Alexander Summersâs stride faltered slightly before his thin lips curled up and he bent down to gently kiss her forehead.
âIs Mom okay?â he asked.
âHer temperature is a bit high, she took some antipyretic, but I donât know if it will go down laterâ¦â Purple Summers explained in detail to him.
After going upstairs to check on Atra Blanc, Alexander came downstairs, saw Purple with her bag ready to go to school, and suddenly remembered something.
âToday seems to be your birthday.â
âMmm.â Purple nodded her head, âMom wanted to make longevity noodles, but fell sick. Itâs not a milestone birthday since Iâm turning seventeen, so it doesnât really matter whether we celebrate or not.â
Purple didnât mind this.
Alexander thought for a moment and then said, âWhy donât you go to school later?â
He had been busy lately; it was rare for him to be able to come home in the morning, and he still had to go out later in the evening.
Since he was back, he figured he might as well celebrate Purpleâs birthday.
Alexander went to the kitchen, washed his hands, and continued to knead the dough that Atra Blanc had started earlier.
Purple leaned against the doorway of the kitchen, watching him, her gaze softly falling on Alexander.
âDo you know how?â she asked, a teasing smile in her eyes, mixed with some anticipation.
âI guess so,â Alexander said.
Purple couldnât help laughing, âEither you know, or you donât. Whatâs this âI guess soâ?â
She seriously doubted the quality of the longevity noodles Alexander would make.
Alexander turned to look at her, freed one hand to pinch her nose, leaving a nose full of white flour, âWhatâs with all the questions, just eat when itâs ready.â
âSo domineering,â Purple muttered, touching her nose, but her eyes revealed an uncontrollable smile.
Alexander finished kneading the dough and began to make noodles. He wanted to make the thin and long strands like Atra Blanc did, but didnât quite succeed. After several attempts, he finally managed to make a thick strand of noodle.
The soup for the noodles was chicken soup that Atra Blanc had prepared the night before. A little salt added to the soup brought out its incredibly delicious taste.
Alexander brought the noodles over to Purple, âOnce youâve eaten your birthday noodles, youâre seventeen.â
Then he patted her head, his tone lingering, âOnly one more yearâ¦â
âPervert,â Purple called him, but she couldnât help smiling.
She picked up chopsticks to start on the noodles, and Alexander also took a pair, poking around in the bowl.
He picked up one end of the noodle and fed it into Purpleâs mouth, then found the other end for himself and said with the air of conducting a serious ritual, âLetâs each eat from one end, and if they donât tangle, it means the rest of our lives will be smooth and fortunate.â
âIâve never heard of such a custom; you must have made it up,â Purple complained, âCan you please not be so childish.â
Alexander said, âIt just so happens I havenât had breakfast.â
Being a habitual rascal, Alexander felt embarrassing to Purple, yet she had no choice but to comply with his way of eating the noodles.
In the end, as expected, the noodles didnât tangle, and Alexander was delighted, pecking forcefully on her lips when they finished, the fragrant smell of chicken soup in the air.
âIt tastes good,â he declared.
Purple looked at the satisfaction on his face, feeling sweet and warm in her heart, thinking the moment especially beautiful.
From Alexanderâs manner, she guessed he was unaware that Nathaniel had sought her out, because even a lion sometimes dozes, and when Alexander was busy, he couldnât possibly monitor the surveillance 24 hours a day.
This was probably for the best.
After all, she had already made things clear to Nathaniel; there was no need to stir up trouble over it.
And besides⦠she really did dread Alexander resorting to violence at the drop of a hat.
After eating the longevity noodles, Purple went to school.
Alexander was reluctant to let her go, hugging and kissing her endlessly at the entranceway, âWhy donât you take the day off? Stay home with me to take care of Mom.â
âYou just want to take advantage of me,â Purple saw right through him, calling out his lecherous intentions, before reminding him, âIn four hours, take Momâs temperature again, the antipyretic is by the bed.â
Having said this, she left for school.