No flying cards, only a flying card master

Fortunately, Chunbao wasn't completely wicked. After teasing him for a bit, she just sat beside him and started looking at her phone.

It would have been way too embarrassing to let Xia Yanchun easily get a reaction out of him.

At four in the afternoon, Shen Nian accompanied Xia Yanchun to the wet market to buy groceries.

Since it was her birthday, dinner had to be a bit more lavish. Unfortunately, the options in the town's market were quite limited. Mutton and beef weren't available every day, so Shen Nian had to settle for buying half a roast goose.

Pork ribs for soup, large oysters stir-fried with garlic, squid paired with pickled mustard greens and onions, plus a couple of cabbages—a sumptuous birthday feast was thus decided.

The kitchen was a bit hot, so Xia Yanchun specially brought down a fan and pointed it at Shen Nian, who was helping out, to keep him from sweating and getting all sticky.

Xia Yanchun's cooking skills were already quite good. With Shen Nian's help, the dishes she cooked came out one by one, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, looking incredibly appetizing.

Shen Nian had finished his prep work, leaving only Xia Yanchun's cooking to be done. He stood behind her watching, and seeing her effortlessly toss the wok, he quickly gave her a thumbs-up.

"My Chunbao is amazing."

"Hmph."

"I'm going out for a bit."

"What for?"

"To get your birthday present."

"Oh, drive carefully."

"Got it." Shen Nian scratched his head. Why did they sound like an old married couple?

It gave him a unique sense of warmth. He absolutely loved it.

Unable to resist planting a loud kiss on Xia Yanchun's little face, Shen Nian immediately slipped out, not giving her a chance to scold him.

Shen Nian's two packages arrived right on time. Fortunately, he had specifically checked the shipping addresses when placing the orders; if they had been any further away, they wouldn't have made it before tonight.

After driving to pick up the packages, Shen Nian sliced open the outer packaging, planning to give the shoes and the box together to Xia Yanchun later.

As for the greeting card, he certainly couldn't just give it to her as is.

The gold-and-silver-trimmed greeting card cost twelve yuan. It served as both a card and a bookmark, which was actually quite pricey.

Shen Nian toyed with the two cards, found a pencil, and drew two ugly little stick figures. In the very center, he shaded a gray heart and wrote down Xia Yanchun's two favorite nicknames.

This would definitely make Chunbao cry tears of joy.

Well, Chunbao was the birthday girl, so he might as well indulge her this once.

Just spoiling you a bit.

Before long, Xia Herui and Wen Zhining both got off work one after another. After six o'clock, Chen Minyue and Shen Shi's pickup truck also parked in front of the house.

Shen Nian had gone down to the first floor early. Waiting for them to get out of the car, he stepped forward to help them unload their things and said casually, "Mom, Dad, we're eating next door tonight. Today is Xia Yanchun's birthday."

"Oh, I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it," Chen Minyue smiled. "Then we'll go upstairs and take a shower first."

"Alright."

He could smell the sweat on them. Working outdoors in the July summer heat was a miserable experience.

Shen Shi and Chen Minyue could have completely acted as hands-off bosses, directing the workers from inside the house, but neither of them did so. They always liked to find something to do themselves, only playing the hands-off boss on days when their backs or hands ached.

They had both come from a time of sweating profusely for a living and lacked the typical boss demeanor.

Birthday dinners were usually eaten a bit late. After dinner, everyone would chat and play cards together, and then between nine and ten o'clock, they could go straight to eating the cake.

"Deal the cards, deal the cards!" Xia Herui found a deck of playing cards and was ready to start a game.

"Come on! Today I have to win back what I lost over the New Year," Shen Shi said enthusiastically.

Usually, the four adults would form a table while the two kids did their own things, but Chen Minyue wanted to go back and hang up some laundry, so Shen Nian had to fill in for her.

Xia Yanchun also quickly pulled up a chair and sat next to Shen Nian.

"Backseat driving is strictly prohibited over here," Shen Nian warned her in advance.

"I'm not that kind of person."

"You'd better not be."

"What do you mean by that? You're asking for a beating."

"Stop messing around, we're playing cards." Shen Nian waved his hand, too lazy to bicker.

Anyone who dared to stop him from playing cards, even if Hagi-Chun was the birthday girl, would have to be kept in check.

Whether it was due to a luck plus five buff or something else, Shen Nian's hand was surprisingly good. The cards were perfectly lined up in straights and pairs, making Xia Yanchun's almond eyes blink rapidly as she watched from beside him.

"I'll give you five yuan, let me play this hand."

"Stop chirping, or I'll send you flying with a punch in a minute."

"Ten yuan."

"I'm not that kind of person."

"Twenty."

"Why say more? Take it, this round is yours." Shen Nian swiftly gave up his seat for her.

Xia Yanchun sat down excitedly, the seat still warm. Looking at the excellent hand of cards, she almost fainted from smiling.

"Four fours with a kicker."

"A spade flush."

"Pair of threes, last card warning."

"Hehe, a six!" Before anyone else could even play a card, Xia Yanchun had finished her entire hand.

The three adults looked at each other in dismay.

What kind of game was this?

According to the usual betting rules between the adults of the two families, Xia Yanchun steadily earned twenty yuan from this round.

She didn't lose any money and got the thrill of playing a great hand. Xia Yanchun felt she made a massive profit.

"My turn."

"Let me play one more round!" Xia Yanchun refused to give up the seat.

Shen Nian gave her a dead-fish stare. Watching Xia Yanchun happily draw her cards, he decided not to scold her in front of Uncle Xia and Aunt Wen, knowing his words could be harsh.

After drawing a full hand of cards, Xia Yanchun looked at Shen Nian, then looked at the cards in her hand, and gently stood up. "Um, I think I'll let you play after all!"

"You draw a terrible hand and then give it to me?" Shen Nian's mouth twitched.

Baby, you change your tune a bit too fast.

"I need to use the bathroom." Xia Yanchun shoved the cards into Shen Nian's hands and dashed off sparklingly.

"..."

What a joke.

Shen Nian shook his head. It seemed he had to step up himself. He would show the other three what real card-playing skills looked like.

As Cinan's master of card theory, Shen Nian could responsibly say that there were no trash cards, only trash players.

Wait a minute, what did it mean to have 4, 5, 7, 8 missing a 6, and 7, 8, 9, J missing a 10? And the highest card was a Diamond Ace?

Shen Nian fell into deep thought.