The next evening,
Xiong Ge was still busy with housework, and Ye Siren had also come over, sitting on the sofa and reading a book. At this moment, Grandpa sneaked out to play again.
A cake sat on the table. Xia Yu (Young) opened the cake box and asked, "Mom, can we cut the cake now?"
"Xia Yu, not yet! We'll cut it after dinner!" Xiong Ge glanced at Xia Yu and said.
At this point, Xia Yu brought his first-place certificate in mental arithmetic to show Xiong Ge, saying happily, "Mom, this is the first-place mental arithmetic certificate I got at school."
"Wow, Xia Yu is so amazing, first place!" Xiong Ge said with a glance, still busy with her chores. "Just put it down for now, Mom will look at it when she has a moment."
Seeing that Xiong Ge was ignoring him, Xia Yu turned around, walked over to Ye Siren, and said happily, "Dad, this is the first-place mental arithmetic certificate I got at school."
Ye Siren was engrossed in the book in his hands, didn't even glance at Xia Yu, and simply waved his hand dismissively. "Good... Xia Yu, be a good boy and go play somewhere else. Dad is busy, I'll look at it when I'm done."
Just then, Xian Tian came home from school. When Xiong Ge saw that Xian Tian's face was covered in cuts and bruises, she immediately dropped her chores, hurried over, and asked, "Xian Tian, what happened to your face? Did people bully you again? There's a lump swollen right up on your forehead!"
"You... Xian Tian, you're the most obedient, you have to listen to Mom. No matter what happens from now on, you must never take off this Dragon Seal, understand?"
Seeing the injuries on Xian Tian's face, Ye Siren quickly put down his book, stood up, walked over to Xian Tian, and said angrily, "No way... Your old man can't take this anymore. Xian Tian, tell Dad, who on earth bullied you? Dad will go take care of him for you."
"Take care of what? You're a father now, can you hear how ridiculous you sound?" Xiong Ge glared angrily at Ye Siren.
At that moment, Younger Sister and Xia Mei rushed back into the house, chased by people. Back at school, someone had somehow ripped off Xia Mei's Dragon Seal, releasing Sadako and terrifying the other children. The parents of the other kids had brought a Taoist priest all the way to their house, accusing Xia Mei of keeping evil spirits.
Xiong Ge and Ye Siren were kept busy dealing with Xian Tian and Xia Mei's respective disasters.
…………
Meanwhile, when Xia Ling saw her older brother Xia Yu's first-place certificate, she happily grabbed Xia Yu's hand and said, "Wow...! Brother Yu, you're amazing! First place again! Can you hang this certificate in my room?" Xia Ling looked at Xia Yu with eyes full of eager anticipation.
Looking at the happily smiling girl before him, who was gazing at him with such expectation, the corners of Xia Yu's mouth lifted in an involuntary smile.
"Alright, sure. I'll help you hang it up."
"Brother Yu! Hurry up and come upstairs with me to hang it!" With that, she grabbed Xia Yu's hand and ran upstairs, heading straight into her room to hang up the certificate. Once it was secured, she asked, "Brother Yu, I know what day today is. Do you know?"
"I know, but..." Xia Yu gave a bitter inward smile, feeling a pang of sadness, but he still put on a casual, indifferent smile.
"Don't be sad, Brother Yu. Close your eyes first and wait for me a second." Xia Ling looked at Xia Yu with a mysterious expression.
"Alright, Younger Sister." Even though he was puzzled, Xia Yu did as she asked.
"Okay, Brother Yu, you can open your eyes now." As Xia Yu opened his eyes, he saw Xia Ling holding out a gift box and a card that read:
[To my dearest Brother Yu, Happy Birthday!
Brother Yu, this is a wish card I'm giving you. You can use this wish card anytime in the future, and I will definitely work hard to make it come true for you!!!
Your loving sister: Xia Ling]
Xia Yu happily took the gift, murmuring,
"Thank you, Younger Sister."
Xia Ling looked at Xia Yu with a beaming smile and said, "Today is your birthday!"
"And I'm not the only one who prepared a gift—Xian Tian and Xia Mei prepared gifts for you, too!"
"This one is from Xian Tian, and this one is from Xia Mei."
Xia Yu looked earnestly at Xia Ling, then pulled her into a tight hug, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Younger Sister. Really, thank you so much."
"Oh, come on, today is your birthday! Let's hurry downstairs to blow out the candles and make a wish!" Xia Ling playfully nudged Xia Yu.
"Alright, my wish is: I hope I have abilities, so that I can protect Younger Sister." Xia Ling clapped for him from the side, singing the birthday song with a happy smile.
"Brother Yu, I felt your wish. I will work hard to make your wish come true!"
"Brother Yu, you will definitely get abilities."
"Trust me," Xia Ling patted her chest and said with absolute certainty.
"Alright, I trust you." Xia Yu happily stroked Xia Ling's hair and said.