Chapter 1537

After sending Gu Yanzhong and Lin Wanqiu to Bai Jinhangong and handing them over to Chen Zekai to host, Ye Chen drove back to his own Tang Chen Yi Pin villa.

It was only a little past two in the afternoon. Ye Chen had originally thought his wife, Xiao Churan, might not be finished until three or four o'clock, so he thought he would go home first and wait until she was nearly done before going to pick her up.

But unexpectedly, by the time Ye Chen arrived home, his wife Xiao Churan, his father-in-law Xiao Changkun, and his mother-in-law Ma Lan had already started busying themselves in the kitchen.

Seeing that Xiao Churan was actually home, Ye Chen asked in surprise, "Wife, when did you get home? Why didn't you tell me? I could have come to pick you up."

Xiao Churan said with a smile, "I sped up my progress a bit and got home at two o'clock. Since we're preparing a birthday dinner for you today, I came back a little early."

Ma Lan was holding a massive king crab in both hands. While putting it into the steamer, she said to Ye Chen with a smile, "Good son-in-law, Mom is making you a big feast tonight. Look at this big crab; just one of them cost over three thousand!"

Xiao Churan, standing to the side, saw that she was about to steam the crab right then and hurriedly said, "Oh Mom, you can't steam the crab now. It's not even three o'clock yet; it's still early before dinner! If you steam it until it's cooked now, it won't taste good by dinner time!"

Ma Lan asked in surprise, "Then why did you come back so early and get us to start cooking?"

Xiao Churan said helplessly, "To do the prep work first. Once the king crab is scrubbed clean, we'll keep it in a bucket. The same goes for the other ingredients—get everything cleaned and prepped, and have the seasonings for the stir-fry ready. Then, we'll cook when it's closer to mealtime. That way, we can ensure the best texture."

Ma Lan said dejectedly, "Hey, I thought we were starting to cook right now. Isn't this crab supposed to go straight into the steamer? Does it still need to be washed?"

"Of course it needs to be washed," Xiao Churan said. "At the very least, you have to use a brush to scrub off the dirt on the surface, then rinse it several times with clean water."

Ma Lan curled her lips, "I don't dare scrub this thing; it's covered in spikes all over. If I get poked by it... it's better to let your dad handle these seafood items."

Having said that, she looked at Xiao Changkun and ordered, "Xiao Changkun, take this crab out of the steamer and wash it. Remember to wash it clean!"

Xiao Changkun couldn't help but grumble, "I have other things to do. You do it yourself."

Ma Lan said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense, hurry up and handle the crab! Otherwise, don't even think about eating a single bite tonight!"

Xiao Changkun asked discontentedly, "You're making me handle the crab, so what are you going to do?"

Ma Lan said casually, "I'm going to peel some garlic."

After saying that, she grabbed a few heads of garlic, took a small stool, sat in the corner, and started peeling garlic over the trash can.

Xiao Changkun felt a bit dejected, but he didn't dare argue with Ma Lan, so he honestly took the crab out carefully and took it to the sink to wash.

Seeing this, Ye Chen spoke up, "Dad, let me clean the crab instead."

Xiao Churan hurriedly said to Ye Chen, "Husband, you're the birthday star today, so don't go into the kitchen. Go to the living room outside and watch some TV. The person delivering the cake will be here in a while; keep an ear out for the doorbell."

Seeing that she was firm in her attitude, Ye Chen didn't insist further and said, "Then remember to call me if you need anything."

"Okay."

Ye Chen came out of the kitchen and had only been sitting in the living room for a while when the doorbell rang.

He saw from the monitor that the person ringing the doorbell was a delivery person, so he walked out the door.

Outside the courtyard, a middle-aged delivery person asked, "Is this Ms. Xiao's residence?"

Ye Chen nodded, "Yes, it is."

The other party handed him a cubic packaging box with sides about fifty centimeters long and said, "This is the cake Ms. Xiao ordered. Please sign for it."

