The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

After Shen Qing finished speaking, he looked between Shen Chen and Shen's father.

Shen Chen and his father relaxed completely, indicating that things had been settled with their mother.

Shen Cao looked at the roast chicken in front of her, sized them up, and slowly said, "Didn't Mother just go back? Since the dishes are already served, why don't we call Mother and the others over, order another dish, and eat here today?"

Sure enough, the three of them immediately became anxious after hearing Shen Cao's words.

Father Shen stood up, pointed to the roast chicken in front of him, and said to Shen Cao with a smile, "Since your mother sent your younger brother to call us back, it wouldn't be right if we didn't go back."

"Wouldn't that be letting your mother down?"

Shen Cao didn't insist any further. She went back to see what they had been up to all day.

They called over the waiter and ordered the roast chicken to be packed up.

The waiter couldn't help but roll his eyes and mutter, "What a hassle!" before reluctantly taking the roast chicken to be packed up.

When they returned, the doors of Shen's Restaurant were tightly shut, and the inside was pitch black.

Shen Qing walked to the door first, pushed it open, and called out, "Mother, we're back!"

The four of them went inside in the dark, and Shen's father didn't forget to lock the door.

When Shen Cao reached the backyard gate, she suddenly discovered that the yard was filled with candles, which stretched all the way to her feet.

Shen Cao frowned slightly, her face full of suspicion. She took light steps and slowly walked towards the familiar main room.

However, when she had just reached the halfway point, the scene before her made her stop in her tracks.

From afar, one could see Shen Wan smiling, carefully holding a delicate porcelain bowl in both hands, filled with some food that exuded an enticing aroma.

Upon closer inspection, the delicious food in the bowl turned out to be the double-skin milk pudding that she had once taught Shen Wan to make!

At that moment, a small candle was gently lit in the bowl of double-skin milk, and the flickering candlelight made everything around it look especially warm and cozy.

Looking behind Shen Wan, her mother and several others were following closely behind, each with a joyful smile on their face. Their eyes were all fixed on Shen Cao, who was not far ahead, as if they were expecting something wonderful to happen.

"Happy birthday, sister," Shen Wan said happily to Shen Cao.

"Happy birthday, Sister Cao'er." Xiaoyu and Granny Zhang also came.

Today is actually her birthday. In Shen Cao's memory, the original owner had never celebrated her birthday.

No wonder she doesn't remember.

So, all day long, her family was sneaking around, preparing a surprise for her tonight?

What to do? She was somewhat touched.

She has never been very interested in surprises, for no other reason than that she often cannot tell whether it will be a surprise or a shock.

Especially when a large group of people worked together to prepare a so-called "surprise" for her, she felt that it was both pretentious and an overreaction.

However, at this moment, looking at the group of familiar faces in front of him, they had been racking their brains since dawn to deceive him in order to give him a surprise.

Even the eldest brother, who is not usually keen on having fun, was busy preparing for this surprise today.

For the entire day, her older brother stayed by her side like a shadow, even going so far as to conspire with their father to fabricate lies to deceive her.

Unfortunately, the father and son's acting skills were rather clumsy, and their flaws were easily noticeable if one was not careful. But even so, their sincerity still warmed her heart.

Shen Cao's eyes reddened as she looked at her older brother and father behind her. "So, all your strange behavior today was to hide it from me and prepare for tonight?"

Shen Chen nodded. "Hey, I originally thought it would be the simplest thing, but I didn't expect you to be so smart."

"You have no idea how nervous Dad and I were. We almost gave ourselves away when we went out."

"Sister, hurry up and blow out the candles and make a wish!" Shen Wan held up the bowl of double-skin milk with candles stuck in it.

What's truly ridiculous is that she seems to have searched every possible place around where things could be stored, but she still can't find a candle of any color other than red.

Finally, with no other choice, she had to carefully insert the only bright red candle into the cake.

When the red candle is lit, its warm candlelight gently falls on the colorful, uniquely shaped, and crystal-clear taro balls, creating a wonderfully lantern-like visual effect.

