at dusk.
As the glow poured down, Wen Qizhou hurried home holding a bouquet of champagne roses and a four-inch birthday cake.
He knocked on the door of 823.
When Chi Yue's figure came into view, he slightly raised his hand holding the rose and said softly: "Happy birthday, wife."
The fragrance of flowers hits the tip of her nose, and the eleven roses stained with water droplets occupy Chi Yue's sight.
Chi Yue looked at him and Hua in a daze.
It had been so long since she had celebrated her birthday that she had almost forgotten how special today was, and she never expected to receive a bouquet of flowers at the end of the world.
She touched the bouquet package that Wen Qizhou stuffed into her arms, and the matte paper wrapped in warmth rubbed across her fingertips and spread to her limbs. Her whole heart felt like it was soaked in a hot spring.
It was unbelievably warm.
"Thank you, husband." She stood on tiptoes and kissed the rose-colored thin lips, her smiling almond eyes flashed with tears.
"do you like it?"
"I like it very much."
Wen Qizhou smiled and kissed her forehead.
He closed the door and walked to the double sofa with Chi Yue in his arms. He looked at the table with prepared shrimps, ribs and vegetables: "You sit down for a while, I'll cook."
"Okay." Chi Yue held the bouquet of roses fondly and looked at it for a long time. Then she caught a glimpse of the birthday cake he placed on the coffee table. She was surprised and happy and said, "You also bought a cake?"
"Well, I'll blow out the candles with you tonight." He wiped his freshly washed hands, placed his palms on the top of her hair and rubbed it.
The rays of light reflected from the window fell on his clear profile. She raised her head and looked into the pair of auspicious phoenix eyes that seemed to be dotted with starlight, and the curve of the corners of her mouth could not be reduced for a long time.
She followed Wen Qizhou's figure with her eyes and watched him standing in front of the long table, pouring the prepared ingredients into the round pot on the induction cooker and stir-frying over and over again.
The fumes travel around the room.
Wisps of white smoke filled the room of less than twenty square meters, but it had a warm atmosphere.
The strong aroma of the two dishes and one soup that had just come out of the pot penetrated Chi Yue's nose. She was finally willing to put down the rose, took the bowls and chopsticks from him, and immersed herself in joy to dine with him.
When night fell, Chi Yue, who enthusiastically lit candles and made a wish, unpacked the cake and curved candles.
"Shall we insert one?"
"Okay." The cake shop didn't have digital candles, and it was impossible to insert twenty-six candles for her, so she could only use one instead.
Wen Qizhou lit the candles.
He turned off the overhead light, picked up the iPad, played a happy birthday song, and hummed softly in Chi Yue's ears along with the melody.
"Happy birthday to you..."
Listening to his warm humming, Chi Yue closed her eyes, crossed her fingers together, and made a birthday wish.
──May they be safe and prosperous, may they grow old together, and may they usher in the dawn of the dark age as soon as possible.
*
On the night of November 24th, she tasted the cake, and he tasted her with the cake in her mouth. The charming atmosphere lasted all night.
Chi Yue, who did not want to spoil the atmosphere, waited until the next morning to mention to Wen Qizhou that the insect plague might be brought forward.
"Has Ladybug been handed over to the authorities?" Wen Qizhou leaned on the cushion at the head of the bed, frowned slightly, and lit a cigarette.
"handed in."
"Does it allow larvae or worms to enter the body through bites? And then sucks the flesh and blood of the human body?"
Chi Yue said "hmm".
She glanced at the nightgown scattered under the bed, took out another one and put it on: "Their feeding process is very fast, and the parasitized person will probably die in about a day or two."
"Have all insects mutated?"
Ordinary insects are not so outrageous.
Just listening to her description, Wen Qizhou had an unreal feeling: "Does it include mosquitoes, flies and cockroaches?"
"Not included. In previous lives, only insects from the order Coleoptera and Hymenoptera were found to have mutated."
She emphasizes "past life".
After all, the butterfly effect has caused many things to change, and no one knows whether the number of mutations will increase.
Chi Yue opened the thin quilt and got out of bed: "Anyway, we'd better start protecting ourselves from now on, and don't wear short sleeves when going out."
"……good."
Of course, life is more important than being exposed to heat.
Because he was not sure whether the insect plague was coming in advance, Chi Yue did not take protective clothing for the time being, and only handed him a set of long-sleeved pants.
While he was dressing, she took out two breakfasts and placed them on the coffee table, waiting for them to finish washing before eating together.
"Honey, are you going to set up a stall today?" Wen Qizhou picked up the egg, cracked it on the corner of the table, and peeled off the eggshell along the cracks.
"Don't show off."
They worked on it too long last night.
Chi Yue still feels sore in her waist and legs, and she can't even muster the energy to go out and set up a stall: "I haven't slept enough."
"Then you have a good rest at home." He fed the peeled eggs to her mouth: "Wait for me to give you a massage when I come back."
She responded vaguely.
Before he goes out, apply Fengyoujing on his neck, back of hands and ankles: "Fengyoujing can repel insects. You can apply it again in the afternoon to make sure the smell doesn't dissipate."
