at all, you were always behind me, right?”

Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows, but finally couldn’t hold back, and smiled: “Yes.”

“Then what if I didn’t go home and went to other places, such as the city gate?” Zhao Yelan asked again.

“Then I will appear on the city gate. I will appear wherever you stop. I don’t need you to look for me. I will only follow you and always follow you.”

Zhao Yelan stretched out his arms to hug him, and after a long silence, he said in a low voice, “Thank you, Fang Li.”

“It’s fine if you like it.” Yan Mingting hugged him back, “Actually, I’m also a little nervous, I don’t know what gift to give at all.”

“Enough, this is enough.” Zhao Yelan’s voice was slightly hoarse.

He has received blessings and gifts from friends and people, and these are already generous gifts that he could not even imagine.

“No, there is another gift.” Yan Mingting said, let go of his hand, and put a fire letter in the air.

“Okay, okay, get ready!” He Cuizhang shouted, Li Yucheng cautiously approached the line of fire, and finally He Cuizhang stepped forward and lit it.

With a “bang”, huge fireworks exploded in the sky, and the dark night was dotted with fiery trees and silver flowers, attracting everyone’s attention. Everyone looked up to watch the sudden beauty. Children cheered, adults talked and laughed, and seemed to know the fireworks Who is it?

Even the people in the palace heard the movement, Zhao Xuan walked to the gate of the hall and looked around: “Who is setting off the fireworks?”

“Return to Your Majesty, it’s General Yan.” Eunuch Gao said fairly.

“What day is today?” Zhao Xuan just finished asking, and then she realized it, and sighed deeply, “I actually forgot in a hurry, today is his birthday…”

Zhao Yelan raised his head, his lips parted slightly, unable to speak, the bright and colorful fireworks were clearly reflected in his eyes, looking forward to the brilliance, he turned his head sideways, his eyes sparkled: “You also prepared this?”

“Well, do you like it?” Yan Mingting asked with a smile.

Zhao Yelan nodded: “I like it.”

He thought he didn’t like grand and complicated etiquette, but after this day, no matter it was ordinary and warm, or grand and grand, he had experienced it, and joy followed one after another. He would definitely remember this birthday for a long, long time.

Zhao Yelan’s eyes turned red inexplicably, and he suddenly felt a trace of regret. He used to always think that meeting now is the best moment for the two of them, but now he feels that it would be great if they met earlier, and it would be best if they met in the previous life.

The fireworks disappeared into the night sky, and just when everyone thought it was over, new fireworks rose into the night sky again, cheers echoed one after another outside, and even the servants in the mansion quickly put down their work and ran to the front hall Come and watch.

Zhao Yelan leaned his head on his shoulder, the smile on the corner of his mouth never disappeared, and then, in the lively voice, he heard Yan Mingting say in his ear: “Actually, there is another gift, I will give the rest of my life I give it to you, I hope you will take good care of it, I wonder if you dare to accept it?”

Zhao Yelan suddenly stood up straight, turned around and put his arms around his neck, and leaned over to kiss him: “Why don’t you dare?”