Rong Xianning's impression of birthdays was already very vague.
At that time, he was still living at his grandmother's house in Qingzhou. Early in the morning, his grandmother would cook him a bowl of longevity noodles. The noodles were handmade by her, a single very long strand. She told him not to bite it, but to swallow it whole in one go—only then would it bless him with a long life.
For the older generation, celebrating birthdays might simply involve eating a bowl of longevity noodles; the concept of buying a birthday cake wasn't there.
But when the neighbor's older brother had a birthday, he sent over a piece of birthday cake. It was so sweet, so incredibly sweet. His grandmother said to him, "When Aning's birthday comes, Grandma will buy you a birthday cake too."
So on his birthday, he too ate a birthday cake.
Though it was only a palm-sized little cake, with a simple flavor, it remained the sweetest and most unforgettable taste in his memories.