At this moment, Shen Cao closed her eyes, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and silently made three beautiful wishes deep in her heart. Perhaps these wishes carried her hopes and expectations for the future, or perhaps they were just some insignificant little wishes that brought her happiness.

I hope everyone I care about is safe and sound.

I hope I can make a lot of money next year.

[Hopefully my older brother will get into high school next year.]

When she gently blew out the candle that was flickering with a faint light, a burst of cheerful laughter immediately filled the air.

The moment the candle went out, darkness briefly enveloped the entire room, but it was quickly dispelled by the moonlight streaming in through the window.

With smiles on their faces, everyone walked together toward the main room. Their footsteps pattered softly and rhythmically on the wooden floor, like a harmonious melody. Along the way, they chatted amongst themselves, their words filled with joy and anticipation for this special moment.

"Wan'er, when I was teaching Wanyue before, you listened so attentively. Was it all for today?"

Shen Wan felt a little embarrassed when her secret was exposed, and smiled shyly, "Hehe, well, I also wanted to give my older sister a surprise!"

"And sister, it was you who said it, that sense of ritual."

"Life needs a sense of ritual to be happy."

"We all want you to be happy, that's why we prepared this surprise for you."

Shen Cao smiled and nodded, "What Wan'er did really touched my older sister."

"And all of you, I'm really touched today. Thank you for preparing this surprise for me."

Shen Cao looked around, her voice choked with emotion.

This was the best birthday she had ever had.

"Gurgle, gurgle." Someone's stomach growled, and it was quite loud.

Shen Cao laughed through her tears, "Let's go eat."

The family sat down at the dining table in a lively atmosphere.

Shen Cao looked at the table full of dishes and said, "We were only gone for a short while, and you managed to make so many dishes?"

Shen's mother turned to look at Li Xiaoyu, her face full of gratitude, "We didn't actually go out shopping today, we've been at Grandma Zhang's house."

"Xiaoyu cooked all these dishes, and we brought them back after we finished cooking them."

"I really don't know how to thank you enough."

Shen Cao gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "Actually, it doesn't have to be a surprise. That way, we can prepare together."

"That won't do, sister. Today is your birthday, you don't need to do anything."

"And Sister Xiaoyu's cooking is also very delicious, thanks to your excellent skills," Xiaoqi said loudly.

Shen Chen smiled and nodded at him, gently patting his head. "You're right."

Shen Cao looked at the table; most of the dishes were her favorites, and a large portion of the food was spicy and flavorful.

She quickly invited everyone to eat together.

"Sister, you must try that double-skin milk pudding. I spent all day making it."

Shen Wan stood up anxiously and pointed to the bowl of double-skin milk in front of Shen Cao.

"Okay, I'll eat right away, sister."

Shen Cao picked up the spoon beside her, scooped up a mouthful of double-skin milk, put it in her mouth, and savored it carefully.

She smiled and nodded emphatically, "Delicious, really delicious."

"Wan'er, your skills are ready to be mastered."

Shen Wan said shyly, "I'm glad you like it, sister."

Shen Qing took a spoon and walked up to Shen Cao. "Sister, may I try some too?"

Shen Cao smiled and scooped a small bowl for herself, then handed the rest to him, saying, "Take this and share it with the others."

Shen Qing left, satisfied, with his bowl in hand.

Shen Cao was stuffed, and she happily said to Li Xiaoyu, "Xiaoyu, you are really amazing. You've only been learning for a short time, and your cooking is almost as good as mine."

"Given time, I believe you will definitely do better than me."

Li Xiaoyu said shyly, "Sister Cao'er, it's all because you taught me so well that I was able to learn so quickly."

Shen Cao shook her head. "You are very talented. You not only learn quickly, but you are also good at applying what you've learned to other situations. You are also willing to put in the effort."

Speaking of Li Xiaoyu, her knife skills have improved at an astonishing rate recently!