Ye Chen took the cake and, as he was about to sign the slip, the other party reminded him, "You should open it and take a look. If there's a problem, I'll take it straight back to the cake shop. Don't find an issue after signing for it and then file a complaint; by then, we riders will have to bear the responsibility."

Ye Chen didn't think much of it, so he untied the red silk ribbon on the cake box. After carefully opening the top lid, an exquisite two-tier cake came into view.

This cake didn't look as luxurious or exquisite as the five-tier cake Gu Qiuyi had ordered, nor did it have lifelike shock-absorbing fondant dolls. What it had was just a standard, conventional cake appearance. However, the line of words written in chocolate sauce on the cake made a warm current surge in Ye Chen's heart.

The content of that line was: "Wishing my dear Mr. Ye, a happy birthday."

The signature was: "Your loving wife, Churan."

Seeing these words, Ye Chen smiled knowingly and said to the rider, "The cake is fine, I'll sign for it directly."

After saying that, he signed the slip and handed it back to the rider.

Once the rider collected the slip and left, Ye Chen packed the cake back up and carried it back into the house.

This scene happened to be seen by Old Mrs. Xiao, who was hanging laundry on the balcony of the villa opposite.

Seeing Ye Chen receive a cake and walk back into the villa, she couldn't help but curiously return to the room and ask Xiao Changgan and Xiao Hailong, who were lying on the bed, "Changgan, Hailong, do you know what day it is today?"

Xiao Changgan gave a bitter smile, "Mom, from before the New Year until now, I've been eating, drinking, pooping, and sleeping all on this bed. I have no idea what the solar date, lunar date, or what day of the week it is."

Xiao Hailong echoed, "Grandma, I don't keep track of the days either."

Old Mrs. Xiao muttered, "Today is the second day of the second lunar month, the Dragon Raises Its Head. But I can't remember whose birthday it is today. That unfilial son Xiao Changkun seems to have been born in the winter, and that dead girl Xiao Churan seems to be in the summer..."

Xiao Hailong remembered something and said, "The second day of the second lunar month... today seems to be that bastard Ye Chen's birthday!"

Old Mrs. Xiao frowned and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Sure!" Xiao Hailong nodded repeatedly, "Once, just after the first lunar month, I went to the barbershop to get a haircut and happened to see Ye Chen and Xiao Churan eating at a small restaurant next to the barbershop. There was a small cake on the table. I observed it; it was Ye Chen blowing out the candles, so it must be Xiao Churan celebrating Ye Chen's birthday. Grandma, you don't know, that cake was so pathetic at the time, it wasn't even as big as a dinner plate."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Xiao suddenly seemed to be in a great mood and said with a smile, "Oh my, so today is that white-eyed wolf Ye Chen's birthday! I didn't expect him to be failing so quickly!"

Xiao Hailong asked in confusion, "Grandma, what's wrong? Why do you say that?"

Old Mrs. Xiao curled her lips and said, "Before the New Year, how many people ran over to line up to give him gifts at Ye Chen's door? Look, it's only just after the first lunar month, and no one has come to congratulate him on his birthday. This proves that he's failing now, and those rich and powerful people don't take him seriously anymore!"

Xiao Hailong asked subconsciously, "Grandma, can you tell that Ye Chen is failing just from this?"

Old Mrs. Xiao said seriously, "Hailong, there is an idiom called 'seeing one leaf fall and knowing autumn has arrived.' As long as you see one leaf fall, it means autumn is here. If autumn is here, can winter be far behind?"

As she spoke, she analyzed with an inscrutable expression, "Think about it, if Ye Chen were still truly successful, his door would definitely be surrounded by those rich people right now. There is an idiom called 'a door as busy as a marketplace,' which describes a person when they are at the height of their popularity—their doorstep is even livelier than a vegetable market!"

"But look, today is Ye Chen's birthday. For those who want to curry favor with him, such a big event is much more important than the New Year. Up until now, not a single person has been seen visiting his house. Instead, it reflects another idiom, 'a door so quiet you can catch sparrows'!"

"Just from this one signal, I can clearly judge that Ye Chen must be failing now, and maybe, he's even about to be finished!"