“Okay.” Jiang Yao nodded. She was too lazy to get out of bed, so she knelt on the edge of the bed. She bent down and reached under the bed to touch it. Then, she took out a box that she had hidden inside earlier.
Jiang Yao bought the box in the city. It was a wonderful and exquisite iron box. It also had a very retro style. She held the box in her arms, then turned around to look at Lu Xingzhi. She pushed the iron box toward Lu Xingzhi and said, “This is my birthday present to you. This is the first one. I’ll give one to you every year from now onward. You must take good care of it.”
Lu Xingzhi took the iron box and held it as Jiang Yao did. He weighed it and found that it was not heavy. Under Jiang Yao’s expectant gaze, he slowly opened the box.
The moment he saw the iron box, Lu Xingzhi could not guess what was inside.
However, he did not expect to see rows and rows of handmade paper cranes when he opened it. He estimated that there were about 1,001 of them. One of them was huge; it was placed on top of the other small paper cranes. It was like a tyrant.
“How long have you folded these?” Lu Xingzhi picked up the largest paper crane and looked at it. Then, he put it back and reached out to take Jiang Yao’s hand. “Is it tiring to fold so many?”
Jiang Yao shook her head and asked, “Do you like it?”
She was a little worried that that gift would disappoint Lu Xingzhi. Fortunately, she only saw joy in his eyes. She did not see any other emotions.
“Yes.” Lu Xingzhi nodded. She had prepared such a thoughtful gift. How could he not like the paper cranes that she had folded with her own hands?
He would treat them as treasures.
No, that was a priceless treasure to him. It was a treasure that could not be exchanged for gold.
He would hide it well. In the future, he would give her other gifts. He would put them together every year for his birthday. When they got older, they would savor those gifts again.
“Yaoyao, I like it very much.” He had liked everything that she had given him, just like how much he liked her.
That was a surprise, but it was also a joy. He knew that she had spent so much time and energy preparing that gift for him. In fact, she had looked forward to his birthday, right?
It was his and Jiang Yao’s first birthday together. She said that she would be the first person to wish him. She gave him a gift that was filled with her heart. More importantly, she would be by his side for every birthday. From then onward, he would no longer be alone in bed. He no longer needed to lie on the double bed that belonged to both of them and imagined what life would be like with her by his side.
He had achieved that; all his wishes had been fulfilled.
All that was missing was a child that belonged to both of them.
Jiang Yao realized that Lu Xingzhi had not discovered the other surprises hidden in the paper cranes, so she did not remind him. She watched him cover the box again, then carefully carried it out of bed. She watched him leave the bedroom and hid the box in his study.
She did not know when he would discover the little secrets hidden in the thousand paper cranes.
After Lu Xingzhi returned, he immediately threw his wife down onto the bed. He had received his birthday wish and present. The surprise and joy of the night filled his heart with warmth.
Birthdays did not mean much to him in the past, but there was a different expectation from then onward.
He had her presence, her companionship, and most importantly, her heart.
