On the West City Old Street, in order to have breakfast at the Delicious Restaurant, the neighbors were as diligent as ever.

In the dead of winter, each one braved the cold and got up early, arriving at the entrance of the Delicious Restaurant before dawn.

But none of them expected...

There were plenty more dedicated folks like themselves!

Quite a few customers were already queued up at the store entrance, waiting for it to open.

Other breakfast joints were also brightly lit and busy.

Yet the entrance of their stores was nearly deserted, a stark contrast to the long line at Huang Tao’s store.

Indeed.

Only at the entrance of Huang Tao’s shop, the line remained long as ever!

Wind shields shoulder to shoulder, the line stretched even further.

It almost went from Huang Tao’s store entrance to the doors of other shops around the corner.

"Good morning, Boss Huang!"

"Boss Huang, Xuanxuan, you’re here. The weather today is much colder than yesterday. Make sure to wear more clothes and stay warm to avoid catching a cold."

"Yes, the flu has been quite bad recently. Take care of yourself, wear more, drink more hot water, and prevent catching cold."

The neighbors were very concerned about Huang Tao’s health.

After all, Huang Tao controls their appetites!

If Huang Tao took a day off, how many of them would have to go hungry for the day...

Huang Tao felt a warmth in his heart and replied with a smile, "Okay, I will pay attention, thank you all for your concern."

"No need to thank us."

"What are you saying, that’s too distant. You’re the big treasure of this street! Caring for you is a must!"

"You’ve treated us to drinks and ginger egg without us even saying thanks. It’s cold outside, so quickly go inside and get ready. I’m starving!"

After exchanging a few words with these neighbors, Huang Tao walked into the store with Xuanxuan in his arms.

"Boss, happy birthday."

This was the first thing Ding Suqin and several other long-time employees said to him as Huang Tao entered the store.

"Thank you, thank you..."

Huang Tao was surprised: "But how did you know today is my birthday?"

In his memory, he had never mentioned when his birthday was to these employees!

With a smile, Ding Suqin said, "A few days ago, auntie was helping me with cold drinks. While chatting, she casually mentioned it, and I remembered."

She was telling the truth, she almost forgot.

But when she looked at the calendar this morning, it suddenly came to her, and after arriving at the store, she told the few other colleagues.

So...

Everyone offered their blessings to Huang Tao.

Huang Tao smiled.

Others knew more about his birthday than he did himself. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He mainly felt birthdays weren’t much different from regular days and didn’t place much importance on it.

Besides, his wife used to prepare surprises for his birthdays, but since she passed away last year...

There was one less person in the world to remember his birthday!

At this moment.

Jiang Chao came out from the kitchen with a big plate of steaming hot noodles, saying with a smile: "Boss, happy birthday, we specially made these longevity noodles for you."

"Thank you!"

Huang Tao was rather surprised, the fact that these employees even prepared longevity noodles for him was unexpected.

Perhaps every December 6th from now on would be different!

He smiled, gratitude filling his heart.

Jiang Chao placed the longevity noodles on the table, saying sheepishly, "The taste surely won’t be as good as yours, but it’s our heartfelt gesture. Please have a few bites."

"I trust your cooking skills, it wouldn’t taste bad."

Huang Tao smiled slightly, then asked: "Does anyone have a cake shop’s number? Give me one, I’ll order a cake to celebrate and share tonight."

Li Chengzhan quickly said: "Boss, don’t worry about the cake, I’ve already ordered one for you."

"There’s no need for you to worry about anything else either. We guarantee we’ll handle your birthday party perfectly." Lin Qiuyu patted his chest and promised.

"Right, you just need to prepare a few dishes, leave everything else to us!" Lin Zifeng chimed in.

"Alright, then I leave it all to you guys, I have full confidence in your abilities."

Huang Tao then called Xuanxuan to eat: "Xuanxuan, let’s eat longevity noodles together!"

Xuanxuan tasted a bite, finding it wasn’t as good as her dad’s, but politely ate a few more bites before running off to play with Mimi.

Huang Tao didn’t insist. He finished the bowl of noodles alone, drinking all the broth too, working up quite a sweat.

He felt immensely comfortable.

Of course, above all, he was happy in his heart and everything felt wonderful.

Ding-a-ling~

At this moment, his phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, he quickly answered: "Mom!"

Calling was his mother, Song Cailian: "Tao, happy birthday!"

This was undoubtedly another unexpected surprise.

With a smile, Huang Tao replied: "Thanks, Mom. You’ve both woken up? Had breakfast yet?"

"We’re just eating now!"

With a face full of concern, Song Cailian said, "Your dad and I don’t have time to come by, make yourself some longevity noodles and have a good birthday with Xuanxuan tonight!"

"Mom, don’t worry, I already had longevity noodles that my employees cooked for me earlier..."

While his mother’s birthday wishes warmed him, he was more curious about whether his dad had passed the first driving test, having forgotten to ask due to the busyness of the store in recent days.

Upon hearing his dad had passed the test and would start learning to drive soon, he was happy for him, encouraging him to study hard and pass the second test in one go.

After a brief chat with his mom, noticing it was getting late, Huang Tao ended the call and delved into his breakfast business...

As the hot oil sizzled, a handful of scallions was sprinkled on top. A pot of scallion-stuffed pan-fried buns would soon be freshly baked, the steam from the basket billowing upward, mixed with the aroma of soup dumplings...

This also signified that the Delicious Restaurant was about to open for business.

At seven o’clock sharp,

Huang Tao was fully prepared and opened the doors for business.

"Oh finally, it’s opening! My stomach has been rumbling with hunger!"

"I feel the same as you. I dreamt last night that I was eating at Boss Huang’s shop, but right as I was about to take a bite, I suddenly woke up..."

"Hey, enough talking, hurry inside, we have time for early breakfast."

"Yes, yes, let’s eat early."

The neighbors eagerly rushed into the shop, sniffing the familiar aroma.

It was the same old recipe, the same taste!

In an instant, they felt alive again.

"Give me five pork-stuffed pan-fried buns, a basket of soup dumplings, and a bowl of century egg and lean pork congee."

"Two baskets of soup dumplings, two bowls of eight-treasure congee, five beef-stuffed pan-fried buns, five three-flavor pan-fried buns, and four braised eggs."

For a moment, the place was buzzing with orders.

It was lively beyond comparison!