Every dish she cooks today is not only visually appealing, delicious, and fragrant, but also demonstrates exquisite knife skills.

Putting aside the enticing aroma and exquisite taste that make one's mouth water, the superb knife skills displayed in preparing the ingredients alone are enough to amaze people.

She sliced ​​the vegetables into thin, even strips, as thin as cicada wings.

The meat was chopped into small pieces of uniform size with distinct textures.

Even the fruits were carved into exquisite shapes, some like petals, others like crescent moons, presented on the plate like works of art.

Such superb knife skills not only allow the ingredients to absorb the flavors better and cook thoroughly, but also add a lot of artistic beauty to the whole dish!

Shen Cao was somewhat shocked when she first saw the mouthwatering boiled pork slices.

She never expected that Xiaoyu's cooking skills would improve to such an extent in less than half a month.

She must have been secretly practicing for who knows how long during her time at home.

The sight of boiled sliced ​​pork is enough to whet your appetite. The first thing that catches the eye is the sliced ​​pork itself. These slices are like meticulously crafted works of art, each one strikingly similar – their thickness is exactly the same!

It's as if it has undergone countless precise measurements and cuts to be presented so perfectly to diners.

This uniform thickness allows the meat slices to cook quickly while maintaining a tender and smooth texture, making them unforgettable.

The fish slices in the boiled fish were simply perfect! Each slice of fish was as thin as a cicada's wing, and the thickness was completely uniform, as if it had been measured and cut by the most precise instruments.

What's even more amazing is that every single fish bone in each piece of fish is carefully removed, leaving no residue whatsoever.

What incredible skill and patience this requires! Diners no longer need to worry about getting fish bones stuck in their throats; they can now fully enjoy the tender, smooth, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious fish fillets.

Moreover, even the exquisite garnishes that accompany the dishes when they are served all demonstrate her remarkable improvement in culinary skills.

These decorations, whether lifelike animals carved from fresh vegetables or beautiful patterns pieced together with colorful fruits, are all handled perfectly and are pleasing to the eye.

These subtle details reveal her dedication and hard work in the culinary world, as well as her unwavering pursuit of excellence.

Grandma Zhang was especially happy today, as she participated in the entire process of her granddaughter cooking.

She never imagined that in just three months, her granddaughter could cook such a large meal all by herself.

She was confident and unhurried, directing Shen's mother and helping her in a manner very much like a master chef.

The key point is that Shen Cao actually praised his granddaughter's cooking skills.

She was very happy and gratified.

She stood up, picked up her teacup, and slowly began to speak, "Today is originally Miss Cao'er's birthday, but this old woman just can't help but say a few words."

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone here, especially to today's birthday girl, Cao'er."

"It can be said that without Cao'er, there would be no us, grandfather and grandson, today."

“Three months ago, I was worried about my granddaughter’s future. I’m getting old, and her future has become a big concern for me.”

“I have thought about saving up a dowry for her so that she can find a good family she knows well.”

"But even with all my efforts, my wife can barely support the two of us."

"Looking at Xiaoyu now, I can't even remember how skinny she used to be."

“This child is sensible; she has never caused me any worry.”

"But if I don't take good care of her, I won't be able to die in peace."

Hearing her grandmother's words, Li Xiaoyu's eyes reddened. "Grandma, don't think like that."

Grandma Zhang gently stroked Li Xiaoyu's head, as if to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Grandma doesn't think that way anymore."

Then, turning to Shen Cao, he continued, "It's Cao'er. She not only took Xiao Yu as her apprentice, but also let me work here to earn money."

"When I saw Xiaoyu cook that meal today, I was really happy."

“My granddaughter has learned to make a living, so she will never go hungry in this lifetime.”

"Thank you so much, my old woman. You are all good people, very, very good people." After saying this, Granny Zhang bowed three times to Shen Cao.

Shen Cao quickly stepped aside, stood up, walked to Grandma Zhang, and helped her sit down.

"Xiaoyu is where she is today because of her own hard work."

"And I'm helping you because you deserve it."