Chapter 110 - Fireworks And Lanterns

"Mmm... This one tastes really delicious. I love spicy food." Jiang Ying Yue complimented as she finished the hot and spicy soup of the noodles that Ah Shu had cooked.

It appeared that the Second Prince was pretty happy to see her enjoying the food that he had prepared with so much effort.

"Here, drink this to soothe your taste buds. Your cheeks are flushed because of the spicy soup." Wu Xie said as he handed her a glass of pomegranate juice.

Jiang Ying Yue accepted the juice and even though she was reluctant to drink it as not to ruin the aftertaste of the spicy soup, she still ended up drinking the juice because Wu Xie refused to listen to any of her excuses.

"Now what?" She asked after finishing the juice as she stood up from her seat and headed towards the terrace that was attached to the pavilion, leading towards the little pond built at the end of the garden.

"Now... let's enjoy this beautiful view." Qing Shan replied to her question as he came to stand next to her before entangling their fingers together.

Jiang Ying Yue turned to look at the First Prince with questioning eyes but got distracted when she felt Wang Shu coming up to stand on her other side before wrapping one of his hands around her waist.

"We have prepared one more thing for you. Hope you will like it." The Second Prince said as he started walking towards the edge of the terrace while pulling her along with him.

At this point, she was excited to see what more the guys had in the bag to surprise her. She was already super happy after seeing the hard work that they had put into decorating the pavilion and cooking the dishes.

"Where are Silver and Wu Xie?" She asked as they came to stand against the railing of the terrace. Her eyes hurriedly looked around to spot her other two mates but she found no trace of theirs.

"Don't worry, they will be here soon. For now, let's close your beautiful eyes for a few moments." Qing Shan said as he came to stand behind her and one of his palms moved to cover her eyes.

"What are we doing?" Jiang Ying Yue asked as she took hold of his hand covering her eyes but didn't try to pull it away.

"You will see in a moment." 

She heard Wang Shu answering next to her ear before he placed a soft feathery kiss against her lobe that made small sparks erupt all over her body. Since her eyes were closed at the moment, the rest of her senses had heightened. 

She waited patiently or at least she tried her very best to stay patient while waiting to finally see the next surprise that her mates had planned for her.

She wasn't sure how many long minutes passed like that before she finally heard Wang Shu speaking, "It's time." 

She felt Qing Shan's hand, which was covering her eyes, sliding away from her eyes and allowing her to finally see the beautiful scenery that Silver and Wu Xie had created in front of her.

"This... I..." Jiang Ying Yue couldn't find any word to explain her feelings as she looked at the pond that was now filled with dozens and dozens of floating lanterns.

Right at that moment, her attention was grabbed by a sudden sound that made her look up at the sky only to find a firecracker blasting into thousands of sparks that created a wonderful and attention-grabbing view.

"Happy Birthday, Yue." 

Jiang Ying Yue turned around at the sound of Silver's soft voice and found the man standing there with a big smile on his face along with Wu Xie who was also beaming. "Happy Birthday, Yue'er." The Third Prince wished as he signaled towards the firecrackers that were still going off in the sky.

"Happy Birthday..."

"Happy Birthday..." 

Qing Shan and Wang Shu followed next as the two of them also wished her.

Jiang Ying Yue was so touched that it was proving hard for her to not become emotional. She had become too busy with her new life to remember about her birthday. 

"Have I turned fifteen hundred and seventy-two or twenty-one?" She asked suddenly as the thought popped up into her mind, confusing her as she struggled to decide how to decide her age.

"Hmm... It's a tricky question. Let's say that you are twenty-one in mortal form but fifteen hundred and seventy-two in actuality. How does that sound?" Wu Xie suggested and found his mate nodding her head in agreement as she liked the idea.

"Thank you so much, guys. I'm really happy and this means a lot to me." Jiang Ying Yue confessed while thanking the four of them for all that they had done to make the day special for her.

She felt Qing Shan's fingers squeezing her fingers softly while at the same time, Wang Shu tightened his arm around her waist and also gifted her with another soft kiss but this time on her temple.

The five of them stood there in a close group as they enjoyed the beautiful fireworks and the lanterns that were floating on the surface of the pond.

"We will need to think of something even better for her next birthday. I'm sure her expectation will be high after today." Silver said as he came to stand next to Wang Shu before he wrapped one of his hands around the Second Prince's shoulders while the other was resting over Wu Xie's shoulders as the Third Prince stood beside him.

"We will depend on you then, Brother." Wang Shu said in response as he gave Silver a small smile.

"Ah Shu is right. You are really good at these kinds of stuff. You will need to guide us in the future." Wu Xie added next as he completely agreed with his brother's words.

Listening to the conversation between the Princes and Silver, Jiang Ying Yue found her smile becoming wider. She was really happy to see the four of them getting along. As time was passing by, the four of them were growing closer.

"I'll be looking forward then. Can't wait to see what new you guys will do to make my future birthdays special." Jiang Ying Yue responded with a cheerful smile as she watched the last firecracker getting off before the sky became as silent and serene as before.

*****

The next day brought a new wave of excitement to the Capital as everyone was excited for the return of General Gu and the Young Marshal.

Gu Chen had done a marvelous job in renovating the Gu manor. Though it was nowhere near the previous look of the manor, it was a hundred times better than what it used to look a few weeks ago.

Instead of returning the original servants to him, Jiang Ying Yue gave him enough money to hire around a hundred new servants so that he could train them according to their requirements.

"Can you stop jumping around? Besides, why am I even here?" Ying Yue could not help but complain when she got tired of Gu Chen who was too nervous and excited at the same time to calm down.

"Lady Yue, I hope that we didn't disturb you. It was my wish to call you here on this special day. General would be arriving in the Capital within an hour so and after visiting the Palace briefly, he would be coming straight here. As our benefactor, it's your right to be present here on this occasion." The Madam of the manor, General Gu's wife spoke as she appeared in the front garden where Jiang Ying Yue was sitting with Gu Chen.

"Furen." Jiang Ying Yue greeted the woman with a little bow. As usual, she was still wearing the veil that hid the lower half of her face and only left her eyes visible to express her emotions.

"I just don't want to create any discomfort on this happy occasion. Today is going to be a happy reunion between your family, an outsider like me should stay away for the time being. I would definitely pay a visit later to greet General Gu and Young Marshal." She tried but knew immediately that it was a futile attempt.

"Who told you that you are an outsider? You are just like a family to us. Besides, you are not only our benefactor but also our business partner. I'll need your help to review all about our businesses to my father. And... you are my friend too. There are several reasons for you to stay here to welcome my father." Gu Chen quickly stated.

"See! You are one of us. So don't think about such useless things. Let's wait together for General's return. I'm sure you will become their favorite too." 

Both mother and son duo seemed determined to make Jiang Ying Yue meet the General as soon as possible.