country bumpkin

Today is the 27th day of the 11th lunar month, which is Yunya's birthday.

But Yunya herself didn't take it too seriously. She had never celebrated her birthday since she was a child. She had no idea that birthdays even existed.

All she knew was that her grandmother would make her longevity noodles on this day. As for birthdays, she had never heard of that term.

Besides, our family isn't well-off; we don't have the spare money to buy her all these fancy things.

At lunchtime, the classroom was noisy as everyone packed their bags to go home for lunch.

Suddenly, Yunya's classmate Zhang Xiaoyan skipped and hopped up to her. Zhang Xiaoyan always loved to show off, and today she was like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, exuding a smug air.

"Sun Yunya, look at my new outfit, isn't it pretty? My mom took me to the mall yesterday to buy it, and it cost quite a bit of money!"

As Zhang Xiaoyan spoke, she twirled around, her brand-new clothes gleaming in the sunlight, almost hurting Yun Ya's eyes.

Yun Ya forced a smile and nodded, "It looks pretty."

Before Yunya could react, Zhang Xiaoyan shoved her new schoolbag forward again.

"And this backpack, it's a new model I bought at the department store. It has so many compartments inside, it can hold so many books!"

As she introduced the items, she took them out of her bag one by one and placed them in front of Yunya, as if she were showing off some rare treasures.

Looking at the colorful stationery, Yunya felt a pang of indescribable emotion. Her own schoolbag, sewn by her mother from scraps of old cloth, was worn and faded, and didn't even have a zipper. It couldn't compare to the schoolbags sold in the mall; they were in completely different leagues.

"Oh, by the way, take a look at my new shoes!" Zhang Xiaoyan said, stretching her feet out in front of Yun Ya.

"These are the most popular sneakers, they're so comfortable to wear and so fast to run in!" Yunya looked down at her old, yellowed cloth shoes with red trim, her toes almost sticking out. She subconsciously pulled her feet back.

"Sun Yunya, it's your birthday today. What nice things did your parents buy for you?" Zhang Xiaoyan suddenly asked.

Yun Ya's face flushed red. She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to answer.

After a long while, she whispered, "I don't celebrate my birthday."

"Huh? Why? Birthdays are so much fun, with presents and cakes." Zhang Xiaoyan looked surprised, as if she had heard something unbelievable.

Yun Ya bit her lip. "My family...my family doesn't have that kind of means." As she finished speaking, her eyes reddened.

Zhang Xiaoyan seemed to realize she had said the wrong thing, and scratched her head awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Sun Yunya, I didn't mean to."

Yun Ya shook her head. "It's nothing. I just heard about the name 'Birthday' too."

Zhang Xiaoyan covered her mouth and looked at Yun Ya with a surprised expression.

Yun Ya ignored her.

The classroom emptied out, and Yunya remained seated, watching Zhang Xiaoyan's departing figure, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She didn't blame Zhang Xiaoyan; Zhang Xiaoyan simply didn't know how difficult her life was.

She wasn't envious of Zhang Xiaoyan's new clothes, new schoolbag, and new shoes; she was just a little sad.

It turns out that her grandmother remembered to celebrate her birthday every year, but she didn't know that this day was for celebrating her birthday.

She wondered why her birthdays were always so ordinary, and she never even heard a "Happy Birthday" from her.

Yun Ya took a deep breath, held back her tears, picked up her old schoolbag, and walked out of the classroom.

Today is her birthday. She has no new clothes, no new schoolbag, and no new shoes, but life still goes on.

Maybe when I have the ability in the future, I can give myself a big and lively birthday celebration every year.

With this in mind, Yunya's steps became more firm as she walked towards "home".

Sun Fei chased after Yun Ya, calling out, "Yun Ya... Yun Ya, wait for me!"

Hearing her friend's voice, Yunya stopped and said, "Oh! It's Feifei. I'm sorry, I forgot to wait for you."

Seeing that Yun Ya was in low spirits and her usual smile was gone, Sun Fei asked in confusion, "Yun Ya, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Yunya looked up at her and said sullenly, "Today is my birthday. I've never celebrated my birthday before, and I didn't know that people need to celebrate their birthdays, need to be congratulated, and need to receive gifts."

Sun Fei understood and comforted her, "It's no big deal. I'm celebrating your birthday. Come on, let's go somewhere together."

As she spoke, Sun Fei pulled Yun Ya along and ran to a shop in a small alley near the school gate.

Sun Fei took out a yuan and called out, "Is anyone there? Boss, are you there?"

A middle-aged woman walked out from the back yard, went through the small back door of the shop, and entered the store. She asked, "Children, what would you like to order?"

Sun Fei handed over the one yuan in her hand, pointed with her index finger at the plastic box of small cakes inside the counter, and said, "I want two small cakes."

The middle-aged woman opened the counter, took out two boxes of small cakes, and handed them to her, saying, "Five cents each, and you gave me exactly two."

Sun Fei took the small cake, placed the money on the counter, and the middle-aged woman took the money herself and casually threw it into the money box.

Sun Fei kept a small cake for herself and handed one to Yun Ya, saying, "I'm treating you to this small cake so we can celebrate your birthday together."

Yunya was happy, her heart warmed. Sun Fei led her out of the store and into the alley.

The two sat on a large rock by the roadside, and Sun Fei taught Yun Ya how to open the plastic box.

This little cake has a transparent lid on top and a pink base. Inside is white cream, decorated with bright green flowers. It looks very fresh and eye-catching, and quite appetizing.

Following Sun Fei's example, Yun Ya first pulled off the elastic band of the collar on the outside of the box with one hand.

With the other hand, hold the small plastic spoon on the lid. You have to hold the plastic container firmly, otherwise it will spill and you won't be able to eat it.

Open the box, hold the base of the small cake in one hand, and use the other hand to scoop out a spoonful of white cream. Put it in your mouth, and the sweet and fragrant cream will fill your mouth.

Yunya took a bite and happily squinted her eyes. The sweet, cool, and milky flavor slid down her throat, sweet but not cloying, and melted in her mouth.

She looked at Sun Fei with a smile: "Feifei, this is so delicious, thank you! This is the first time I've ever had a birthday like this, and it's the happiest birthday I've ever had!"

Sun Fei smiled and said, "Don't be shy. In families with many children like ours, parents rarely celebrate their children's birthdays. But every year my mother buys me a small cake like this to celebrate my birthday."

Yunya said enviously, "Although I didn't know about birthdays before, at my maternal grandma's house, she always makes longevity noodles for me on this day."

Sun Fei asked in confusion, "What are longevity noodles? Are they different from the noodles we usually eat?"

Yunya remembered the longevity noodles her grandmother made for her at her maternal grandmother's house, and said, "Longevity noodles are a single noodle. Grandma made them by hand. There's only one noodle from beginning to end, without any breaks in the middle."

Sun Fei nodded, but still couldn't imagine what a single noodle could be like in a bowl.

She said, "Wow, that's pretty amazing. One noodle makes a whole bowl of noodles. Your grandma is so clever!"

Yunya smiled and said, "Yes, Grandma is the best, and she's the person who loves me the most in the world."

After saying that, the two little girls sat on the big rock, looked at each other, and continued to eat their cakes with smiles on their faces.